I have been pounding out closer looks, selections, a couple stories - but the beautiful thing about the Arlington press box is that all I have to do is raise my eyes two inches above the laptop screen, and there is the toteboard and an expansive view of the racetrack. So, the happenings the last couple hours did not elude me (though perhaps their real meaning did).
On paper, the second division of the split 2yo filly seven-furlong maiden (race 7) looked stronger than the first division (race 5), and that was the case in reality, though not to the extent that I first thought when Upperline cruised home much the best in the seventh. Her winning time was 1:24.57 compared to the 1:25.26 Surely Irish clocked winning the first division. Upperline, a Maria's Mon first-timer from the Mike Stidham barn, opened at only 5-1, but was favored in mid-day doubles, and gradually drifted down to 3-1. She was off a beat slow under Quincy Hamilton, drafted in behind the lead group, came between horses off the turn, and rallied inside to win going away. Looks like a nice prospect.
Surely Irish, by E. Dubai, was a second-time starter for trainer Tom Proctor, and though she won by more than three lengths, she did not show the same handiness and athleticism as Upperline.
Voy Por Uno Mas comes out as "I'll have one more" according to Google translator - I like the name, and I've always kind of liked the horse. He was a runaway freight train on the front end when he first got good at age 3. Now 5, Voy Por Uno Mas has learned to settle a tiny bit, and for the first time I've ever seen, he was in behind horses going into the first turn under Hamilton. That did not last long. Voy Por Uno Mas started moving up wide as soon as he hit the backstretch, and he was well clear by the time he got to the far turn. He won by almost two -- and made some people quite a bit of money, I suppose. The horse was 9-2 on the morning line, sat between 3-1 and 7-2 for much of the betting, got knocked down to 2-1 just before post time, and wound up at 8-5. Well bet, indeed.
Back-to-back wins for Jermaine Bridgmohan to end the day, and I could see 19-1 Devil Me Not more easily than 5-1 Seven Mile Bridge in race 9. Seven Mile Bridge was losing La-bred MSW's on dirt when last seen in February. Son of Valid Expectations clearly moved up in his turf debut, but this grass-sprint MSW will not, in my guestimation, go down in the books as an especially strong heat.
