The final claiming date has come and gone, and it was the toughest claim of all to plan. I had $295 of my $500 worth of funny money, more than any other stable, and I needed to figure out how to maximize it in light of the four points races remaining: the Belmont Stakes, the Acorn Stakes, the Woody Stephens, and the Easy Goer. Last month was a bit easier since the Derby Trial draw was out. I could handicap the Derby trial, and try to grab a free horse with a chance. That was exactly what I did, and I was handsomely rewarded when Embellishing Bob won. On top of that, the Derby field was pretty well set, so I knew who to focus on there.
However, this time around, the only race of the four with a particularly set field was the Belmont. A few Belmont horses were open for claiming: contender Wicked Strong, and longshots Matterhorn and Matuszak. We had nominations out for the Acorn, Woody Stephens, and Easy Goer, but I wasn’t privy to much good scuttlebutt about who was going to run in those. So, I had to make my best guesses.