February 2020 Handicapping Contest Standings

[trackrat]

February Handicapping Contest Balances Through Saturday Night, February 27, 2010

	   
               Beginning				
	         Balance   Wagered   Winnings	 Balance	
Name	        02/27/10  02/27/10   02/27/10   02/28/10	
					
	
Believer         3609.90    120.00       0.00    3489.90
Cliff               0.00      0.00       0.00       0.00
Gallobluechip    1600.00     50.00       0.00    1550.00
Harness27	 1619.00     50.00       0.00	 1569.00
Hundredtowin      700.00    500.00       0.00     200.00 
Jimhorseman      1959.40    410.00       0.00    1549.40
Kangaroox         655.70     50.00       0.00     605.70
Scojer            790.00     50.00       0.00     740.00
Sulkyhaven       1600.00     50.00       0.00    1550.00
Therealmuljuice	  897.40    456.00     205.40     646.80 
Trackrat	 3571.80    496.00     108.50    3184.30 

[trackrat]

Monday Night, February 1, 2010 Recap: Ouch, that hurt!! When the Groundhog comes out today, we should all just crawl in his hole and hide the rest of the winter and let him do the handicapping. Oh well, at least Krissy K keeps rolling along. She is a model of consistency and durability, racking up $32,043 in winnings in 2009 in 43 starts and already banking over $4,000 in one month of racing in 2010, racing solely at Northfield. Is she worth a claim at $4,000 (with allowances)?

Welcome to Hundredtowin, a new "face" in our handicapping contest. Good luck to everyone on tonight's card.

[trackrat]

Tuesday Night, February 2, 2010 Recap: The Groundhog Day racing card at Northfield provided some modest profit opportunities for our handicapping crew as four members made multiple trips to the cashier's window, led by Trackrat, who had $433.60 in winnings against his $272 outlay. His $50 exact in the second race was good for $265 (25 x $10.60) while his $1 trifectas in the fourth and sixth races were good for $71.80 and $96.80.

Defending champion Cliff cashed a $100 win ticket on #2 Liltycantbedenied in the seventh race for $320 (50 x $6.40), a $1 SF in the same race for $76.60 and a $20 PS wager on #9 She'sa Town Girl in the ninth race for $58 (10 x composite $5.80). The Believer cashed $5 trifectas in the fifth and sixth races for $238 and $117, respectively. And Therealmuljuice cashed $1 trifectas in the second and eighth races for $22.20 and $143.90.

After two racing programs in February, all of our contestants are sitting below their original $2500 bankrolls. Last night's multiple wins are encouraging and with our group of experts, this deficit won't last long.

Good luck on tonight's card... a few flurries in the air but not enough to affect the track. Stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Wednesday Night, February 3, 2010 Recap: The Anastasia line of trotting standardbreds has been gracing harness racing ovals for decades under the breeding operation of Pennsylvania's Joseph Urban, who I believe is the father-in-law of driver Jeff Conger. Last night, Conger took his 4-year-old Corleone mare Anastasia Wildfire patiently out of the eight hole in the first race, bided his time until the half and then made up 11 lengths to the 3/4, storming home to key the first race trifecta which paid $2433.90 on a $1 wager. Trackrat added this sum to his contest bankroll as he gambled on Wildfire's consistent closing fractions and cashed an 8/all/all trifecta wager.

Jimhorseman finally shows signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump as he cashed all three of his $50WP wagers for a total of $620. The Believer cashed a $10 trifecta in the fifth race for $113 and a $5 trifecta in the seventh race for $177. Kangaroox cashed $25 exactas in the seventh and thirteenth races for $125 and $272.50, respectively. Finally, Hundredtowin converted his $100 wager on #2 Davey Pockett in the seventh race into $110 as the prohibitive favorite rallied in the stretch for that win.

Good luck to everyone on Friday night's Fillies and Mares racing program. Light snow is expected over the next two days.

