Lecomte Stakes

**Yeah, I totally skipped writing about the Sham Stakes. There were only 4 horses in the race and there were no surprises. The superfecta paid out a whopping $4.50. I skipped it. Meh.


Moving on to the Lecomte Stakes... I handicapped it and did my imaginary exactas* of 4/1 (Gold Hawk/Roman Unbridled), 7/1 (Vicar's in Trouble/Roman), and 7/4 (Vicar/GH). My long shot was 5, Smarty's Echo. They came in:

7- Vicar's In Trouble
6- Albano
4- Gold Hawk
1- Roman Unbridled

My long shot, Smarty's Echo, came in dead last. But like I said in my Jerome Stakes post, that's why he was my long shot. I didn't give Albano too much credit because he hadn't raced a race this long before. That's the same reason I threw out I'll Have Another in 2012 Kentucky Derby. Yeah, we know where that got me! But I'm feeling pretty good about my other picks. By May, I'll be picking winners like a true degenerate gambler!

The top 4 finishers were in the front for most of the race but coming down the stretch, Vicar's In Trouble found his second wind and left the other three in the dust! He finished 7 lengths ahead of Albano! I'll be keeping an eye on Vicar! He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97, the highest of any horse on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

 *Why are my exactas imaginary? Because I can't wager online from the lovely state of Missouri, at least not on any reputable site that I've found. I'm sure a guy in Nigeria would be elated to have my credit card number but TwinSpires.com will not take registrations from the Show Me State. Therefore, I just write down what I would bet if I were at the track. I don't win any money but I don't lose any money either!

Side note- Whenever I see the name Vicar's In Trouble, I start to sing Vicar In A Tutu. Surely I can't be the only child of the '80's to do this? Maybe I should pass this along to Vicar's In Trouble's connections as a recommendation as a name for Vicar's offspring! Think of how many people bet on a horse because of it's name! Or not. I'm not sure how many fans of The Smiths follow horse racing and it's a pretty obscure Smiths song. Girlfriend in a Coma is more well known but that would be one hell of a morbid name for a racehorse!

PS. 102 days till the Kentucky Derby! We're almost to double digits, ya'll!