Jerome Results
Displaying true flexibility, Flexibility reverted back to his form from November's one mile Nashua Stakes in which he stayed just off the pace, waiting to make his bid. And today, without Mohaymen ahead of him, he did indeed take the win. This race wasn't without its hitches though. To begin with, Let Me Go First did not actually want to go first, delaying the start by a few minutes due to his stubborn reluctance to enter the gate at all. Seeing his trepidation to enter the gate, I began to regret my faith in him. Even though he did get in the gate eventually, and seemed relatively well-situated before the doors opened, I feel like that sort of loading problem couldn't possibly bode well for the race. However, it was actually Donegal Moon who had the more unfortunate race: with barely one hoof out of the gate, he stumbled and tossed his jockey, Manuel Franco, over his head. Donegal Moon was fine though, and began to doggedly pursue the others, riderless, down the stretch before being caught.
Whether it was due to fate or the gate incident, Let Me Go First never really mounted a serious challenge. Vorticity, on the other hand, did. And working their way toward the finish with gusto were In Equality and Bird of Trey, my show and wild card favorites, respectively. Ultimately, the finishing order was:
Lessons Learned Learning to dance the fine line between trusting my gut and relying on the facts is still a struggle for me. Reviewing the race entries before bed last night, Vorticity clearly stood out to me. However, in the light of day I decided that the distance and the weight (he was carrying 120lbs, which was the heaviest of all the horses on the field today) trumped whatever I saw in him last night. Clearly, I should have gone with my gut this time. Going forward, I want to trust my instincts more (the perpetual resolution, it seems) and also leave myself more time to prepare. Sure, it would take more work to look up clear pictures of these horses to evaluate conformation, but it would likely be worth it. Today, the first time I was able to check out these horses was as they walked in the post parade, which is less than ideal. Ultimately though, I feel good about this race and how I did. I didn't win back all of the $7 that I bet, but I did get back close to $5, which isn't bad. And I resisted the urge to bet exactas or trifectas, which is a win in and of itself for me! Did you bet the Jerome? How did you do? Which races are you most looking forward to? ~Gallant Vixen
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About Gallant VixenNew lawyer with a degree in equine studies and a penchant for handicapping. Archives
May 2020
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