Saturday, January 31, 2015

Dynasty's Futura Too Strong in the J&B Met

Updated: 2:25 PM ET (First posted: 10:11 AM ET)Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printClick here to open this alert in a new pageMore Sharing Services
8th at KNW G1 J&B Met (R2.5m) [2000m (T)] Winner: Futura (SAf), c, 4 by Dynasty (SAf)
Futura
© Liesl King
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
With the withdrawal of early race favorite Legislate (SAf) (Dynasty {SAf}) just three days before the race, the G1 J&B Met was billed as a showdown between G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Futura (SAf) (Dynasty {SAf}) and South African Triple Crown hero Louis the King (SAf) (Black Minnaloushe). While that duel never truly materialized, Futura nonetheless provided the thrilling finish the large and vibrant crowd had been waiting for. Traveling midpack in the two path behind a docile pace, Futura and jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe opted for an inside route as the field swung into the straight. Futura burst to the lead between runners in deep stretch as Louis the King began to toil under pressure, and the bay drew clear to a decisive 2 1/4-length score over the 7-year-old Gold Onyx (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe), with the pace-setting Helderberg Blue (SAf) (Jet Master {SAf}) sticking on for third. Louis the King checked in sixth. Trainer Brett Crawford, who was winning his second ‘Met’, told SportingPost.co.za, “This horse has just done everything right. It is his third Grade 1 win in 11 starts. Those horses don’t come by often in our lifetimes. Thanks to the owners and the team. A great effort.”

Saturday, Kenilworth, South Africa
J&B MET-G1, R$2,500,000, KEN, 1-31, 3yo/up, 10fT, 2:05.38, gd.
1FUTURA (SAF), 132, c, 4, by Dynasty (SAf)
1st Dam: Scribblin’ the Cat (SAf), by Badger’s Drift (SAf)
2nd Dam: Winter Fox (SAf), by Western Winter
3rd Dam: Fox of Gold (SAf), by Golden Thatch (Ire)
(R500,000 yrl ‘12 EMPNAT) O-Messrs John T
Freeman, I W Longmore & W J C Mitchell; B-G
Murdoch; T-Brett Crawford; J-Bernard Fayd’Herbe.
R1,425,000. Lifetime Record: 11 starts, 7 wins,
4 places, R3,315,075. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2--Gold Onyx (NZ), 129, g, 7, Black Minnaloushe--Egoli
Lass (NZ), by Kaapstad (NZ). (NZ$80,000 yrl ‘09
NZBPREM) O-C J H Van Niekerk; B-P Newman &
Windsor Park Stud; T-Sean Tarry. R500,000.
3--Helderberg Blue (SAf), 128, g, 4, Jet Master (Saf)

Our Table Mountain, by Fusaichi Pegasus.
(R2,800,000 yrl ‘12 CAPREM). O-Messrs N M
Shirtliff, M J Jooste, Bryn Ressell & Mrs I Jooste;
B-Highlands Farms Stud; T-Mike Bass. R250,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HD, 3/4. Odds: 2.00, 18.00, 33.00.
Also Ran: Tellina (SAf), Punta Arenas (SAf), Louis the King (SAf), Power King (SAf), Paterfamilias (SAf), Jet Explorer (SAf), Arion (SAf), Johnny Rockets (SAf), Killua Castle (Aus), Dynamic (SAf), Astro News (SAf). Scratched: Legislate (SAf).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
The winner of five of his seven starts through the end of his 3-year-old campaign last year, Futura was third in his group-race debut in the G3 Cup Trial at Clairwood in June. Third behind Legislate when trying Grade 1 company for the first time in the Durban July, Futura bounced back to take the G1 Champions Cup at Greyville July 26. Put away for a winter holiday, Futura checked in third behind Legislate in his 4-year-old debut in the G2 Green Point S. here Nov. 22, and was coming into this prestigious event after picking up his second Group 1 in the Queen’s Plate over Louis the King three weeks ago.

Get the full writeup and all of the details in tomorrow's newsletter. If you are not already a subscriber, click here to sign up to get a link when it is available.

Coolmore

posted from Bloggeroid

Friday, January 30, 2015

Disclaimer not my picks

SUPER BOWL XLIX:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS



HERE ARE SOME FACT OF SUPER BOWL:
The last time the Patriots played a Super Bowl in Glendale, AZ they lost to the Giants! They do not play very well when the crowd or weather doesn't favor them. Also the Seahawks fans travel very well and they are around a 1000 miles closer. Expect there to be more Seahawks fans at this Super Bowl where the defending champs are trying to go back to back!
The Seahawks had 5 turnovers and were down 16-0 at half time against arguably the best QB and offense in the NFL, the Packers. Their defense hung tough after turnovers and somehow kept stopping them from the end zone. They continued on to win again with heart and soul. What happens if they keep their turnovers down in the Super Bowl????
The Patriots are not going to score all they did against a the Seahawks like they did against a terrible Colts defense. So this can be trouble for them also. New England at times has struggled to stop the run and Marshawn Lynch thrives on this! Plus with all the Patriots in the spotlight it is going to be to hard to overcome! Brady will be rushed more and Gronk will be covered.
Finally did you know the Patriots were ranked #11 in offense this season and the Seahawks were ranked #9. Plus the Seahawks were the Best defense by far in the NFL with only 267 total yards given up a game. The Patriots were ranked #13.

I should not make it sound one sided but I strongly believe in the Seattle Seahawks go back to back!


Super Bowl Pick: Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl


Prop Bets:
Heads Coin Toss (5 of the last 6 were Heads)
MVP: Cam Chancellor 33-1 & Richard Sherman 33-1( if the Seahawks win it will be because of defense)
Total Yards Passing: Brady Under 260.5
Brady 3 or more int 7-1 odds worth a shot

posted from Bloggeroid

Thursday, January 22, 2015

OP late pick 4. Aqueduct race 8. Free bets

OP late pick 4. Aqueduct race 8. Free bets http://bmdpicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/op-late-pick-4-aqueduct-race-8-free-bets.html

Horses To Watch from all tracks for today 1 22 2015 http://bmdpicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/horses-to-watch-from-all-tracks-for.html

Australian Open 2015: Order of play for Friday 23 January |

thesportreview.com
Australian Open 2015: Order of play for Friday 23 January | Tennis
By The Sport Review staff Thursday 22 January 2015, 15:28 UK
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are among the players in action on Day Five of the Australian Open in Melbourne after Friday’s order of play was confirmed.

Spaniard Nadal takes on Israel’s Dudi Sela last on the Rod Laver Arena after Federer tackles Italy’s Andreas Seppi earlier in the schedule.

Also in action on the main show court is second seed Maria Sharapova, who players Zarina Diyas, and seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard, who takes on Caroline Garcia of Franc.

Other big names in action on Friday include Andy Murray, who plays Portugal’s Joao Sousa on the Hisense Arena.
Australian Open 2015: Order of play for Friday 23 January

(All times local, +11 hours from GMT)

Rod Laver Arena: 11:00: Lucie Hradecka (Cze) v Julia Goerges (Ger), (7) Eugenie Bouchard (Can) v Caroline Garcia (Fra), Andreas Seppi (Ita) v (2) Roger Federer (Sui). Not before 7pm: (31) Zarina Diyas (Kaz) v (2) Maria Sharapova (Rus), Dudi Sela (Isr) v (3) Rafael Nadal (Spa)

Hisense Arena: 11:00: (14) Sara Errani (Ita) v Yanina Wickmayer (Bel), Carina Witthoeft (Ger) v Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom), (6) Andy Murray (Gbr) v Joao Sousa (Por). Not before 5pm: Bernard Tomic (Aus) v Samuel Groth (Aus)

Margaret Court Arena: 11:00: (22) Karolina Pliskova (Cze) v (10) Ekaterina Makarova (Rus), (7) Tomas Berdych (Cze) v Viktor Troicki (Ser)m Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v (3) Simona Halep (Rom). Not before 7pm: Malek Jaziri (Tun) v Nick Kyrgios (Aus), Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) & Karin Knapp (Ita) v (4) Martina Hingis (Sui) & Flavia Pennetta (Ita)

Show Court 2: 11:00: Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) v (21) Shuai Peng (Chn), (10) Raven Klaasen (Rsa) & Leander Paes (Ind) v Simone Bolelli (Ita) & Fabio Fognini (Ita), Chris Guccione (Aus) & Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v (6) Jean-Julien Rojer (Ned) & Horia Tecau (Rom), (14) Kevin Anderson (Rsa) v (24) Richard Gasquet (Fra)

Show Court 3: 11:00: Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) v (10) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul), Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spa) & Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (Spa) v (15) Kimiko Date Krumm (Jpn) & Casey Dellacqua (Aus), Anastasia Rodionova (Aus) & Arina Rodionova (Aus) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) & Samantha Stosur (Aus), (13) Michaella Krajicek (Ned) & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze) v Jarmila Gajdosova (Aus) & Ajla Tomljanovic (Cro)

Court 6: 11:00: (16) Jamie Murray (Gbr) & John Peers (Aus) v Omar Jasika (Aus) & John-Patrick Smith (Aus), (8) Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pak) & Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) v Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) & Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa), (7) Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Daniel Nestor (Can) v Feliciano Lopez (Spa) & Max Mirnyi (Blr), Austin Krajicek (USA) & Donald Young (USA) v Pablo Cuevas (Uru) & David Marrero (Spa)

Court 7: 11:00: Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (Arg) & Horacio Zeballos (Arg) v (14) Dominic Inglot (Gbr) & Florin Mergea (Rom), Alexandra Panova (Rus) & Heather Watson (Gbr) v (12) Alla Kudryavtseva (Rus) & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus), Coco Vandeweghe (USA) & Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) v Dominika Cibulkova (Svk) & Kirsten Flipkens (Bel)

Court 8: 11:00: (6) Garbine Muguruza (Spa) & Carla Suarez-Navarro (Spa) v Klaudia Jans-Ignacik (Pol) & Andreja Klepac (Slo), Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Alicja Rosolska (Pol) v (2) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Sania Mirza (Ind), (13) Julian Knowle (Aut) & Vasek Pospisil (Can) v Benjamin Becker (Ger) & Artem Sitak (Nzl), (1) Sania Mirza (Ind) & Bruno Soares (Bra) v Timea Babos (Hun) & Eric Butorac (USA)

Court 19: 12:00: Yung-Jan Chan (Tpe) & Marin Draganja (Cro) v (5) Cara Black (Zim) & Juan Sebastian Cabal (Col), Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) & Pablo Andujar (Spa) v Darija Jurak (Cro) & Ivan Dodig (Cro), Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) & Abigail Spears (USA) v Vitalia Diatchenko (Rus) & Monica Niculescu (Rom)
◀ The Sport Review homepageNext story ►
Read more on...

posted from Bloggeroid

Alive on the 1 Pick 3 ticket last horse, other than being dead, I wanted to win. On to the next leg 1-2-3-4-6-8-10

http://bmdpicksequine.blogspot.com/2015/01/dubai-race-4-5-6-pick-3s-7-ticket.html

http://bmdpicksequine.blogspot.com/2015/01/dubai-race-4-5-6-pick-3s-7-ticket.html

DUBAI RACE 4-5-6 PICK 3s (7 ticket combos = $513)

[ image_0 ]

posted from Bloggeroid

DUBAI RACE 3 WIN ON #3

Dubai race 3 http://bmdpicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/dubai-race-3.html

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

AUSTRALIAN OPEN FREE PICKS

Aussie Open http://bmdpicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/aussie-open.html

SWEET CORINE: TDN Rising Star. HORSES TO WATCH http://bmdpicks.blogspot.com/2015/01/sweet-corine-tdn-rising-star-horses-to.html

Why the Cleveland Browns Absolutely Must Draft DeVante Parker

Why the Cleveland Browns Absolutely Must Draft DeVante Parker
2 Bleacher Report / by Will Burge / 43min ago
The Cleveland Browns are in need of a home run in this year’s NFL draft, and no pick would crush it out of the park more than Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker. Last season the Browns passed on a historically good crop of wide receivers, and they cannot let another year go by without getting an elite weapon.

Before we get to Parker himself, let’s start by realizing just how important it is for the Browns to get a weapon on the outside. There is a huge question mark at quarterback right now in Cleveland, and while it looks as though Johnny Manziel will get the chance to win the job next year, no one really knows what will happen. All we know is that whoever the quarterback is will need all the help he can get.

