Learn to forget

With only three days left in Keeneland's spring meeting, it's most unlikely that I can rally to break even. That's all right, because I cleaned up there last fall, and I guarantee my recent losses are a mere flesh wound compared to the gutting many have suffered. The relentlessly wacky results were reflected in an eight-day Pick 6 carryover. Granted, the Pick 6 isn't a mania in Kentucky as it is in California, so most of the smart money is directed to other pools, but everybody having an oh-fer for eight straight days? When did Horseplayer Nation get that stupid?

How many chased that rainbow for more than a week and lost their pot of gold? Quite a few, no doubt. Favorite players fared particularly badly in Keeneland's marquee races, the Ashland and the Blue Grass. Among the heavy favorites who spun their wheels on the quirky Polytrack were Pyro and Country Star. People who lost tons of money on these locks must cringe when reminded of Keeneland's slogan: "Racing As It Was Meant To Be." Now it's more like "Random Results, And Never Ask Why." As jockey Robby Albarado said after Country Star finished up the track: "There's no rhyme or reason to it. She felt great."

But there may be a way to rebound from this inscrutable meet: Ignore everything that happened on Keeneland's main track when racing shifts to Churchill Downs on Saturday. As the Doors' Jim Morrison sang long ago: "Learn to forget, learn to forget." If a horse closed to win in Lexington, assume it won't in Louisville. If a horse got burned out on the lead at Keeneland, assume it will keep going at Churchill. Even if you're wrong, you'll be getting much better odds than you should.