Witty (Pa) stepped up and won this race at Laurel.

#4 Optionality  9-5  Santana/ Asmussen finished 2nd at Oaklawn.

1/29/22 race 6 Laurel Park Spectacular Bid Stks. for 3 yr old's 7f Dirt
11 entrants..

One on our Elite  list  #3 H P Moon 9-5 116 Lbs.  Jock; Toledo/ Tr. L Gaudet

One on the  Wannabe list..  #9 Witty 10-1 122 Lbs. , C Cedeno/  M Hendriks
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Race 4 Qaklawn : Martha Washington Stks  3 yr. old Fillies 8.5 f. Dirt. 6 entries

One on our list . #4 Optionality  9-5  Santana/ Asmussen
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Why do they have such small fields at SA? No wonder Baffert's win rate is so high. That and his earnings are skewed.

Racing/gambling horses is a zero sum game. Unlike other sports.

Racing is shrinking.

Yields small fields.

Yields less racing dates.

Yields closure of tracks.

Yields smaller crop sizes.

Yields less newcomers. States allow sports betting by phone now.

Yields greater corruption.

People here and elsewhere are highly critical and disgusted on the game as it is illegally and immorally played, manipulated. Drugs. And those motives. 

The digital age has antiquated racing. Other sports not. New generations don't have racing on their to do list. 

Not a social game for the social media and conscious society.

"New generations don't have racing on their to do list. Not a social game for the social media and conscious society."

Your post suddenly made me feel 20 years older!

I never think the other guy has it figured out.

I leave my ego at the door, think for myself and have a KO punch.

At this juncture we should understand we are time billionaires.

Its been dwindling for 30 years and the crops are smaller, and Cal. has closed

some tracks and then the Baffert effect, have been getting races written for him

the last 10 years and many owners moved or quit and a decline in the Trainer pool.

Nor Cal has what is left and some of the Northwest trainers and owners.
look for Mandella's horse trying to steal it on the front end, he passes many of 

these Baffert pool 3 yo preps , suggest to me ,he might have a live one.

Hope he doesn't get run into the ground !

Baffert got beat in the San Vicente. Mandella with Forbidden Kingdom.

I think that was my strategy at 7 furlongs, love to see Pappa Mandella win a 3 yr old race

against  , he was my pick.

Bet the straight exacta and tri for a few bucks and hit it.
number 6 Pletchers horse was a beauty, he finished 3rd

I didn't like the way the rider on the pony cutting in front of Emmanuel

early in the warmup while jogging, I thought their front legs would touch

and it could of been the camera angle.

I was not home, so I missed the race. I'll have to catch the replay. I'm glad he cleared that hurdle. Hopefully, Emmanuel learned something. He is a fast horse, so given the fractions, he was able to rate. I still need to see if he'll be as willing if headed.

EDIT: Well I just saw the race. Emmanuel ran about 1/16 of a mile. The rest of the time he was in an easy gallop. When challenged late, he accelerated quickly away. A stake race will be next, probably the Tampa Bay Derby.