Wide receiver Josh Gordon’s future with the Browns is uncertain, and general manager Ray Farmer is noncommittal on what he would like to do with the troubled playmaker.

"It's the offseason and we can only have so much communication and contact with those (players)," Farmer told Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer this week at the Senior Bowl. "When those things present themselves, we'll get into them. Those guys get their downtime. They get a chance to step away from the game, assess themselves, assess their situations and when the time is right for those conversations, we'll have them."

If Gordon is not with the team next year, then it will need to find a primary receiver. Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel had very nice seasons, combining for 99 catches for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns, but they are both undersized. Neither of them is the type of guy a defense needs to prepare for if he lines up against its top cornerback.

Parker would also ease the transition for the Browns' new offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo. According to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com, the Browns have decided on the former Oakland Raiders quarterbacks coach to run their offense next season. He is a 36-year old up-and-comer and gets a lot of credit for quarterback Derek Carr’s impressive rookie season.

Good hire. RT @RapSheet: The #Browns are hiring as OC ex-#Raiders QB coach John DeFilippo. His work with Derek Carr was noted

— Marc Sessler (@MarcSesslerNFL) January 21, 2015
With his duties expanding, it would be nice if the Browns had some weapons for him to use. There is already a stable of young running backs, a few nice complementary receivers and now they just need the home run hitter.

That is exactly what Parker is. He is 6’3”, 209 pounds and knows how to use his big frame to win battles. He attacks the football at its highest point and was among the hardest receivers to cover in college football last season. He had 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns in his senior year. That capped off a 156-reception, 2,775-yard, 33-touchdown career at Louisville.

Many experts, including Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, feel the Browns will give him careful consideration.

#Browns fans: watch as much WR DeVante Parker as you can. I'll bet he's on the short list of players CLE considers in the 1st round

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 31, 2014
The problem could be that Parker might be long gone by the time the Browns draft at No. 12. If this is the case, then they will have to go another direction because there is not a player in this draft worth trading away their first two picks. If he is available, however, the Browns can dance their way to turn in the selection card.

I like to say Parker is Andre Johnson Jr. He is built in a similar stature to the Houston Texans standout receiver and attacks the football like Johnson does too. His speed won’t knock anyone’s socks off at the combine, but neither did Johnson’s. He ran a 4.41, 40-yard dash, and that is plenty fast enough to win at the highest level.

He needs to improve his route running, but just about every receiver entering the draft does too. What he has over the rest of the crop is the “it” factor. He has that intangible ability to go up and get a ball whether he is covered or not. He spent quite a bit more time covered than Amari Cooper from Alabama or Kevin White from West Virginia, and that didn’t diminish his production one bit.

If the Browns can get Manziel headed in the right direction, he will need a big target like he had at Texas A&M. In those days it was Mike Evans who would break off routes and improvise with Johnny. Now it can be DeVante. And with a young quarterback and wide receiver combo, hopefully Cleveland can be dominant for the foreseeable future.

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posted from Bloggeroid

Caesars Palace in Vegas Filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

bullmarketboard.com



Thread: Caesars Palace in Vegas Filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Quote Originally Posted by My401K View Post

I can't say that I am surprised to hear the news that Caesars palace in Vegas is being forced into a chapter 11 filing by it's creditors. I had heard rumors that things were not good in Vegas from many of the snow bird condo owners. If they do not have a condo in Florida they have it in Vegas. The prices of the Condo real estate was dropping like a lead balloon and jobs were tightening up.I have been hearing all sorts of horror stories from these owners trying to dump their sinking investments. Caesars laid off quite a few people a few years back, and all the great building jobs were drying up.

Things have changed, more states have gambling now. I know here in New York we have more Indian casinos then ever. I can't say I am surprised to hear that such a large part of the Vegas strip might be going to take a big hit. Granted they do still have a serious convention industry and they have launched a very aggressive advertising campaign for tourism. Is Caesars just one of those places that might be to big to fail? What do you think is the jewel in the desert going to be a ghost town?
I wish I had a crystal ball; however in lieu of one, I'll simply go by what I saw recently in Atlantic City. The "Vegas on the east coast" is a skeleton, a shadow of its former self. Partly a victim of the changing economy, as well as the proliferation of legalized gambling in neighboring states. However, in my opinion, the coup de grace has got to be the legalization of internet gambling in New Jersey. As for what caused Caesar's in Vegas to file for bankruptcy, I can only imagine.

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Monday, January 19, 2015

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE JANUARY 20, 2015 Dubai: A Tale of Two Guineas Trials by Kellie Reilly

1/20/15 (Last updated: 1/19/15 4:41 PM)

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

JANUARY 20, 2015

Dubai: A Tale of Two Guineas Trials

by Kellie Reilly

They weren't stakes races, but the two most interesting events on last Thursday's Dubai Carnival program were the local preps for the U.A.E. Guineas. The pair served up a stark study in contrast: while Mubtaahij (Dubawi) made his case as Mike de Kock's next star in the Two Thousand Guineas Trial, Godolphin's Local Time (Invincible Spirit) just got up in the fillies' trial for the One Thousand Guineas.

Mubtaahij was twice unplaced in England, but both came in hot-looking Newmarket maidens. The $599,445 Arqana yearling broke through versus older horses over a metric mile here on New Year's Eve. According to the Dubai Racing Club, he set a track record on the new dirt course, a time that was just eclipsed by the smart veteran Surfer in the January 8 Maktoum Challenge Round 1.

Back in trip to about seven furlongs for the trial, Mubtaahij stamped himself as a rapid improver with an even better performance in another track record of 1:24.86. Granted, it's early days on the Meydan dirt, but setting back-to-back track records is still an accomplishment. The well-bred colt also showed nifty athleticism by altering course to the rail while negotiating the far turn, and he stretched five lengths clear of Argentinean-bred stablemate Ajwad (Not for Sale) in eye-catching style.

De Kock has won the U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas five times, and every one of his quintet -- Victory Moon, Asiatic Boy, Honour Devil, Musir and Soft Falling Rain -- captured the local prep. Mubtaahij looks good enough to make it six. He could aim much higher: Dubai guru Pat Cummings (@Dubairacenight) tweeted that Mubtaahij has reportedly been nominated to the U.S. Triple Crown.

Another colt, Godolphin's Maftool (Hard Spun), turned in a sneakily-good trial in defeat. After totally blowing the start, the Saeed bin Suroor pupil did well to rally for third, just a neck off Ajwad. Maftool had to make a sustained effort to get into contention, while taking the overland route, and if he hadn't kept lugging in down the stretch, he might have grabbed second. With a level start, he could well have given Mubtaahij a race. The Kentucky-bred colt was a notable juvenile in England, staying on for second in the Sirenia (Eng-G3) before powering to victory in the Somerville Tattersall (Eng-G3), and finishing fifth in a soft-ground Dewhurst (Eng-G1).

The One Thousand Guineas Trial was less satisfying, both visually and on the clock. Local Time took 1:27.16 -- more than two seconds slower than Mubtaahij -- to wear down de Kock's Ad Idem (Jet Master) at the wire. Moreover, Local Time displayed an exaggerated knee action as she clawed back the yards. The turf-bred filly didn't appear to be in love with the surface, but might have gotten the job done on class. Indeed, the bin Suroor trainee had won three straight in England (two on Kempton's Polytrack prior to the Oh So Sharp [Eng-G3] at Newmarket).

Yet it's worth mentioning that South African-bred Ad Idem was giving her eight pounds, as well as a massive fitness advantage. Ad Idem, who hadn't raced since April, also had to endure the roundabout trek from South Africa due to the burdensome quarantine regulations. The beautifully bred filly exceeded expectations by nearly wiring this.

Although the top two were 10 lengths clear of third, fourth-placer Good Place (Street Cry) deserves a mention for a better-than-appears effort. A stablemate of Local Time, the Godolphin filly reared straight up at the start, got rank as she tried to advance, tossed her head as though resenting the kickback in her dirt debut, and frittered away a vast amount of energy. Nevertheless, she made a strong bid out wide on the far turn, only to have the debacle catch up with her, and she flattened out. Note also that going into the trial, bin Suroor had mentioned that she needed longer than this trip. The blueblood deserves another try on the dirt.

We might not have seen the One Thousand Guineas winner at all in the trial. Bin Suroor has trained eight winners of that classic, five of whom didn't have a prep. He has a couple of other well-regarded fillies we haven't seen at the Carnival, and Local Time could have given their trainer a good measuring stick.

Age-defying properties: Reynaldothewizard (Speightstown) hadn't won since the 2013 Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1), and hadn't raced since his fourth as the defending champion last March. But in the Dubawi Stakes, the nine-year-old waved his wand and rolled back the years. There was plenty of life in those old legs as he burst between horses to win going away by 3 3/4 lengths.

Observe that runner-up Muarrab (Oasis Dream) traveled absurdly well while chasing the fierce pace out wide. The lightly-raced gelding struck the front on cruise control before succumbing to Reynaldo. Muarrab had won four straight at Jebel Ali (the last in his return from a year-long layoff), and has more to offer.

Draw a line through it: Aside from the aforementioned mishaps of Maftool and Good Place, Slumdogmillionaire (Strike Smartly) gets a pass for his 11th in his belated debut for Doug Watson. As feared, the dual South African Group 1 star was ring-rusty off the 22-month holiday. The deck was further stacked against him as the 132-pound highweight breaking from post 13 in the turf handicap. After prompting the pace in second, Slumdog couldn't quicken over the metric mile, but boxed on one-paced and got swamped late. At this point in his career, he might benefit from a step up in trip too.

One to follow: Mastermind (Var) appeared on Saturday's non-Carnival card, but don't let him fly stealth-style under your radar. De Kock told his website that the South African sophomore still had a belly on him, signifying he'd need the run. Taking on older horses in a turf dash, in just his third career start, Mastermind showed good speed in the front rank throughout. Even when his lack of fitness told, he stuck to his task determinedly. In fact, he fought on so well that he came again for second. Group 2-placed in only his second start back home, he has plenty of upside.

On tap: De Kock owns the record for most wins (six) in the Al Fahidi Fort (UAE-G2), and he has no fewer than three engaged in Thursday's renewal
defending champion Anaerobio (Catcher in the Rye), Zahee (Dylan Thomas) and new South African import Red Ray (Western Winter).

posted from Bloggeroid

Gulfstream: Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers into Monday’s Holiday Card

Gulfstream: Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers into Monday’s Holiday Card

1 Paulick Report / by Press Release / 16 hours ago

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will offer a $65,471.55 carryover jackpot on Monday’s special Martin Luther King Day program at Gulfstream Park. The Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11 on the 11-race program.

In addition, there will be a carryover of $41,982.97 for the $1 Super Hi-5 in Monday’s last race.

There were three horses that could have taken down the Rainbow 6 jackpot in Sunday’s last race, however Caicos Express scored a $64.60 upset in the last race that left no tickets with all six winners. Five out of six winners paid $2,990.12.

The popular multi-race wager was last solved on Wednesday, Jan. 14, when a Lewiston, Maine bettor cashed for $179,140.46

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid out only when there is a single ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Caicos Express also anchored a winning combination of 6-5-8-1-13 for the 50-cent Pick 5 that produced a $65,420.75 payoff.

Post time for Monday’s first race will be 12:40 p.m.

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posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, January 18, 2015

@GULFSTREAMPARK RACE 8 PICK 4S.... SO CLOSE TO A BOMBER IN THE 4 TO START

@gulfstreampark
Pick 4s

BILL OPPENHEIM MORE APEX FROM Thoroughbreddailynews.com


thoroughbreddailynews.com
Bill Oppenheim: More APEX

Galileo

© coolmore.com

Last week we looked at the top 50 sires with 200+ year-starters ('runners') 2008-2014 by the signature APEX A Runner Index (
click here

). This week we'd like to look at three more Top 50's, as well as sires with first foals 2010 (4-year-olds of 2014) and 2011 (3-year-olds of 2014).

