You never know when some snippet of racing knowledge gleaned years ago might emerge to predict a race winner. Such was the case in the last race at Woodbine on Friday when the 20-cent Jackpot Hi-5 worth more than $51,000 was won.
The first five finishers in the 12-horse field were, as you might expect, longshots. But, in this corner at least, the 15-1 morning line winner, Romeo Yankee, was no real surprise. And why not? Because the trainer, Sandy McPherson, emerged in the 1980s at my home track, Assiniboia Downs, as being the top trainer to enter first-time starters at the class level at which they can win. He left the Downs later in that decade to train at Woodbine. And here he was, placing a first-time starter in a $15,000 claiming race — not at a higher level — so a knowledgeable player could rightly conclude the four-year-old gelding had a good shot at winning the maiden race. And, in fact, as the results chart indicated, Romeo Yankee “drew off impressively” to win by more than seven lengths.
It’s funny how remote bits of trivia could surface to play a role in horse selections, isn’t it? If you’re a veteran at this game, you likely have similar stories. McPherson’s victory Friday also gave me the last laugh against criticism I received the previous Saturday in the Assiniboia Downs’ Race Book when I suggested another first-time starter from this trainer could win a race he was in at Woodbine that day. That horse, unfortunately, was scratched before I could expect either begrudging respect or continued abuse. But the victory Friday by another of McPherson’s first-time starters serves the same purpose. Thank you, Romeo Yankee. Yes, this can be a viciously competitive game, can’t it?