Palm Beach Weekly Wrap Up 3-5-2017

Welcome to March....and let the debate begin.

With this time of year, the fans have already started to predict who they think should be in the $50,000 St Patricks Invitational.  More news on the greyhound Janice Dean & a former champion returns home to Paradise.

Here are the top stories we witnessed in the past week at "The Beach."

St Patrick's Invitational Field Debated

The calendar flipped to March and the attention immediately shifted to the finale of the Big 3, the $50,000 St Patrick's Day Invitational.  The big green dance will happen on Saturday March 18th, with eight of the top sprinters in the land getting one shot at a whole lot of mullah.

As with every year, a committee of Palm Beach representatives will get together this week and analyze who should be in this field.  With a stakes final setup like this, this process will no doubt produce high drama and criticism because it is impossible to make everybody happy.

Palm Beach has stated all along they want the best eight greyhounds in this field, but they also would like to have eight different kennels represented to have a wide variety of talent from different teams.  This year, they have asked for my votes on who should be in.  Here is my final eight I submitted:

Janice Dean  ~ Brindle Kennel

Fraulein Morgan  ~ Janie Carroll Kennel

Big Red Dog  ~ Rader Racing

Barts Big Bang  ~ Douglas Kennel

Whirlin Toodlelu  ~ Douglas Kennel

Pat C Faro  ~ Koppe, Staats & Collins Kennel

Super C Martha  ~ Lester Raines Kennel

Hot Prospect Gal  ~ Agganis Kennel

As you can see, I have two from the Douglas Kennel in the field.  Both Big Bang & Toodles are in the top 4 in season wins, have splits that are among the best of any greyhound plus both are stakes finalists. They are also at the top of their games currently!  Don't be surprised if one of these stars is left out for political reasons unfortunately.

The eight finalists will be announced lived on The Backstretch Show on 95.9 FM The Palm at 6:00 EST.  Replay of the show will also be available on our social media feeds.

Janice Dean The Greyhound Interview Postponed

After winning her second straight stakes title last weekend in the 3/8ths Mile Derby, Janice Dean "The Weather Machine" was all set to make her national television debut on Monday's Fox & Friends telecast to meet the meteorologist she is named after.  Unfortunately, this interview had to be put on hold for scheduling difficulties.  Plus with Janice Dean going for the Triple Crown in the St Pats Invitational, the story might be even bigger after March 18th.  No date has been set just yet, but we have been assured it will be this month.

I talked with the human Janice Dean this weekend and she felt terrible about postponing.  She reiterated to me and the rest of the Palm Beach faithful that this interview is still going to happen and that she is really rooting for her namesake to win the Triple Crown.  So are we!

February Top 10 Greyhounds Announced

One of our favorite things to put out every month is our Palm Beach Top 10 Rankings, highlighting the top hounds from the previous month of racing we saw.

For the first time in six months,we have a new #1, as Janice Dean took over the top spot from previous holder Fraulein Morgan after winning the 50K Derby in one of the most epic finals of all time.

Others making the list include the Big Red Dog (pictured), Wicked Twista & new puppy sensation Super C Martha.

Here's the Top 10 if you missed it:

 https://extra.betamerica.com/palm-beach-top-10-rankings-february-2017/

The Champ Returns Home

After a yearlong hiatus away from Paradise, 2015 Futurity Champ and last years Derby runner up Kay Beowulf has returned back to the place where it all got started.  The Rader Racing beauty schooled on Sunday morning in an effort to return to the form she had rolling last season.

Beowulf has spent the past year competing against many of the most talented greyhounds in the country over at Southland Park in West Memphis, Arkansas.  She will absolutely be a star to follow as the season winds down.

Pros Vs Joes Contest

Probably my favorite contest we've ever put together here at BetAmerica happened on Sunday as the Pros vs Joes competition got rolling. Over the next month every Sunday, players have the chance during the Palm Beach Matinee to handicap against me to see if you can double your winnings if you can outplay my picks.  It only costs $5 and will also give you the chance to win the ultimate VIP trip with our own Michelle Yu to the top winner at the end of the month.

8 players were able to cash in on this in the first round.  We'll see what happens next week.  I've enjoyed talking with players and fans during this contest so far.  Good luck to all of you.

Here's more details about the contest:

https://extra.betamerica.com/handicapping-contests/pros-vs-joes-handicapping-challenge/

That's all we have for this week.  We'll see you next time for the Wrap Up!