As we mentioned last week, when you look at the quantity of A Runners since 2008, Coolmore's Galileo is really in a class of his own, with 149 A Runners (keep in mind one horse can be counted as a separate A Runner each year it reaches the relevant A Runner earnings threshold) (click here). Coolmore's Kentucky arm, Ashford, stands Giant's Causeway (114), who is nearly as far clear of the third-ranking sire of 2008-2014 A Runners, Juddmonte's Dansili (90). WinStar's Speightstown and Lane's End's Smart Strike are tied for fourth, with 89 each. The top 10 is rounded out by: Coolmore's Montjeu (died 2012, 85); a three-way tie among Darley's Medaglia d'Oro, Juddmonte's Oasis Dream, and Coolmore's now-retired Danehill Dancer, each with 78; and Gainesway's 2014 Leading North American sire, Tapit (76).

The ABC Index is a calculation based on a sire's percentage of A, B, and C Runners combined, divided by the population's average of 8%. Fifteen sires with 200 or more year-starters 2008-2014 returned ABC Indexes of 2.00 or higher; 2.00 equals 16% of runners.

The former Ontario sire, Niigon, a son of Unbridled who died in 2012, actually registers the highest ABC Index among this group, at 2.70, which equals 21.60% of his runners (click here). Adena Springs' Ghostzapper is the leading active sire by ABC Index; his rating of 2.48 means that 19.84% of his runners achieve ABC status--in other words, just under 20%. He is the narrow 'active' leader over Speightstown (2.45, or 19.60% of runners). A.P. Indy (2.43) is number four, with Galileo (2.39) number five; that's 19.12% of 1,822 runners--we'll come back to that. California's Unusual Heat (2.31) ranks sixth, ahead of War Front (2.30%, or 18.40% of runners); Adena Springs North's Silent Name (2.25); Lane's End's leading third-crop sire of 2014, Curlin (2.21); and another ex-Canadian sire, South Africa's Drakensburg Stud's Philanthropist (2.19). The fact that three of the top 10 sires by this measurement stand or stood in Ontario is testimony to the strength, at least up until now, of their long season with good purses, due to slots and a synthetic surface.

Among sires with under 200 year-starters 2008-2014, the top three sires by ABC Runner Index are: New York's Keane Stud's Frost Giant (2.55); France's Haras de Colleville's Kendargent (2.36); and Kentucky's Spendthrift Farm's Into Mischief (2.35).

Not entirely surprisingly, Galileo (348) and Giant's Causeway (335) are clear leaders by the number of ABC Runners (click here); 348 is just under 50 ABC Runners a year, 335 equals nearly 48 a year. WinStar's Distorted Humor (276) and Speightstown (250) come next, ahead of Smart Strike (242), Oasis Dream (240), Spendthrift's Malibu Moon (238), Danehill Dancer (231), England's Cheveley Park Stud's veteran Pivotal (219), and a tie for 10th between Tapit and Dansili (217 each, an average of 31 ABC Runners a year).

Into Mischief, Pioneerof the Nile Top Younger Sires...

The impact of the 2008 world financial crisis really showed up in the Thoroughbred business in the reduction in number of sires which qualified for APEX ratings between the 'sire crop' which retired in 2009 (first foals 2010), of which there were 89, and the sires which retired in 2010 (first foals 2011), of which there were just 65--a fall of 25% to what must be the lowest number (65) in at least the last 30 years.

One sire in each crop finished the 2014 season with an A Runner Index over 4.00, which equates to 8% of runners. Among the F2010 sires ('third-crop sires' of 2010), Spendthrift's Into Mischief has registered an A Runner Index of 4.51, or 9.02% of runners (click here); if he sustains anything like that ratio as his crop sizes quadruple, he will be a very serious sire.

Among F2011 sires the standout is WinStar's Pioneerof The Nile, with a 4.24 A Runner Index (8.48% of runners). Historically, sires which score 4.00 are the truly elite 'World Top 12' sires.

Besides Into Mischief, the others among the top five F2010 sires by A Runner Index are: Frost Giant and Hill 'n' Dale's Midnight Lute, tied with 2.69 A Indexes; Lane's End's War Pass (2.33), who unfortunately sired just two crops before dying; and Darby Dan's son of City Zip, Run Away And Hide (2.11). Frost Giant (2.55) is of course the leading F2010 sire by ABC Index, ahead of: Into Mischief (2.35); Curlin (2.21); Midnight Lute (1.83); and War Pass (1.74) (click here).

Midnight Lute (14) is the top F2010 sire by number of A Runners (click here), followed by Into Mischief and Curlin (tied with 12); former Spendthrift (now South Korean) stallion Tiz Wonderful (10); and Coolmore Ashford's Majestic Warrior and Darley GB's New Approach (nine each). Curlin is the runaway leader by number of ABC Runners, with 57 (click here); Midnight Lute (38), Majestic Warrior (36), Tiz Wonderful (33), and New Approach (32) round out the top five in that category.

Among the 65 F2011 sires, Pioneerof The Nile is the dominant name: number one by A Runner Index (4.24) (click here) and number of A Runners (10) (click here); tied for first with Coolmore's Mastercraftsman by number of ABC Runners (18 each) (click here); and narrowly edged by California's Vessels Farm's Square Eddie (1.92 to 1.91) by ABC Runner Index (click here). Adena Springs North's Giant's Gizmo (2.94) and Square Eddie (2.88) are two-three by A Runner Index, followed by Florida's Getaway Farm's Two Step Salsa (2.31) and Ireland's Gilltown Stud's Sea The Stars (2.30). Sea The Stars is also second to Pioneerof The Nile, with seven A Runners, and a narrow third, behind Pioneerof The Nile and Mastercraftsman, with 17 ABC Runners. France's top second-crop sire, Haras de la Cauviniere's Le Havre, is also among the top five by number of A Runners (5) and ABC Runners (14), and ranks sixth by A Runner Index (2.03).

Click here for the complete alphabetical tables of 89 F2010 North American and European sires and here for the 65 F2011 sires.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Early Nominations to 2015 Triple Crown Due Jan. 17

paulickreport.com

Early Nominations to 2015 Triple Crown Due Jan. 17

by Press Release | 01.14.2015 | 4:03pm

The deadline for owners and trainers of promising 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to make their horses eligible for the coveted races of the 2015 Triple Crown series is approaching quickly. The window to the early nomination phase for the trio of American classic races that includes the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I), the $1.5 million-guaranteed Preakness (GI) and the $1.5 million-guaranteed Belmont Stakes (GI) will close on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Early Triple Crown nominations opened Dec. 20 and the deadline for acceptance of early nominees is Jan. 17 at 11:59 p.m. (all times Eastern). The nomination of each horse must be accompanied by a fee of $600 to make that individual eligible to compete in any or all races in the series.

A late nomination period, which requires the payment of a $6,000 for each nominated 3-year-old, will open at 12 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 and run through Monday, March 23.

The 2015 Triple Crown series opens on Saturday, May 2 with the 141st running of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 140th Preakness, the 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for Saturday, May 16 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 147th running of the Belmont Stakes, its 1 ½-mile final leg, is scheduled for Saturday, June 6 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

All Triple Crown nominations made by traditional mail during the early phase must be postmarked by the Jan. 17 closing date. Nominations can easily be made online at www.TheTripleCrown.com, or via telephone with a designated representative from one of the three Triple Crown host tracks. Online and telephone nominations must be made prior to the 11:59 p.m. deadline on Jan. 17.

The roster of early nominees to the 2015 Triple Crown races will be released on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.

The 2014 Triple Crown series attracted 414 early nominations, a 12.2 percent increase over the 369 horses made eligible in that period in 2013. Ten more 3-year-olds were added during the late nomination phase, which brought total Triple Crown nominations for 2013 to 424. The number of total nominations in 2014 was the largest since a record 460 horses were nominated to the Triple Crown in 2008.

The Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975 and the horses that enter the starting gate for this year’s running will again be determined by points earned in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” eligibility system, which debuted in 2013. If Derby entries total more than the maximum field of 20, up to four “also eligible” entrants will be permitted. If one or more starters is scratched prior to 9 a.m. (Eastern) on Friday, May 1, the also-eligible horse or horses with the highest preference in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” system will be allowed to replace the scratched horse or horses in the starting gate.

The field for the Preakness is limited to 14 starters, while the Belmont Stakes permits a maximum field of 16 horses.

Three-year-olds that were not nominated for the Triple Crown series during either the early or late nomination phases have a final opportunity to become eligible for the races through the payment of a supplemental nomination fee. Due at the time of entry for either the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness or the Belmont Stakes, the supplemental fee process makes a horse eligible for the remainder of the Triple Crown series. A supplemental nomination at the time of entry to the Kentucky Derby requires payment of $200,000. The fee is $150,000 if paid prior to the Preakness or $75,000 at time of entry to the Belmont Stakes.

Churchill Downs adjusted its entry process in 2014 to permit horses who are made nominations prior to the Kentucky Derby to be treated the same as original nominees. If one or more supplemental nominees possess sufficient “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points to qualify for the Derby field, they will be allowed to start over original nominees with lesser qualifications. Under its previous policy, Churchill Downs gave preference to original nominees to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown over supplemental nominees.

A sweep of the three Triple Crown races – one of the most difficult feats in all of sports – has been accomplished on only 11 occasions. The roster of Triple Crown winners includes Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978).

The 37-year gap since the most recent Triple Crown sweep by Affirmed in 1978 is the longest in the history of the series. The previous record was the 25-year span between the 1948 Triple Crown earned by Citation and Secretariat’s record-shattering three-race sweep in 1973.

Steve Coburn and Perry Martin’s California Chrome scored impressive victories in the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but could not end the Triple Crown drought when he finished fourth to Robert S. Evans’ Tonalist in the Belmont Stakes. California Chrome was the 52nd 3-year-old to win two of the three Triple Crown races.

Representatives of the Triple Crown host tracks include:

Churchill Downs: Racing Secretary Ben Huffman at (502) 638-3820 or Ben.Huffman@KyDerby.com … Kelly Danner at (502) 638-3825 or Kelly.Danner@KyDerby.com … Fax: (502) 638-3915;
Pimlico: Director of Racing/Racing Secretary Georganne Hale at (800) 638-1859 or ghale@marylandracing.com … Stakes Coordinator Coleman Blind at same number or cblind@marylandracing.com;
Belmont Park: Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Martin Panza at (718) 659-4241 or mpanza@nyrainc.com … Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes at same number or abyrnes@nyrainc.com … Fax: (718) 659-3581.

Representatives seeking nominations at various U.S. tracks prior to Jan. 17 include Churchill Downs’ Huffman and Dan Bork and Pimlico’s Blind at Gulfstream Park; Byrnes at Aqueduct; NYRA’s Panza and Santa Anita Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle at Santa Anita; Steve Krajcir at Oaklawn Park; Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Alison DeLuca at Tampa Bay Downs; Racing Secretary Jason Boulet at Fair Grounds and Assistant Racing Secretary Tia Murphy at Turfway Park.

posted from Bloggeroid

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Elvis Trujillo jockey who's gaining traction out in southern California

Tom Knust has heard the lines about how “Elvis has left the building” umpteen times.

The agent who represents jockey Elvis Trujillo is used to it, same as he’s becoming accustomed to the 30-year-old Panamanian making a mark for himself on the highly competitive Southern California circuit, finishing high in the standings at every meet since the two paired up a couple years ago.

Trujillo (yes, his mother named him after The King) scored his second stakes win of the 11-day old meet Saturday when he rode Calculator to an impressive victory in the Grade III Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile. This could be his Derby horse.

“He’s got a good combination,” Knust said: “A very sound work ethic and talent as a rider. Put those two things together and you’re going to be successful here.

“He rides for Jerry Hollendorfer, Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill, but we also win races for smaller stables, like Bobby Wayne Grayson, Jorge Periban and Rafael Becerra. We’re riding for some good people and we’re very happy with where we’re at right now.”

Miller echoed Knust’s sentiments after Trujillo rode 3-5 favorite Calculator to his maiden victory in the Sham, overcoming the risk of a wide trip throughout to score by 4 ¼ lengths.

The Equibase chart read: “CALCULATOR five wide into the first turn, stalked outside foes on the backstretch, bid three deep leaving the second turn to gain the lead and won clear under urging.”

Added Miller, who also saddled Rock Shandy to finish second and St. Joe Bay to finish fourth in the Sham: “I was very concerned with where Calculator was on the first turn, because it looked like five or six of them were sending, and I said, ‘Oh, no. We’re going to be 10-wide.’

