8/17-18 (SAR): Alabama, Sword Dancer (G1's); Lake Placid (G2)
 

9th (5:12) Sword Dancer Invitational S. (G1)

1 1/2 Miles (Inner turf) | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $600,000

1 Star Channel Ortiz J L 116 L
2 Big Blue Kitten Bravo J 123 L
3 Teaks North SCR
4 Twilight Eclipse Castellano J J 120 L
5 Stormy Lord Bridgmohan S X 116 L
6 Nutello Lezcano J 116
7 Al Khali Rocco J S Jr 116 L
8 Tahoe Lake (BRZ) Maragh R 116 L
9 Optimizer Alvarado J 116 L
10 Exclusive Strike Ortiz I Jr 116 L
11 Boisterous Velazquez J R 123 L
12 London Lane Karamanos H A 118 L
13 Tannery (IRE) Serpa A 113 L

A-Coupled: Big Blue Kitten and Stormy Lord



10th (5:45) Alabama S. (G1)

1 1/4 Miles | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $600,000

1 Tell a Great Story SCR
2 Montana Native Alvarado J 121 L
3 Galloping Giraffe Maragh R 121 L
4 Princess of Sylmar Castellano J J 121 L
5 Carnival Court Ortiz I Jr 121 FTL
6 Fiftyshadesofhay Velazquez J R 121 L

One of my favorite days of the year. Never been to the Travers as I'm not into crowds but I've been to many a Bama day.

Optimizer?
 

Did I hear some talk that Optimizer might not be going in the Sword Dancer this Saturday?

i haven't seen anything like that. just that he wasn't going in the million.

Thanks Danzig!

The old memory needs to be defragged...

It's never totally safe to say it, but surely the Alabama is close to a one-horse race.

SUNDAY 8th (4:39) Woodford Reserve Lake Placid S. (G2)

1 1/8 Miles (Inner turf) | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $200,000

1 Concise (GB) Rosario J 116 Blk-On L
2 Tapicat Smith M E 120 L
3 Watsdachances (IRE) Castellano J J 118 L
4 Nellie Cashman Boyce F 120 L
5 Broken Spell Albarado R J 116 L
6 Silsita Velazquez J R 118 L
7 Caroline Thomas Napravnik R 116 L
MTO Skyfall No Rider 116 L
MTO Flash Forward No Rider 116 L

Tell A Great Story is scratched from the Alabama. She broke out in hives this morning.

I little surprised the field is not deeper for the Alabama, no one else in the Country has a 3yo filly program really competing with that race.

I'm watching the toteboard for the Alabama, and with 14 MTP, someone just popped about $35K on Galloping Giraffe to show.

--Dunbar

It was cute watching Mary Lou and the woman who got to place the 15K wager. :tro:

Oops.

GG was clearly ridden to suck up for 3rd, but she just isn't much horse.

I can see making a small or even medium size bet, with the hope that Princess of Sylmar would finish out of the money. But making a huge bet meant they wouldn't get the usual astronomical payoffs even if PoS finished out of the money. And if POS does finish in the money, then the payoff will be puny. I think at the close of betting, the amount on Galloping Giraffe was about the same as on FiftyShadesOfHay, and FiftyShadesOfHay paid 2.60 to show.

--Dunbar