On Wednesday (Sept. 5th) Laurel Park opens with live racing scheduled every Wednesday thru Saturday, with two exceptions. Live racing will be conducted on Monday, October 8th (Columbus Day) instead of Wednesday, October 10th. And to take advantage of the fact many fans who take time off between Christmas Day and New Years Day, live racing will be held Monday, December 31st to bring the fall meet and 2012 to a close.

The Maryland Jockey Club will host more stakes races for higher purses this fall at Laurel Park, boosted by additional revenue from state casinos. The race course will host 32 stakes races over 69 days — for a total of five more races than it hosted last autumn. At least half of the prize money in stakes races come from the owners of the horses entered. Stakes races usually attract higher purse values.

The average daily purse at Laurel Park will also increase this fall. The average purse will bring in $240,000, up from $210,000 last year. The $30,000 increase is due mainly to revenue from slot machines in the state, the Maryland Jockey Club said.

The fall meet concludes on December 31st, which is highlighted by the 27th running of the Jim McKay Maryland Million Day on Oct. 6th.

Recapping Day 6 (Sunday 2nd) selections at the Maryland State Fair (Timonium) Meet had 7 winners (4 Top Selections; payoffs in BOLD) having $2 WIN pay-offs being $4.80 (1st race), $3.60 (2nd), $14.80 (3rd), $4.00 (5th), $6.00 (7th), $4.40 (9th) and $5.00 (10th).

The Best Bet was sent off the 3-1 3rd betting choice, took the early lead and held it until weakening the final furlong, to salvage 3rd, returning $2.60 to SHOW.
Best Bet pick scorecard from 5 Timonium selections: 2 WIN – 1 PLACE – 1 SHOW.

The Longshot Pick won “from Go to Whoa” in dominating fashion, but either the word was out on him OR there are plenty of my readers who took my advise. I like to think the latter, but I doubt that is why the Longshot pick was bet down to the 1-1 favorite and only returned $4.00 to WIN, $2.80 to PLACE and $2.40 to SHOW.
Longshot pick scorecard from 5 Timonium selections: 1 WIN – 1 PLACE – 1 SHOW

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day took the early lead and never looked back, even though the rains held off and the track was fast, scoring the victory as the 3-2 2nd choice, paying $5.00 to WIN and $2.60 to PLACE but the $2.40 to SHOW helped increase the SHOW Parlay bankroll by $12.40 to bring the bankroll total to $74.90 so we can “Let It Ride” on Closing Day of the Maryland State Fair.

For Maryland State Fair Closing Day of the meet at Timonium, (Monday, September 3rd) posted below reflect early scratches.

1st race – $10,000 Maiden Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#5 – Money Drive (3-1)
#1 – Cross Rd Rocketman (7-5)
#3 – Absolute Russian (15-1)

2nd race – $4,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#3 – B L’s Noise (2-1) SCRATCHED
#8 – Big Champ (7-2)
#7 – Am So Happy (7-2)

3rd race – $5,000 Claiming NW3L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#6 – American Spice (5-2)
#2 – Riley’s Rampage (2-1)
#1 – Stormy Combo (3-1)

4th race – $5,000 Claiming NW3L for 3 y.o. and up – 1 1/16 mile
#1 – Wingo Star (2-1)
#2 – Red Thorn (8-5) SCRATCHED
#5 – Mo’s Bro (6-1)

5th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#5 – Airstream Driver (7-2)
#4 – High Gross (5-1)
#8 – Flankers Flag (4-1)

6th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#1 – Faro Moro (9-2) $$$ LONGSHOT PLAY $$$
#4 – Private Person (3-1)
#3 – Love Those Cds (4-1)

7th race – $5,000 Starter Allowance for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#4 – Grandanna (5-2) $$$ BEST BET $$$
#3 – You’re Kinda Neat (5-1)
#6 – Whatsnottolike (2-1)

8th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#6 – Wolfcamp (5-2)
#1/1A – Talented Whiz / College Grad (2-1)
#2 – Silent Tap (5-1)

9th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#2 – Dazzling Display (7-2)
#7 – Give You Glory (5-1)
#4 – Love Like Ours (4-1)

10th race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#4 – Dear Rachel (9-5)
#10 – Coc Delite (30-1)
#6 – One Dancing Chic (4-1) SCRATCHED

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $74.90 ($62.50 bankroll – $62 wagered + $74.40 returned)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $74 on #4 Grandanna (7th race; 5-2) is M/L 2nd choice in a field of 7, has never been off the board in 6 tries at today’s distance. If the track comes up sloppy, her chances should increase as she’s 1 for 1 on an off track, while earning a career best Brisnet Speed figure to boot.

