HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS
MARCH 6, 2009
by Dick Powell
Watch enough races and some horse will make you sit up and take notice. But,
I didn’t expect it to happen on a Wednesday at Laurel.
I was in the racebook of the newly-opened M Resort south of Las Vegas on Las
Vegas Blvd South and was betting Gulfstream Park and Laurel. Neither track’s
racing was going to remind anyone of Saratoga or Del Mar, but the 7TH race at
Laurel was a maiden special weight going six furlongs that attracted a field of
nine with eight first-time starters.
Sticking out like a sore thumb was DESPITE THE ODDS (Speightstown), who was
making his debut for Michael Trombetta. Sold for $300,000 last May in a juvenile
sale, the colt is by a hot first-crop sire and out of a stakes-winning mare that
has already produced two stakes winners from only four foals to race.
Despite the Odds opened as the 8-5 favorite and held steady in the betting
with his final odds at 3-2. He broke from post 6 with Jeremy Rose aboard and
with Trombetta’s gaudy 25 percent first-out win rate, he was worth every two
dollars trying to win three.
At the start, Dr. Redwood (Forestry) broke well but had to be used hard to
keep up from the inside as Despite the Odds and Carol’s Hero (Partner’s Hero)
applied pressure from the outside. After a first quarter in :22.31, Dr. Redwood
was in tight quarters and had to drop back some behind the dueling pair.
Rose had Despite the Odds in cruise control around the turn and they hit the
top of the lane 1 1/2 lengths in front, with the half run in :46.11. But it was
the third quarter that was amazing to see.
Never in doubt, Rose sat chilly while Despite the Odds increased his lead
with every stride. He ran his fifth furlong in :11.77 and stopped the teletimer
in 1:09.69. His sixth and final furlong was run in :11.81, meaning that his
final quarter was run in :23.58.
Laurel on Wednesday saw a very glib main track, but if you think the track
was the main reason that Despite the Odds ran so fast, think again. He won by 10
3/4 lengths and Rose never even asked him for run in his stretch run.
Pedigree-wise, Despite the Odds looks like a sprinter, but with grandsires
Gone West and Cozzen he might have a lot more stamina than it looks on paper.
Visually, any first time starter that can break with the field, settle
beautifully, and still finish strong with no encouragement is a future star. We
saw one on Wednesday at Laurel of all places.
Ramon Dominguez rode Wednesday at Aqueudct and after being involved in a
horrific five-horse spill in the 2ND race, he was back riding the next race and
even won two races later on the card.
Normally, Dominguez dominating the Aqueduct inner dirt meeting is not
newsworthy; the horse racing equivalent of dog bites man. But in 2009 at
Aqueduct, Ramon has stepped it up a notch, winning at an amazing 29 percent rate
with more than twice as many wins as his nearest rival.
With the mount on the current Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite OLD FASHIONED
(Unbridled’s Song) and Dominguez’s recent announcement that he will keep his
tack in New York for the entire year, 2009 should be one to remember for the
likable native of Venezuela.