“But Elvis saw the same thing and he adjusted and brought the horse back into maybe the three or four path. We had a wide trip, but there’s less trouble out wide.”

Through Saturday, Trujillo was tied for second in Santa Anita’s standings with eight victories, five behind perennial leader Rafael Bejarano.

Source: Ed Golden, Santa Anita Stable Notes

posted from Bloggeroid

Todd Pletcher IS Funny… No, Really | Features

bloodhorse.com
Todd Pletcher IS Funny… No, Really | Features
By Karen Johnson

On a mid-November afternoon last year on the Belmont Park backstretch, autumn’s fingerprints were everywhere. The stable area’s usually verdant trees rested, nearly bare, with golden and russet-colored leaves carpeting the horse paths. Every now and then a horse van lumbered through the stable gate onto Hempstead Turnpike, bound for warmer climes.

Todd Pletcher’s Barn 31, all hustle and bustle earlier in the day, had settled into near stillness. Dust motes swirled in the sunlight that filtered through the windows. A few horses lazily poked their heads above the black and white “TAP” webbings. The slower eaters had muzzles still buried in their feed tubs, working through the remnants of a late-morning meal.

Even North America’s all-time leading trainer in stable earnings, seated at his desk in his tidy barn office, had a rare hour or so to spare for an interview.

To say Pletcher is a private person when it comes to dealing with the media would be an understatement. When the conversation veers toward anything personal, there is an audible groan as his silver-haired head tilts backward and his blue eyes flicker toward the ceiling. While he readily answers questions about his horses and operation, most reporters have learned not to expect much beyond that. Of course, during the Saratoga Race Course meet there is always the obligatory Q&A session with Pletcher, who once went out on a limb and revealed to a local paper that “Scooby-Doo” was his favorite childhood cartoon show.

Still, this particular moment on a quiet afternoon seemed ripe for reflection, which is often the case as a season winds down. Career milestones also lead to contemplation. And for 47-year-old Pletcher, 2015 represents his 20th year as a licensed trainer.

“I know when you first start, every single race, every win or loss… you want to get going and you want to build some momentum, and if you lose three or four races in a row, you feel totally dejected, devastated,” Pletcher said. “I think after you mature a little bit, and have been around it for a little while… I think I have become probably a little more relaxed since then.”

A graduate of what has become known as the “D. Wayne Lukas school of horsemanship,” Pletcher left his position as an assistant in his mentor’s barn early in December 1995. That same month he launched his own stable at Hialeah Park. With about eight runners initially in his care, Pletcher saddled his first starter, Paramount, on Jan. 13, 1996, at Gulfstream Park. His first win came 13 days later, with Majestic Number, at the Hallandale, Fla., oval.
D. Wayne Lukas and his former assistants at the 1998 Kentucky Derby (gr.I). Left to Right: Kiaran McLaughlin, Mark Hennig, Todd Pletcher, D. Wayne Lukas, Jeff Lukas, Dallas Stewart and Randy Bradshaw. Anne M. Eberhardt

“The one thing I’ve tried to maintain over the years — and it’s something I learned from Kiaran McLaughlin when I worked with him at Wayne’s barn — is that you just have to keep an even keel because you’re going to have the wins and you’re going to have the losses,” Pletcher said. “There are going to be spells when you win four or five in a row, and spells when you lose 20 in a row, and you just have to stay focused on what you do, and not lose confidence in what you do. And not get down about it.”

His competitors and racing fans may see Pletcher as unemotional and distant, but there is more to the horseman than meets the eye. Beneath the guarded persona lies a determined competitor, a sly humorist, a devoted family man, and a trainer whose drive has carried him to the top of the game.
Click Here!

Today Todd Pletcher represents the best of the best among North American horsemen. In May 2014 he became the all-time leading trainer in money won, a title previously held by Lukas. Three months later he joined his former boss as the only other trainer to have saddled 1,000 stakes winners.

All but certain to be a first-year-ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2021, the Dallas-born conditioner is in many ways the face of horse racing in this country.

His six Eclipse Awards represent a record for any trainer.

He has won just about every major graded race on the New York Racing Association circuit, including two editions of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) — with the filly Rags to Riches in 2007 and with Palace Malice in 2013.

He owns more than 30 training titles at NYRA tracks, his primary base of operation for much of the year.

His operation peaks in the summer with approximately 175 horses located at three tracks — Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, and Saratoga Race Course — and among his more than 100 employees are four assistant trainers and two office managers.

At Gulfstream Park, his main winter racing headquarters, he’s captured the last 11 training titles.

The climb to this level of excellence began with a childhood passion for the sport, influenced by a father — Jake “J. J.” Pletcher — who trained Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at Southwest tracks. Pletcher was frequently by his side in the barn, and his dad said his son’s first inclination, when he regularly began riding the stable pony at age 6, was to become a jockey.

“I had a Cadillac with an armrest that came down across the front seats, and he would ride that armrest like it was a horse,” JJ recalled with a chuckle.

A lanky frame, however, put any notion of a career in the saddle to rest, and Pletcher’s focus turned to becoming a trainer.

“He was a natural from day one around horses, and I knew he was going to be good (at training) early on because he had a passion for it,” JJ said.
JJ Pletcher fostered his son’s interest in training and remains an influence to this day Joseph DiOrio

An only child, Pletcher is extremely close to both of his parents, who divorced when he was 12. Jerrie Pletcher, his mother, lives in San Antonio, Texas, where her son attended James Madison High School.

JJ resides in Ocala, Fla., where he owns Payton Training Center, a 96-stall facility in which his son has a 40% stake. JJ breaks many of the yearlings that Todd later trains; he was also instrumental in the selection at auction of one of his son’s Breeders’ Cup winners, English Channel, as well as More Than Ready, a grade I winner Pletcher trained to earn more than $1 million during his two seasons on the track.

JJ was keen for his son to broaden his racetrack education beyond his stable. He arranged for Todd to work in the barn of California-based trainer Henry Moreno one summer as a teenager, and later for Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham when on break from his college studies.

Pletcher can also thank his father for an introduction to the Keeneland yearling sales when he was a teenager.

“I knew he would learn a lot at the sales, just by going around and seeing good horses, learning conformation, and meeting people,” JJ said. “He had a great personality as a kid; everyone liked him. He would ask questions of people at the sales, and they would give him information because he was so likable and polite.”

Jerrie Pletcher recalls an “animal-crazy” young boy who showed hogs and sheep at 4-H events, and who liked to curl up in bed reading horse books with his dog Taffy, a Pekingese-Poodle mix, by his side. His mother said one of her son’s favorite horses was Ruffian, and that her 8-year-old was incredibly “distraught” to learn of the filly’s death from a broken leg in her 1975 match race with Foolish Pleasure.

Pletcher met his future wife, Tracy, in high school, and they married on Feb. 29, 1992, in San Antonio. They have three children: Payton, 16; Kyle, 15; and Hannah, 12. The whole family enjoys going to the races, particularly Payton, who works in his dad’s barn in the summers and who has already gone on record saying he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps as a trainer.
JJ Pletcher and his grandson Payton look over yearlings at Fasig-Tipton. Inset: Pletcher celebrates in the winner's circle with his daughter Hannah. Skip Dickstein
Anne M. Eberhardt

Tracy Pletcher says there is a very different side to her husband away from work, a side that reveals itself as soon as he walks through the door of their home in Garden City, N.Y., and greets the newest member of the family — Kirby, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

“It’s funny to see how Todd gets a little silly with Kirby, this 11-pound dog he talks to when he walks into the house,” she said. “Todd didn’t want a little dog. You would look at Todd and think he would want an Australian shepherd. I think at the time he said German shepherd or a Labrador, and I told him we needed to start small.”

Further evidence of transformation at home comes from the trainer’s choice of leisure clothing.

“There’s a playful side to Todd at home, in our backyard, playing basketball with the boys in this goofy attire… black socks and Ugg slippers,” his wife said. “I don’t think people would (envision) that because they’re always saying stuff about how (sharp) he dresses at work.

“I think the public sometimes thinks he doesn’t have a sense of humor, and those closest to him know that isn’t true,” Tracy added. “He has a great sense of humor. He loves to have a good time. He cuts up here with our kids. Of course, it’s a family business, and (his job) is always there with all five of us, but he’s very much a husband, a father, and a friend, when he’s away from the barn.”

An alum of the University of Arizona’s four-year Race Track Industry Program in Tucson, Pletcher described himself as an average student.

“I was more focused with having a good time,” he said. “I would always be disciplined enough to get by, but not disciplined enough to worry about making straight A’s.”

Pletcher occasionally reported on intramural sports for the school’s newspaper, the Arizona Daily Wildcat, an activity he participated in with his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brother and roommate Chris Halligan, who remains a close friend and was the best man at his wedding.

“Todd would frequently use his platform as a journalist to vex other fraternities and other organizations,” Halligan said. “He’s one of the funniest people I know. He doesn’t take himself really seriously.”

The buddies occasionally drove around campus in Pletcher’s black SUV, interacting with the student body — an activity, Halligan said, that revealed his friend’s mischievous sense of humor.

“We would find groups of students who Todd would ask ridiculous questions of from the driver’s seat,” Halligan recalled. “One time, we pulled up to this corner, and there was a little group that I would call skate punks, skateboard kids who obviously were expressing an antisocial point of view. Todd rolled down my window, leaned over, and said to them, ‘Excuse me, how would I go about joining your organization?’ Of course, they had no organization, but if they did, I think they summarily rejected both of us as prospective members based on looking at us.”

Those carefree times in Tucson probably feel like a lifetime ago for Pletcher, who rises each day around 3:30 a.m. to go to work. He said he has no real hobbies, outside of watching sports on television. Occasionally he binge-watches television shows — some past favorites include “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad.” More recently, HBO’s “The Newsroom” piqued his interest. The precious free time he has is spent with his family, but Pletcher’s focus never strays far from his horses and the races he targets with them.
Super Saver wins the 2010 Kentucky Derby. Inset: Pletcher hoists the trophy as jockey Calvin Borel celebrates his third Derby victory. Anne M. Eberhardt
Joseph DiOrio

With top pedigrees and pricey auction backgrounds, Pletcher’s runners are a ubiquitous presence at the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Although his win record with his starters at these events — 1 for 40 at the Derby and 7 for 108 at the Breeders’ Cup — provides fodder for reporters, undoubtedly, his number of wins in the marquee races will grow. He has never started the favorite at the Derby, and his $14,309,650 earnings at the Breeders’ Cup ranks him 5th by trainers overall. Unsurprisingly, his mentor Lukas is first on that list with earnings of $22,580,520.00.

Pletcher typically excels on the road to the Kentucky Derby, saddling well-bred “buzz horses” to eye-catching maiden romps and powerful stakes performances. Still, his win record on the first Saturday in May is not reflective of his Derby prep success, despite the fact that he saddled a record-tying five starters in both 2007 and 2013.

In 2010 he had four starters, and one of those horses, WinStar Farm’s homebred Super Saver, took the proverbial monkey off his back.

But Super Saver wasn’t the most talked-about horse in the Pletcher stable that spring; it was Eskendereya, the winner of the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (gr.II) and Wood Memorial (gr. I), who played the likely Derby favorite. Six days before the race, however, the Giant’s Causeway colt was declared a non-starter because of a leg injury.

Eskendereya’s defection made the victory by Super Saver all the more satisfying for Pletcher, who entered that year’s Kentucky Derby 0-for-24. The son of Maria’s Mon out of the A.P. Indy mare Supercharger splashed through the Churchill slop to win by 2½ lengths under Calvin Borel. Super Saver, who had finished second in the Arkansas Derby (gr.I) in his prior start, was the second choice at 8-1 in the 20-horse field.

“I think overall our (Kentucky Derby) record has been frustrating in some ways, but I don’t know that we’ve gotten there with a horse that the general public totally expected to win,” Pletcher said. “I think in some ways, our performance leading up to the Derby has been outstanding. We’ve probably overachieved with a lot of horses we have gotten to the Derby that underachieved at the Derby.

“It’s a hard race to win,” Pletcher added. “I think a lot of it has to do with Churchill’s surface. There are just a lot of horses that don’t like it. We’ve had a lot of horses that won’t perform over that track for whatever reason. Our win with Super Saver was probably a situation where he was in a perfect place at the right time — caught a sloppy track — so sometimes it works your way.”

