A week after Gulfstream Park hosted a Triple Crown prep race in the Holy Bull Stakes, Florida will be the site of another Kentucky Derby qualifying stakes. This week, Tampa Bay Downs will host the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, which will award 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top four finishers.
Month: February 2022
Online Texas Holdem Poker Strategy: Maintain Focus At The Poker Table
There’s no doubt about it, some people are just better at poker than others. They appear to win consistently and seemingly at will. So this leaves many with a few questions which linger on the mind.
Could it be that poker is only a game of chance with no other forces to play upon besides the fickle Lady Luck?
What makes a good poker player a great poker player?
Is there a way in which I can be a more successful poker player?
If these questions have been yours at one time or another, then you’re certainly not alone. Millions of average poker players would like to enhance their gaming skill, and there are tons of products out there selling every day which promise to make you a better poker player. Poker players and wannabe poker gurus spend hard earned cash every day to learn the one secret which will transform them into poker pros in twenty four hours or less.
Let’s face it, if skill came in a can, and Lady Luck in a bottle, we’d all be poker pros. Sadly, improving your poker game just isn’t as easy as opening a can or a bottle, but don’t lose hope, there is something you can do.
The main problem which plagues poker players is the lack of focus. Focus is the key which can turn mediocre poker players into successful poker players. When a player loses focus, they will most certainly lose the game to someone who has maintained theirs.
The main causes of loss of focus at the poker table are:
Focusing on talk rather than the poker game: Talking during play is without a doubt the toughest habit to kick, and is the biggest consumer of our poker time attention. Poker time chat is something that’s expected, especially among friends, so it’s tough to quit without appearing rude. Tone it down over time, and you’ll see your poker winning streak improve.
Focusing on food rather than the poker game: Food is essential to all human beings, that’s a fact we’re all familiar with. However, food shouldn’t be your focus while playing poker. Instead of munching during the actual game, grab something to eat before play begins, and during breaks in play. Focus off of food leaves more focus for poker.
Focusing on alcohol rather than on the poker game: Now here’s where I’ll lose some of you for sure. If you really want to improve your poker game, leave the drinking of alcoholic beverages for post game chatter. A clear mind places smarter bets, and also puts you at an advantage over your inebriated poker pals.
Focusing on a personal issue rather than on the poker game: We all have issues at one time or another in life. Bringing them to the poker table isn’t helping anyone but your opponents. If you have something pressing on your mind and can’t set it aside, then leave poker for another time. This may sound a little harsh, but it’s the truth.
Focusing on a local distraction: This could be anything from your friend’s bad toupee, the barking of a distant dog or the tv upstairs. Filter out the ambient non poker essentials. Forget the toupee, the dog and the tv. It’s poker time pal, let’s get down to it!
Focus in itself is a skill. Any skill can be developed over time if diligently practiced. The five focus stealers we discussed will kill your poker game if you let them. By developing a razor sharp focus, you can cut them off before they become a persistent problem.
Howling Time, Classic Causeway Lead Big Field For Sam F. Davis At Tampa Bay Downs
For a number of 3-year-old Thoroughbreds whose connections hold Kentucky Derby aspirations, 4:54 p.m. ET on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., is show-and-tell time.
A field of 12 sophomores, a few more promising than the others, is expected to line up about that time for the 42nd running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race awarding “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 scale.
The Sam F. Davis is one of four main-track stakes races on a good-looking, 11-race Festival Preview Day card beginning at 12:11 p.m. The program includes three other stakes races: the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race to be contested as the eighth race; the $100,000, six-furlong Pelican Stakes, for 4-year-olds and-upward, which is the seventh race; and the $50,000, six-furlong Minaret Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-and-upward, scheduled as the sixth.
In addition to being a field of dreams for breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and stable workers, the Sam F. Davis is the major prep race for the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, which is the showcase event of a $1-million-plus Festival Day card on March 12 featuring four graded stakes races.
To get to Festival Day, the Sam F. Davis entrants need to show they've upped their games off their 2-year-old performances. There is no shortage of confident handlers.
