BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,867

One of my adopted home tracks, Golden Gate Fields, closed its doors earlier this year. They’ve announced a sale of items on the property, which will happen at an online auction next month.

Looking through the 2,000-plus auction listings is a trip, and some of the items listed are incredibly random. For instance, they’re selling a case of DVD’s that had been located in the jockey’s room. Judging by the contents of the case, at some point, at least one rider on the circuit was a big, big fan of the two-season TV show “Joan of Arcadia.”

The auction begins on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and goes through Thursday, Sept. 12. If you want any sort of on-track memorabilia or collector’s items, this is a great place to find that stuff.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS: Runnin’ Ray didn’t offer much value after being bet down to 8/5, but he got the job done to salvage a slight profit in this space. In total, $40 in bets returned $55.

THURSDAY’S PLAY: My best bet comes in the seventh, where I’ll try to extract some value out of #7 HEADLINE NUMBERS in multi-race exotics. She’s a single in $5 doubles starting in the sixth with #2 ANNIE GOODBODY, #7 BOSSY DISH, and #10 SOMEONE, as well as $5 doubles ending in the eighth with #1 DISCO BALL/#1A DURANTE, #4 LITTLE VIC, and #5 KAVOD. I’ll also play these horses in a $1 Pick Three, too.

TOTAL WAGERED: $39.

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SELECTIONS/ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Headline Numbers, Race 7
Longshot: Commerce Comet, Race 4

R1

With the Angels
Five G
Willful Mama

#8 WITH THE ANGELS (6-1): Gets a tepid nod in a wide-open Thursday opener with a plethora of first-time starters. This daughter of Omaha Beach fetched $350,000 at the OBS sale in April, and her string of strong workouts jumps off the page; #7 FIVE G (6-1): Debuts for George Weaver and is another that has every right to be a runner. She’s by red-hot first crop sire Vekoma and flashed precociousness in a four-furlong gate drill on August 11th that was the fastest of nearly 200 works at the distance; #3 WILLFUL MAMA (10-1): Is out of one of the top broodmares in the state, one that’s already thrown graded stakes winner My Mane Squeeze and multiple stakes winner Rotknee. This barn’s young horses sometimes need a race to get going, but the works are solid and the price should be right.

R2

Hoosier Philly (MTO)
Beaute Cachee
Gina Romantica

#4 BEAUTE CACHEE (5/2): Looks like the lone speed in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa, and that could be a very, very dangerous trip. She’s gone wire-to-wire twice already this season, including in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, and the presence of Frankie Dettori is a plus; #5 GINA ROMANTICA (9/5): Was a close-up third in the Grade 1 Diana last time out behind a pair of very classy mares. I’m not sure she’s quite the same horse she was last fall, when she won the Grade 1 First Lady and was beaten just a length in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, but she’s probably the one they have to hold off late; #2 COPPICE (5/2): Chased Chili Flag twice before a traffic-filled trip in the Diana. Still, she wasn’t beaten by a lot last time out, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., lands here.

R3

Broughty Ferry (MTO)
Sy B
In Time

#3 SY B (2-1): Ran too poorly to be true in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks and drops in to face first-level allowance foes here. Her two-back effort in the Grade 2 Wonder Again was quite good, and anything close to that makes this filly strictly the one to beat; #1 IN TIME (3-1): Hasn’t won since her overseas days but was a solid second in a similar spot last month. She’s got some early speed in a race light on that, and I’m expecting Dylan Davis to have her forwardly-placed out of the gate; #7 JUSTDENY (4-1): Graduated at this distance two starts ago before making a big middle move last time out. This barn has been cold at this stand, but she’s clearly shown an affinity for this three-turn trip, which could be a big help.

R4

Master of Arms
Commerce Comet
Saffa’s Day

#6 MASTER OF ARMS (9/5): Drops in for a tag after spending most of his campaign going against starter allowance foes. Most recently, he set the pace and tired to fourth going a bit longer. The cutback in distance and drop in class could both be enough to wake him up; #8 COMMERCE COMET (10-1): Is protected from being claimed in his first start since February, which is a move I absolutely love. He’s also got several back races that fit reasonably well in here, plus a work tab that hints he’s ready to go and may be live at a price; #5 SAFFA’S DAY (8-1): Gets wheeled back for his third start of the meet after running second in a similar spot less than two weeks ago. He was close to a solid pace that day and may not need to go quite as quickly early to sit his preferred trip.

