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This is the weekend of Woodbine’s Handicapping Challenge. The fans are playing for real money. The media gets to play for free with the chance of scoring a tv set or digital camera. Through several years of this, I have never won, but since it doesn’t cost me anything, I’m taking another shot. I also submit Jim Mckenny’s picks because the guy is internet challenged and apparently, never uses e-mail.
The media has to submit ten selections for Saturday and Sunday and a mythical $2 win/place bet is made on each. The winner is the one whose money total is the highest.
Here are my ten selections for Saturday August 23rd. I have posted them at 9:00 am:
Woodbine Race 2: #3 Hold That Approval
Woodbine Race 6 #3 Disfunction
Woodbine Race 8 #7 Pon Des Soupirs
Woodbine Race 9 #2 Bear’s Prado
Woodbine Race 10 # 5 Runoff to LA
Saratoga Race 4 #11 Dazzling Derek
Saratoga Race 8 #6 Porte Bonheur
Saratoga Race 9 #3 Operation Red Dawn
Saratoga Race 11 #8 Harlem Rocker
Saratoga Race 12 #4 Fra Lippo
These are the picks Ihave made for Jim McKenny. If he wins, I will take legal action to claim his prize:
Woodbine Race 2 # 2 Deep Scarlet
Woodbine Race 6 #8 Le Cinquieme Essai
Woodbine Race 8 #1 Entry
Woodbine Race 9 #10 Carina Bay
Woodbine Race 10 #7 Sormani
Saratoga Race 4 #2 Beneath the Crown
Saratoga Race 8 #6 Porte Bonheur
Saratoga Race 9 #3 Operation Red Dawn
Saratoga Race 11 #1 Tale of Ekati
Saratoga Race 12 #6 Rockon Rockoff
You will see that I have picked Frank Stronach’s Harlem Rocker to win the Travers Stakes – race 11 at Saratoga. This is not a great field and Harlem Rocker did only what he had to do when he won the Prince of Wales last month. I interviewed jockey Eibar Coa in Saratoga a few weeks ago and he said he hadn’t yet discovered just how good Harlem Rocker can be. Maybe we’ll find out today.
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