When looking at the past performances for #4 Senor Afortunado you see comments like “7-wide into lane” on Feb. 23, 2008, “5-wide into lane” on Nov. 28, “3-wide into stretch” on Dec. 21, and his last race two weeks ago, “4-wide into lane.”
Rallying wide is a good way to stay out of trouble, but horses who lose too much ground on the turn tend to finish second and third a lot. On Saturday, it was clear that Senor Afortunado was going to be nowhere near the rail, so the big question became would his wide trip cause him to hang in the stretch once again?
And the big answer was, no it would not.
As expected, jockey Joel Rosario had Senor Afortunado rallying in his familiar 4-wide path on the turn. In midstretch, the horse battled with 3-to-2 favorite #1 Six Pack Man, who had just inherited the lead from front-running #3 Captain Charisma.
Nearing the wire, Senor Afortunado hung tough and had enough left to outlast Six Pack Man by a head.
My wagers were $200 to win on Senor Afortunado and $100 on #7 Herecometheirish, who stumbled badly at the start causing jockey Jerry Olguin to fall off.
To watch a replay of this race, go to www.calracing.com.
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Maiden King 