Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Sunday was another great day of racing at Del Mar featuring the Grade II Best Pal Stakes. The $150,000 purse attracted some of the best 2-year-olds California racing had to offer. The top trainers fired all their bullets hopefully to enter their superstars of the future and maybe even next year's Triple Crown contenders.

I love 2-year-old racing. The idea of these young animals maturing with each and every start and not knowing where their limitations are is very exciting. Have we seen the best of this horse yet? Or, is this just the start of his move up in the class ladder? Two-year-old races usually have some very energetic, wanting-to-run-but-green horses. You can see, as they race around the oval, some of their quirky habits. They're not sure whether to go on and try to challenge, or try to relax and follow another horse. Their lack of experience can lead to some very interesting results. So, if you make bets or plan on betting on 2-year-old races and your horse crosses the finish line first, don't start screaming with excitement until the judges declare the race official. A case in point was yesterday's Best Pal Grade II event.

The field was loaded with talent, both from the racing form and visually you could tell that some of these animals have some bright careers head of them. As the field turned for home, Kelly Leak had the lead and was fighting tooth-and-nail with Coronet of A Baron for the top position when all of a sudden, Azul Leon, the Doug O'Neil trainee, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, found himsel 5 to 6-wide off the final turn. It was then that Bejarano realized that the horse to the inside of him, who continued to drift out, would push him even further wide, losing valuable ground for the stretch drive. The quick thinking by this talented rider (one of the best jockeys in the world) re-strategized and push Azul Leon to the inside of Kelly Leak. At the same time, a horse from the inside, again inexperienced, drifted out bumping Azul Leon while Kelly Leak changed his mind and then started to drift in, sandwiching Azul Leon between the two horses. Was this a riding tactic by the jockeys, or was this just a result of the fact that all these young horses are still green and are trying to figure out the racing game? Probably a combination of both, but the jockeys will never admit that. Carrying horses wide or squeezing horses is a well-known tactic that jockeys use to try to intimidate the challenging horse as well as the jockey.

Four horses crossed the finish line at the same time. Kelly Leak barely won and the trainer and the horse's owner were ecstatic. But, not so fast - soon after the race, the stewards announced to the crowd to hold all tickets and that a steward's inquiry (investigation into the race) was being held.

Well, from the title of this story and if you're a race fan, you know what happened. Azul Leon got placed first and declared the official winner. Kelly Leak went from top earner to a modest fourth-place finish. After reviewing the racing video footage several times, the decision by the judges could have gone either way.

So, what am I saying? If you're going to be betting on horses, don't count your winnings until the results are official and the clerk behind the window starts peeling off those bills (hopefully $100 bills). But, in our horse racing game, for every one who is a jockey, this gives you a first-hand look at some of the tactics that jockeys utilize to help them gain an edge. When you're in the stretch and in the lead and a horse comes to the outside of you, slowly move your horse out and slow the momentum down of the challenging horse. If you're racing around a turn and you have the lead, you don't necessarily need to hug the rail, but you don't want to be too far off it to let a horse sneak inside of you. If you're going around that turn and you see a horse moving his way to your outside and coming up on your flank, push that right arrow key ever so gently and force that horse wide, which affects his momentum - not too hard or you'll affect your own. Don't worry, there's no steward inquiries in our fantasy sports game.

Getting back to the actual race, a jockey friend of mine told me that in 2-year-old races, sometimes the jockeys actually maneuver the horses more than they would with old race horses because they can use the excuse that the horse did it and he's just young. It might help you when watching live racing at the track.