The 16th running of the Louisiana Champions Day at the Fair Grounds was held today. I visited the old track off Gentilly Boulevard on a cool sunny day in the Crescent City.

Everything in the facility looked pretty much the same as when I visited three years ago. They had turned the gift shop over to a smoky video poker parlor which was quite disappointing. Walking to the track from the French Quarter shows extensive remodeling and fixing of historic houses along Esplanade Avenue. Closer to the track you see the markings from the searching for bodies and survivors from the days after Katrina. The gumbo is still great at Liuzza's By the Track - as is the BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy. A long fence still keeps locals from walking directly into the facility from the southwest and must be intended to give patrons assurance that their cars are being protected.

Fair Grounds has a nice Hall of Fame display along with exhibits on the track's great history. One display showed an article from Jewell's Crescent City Illustrated - not sure when this was published - probably around 1870's-80's.

"The view from the ample and lofty cupola takes in the whole city and its suburbs, a lovely mingling of rivers, bayous, lakes, swamps, forests, gardens, streets, shipping, spires, and railroad tracks."

Looking at the current view from the 4th floor clubhouse shows bridges, nondescript office towers and hotels, and a newly re-roofed Superdome. Racing rolls on here - just like the mighty river that spawned the town. It's not a scene like "Life on the Metairie" when New Orleans was the center of racing in America but at least racing is back in town which is more than can be said for a town like Omaha where Ak-sar-ben has vanished or a historic racing venue like shuttered Hialeah in Miami .

Sheikh Mo of Dubai looking to buy Liverpool F.C.

http://www.sportinglife.com/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/12/05/manual_105305.html

Have a Good Day at the Big A!

Tom Durkin's friendly exhortation greets racing fans every race day at Aqueduct in Queens. I visited the track for the first time on Saturday on a beautiful, warm Veterans Day - arriving via the 'A' subway line. The in-house tv preview show presented video of Seattle Slew winning his last race in the Stuyvesant at Aqueduct on Veterans Day 28 years ago in 1978. It was a Friday and there was an announced attendance of 28,049. A sparse gathering of 4,355 settled in for the holiday racing card yesterday.

The facility is obviously awaiting the building/beginning of the slot machine era. The pigeons have pretty much taken over a good portion of the upper levels of the grandstand - there were still a couple of diehards sitting in the filthly seats. There was plenty of room to spread out at tables in spaces that obviously used to be well-used back in the day - the Saratoga room, the Man o'War room. Equestris is located at the top floor of the building and costs a dollar extra to enter. That is where the dining room is located. It was nice to clearly see the great Durkin in his lair looking out over the track.

Pretty much what I expected based on watching races at the track on television. Must have been a grand old place when it opened on September 14, 1959 with 40,000 in the stands and all through the 1960s when it filled in when Belmont Park was being rebuilt. The 2nd Breeders Cup was held there in 1985. But now 21 years later, it is depending on the machines to save the day.

They're cheating again in Chicago:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/79844.html

Rosemary Homeister Jr.'s ex-husband Jose Ferrer has been suspended for 30 days for a suspicious ride.

A few notes from visiting Woodbine for the Canadian International/EP Taylor weekend:

1) Generally impressed with the layout of a facility that combines a large racetrack setting with a slots environment. The slot area is hidden below - the usual machine-filled environment with a decent view of the racetrack. You can definitely spend your day at Woodbine without even realizing what the financial engine of the place is hidden below. It was hard to navigate the building at times - they could use a few more escalators and working ones at that (one jolted to a stop when it was packed today)

2) The layout of the course is magnificient. The turf course's only rival in North America is Santa Anita's hillside course. Really great to watch the three top races from the stands with field glasses.

3) The polytrack seemed to be running a little more even-handily than Keeneland's. Watching the races from Fort Erie (about 90 minutes drive) with a very sloppy track and Woodbine with the Poly was quite a contrast. The sport is definitely changing with Poly and her sisters.

4) The wagering rules vis-a-vis commingingly with US tracks is somewhat confusing. They commingle with NY and KY but not SoCal. But why no 10 cent supers from Keeneland? No entry into the big carryover today at Santa Anita. Need to bet a $3 Canadian dollar Pick-6 at Belmont. They bump the juice up and some of the pools like the tris and supers at Keeland calling the takeout "extraordinarily low" in an information brochure.