“It's a good (Kentucky) Derby prep race, the timing is good and our horse is healthy and doing everything right,” said Dale Romans, the trainer of Kentucky-bred colt Howling Time, expected to be one of the betting favorites.
“(The Sam F. Davis) is a good race to get your horse to the next level, and it's a great race to win on its own. But we are looking down the road (with Howling Time),” Romans said.
Howling Time, who is owned by Albaugh Family Stables and will be ridden by his regular jockey, Joseph Talamo, won his first two starts as a 2-year-old, including the Street Sense Stakes on Oct. 31 at Churchill Downs, before fading to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on Nov. 27 at Churchill. “No one else wanted the lead,” Romans said, “and I don't think that's where this horse wants to run.”
Romans said he hopes Talamo can place Howling Time somewhere behind the leaders before unleashing his best run late. “This horse never gets tired, and we just want to get him to finish with a nice run and hopefully win,” Romans said.
Joining Howling Time from the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes is Kentucky-bred colt Classic Causeway, who finished a solid second in that race to Smile Happy. Irad Ortiz, Jr., will take over the riding assignment from Joel Rosario. Classic Causeway is 1-for-3, including a third-place finish on Oct. 9 in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.
Trainer Brian Lynch said he is sending Classic Causeway from his south Florida base to Tampa Bay Downs on Thursday, with the intention of jogging him Friday morning and schooling him in the paddock Friday afternoon.
“I'd like to see him get his first graded-stakes victory and keep picking up Derby points,” said Lynch, who trains Classic Causeway for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper. “His workouts have been solid, and everything about them suggests he should run well.
“I feel that if he runs his race, he will certainly fit with these horses,” Lynch said. “He has a high cruising speed and he has gotten much bigger and stronger as a 3-year-old. He has the tactical speed to not be very far from the engine room, and hopefully he will be first to the wire.”
While Classic Causeway earned six points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” for his two graded-stakes efforts, Red Oak Stable's unbeaten (3-for-3) colt Make It Big gained 10 points on Dec. 17 by winning the Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma, his second stakes victory.
Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., said Jose Ortiz, Irad's brother, will again ride Make It Big.
“I talked it over a few weeks ago with Rick Sacco, the racing manager for Red Oak, and he recommended the (Sam F. Davis) would be a good choice for his 3-year-old debut,” Joseph said. “We didn't expect the race to come up this tough, but I'm excited to see how he stacks up.”
Joseph said Make It Big was forced to overcome adversity in the Springboard Mile. “He got in between horses and had to rate a bit, and then he got hooked late (by runner-up Osbourne) and had to out-battle him to the wire. It was a very professional performance,” Joseph said.
“This horse has a good mind, and he has found a way to win each time. He probably needs to improve to win Saturday, but he has improved in each race, so hopefully he will follow suit.”
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse has entered three horses in the Sam F. Davis, including Grade 3 Grey Stakes winner God of Love, a supplementary entry after not being originally nominated. Casse's other runners are Golden Glider and Volcanic.
Here is the full field for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:
1. Mr Rum Runner, Patrick Biancone, Romero Ramsay Maragh
2. Unpredictable Bay, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez
3. Classic Causeway, Brian Lynch, Irad Ortiz, Jr.
4. Golden Glider, Mark Casse, Antonio Gallardo
5. God of Love, Mark Casse, Rafael M. Hernandez
6. Trademark, Victoria Oliver, Daniel Centeno
7. Make It Big, Saffie Joseph, Jr., Jose Ortiz
8. Shipsational, Edward Barker, Javier Castellano
9. Howling Time, Dale Romans, Joseph Talamo
10. Volcanic, Mark Casse, Edwin Gonzalez
11. Strike Hard, Matthew J. Williams, Leonel Reyes
12. Kitten Mischief, Jonathan Thomas, Manuel Franco;
13. (also-eligible) Little Vic, Juan Carlos Avila, Paco Lopez.
The 42nd edition of the Suncoast Stakes appears to have a standout in Nest, 2-for-3 after her victory on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes. The daughter of Curlin, out of the A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, is owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House and is trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.
