Saturday, August 29, 2020
Race 8
#6 Beau Luminarie – minimum win betting odds 2/1
#10 Strike – minimum win betting odds 5/2
Exacta:
6, 10 over 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
(At the $1 min. level this bet has a cost of $12. We win if #6 or #10 wins then if any of the other six horses finish second).
#6 - Beau Luminarie
Beau Luminarie has run very well in five of seven career races. Although he’s only won once and finished second four times, he’s been in the thick of the action in the late stages of the race. For example in his most recent race on 7/26 at Saratoga, at a mile and one-eighth on dirt, Beau Luminarie rallied from fourth to lead with an eighth of a mile to go only to be beaten by four lengths at the end by a horse with a very bright future in Happy Saver. Beau Luminarie was himself four lengths clear of the next horse and the 100 Equibase Speed Figure was a career-best. He’s never un on turf but is bred to run just as well on the surface and Julien Leparoux, who rides the horse to a seven length win in February, is signed to ride. If the race is taken off the turf and run on dirt because of storms, Beau Luminarie will be very tough to beat as well.
#10 - Strike
Strike is the horse Beau Luminarie has to catch to win as he’s very likely to be on the lead from the start. Strike won in his two-turn debut a little over two years ago, on turf, leading from start to finish then missed by a neck on the wire in his next race. He must have had an issue as he was away from the races from October, 2018, until October 2019, and his two efforts last fall were not as good (eighth and fourth place finishes) but given time off and returning in a sprint prep on 6/22, Strike raced up close form start to finish, missing by just a length at the end. That prep sets him up marvelously for being on the lead form the start here and he has a shot to successfully play “come catch me” in this field.
Ellis Starr
Ellis Starr, a.k.a. “Ubercapper,” has been a racing fan for 50 years and understands all aspects of handicapping as well as betting. More than 25 years ago, Ellis was one of the first handicappers to publish his selections on the Internet and to share his knowledge on a daily basis.
Ellis is the National Racing Analyst for Equibase, the Thoroughbred industry’s official source for Racing Information, writing a widely distributed “Race of the Week” story analyzing top races in North America, which also appears on the web site America’s Best Racing. Ellis also publishes insights, analysis and selections for other races around the country as blogs and as a podcast which may be found at Amwager and Keeneland Select, as well as via twitter @ubercapper and on the web sites of top racetracks such as Del Mar, Ellis Park, Keeneland, Santa Anita and Woodbine.
Ellis also participates in handicapping tournaments, winning the Belmont Shootout a few years back and the National Handicapping Championship Charity Challenge in 2017. He is among the few that participate annually in the Keeneland Tournament of Champions.