5) Their Horseplayer Interactive wagering platform (phone/internet) has a small area for members and to recruit new members. Unfortunately it is restricted to only Canadian residents. My account was closed about two years ago - it was related to the commingly with US pools and the ability of account holders to register IRS type wins via their account without requiring completing an IRS form. No easy way out for us Americans.

6) Woodbine plays up its history throughout the building and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is located on the first floor with beautiful displays and portraits of many Queen's Plate winners. Very nicely done. They also gave out a DVD of highlights of 50 years of racing at Woodbine and jockey cards of all-time greats.

7) Canada is debating whether to ban advertising for offshore internet wagering sites - less draconian than what our fools did in Washington. One of the gift shops at Woodbine is basically a lottery retailer and you can bet sport parlays on everything via the Ontario Lottery (www. proline.ca). Very popular line. Slot revenues have basically flat-lined in the province and Ft. Erie is looking at cutting racing dates because slot revenue is starting to fall.

8) Sunday's card at Woodbine was great - full fields and good horses. With the advent of Polytrack, it would definitely make sense to setup this day of racing as an NIT, Alamo/Sun/Holiday Bowl type of consolation day for horses that are not quite good enough to run in the Breeders Cup. That would require adding a few races on the Polytrack to make for a championship lite day. With strong leadership from David Wilmot, I can see Woodbine making the leap to start a Canadian Championship Day of racing. The country with its rich racing history deserves its place on racing's stage.

9) Toronto is a great town and I would strongly recommend a visit to our great neighbors to the North.

10) And the number one reason to consider moving to Canada - You can win any amount of money possible and there are NO tax forms to fill out!

Horses in Training - Expected Starts for Top Horses – Oct 19:

