Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita have taken their Saturday turf stakes and rescheduled them. The weather is dicey in the East and Midwest. The fields are short and chalky too, so there will be no report for February 2.
SATURDAY FLORIDA SPOT PLAYS
(3:08) TAM 6th Race - #6 AND WON is in good form, has the best turf figure in the race and jockey Anthony Gallardo got to know him in his latest start. It all adds up to a top performance.
(3:15) GP 8th Race - Trainer Mike Maker moved #4 AMANDREA to the turf for her second start and she responded with a 14 point boost in Brisnet speed figure. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione sticks with the daughter of Paynter and further improvement can be expected. #8 NONSENSICAL will appreciate running on the turf. Jockey Paco Lopez assures the daughter of Street Sense will get an aggressive ride and she may be overlooked in the wagering.
(5:19) GP 12th Race - #7 SWEET STING has won a race going a mile and an eighth, she owns the best turf figure in the field and will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. There are lots of things to like about the Jimmy Jerkens trainee in the nightcap.
Bad Weather Predicted - No Report for Saturday, January 12, 2019
With snow predicted at Laurel and rain at Fair Grounds and Santa Anita there will be no Saturday report. We will list a few possible Florida plays in this space Friday afternoon.
HAPPY NEW YEAR & WELCOME BACK!
We hope your holiday season was wonderful.
A lot of inclement weather, weak racing cards and the need for a little freshening after an arduous run up to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships precluded us from putting out any reports in December. With the Pegasus World Cup (G1) looming just three weeks away and Santa Anita kicking off their path to the Triple Crown trail with the Sham (G3), it’s time to get back into action.
We are grateful for your support and are hopeful that 2019 will be your best year of wagering ever.
Weather Causing Racing Havoc
Bad weather at racing emporiums across North America has caused a pause in Pope Jude reports during recent weeks. Hopefully, the outlook will be better 2019 as we head towards Santa Anita and the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. We’ll post on Twitter and here when the next reports can be expected.
Huge Super Saturday for Pope Jude Fans
As the Breeders’ Cup World Championships edge ever closer, Pope Jude fans got a hint of what is to come with Saturday’s plethora of BC preps. With nine winners on the report our bankrolls are building along with our racing knowledge.
Gulfstream was extremely good for us Saturday, with LOUDER THAN BOMBS running down TIMMY M for a nice $27.80 exacta to start the day in the Armed Forces. Standout A BIT SPECIAL ($6.00) ran as predicted in the Our Dear Peggy and longshot ARCHER ROAD capped it off with a $27.20 victory in the Mr. Steele - very popular with the Pope Jude faithful.
We went three-for three at Santa Anita, too and capped off the night with MIND YOUR BISCUITS Breeders’ Cup impressive prep in the Lukas Classic (G3) under the lights at Churchill Downs.
Keeneland opens this Friday and there are several more “win and your in” races on tap for Fall Stars Weekend. Stay tuned!
GORDON and FLORENCE may rain-out Saturday's biggest stakes.
Massive storms Gordon and Florence post major threats to Saturday's stakes action, especially at the all-turf Kentucky Downs venue, that was so good to us last weekend. We'll keep an eye on the storms and if we find any noteworthy plays, post them in this space.
WHITNEY (G1) SATURDAY HUGE FOR POPE JUDE FANS
Whitney (G1) Saturday's report provided a nifty afternoon for Pope Jude supporters kicking off with the Chad Brown-trained UNI - PRECIEUSE exacta at $19.80. That was followed by single SEPARATIONOFPOWERS score in the Test (G1) at $6.60 and the DIVERSIFY - MIND YOUR BISCUITS exacta in Whitney (G1) which returned $20.60.
Later, at Del Mar, single CONQUEST TYPHOON paid $10.00 and Del Mar "horse for course," CAMBODIA, took the Yellow Ribbon (G2) returning $5.40.
Some excellent results after the report was cut to seven races after the two turf race cancellations at the Spa.
SARATOGA & DEL MAR BEGIN
It's the time of year we've all been waiting for. Summer racing at resort tracks is always enjoyable and we're ready to make a few scores. Saturday's report takes us from the "Spa" to "Where the turf meets the surf."
Saturday Night Full-Card Churchill Downs Report
By popular demand, Saturday's Pope Jude features a full-card, 11-race report for Stephen Foster (G1) Night. There are five graded stakes on the card. First post is 6:00 PM.
Black-Eyed Susan & Preakness Days
Hopefully, we'll never have to relive that muddy chalk-fest ever again.
Five-horse fields with standouts is a tough way to make money even when there are legions of uninformed bettors populating the pools.
Looking forward to Belmont Day. The rain should have subsided by then. Maybe.
