Gulfstream mounts Skip Away

This doesn't relate to this post. But for what it's worth -
it betokens the old Epitomigm:
"What's the difference between winning by a nose and losing by a nose?"*

On Friday March 30, Gulfstream Park puts on the Grade 3 1 & 3/16th-mile Skip Away Stakes. The race is named after a tremendous steed running out of Florida that was trained and owned by Sonny Hines. In the 1990s, he won 18 of 38 races and earned $9,616,360--third best on the all-time North American money list behind Curlin and Cigar at the time of his passing in 2010. Skip Away still stands at #8 on that list.

We look at some of the contenders. Realm (1) will break out of the inside post and could well establish the early pace. If that is the case, the 3/4 fraction may be 1:10 I'd wager. But he may be held back some by jockey Cory Landeros. The Scotsman (6) could vie with Realm and heat things up a bit. In either case, there's some chance that Realm and The Scotsman will back up - both are stepping up in class.

A couple of interesting entries here are trained by Todd Pletcher, a vaunted trainer, who had by his standards a mediocre 2018 on the big stage (but whose winning rate was 22% during that now passed frame), but who has been hot of late. That makes a bet on his steeds - Biblical (4) and Marconi (5) a potential exercise in what the behavioral analytics crew calls 'recency bias'. Neither of these two is fully accomplished, tho their breeding (both are sired by Tapit) is regal.

Marconi is a bit more distinguished having vied against the best of his crop in 2017 and 2018. Marconi lost his last, in his first off a long layoff, missing the show by a nose (to The Scotsman) Biblical is up for the fourth in this cycle, and won his last against optional claimers. Both have exceptionally hot recent works. Marconi is ridden by Luis Saez, who had been contending closely with Irad Ortiz for the spot as top jockey at the meet.

It may be chimerical to think there will be a price available on Marconi - but there's enough wrong with his chances to warrant such. If he wins it will be a signal event.

Distance is an unknown for all the entrants. All for - in a way - favorite Rocketry (7), the key, classiest and fastest, horse in the race, tho a late runner. In a way, this horse is actually cutting back from much longer outings, ones he led at the equivalent of the final call for this. He is ridden by Javier Castellano. But he may need a race, as he is coming off a 3 month layoff.

A horse that could stalk is Zulu (3) for the indomitable Jorge Navarro. He is the second choice in the morning line, is matched well with jockey Irad Ortiz, and has won more races (6 out of 21) than any of the other runners.

The selection here: 7-3-5.  Betting 7 to win and place and show, and 5 to win, place and show. A tri box of 7.3,5. And an exacta of 5 over 3,7.

This distance is not a favorite of mine. We will see. Is there anything I can add? Remember, when you forget something, your brain is just making room for new ideas.

***
Others saw something in Marconi, who came down from 6-1 to 9-2, not bad value. Much money went to the Rocket, who went off  at 6-5.




Marconi paid dividends today, being as ready to win as one might have hoped for. Came around at th head of the stretch and steadily strode on to surpass game Scotsman and Realm (who was an incredible 19-1 or so). Though happy because of Marconi, we did miss the board with our other pics however. You live by exotics and die by exotics it seems, tho we did walk away with a profit. Most surprising was how much Rocketry needed one, and how little gusto Rocket had. It was however, a thrilling rendition of the Skip Away with three horses in very close contention at the wire.

*The answer to  What's the difference between winning by a nose and losing by a nose? Is "a nose" . But here's another one: The answer is many dollars. This was an epic bad beat for Racetrack Romeo. The horse in the foreground, Bricks and Mortar, will win, paying .30 on the dollar. The second place finisher in the background, Markitoff, would have paid $62.60 on the dollar five time for me if he'd held on. I got $20 to place and show. Can't even think about what the exacta might have paid.