Tip of the Week: The Eyes Have It
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Photo by Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing
Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to bring out the best in a horse.
Just ask the handicappers who backed Shipwreck Kelly in the ninth race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 3.
Back in November, the gelding dropped to an all-time career low claiming price of $15,000 in the first race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 22. Though he had lost by 17 and 32 lengths in his two previous races, the big class from a $30,000 claimer explained why he was sent off at 5-2 odds and was claimed by trainer Joe Sharp.
Unfortunately lesser competition did not bring out the best in Shipwreck Kelly. Though he led through the first half-mile in the mile and a sixteenth test, he weakened badly in the stretch and lost by 29 lengths.
It certainly looked like a dismal claim for Sharp and the horse’s new owners, Ken and Sarah Ramsey.
Yet when you looked at Shipwreck Kelly’s eight career starts, one thing stood out. His fastest Beyer Speed Figure came in his first and only turf race. It was also his lone appearance in an allowance race and he lost by only 3 ¼ lengths in a highly respectable effort.
With that race in the son of Bernstein’s past performances, it was hardly surprising that after shipping the gelding to Florida, Sharp gave him a workout on turf. The result was a quick breeze in 47 3/5 seconds, the sixth fastest of 37 works at the distance.
Next Sharp entered Shipwreck Kelly in a $16,000 claimer on the Jan. 3 card at Gulfstream, only this time he put him in a turf race, and added blinkers for the first time to boot.
The morning line put the odds on Shipwreck Kelly at 6-1, but handicappers knew better. They bet the 5-year-old down to a 5-2 favorite and were rewarded with a $7.40 return for a $2 win ticket and a $33.80 exacta with the second choice in the wagering when he posted a half-length victory.
THE LESSON: A new set of eyes is sometimes needed to chart the right course for a horse.