A Little Recap
We're always tagging #GetHot #StayHot in our Twitter posts but it's not just for fun. Here's a list of double digit winners that were listed on our reports from Oaks and Derby days through Saturday, May 12:
KILLAY $13.20 DIVINE MISCHIEF $10.40 TOINETTE $12.80 LIMOUSINE LIBERAL $10.80
MARAUD $18.80 YOSHIDA $21.80 KIRBY'S PENNY $16.20 SPARKY $10.40
VOODOO SONG $11.20 BLENDED CITIZEN $11.40 BURMA ROAD $11.20
There were a lot more winners, paying less than 10 bucks, who keyed some excellent payoffs. We've heard from some of you about the big scores you made and we couldn't be more pleased. Let's keep it rolling into Pimlico for Black-Eyed Susan Day and Preakness Day!
NEXT UP, THE KENTUCKY OAKS (G1) & KENTUCKY DERBY (G1)
Our popular Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) reports will be available next week. If you order early, a link will be sent directly to your inbox as soon as the reports return from the editor.
Pontiff Plays for Charity Saturday
Pope Jude will be Keeneland's guest handicapper for charity on Saturday, April 14. There will be no report for that day. We will post any last minute info in this space and the Keeneland selections for charity will be posted at keeneland.com.
Keeneland Off to a Hot Start
Friday's report listed winners TRUE SAINT, KIRBY'S PENNY, SISTER KAN, ALMITHMAAR, ANALYZE IT and UNDER AND OVER. The track seemed biased towards finishers, with many speed types run down in the last sixteenth.
ALMITHMAAR went wire-to-wire, so his win should be upgraded the next time he runs. ANALYZE IT ran like the good horse he is off the layoff from a bad post. He'll be an important grass horse in 2018. Trainer Tom Amoss is good at claiming, improving and finding excellent spots.
Saturday saw SMART REMARK, FINLEY'SLUCKYCHARM MONOMOY GIRL, and GOOD MAGIC at Keeneland all on the report. ARMY MULE, NATIONAL FLAG and VINO ROSSO graced the Aqueduct section with JUSTIFY and MIDNIGHT BISOU at Santa Anita.
Tough Louisiana Derby Day
It was a rare tough day for Pope Jude fans Saturday. THE PLAYER broke his sesamoids in the New Orleans Handicap (G2). Lucullan was off slowly in the Muniz Memorial (G2), probably costing us a nice trifecta. (At least the exacta paid $84.00.) and at Gulfstream, Rocketry had more problems than Stormy Daniels. Onward and upward! We'll see what the Sunland Derby (G3) brings today and then it's off to the Florida Derby (G1) for lots of solid stakes action!
Nice Saturday for Pope Jude Fans
Pope Jude fans had a nice day Saturday, kicking it all off with the Columbia Stakes trifecta of Gidu – Captivating Moon – Smart Remark at Tampa Bay Downs for $68.80. That was followed up by the Hillsborough (G2) exacta at $62.80, trifecta at $164.70 and even the dime super which returned $58.75 for the Fourstar Crook – Proctor’s Ledge – La Coronel – Daddys Lil Darling combos.
The prices were short at Aqueduct but Harlan Punch, Divine Miss Grey, and Enticed all got the job done.
Local horse, Bowies Hero, upset heavily favored champion World Approval at Santa Anita returning a whopping $18.60. There was no way he should have been 8-1.
One of our favorite plays of the day, Treasuring, ran second after a so-so trip, but the exacta with heavily favored Ms Bad Behavior came back $41.80.
“Horse to Watch” lister, Cosmic Burst, put in a powerful run to take the Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn to put a big bow on the day at $10.80!
Fountain of Youth (G2)
(6:09) GP 14th Race - The Fountain of Youth (G2) seems to boil down to the comebacking Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner, #6 GOOD MAGIC, #2 FREE DROP BILLY, who has had the benefit of a recent race and the talented sprinter, #4 STRIKE POWER. 'MAGIC ran huge Brisnet speed figures as a two-year-old and makes his sophomore debut here. The son of Curlin has been training notably for Chad Brown and seeks to prove he's still the leader of the division. 'BILLY ran well in the Holy Bull (G2) after his winter break. That race was very fast late - a good sign - and the Dale Romans trainee should be fitter, wiser and a much better price than the chalk. 'STRIKE has been impressive in his first two starts, but will need to call upon all the distance features of his pedigree to get this distance against top company.
NO REPORT FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018 - SANDY LANE BARBADOS GOLD CUP
The Pontiff will be in Barbados this week for the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup. He will post his analysis of the Fountain of Youth (G2) and possibly any other races in this space. Check back Friday or Saturday morning.
NEXT POPE JUDE REPORT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24
The Pontiff is heading to England and France this week for a short working vacation. There won't be any Pope Jude report for Saturday, February 17 or Monday, February 19. There will be a report for Saturday, February 24. Thanks for your loyal support!