Venue for 2/15

[cal828]

Parlez vous? Me neither, but without further adieu (seems appropriate for Cajun Country), the venue selection is Fair Grounds in case you missed it in my other posts. I guess I'm taking corn to a whole new level and my apologies, but that's what you get on what could hardly be called a "manic Monday" in the Hot Water City of Arkansas. Gray skies and perpetual rain is all I've seen of late. Starting to get a little cabin fever. Probably need to go out to Oaklawn on President's Day for the Southwest.

We can go with Race 4 starting at 2:28 Eastern through Race 13, if that would be acceptable.

[JolyB]

After looking at the card and the very full fields, I was kind of hoping that you would choose to eliminate some of those maiden races early in the card. My compliments on your decision.

I'm looking forward to trying an all graded stakes pick 4 for the ROI. Should be a real challenge; then again, the way that I've been handicapping lately, just about everything is a challenge.

[cal828]

I don't know how much interest there is in playing maiden races. I don't play them. Hard enough to play races that have a full listing of past performances, but the sequence I have indicated still has a couple of maiden races so maybe that will satisfy anyone interested in playing that type of race. Good luck on your P4 Joly. Last time we played Fair Grounds even I could have hit the P4, I think and that is not a bet I hardly ever even contemplate, but it's best to keep an open mind to whatever the race sequence presents which is something I usually see only in hindsight.

[DonGuido]

I rarely if ever bet maidens at the track, Lone Star Park, or others if we travel. It's been awhile since we have traveled to other tracks. We have a good friend in Kentucky who is a breeder and haven't seen him in a long time. Very nice guy with a very nice smallish breeding farm. If not this yer we need to get back there soon. Patty and I did have a great meet up with JolyB at Saratoga, our all time fav track, so long ago I can't remember when it was. It just galvanized how awesome JB is, if you haven't figured it out here already. He is the real deal!

WE miss Saratoga very much in that in our younger married life in up-state New York we hit The Spa every year for awhile until the Army got me. We've been several times recently and always tie it into a much to short vacation in the Adirondacks . . . our Heaven on Earth!!! That may be in the cards again this year, depending on how Patty progresses with her treatments.

Anyway, maidens are OK for our Points contest as real brain teasers. That said, I never use them in my ROI wagers.

[RUFFIAN]

Cal
Since you wanted to Eliminate some Maiden Races ~
how come you started with R4 {MAIDEN} instead of R5

Still time to do that

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

Cal
Since you wanted to Eliminate some Maiden Races ~
how come you started with R4 {MAIDEN} instead of R5

Still time to do that

One maiden never hurts!

[RUFFIAN]

(Don) “One maiden never hurts!”

Unless she is Sleeping Beauty and falls asleep on you!

QUESTION
I see there are two divisions of the Risen Star
What is their process to decide which Horses go in which division

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

(Don) “One maiden never hurts!”

Unless she is Sleeping Beauty and falls asleep on you!

QUESTION
I see there are two divisions of the Risen Star
What is their process to decide which Horses go in which division

I would postulate (been waiting awhile to use that word) that you look at all the horses in the two divisions as one race and pick points and wager that way . . . naaaaah, that won't work. We just make the two divisions as two independent races.

Any other thoughts on this are welcome!!!

[RUFFIAN]

That isn’t what I was asking

What I meant was
How do the track Stewards determine which horses
they put into which division
since the purse is the same + the distance is the same in both

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

That isn’t what I was asking

What I meant was
How do the track Stewards determine which horses
they put into which division
since the purse is the same + the distance is the same in both

Hmmmm, no idea . . . pull names out of a hat??? Maybe by the order of when they signed up to run in the race?

[JolyB]

Originally Posted by RUFFIAN-333

That isn’t what I was asking

What I meant was
How do the track Stewards determine which horses
they put into which division
since the purse is the same + the distance is the same in both

Ruff, I'm pretty sure that when the Stewards determine that there are so many entrants that they run the race in 2 divisions, they have a random draw to determine who runs in which division. Then they have the additional draws for post positions. Any other process could lead to allegations that Horse X was intentionally placed in an easier division to provide a benefit to a favored owner or trainer.

I seem to recall from earlier years that Derby qualifying points are affected by having a race run in two divisions. The number of points awarded to the top finishers is smaller than if that race had not been run in two divisions. I think that is provided in the small print of the rules for Derby qualification. What I don't know is exactly how many points will be on the line for the Risen Star.

Hope that answers your question.

[JolyB]

Originally Posted by JolyB

Ruff, I'm pretty sure that when the Stewards determine that there are so many entrants that they run the race in 2 divisions, they have a random draw to determine who runs in which division. Then they have the additional draws for post positions. Any other process could lead to allegations that Horse X was intentionally placed in an easier division to provide a benefit to a favored owner or trainer.

I seem to recall from earlier years that Derby qualifying points are affected by having a race run in two divisions. The number of points awarded to the top finishers is smaller than if that race had not been run in two divisions. I think that is provided in the small print of the rules for Derby qualification. What I don't know is exactly how many points will be on the line for the Risen Star.

Hope that answers your question.

I need to correct myself. According to the Bloodhorse:

"Each race will be contested for the advertised $400,000 purse, and per Road to the Kentucky Derby rules, the two stakes will both offer 85 qualifying points [50-20-10-5] toward Kentucky Derby"

[JolyB]

This is completely off topic and I apologize to any who aren't baseball fans looking forward to Spring.

Many pay attention to groundhog day, but for me the surest sign of the passing of the dreaded winter and the approach of the unsure spring is the day on which PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT. For most teams, that day is today.

Thank you.

[DonGuido]

Originally Posted by JolyB

This is completely off topic and I apologize to any who aren't baseball fans looking forward to Spring.

Many pay attention to groundhog day, but for me the surest sign of the passing of the dreaded winter and the approach of the unsure spring is the day on which PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT. For most teams, that day is today.

Thank you.

Well it's likely Spring in Surprise, AZ anyway, but not here in North Texas . . wet and cold. It's been a VERY wet winter. The sound of a hardball smacking into the center of the cather's mit at 90 mph is pretty awesome.

[cal828]

Originally Posted by DonGuido

Well it's likely Spring in Surprise, AZ anyway, but not here in North Texas . . wet and cold. It's been a VERY wet winter. The sound of a hardball smacking into the center of the cather's mit at 90 mph is pretty awesome.

I think all that wet weather you guys get in North Texas, Don, heads right up here to Hot Springs. We are completely water logged here. I think we might see a little sun over the next 3 or 4 days then more rain on Monday. I had thought about going to see the Southwest. I think they have a drawing after every race and the amount Oaklawn gives away starts with a thousand dollars and increases by a thousand with each race, but with the rain, I think I'll just stay home. Wouldn't be so bad, if it was nice day so that some of the crowd could be shunted outside, but with rain everyone will be indoors. President's Day is very big at Oaklawn largely because it's a holiday for all Arkansas State Employees and they all go to the track.