R5

Fortune’s Nephew
Improbable Journey
Upside Potential

#4 FORTUNE’S NEPHEW (3-1): Gets a massive jockey switch to Luis Saez, one of the top gate riders on the circuit, and has shown speed against allowance and optional claiming foes in the past. His two and three-back efforts were both solid, and if he sits his preferred trip (unlike last time), I think he’s got a big shot; #2 IMPROBABLE JOURNEY (9/5): Makes his first start off the claim for Mike Maker and will look to break a long losing streak here. The class drop is significant, and it’s not like his last race was bad, but the likely price is pretty tough to swallow, so I’ll try to beat him; #1 UPSIDE POTENTIAL (5-1): Hasn’t done anything wrong to this point, with two wins in as many starts. The drop into the claiming ranks is a bit odd, but he’s got plenty of early speed and may have more, dare I say it, upside potential than most of this bunch.

R6

Someone
Bossy Dish
Annie Goodbody

#10 SOMEONE (5-1): May have needed her debut, and her pedigree says this two-turn turf route is exactly what she wants. The bottom side of her pedigree is all-stamina and all-turf, and while the post isn’t ideal, the presence of Irad Ortiz, Jr., riding for a fairly small outfit is a big plus; #7 BOSSY DISH (3-1): Is another trying turf for the first time, and she’s bred to love it, too. Her dam was a champion in her native New Zealand and did plenty of damage on the lawn, and she’s shown speed in a pair of dirt starts to date; #2 ANNIE GOODBODY (8-1): Didn’t do much running in her debut, but that was against a much tougher group going shorter than her pedigree says she wants to run. This distance should be more to her liking, and I’m expecting a move forward at a bit of a price.

R7

Headline Numbers
Standout Sensation
Camera

#7 HEADLINE NUMBERS (8/5): Is my one single on a card with a bunch of competitive races. This filly’s debut was sensational, as she ran off the screen going a mile at Aqueduct. Her pedigree says two turns won’t be a problem, and she may not have to improve off of her unveiling to win this; #5 STANDOUTSENSATION (4-1): Was a non-starter last time out and hasn’t won in a while, but is a contender for a piece of it if she runs back to her two-back near-miss at Churchill. The two-back work was sharp, and Tom Amoss has enlisted Jose Ortiz to ride; #1 CAMERA (10-1): Exits an ultra-classy turf race that’s produced several next-out winners. She also chased a stakes-caliber filly two starts ago and has enough speed to take advantage of the inside draw. She seems like the one they’ll have to catch, and I think she hangs on for a slice at a price.

R8

Jacobson entry
Little Vic
Kavod

JACOBSON ENTRY (7/2): I prefer #1A DURANTE. While #1 DISCO BALL isn’t badly-meant, his stablemate is a Grade 3 winner who got a very strange ride last time out at Laurel. His desired trip would give him a big shot in an optional claimer that looks much more like an ungraded stakes race; #4 LITTLE VIC (6-1): Has chased stakes foes a bunch over the last few seasons, and his one recent start with Lasix was an easy score in March. He gets Lasix back here, and he’ll also get the riding services of Irad Ortiz, Jr.; #5 KAVOD (5-1): Responded to a drop in class with a win last time out at Churchill. He was claimed out of that race by Joe Sharp, he sports a strong series of out-of-town drills, and he’s yet another alternative to #3 GULFPORT (8/5), who hits me as a vulnerable favorite.

R9

The Shoe Lady (MTO)
Can’t Fool Me
Overacting

#3 CAN’T FOOL ME (7/2): Was second in a race many runners in here exit, and she didn’t have it easy that day. She rated well behind a pretty slow pace, but still managed to salvage second behind a stakes-caliber winner that’s going on to tougher races; #4 OVERACTING (5/2): Sat a strange trip in that event and (not coincidentally, I think) gets a new rider in Flavien Prat here. Some of her 2023 turf efforts were very sharp, and I think she may sit a bit closer here given the likely race shape; #1 BERNT AGAIN (15-1): Almost certainly needed the last-out clunker, which was her first start in almost six months. She got pretty good last year, when she hit the board in a pair of stakes races, and this price seems like an overlay on a horse that can win if she channels that form.

R10

Precisely
Unhidden Gem
Arrasou

#2 PRECISELY (8-1): Comes off a very long layoff, but her one race to date was solid. She was third behind a pair of next-out winners that day, and the recent works indicate that trainer Wesley Ward has her fully-cranked for her first start since June of 2023; #1 UNHIDDEN GEM (6-1): Debuts for Al Stall and is bred up and down to be a precocious turf horse. This daughter of No Nay Never is out of a classy mare that’s thrown full sibling Mystery Power, a Group 2 winner overseas; #3 ARRASOU (7/2): Came back running with a third-place finish in a similar spot. That was her first try in more than 11 months, and this barn has a history of getting horses ready to go second off the layoff.