Power Cap

Power cap- existential handicapping

08 December 2010

NYRA Online Video Banned




Why does live streaming of NYRA video persist in being banned within New York? What is the justification for this law? 17,000 people depend on racing for their livelihood in New York; wouldn't be in everyone's best interest to make racing an accessible, successful product? Wouldn't video of the races promote business; strong business leads to people making an honest living which leads to less welfare and other social afflictions. If racing is banned why aren't other sports like baseball or football banned from the internet?

The ultimate irony is that while video of horse racing is illegal within New York other perversions -including video of crushing animals to death-are protected as "free speech". On the federal level the supreme court ruled that watching small animals being murdered with high heel shoes is protected by freedom of expression-- yet in the same country watching a horse race in the home is prohibited. What a disordered system-completely divorced from all forms of reason- democracy can be. It is no wonder that this regressive system of government died in 3rd century B.C. Greece only to be resurrected 2,000 years later in the new world.

Now with NYC OTB out of the way Albany must abolish the law that bans the streaming video of NYRA horse racing in New York. With few places to watch horse racing around New York City- racing is a game depending on fans watching and wagering from home. It is also a game built for the internet. The state must clear the artificial barriers that prevent racing from realizing it's potential as a web 2.0 product. The increased betting handle generated by streaming video may help close the multi-billion dollar deficit in New York- that is if they are truly interested in closing that deficit instead of fattening the bulge in their pockets.

NYC OTB Shuts Down




NYC OTB Ceases operations

Unfortunately this afternoon, the NYS Senate chose not to pass the bill passed by the Assembly that would have saved NYC OTB. Therefore, due to a lack of unrestricted funds to continue in business, NYC OTB will be ceasing all pari-mutuel wagering operations today, Tuesday, December 7, 2010 as per our Board of Directors vote, and will proceed to the orderly winding down of its business affairs.

Three branches will remain open in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan for six calendar days after the last day of operations so that customers can cash tickets/vouchers and make account withdrawals. Thereafter, these transactions can be conducted at NYCOTB’s customer service center located at 1501 Broadway in Manhattan for up to six weeks. The locations that will remain open temporarily are:

107-40 QUEENS BLVD, FOREST HILLS, NYCross Street- Continental Ave
515 SEVENTH AVE, NEW YORK, NYCross Street- West 38th Street
6719 BAY PARKWAY, BROOKLYN, NYCross Street-West 8th Street

The hours of operation will be from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the six calendar days following the last day of operations.

The corporation's website, www.nycotb.com will be updated constantly to keep our customer abreast of all events.

05 December 2010

The body isn't even cold yet!




Two advertisements from the NYRA website:

This one was before the main page appears on Sunday.


NYRA Rewards had this one going on Saturday on its login page, didn't check on Sunday.


04 December 2010

Special Woodbine Pick 3




Saturday 04DEC10
Woodbine Race 9... the Ontario Lassie
It was hard not to be impressed by #3 Inglorious last out. This one broke last in a short field- found herself at the back of the pack yet rallied impressively to score. This was a first out stakes win not a maiden special weight. The win pool I fear will be short on this filly so lets work the pick 3s surrounding inglorious.

Race 7 pick 3... 4,6,8,10 / 4,8,10,12 / 3

Race 9 pick 3... 3 / ALL / 6,14

The Clear Solution To The OTB Drama




Why does the state continue on with the OTB charade? Not only are they losing money on this operation but they are blighting the sport they have a responsibility to promote. The state is taking an entirely wrong headed approach to off track wagering. These bureaucrats and race hustlers like Hazel Dukes have no business running wagering operations and have consistently placed a loser in the race. Instead of letting OTB die it should be turned over to private businessmen-- people who know how to run an operation. OTB could be a winner for both the industry and the customer. For too long the decrepit and poorly run OTB parlors have given horse racing in New York a reputation that is just a smidgen better than cock fights, brothels or crackhouses. The right operator could resurrect the reputation of horse racing while reintroducing class to the greatest game. There are more options than to close; the problem is not the product it is the operator. If the government does not have the people or ability to run a horse book it should be turned over to the people that have that ability. Certainly there are people out there that can turn this into a winner. Why aren't these options being discussed?