Afrashad – 4yo c- Suroor – Godolphin – Sport Page – Aqueduct – Oct 28
Alexander Goldrun – Jim Bolger –
Alexandrova – 3yo f - A O’Brien - Coolmore – out for the year
Andromeda’s Hero – 4yo c – Zito - LaPenta
Araafa – 3yo – Noseda – Homaizi & Sagar
Aragorn – Drysdale – Ballygallon Stud – 4yo c – BC Mile – Churchill – Nov 4
Art Master – 5yo h – Frankel - Juddmonte
Ashkal Way – 4yo g – Suroor – Godolphin – Citation – Hollywood – Nov 24
Asi Siempre – 4yo f – Biancone – M Schwartz – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Attila’s Storm – 4yo h – Schosberg –Barry Schwartz
Aussie Rules – 3yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore – BC Mile – Churchill – Nov 4
Badge of Silver – 6yo g – Frankel – Ramseys – BC Mile – Churchill – Nov 4
Balance – 3yo f – Hofmans
Balletto – 4yo f – Albertrani – Darley – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Becrux – 4yo g – Drysdale – Team Valor – Citation – Hollywood – Nov 24
Bernardini – 3yo c – Albertrani - Darley – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Big Timer – 2yo c – Semple – McKenzie
Bordonaro – 5yo g – Spawr – Carrillo or Cassella – BC Sprint – Churchill – Nov 4
Bright One - 3yo c – Romans –
Brother Derek – 3yo c – Hendricks – Peacock –
Bushfire – 3yo f – Kenneally
Cacique – 4yo c – Frankel – Juddmonte – BC Turf – CD – Nov 4
Caradek – 4yo c – Suroor – Godolphin
Circular Quay – 2yo c – Tabor – Pletcher – BC Juve – Churchill – Nov 4
Commentator – 4yo g – Zito – Farmer – BC Sprint – Churchill – Nov 4
CP West – 2yo c – Zito – BC Juve – Churchill – Nov 4
David Junior –4yo c- Brian Meehan – BC Classic – CD - Nov 4
Declan’s Moon – 4yo c – Ellis -
Deep Impact – 4yo c- Ikee – Kaneko Makuto Holdings - Arima Kinen – Nakayama – December 24
Discreet Cat – 4yo c – Suroor - Godolphin – Cigar Mile – Aqueduct – Nov 25
Dubai Escapade – 4yo f- Harty – Darley – First Flight – Aqueduct – Oct 28
Dylan Thomas – 3yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore – out for the year
English Channel – 4yo c – Scatuorchio – Pletcher – BC Turf – Churchill – Nov 4
Film Maker – 6yo m – Motion – Adam – BC F&M Turf – Churchill – Nov 4
Fleet Indian – 5yo m– Pletcher - Saylor – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Flower Alley – 4yo c – Pletcher – Melynk – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Funny Cide – 6yo g – Tagg – Sackatoga – Empire Classic – Belmont – Oct 21
George Washington – 3yo c – O’Brien – Magnier – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Germance – 3yo f – Rouget – Radwan -
Giacomo – 4yo c – Shirreffs – Jerry & Ann Moss –
Gold Storm - Cascio –
Good Reward – 5yo h – McGaughey - Phipps –
Gorella – 4yo f – Biancone – Martin Schwartz – BC – Churchill – Nov 4
Gouldings Green – 5yo h – Reinstedler – Melynks –
Great Hunter – 2yo c – Reddam – O’Neill – BC Juve – Churchill – Nov 4
Happy Ticket – 4yo f – Leggio - Madison – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Heart’s Cry – Arima Kinen – Nakayama – December 24
Henny Hughes – 3yo c – McLaughlin - Zabeel – BC Sprint – Churchill – Nov 4
Holy Roman Emperor – 2yo c- O’Brien – Magnier – 3yo campaign
Honey Ryder – 5yo m – Pletcher – Glencrest – BC F&M Turf – Churchill – Nov 4
Horse Greeley – 2yo c – Mandella – 3yo campaign
Hurricane Run – 4yo c – Fabre – Tabor –
Invasor – 4yo c – Pletcher - Maktoum –
Irridescence –5yo m – Hammond - Team Valor – Hong Kong Cup – Sha Tin – Dec 10
It’s No Joke – 4yo c – Fulton – Maker – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Jazil – 3yo c – McLaughlin – Maktoum - out for year
Karen’s Caper – 4yo f – Stonerside – Frankel – Matriarch – Hollywood – Nov 26
King of the Roxy – 2yo c- Pletcher – Team Valor – BC Juve – Churchill – Nov 4
Latent Heat – 3yo c – Frankel – Juddmonte
Lava Man – 5yo g – Doug O’Neil – STD Racing – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Lawyer Ron – 3yo c – Pletcher – Stonewall Farms –
Lemons Forever – 3yo f – Stewart – Horton Stable -
Librettist –4yo c – Suroor – Godolphin –
Mandesha – 3yo f – Royer Dupre – Princess Aga Khan
Master Command – 4yo c – Aaron Jones – Pletcher – Clark – Churchill – Nov 24
Meteor Storm – 7yo h – Dollase – Horizon Stable -
Michael Lewis – 3yo c – Catalano –
Midnight Lute – 3yo c – Baffert - Pegram
Miesque’s Approval – 7yo h – Live Oak - Wolfson
Nobiz Like Showbiz – 2yo c – Tagg - Valando – Remsen – Aqueduct – Nov 25
Notnowcato – Stoute – Champion Stakes –
Officer Rocket – 2yo c – Holthus – Iroquois – CD – Oct 29
Ouija Board –5yo m - Ed Dunlop – BC F&M – Churchill – Nov 4
Park Avenue Ball – 4yo c – Char-Mari – Ryerson -
Passport – 2yo c – Brothers – Claiborne
Perfect Drift – 7yo h -Murray Johnson – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Pine Island – 3yo f – McGaughey – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Point Determined – 3yo c- Baffert – Lewis Trust –
Pool Land – 4yo f – Pletcher – BC Distaff – Churchill – Nov 4
Premium Tap – 4yo c- Pletcher –
Pride -6yo m – De Royer Dupre - NP Bloodstock -
Proclamation –4yo c – Suroor - Godolphin
Rail Link - 3yo c – Fabre - Juddmonte –
Rebel Rebel – 4yo c – Morvich – Oak Tree – Oct 29
Red Evie – 3yo f – M. Bell
Remarkable News – 4yo c- Angel Penna – Rincon – out for the year
Round Pound – 4yo f- Matz – Fox Hill
Satwa Queen – 4yo m - Roualle – BC F&M – Churchill – Nov 4
Scat Daddy – 2yo c – Tabor & Pletcher & Scatuorchio – BC Juve – Churchill – Nov 4
Seek Gold – 5yo h – Moquette – Fayette – Keeneland – Oct 28
Shermanesque – 2yo c – Reinstedler –
Shirocco – 5yo h – Fabre – Baron Georg Von Ullmann – BC Turf – Churchill – Nov 4
Showing Up – 3yo c – Barclay Tagg – Jacksons – Hollywood Derby – Hollywood -
Silent Name – 4yo c – Gary Mandella –Stronach & Wertheimer
Silver Train – 4yo c- Dutrow – Four Roses -
Siren Lure – 5yo g – Sherman – BC Sprint – Churchill – November 4
Sir Greenley – 4yo c- Jerkins – Sport Page – Aqueduct – Oct 28
Sir Percy – 3yo c – Tregoning - Pakenhams –
Sixties Icon – 3yo c – Noseda – Susan RoySongster – 3yo c – Albertrani – Darley – Sport Page – Aqueduct – Oct 28
Soul Search – 4yo f – Howard – Farish -
Soviet Song – 6yo m – Fanshawe – Elite Racing Club
Spun Sugar – 4yo f – Pletcher – Stronach
Stevie Wonderboy – 3yo c – O’Neil -
Strong Contender – 3yo c – Ward- Oxley –BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Suave – 4yo c – Magee – BC Classic – CD – Nov 4
Surf Cat – 4yo c – Headley – Naify & Headley -
Summerly – 4yo f – Asmussen/Blasi –Winchell
Sun King – 4yo c – Zito – Farmer – BC Classic – Churchill – Nov 4
Sutra – 2yo f – Stidham – Oak Crest – BC Juv Filly – Churchill – Nov 4
Sweetnorthernsaint – 3yo c – Tombetta – Balsamo & Theos – Laurel – Alw Race – Oct 19
Sweet Return – 5yo h – McAnally – Citation – Hollywood – Nov 24
Take D’Tour – 5yo m– Fawkes – Muller -
Teofilo – 2yo c – Bolger – Bolger – 3yo campaign
TH Approval – 5yo h – Inda – Hotehama –
Three Valleys – 4yo h – Frankel - Juddmonte
The Tin Man – 8yo g – Mandella – Todds – BC Turf – Churchill – Nov 4
Too Much Bling – 3yo c – Baffert – BC Sprint – Churchill – Nov 4
Unbridled Express – 2yo c – Flint
Vacare – 3yo f – Block – Lothenbach -
Visionario – 2yo c – Fabre – Aga Khan -
Wait a While –3yo f – Pletcher -
Wanderin Boy – 5yo h – Zito – Arthur Hancock -
War Front – 4yo c – A Jerkins – Allen
Wild Desert – 4yo c – Borislow – Dutrow -
Wild Fit – 3yo f – Patrick Biancone –
Youzmain – 3yo c – Channon – Jaber Abdullah

