Alert!

Thursday, September 14, 2017

OptixEQ Handicaps Kentucky Downs for September 14, 2017

Today's picks for closing day at our #1 rated racetrack Kentucky Downs by Emily Gullikson are now available. 

Kentucky Downs lucked out with the amount of rain they received from the remnants of Hurricane Irma, and so today's card is a definite go.  The final program of the five-day meet has ten races, including the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (race eight) and the Ramsey Farm S. (race nine).

KENTUCKY DOWNS 9-14-17

SELECTIONS:
R1: 1-5-6 (3-9 underneath)
R2: 10-9-7
R3: 1-4-2-11-10
R4: 11-10- (3-4-9)
R5: 5-3-8-10
R6: 4-3-7
R7: 5-10-4-3
R8: 1-3-6-5
R9: 4-5-7-6
R10: 2-6-9-11
More from OPTIXNOTES and OPTIXPLOT can be found at OptixEQ.com.
Twitter: @Mayhemily1 and @OptixEQ

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Check Out Vin Rogers's Book on Amazon

One of our regular Horseplayer Monthly contributors, Vin Rogers, has a book available for order on Amazon that was published this July.  Titled Horseracing From the Inside Out: Owning, Training, and Betting Thoroughbreds, it is available for purchase here.


In addition to his regular contributions to Horseplayer Monthly, Vin's work has also appeared in Horseplayer Magazine, Gallop, and other racing media outlets.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

OptixEQ Handicaps Kentucky Downs for September 10, 2017

Today's picks for our #1 rated racetrack Kentucky Downs by Emily Gullikson are now available.  After a record-setting handle day on Saturday, there are ten more races today, including a pair of stakes races - the Dueling Grounds Oaks and the Dueling Grounds Derby.  This is the penultimate day of the meet, with the final card slated for Thursday.

KENTUCKY DOWNS 9-10-17

SELECTIONS:

R1: 12-5-8-11
1-9-10 (all these horses have questions regarding surface, distance and favorable pace - at a short price vulnerable)
R2: 12-5-1-11
R3: 9-5-2-6
R4: 1-3-12
R5: 7-3-4-1 (8 try to beat on top)
R6: 7-3-6-5
R7: 2-7-6-4-10
R8: 4-2-9 (1 and 3 potential vulnerable on win end)
R9: 2-1-8-3
R10: 8-11-2-9

More from OPTIXNOTES and OPTIXPLOT can be found at OptixEQ.com.

Twitter: @Mayhemily1 and @OptixEQ

Saturday, September 9, 2017

OptixEQ Handicaps Kentucky Downs for September 9, 2017

Today's picks for our #1 rated racetrack Kentucky Downs by Emily Gullikson are now available.  Today's program at Kentucky Downs has ten races and features four stakes events to round out the card, including the $600,000 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes, a Grade 3 event.

KENTUCKY DOWNS 9-09-17

SELECTIONS:
R1: 10-2-4-3 (include 3 in all underneath spots)
R2: 3-8-12-13
R3: 5-2-4-10
R4: 4-11-6-7
R5: 11-1-5-7
R6: 11-2 (underneath 4-5-10)
R7: 5-4-2-1
R8: 5-6-1-4
R9: 1-5-6-7
R10: 4-11-3-12-1

More from OPTIXNOTES and OPTIXPLOT can be found at OptixEQ.com.
Twitter: @Mayhemily1 and @OptixEQ

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Player Advisory

The Los Al meet that runs Sept 7th - Sept 24, 2017 is being run as a California Fair meet and not a California Thoroughbred meet.

That means:

Win-Place-Show takeout will be 16.77% instead of 15.43%.

Exacta takeout will be 24.02% instead of 22.68%.

Trifecta, Superfecta, Pick3, and Pick4 takeout will be 25.02% instead of 23.68%.

However, they have voluntarily lowered takeout at this meet on the Pick5 to 14.00% and Doubles to 20.00%.

We thought you should know because of the timing for this meet - immediately following Del Mar...

AND because (as of this morning 8:30 am pacific time) Los Al appears to be misleading the public on their website.

They are clearly describing the meet as the "Los Alamitos Fall Thoroughbred Meet." 

Screen capture - here:


The Los Al meet that starts today will have higher takeout than a thoroughbred meet.


--Jeff Platt, HANA President

OptixEQ Handicaps Kentucky Downs for September 7, 2017

Today's picks for our #1 rated racetrack Kentucky Downs by Emily Gullikson are now available.  The Thursday card has ten races and features the $150,000 Old Friends S. in race nine.

KENTUCKY DOWNS 9-07-17

SELECTIONS:
R1: 8-11-3
R2: 5-13-6
R3: 9-6-14-11
R4: 8-12-4-7-10
R5: 7-5-9
R6: 8-3-7-4
R7: 10-9-12
R8: 13-8-5-10 profile favoring horses inside forwardly placed (11 can be played against on top)
R9: 11-13-1
R10: 2-6-7-8

More from OPTIXNOTES and OPTIXPLOT can be found at OptixEQ.com.
Twitter: @Mayhemily1 and @OptixEQ

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

OptixEQ Handicaps Kentucky Downs for September 6, 2017

After a short delay to the start of the meet due to a rainout last Saturday, Kentucky Downs, HANA's #1 rated track, begins their five-day meet on Wednesday.  They will race again on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and finish up the meet next Thursday (September 14).

As she did last year, Emily Gullikson from OptixEQ will be providing us some handicapping insight on the blog for each of the race cards, and her preview of Wednesday's opening day card is as follows:

KENTUCKY DOWNS 9-06-17
Opening day is always a bit tougher playing Kentucky Downs. Handicapping this unique course, it helps to have an understanding of how the track will play. I was able to look back at the OptixPLOT results from last year to help sift through the noise of the big full fields. In the route races, horses need to have some type of positional speed. Mid-pack/closer types seemed to be at a disadvantage, and when they run back can be upgraded off efforts as necessary. In sprints, the course played fair in terms of pace handicapping and mid-pack types were not as compromised as they were in routes. I will definitely modify this as necessary and identify any track trends after opening day.

Note: OptixPlot RESULTS tab is very helpful for visual running lines to see where the winners were on the OptixPlot prior to the race, and then comparing that to the RESULTSGraf. This is a very tricky track to handicap with the course configuration and horses shipping from all over. These are great tools to help with the handicapping process.

SELECTIONS:
R1: 12-9-2-8-1
12 is legit; included other numbers if you want to spread or include underneath

R2: 6-9
Prefer some fresh faces in this spot. have seen enough of the 8 at Saratoga, she looks to need softer. 6 was entered with Leparoux named at Saratoga in a turf sprint and did not draw into the race. 4-10-11-12 capable to show more with the experience and surface change, just did not see enough on video to endorse for the win.

R3: 4-2-5-3

R4: 1-8-10-12

R5: 5-10-2-4
Thought this effort from QUEEN ANNE’S LACE was very good. She was a bit ignored off the 9-2 morning line, so if that was a prep and she has a move forward (will need) she is a definite play.

R6: 4-12 (legit) 1-3-8-10 (underneath)

R7: 15-16-9-3-5 (should the AE draw in they must be included, especially 15)

R8: 5-2-3-6

R9: 13-3-9-6-12

R10: 8-10-7-2-15

More from OPTIXNOTES and OPTIXPLOT can be found at OptixEQ.com.

Twitter: @Mayhemily1 and @OptixEQ