The state should issue franchises to private operators to run bet parlors like they do in the British isles. The unprofitable parlors should be closed and the profitable units could be optimized to maximize profits. New York is not middle America-the local men like horse racing and not TV college sports or tractor pulls. It may not be a fashionable market and it may not be the same market that has supported the 5,000 Starbucks that have opened up in New York over the last ten years but there still is a working class niche for OTB. For a talking class that likes to talk about diversity it seems like pari-mutual wagering does not fit into grand mosaic of Starbucks, Target, Whole Foods and Starbucks that New York has become.

My relatives could run a bet parlor and it all starts with some basic customer service. The right operator is kind enough to offer the patron a beverage and a lunch box along with your exacta box. OTB never could get this right. The right kind of OTB would offer patrons something like "powers cap's play of the day" to ensure they are winners and not part of the masses of loser cappers.

This is not the time to just close OTB, we can not leave all the dedicated handicappers of OTB out in the street. Yet this is what Albany is doing, it is like if their patronage mill can't succeed, there are no other options. Since the media does not discuss any other options no other options are discussed while the best option -private franchise ownership- is never discussed.

The patrons of OTB have lived with a 6% rake on winnings yet have persisted to make NYC OTB the largest bet taker in the United States -if that is not dedication I don't know what is- making them some of the most prized and dedicated customers in the world. We can not just leave these OTB patrons to find new hobbies. It is time to transition into a private owner-- one who will take care of the customer and grow the sport of racing. Let the local people run it; a great choice would be a local operator who knows how to do gambling right. The people from DRF or NYRA may be a good place to start. The wrong people have been running OTB and it shows. To just let the largest parimutuel operation in the country die would be a waste of a resource.

26 November 2010

'Tis The Holiday Season




Who says racing cannot be festive during this time of year? Hollywood is running grade ones and high class racing throughout the weekend capped off by the Hollywood Derby, Churchill has a slew of high class racing on tap, and Aqueduct is showcasing its last big day of racing of the year before the inner track meet starts. A lot of holiday weekends have top notch racing, Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekend come to mind, this one coming up gets lost in the shuffle of yearly racing due to the timing of it happening three weeks after the Breeders’ Cup. While a lot of these races don’t have the elite names in the sport running, they serve as a important races regardless. Blame won the Clark Handicap and went on to a Stephen Foster, Whitney Handicap, Breeders’ Cup Classic triple this year. Bluegrass Cat won the 2005 Remsen en route to a Derby second place finish and a Haskell win the following year. Congaree, won the 2002 Cigar Mile Handicap as a four year old setting up for a solid season at five that included wins in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Carter Handicap, San Antonio Handicap, San Pasqual Handicap, and a repeat effort of the Cigar Mile. Cigar won the Cigar Mile back in 1994 when it was called the NYRA Mile for his second out of 16 in a row and his first stakes win.

Cigar Mile

First a little more history, this race was started in 1988 and is still the only other grade one dirt mile race on the schedule for handicap males other than the Metropolitan Handicap. Only one horse has captured both of these races and it wasn’t in the same year, Sir Bear won the 1999 Met Mile and the 1998 Cigar Mile. This year Bribon is trying the same feat as Sir Bear, the 2009 Met Mile winner is coming into this race off of a win in the Bold Ruler that was run on a slightly slower than usual surface.

A few of Breeders’ Cup returnees are entered in this race as well. Haynesfield is looking for a good bounce-back effort from his Classic flop and Musket Man is also coming back off a flat effort from that same race. Girolamo’s backers in the Sprint get a chance to make back the money they lost on him in early November and his stable mate Vineyard Haven is here after a stale performance in the Dirt Mile. It is like a convention of Breeders’ Cup duds who happen to earn their paychecks in New York.

Remsen Stakes

28 minutes before this race the Demoiselle takes place and it is not part of the pick four sequence. There is a $250,000 guaranteed pool that has three stakes races and the last leg is a claiming race. The fact that there is no all stakes pick four scheduled is a bit odd. Other racing days like the Belmont Stakes, Wood Memorial, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup where there is four or more stakes in a row they have this wager, yet it is no where in sight for this late November sequence. An all stakes pick four followed by the sequence they have set up was could have been done very easily, at least they have a grand slam linking up all four stakes races.

The Remsen has had an unfortunate recent history of producing Derby flops, since Thunder Gulch won the 1994 renewal there hasn’t been a winner of the race to go on to Derby glory. The last two winners didn’t even reach the post position draw for the big race and the two winners before that went on to greater glory on turf rather than dirt. This year we get To Honor and Serve as the probable heavy favorite, his last race was visual masterpiece, but looking at the race a bit closer shows two things. The first is that he got an easy pace to wire the field and the second is he faced four overmatched rivals. It may be worthwhile to look around for a price in this race.

