Maiden Handicapping

Good morning Friends and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Friday, May 11th, 2007. I have been concentrating on baseball handicapping the past 6 weeks, so I have not had the opportunity to post here in quite some time. But I am back today and back with a PURPOSE. I have a very STRONG maiden release for you today.

Let’s travel north of the border to Woodbine. Race 9 is a 7 furlong maiden special weight event on the Polytrack. Our featured maiden is the #12 Dynamite Eyes. A very good contact of mine had a push on this filly first time out at Keeneland back on April 7th. Dynamite Eyes is a Dynaformer filly who posted a series of blazing fast works leading up to her debut at Keeneland. As many of you will recall about Keeneland’s Polytrack surface early in the meet, winning on the lead was IMPOSSIBLE. Unfortunately jockey James Graham completely disregarded this fact and sent Dynamite Eyes to the front. She had plenty of company and was caught up in a suicidal pace scenario, eventually fading to finish 10th. Frankly after going as fast as she did for the half mile, I’m surprised she was able to avoid finishing dead last.

Today she gets the services of top Woodbine jock Todd Kabel. She has posted some easy works leading up to today’s race and should be primed for a winning effort. Her morning-line is 7/2 but I expect her to be sent postward closer to 5/2 odds. I will bet WP on her and use her as a single in my multi-race wagers. I will be very surprised if this filly doesn’t graduate today.

Best of luck to all,

Bernmeister

Good morning fellow horse enthusiasts and welcome to the Friday, April 13th edition of the WGW Maiden Spotlight. It’s been awhile since I have posted here and it’s good to be back.

Today’s featured maiden is entered in Race 10 at Keeneland. The horse I like is the # 6, Perusal. First of all, I am in love with this guy’s pedigree. He’s by the excellent sire Dynaformer out of a Danzig mare named Gaze. His connections are superior, with owner Stuart Janney entrusting the training duties to his go-to guy, Shug McGaughey.

In his career debut at Gulfstream, also in maiden special weight company, back on March 3rd, Perusal ran 8th and was beaten 12 1/4 lengths. It was a very dull effort. But that’s actually not unusual with a Shug trainee. He’s known to bring them along very gradually, with the first race often being a practice run. What I find VERY encouraging is the way Perusal has worked over the Polytrack surface. His 4f :46.1 H workout on 4-9-07 was the second fastest of the 46 works at that distance….and more importantly is the fact that Shug isn’t one to break stopwatches in the A.M. For a trainee of his to work :46 and change is very noteworthy.

There could be excellent VALUE on Perusal today, with morning-line odds of 8/1. The favorite in the race is a horse called Danny Templeton, a Wally Dollase runner with Garrett Gomez up. I feel this one may be a huge UNDERLAY, as he has never raced on anything but turf. If the public backs this horse it will only enhance the VALUE on Perusal.

I will bet WP at odds of 6/1 or better. Edgar Prado gets the call and should be able to arrange a nice ground-saving trip from the 6 post.

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good morning fellow horseplayers and welcome to the Friday, March the 2nd edition of the WGW Maiden Spotlight. I have a few solid opinions to pass along today, so here we go.

Oaklawn Park Race 2:

# 4 Balm Bay will be extra-tough in this spot, after coming up just a neck short of breaking maiden in his debut on 2-18-07. He figures to be a short price, so rather than betting WP, I will make an exacta box with the # 2 Rossferry. Will also play the trifecta:

2-4 / 2-3-4-6 / ALL

4 / 2-3-6

Oaklawn Park Race 4:

Absolutely LOVE the # 1 Abby the Great. She should graduate today vs. Arkansas-bred opposition. I am betting WP. Also making the trifecta:

1/ 2-10-11 / 2-3-8-10-11

Oaklawn Park Race 10:

Betting WP on the # 4 Castillo Del Sol.

Trifecta:

4 / 1-2-6-9 / ALL
6-9 / 4/ ALL

Superfecta:

4 / 1-2-6-9

That’s all for today. Best of luck with your plays!

Bernmeister

Good morning fellow horseplayers and welcome to the Sunday, February 25th edition of the WGW Maiden Spotlight. I have several promising maidens to discuss, so without any further delay….let’s get started.