[trackrat]

Friday Night, February 5, 2010 Recap: Blowing snow, a stiff wind and an off track didn't bother our handicapping crew too much last night as four of our five players posted net gains on the program. Trackrat led the way with a $10 trifecta in the fourth race that returned $1026 (5 x $205.20) as #5 Shelby's Muneymaker went gate to wire in a slow 201.1. #6 Sharp Alma at 23-1 added value to the trifecta with a rally off the pace for second with Chris Page aboard. Iamsamsational was third.

Cliff was prescient with his wagering preface that the "best way to break out of a handicapping slump is... to pick some winners. Six out of his eight $50 win wagers crossed the finish line first producing $675 in winnings. Therealmuljuice also had multiple winners with $1 trifectas in the first, sixth and seventh races for a total of $545.10. Jimhorseman continues his long climb out of obscurity with a $50 exacta in the third race for $570 (25 x $22.80).

Snow is expected to diminish during the day today but temperatures will plunge into the teens tonight with northern winds at 10-15mph. Good luck to everyone on tonight's program. Stay safe and warm.

[trackrat]

Saturday Night, February 6, 2010 Recap: In the middle of an arctic cold spell, our handicapping contest is starting to heat up, with The Believer converting two $15 trifecta key wagers into $2364 in winnings on a frigid Saturday night at the Route 8 oval. The Believer used the overwhelming favorite in the first race (Diamond Hunter) and the co-favorite in the sixth race (Riverboat Baby) as his key horses with three underneath horses in each wager. Dan Charlino and Elliott Deaton added value to Taylor's winning trifectas with double-digit odds to complete the bottom of the tickets. Charlino hit the board last night with four horses at 7-1 or higher odds.

Cliff continues to cash $50/100 win tickets with wins aboard Lancer Springs in the third race, Riverboat Baby in the sixth and Road Storm in the thirteenth, for a total of $780 in winnings against his $500 outlay. Jimhorseman has been on the positive side of the ledger for the past three cards, collecting $536 on a $10 trifecta in the first race and a $30 early daily double. Trackrat cashed a $50 early daily double for $160 and a $10 trifecta in the second race for $284. Finally, Therealmuljuice, feeling no love, cashed a $1 trifecta in the second race for $28.40.

Looking ahead to Monday night's program, national driving leader Aaron Merriman is scheduled to drive beginning with the third race, after finishing his driving commitments at The Meadows, which is racing a matinee card. Elliott Deaton's stable is red-hot, Kim Sloan's is heating up and the Cleveland Auto Show begins on February 27. Stay warm and stay safe.

[trackrat]

Monday Night, February 8, 2010 Recap: Happened to watch the TVG racing show last night on Time Warner cable and the commentators were wandering why Eye of the Dog was dropping in class from 4K claimers to 3K claimers in the tenth race after setting a new lifetime mark last week in the higher class. One might think that the Dog came out of last week's race a little sore or perhaps the owner/trainer wanted to score some easy money on a weaker field this week? Whatever the reason, the Dog was used early and faltered late, holding on for third as Slide Lock won the race, with Hot Soup second. It was much of the same all night long at the Flying Turns as the favorite faltered in twelve of the thirteen races and in eight of those races, didn't even hit the board. It was a long night for the chalkman.

In our contest, Kangaroox posted the only profit, collecting $865.50 in winnings against his $448 outlay. The marsupial one cashed a $2 trifecta in the eighth race for $453 and a $25 exacta in the twelfth race for $412.50 (12.5 x $33.00). Trackrat also had the eighth race trifecta but only for $1 ($226.50). Jimhorseman's $50 place wager on #5 Hoosier Lion in the third race paid $90 (25 x $3.60). Therealmuljuice had $1 trifectas in the first and fourth races for $78.20 and $35.80.

