Frankly Speaking - Del Mar, September 10

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

I’ll try not to get too sentimental, but the old adage rang true on Saturday: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

If you look at today’s photo, you might mistake the lady in the picture for the great Beholder, Richard Mandella’s brilliant student who beat the boys in the 2015 Pacific Classic (G1) and later outgamed the talented Songbird in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) for her second win in that event. Oh, she also happened to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as a 2-year-old, so her entire career was defined by greatness. Beholder was a true champion…multiple times over!

But as much as the lady in the photo resembles Beholder…it’s not Beholder. In fact, she’s actually a little broader and bigger than Beholder. That’s Tamara…Beholder’s baby girl, and let me tell you: she is a runner just like her mamma. Tamara absolutely romped in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) on Saturday. Romped! Beholder should be very proud of her—and her papa too. She’s got Bolt d’Oro on the top side. If you don’t remember, Bolt d’Oro was a beautiful looking horse and a heck of a runner too. He was owned and trained by Mick Ruis—and now Bolt D’Oro has proven himself to be a terrific stallion as well.

Heading into the Debutante (G1), I gave Tamara a big shot—but when I looked at the tote board and saw even-money, I had to take a shot against her. There were a few other fillies I thought could run well—and, as a horseplayer, it’s hard to take even-money in a 13-horse field.

I bet #12 Gate to Paradise to win at 10/1, and I played her in an exacta box with #4 Benedetta at 15/1 and #6 Chatalas at 3/1. I also came back and played Gate to Paradise and Benedetta on top and bottom of Tamara in exactas because I didn’t want to be too stubborn.

Tamara broke sharply, sat right off the pacesetter, Mike Repole’s Pushiness, in a great stalking spot—but the two of them blistered through quick early fractions, separating themselves from the rest of the field. The pace seemed way too fast for 7-furlongs, but no one told Tamara that. She buried Pushiness and then started to pile it on, distancing herself from the field with every stride through the stretch. Track announcer Trevor Denman, who’s seen it all, was impressed: “Just look at this girl go,” he exclaimed, “Tamara and Mike Smith could not have been more impressive. They win it impressively!”

It was shades of Beholder. If you need a reminder, go back and watch Beholder’s Pacific Classic (G1) here. The move she makes around the turn, on her own courage, blowing by the boys as if they were standing still, is breathtaking. Tamara’s performance on Saturday was very reminiscent of her mamma’s here at Del Mar. I had chills. My key horse, Gate to Paradise, ran really well to finish third, but I didn’t cash any of my tickets. It didn’t matter: I was giddy. You don’t see that kind of performance every day. Horseplayers might be a cynical bunch, but when we witness something special, we get sentimental and maybe even a little teary eyed. Everyone I know tried to beat Tamara in that race, yet all of those same players couldn’t heap enough praise on her after the race.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And, in this case, watching Beholder’s baby romp in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) truly was a thing of beauty.

And Now, the End Is Near…

Well, folks, this will be my last column for the meet. Some of you are probably humming Frank Sinatra in your head right now thanks to the title of this section—but I’m actually listening to Sid Vicious’ version because it has been a punk-rock summer! We came into the meet with the pedal to the metal…and we soaked up everything Del Mar had to offer. We even managed to cash some nice tickets!

I want to thank all of you for reading and following along. This column has been a lot of work…but also so rewarding. Every time a horseplayer came up to me at the track…or DM’d me on Twitter…or reached out via email, I got re-energized. I can’t tell you all how much your kind words have meant to me. I’m so thankful to Pete Fornatale and all of the team at In the Money Media for allowing me the creative freedom to write from the heart and capture my experiences this summer. What was meant to be a tiny little Del Mar Notes column morphed into an epic saga—and I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you, guys!

Of course—and I can’t say this enough…and I’ll keep saying it again and again, over and over, forever and ever—none of this would have been possible without my rock, my best friend, the yin to my yang, my way better half: Terri Marconi. I had one job: to write the “Frankly Speaking” column, but Terri had about a half-dozen jobs this summer: photographer, editor, co-writer, muse, P.R. agent, and business manager. She did all that to perfection [chef’s kiss] and she still managed to be my loudest cheerleader and the best partner in crime any man could ever ask for. My name might be on this byline, but this column is as much hers as it is mine.

Mandatory Pick 6 Payout

All money must go! The jackpot carryover in the Pick 6, which must be paid out to all the winners, is $211K. I don’t care if you never play the Pick 6—you have to play it today because it’s one of the few times all year a horseplayer actually has a positive expected value, which means, for once, we are getting the best of it! Pete and I talked about this very tough sequence on the Players’ Podcast. Check it out here.

Sunday’s DMTC.com Contest Races

There are two races on tap today, so you can read my write-up here for Race 6 and Race 8. I thought Race 6 had more bomb potential, so if you’re in contention, you should make a move in Race 6.

Upcoming Seminars

--Sunday, 9/10: “Best Bet” livestream today is with owner, breeder, and horseplayer Victor Flores. What’s it like to have a runner in the Kentucky Derby (G1)? Tune in to find out about that…and so much more! Best Bet (dmtc.com).

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Be sure to check out www.frankscatoni.com for what’s good every day during the Del Mar meet.

As I always say: Good luck to us…and let’s make some money!!!