With Aqueduct a sea of slop, I selected two plays for my calls on Race Day Las Vegas,  one was Sea To Sky in the 7th and the other was Tahima in the 9th.   They both won, with Sea To Sky paying a handsome $18.20 and Tahima a square price at $8.70.  Interestingly, Ralph Siraco suggested an additional play singling my two selections and using an ALL in the 8th race.  In the 8th race, my 2nd rated horse Score Boyera won paying $21.60.   This play which only cost $5.00, returned $446.00 for the small investment.   This play was particularly interesting as it paid nearly twice the parlay.  The parlay was 8.5 x 9.5 x 3.5 = 282 to 1.  compare with the actual payoff (after breakage) of 446/1.     Unfortunately, Ralph took this part of the play and played it in the Pick 4 and watched his suggested horses run 2nd & 3rd which killed the play Ralph suggested in the Pick 4.

This of course goes under the heading of TURNING MY WINNERS INTO LOSERS.   We all do it and want to find a way to stop doing it.  Here is my suggestion.  Start with the win bet and then the exacta bet on the horses you like –  that you think represent fair value.  After those best are made, then consider betting the Pick 3 first and then the Pick 4…  You will cash more often and have your money working in the places that you can appreciate cashing more often…  Then when you do score out on the Pick-3 and Pick -4 you will not be playing so much a game of  catch-up…

STAR horses were plus $41.10 at a cost of $12.00 today…

We were treated to a very strong bias at Aqueduct, with inside position a must and speed another must.  As the track started taking on moisture, the more important the early speed near the end of the day.  While over at Santa Anita, it seemed very similar, however several jockey’s had that sense going in and really gunned their horses, literally over-running the bias.  That was a possible explanation for the outcome of the La Brea going so hard and so fast — so early — that they set it up for a closer, but only one closer –Book Review — was good enough to find the top two at the wire, getting the win.

It was really fun having them back at both venues, but they are not running at Santa Anita on Thursday, but then they are running right through the New Year, so that should give us lots to look at.  Aqueduct is running tomorrow and there is a storm this evening…if you purchase a Power Page or KHSS for Thursday and the card is cancelled before the 2nd race, I will automatically issue a refund…