It started snowing at 11 AM in the Cleveland area this morning, with six inches of snow expected by tomorrow morning. It's coming down steady right now. Expect some travel scratches. Good night to stay home and watch the races on the computer or TVG. Stay safe, stay warm and good luck.

[trackrat]

Tuesday Night, February 9, 2010 Recap: Okay you golfers, you just got a "Mulligan" on Tuesday night's handicapping contest wagers. After consultation and careful consideration, we are cancelling all of Tuesday night's contest wagers because of unprecedented scratches (28 of em) and the absence of scheduled drivers.

I know we all spend a lot of time analyzing the past performances and crafting our wagers to take advantage of certain drivers, post positions, etc, all the variables that were disrupted last night. Had we all been at the track last night, I am sure we would have modified our wagers to accommodate the many changes.

So, in fairness to everyone, we'll just forget about last night like it never happened. Having said that, please remember that last night was a VERY unusual racing card and cancelling the contest wagers is something that will rarely occur. In the third year of our contest, this is the first time I can recall this necessity.

Good luck on tonight's card. More snow on the way. Still cold.

[trackrat]

Wednesday Night, February 10, 2010 Recap: How about another Mulligan? Just kidding. Sorta. Scojer was the only capper to post a profit last night as he cashed a $50 place wager on #2 Touch of Nay in the sixth race for $240 (25 x $9.60) and a $50 WP wager on #2 Chicago Sam in the eighth race for $385 (25 x composite $15.40). Jimhorseman almost got back to ground zero with $20WP wagers on eight different races, scoring on three of them for $192. Therealmuljuice just missed also, cashing $1 trifectas in the third and sixth races for a total of $277.10, but not covering his outlay. Trackrat, exhausted from shoveling snow, could muster only one winning ticket last night, a $1 trifecta in the twelfth race for $49.20.

Looking ahead to Friday night's Fillies and Mares program, some flurries in the air but no significant accumulation, temperatures dropping into the teens in the evening. Good luck to everyone. Stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Friday Night, February 12, 2010 Recap: There was a lot of love in the clubhouse restaurant last night with their special Valentine's buffet and there was some love at the cashier's window for three of our four participating handicappers last night. Jimhorseman continues his resurgence, cashing a $10 trifecta in the eighth race for $664 and a $50 WP wager on #3 Foxy Jane in the thirteenth race for $850 (25 x composite $34). Therealmuljuice put #8 Beauty's Life with Dan Charlino in the bike on the top of his trifecta ticket in the eleventh race and was rewarded with $590 when double-digit Dan crossed the finish line first with the 20-1 longshot. Earlier in the card, Muley cashed a $2 trifecta in the fifth race for $152.20 and a $1 trifecta in the eighth race for $66.40. Trackrat cashed a $1 trifecta in the second race for $271 and a $2 trifecta in the tenth race for $162. Cliff almost broke even for the night with his $100 win wager on #7 Blueridge Flirting, returning $200 (50 x $4.00), not enough to cover his $250 program outlay.

Like the movie Groundhog Day, the weather in Cleveland never changes in the winter time. Flurries in the air. Temperatures in the twenties. Don't forget to get the little lady something for Valentine's Day, especially if you are going to the track without her. Good luck, stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Saturday Night, February 13, 2010 Recap: It looks so easy on paper, but the collective handicapping experience of our core handicappers failed to register any profit last night. We're like a baseball team where all the players go into a slump at the same time. Time to get that confidence back.

Enjoy the NBA All-Star game tonight. Good luck on Monday night's thirteen card program. Stay safe and stay warm. Brrrr.

[trackrat]

Monday Night, February 15, 2010 Recap: Monday night was Saturday night revisited, with no contestants posting a profit, although The Believer came pretty close, losing less than two bucks with wagers of $492 against winnings of $490.10.

