BANKROLL BEATDOWN
Tim Wilkin and Anthony Affrunti each was given a mythical $2,000 to spend as he sees fit during the Saratoga season.
Tim Wilkin
In this space Wednesday, Otis rambled about how he hasn’t had any correspondence with me lately. Does he really have to wonder out loud about that? During the meet, I work. Otis is spending his Saratoga summer on a daily tour of Garden City. I don’t have time for him. He knows that. While I am doing daily barn tours, writing two stories — or more — a day, handicapping (badly, sorry to say, although we had our best day of the meet to date on Wednesday) and keeping up on social media, Otis is moaning that he has no one to talk to. The mysterious Leopold may have jumped ship by now. Otis can always dial up his would-be pals Tim Mccracken, Foghorn Leghorn, Barney Fife, Kent Dorfman, John Coffey, Rudy Giuliani, Head Gator, the Easter Bunny, Clem Kadiddlehopper and Hedley Lamarr. Earlier in the meet, Otis was crowing that he would be live at the Saratoga meet for, and I quote, “at least 20 days.” I laughed when he said it and took the under. I am winning that bet. Otis should not be making promises he cannot keep. One thing. Loyal reader Dennis Radliff is calling out Otis for another faulty report on his math. Dennis, who keeps up on these things, says Otis has given himself $60 more than he should have.
For today, $30 win Gambling Cat (8th, turf only), $5 exacta box that one with Vegas Weekend/ Kitten With a Whip. Total bets: $60.
Wednesday’s results: Air Cavalry not able to get the job done in the seventh. That $20 win bet was the only loss of the day. Got $70 back when our plays in the sixth were taken off the grass. Losses: $20
Bankroll: $929.50
Anthony Affrunti
Seems like there was some sort of wagering audit on the left side of the page Wednesday. My pal hasn’t been up to his usual bag of tricks like usual during the Saratoga season. That’s the way this game goes. Some days you can do no wrong, and some days you couldn’t hit yourself in the pants if you stepped on a rake. That will change. This game is all about ups and downs. For everybody. Jockeys, trainers, owners, handicappers, parking valets, pigeons, horses, barn cats, everybody. Even Wilkin. Over the years there has been a huge vacancy of handicapping scribes in the press box. They’ve moved on to exist on Twitter. When I first ventured into the press box back in 2004, it was full of newspaper touts. Little did I know at the time that was only half of what once was. With each race you knew who had the winner and who didn’t as they wrote
their columns and worked on the next day’s races. There was a camaraderie, but every half-hour the winners and losers were separated. Sometimes physically. It created competition. It also created a bond. Now, no longer can you hear the daily banter of a promising 2-year-old, a hot tip, or who went
8-for-10 yesterday. It’s a whole new era. One of those guys from the days of old, but who is still looking young, deserves a tip of the cap from us and that’s West Point Thoroughbred’s Jason Blewitt, whose namesake, Blewitt, held on to win Wednesday's fourth race. Congrats and many more! For today, we’ll bet two $20 doubles using Sweet Mia and True Castle (1st) with Big Scully (2nd), and bet $20 to win on Misty Veil (4th).
Total bets: $60.
Wednesday’s results: Weather didn’t matter. Cantrell Hill finished third in the second, and that killed the win and place bets as well as the double with Morning Matcha (3rd), who finished second anyway.
Losses: $120 Bankroll: $1,761.10