March 9 Venue Ideas

[JolyB]

Last Saturday's venue of Gulfstream was a no-brainer (something I've been told I'm good at). This Saturday offers a few more alternatives.

Aqueduct offers several stakes, including the Gotham, which probably will have a very full field. Tampa Bay offers its best racing card of the year, including the Tampa Bay Derby and the Florida Oaks. Turfway Park also has their best card of the year, although that may be a dubious distinction for a card highlighted by the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks (yes, that's the correct spelling).

The one that I think would be our best choice is at Santa Anita for "Big Cap" day, featuring the Santa Anita Handicap and including the Kilroe Mile and the Derby qualifying San Felipe. While the San Felipe will probably have a small field, it is projected to include the two top Baffert 3 year olds in Game Winner and Improbable. Jerry Hollendorfer's Gunmetal Gray is also expected. Santa Anita has cancelled its Thursday card in anticipation of heavy rains, but are planning to be ready to go on Saturday.

Right now I'm leaning toward selecting the full card at Santa Anita, but would welcome any comments you might have. I know that some might want to do every one of the Derby qualifying races, but I'm not excited about that choice - perhaps we could do that when we get to the 100 point qualifiers on the first weekend of April and the qualifying points really matter.