So, our Number 2 pencil wielding, handicapping, camera operator, Amy Kearns, was at it this morning as she sent an early text with illustrations of her working conditions.
Amy is NOT one to complain but if you happen to ruin her 'chee and zen' she is more than capable of giving a sermon on the importance of positivity.
Amy hates negativity, she will bring 'sweet baby jesus' and 'bless your heart' to the conversation if she deems it important to make her point, soooooo, this morning she was adamant on telling me her experience as she got ready for her morning at Keeneland.
Her videos at Keeneland have been instrumental, the better youngsters are at Keeneland in the morning far more, at this time, than Churchill Downs. Asmussen, Ward, Cox have all their babies getting ready for the summer and shipping out across the country.
You will see those youngsters debut at Saratoga, Churchill and Ellis.
Amy is getting videos and clocks at Keeneland, but this morning......she sent me a picture of what we believe is a cat turd with a parasitic involvement in the box she shoots videos from. I will spare you the visual sense of her text.
"I had to move'', she texted.
The 'Art of Handicapping' is at times like finding a cat turd and extra curricular things in your journey to picking winners.
Amy had to pack up and move, "I still could see it out of the corner of my eye' she related even though she had moved, she couldn't 'Not See It'.
Amy is like the handicapper whom got thrown a change up or a curveball, being a fast ball hitter.
What make the 'pitch selection' most important as she went into a blog sermon about how to work or handicap 'thru off speed pitches'.
I like to make sure I do the same process everyday, I let the scenario talk to me.
For example, at Saratoga my process is to first identify the players that win at Saratoga, fading Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables at the Spa is handicapping suicide, or a Repole and Pletcher, or even a Bond Racing runner with some credentials.
Every track is NOT the same, you cannot handicap every track the same.
It seems right now that horses training outside of Churchill Downs are live shipping in to run under the Twin Spires. At Saratoga, New York trainers and their connections are those to follow.
Horses for courses not withstanding, who are the owners and trainers for the course.
Saratoga is all about who's who.
Amy has been striving to balance her handicapping, and streamlining her selection process, she wants to improve, and move forward. She has already shown to be able to put together good ticket structure as she does the horizontal tickets on a number of small tracks on the site. She handles Gulf, Indiana, and is a big fan of Finger Lakes, and Lousiana Downs. the cheaper the tracks are her 'jam'.
We can take a lesson from Amy and her ability to cerebrally attack the game, after all she has been in the industry, and experienced with the Asmussen barn with Curlin, Rachel, Miss Aurelia and others at the biggest venues, Dubai, Saratoga to name a few for seven years, even Scott Blasi, Super Assistant for Steve Asmussen told me one time 'She is a good horsewoman'.
We as handicappers on a weekend like this have to always overcome obstacles thru our own lives to achieve satisfaction on a race card, unless we are presented with a cat turd and company in our favorite spot.
Good morning!