# Sunday, 30 December 2012
No matter where you look, the last days of each December bring with them a review of some sort. Art, science, horse racing, current events, failed apocalypse reports, who got married, who got un-married, and so on.

So I kind of thought I would join in the fun.

Here then, is the first annual (and maybe last annual) Slew in Review. I will look at a few of the horses that did us proud. And made us money. Most of the notes and original posts for these runners can be found in my blog (which you are reading).

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Madame Giry - I first came to know the Madame on 6/7 in Belmont's 6th race, where she was the place horse that day in a MSW affair for the girls on the turf. I immediately put words to paper and proclaimed my love for her, writing that she was my horse of horses from the Belmont spring meet. She rewarded me with 5 straight wins including 2 at the Spa, 1 at Belmont's fall meet, and the big one at Keeneland.

The Madame helped make this a very nice year. I'm hoping for more in 2013.

Wandering Kitten - Spotted at Belmont Park on 7/5 wandering thru the stretch in the 4th race. She wandered into second place that day in impressive fashion. She was noted as a Key horse off of that race and was next spotted winning at the Spa on 8/23. She next wandered into an 11th place finish at CD on 11/3. We will be looking to see where she wanders next...

Lily The Pink - Showed her true colors at Saratoga on 8/1 in race #4 in winning a blanket finish over Divine Luck, Cerce Cay and Evening Garden. Divine Luck went on to win as a key horse out of this race on 12-1 at Gulfstream Park, while Lily went on to Keeneland and won on 10-12 as the first part of the Madame Giry 2K Pk3 that sealed my season.

Noble Tune - This melody of motion was seen cruising to a professional victory at the Spa on 9/3 in the day's opening race. Four horses came out of that race to win their next start including Noble Tune, who took a Gr.3 at Belmont. I wrote on 9/7 after his Spa win the following:

"This son of Unbridled’s Song running for the amazing Chad Brown will need to be reckoned with down the road. And that road leads no doubt, to Belmont, Keeneland and Gulfstream Park."

I failed to mention Santa Anita in that sentence. My error. He did show up there, and was the runner up in the Breeders Cup Turf Mile for 2 yr. olds. Not bad. The kid has got some chops!

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Honorable mention:

Zultanite - Love the name. Could have been a co-star in the Superman comics. Coming from the planet Zultan of course. Well, I just like her, and while she had some stinkers, she helped me at Monmouth Park on June 23. I was asked to accompany a group to Monmouth park that day in a sort of informal handicapping seminar. She did me proud by running behind Dancing Solo and being in the right place at the right time for a cold trifecta with Somali Lemonade. I had given out that trifecta and they all went home with money, thinking how easy this game was. Another win at Belmont on 10/18 paid well. Next year? We'll see.

Revolutionary - I liked the looks of this colt up at Saratoga and while he took some time to break his maiden - he just did that today (12/28/2012) at Aqueduct - we will watch him into the spring and summer. He will certainly mature. Will his talent do the same?

No Silent - I first posted about him way back in March when I saw him place in a maiden at Santa Anita. I loved this guy and since then he has run no worse than 3rd and if I am not mistaken, all his losses combined amount to a single length and a whisker added for good measure. This is a runner, if not a terrific runner-up!

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To close out this Slew in Review, I look to a few horses that Slew singled over the course of 2012. Horses that paid gobs of money, or just plain paid very well. Most had something in common: they defined what we in this free enterprise system of commerce refer to as the free market. These horses, or at least most of them, were overlays of inexplicable proportions and ignored by the investors to the point of absolute distraction in some cases.

The rules for the horses listed below are simple: they had to be the only horse Slew liked in the race. Only singles are allowed here, with one exception: the last one who was one of three. But he gets a pass.

And this section by the way, is dedicated to the guy that inspired my "How Do You Use This Crap" page on Slew's website. It refers to the only time a Slew horse should become what I am loathe call them: A pick. But when a Slew single is offering overlay odds like what these horses offered minutes before their respective races: they do become a pick. They define our beloved free market system, paid huge dividends and damned be the chalk eaters! Here we go.

Aqueduct 3/4/2012  Race #4 - Paci di Notte paid a whopping $127.00. The ML was 20-1. That is a $42.00 payout. He was ignored by the public, but not by Slew.

Belmont  5/25/2012  Race 2 - A McCoughtry paid 28.20 on a 6-1 ML. Better than double. I have no idea who this one is, but I would take the additional odds any day.

Churchill  6/24/2012  Race #8 - Halon paid $35.20 on a ML of 8-1. Again, double the ML.

Belmont  6/27/2012  Race $7 - Thomas Hill paid his ML odds at $41.60. Should have taken him when the opportunity arose. May never win again!

Belmont  7/4/2012 Race #6 - A favorite fireworks display for some Slew watchers. Monticello Doll pays $54.00 on a 20-1 ML. Same for her: she may never win again. Should have paid attention back in July.

Saratoga  9/1/2012 Race #12 - Usually a sparse crowd for this late race as most have left for dinner or to be seen at Siros. Those that stayed however, saw this Slew single - A New York Phillie - pay $74.50 off of a 20-1 ML. The pick 6 paid $155,787.00 that day. One ticket. I wonder if it was a Slew watcher?

Woodbine  9/8/2012  Race # 7 - Control was in control and paid $21.90 off of a 4-1 ML. Very nice overlay.

Santa Anita  10/07/2012  Race # 6 - D'princess was a Cinderella that day, paying $55.00 from a 12-1 ML.

Gulfstream Park  12/15/2012  Race # 8 - Joanie's Image was 20-1 on the ML but paid a whopping $109.40 to Slew watchers who bet the single. That's what happens when you spend too many hours in the sun!

And finally, how could we not include this familiar name?

Santa Anita 2/4/2012  Race #6 - I'll Have Another paid $88.60 on his way to immortality.

And so we find ourselves closing out 2012 and on our way to 2013. I would say that this year was interesting, unpredictable, wonderful, horrible, and anything else you could think of...but then why bother? It was like every other year in the history of man. Well, maybe not. Because we are still here but weren't supposed to be. I mean, did anyone (other than me) consider this:

That the guy who was in charge of making the Mayan calendar simply took a Starbucks break and got accidentally run over by whatever ran you over back in those days? Did anyone even consider that? Or is it far more plausible for supposedly intelligent human beings in the 21st century to think that a random rock, travelling through ga-zillions of square light-years (forgive me, Albert) of empty space for bazillions of eons will somehow find a direct hit on our tiny little speck of space dust we call home?

Because an ancient civilization ran out of paper and couldn't finish the year 2012?

Are you freakin' kidding me?

Well, I want those Einsteins in the next pick 6 pool I decide to play! And for the rest of you...

A happy, healthy and profitable 2013! For ALL 365 days of it...or until the Aztec calendar runs out!

- Slew