Hopefully Mother Nature will allow the sun to shine brightly on the final day of live racing at the State Fair, so enjoy the exciting chase scenes Maryland thoroughbred horse racing has to offer. Good Luck!

The post Timonium Closing Day Selections at Maryland State Fair; Laurel Park opens on Wednesday appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Recapping Day 5 (Saturday, September 1st) selections at the State Fair Meet had 7 winners (5 Top Selections; payoffs in BOLD) having $2 WIN pay-offs being $2.60 (1st race), $7.80 (2nd), $3.20 (3rd), $2.80 (4th), $4.00 (5th), $4.00 (6th), and $3.40 (8th).

The Best Bet won “from Go to Whoa” in dominating fashion to return $4.00 to WIN, $2.80 to PLACE and $2.10 to SHOW.
Best Bet pick scorecard from 4 Timonium selections: 2 WIN – 1 PLACE – 0 SHOW.

The Longshot Pick was sent off at 6-1, chased the eventual winner early but got weary legs late, finishing 3rd returning $2.80 to SHOW.
Longshot pick scorecard from 4 Timonium selections: 0 WIN – 1 PLACE – 1 SHOW

The SHOW Parlay Play of the Day got beat for the win by the longest price of the day (10-1), which helped sweeten the SHOW payoff for our selection (#1 – Tiecat) who paid $4.00 to SHOW. That 100% ROI increased the SHOW Parlay bankroll from $31.50 to $62.50.

For the Timonium State Fair Meet, Day 6 (Sunday, September 2nd) posted below are prior to early scratches are announced.

1st race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#2 – Intimate Storm (6-1)
#4 – Indian Sugar (3-1)
#3 – Song for Sharon (30-1)
#6 – Limehouse Silver (7-2) use if an OFF TRACK

2nd race – $7,500 Claiming NW2L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#3 – Miss Wilko (4-1)
#2 – Vintage Jewel (2-1)
#6 – Bonbon Violette (5-2)
#1 – Liononeoone (4-1) use if an OFF TRACK

3rd race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#5 – Landofmanycats (5-2)
#1 – Imsobold (5-1)
#2 – Solo Star (7-2)

4th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 1 mile
#1 – Dillonbegon (4-1) $$$ BEST BET $$$
#8 – Yeaah (20-1)
#3 – Versailles Fox (3-1)
#5 – Windancer’sboldone (20-1) use if an OFF TRACK

5th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#7 – Tinderbox (8-1) $$$ LONGSHOT PLAY $$$
#4 – Seeking Millie (9-2)
#6 – Zircon (15-1)

6th race – $5,000 Claiming NW3L for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#3 – Aaron’s Legend SCRATCHED
#8 – Dylan the Deputy (4-1)
#1 – Smokin Ammo (15-1)

7th race – $5,000 Claiming NW3L for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#8 – Race To The Top (2-1)
#1 – Flipion (7-2)
#5 – Ballade of Steel (9-2)

8th race – $25,000 Maidens for 2 y.o. fillies – 6½ furlongs
#5 – Let’s Drink On It (7-2)
#4 – Steely (5-2)
#1 – Givem Hell Harriet (20-1)

9th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#4 – Unlimited Spirit (9-5)
#3 – Quetzalito (8-1)
#2 – Sachicomula (3-1)

10th race – $4,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#5 – My Misty’s Echo (3-1)
#6 – Midsummer’s Eve (7-2)
#9 – Lov Tov (7-2)

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $62.50 ($31.50 bankroll – $31 wagered + $62)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $62 on #5 My Misty’s Echo (10th race; 3-1) is a 9 year old mare making her 43rd career start. With the rain in the weather forecast by mid-afternoon, the track surface should be sloppy by the 10th race. This old gal steps up her game on an off track as she’s been in-the-money 8 of 11 starts. Add the fact she has early speed which has been holding quite well over the past two racing days, this selection is a no brainer.

