Am I back? Maybe

OK it's obvious that RedRockorBust hasn't been the most frequently updated blog in the blogosphere in recent months. I kind of faded out toward the second half of last year simply because I wasn't really playing in any contests. I've played a few this year, but been very very busy with work so I haven't had the time or motivation to give the blog much attention. I'm thinking I will now get it going again, at least once in a while.

Anyway, here is a quick an' dirty update on my 2010 contest playing.

I participated in all three contests in Monmouth Park's Simulcast Series Challenge -- January 16, February 14, and February 27. The main goal was to finish in the top 10 in at least one of the contests, in order to qualify for the 30-person invitational contest on April 11 (from which the top 2 finishers qualify for the DRF/NTRA contest in Vegas in January 2011).

The Jan. 16 contest was a big shoulda-woulda-coulda for me, as I came close to betting on a 30-1 winner at Tampa, which probably would have been enough to put me in the top 10 even with just a small bet. But I switched to another horse shortly before post time, and that was that. Cashed out $6.50 from a starting bankroll of $100.

The Feb. 14 affair was a bit of a bust, as I never really was in contention. Had a brief thrill when a 18-1 shot made the lead in the stretch in the Gulfstream feature, but she couldn't hold on. Turned my $100 into $0.

But I finally broke through on Feb. 27. I had a couple smallish winners early in the afternoon -- $10W on 3-1 and 6-1 winners -- that kept me in the hunt, then I turned it on late at Gulfstream. I had $10W on a 10-1 winner in the one stakes, then $100W on Amen Hallelujah at 2-1 (loved the relative value on that horse versus the way-overbet Bickersons, and sure enough she ran like a 1-2 shot rather than 2-1). I then lost a bet or two and was at $361/13th place heading into the final GP race -- hung a little fire and played $140W on First National, a 5-1 Pitts/Maragh winner in the off-the-turf finale, and he came running late to get past a drifting-out longshot by 3/4 of a length. Finished 5th of 219 with a $1,089 bankroll -- usually that fig is enough to win these contests, but I guess the blues were running that day so to speak, I ain't complaining.

Now onto tomorrow.