Pletcher had a record number of Triple Crown nominees (41) in 2014, and six of those horses competed in the classics — four in the Kentucky Derby and two in the Belmont Stakes. His top finishes came with Belmont runner-up Commissioner, beaten a head by Tonalist, and with Danza, third in the Kentucky Derby.

Although Pletcher’s stable appeared strong early in 2014, by late spring the operation had been dealt several blows. Besilu Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Constitution was knocked off the Triple Crown trail with a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone. Princess of Sylmar failed to duplicate her sensational 2013 campaign and was retired in the fall of 2014 after just one win, an ungraded stakes in April. By summer, Dogwood Stable’s Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) winner Palace Malice — considered among the front-runners for Horse of the Year honors at the mid-season point of the year — finished sixth in the Whitney Stakes (gr. I) as the odds-on favorite and was subsequently diagnosed with bone bruising in his left hind cannon bone. The 5-year-old son of Curlin did not race again after that early-August start, although he is back in training and scheduled to return to competition this year.

There was further attrition among Pletcher’s older-horse division when his representation at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships was solely with 2-year-olds. Carpe Diem’s second in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) was the trainer’s best finish from the five horses he brought to Santa Anita Park.

Despite the setbacks, last year marked the fifth consecutive season that Pletcher led all other North American trainers in purses won. Overall, it was the ninth occasion he has held that title. The Pletcher stable also led the nation last year in graded stakes wins (40) and earnings ($12,672,007), and Pletcher earned his fifth consecutive Saratoga training championship, which represented his 11th title at the summer boutique meet in upstate New York.

“I would say 2014 is typical of a lot of years we’ve had,” Pletcher reflected. “I’m thankful for the good we have done, but you always feel like you could have done better.

“Up until mid-August we were on a record-setting pace for us. Then a lot of injuries caught up to us that prevented us from having as good of a fall as I hoped for — Palace Malice being a prime example. If he had stayed as good as he was going into the Met Mile, he could have had a huge year. So, I think it is the nature of the business. You’re always going to have years when you go into cycles.”

Flipping the page to 2015, Pletcher listed Commissioner, Constitution, Danza, Golden Lad, Palace Malice, and Stopchargingmaria as among the stakes runners he expected to head up his older horse contingent. Among the unraced 2-year-olds on his radar in November 2014 were J S Bach, a Tale of the Cat colt, and Overcontrol, a $725,000 Tapit colt out of a More Than Ready mare. As it turns out, Pletcher’s instincts were right on the mark. J S Bach finished a solid second in his Dec. 19 debut at Gulfstream, and Overcontrol generated plenty of buzz when he won a 6½-furlong maiden race by 4¼ lengths at the South Florida oval Dec. 27.

As far as Pletcher’s 3-year-old picture goes for 2015, the known commodities include graded stakes winners Blofeld, Carpe Diem, and Daredevil. One of his most exciting juveniles in 2014 was Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) winner Competitive Edge, sidelined last fall with a hairline fracture. The son of Super Saver rejoined the trainer’s winter quarters, Palm Beach Downs in Delray, Fla., in November.

The bulk of Pletcher’s stable will winter at Palm Beach Downs this year, rather than shipping to his usual base — Palm Meadows Training Center in nearby Boynton Beach.

“We were at Palm Beach Downs in 2006, 2007, and 2008 with some horses, and we felt like we had good results there,” Pletcher said. “It’s a very quiet setting. It is limited traffic with less than 200 horses on the grounds, and a mile track, so I think that helps keep it a good, fresh surface.”
Ever the multi-tasker, Pletcher fields a phone call while watching a horse walk en route to training. Skip Dickstein

Running one of the largest stables in North America, Pletcher maintains a rigorous schedule. He frequently travels to check in on his divisions, and when he isn’t in the shedrow assessing his horses, he’s on the phone with his assistants issuing directions. Through phone calls, e-mails, and texts, he always makes himself available to his owners. Having multiple runners on a single racing card is the norm for his operation — although even Pletcher may have outdone himself on July 7, 2014, when he sent out 17 starters at Belmont Park.

With such responsibilities heavy on his shoulders, it is no wonder that Pletcher’s public persona evokes such adjectives as “aloof,” “serious,” and “focused.” But that is not to say he is humorless. On the contrary, the trainer possesses a dry wit and alacrity for good-natured ribbing.

When someone inquired during the week of the 2013 Kentucky Derby if he had a specific training plan in place for his anticipated starters — a question, that in retrospect, could have been worded better — Pletcher deadpanned without missing a beat, “Heck, no. I just holler out to the exercise riders and tell ’em to take the horses out there and do whatever they want.”

Although Pletcher does not participate in social media platforms, he is aware of the Twitter account @NotTheToddster, a parody of his life created by an anonymous user (“I’m the best trainer in the world, obviously,” the account’s bio reads). An example of recent tweets: “NBC missing the boat not using me in @BreedersCup ads … know I would obviously draw the ladies” and “Rooting for the Royals because the Queen always digs me at Royal Ascot and I look awesome in a top hat. #WorldSeries.”

While the user’s identity is unknown to Pletcher, he’s inclined to believe it’s a woman, and he often laughs at the tweets, which are relayed to him by friends.

“I do actually think it’s pretty funny,” Pletcher said. “As long as they don’t do anything too insane or off-the-wall, it’s okay.”

Wisecracking notwithstanding, kindness and humility are also traits Pletcher demonstrates, said Elliott Walden, the president, CEO, and racing manager at WinStar Farm.

“The word that comes to mind when I think of Todd is humility,” Walden said. “For a guy who has been as successful as he is, to me, it’s never about him. All during (2014), he talked to me about a guy who is in the military, who just reached out to him about a job in the horse business after he gets out of the service. I’ve had numerous e-mails and phone calls from Todd about what we can do to help this guy.”
In the winner’s circle following Gemologist’s 2012 Wood Memorial victory at Aqueduct (from left): WinStar’s Elliott Walden, former New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets head coach Avery Johnson, jockey Javier Castellano, and Pletcher. Adam Coglianese

Walden recalled another instance illustrating the trainer’s willingness to connect with people.

“A fan came up to Todd and wanted to see one of his horses; I think it was Palace Malice,” Walden said. “And Todd was just as nice as can be, telling her to come by the barn and see the horse. I was there the next morning when she came by at Palm Meadows.

“He has a way about him that is pretty natural and is not about being fake. For a guy who could take a different approach and feel like he could be too busy for stuff like that, Todd’s actions dictate otherwise.”

The competitive nature of his job doesn’t allow many close friends on the track, but Pletcher points to Kiaran McLaughlin as the exception. Additionally, the trainers’ wives and their children have formed a tight bond.

“Since I met Kiaran when we worked in Wayne’s barn together, he has been a good teacher, a good person, and a good friend to me,” Pletcher remarked. “Most of my closest friends are guys I went to college or high school with. I try to be friendly with everyone, but I think it’s hard to have friendships when you’re using the same (training) facilities, which is different from other sports.”

At the 2014 Eclipse Awards ceremony, a rare public display of emotion came from Pletcher when he stood at the podium to receive a record sixth training championship. Paying tribute to Caixa Eletronica, a horse who had died two weeks earlier in a training accident, he delivered a poignant acceptance speech.
Caixa Eletronica Adam Coglianese

A handsome chestnut with a blaze that ran the length of his face, Caixa Eletronica didn’t fit the typical profile of a Pletcher runner. He wasn’t regally bred, nor was he bought for a substantial sum at auction. He broke through the maiden ranks in a $25,000 claimer for his former connections and was claimed by one of Pletcher’s owners, Mike Repole, for $62,500 in 2011. The horse went on to win seven stakes, including the $1 million Charles Town Classic (gr. II) in 2012.

On a January morning on the Belmont training track, a riderless horse collided with 9-year-old Caixa Eletronica. Both horses died instantly, and Caixa Eletronica’s exercise rider Carlos Castro suffered a broken pelvis.

“You train a lot of horses over the years who have a lot of ability, but maybe don’t have the try, the heart, the desire,” Pletcher said. “Then you have the others who maybe have a little less ability, but they make up for that with determination and try, and that was Caixa Eletronica.”

Caixa Eletronica was just one of the many success stories that Pletcher and Repole have scripted since the owner came to his stable in 2009. A small sampling of their biggest wins together includes the 2011 Travers Stakes (gr. I) with Stay Thirsty, the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with that year’s 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, and the 2014 Alabama Stakes (gr. I) with Stopchargingmaria.
Crawford Ifland, Rick Samuels, Skip Dickstein

Pletcher and Repole are a modern-day version of The Odd Couple. Pletcher’s race-day attire usually features well-cut charcoal-gray suits and conservatively patterned ties. He goes with polo shirts, neatly tucked into Wranglers, in the mornings. Repole is likely to show up at the barn in shorts and a rumpled T-shirt. At the races the owner often favors bright orange dress shirts — a nod to his stable silks, orange and blue, and the colors of his favorite sports team, the New York Mets.

Their differences don’t end there. Repole is outgoing, a fast talker. Pletcher is reserved. He enunciates his words. But what they do have in common is the desire to be the best at what they do, both constantly striving to better themselves professionally.

“Mike actually taught me how to be a better communicator,” said Pletcher, who speaks nearly every day with Repole, and considers the owner a friend. On average, their phone calls last 45 minutes, the trainer said.

“I’ve never been around anyone who asks as many questions, and in as many different ways as he can,” Pletcher remarked. “Mike literally just pulls information from you, constantly. I think that is how he learns and is why he has been as successful and continues to be successful.

“Even though we don’t appear to have similar personalities, we do. I’m the kind of person if I win three races one day and lose one, I would probably spend more time thinking about the loss than the three wins. You kind of get that feeling that no matter how well you have done, you could have done better, you could have done more, won more races, run up more money. Mike is like that, too.”

Repole, 45, amassed his fortune from the food-and-beverage industry. The native of Queens, N.Y., co-founded the company that manufactured the ultra-popular beverage Vitaminwater, which he and his partner later sold to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion. Today, Repole is the chairman of BODYARMOR, another “super drink” company he co-founded.

“We both share this happy, but not content, personality,” Repole said. “I think we make each other better in a weird way. I’m into the food-and-beverage industry and he’s training horses, and whether we are talking about his staff or my staff, or his product — his horses — or my product, it’s about how can we both improve.”

The two don’t always talk horses. Repole said they “bust on each other quite a bit.” Many times that takes the form of the owner’s glee when Pletcher’s beloved football team, the Dallas Cowboys, loses.

But there is one area in which Pletcher receives Repole’s sympathy.

“Todd is very quick-witted and very funny and nobody would guess that,” Repole said. “He is not what he’s perceived to be. I think it’s a shame a little, but I understand it. I think if you’re Todd Pletcher, you have to be that way.

“Todd and I talk about this a lot, the more successful you are, the longer the list of people who don’t like you. There is a lot of envy and jealousy out there. So, he has to be a little stoic. When he loses the Belmont by a nose, it’s hard for him to react.

“When Todd Pletcher loses a grade I by a nose, there isn’t anybody in the world who feels bad for Todd Pletcher. He’s not asking for sympathy. But he’s feeling those losses, and that’s Todd Pletcher. He can win 35 graded stakes a year, but you know, he’s going to remember the five races he loses by a nose.

“People like to say Todd’s successful because he gets all these great horses and owners. No, he’s successful because he works (long) days and seven days a week. The only time he turns off is because of family. That’s why he’s successful.”

Many horsemen — among them his father and Lukas — played influential roles in the development of Pletcher’s career. But the future Hall of Famer has also drawn inspiration from outside sources. While Pletcher said he doesn’t “hero-worship,” he does have admiration for people who exhibit extreme dedication to their craft.

One such person was John Wooden, whose precise approach to detail as head coach of the UCLA basketball team for 29 years impressed Pletcher after he read a biography on the legendary sports figure.

“I think you learn a lot about being successful by reading about successful people,” Pletcher said. “Wooden’s attention to detail, looking at everything down to how his players put on their socks. It was like, wow, this guy covered everything. As elementary as that sounds, it emphasizes that the little things make a difference. If you try to take care of all those things, the bigger picture comes together.”

As a kid, Pletcher held Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry in high esteem. And what he may not have understood about the coach then has become clear to him now.