Looks like the sun will shine on Day 6 of living racing at the State Fair, so enjoy the exciting chase scenes thoroughbred horse racing has to offer. Good Luck!

The post Timonium Sunday Race Selections at Maryland State Fair appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Recapping Day 4 (Friday 31st) selections at the Timonium State Fair Meet had 6 winners (1 Top Selections; payoffs in BOLD) having $2 WIN pay-offs being $9.20 (2nd race), $7.00 (3rd), $4.80 (6th), $19.80 (7th), $2.20 (8th), and $9.20 (9th).

Both Best Bet and Longshot Pick ran dull races and were off the board..
Best Bet pick scorecard from 3 Timonium selections: 1 WIN – 1 PLACE – 0 SHOW.
Longshot pick scorecard from 3 Timonium selections: 0 WIN – 1 PLACE – 0 SHOW

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day was a winner of the race a as the 7-5 favorite, but still paid 50% on the SHOW investment paying $3.00 to increase the bankroll from $21 to $31.50

For the Timonium State Fair Meet, Day 5 (Saturday, September 1st) posted below are prior to early scratches are announced.

1st race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#1 – Subira (3-5
#2 – Secret Life Of Bea (5-1)
#4 – Basketball Bella (7-2)

2nd race – $10,00 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 1 1/16 miles
#6 – Candelabra (5-2)
#2 – Girlsruletheworld (9-5)
#1/1A – Northern Light / Jackpot Lady (7-2)

3rd race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#3 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Gal (2-1)
#6 – Centripetal Motion (5-2)
#1 – Benedicta (5-2)

4th race – $25,000 Maidens for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#6 – Patrick Henry (9-5)
#3 – Cocked (8-1)
#5 – Love In The Rain (5-2)

5th race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 1 mile
#2 – Smoothe Landing (2-1) $$$ BEST BET $$$
#7 – Joy Train (5-2)
#6 – Grandiloquent (30-1)

6th race – $5,000 Starter Allowance for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#6 – Peter’s Creek (2-1)
#4 – Christmas Flys (6-1)
#1 – Candy Games (4-1)

7th race – $27,000 Allowance NW2L for 2 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#1/ –Tiecat (3-1)
#5 – Mr. Egore (8-1)
#6 – Alluseeismytale (7-2)

8th race – $30,000 Allowance for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#4 – Joyous Music (7-5)
#3 – Don’tgetsuspicious (4-1)
#2 – Majestic Samurai (8-5)

9th race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#4 – Slammin Quick (9-2) $$$ LONGSHOT PLAY $$$
#2 – Do It Nell (6-1)
#3 – Denis Of Cincy (4-1)

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $31.50 ($21 bankroll – $21 wagered + $31.50)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $31 on #1 Tiecat (7th race; 4-1) was originally coupled with Video Storm, the stronger part of the entry scratched. So there should be value here as with this card having 6-7 horse fields, SHOW payoffs for any horse will be short.

Looks like the sun will shine on Day 5 of living racing at the State Fair, so enjoy the exciting chase scenes thoroughbred horse racing has to offer. Good Luck!

The post Saturday Selections at “The Big T” during the Maryland State Fair appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Recapping Day 3 (Sunday 26th) selections at the Timonium State Fair Meet where strong thunderstorms washed out the card after 3 races, but all 3 were winners (1 Top Selection; payoffs in BOLD) having $2 WIN pay-offs being $3.20 (1st race), $15.60 (2nd), and $3.80 (3rd).

