“We Will Have Our Day Sooner or Later” – Go Go Greys’ First Two-Runner Day Brings a Near Miss and a Promising Debut + Saturday Spot Plays - At The Post With Mut
Horse racing is such a tough sport.
For the first time in its existence, Dave's Go Go Greys Stable had two runners on Friday afternoon. Neither runner won, but they ran the kinds of races that give you hope for the future of their own careers and of the growing stable.
Naughty Nancy was the second of two Friday runners, and while she didn't win, Elio's dad thought she did 🤣🤣🤣
Naughty Nancy actually had a pretty good trip. Under talented jockey Manny Franco, she found a nice spot mid-pack. She was in great position in the far turn, and after a small hesitation thanks to traffic, jockey and horse darted down to the rail for the stretch. That's a tough move to make in racing- I think most handicappers would say that you'd rather be the outside horse in this position. But Manny was aggressive, and it almost paid off.
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That close. Man.
She ran her heart out and lost the bob by a head to the 7/2 third choice in the race, Mom's on Break. She had her nose in front a few times in the final 100 yards or so, but it's a game of inches, and in this race, those inches did not go her way. She battled hard to the wire and never gave up. Great heart in the lane.
This was her first time stretching out to two turns, and that proved no problem. This race got rained off the turf and onto the new tapeta track at Belmont, and that synthetic surface was not an issue. As a handicapper, I'd say if there is a similar race on the turf early next month in New York, she'll be tough to beat. There is plenty of turf and synthetic breeding where she could go to Florida for the winter or stay in New York to run on tapeta. Many options for this 2-year-old daughter of Essential Quality.
Earlier in the day at Laurel Park in Laurel, MD, Boston Grey made his career debut as a 2-year-old. This was another race rained off the turf and run on the main dirt track - Boston Grey did not seem to mind.
He ran a hard-trying third here, and when I am watching races and looking for horses to bet next time out, I'm looking for horses who have some trouble but show ability in a debut.
That's exactly what I saw from Boston Grey.
My trip line would have been something like, "Bumped 2x from the gate. Settled in. Made a run into the turn. VERY green in the lane, looking for popcorn in the crown. Once he got focused really leveled off for the drive with a nice finish. Only horse closing. NEXT on any surface, stretching out."
On the replay, you can see his head looking out into the crowd, not at the horses in front of him. That's just race inexperience. Horses can really improve after that first start, and I'd expect that with more distance and experience, this guy will show his ability. He showed real fight in the lane trying to catch the leaders.
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I love that Dave makes these reaction videos for these runners because you get to see how invested he is in his runners, the stable, and the sport.
Heard from more than a few racing friends, and they thought both horses ran promising races. Now, most of those guys are losing bettors, like me, but I respect their opinions because they're in the trenches every day, watching and betting on horses. My kinda people.
"We will have our day sooner or later." Damn right, Dave. Can't wait. They didn't win, but an exciting day for Go Go Greys on Friday.
So what's next?
2-year-olds Drake Graye (Turfway) and Mr. Popover (Churchill) both turned in fast works this week. They have both been training steadily, and it would be a surprise for them both to debut in the next few weeks. But I have no inside info. Fellow 2-year-old Mr Pistachio has just started his track work at Fair Hill, a training facility in Maryland.
The big horse, Lovely Grey, got back to the track after her run at Belmont a few weeks ago. She's at Turfway, where she does most of her training.
Miss Watermelon got back to the track this week after her win at the end of September. She's also at Turfway.
I'm curious what Dave does with his runners this winter. Over the next month, I could see many of these runners debuting or running back. Based on Friday, good things are coming for Go Go Greys.
DraftKings Racing Raceday
We're two weeks out from Breeders' Cup 2026. I'll be spending much of Saturday prepping for that.
But I'll be playing the horses on DraftKings Racing, for sure. Two nice bonus options today. Race of the Day is Race 9 at Woodbine: the Ontario Derby. Plus, they have a Saturday Night Racing Bonus after 10 PM. Make sure you opt in on the REWARDS/OFFERS tab on DraftKings Racing or DK Horse to get involved. Full details there, too.
In the Ontario Derby, I think #9 Military Time is in awesome form and will be tough to beat. But at 4-1 or better, give me the grey #6 Bull By The Horns. This horse ran once on synthetic back in March and was awesome, closing from dead last to win the Rushaway. There's a ton of speed in here, and he should get a sweet set-up shipping in for Saffie Joseph, who is soooooooo good shipping in for stakes races…really anywhere. I saw it up close at Parx in the Cotillion. When he sends them outside of Florida, he means business - and his shipping stats in stakes races are above 20%. I'll be making a WIN/PLACE bet on #6 Bull By The Horns.
Some other Saturday spot plays
BELMONT RACE 5
Staying on the turf here, and I'm betting #2 Calvin's Ride WIN/PLACE
Exacta box 2,7,8
BELMONT RACE 8
Nice spot for Linda Rice runner #3 Snide. WIN/PLACE
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BELMONT RACE 10
#1 Highlands Way cost $1.3 million and has run well in the last four. Big field, so maybe we get 5/2 or 3-1? If so, WIN bet for me.
KEENELAND RACE 2
Not much to go on, but trainer Lauren Robson can pop with a price. Field does not look very daunting, so WIN/PLACE #6 Bellacielo
KEENELAND RACE 4
We always root for Alex Bregman, and he has #3 Candy Pancakes here. Have this as a trip horse off that debut at Ellis and betting WIN/PLACE here.
Exacta box 1,3,12
KEENELAND RACE 7
#6 Dr. Kapur is a silly 12-1 ML. Ran into a good horse at Parx last time, has a win at Keeneland, and numbers on par with others in here. WIN/PLACE at 12-1, and maybe the best value of the day.
If you have ideas for Breeders' Cup coverage, or what you want to see from this weekly racing blog heading into the winter, you can always email me mut@barstoolsports.com.
Good luck if you're playing today, and safe trips for all.