Marylou Whitney and Nick Zito must be kicking themselves after letting go of Mountain Town in a maiden claiming race for $75,000 back in August. He may go on to bigger and better things after running decently against the division leader Uncle Mo. He gets a weight break dropping six pounds off of that last race and is a major threat to win the Remsen.

Here today, gone tomorrow

Churchill wraps up its month long meet on Saturday with tons of juvenile action headlined by the Golden Rod for fillies and the Kentucky Jockey Club for colts and geldings. The juvenile showcase day has had a very good recent history of producing at least one noteworthy racehorse the following year. In 2009 Super Saver won the Kentucky Jockey Club on the way to the Kentucky Derby. Rachel Alexandra was the winner of the 2008 Golden Rod, which was her first of eleven stakes wins that included the Preakness and Haskell.

20 November 2010

Horse Of The Year Takes Down GIII




Forget about the wasting your energy in the Zenyatta/Blame HOTY pissing match. In Power Cap's world the horse of the year is a done deal and it is a three year old New York Bred. Our own personal "horse of the year" Stormy's Majesty wins the Discovery handicap at the Big-A and fulfills our prophecy of winning a graded stakes race. Take a look and see how Stormy's Majesty dwarfs the other horses in the race and powers past for the score. This colt has won five out of eight races and only has been the favorite once in his career. We were even able to get a piece of the action in a big way.

More from DRF.COM

Stormy's Majesty, the lone New York-bred in the field, rolled to a two-length win over Not Abroad Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Discovery Handicap for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct. Edgar Prado was aboard for trainer Dominic Galluscio as Stormy's Majesty ($9.10) improved to 5 for 8 with his first win in open company. A homebred for Majesty Stud, Stormy's Majesty had captured the Albany Stakes for statebreds in August at Saratoga. Prior to Saturday, he ran last in the Empire Classic against older New York-bred foes. In the Discovery, Stormy's Majesty was well in command. He battled Golden Moka for the early lead before dispatching that rival with a quick burst at the top of the final turn. "In the Empire Classic he got behind and didn't seem to catch his stride or breathe as well," Galluscio said. "I was surprised he was on the lead because it looked like there were horses with more speed, but I was very comfortable when they showed the fractions and saw the way Edgar was sitting." Stormy's Majesty was on cruise control the rest of the way, needing only minimal encouragement from Prado. The time was 1:50.02 for the 1 1/8 miles on the fast track. Teaks North was third followed by Overcommunication, Golden Moka, Al Muhtasib, and Dominant Jeannes.

Big-A Handicapping Challenge Report




After many years of procrastination I finally entered the Big-A handicapping challenge; a solid pick four score provided the funds for the $400 entry fee. It was my first shot at a live handicapping tournament. These tournaments are taken very seriously. Many of the players had laptops, Ragozin sheets and a file so large it looks like they were doing corporate tax returns. I must have looked very amateurish with my "power cap" composition book and DRF printouts. The Big-A tournament makes for a long weekend of handicapping. This is not just a day at the races. It is a 5 days of pouring over three different tracks for two race days in a row. It sort of becomes a mental endurance challenge by the end of the second raceday.

The first day was a near disaster and a huge disappointment. There is nothing worse than entering a contest, capping for 8 hours and having nothing to show for it for the first nine selections. Tough decisions were fumbled. My big regret-horse betting is filled with them- is betting Daveron to win in the Long Island in the contest but betting her to show with $20 real cash. I spotted the bridgejumper action but elected to just bet against the bridgies for real cash and bet an orthodox win bet in the contest. This was totally foolish. Daveron ran second and paid over $15 to show. I was 0 for 9 going into the nightcap at AQU and hit a modest $8 winner (Broken Home) to get off the duck. That was it for day one only one small hit and was in 103th place out of 220 players after day one. Two horses I picked ran last as I was shooting for the moon with outrageous bombs hoping for form-turnarounds on surface switches that never happened.

Day two also started off slow with chalk beating my first two contest selections. Then in Churchill my luck turned. The first winner on day two was in a $50K maiden claiming race; I noticed that most of the horses were stretching out and were speed and fade types. Channeling was the only closer in the race with positive stretch comments and he was cutting back from two turns to one. Closers cutting back from two turns to one is a profile I fancy. To my delight Channeling rolled and payed a generous $31.20. Just this one winner elevated me to 20th place in the contest.