Due to the shortened card, the selected Show Parlay Play of the Day, Best Bet and Longshot Pick did not get a chance to strut their stuff.
Best Bet pick scorecard from 2 Timonium selections: 1 WIN – 1 PLACE – 0 SHOW.
Longshot pick scorecard from 2 Timonium selections: 0 WIN – 1 PLACE – 0 SHOW

For the Timonium State Fair Meet, Day 4 (Friday, August 31st) here are my opinions…

1st race – $25,000 Maiden Claiming for 2 y.o. – 4 furlongs
#4 – Marshall Earp (8-1)
#2 – Proud Trick (5-2)
#5 – Star Lookout (8-1)

2nd race – $7,500 Claiming NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#2 – Hertzel (3-1)
#4 – Smoke It Over (7-2)
#5 – Jaded Lover (4-1)

3rd race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 1 1/16 miles
#4 – Copla De Oro (8-1)
#1 – Berkley Star (9-5)
#3 – Pots And Pans (7-2)

4th race – $10,000 Claiming fro 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#3 – Ready For Duty (6-1)
#4 – Halton (2-1)
#6 – Value Your Angel (4-1)

5th race – $5,000 Claiming NW4L for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#2 – Big M J (7-2) $$$ BEST BET $$$
#5 – Freuds Ana Streak (6-1)
#6 – Love Talk (4-1)

6th race – $5,000 Str Alw for fillies and mare 3 y.o. and up – 1 mile
#6 – In Dad’s Wallet (8-1) $$$ LONGSHOT PLAY $$$
#1 – Forever Tango (4-1)
#3 – Call Of A Lion (3-1)

7th race – $4,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 1 mile
#4 – Mr. Conductor (3-1)
#10 – More Mayhem (20-1)
#3 – Radnor Road (12-1)

8th race – $27,000 Allowance NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#4 – Jax and Jill (7-5)
#5 – Stormy Adventure (5-2)
#1 – Wisestar (4-1)

9th race – $5,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#2 – Celestial Fields (3-1)
#7 – Romans Reward (15-1)
#4 – Hesa Big Star (6-1)

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $21 ($21 bankroll – $0 wagered)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $21 on #1 Forever Tango (6th race; 4-1) is sent out by trainer David Wells who typically only sends runners to The Big T that have a chance to win. In this case, let’s just hope that “Tango” will shuffle home quick enough to finish in the top 3 in this field of 7.

Looks like the sun will shine on Day 4 of living racing at the State Fair, so enjoy the exciting chase scenes thoroughbred horse racing has to offer. Good Luck!

The post Labor (Day Weekend) Of Love: Pickin’ Ponies at Timonium appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

On Opening Day of the Timonium State Fair Meet there was a good mixture of Chalk City (i.e. favorites) and Bombs Away (i.e. longshots) winning, as trainer Dale Capuano saddled My Crazy Livi, the betting favorite in the opener who paid a paltry $4.00 to WIN while in the 5th race, there was a King T. Leatherbury sighting near the Winners Circle because his trainee, 28-1 longshot Closing Man, closed fast to score by a nose returning $58.80 to WIN, $18.40 to PLACE and $7.80 to SHOW.

Ellicott City resident, Mario Pino has ridden thoroughbreds in Maryland for 34 years. Approximately 2 weeks shy of his 52nd birthday, he is poised to become the 11th winningest jockey of all-time. On Thursday at Presque Isle Downs, he tallied career win number 6,449, just one shy of tying Sandy Hawley. On Friday evening (1st Post 5:30pm EDT) at the small, 5 year old Erie, Pennsylvania “racino”, Pino has is scheduled to have seven (7) changes/mounts to tie and possibly surpass Hawley to take his spot at #11 on a list of Hall Of Fame riders, with #10 (Earlie Fires) in his sights.

#1 – Russell Baze (11,679 and counting)
#2 – Laffit Pincay, Jr. (9,530)
#3 – William “Bill” Shoemaker (8,833)
#4 – Pay Day (8,803)
#5 – David Gall (7,396)
#6 – Chris McCarron (7,141)
#7 – Angel Cordero, Jr. (7,057)
#8 – Jorge Velasquez (6,795)
#9 – Edgar Prado (6,568 and counting)
#10 – Earlie Fires (6,470)

Best of Luck Mario on your quest for #6450, #6451 and beyond!
The Hall of Fame awaits you.

