Tip of the Week: Tagging Along

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Finding just the right race for a horse isn’t as easy as might seem.
Which explains why horses might move up or down in claiming price, or switch from a sprint to a route or even move from the main track to the turf course.
Yet when a change generates a positive result, it’s usually wise to tag along with that horse in future races so you can capitalize on its new and successful niche.
Mitos Y Leyendas had raced in nothing but claimers in his first 10 stars and owned a respectable record of four wins and two seconds. Then trainer Tamara Levy found an interesting spot for her Florida-bred in the Gulfstream Park condition book.
It was an allowance optional claimer on Dec. 6 for horses who would race for either a $12,000 claiming tag or under the protection of a non-winners of one allowance condition.  Added to the mix was that the race was restricted to Florida-breds.
In his previous three starts, Mitos Y Leyendas had raced in a $12,500 claimer but it was against open company. The Dec. 6 race marked his first start in a race solely for state-breds.
Mitos Y Leyendas was competitive in those three starts, finishing sixth in his most recent start but was second and then first in his two prior tries.
He was sent off at 14-1 odds in the Dec. 6 race, which seemed a fair price, and wound up battling for the lead before weakening in the final furlong and finishing third.
Interestingly, Mitos Y Leyendas raced under the allowance condition in the Dec. 6 race and was not exposed for a claim, which meant his connections suddenly had an interesting in hanging on to him.
When Mitos Y Leyendas returned in the Gulfstream entries on Dec. 27, it was clear to see that he had found the right type of race. Not only was he once again running in the allowance optional claimer for state-breds under the allowance condition, but this time there was a positive rider switch to Luis Saez, who was off to a solid start at the meet with a winning percentage of 21 percent.
At 10-1 odds, there was sufficient cause to believe Mitos Y Leyendas would turn in an improved effort and handicappers no doubt saw that morning line price as another gift from Santa.
They hammered Mitos Y Leyendas down to the 7-2 second choice in a field of 10 and were handed a holiday present that was better late than never as he triumphed decisively by 6 ¼ lengths and paid $9.20 for a $2 win ticket.
THE LESSON:  When a horse makes a promising debut in a new type of race, it should be viewed as a positive sign if it returns in the same type of race, especially with a major change such as a more successful rider.