“I remember sometimes getting frustrated that Landry wasn’t more emotional as a coach, but now, as an adult, I can appreciate that,” he said. “Landry was always focused and very level with wins and losses, and how he reacted on the sidelines. That type of professionalism I admire and I try to maintain. (But) we’re all going to have situations where we’re going to throw our binoculars down when we get beat (a head) in the Whitney.”

Pletcher was referring to a rare public display of temper. His Quality Road was the 1-2 post-time favorite in the 2010 Whitney, and entered the race with an unblemished record for owner Edward P. Evans that season — with victories in the Hal’s Hope (gr. III), Donn Handicap (gr. I), and Met Mile. A win in the $750,000 Whitney would have continued his perfect campaign, but the Elusive Quality colt succumbed to Blame in the final strides.

Watching the race from the Saratoga grandstand, Pletcher forcefully set his binoculars down in frustration and they went tumbling to the ground in front of his box seat. As much as he works to maintain a cool façade, in that moment everyone witnessed his competitive nature — an inborn desire to win.

“It was a brutal loss,” Pletcher recalled. “(My reaction to the defeat) was genuine. But I got some grief from my family about the binoculars. It wasn’t the first time I reacted like that, but it might have been the first time (the media) saw me doing it.”
Pletcher walks through the paddock at Saratoga Race Course. Skip Dickstein

Pletcher may seem quietly immersed in the routines of the racetrack — on that November afternoon, for instance, when the members of his shedrow rested in the silence and his biggest upcoming task was to saddle Genre, a maiden 2-year-old filly who would win the sixth race over at Aqueduct. But humming along beneath the reserved surface is the motivation that keeps him going through all the sport’s ups and downs.

What makes him tick? He can answer this question without hesitation.

“The drive to succeed. I enjoy training horses and racing horses. I don’t think training on a farm would be totally satisfying to me. I like the competition. I’ve always appreciated the fact that the results are very concrete. You get to see if what you’re doing works every time you go to the races. You know if it’s working, and if it’s not, you need to find out why and change it.”
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Credits
Karen M. Johnson

Freelance writer/HRTV field producer Karen M. Johnson authored The Training Game, a book that provided an inside look at several high-profile trainers in North America, including Todd Pletcher. The Training Game was a finalist for the prestigious Tony Ryan Book Award in 2009. Her work with HRTV has been recognized with an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy for “The Rivalry” — a documentary chronicling Easy Goer and Sunday Silence’s epic battle in the 1989 Triple Crown — and an Emmy nomination for “The Fix” — the story behind the 2002 Breeders’ Cup pick six scandal — a documentary Johnson wrote and co-produced. She and her family bred and owned 2002 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Volponi, who was trained by her Hall of Fame father, Philip G. Johnson. A former reporter and editor for the Daily Racing Form, she lives in Long Island, N.Y.

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posted from Bloggeroid

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Breeders’ Cup presents Fresh Faces: The Racing Dudes

Breeders’ Cup presents Fresh Faces: The Racing Dudes
by Natalie Voss | 01.07.2015 | 2:34pm


The Racing Dudes and a few friends at this year's Breeders' Cup The Racing Dudes and a few friends at this year's Breeders' Cup

Aaron Halterman and Jared Welch are the co-founders of RacingDudes.com, a tips and fan education website. The pair launched the site in 2012 after Welch suggested to Halterman that his weekly Oaklawn wagering guides needed a broader audience. The site now covers nearly all the active tracks in the U.S. and features a weekly podcast called Blinkers Off. Find them on Twitter @racing_dudes.

What brought each of you to the sport of racing?
Aaron: My dad took me to the races, so he really deserves the credit as I didn’t really have much interest in the sport other than the Triple Crown. The first race I attended was the Arkansas Derby in 2007 at Oaklawn Park. My life changed forever when a horse by the name of Curlin walked by me on his way to the paddock. I had never been around horses and really knew very little about them, but when he walked by me I knew he was something special. Then he went out on the track and dominated, and it was all over from there…I was hooked! I followed him throughout his career.

Jared: Like most Americans, I had always watched the Triple Crown but had never made a wager or followed a horse past the Belmont. But one race I watched with my grandfather stuck with me. The year was 2004 and the race was the Belmont Stakes. I didn’t know much about what was going on other than this horse named Smarty Jones was trying to win the Triple Crown. After Smarty got (beaten a length) at the line, my grandfather went outside and just sat there, alone, looking out in disbelief and frustration.
Airdrie

Then came along Halterman and the real horse racing obsession. He asked if I wanted to go with him to the 2009 Rebel at Oaklawn. I had never been to a live horse track so I thought it would be fun. That year a horse by the name of Old Fashioned was the top prospect to win the Kentucky Derby before the Rebel. Then came along a horse by the name of Win Willy who upset him in the Rebel at odds of 56-1! It was brutally cold that day at the track, I lost nearly all the money I brought with me, and I left the track with a huge smile on my face. I was hooked.

Each of you kind of has your own approach to handicapping (straight form vs. jockey/trainer combinations). Obviously there are a lot of ways horseplayers can process all the information available to .him–what do you think is the advantage to your preferred method?
Aaron: I’m a jockey/trainer guy. I’ve tried them all and this is by far the approach that works for me the best. I believe it simplifies things; sometimes there is too much information out there and things become too complex. Picking horses doesn’t have to be rocket science. If the trainer and/or jockey is hitting at 30 percent and the horse looks decent…you pick that horse and move on. Simple.

Jared: I’m the straight form guy. I think the advantage of really analyzing the form is that I’m able to study trends, patterns, tendencies, etc. that are more in-depth than just finding the best trainer/jockey. I love looking at pace set-ups as well, which is something you have to use the form to do. Having said all that, I don’t live and die by the form. For example, if I’m playing a Pick 3, Pick 4, etc. I never leave out a Pletcher horse, no matter how unlikely it seems that horse will win. (Thanks, Danza!)

What score are you most proud of to date?
Aaron: Last February I hit a 10-1 at Calder and an 8-1 at Tampa Bay in the same day. I had $50 to win on each of them. That was quite a thrill…I wish all days were that easy!

Jared: Last April in the Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct. I really liked a horse by the name of Oliver Zip (10-1 ML) and Halterman really liked Coup De Grace (4-1 ML). We don’t often both really like horses who are mid- to high-priced horses, so I played them on top of a trifecta and boxed them in an exacta. They finished 1-2, just noses apart with Kobe’s Back, the favorite, finishing third. The exacta paid $87.50 ($2) while the trifecta paid $215 ($1). It may not be the biggest score of my life, but a total of over $300 on a $16 wager works every time in my book.

Do you have a particular angle or pattern that you like to bet, or that you think gets overlooked?
Aaron: Since I’m a jockey/trainer guy, my favorite angle is when a trainer ships in to a track where he dominates. Bob Baffert at Oaklawn is a great example: when he brings horses in to Hot Springs, you better bet them, no matter what the form looks like. Also, you better bet him in the Haskell. It seems like everyone would get on board with this, but you can still get good prices on his horses in those spots every once in a while. Hoppertunity in the Rebel and Bayern in the Haskell are two examples that happened in 2014.

Also on a smaller scale, when Chris Richard runs horses at Keeneland, it’s usually a “must bet” for me. The guy just doesn’t lose there often.

Jared: I like what I refer to as, “progression horses”: when a horse is making all the right, logical steps and is primed and ready to win a big price. A good example is Pletcher’s horse Golden Lad. He came into Oaklawn to run in the Razorback Handicap last March. He had come in off of three straight wins, each of which was a tougher allowance than the race before. And any time you get the bonus of seeing a progression horse with a trainer like Pletcher shipping at a track where he has had success… big time angle. I got Golden Lad at 5-1 that day, and he ran like a 1-5 favorite.

We hear a fair amount of debate about which aspects of racing (if any) can and do draw young people to the track. What have you found drives them there?
Aaron: I think no matter the age, fans have to have an interest in gambling or a love for horses to by drawn to the sport. Things like $1 beer nights at Canterbury Park will draw the college kids in as well. Some of those people that just come for the beer may not catch the racing bug, but there are probably a fair amount that will. Unfortunately, some tracks aren’t as good with doing these types of promotions.

Jared: Drawing young people to the track is key. I’m a perfect example of this. It wasn’t until I attended the track in person that I was hooked. We have a fair amount of experience in this area, since we have been trying to get our friends to come to the track with us. Activities like drinking, cashing tickets, good food, and a great environment seem to be the most important. Young people have to be approached differently than other demographics when you’re trying to get them to come to a track. We live in a time where young people have a million different things they can do. Tracks have to be creative and turn a visit to the track into a social experience.

What is racing doing right, and what is it doing wrong to encourage new interest in betting and in racing?
Aaron: They aren’t doing anything right…in fact they aren’t doing anything at all, in my opinion. I don’t think tracks are in touch with the fans they have, and I don’t think they care about the ones they don’t have.

Let’s start from the gambling side of things: betting is way too complicated. The wagering menu is ok for guys like me who understand it, but tracks need to simplify it for newcomers as well. Why not allow “match-up bets,” where a new fan can just pick horse A to beat horse B? It’s simple and anybody can understand that kind of thing. Why can’t we allow prop bets as well? If you can bet on 65 different things during an NFL game, why is horse racing still stuck with the same old wagers? Why can’t we bet on a horse to finish last? Or why can’t we bet on which horse will be leading at the quarter pole? Any of these types of things should be possible…

Also, fan education is lacking. Every fan that comes to the track should be handed a free piece of paper explaining the basics of the game. Plus, we’ve got to simplify the Racing Form. It takes years to understand it. More and more people don’t have the time to learn this skill. We also need more free information out there. DRF or Equibase probably don’t want to hear that, but most newbies are completely intimidated by the Form and aren’t going to pay for something they don’t understand in the first place.

From the racing side: the promotional part of it is lacking. What other sport can you watch Hall of Famers compete on a daily basis? What other sport can you go to where YOU are the player? What other sport can you go watch the greatest athletes in their sport compete for free or at the most for $5? This is the greatest sport in the world, and if you get people to the track, they’ll see it. I know I did…and I had very little interest until I actually went to the track.

Jared: This is a very touchy subject for us. As a new person to the sport, it becomes extremely intimidating to attend a track with little knowledge of the sport. I was lucky enough to be introduced by Halterman who, at the time, had enough knowledge to answer most of my questions. I see young people at the track who look confused and frustrated. Losing money sucks and if they keep doing it, they aren’t coming back.

As relatively new fans to the sport, as well as being young, it has become very frustrating to watch how out-of-touch the industry can be. We can wager on a horse to win the Kentucky Derby in November yet we can’t add new, exciting, and simpler betting options to increase interest in the sport? Why can’t we seem to get exchange wagering going in the United States? Perhaps the largest trend we’ve ever seen in sports wagering is in-game betting. Horse racing is absolutely ignoring this trend, though I can’t put all the blame on the horse racing industry; the fact that online wagering is not legal across the entire United States is laughable.

And finally, how are new and old fans to the sport of horse racing supposed to have any confidence in what the sport officials are doing when they themselves can’t seem to work in unison?

posted from Bloggeroid

Saturday, January 3, 2015

25 Things You Must Let Go of Before the Year Ends Want your New Year's resolutions to work this year? The key to change is letting go of the old before inviting in the new.

THE INC. LIFE
25 Things You Must Let Go of Before the Year Ends
Want your New Year's resolutions to work this year? The key to change is letting go of the old before inviting in the new.
By Marla Tabaka
@MarlaTabaka
4.9k SHARES
IMAGE: Getty Images

Before you begin your list of New Year's resolutions, take a look at last year's list. Were you disappointed with the results before January came to an end? If so, you're doing it all wrong. There's one important step you must take before you can expect change to occur.

Unhealthy thought and behavior patterns are to progress what water is to fire. New Year's resolutions simply don't work until you let go of the old ways of thinking that prevent you from bringing in the new. So try something different this year to strengthen your resolve. These old patterns will only hold you back; let go of them and you'll see real changes in 2015!
1. Let go of the lies you tell yourself.

I can't do this. I'm alone in this. No one knows a good idea when they see it. Things just never work out my way. Be careful what you ask for. If you hold onto limited thinking like this, your mind will fit it all nicely into your reality. As these thoughts appear, ask yourself, "Is this really true?" Stay grounded in the truth and the stories you tell yourself will become more uplifting and positive.
2. Let go of avoidance.