At Saratoga Springs, NY the NYRA is hosting their biggest day of horse racing with a 13 race card featuring the $1,000,000 G1 Travers Stakes as the main event. A field of 11 will go the classic distance of 1¼ miles. Absent are the big names from early 3 year old Derby Trail season, as many of those early stars (I’ll Have Another, Union Rags, Bodemeister and Paynter have been retired to stud due to health reasons. The 5-2 Morning Line favorite is Alpha, who won the G1 Jim Dandy over a sloppy Saratoga surface in gate to wire. Recall Alpha was the toast of New York racing leading up to the Kentucky Derby, where he had an Epic Fail, finishing 12th by 19¼ lengths.

Full analysis and Travers selection along with picks for Day 2 for the Maryland State Fair Meet at Timonium will be posted on Saturday morning.

Recapping Day 1 (Friday 25th) 9 race selections at the Timonium State Fair Meet… had 5 winners (1 Top Selection; payoffs in BOLD) having $2 WIN pay-offs being $4.00 (1st race), $4.20 (3rd), $7.80 (4th), $10.40 (6th) and $34.20 (8th).

Best Bet Houston Bull (# 1; 6th race; 4-1) got a patient ride from jockey Abel Castellano, Jr. as he stalked the 4-5 speedball betting choice, who from his past performances showed he barely could last going 6 furlongs, yet today they traveled 6½! So has the favorite got leg weary entering the short stretch, Houston Bull drove through along the rail to win by a couple lengths returning $10.40 to WIN, $5.20 to PLACE and $2.40 to SHOW.
Best Bet pick scorecard from 1 selection at Timonium: 1 WIN – 0 PLACE – 0 SHOW.

Longshot Issues And Answers (# 6; 7th race; 6-1) took his lagging toward the back of the pack early, attempted to make a late run but ran out of real estate, only good enough for 4th.
Longshot pick scorecard from 1 selection at Timonium: 0 WIN – 0 PLACE – 0 SHOW

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day, $20 on Nucky Thompson (#6; 4th race; 2-1) killed the parlay by failing to get the lead, got disinterested at that point in the 4 furlong sprint and his jock just packed it in while still 3rd in mid-stretch, allowed a rival to beat him for SHOW purse money. So with $20 down the drain, we’ll dip into the reserve to see if we can get one in the money on Day 2.

For the Timonium State Fair Meet, Day 2 (Saturday, August 26th) only a small chance of showers, so the track should be FAST…

1st race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 1 1/16 miles
#1 – Tigger Too (8-1) $$$ LONGSHOT PICK $$$
#6 – Katzimo (5-2)
#4 – Crown Court (2-1)

2nd race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#1 – Zalady (9-2)
#3 – Just Christina (8-5)
#6 – Subira (2-1)

3rd race – $16,000 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#3 – Flat Out Foxy (2-1)
#2 – Scipion’s Girl (6-1)
#6 – Printasticat (9-5)

4th race – $10,000 Claiming fro 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#3 – Chac Mool (9-5)
#1 – A Fleet Spirit (5-2)
#6 – Malicious (3-1)

5th race – $5,000 Claiming N3L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#7 – Kalahari Queen (2-1) $$$ BEST BET $$$
#2 – Joy Train (9-5)
#3 – So Best (30-1)

6th race – $25,000 Maidens for 3 y.o. – 4 furlongs
#1 – Love In The Rain (4-1)
#6 – Bomb Dust (5-1)
#5 – Don’t Scip a Check (8-1)

7th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 1 1/16 miles
#5 – Tropical Jetset (5-2)
#7 – Little Piasano (7-5)
#2 – Awesome Caroline (3-1)

8th race – $5,000 Claiming NW2L for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#6 – Austin Brown (4-1)
#3 – High Gross (5-2)
#8 – Hong Kong Harry (20-1)

9th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X – 1 mile
#1/1A – Uncle Todd / Easton Jack (2-1)
#2 – Mcnair And Adger (9-2)
#4 – Warrensburg (9-5)

10th race – $25,000 Maiden Claiming for 2 y.o. fillies – 4 furlongs
#3 – Jen’s Bright Candl (4-1)
#2 – Sunny Spark (4-1)
#4 – It’s Closing Time (3-1)

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $20 ($20 bankroll – $20 wager + $0 return)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $20 on #1/1A entry Uncle Todd and Easton Jack (9th race; 2-1) because in my handicapping book, they are the best two in the race, as far as class. So if both can hit the board, the SHOW payoff will be a bit more of a return since only two betting interests get paid out of the SHOW pool.