Then two races later I popped a first time starter in a $30K maiden claimer at Churchill that paid $20. What I liked about this horse was that he was working well over the course and the trainer had great first time starter stats listed in the form. To my surprise just these two hits propelled me right into contention for the championship.


Calabrese was listed all over Aqueduct in 3rd place and I felt like I was on top of the world. 3rd would be the closest I would get to winning. I continued my aggressive play but could not get lucky the rest of the day. Maybe I should have adjusted my approach and keyed on live 5-2 to 5-1 shots. Fortunately the total from my three winners was good enough for 15th at the end of two long days. It turns out the Daveron show bet mistake cost me $4300 but mistakes will happen in this game. In the end I walked away with $700. Not bad considering I had a horrible weekend only hitting with three of my twenty contest wagers -yet it was good enough to contend for the title. Next time with a contest under my belt I feel like I will be a live contestant; someone with the potential to walk away with more than $700. My advice to others is to enter these tournaments. They can be very rewarding and introduce new points of view to your handicapping approach. There is no reason to be intimidated as it really doesn't take all that much to win one. If going a miserable 3 for 20 is enough to contend for the title imagine what could be done if a capper has a good luck and live selections.

Aqueduct Handicapping Challenge Results

FINAL STANDINGS

Name Player Rank Winnings Wagers
Ragab 213 1 862 20
Clements 212 2 849 20
DiFusco 96 3 798 20
HOM 189 4 760 20
Elam 85 5 749 20
CONTE 19 6 720 20
Fitzpatrick 176 7 665 20
Henry 39 8 657 20
Summers 118 9 645 20
MICHAELS 136 10 623 20
Mark 164 11 611 20
Florides 201 12 603 20
Malangone 190 12 603 20
LEIBMAN 125 14 599 20
Calabrese 97 15 593 20
Famularo 104 16 589 20
Weber 92 17 588 20
Longobardi 41 18 585 20
NOLAN 60 19 567 20
De Sena 178 20 564 20
Civelin 196 21 545 20
Rippey 28 22 540 20
Couvaris 120 23 532 20
Johnson 81 23 532 20
Valeriani 73 25 521 20
Racenstein 185 26 520 20
ZIMMER 24 26 520 20
WINICK 132 28 506 20
RENDINO 180 29 499 20
CARSON 23 30 481 20
Templin 137 31 474 20
Jordan 199 32 459 20
Cox 140 33 458 20
Perry 110 34 449 20
FOTI 6 35 448 20
Ferraro 48 36 440 20
Lods 1 37 437 20
Olsson 10 38 435 20
RITTER 133 39 432 20
LEVINE 66 40 426 20
Cornelia 197 41 423 20
Kiss 177 42 422 20
Korman 131 42 422 20
Engelhard 121 44 419 20
ZIMMER 25 45 416 20
Berg 144 46 415 20
FOTI 5 46 415 20
Mohamed 45 48 414 20
Shuman 139 49 408 20
Russo 127 50 403 20
Henry 38 51 400 20
WILLIAMS 79 52 392 20
Schwartz 147 53 390 20
Rowlands 111 54 389 20
SPINELLO 49 55 387 20
Rippey 29 56 380 20
Brooks 165 57 377 20
DELIA 52 58 373 20
MAYS 65 59 370 20
HARRIS 89 60 361 20
Faello 130 61 360 20
Felt 46 62 354 20
Teicht 150 63 342 20
Sterio 71 64 335 20
Kelly 86 65 330 20
Moscatelli 214 66 329 20
TILLES 88 67 326 20
Natale 43 68 324 20
Bamberger 15 69 320 20
DARRON 4 69 320 20
GARRITON 64 69 320 20
Lawless 102 69 320 20
ODonnell 119 69 320 20