If you're avoiding the truth, you're probably avoiding other things as well. Things rarely get better all on their own. Create a plan and face the things you need to face. You'll ask yourself why you didn't do it sooner.
3. Let go of anger.

Holding onto anger only perpetuates negativity. It can affect not only your mood, but your health, creativity, and relationships as well. It's time to process your feelings and resolve these issues, past and present.
4. Let go of poor business practices.

If it doesn't work, fix it or get rid of it altogether. Stop pretending things will change.
5. Let go of self-criticism.

People make mistakes. People fail. You are human. Think of all the time and energy you'll save if you stop beating yourself up and instead focus on the lessons you've learned and just move forward.
6. Let go of unhealthy relationships.

Are there people in your life who consistently drain your energy? Evaluate these relationships and either spend less time with these toxic people or let go of the relationship altogether. Save your energy for what's important.
7. Let go of anxious thinking.

There's a difference between seeing the big picture and being well prepared and worrying about every possible problem before it exists. Take calculated risks and focus your energy on preparedness, not anxiety-provoking worry.
8. Let go of thoughts of superiority.

Remember, although you've worked hard to get where you are today you had a little help in getting there. Don't assume that everyone has enjoyed the same opportunities and benefits that you have. Get out of your ego and ask others to share their stories; you may be pleasantly surprised at what's under the cover of that book.
9. Let go of laziness.

Outrageously successful people take care of themselves, help others, and engage in practices that create and maintain a healthy mindset. Have you been making excuses? It's time to put them aside and be truthful with yourself.
10. Let go of the belief that there isn't enough time.

This the first excuse out of a busy entrepreneur's mouth. If you don't have the time to take care of yourself, if you don't invest in important relationships, and if you don't take the steps that are most critical to the growth of your business, then you are busy doing the wrong things.
11. Let go of the belief that anyone can do it.

When you have a gift, it's common to believe that anyone can do what you're doingthat it's easy. Stop diminishing your abilities, and be thankful for them instead. Appreciate yourself more!
12. Let go of procrastination. Really.

If you often get caught up in menial chores or allow yourself to get sidetracked, there's a deeper issue going on. Get help to understand what it is and stop applying bandages to it with productivity programs that don't work for you.
13. Let go of thinking someone's going to rescue you.

Entrepreneurs often take on partners and hire experts because they think other people have all the answers. You already have most of the answers and just need a little help accessing them. Before taking drastic, costly measures, find a mentor or coach who can help you be the best you can be.
14. Let go of thoughts of lacking.

If you believe you don't have enough money or support, you probably never will. Beautiful things have been born out of necessity, so take this opportunity to be resourceful and creative. Think abundantly!
15. Let go of the words "I can't."

The things you feed your subconscious mind will almost always come true. Instead of I can't, try I can, and I am figuring out exactly how.
16. Let go of putting everyone else ahead of you.

Some people believe it's selfish to put themselves first. In most cases, that's just not true. Stop sacrificing to the point of self-neglect and take care of your own needs first. Only then can you truly show up in the lives of others in a way that has a positive and healthy impact on all concerned.
17. Let go of waiting for perfection.

Do your best and let it fire. Too many entrepreneurs waste time. and money struggling for perfection only to find that it doesn't exist. What are you really afraid of?
18. Let go of putting your brain before your intuition.

If you have a gut feeling, you're better off following that than relying on logic. Your subconscious mind knows things that your brain never will.
19. Let go of trying to impress people with your knowledge.

Your highly technical vocabulary is boring others to tears. Don't make people, especially your customers, work hard to know what you do
they won't bother. Keep it simple and make it fun!
20. Let go of expecting something in return.

If you are going to help someone, do it because you want to, not because you hope for something in return. Reciprocity exists, but not always in the way you expect.
21. Let go of waiting for the right time.

There will be times when you don't have the perfect plan and that's OK. Sometimes you just have to trust and be willing to learn from every experience. Understand the difference between strategy and fear of the outcome.
22. Let go of the sloppy look.

Working from home can easily reduce the wardrobe to sweats and PJs. Like it or not, the way you look (even when you're alone) has an impact on your energy. A daily shower and decent clothing add to feelings of accomplishment and success.
23. Let go of thinking you need things that you don't.

Does the new office need furniture right out of the box or will used do the trick? If you're tempted to pull out the checkbook, first ask if your purchase will have an impact on the bottom line.
24. Let go of believing that happiness is anywhere but within you.

No one can make you feel anything, including happiness. You choose your feelings and thus you choose whether to be miserable or happy. Look deeper, not farther.
25. Let go of the snarky remarks.

Say what's on your mind rather than camouflage it in sarcasm. Choose your words carefully and tell the truth. People will respect you for it.

Your turn. Do you recognize something you need to let go of before you move into 2015?
Last updated: Dec 29, 2014

posted from Bloggeroid

Friday, January 2, 2015

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Moreover, it gives you the opportunity to achieve this result with consistency and SPEED over time.

For example, in January of 2005, if you had set aside $10,000 to follow this new strategy, you could have over $340,000 today.

With a bit more — just $15,000 — you could have over a half-million dollars by now ($511,000 to be exact).

Or if you doubled that, starting with $30,000, you could be sitting on over $1 million.*

That’s one million EXTRA dollars for all the special plans and interests you may have, whether during your retirement or before.

The key to our discovery is our new Weiss Timing Index. For each and every one of the 12,000 stocks we review each day, this new index addresses two critical issues:

Which way is this stock likely to move — up or down?
What is the likelihood that the move will begin within the next three trading days?
Then, for each stock, our new model gives us a rank — from rank #1 to rank #12,000. Thus ...

Stocks with the ultimate Weiss Timing Index have an extremely HIGH probability of moving almost immediately, giving us a great deal of certainty regarding market timing, while ...
Stocks at the very bottom of the list have an extremely LOW probability of moving right away, meaning any investment action at that stage could be very premature.
This is a huge breakthrough for me — and for you. Now instead of just estimating the market timing, we have a thoroughly tested, mathematical measure to guide us!

This project was driven by my personal commitment to help you build wealth even more efficiently with stocks.

But as we began to see positive results, the project quickly exploded in both scope and size, ultimately involving a dedicated team of investment specialists and ratings analysts ... nearly our entire computer network ... and the single largest mountain of data any of us has ever seen in one place at one time.

It became an obsession with my entire team: We literally worked around the clock ... through weekends ... even through vacations and family holidays ... to bring this to you.

All to help you make 2015 your most profitable year ever.

Now the final testing is complete — and I can tell you that the results are spectacular to say the least:

Not only have we greatly enhanced the tools for maximizing your profits on stock investments …

We also have the power — and confidence — to apply these tools to TIME-SENSITIVE speculative vehicles.

And that means, we have the power to build wealth far more quickly — in ways that investors and traders could only have dreamed of before!

Now, you could turn a small grubstake
into a formidable pile of money the WEISS way.

At this point, you’re probably wondering if I’m talking about stock options. If so, you are 100% correct.

If that surprises you, I certainly understand. I’m known far and wide for being one of the most risk-averse investors on the planet. And even though purchasing stock options limit your risk, they are more volatile than stocks.

And you’re right: Without the power of my award-wining Weiss Stock Ratings to select the safest stocks ... and now, the additional power of my new Weiss Timing Index to time the market, I simply wouldn’t feel comfortable with options.

But WITH these two exclusive and thoroughly tested tools to help guide us, I now have a stock options approach I’m absolutely comfortable with.

I call it my Ultimate Stock Options strategy. But I’m not talking about go-for-broke options.

I buy only options which are the most widely-traded, and most likely-to-succeed based on my tools. And I’m buying them only on the best-rated stocks on the market.

Nor am I doing this just for the “thrill” of hitting some grand slam home runs once in a while. Rather ...

I’m talking about using these highest quality options to build substantial wealth consistently, over time; over the long haul.

And because we’re using options, we’re set to grow our speculative funds much faster.

This has rarely been done with options before — and that’s why I believe this new strategy is such a landmark breakthrough.

Three big advantages and
one important disadvantage
of buying options …

As you probably know, the main reason options are so powerful is because of LEVERAGE: The ability to deliver gains of $5 or more for every $1 generated by the underlying stock.
Options allow you to effectively control large blocks of stocks for a period of time with very little money. And that gives you three major advantages:

Advantage #1 — Buying stock options gives you virtually UNLIMITED profit potential and STRICTLY LIMITED RISK.

Other highly leveraged investment vehicles expose you to unlimited risk — but when you buy stock options, that is never the case.

The absolute most you could ever lose is the small amount you spend for the option plus the tiny brokerage commission. Unlike futures or short-selling, you can never suffer a margin call.

In fact, since options let you control lots of shares with very little money, your dollar risk can actually be less than if you bought the actual stock.

Advantage #2 — Options give you enormous money-making power at a very low cost: Right now, for example, 100 shares of Microsoft would set you back about $4,900. But with options, you can control 100 shares for as little as $119.


And because you effectively control the stock, you can profit almost as if you actually owned the stock outright. But because you pay so little for your position, your gains are amplified many times over.

So let’s say that last April, your next-door neighbor decided to pay $7,500 to buy 100 shares of Apple at $75 per share.

By July, the stock was selling for about $100 per share — a 33% gain. He’s telling everyone he knows that he just snagged a $2,500 profit (before commissions and taxes).

Not bad! But look at what could have happened if you had used options instead:

For starters, you would have taken effective control of those 100 shares of Apple for a fraction of what your neighbor paid:

Instead of shelling out $7,500 to buy 100 shares of the actual stock, you could have paid as little as $119 for an option that gives you the right to control those 100 shares.

That’s 98% less than the stock investor paid! So when the stock rises $25 per share, your percentage gain is far greater. Plus, it also means that, if the stock falls, the amount of money you have at risk is far smaller.

Advantage #3 — The low cost of options can actually REDUCE your capital risk: Let’s say your neighbor bought 100 shares of Amazon last February at $354 per share — an investment of $35,400. You used options instead, paying only $1,025 for an option that gives you the right to control 100 shares of Amazon.

But by October, the stock had plunged 19% to around $285 per share. Your neighbor wound up with a painful $6,726 loss. Your loss would have been just $1,025 (plus a small brokerage commission), but not a penny more.

Now, here’s the important disadvantage of options: As time goes by, if the stock does not make its move pretty soon, you will begin to see the value of your options erode.

And if you run out of time entirely — if the stock doesn’t make its move before your option expires — you could lose the entire amount you paid for the option (although never a penny more.)

This is the main reason why many investors lose money with options: They buy or sell them at the wrong time.

And that’s where my new Weiss Timing Index makes all the difference in the world, in my view. Instead of just aiming for some big home runs here and there, my Weiss Timing Index gives us the power to hit an almost endless series of singles, doubles and triples, with few losing trades in between.

I repeat: Instead of trading options just for the “thrill of it,” you can also use options for SERIOUS — and VERY RAPID — WEALTH BUILDING.

To prove my theory, I ordered
the most exhaustive tests
in my company’s history:

First, I focused a dedicated team on this effort. I gave our senior analysts, our ratings experts and our research people full access to our vast computer network and gave them explicit instructions for the development and testing of this strategy.

Second, we spent $32,000 to purchase a vast database that includes all 10,598,077 unique stock options that have been traded on U.S. exchanges since 2005.

Third, we considered only options on stocks with a Weiss Stock Rating of “Buy.” That step alone eliminated about 75% of the stocks on the market, leaving me with a list of strictly 3,150 high-quality investments.

Fourth, we ranked the remaining stocks from #1 down to #3,150 based on my Weiss Timing Index.

Fifth, each day, we produced a list of stocks ranked #1 through #5 — the absolute best of the best on all measures of market timing.

Sixth, from that list, we selected only the best options available — those that are (a) at or very near the money, and (b) have plenty of time remaining.

And seventh, we applied a similar strategy (in reverse) during the period that our Weiss Bear Market Indicator clearly identified as a bear market.

Now, here are the results ...

Using our Weiss Stock Ratings to pick the best stocks AND the Weiss Timing Index to pick the best time, turned out to be a very powerful combination, which could have yielded a series of outstanding benefits to investors.