Kangaroox had $50 worth of winning exacta tickets in the fourth race, good for $320 (25 x $12.80) with AJ Cress finishing on top of Arturo's Reactor. Scojer's $50 place wager on Rose Run Ichabod in the fifth race was good for $115 (25 x $4.60), while his $50 place wager on Magic Dart in the seventh race produced $250 (25 x $10.00). One of Hundredtowin's $100 to win wagers was good for $250 as Chip Chip Mac won the eighth race and paid $5.00. Finally, Harness27 collected $39 with a $10 WP wager in the fourth race on AJ Cress.

Snow once again has blanketed Northeast Ohio, but the show must go on with a full thirteen race card Tuesday night. Good luck to everyone and stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Tuesday Night, February 16, 2010 Recap: Kangaroox and Therealmuljuice used similar wagering strategies last night to post parimutuel profits in our contest. Briefly, both of them isolated one horse on the top of their exotic tickets and bunched other horses in the place and show positions. Kangaroox used this method to cash exacta tickets to the tune of $777, with $25 exacta hits in the third race for $407.50 and in the eleventh race for $192.50; he added a $15 exacta ticket in the thirteenth race for $177. Therealmuljuice was not as precise with the bottom of his trifecta tickets, choosing to lump "the field" in the place and show positions on his nine wagers. Muley cashed three of them, $1 trifectas in the fourth and sixth races for $557.20 and $102.50 and a $10 trifecta in the eleventh race for $348. While Kangaroox's handicapping was more precise, Therealmuljuice captured the "anything can happen" reality of midweek Northfield racing to make a profit. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You still have to get the first horse right!!

The Believer also liked the eleventh race trifecta winner and his $5 ticket paid $174 (2.5 x $69.60). Trackrat's $2 trifecta box in the sixth race returned $205. Harness27 cashed a $10 WP wager in the tenth race for $31.

Good luck on Wednesday night's thirteen race card. Elliott Deaton and Dan Charlino are back for the whole card, while Aaron Merriman is scheduled to drive starting with the third race. Stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Wednesday Night, February 17, 2010 Recap: It was a mixture of the old and the new last night at Northfield as veteran teamster Dan Charlino registered four wins and youngsters Chris Page and JD Wengerd combined for five more on the thirteen race midweek racing program. In our contest, Hundredtowin went "all-in" with his final two $100 win wagers and came out with $630 as #7 Dragon Rider with the aforementioned Chris Page in the bike, crossed the finish line first in the opening race, paying $12.60.

Therealmuljuice cashed his third $1 trifecta worth more than $500 in the last week, using Frank Harris and #3 Follow Me in the second race as the key horse in a trifecta wager that paid $502.70. Muley also had a $10 trifecta box in the ninth race that paid $151 (5 x $30.20). Trackrat cashed a $2 trifecta in the first race for $225.60 and $1 trifectas in the sixth and eleventh races for $76.40 and $152.50. Finally, Harness27 strung together three $10 WP wagers in the fourth, ninth and tenth races for $77 in winnings.

Looking ahead to Friday night, it's still winter in Ohio but no major snow or dramatically colder weather is forecast, just more of the same old stuff. But, the pitchers and catchers are reporting this weekend to Spring training, the Cavaliers picked up Antwon Jamieson from the Wizards and the Browns mini camp is less than 90 days away. Lots of sports going on.

Good luck on Friday's card, stay safe and stay warm.

[trackrat]

Friday Night, February 19, 2010 Recap: The slump continues as only Hundredtowin won a hundred and only a hundred on his five hundred dollar win wagers. "Hundred" picked the winners of the tenth, eleventh and thirteenth races last night. The Believer's $4 trifecta key wager in the fifth race produced $66.80 in winnings, while Trackrat had a $2 trifecta in the second race and a $1 trifecta in the fifth race for $59.80 and $16.70, respectively.

Trackrat maintains a $700 lead over The Believer with one week left in the February contest.

Good luck to everyone on Saturday night's card with all the top tier drivers here tonight (Aaron Merriman, Elliott Deaton, Ryan Stahl, Dan Charlino).