Looks like Day 2 will get in all 10 races any rain hits the State Fair, so enjoy the exciting chase scenes thoroughbred horse racing has to offer. Good Luck!

The post Mario Pino wins No. 6450 tying for 11th winningest jockey of all-time; Saturday Selections at Timonium appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

It’s sad to think that it’s been nearly a half century since Timonium Fair Ground was the site for horse racing in Maryland, all Summer long. The Timonium Summer Meet was where many local horse racing fans “cut their teeth” at the historic fair ground track. I’d be among that group, experiencing the joy have picking a winning horse during my maiden voyage in 1964.

If it weren’t for racing at Timonium, current Betfair Hollywood Park race caller Vic Stauffer may have taken a different career path. Many moons ago Stauffer was visiting a friend who happened to be working at Timonium. As the story goes, the regular race caller, most likely legendary Maryland race caller Dick Woolley, was unable to be there. Without having ever called a race prior to that day, Stauffer’s friend encouraged track management to allow Stauffer to fill in. Here’s one of Vic’s light hearted memorable calls during an earthquake on June 16, 2005…

For those not familiar with where a race caller is located at the track, they are usually in a shed-like building at the top of the tracks grandstand, no less than 4 stories about the track surface. So you can imagine why Mr. Stauffer was saying his “goodbyes”, while never missing a beat in calling the race and concluding with “… in a real shaker”.

Mt. St. Joe grad and 2012 Triple Crown race caller Larry Collmus also can point to Timonium for helping spark his interest in the sport. “I grew up in Maryland and my father installed the sound system at the Maryland State Fair (Timonium). I worked for him in the summer. Since I was mechanically incompetent, my job was to monitor the sound levels at the race track and tell my father if there were any problems”.

Collmus continued, “I became an instant racing fan and got to know the guys in the press box. The man that ran the press box, Eddie McMullen let me work for him at the bigger tracks in Maryland. I was there every weekend and would do impression of announcers. A couple of the press guys said I should try it for real, so I started practicing. Chick Lang, the GM of Pimlico heard me and offered me the chance to be the backup announcer on the circuit. I called my first live race in 1985 at Bowie, and was the assistant announcer for two years at all the Maryland tracks.” Here’s a Collmus Classic from 2010 at Monmouth Park, which catapulted him into the national spotlight, making him the front-runner to replace Tom Durkin as the voice of the Triple Crown races.

Selections for Friday August 24th at Timonium Fair Ground are below. Other than WIN, PLACE and SHOW wagering, Timonium offers EXACTA’s, 50 cent TRIFECTA’s and 10 cent SUPERFECTA’s in every race. Unfortunately, they do not have ROLLING DOUBLES, only an EARLY DOUBLE (1st & 2nd races) and a LATE DOUBLE (last 2 races on the card). My suggestion for each race is to BOX the below selections in EXACTA’s and TRIFECTA’s. Also play the DOUBLES for a $1 by wheeling the selections, which costs a total of $9. Please note: 1st race post is 1:05pm EDT.

1st race – $25,000 Maidens for 2 y.o. fillies – 4 furlongs
#1/1A – Highstar/Sunny Spark (5-2)
#6 – My Crazy Livi (2-1)
#4 – Hot Fun (8-1)

2nd race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 1 mile
#2 – Ring Ring (4-1)
#5 – Captain Crusty (3-1)
#3 – Tizashadow (2-1)

3rd race – $5,000 Maiden Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#1 – Dancing For Lois (2-1)
#5 – Scip Too Much (4-1)
#2 – Flankers Flag (2-1)

4th race – $5,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 4 furlongs
#6 – Nucky Thompson (9-5)
#3 – Race To The Top (2-1)
#1 – Proper Villain (4-1)