Benefit #1. Superlative win ratio. Our results produced an astounding win ratio of 80.2%. In other words, four out of five trades would have been winners and only one out of five was a loser. For any options-buying strategy, a win-loss ratio over 50% is considered unusually good; 80% is simply unheard-of.

Benefit #2. Excellent consistency from year to year. The win ratio was mostly consistent year after year. In the last three years, for example, the percentage of wins has been 86% (2012), 85% (2013) and 85% again (in the first 10 months of 2014).

Benefit #3. Overall profits year after year. In the entire 10-year period, our results show only two losing years; and the losses were moderate — 14% and 4% back in 2006 and 2007. In contrast, our results showed eight winning years, with yearly gains of 60%, 47%, 15%, 32%, 45%, 77%, 118% and 107%.

Benefit #4. Thirty-four times wealth growth in 10 years. Your total return since 2005 could have been 3,307%, enough to multiply your money 34 times.

All with options that I believe are suited for less aggressive options investors — in or very near the money and with plenty of time remaining before expiration.

Benefit #5. Ideal for bear markets as well. We also found that everything that could be achieved in a bull market could also have been done in a bear market.

Instead of targeting our buy-rated stocks, we target our sell-rated stocks. And instead of buying call options (designed to profit from rising stock prices), we buy put options (designed to profit from declining stock prices).

Winning trades that will
make most options traders
turn green with envy ...

I want to make this perfectly clear: For me, extremely positive, OVERALL performance matters a lot more than some home runs on individual trades.

If time runs out on your option and the stock fails to make its move — or moves in the wrong direction — you could lose up to 100% of your small investment in that particular trade. And even with all the best tools in the world, my results show that could happen from time to time with my Ultimate Stock Options strategy.

Moreover, the overwhelming bulk of the option trades — a whopping 8 out of 10 — were winners, including ...

Some hefty doubles and triples:

A 130.4% gain in 23 days on Catamaran Corporation ...
A 133% gain in 10 days on Philip Morris ...
A 160% gain in one day on Five Star Quality Care ...
A 169.23% gain in 47 days with ON Semiconductor.
And on many trades, you could have also more than TRIPLED your money:

You could have purchased an option on American International Group for just $315, then sold it for a 234.9% gain in just 10 days.
You could have bought an option on AIG for just $183 and sold it 11 days later for a 255.2% gain.
You could have bought an option on Family Dollar Stores for just $207, then sold it for a 276.8% gain in 84 days.
And you could have bought an option on Sanofi for just $170 and sold it 10 days later for a 283.5% gain.
Let’s say you had invested $5,000 in that last trade on Sanofi. Your 283% gain means you could have walked away with $19,150 — nearly FOUR TIMES your investment and in just ten days!

And on many trades, you could have grabbed your gains in one week or less: Over the ten years of the study, among 609 trades, over 300 trades took one week or less, generating gains of 24.4% ... 51.1% ... 79.3% ... up to 160%!

And I repeat: You could have done it without EVER buying the kinds of options that are generally considered riskier and more volatile — out of the money or with a very short time remaining before expiration.

To my knowledge, nobody has ever developed a strategy with the power to deliver an 80% win rate with the purchase of options.

Nobody has ever created the tools with the power to use options for a serious, reliable wealth building strategy — to multiply your money more than 34 times over in ten years.

... Until now!

That’s why I created Ultimate Stock Options — an entirely new service dedicated to trading stock options with your speculative money.

The ultimate in expertise:
Meet the Ultimate Stock Options editors:
Exclusively qualified to help you profit.

Make no mistake: I am deeply involved in this strategy. Not only did I design it myself — I also led the team that developed all of the tools we’ll use on every trade.

But editing Ultimate Stock Options demands the editor’s full time and attention. Plus, of course, I’m absolutely committed to my work as editor of Martin’s Ultimate Portfolio.

So I’ve recruited the two professionals who are the most qualified of all the analysts I know to serve you as editors of Ultimate Stock Options:


MIKE BURNICK is the expert on my Ultimate Strategy. He was at my side as I created it, fine-tuned it, tested it and finalized it. He understands how the Weiss Stock Ratings work and he is highly qualified for stock selection.


DAVID DUTKEWYCH is one of the few professional traders I know who has CONSISTENTLY had success with options even without the benefit of my Weiss Stock Ratings and Weiss Timing Index. I’m not talking about a winning streak or two throughout his career: David is hands-down the single most consistent options winner I’ve ever seen.

Together, Mike and David are like words and music — Mike using my Weiss Stock Ratings to identify the stocks we’ll base our options trades on ...

And David using our Weiss Timing Index to issue “buy” and “sell” signals for puts and calls.

The ultimate in confidence:
I’m so confident Ultimate Stock Options
will multiply your money ...

I’m going to be investing
right along with you!


I want you to know that I’m putting my money where my mouth is.

I want you to be able to trade before I do.

And I want you to see exactly what results I get, warts and all, in my own brokerage account.

That’s why I’m investing right along with you in my Ultimate Portfolio ... and it’s why I will do the same in Ultimate Stock Options.

I have set aside some money that I can afford to risk, and I’m using that money to invest in the very same trades as members of Ultimate Stock Options!

That’s important; let me repeat it:

I am so confident in these enhanced tools and our team, I am going to invest in every “buy” and “sell” signal for these options right along with you.

And of course, as publisher of Ultimate Stock Options — and one of your fellow investors — I will monitor every move they make with an eye to maximizing performance.

The ultimate in exclusivity:
Enrollment is strictly limited
and could close at any
moment without notice.

I must do this in all good conscience. If too many people receive our trading signals, it could become difficult for you to get advantageous prices when you buy or sell.

As a result, less than one-half of one percent of our readers will ever be able to join — and memberships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis only.

The ultimate in SAVINGS:
Exclusive, heavily-discounted
membership pricing is available
for a limited time ONLY!

I want to be 100% up-front with you about this: For the rest of the world, membership in Ultimate Stock Options will be expensive — $5,000 for a single year; $10,000 for two years.

The good news for you is that, if you act now, you can add a one-year membership in Ultimate Stock Options for just $4,000. You save a whopping $1,000.

Or, for just $1,000 more, you can add two years of Ultimate Stock Options for just $5,000. That’s $5,000 off the $10,000 rate.

No guarantees, but with just one $2,250 trade that makes a 200% gain, you could easily cover the cost of your membership for two whole years. After that, the rest of your membership is gravy.

Your complete satisfaction
is fully guaranteed for a full year!

Plus ...

You are entitled to the lowest membership rate that will be available for this service, saving you $1,000 on one year and $5,000 on two years ...
You have my guarantee that you will be delighted with the profits my Ultimate Stock Options service helps you make after one year, or I’ll refund every penny you paid.
—OR—

You can get full access to my Ultimate Stock Options investing service when you join Money and Markets Ultimate for just $39.

That means you’ll get all of our other services and strategies for a full month for a meager $39 — and receive a full month of Ultimate Stock Options too!

To take advantage of this remarkable bargain, click here right now.

Just in case you’re not familiar with our Money and Markets Ultimate service, let me take a minute to fill you in…

Money and Markets Ultimate lets you in on 18 of our investment trading services — services that would normally cost you $15,000 a year.

With Money and Markets Ultimate, you get instant access to ALL of our Money and Markets’ experts and their investment recommendations on virtually all investment vehicles. Stocks, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, precious metals, options, and more …

You get FREE access to a bucketful of valuable gifts that come with full-price memberships, including our special reports on immediate investment opportunities, timely investor briefings, webinars on current hot topics, our top-performing model portfolios, and more …

And you get access to my Ultimate Stock Options investment service …

All for less than the price of a nice dinner.

You get all 18 services
that others would normally pay over
$15,000 per year to receive!

You get our highly active premium trading services: Mike Larson’s Interest Rate Speculator and Energy Stock Alert; Larry Edelson’s Gold and Silver Trader, and Martin’s Ultimate Portfolio.

You get powerful portfolios including Weiss Family Million-Dollar Portfolio where Dr. Weiss has invested his own family’s money.

You get our stock and ETF trading services including Bill Hall’s Park Avenue Society and Jon Markman’s New Technology Superstars!

And you get all three of our investment newsletters: Mike Larson’s Safe Money Report, Larry Edelson’s Real Wealth Report and Charles Goyette’s Freedom and Prosperity Premium.

Normally, to get a full month of all 18 services would be over $1,400. But now, for a very limited time, you can experience them all for just $39.

You also get a big pile of FREE gifts, all yours to keep, worth more than 100 times your $39 investment

When you take profitable advantage of this unique offer, you’ll be treated exactly like a full-price, full-year member. That means, in addition to all the trade alerts, you also get every FREE gift that full price members get, including ...

Weiss Million-Dollar Ratings Portfolio Lowest Rated Stocks to Sell Now. If you own any of these dogs, sell them immediately.
Valuable special reports loaded with profitable tips and recommendations, including ...
• Options 101

• Beating Wall Street at Its Own Game

• How to Profit from the Next Phase of the Great Gold Bull Market

Invitations to quarterly members-only, Live War Room Video Briefings. You’ll get forecasts for the weeks ahead, sneak peeks at investments being considered, and answers to questions you may have live on the spot.
Invitations to timely and crucial live investment webinars. Plus, transcripts of past webinars.
You get 30 days of access
to all 18 of these services
for a mere $39!

I must repeat this because it’s so important: The bare bones LOWEST price anyone would normally pay for all these services would be over $15,000 a year. That’s over $1,400 per month.

But if you say “yes” by clicking this link by this coming Friday, you get all 18 services for the next 30 days for just $39. That’s $39 for the entire package of 18 services, plus all the FREE gifts and valuable resources.

What happens when your 30-day test drive ends is completely up to you.

If you like what you’ve seen, you can simply do nothing. We will notify you first and then, if you agree, we will begin billing your credit card for a monthly membership in these services at far less than anyone else would normally have to pay for them:

Instead of the more than $1,400 per month that everyone else would pay, your preferred price is just $299.

Otherwise, if you wish to cancel, just call TOLL-FREE 1-800-891-8485 before your 30-day trial is complete and let us know. Your memberships will be terminated instantly with no questions asked and no hard feelings.

There’s no obligation whatsoever. The decision is completely up to you.

You can KEEP everything you’ve received — including all the FREE gifts — and owe nothing further.

Furthermore, your $39 investment is fully protected by the strongest guarantee in Money and Markets history:

You’ll have the opportunity to make 50 times your money
or this “all-access” membership is FREE ...

The purpose of the nominal $39 fee is to encourage you to take the wealth-building recommendations you’ll get over the next 30 days seriously. And to ensure that I’m not overrun by freebie seekers who have no intention of giving these services a fair shake.

However, I also want to make sure you’re comfortable with even this small $39 investment. So, to make sure you risk nothing on your membership — and also to underscore my confidence that these services will help you grow your wealth — I have insisted that you be fully protected with the strongest guarantee we’ve ever offered anyone:

Just click this link and use our secure online ordering form. Your 30-day access to these services will begin immediately.

At the end of your 30-day access, these services must have given you the opportunity to make 50 times the $39 you paid — a bare minimum of $1,950. If not, let us know and we will refund every penny you paid for your membership, with no questions asked.

And you keep everything you’ve received for your trouble.

What could be fairer than that?

This unprecedented marketing test
must expire this coming Friday!

To sum up ...

You get all 18 of our V.I.P. wealth-building services, including three that are closed to other investors ...

Trading services that other investors would normally have to pay over $15,000 per year — over $1,400 per month — to receive ...

You get 30 days of full access to these services — every bulletin, every online briefing, every recommendation they release and every resource and free gift given to new members — for just $39 ...

And within that 30 days, the recommendations you receive must give you the opportunity to make at least 50 times more than the $39 you pay or you can call us to receive a full refund of every penny you paid, with no questions asked. No hard feelings, either.

Remember, this marketing test expires on Friday. And I don't know if I’ll ever make this offer again. So I urge you to act now before it expires.

Click here to start now.

Or call toll-free 1-800-291-8545 M-F, 9 am to 5 pm Eastern Time. Outside the U.S., call 1-561-627-3300.

But please remember: You must grab your membership quickly. Membership is strictly limited and enrollment may close at any moment without notice.

When the last membership is purchased, your only opportunity to join will be to get your name on our waiting list in case a vacancy occurs in our membership rolls.

Good luck and God bless!

Martin

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