GP Race 6

# 11 Princess Janie: LOVE this gals’ pedigree both top and bottom. She sports more bullets than Al Capone and gets the very capable Eddie Castro in the irons. Cam Gambolati appears to have a very good one here. In this race I also like the # 3 Lady Marlboro. This daughter of Smoke Glacken had a poor start in her debut, as she ducked out and spotted the field a ton of real estate. She ran well late and actually finished 4th. The show horse in that race has since graduated from the maiden ranks, so this gal could be a factor. I am playing the race as follows:

Trifecta 3-11 / 1-3-10-11 / ALL

Tampa Bay Race 4

LOVE the # 4 Village Singer in her debut. Turf legend Christophe Clemente sends out this impeccably-bred daughter of Rahy, who happens to be out of a Caerleon mare. Gets the services of the white-hot Jose Lezcano and should win at first asking. I will bet WP if she is 5/2 or better. Will also play trifectas as follows:

4 / 3-7 / 3-5-6-7-9-10

Superfecta:

4 / 3-7 / 3- 7 / ALL

4 / 3-7 / ALL / 3-7

Fairgrounds Race 10

Really like # 1 Secret Buckle. This one drops from maiden special weight ranks and adds blinkers. The rail post should enable this guy to get himself a relatively short trip around the oval. If he shows any of the ability he showed in his previous two starts, $12,500 state-bred maidens should prove no problem. Also like the # 5, Our Cajun Huff. He gets first-time Lasix after a fairly respectable debut, in which he may have bled.

Trifecta:

1-5 / 1-4-5-7-9 / 1-3-4-5-7-9

Superfecta:

1 / 5-9 / 4-5-7 9/ ALL

5-9 / 1 / 4-5-7-9 / ALL

Aqueduct Race 2

The # 6 Parisian Airess is clearly the one to beat in this NY-bred maiden special weight affair. She’s posted two very game second place finishes in as many career starts and gets Lasix for the first time today. She will be an odds-on proposition, so my strategy will be to hit the trifecta and to single Parisian Airess in multi-race wagers.

Trifecta:

6 / 2-3-5 / 2-3-5-8 many times and one saver 2-3-5 / 6 / 2-3-5-8

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good afternoon fellow horseplayers and welcome to the Saturday, February 17th edition of the WGW Maiden Spotlight. Without further adieu, let’s have a look at today’s featured maidens:

Aqueduct Race 5

This is a 1 1/6 mile maiden special weight for NY-breds, 3 years-old and upward. The horse I like is the # 6, Victory Assured. I think this guy’s name will prove very appropriate today. He made a nice middle move in his last start, on January 13th at Aqueduct. He was steadily gaining ground despite a sluggish start and a wide trip. Today Mark Hennig adds blinkers, in an effort to motivate a sharper break, and upgrades the jockey considerably, with Abel Castellano taking over for Norbert Arroyo, Jr.

The only other competitor I am concerned about is the # 8, Gentle Touch. The always dangerous Michael Dickinson teams up with the great Eibar Coa.

I will play the race as follows:

6-8 / 6-8 / 7-9-11 & 6-8 / 7-9-11 / 6-8

I will bet WP on the 6.

I will make an exacta box 6-8.

Let’s now move on to the very next race at Aqueduct, race 6, a 6 furlong maiden claimer, also restricted to NY-breds. The horse I am backing is a first-timer named Angel Beach. He is the #4 and has a lot to like. First of all, he is sent postward by the red-hot Bond, James Bond. 007 is training a cool 38% winners thus far in 2007. Angel Beach’s broodmare, Solar Halo, was a very accomplished racemare herself and has proven to be a dynamo in the breeding shed, having dropped 7 winners from 8 starters. That folks, is highly impressive. Plus let me mention that there are certainly no superstars in here to worry about.

I will bet WP on the #4, Angel Beach and will play trifectas and Pick 3’s and Pick 4’s.

Trifecta: 4-9 / 4-5-6-9 / 3-4-5-6-7-9-10

Best of luck with your plays. I’ll see you at the window ( cashing of course!)

Bernmeister

Good afternoon fellow handicappers and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Saturday, February 10th, 2007. Today’s featured race will be race 6 at Aqueduct. This is a maiden special weight affair for New York-bred colts and geldings four years old and up. Simply put, I see a lot of real bums in the field. I am backing a first-time starter, the # 9 Lapin. By Louis Quatorze, he’s pretty well-bred for a New Yorker and he goes for very solid horseman Richard Violette. My main man Eibar Coa gets the mount and wins at a hefty 28% clip when teamed with Violette the past two years. His works are solid and he appears ready to go.