5th race – $5,000 Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#1 – Overcaster (4-1)
#9 – Flipion (3-1)
#7 – Prevenge (7-2)

6th race – $25,000 Optional Claiming for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#1 – Houston Bull(5-1) *** BEST BET ***
#5 – Elkhorn Creek (5-2)
#3 – Regal Revenge (8-1)

7th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X for 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#6 – Issues And Answers (15-1) $$$ LONGSHOT PICK $$$
#2 – Brad (7-2)
#7 – Chief Black Water (4-1)

8th race – $27,000 Allowance N1X – 4 furlongs
#3 – Pursuit Of Honor (6-1)
#7 – College Grad (12-1)
#4 – Rail Bender (20-1)

9th race – $5,000 Claiming for fillies and mares 3 y.o. and up – 6½ furlongs
#3 – Go Allie (5-1)
#7 – Riley’s Rampage (5-1)
#1 – Fun Of The Game (5-1)

SHOW Parlay available bankroll: $40 (Start with $40 in case we need a reserve)

SHOW Parlay Play of the Day: $20 on Nucky Thompson (# 6; 4th race; 9-5) is a no-brainer here as this 3 year old gelding has never been off-the-board in eight (8) career outings at this (4 furlong) race distance. Plus, he has the highest speed figure for this distance among the runners in this race. The ROI on this SHOW wager might only be 5-10% (i.e. $2.10 or $2.20), but it beats the ¼% interest you get on your saving account.

Looks like Day 1 will be another beautiful day to enjoy the exciting chase scenes thoroughbred horse racing has to offer at the State Fair. Good Luck!

The post Maryland State Fair Opening Day Selections at “The Big T” appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Racing will be conducted over the next two weekends – Friday August 24 through Sunday August 26 and Friday August 31 through Monday September 3. First race Post Time during the entire meet will be 1:05pm EDT. Admission to the track is included in admission to the fair.

The fair will have a series of concerts as follows…

Tuesday, August 28th: Newsboys and The Afters

Friday, August 31st: Victoria Justice

Saturday, September 1st: The Band Perry

Concerts start at 7:30 p.m.

As far as horse racing at the fair, for the third consecutive year, Dane Kobiskie found himself atop the trainer standing at Timonium in 2011, but had to share the title with Dale Capuano as each saddled four (4) winners. Kobiskie sent 16 runners to the starting gate, as all but 3 finished no worse than third. Capuano started 12 having one place (2nd) and 4 others showed (3rd).

This year horsing racing fans who find themselves at Timonium playing the ponies will certainly see the names Kobiskie and Capuano in the racing program. This year you may want to keep an eye out for horses saddled by David Wells and Wesley Ward, as these two gentlemen went 2 for 2 here in 2011. Also, John Salzman, Jr. will run a few well placed horses as last year he sent out four (4) runners, 2 won and 2 ran second. Plus, one of the top trainers in the nation, Jamie Ness will be sending a number of runners to Timonium, so he’ll be a threat to take the training title.

The leading jockey for the 2011 7-day Maryland State Fair meet was apprentice Sarah Rook with 9 winners. She took the riding title by the slimmest of margins as the 2010 State fair riding champ J.D. Acosta guided 8 runners across the Finish Line first, while Xavier Perez got 7 of his mounts to the Winners Circle.

Rook returns in 2012 to defend her title, but will face stiff competition once again from Acosta and Perez. A couple of apprentice jocks who might be able to make a name for themselves are Nicolas Milford and Jose Montano. You heard it here first!

For each of the seven (7) live racing days a blog will be posted with selections for every race, including a BEST BET, Longshot and SHOW Parlay Play of the Day. Full-card simulcasting will be offered at Timonium only on live racing days. Admission to the racetrack is included with admission to the Fair. For more information, visit the Maryland State Fair.

End your Summer of 2012 on a high note and enjoy at least one of the seven greatest days of the Summer watching 9 exciting chase scenes at the Timonium Fairgrounds while taking in the Maryland State Fair. Good Luck

The post Maryland State Fair Opens Friday with Horse Racing appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.