Here is the full field for the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:
1. Blamethechampagne, Ian Wilkes, Rafael M. Hernandez
2. Nest, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.
3. Alittleloveandluck, Mike Dini, Paco Lopez
4. Mining Chrome, Gerald Bennett, Roberto Alvarado, Jr.
5. Mirth 'n Merriment, Tim Hamm, Rocco Bowen
6. Peaceful Surprise, Christophe Clement, Samy Camacho
7. Ha' Penny, Joseph Orseno, Luca Panici
8. Princess Elin, Alnaz Ali, Alonso Quinonez.
Brilliant Cut Leads All-Time Renewal Of Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale
Vibrant trade continued Wednesday at the conclusion of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed sale in Lexington. The sale's second session built on Tuesday's strong start, posting an all-time sale record gross and median. The average was the highest in sale history in a non-dispersal year, and the second highest overall.
Brilliant Cut (Hip 541), second in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita last time out, topped the session and the sale when sold for $750,000 to Katsumi Yoshida late in the day (video).
First-time consignor Highgate Sales, agent, offered the 4-year-old daughter of Speightstown as a racing/broodmare prospect. Twice a winner and multiple graded stakes placed, Brilliant Cut has earned $164,360 to date. She was campaigned through 2021 by owners Boom Racing, ERJ Racing, Dave Kenney, and William Strauss and trainer Doug O'Neill.
Excluding dispersals, Brilliant Cut is the second most expensive filly or mare in sale history, second only to Better Begin, who sold in foal to Northern Dancer for $900,000 at the 1984 Kentucky Winter Mixed sale. A trio of dispersal mares have sold for more in the intervening years, including: Grade 1 winner Pool Land (in foal to Smart Strike), sold for $900,000 in 2013; dual-Eclipse champion Roxy Gap (racing/broodmare prospect), sold for $850,000 in 2013; and French champion Tropicaro (FR) (in foal to Kris), sold for $825,000 in 1984.
“(There was) great activity on all types of horses and really all levels of horses,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “February has clearly established itself as a meaningful sale on the calendar that people can and should (point) horses to in the future. The ones that brought horses that were really of some quality were richly rewarded over the last two days.”
For much of the session, first-hour offering Lady Edith (Hip 350) held the session lead after bringing $370,000 from Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock, agent for Abbondanza/Omar Aldabbagh (video).
The 4-year-old Street Boss filly was offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Hermitage Farm, agent for The Estate of J. David Richardson et al. A winner at two and three, Lady Edith opened her 4-year-old season with a win in the Wishing Well Stakes at Turfway Park on Jan. 29. To date, she has earned $208,982. She was campaigned through 2021 by owner/breeders Richardson (Estate of) and Sandra New and trainer Thomas Drury Jr.
The session and sale's most expensive broodmare came in the form of Lucky Draw (Hip 369), in foal to Gun Runner, who drew a winning bid of $330,000 from Gracie Bloodstock, agent (video).
Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the 7-year-old daughter of Lookin At Lucky. Lucky Draw's first foal is You Look Cold, by Frosted, who won two times in four starts last year at two, including the Finest City Stakes.
The second-highest priced horse of the sale, Grade 2 winner Bodhicitta (GB), sold for $450,000 during the opening session. The sale's top short yearlings – a $260,000 City of Light colt and a $225,000 Gun Runner filly – also sold yesterday (read more).
“I think we'll continue to have a very vibrant market,” added Browning. “It's healthy, it's transactional, it's trading, but it's not ridiculous… We've had some overall growth and we've had some improvement overall in the marketplace and it does feel sustainable.”
Over the two days, 431 horses changed hands for $17,245,500, a record gross for the Kentucky Winter Mixed sale and a 37.9 percent increase over last year's gross of $12,506,700. The median was $16,000, which tied 2014 for a sale record, and represented a 60 percent increase over the $10,000 median in 2021. The average was the second highest in sale history at $40,013, up 36 percent over $29,428 last year. Forty-eight horses sold for $100,000 or more, up from 23 sold at or beyond that price in 2021. The RNA rate was 11.5 percent, third lowest in sale history and the lowest since the record was set in 1992.
Full results are available online.
