Get A Hunch, Bet A Bunch

Here it is, closing day, the last of a meet that, by surviving, stands as a monument to perseverance. For entertainment, there’s Frank Best’s bid to snatch the riding title in the final moments and the Playfair Mile.

Your heart may say Mantis, a local development that won a similar race three weeks ago in the mud. Your pace calculator may say two-time sprint champion Che Meza, who has a big heart and an abiding affection for this track. However, your Daily Racing Form says neither of those, nor any others, can run on the same day as Santa Anita import Soapy. What the heck. It’s closing day. Bet big.

After a good day Friday, both parlay horses ran second Saturday, turning a potential big gain into a modest loss.

Here are today’s selections:

FIRST: $5 daily doubles pairing NASKI’S MESSENGER and SIXTEEN SHOOTER with KRASHING DAWN ($10).

SECOND: $10 to win on KRASHING DAWN.

FOURTH: $20 to win on PRECIOUS NOTE.

SEVENTH: $30 to win on ASK SLEW. $10 quinella pairing him with BE EXPLOSIVE and THEENDAGAIN ($20).

NINTH: $100 to win on SOAPY.

TENTH: $20 to win on PALERMO GREY.

ELEVENTH: $1 trifecta box of CLEVER PURSUIT, SHE’S MY SINGH, LADY YVETTE and P.D. TOO ($24).

Original bankroll: $2,000.

Saturday’s result: Lost $43.50.

Present bankroll: $1,539.00.

, DataTimes