Reese 191 69 320 20
Smith 204 75 316 20
McCruden 129 76 314 20
MAGNETTI 105 77 312 20
MANCARI 61 77 312 20
Surmick 37 77 312 20
Amendola 142 80 304 20
Smith 128 80 304 20
Zukaitis 69 82 302 20
Wecker 75 83 299 20
WOLFSON SR 186 84 296 20
Harris 141 85 295 20
Majkowski 195 86 292 20
McLaughlin 126 87 291 19
KLICH 62 87 291 20
Murray 112 87 291 20
Falcone 40 90 290 20
JOHNSON 215 91 285 20
Streiff 209 91 285 20
Gutfreund 12 93 284 20
Neuburger 124 94 282 20
Flanagan 109 95 269 20
Wankmiller 106 95 269 20
Fasola 202 97 268 20
MICHAEL 183 98 267 20
WELSH 58 99 262 20
Gianquitti 51 100 260 20
MC CLYMENT 68 100 260 20
MC CLYMENT 67 100 260 20
NACE 123 100 260 20
Seeman 13 100 260 20
Leone 168 105 251 20
Sorenson 84 106 237 20
Burke 198 107 231 20
Padgett 134 108 228 20
Zmich 211 108 228 20
Tsui 2 110 226 20
Lochansky 87 111 214 20
Pallidine 163 111 214 20
DAMBRA 152 113 201 20
Downie 216 114 200 20
GREENVALD 53 114 200 20
Fasola 170 116 188 20
Filoso 205 116 188 20
Hamer 93 118 187 20
Hamer 94 118 187 20
Reuben 167 120 175 20
Garofalo 34 121 171 20
CARSON 22 122 170 18
Kandias 210 123 166 20
Hilado 161 124 159 20
Esposito 95 125 154 20
Smith 203 126 152 20
Wolfson,Jr 187 126 152 20
Boyle 80 128 151 20
DAVIS 33 129 139 20
Pellegrino 217 130 124 20
Weber 91 131 120 19
Cettina 83 131 120 20
Isolano 3 131 120 20
Powers 114 131 120 17
Conte 56 135 111 20
BRICE 21 136 110 20
Festa 158 136 110 20
Stewart 172 136 110 20
Deicke 155 139 104 19
Girardi 157 139 104 20
Hopkins 17 139 104 20
Ciprelli 174 142 95 20
CONTE 18 143 94 19
SPINELLO 50 143 94 19
AURIEMMA 42 143 94 20
BUSER 8 143 94 20
Hopkins 16 143 94 20
NELSON 30 143 94 20
Parker 166 143 94 20
Sultan 192 143 94 20
Dunkel 148 151 92 19
Engelhard 122 152 90 20
McClenin 99 153 85 20
Powers 113 153 85 20
STATH 90 153 85 20
Streiff 208 153 85 20
Richardson 107 157 84 10
Gutfreund 11 157 84 15
Jackson 188 159 81 10
Arsenault 116 159 81 20
Herman 138 159 81 20
Russo 171 159 81 20
Salierno 184 159 81 20
Surmick 36 159 81 20
GIORDANO 181 165 80 20
Garofalo 35 166 76 19
BUSER 7 167 67 20
Gallagher 160 168 57 10
Mooney 54 168 57 20
Fooden 27 170 55 20
Teicht 151 171 50 20
DAVIS 32 172 45 20
Scanio 74 172 45 20
Visco 207 174 22 20
OConnell 146 175 0 10
Rowlands 169 175 0 7
Sidor 98 175 0 10
CLEMENTS 220 175 0 17
BROOKS 218 175 0 19
Fotias 20 175 0 19
GROSE 154 175 0 19
HOUSTON 219 175 0 19
Houston 206 175 0 19
Shurman 101 175 0 19
ALBANO 55 175 0 20
Arsenault 117 175 0 20
Berg 200 175 0 20
Berg 143 175 0 20
CLARK 173 175 0 20
Caputo 44 175 0 20
Dantonio 194 175 0 20
De Orio 108 175 0 20
ENGLER 57 175 0 20
Elliott 175 175 0 20
FELRICE 153 175 0 20
Ferraro 47 175 0 20
Fooden 26 175 0 20
Gianquitti 70 175 0 20
HEALY 182 175 0 20
Kingsbury 149 175 0 20
LAM 156 175 0 20
LEVY 78 175 0 20
MICHAELS 135 175 0 20
NELSON 31 175 0 20
NOLAN 59 175 0 20
Olsson 9 175 0 20
Parisi 145 175 0 20
RENDINO 179 175 0 20
Riccobono 82 175 0 20
SCANIO 63 175 0 20
Seeman 14 175 0 20
Shurman 100 175 0 20
Smith-Lawless 103 175 0 20
Stair 159 175 0 20
WOLFSON SR 115 175 0 19
Weber 193 175 0 20
Wecker 76 175 0 20
Yarwood 162 175 0 20
Yee 77 175 0 20
Yee 72 175 0 20