It has been an interesting few weeks in the world. From a handicapping perspective, Tampa Bay Downs and Oaklawn Park became a bigger part of my play than they ever have. But now it looks like we will have more tracks opening up later this week.

The break from the world has allowed me to watch more races than usual while “working” from home. A couple of thoughts. It hasn’t been that hard to pick up on the new circuits and trends (particularly considering that there’s nothing else to play). A few sessions of $2 win/place and exacta box betting has been enough to lock in on some trends at each track.

Oaklawn favored speed, though the rail and middle have alternated being good; speed bias seems to fade a bit as the day wears on.

Tampa plays very fair on both the dirt and the turf. I have always enjoyed Tampa on the Turf – big fields, and now some bigger name trainers wintering there. In the cheaper races you can find some hidden turf form and pedigrees.

I’ve even taken a couple of little pokes at Fonner and Will Rogers. Took a shot at the big Tom Dinsdale Pick 5 at Fonner, but I’d have had better luck playing Russian Roulette. Playing horses that cheap is much more about appearance and paddock picks to me; my math and other angles fall apart below 10 grand and 50 on the Beyer scale. Below that ‘form’ is a very abstract concept.

While it’s been good to branch out, I’m still looking forward to Belmont and Saratoga, if they can get up and running. Those are the two best meets of the year in my book.

Though next winter, my book will likely expand to more Tampa and Oaklawn when possible – a big “thank you” to them for keeping running and keeping me entertained (and out of the kitchen !)