I will play the trifecta as follows:

9 / 1-3-4-6 / 1-2-3-4-5-6

1-4-6 / 9 / 1-3-4-6

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good morning fellow handicappers and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Wednesday, February 7th, 2007. Today’s featured maiden could also appear in the Trip Blog, as her last journey around the oval was BRUTAL.

Today’s featured maiden is My Perfect Patti. She is the #2 horse in race 4 at Santa Anita. This is a maiden claiming affaitr for fillies & mares 4 years old and up to be run at the distance of 1 1/16 miles.

In her previous start on November 30th at Hollywood Park, My Perfect Patti was bottled up for the entire length of the stretch. She appeared full of run but never had the opportunity to get clear to unleash her late rally. She has had 3 very solid maintenance works since that race and should be fit as a fiddle for today’s race. The very capable Aaron Gryder gets a leg up for trainer Tim Yakteen. I definitely feel that today’s race is a nice spot for My Perfect Patti to graduate.

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good afternoon fellow handicappers and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Saturday, January 20th. At the risk of jinxing myself ( if you believe in that sort of thing) let me say that I LOVE today’s maiden. She’s in race 4 at beautiful Tampa Bay Downs, a 1 1/16 mile maiden special weight on the lawn. The filly I adore is a first-timer by red-hot sire Johannesburg out of a Red Ransom broodmare. For those who do not know me, let me assure you that Red Ransom is one of my favorite turf sires. I checked the produce records on the mare, Comfort a Belle and I am happy to say that she’s thrown nothing but winners to this point. Trainer Richard Sacco obviously knows that this filly wants nothing to do with the main track, as ALL OF HER works are on the TURF. Jose Ferrer gets the call and has been very hot of late. DRF lists Chautauqua Belle’s morning-line odds at 15/1 but I will expect her to go postward at odds in the vicinity of 5/1.

The other obvious contender is the #4 Cabbage Key, a regally bred miss by super-sire A.P. Indy out of a Gone West mare. What bothers me about Cabbage Key is her propensity to hang. She went off a prohibitive 6/5 chalk last time out, in a 7 horse field and still found a way to get beat a nose. Simply put, she has the heart of a hummingbird. With that said, she is a prime candidate to run 2nd or 3rd.

I will bet WP on Chatauqua Belle at odds of 5/1 or better and will play the superfecta as follows:

10 / 4 / 1-2-3-6-8 / 1-2-3-6-8

10 / 1-2-3-6-8 / 4 / 1-2-3-6-8

Good luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good afternoon fellow horseplayers and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Monday, January 15th, 2007. Today’s featured maiden is one from my Equibase stable, who I have been eagerly waiting to see in the entries. She is in Race 4 at Gulfstream Park, a 1 1/8 mile maiden special weight event for 3 year old fillies. The gal I am backing in here is the #5, Collusion. This regally-bred miss is trained by the skillful Shug McGaughey and owned by Odgen Phipps. Collusion ran a badly beaten 3rd in here previous start back in November, but had her chances compromised that day by a less than frantic pace. I like the fact that Shug has been training her at Payson for the past few months. She’s sure to be acclimated and gets two key ingredients in her favor today:

1) She’s going a mile and one-eighth, which is sure to suit her just fine, and

2) She gets blinkers on, which tells me that Shug wants her to break more alertly than she has in her previous starts.

Fernando Jara gets the mount and is very capable down the lane. Collusion has morning-line odds of 6/1, but I will be happy with 4/1 or better. I expect a big effort from this blue-blooded babe.

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister

Good afternoon fellow handicappers and welcome to the WGW Maiden Spotlight for Saturday, January 6th, 2007. Today’s featured maiden is in race 5 at Fairgrounds, a $12,500 maiden claimer to be run at 6 furlongs on the main track. The filly we like is the # 4, Precise Definition. In her career debut at Delta Downs on December 8th, Precise Definition ran 6th in a maiden special weight event at 5 furlongs. She was bet down to 7.70 / 1 that evening and may have bled in the race, as today she receives first-time Lasix. Precise Definition has had two maintenance works since her debut and gets the very capable Lonnie Meche in the irons. Her broodmare has produced 3 winners from 4 starters and the drop from the maiden special weight ranks makes this gal very dangerous in this field. To be clear, she is facing absolute garbage today. Any sort of reasonable effort gets the money today. I will bet WP at odds of 3/1 or better and will single this gal in my multi-race gimmicks.

Best of luck with your plays,

Bernmeister