Racing in North America - Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Statistical observations on a day of racing:


Track Name Entries Races Avg
Blue Ribbon Downs 24 2 12.00
Delaware Park 66 8 8.25
Fairmount Park 58 9 6.44
Finger Lakes 72 9 8.00
Fort Erie 88 10 8.80
Great Lakes Downs 80 9 8.89
Kentucky Downs 121 13 9.31
Mountaineer 89 10 8.90
Penn National 79 9 8.78
Philadelphia Park 94 10 9.40
Remington Park 95 9 10.56
Suffolk Downs 76 9 8.44
Woodlands 63 7 9.00
Zia Park 65 7 9.29

Totals 1070 121 8.84

Kentucky Downs is offering the most significant races on the day - races 1 through 4 are stakes events - The Yaqthan, the Kentucky Cup Turf Dash, Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf, and the Kentucky Cup Turf (Grade III event).

A horse named Longstreet - the best horse of the 1891 racing season - ran 6th in the 2nd race at Turfway Park last year. Will there be a Bernardini be running at Springfield Slots and Poker Downs 100 years from now?

How about racing in North America determining the 200-500 best horses of all time and giving them "name protection" - I know the Jockey Club already does something of this sort but it seems rather errant if a Longstreet can still run today.

A letter to the editor I wrote to the Daily Racing Form was published in Sunday's edition:

Historical record has gaps to be filled

In the Racing Form's account of of Premium Tap's victory at 31-1 in the Woodward ("Premium Tap scored $64 upset," Sept. 4), the payoff was described to be "believed to be the largest win payoff in the 53-year history of the Woodward."

Can you imagine any other major sport where there is such a dearth of historical information or perspective on major events? Baseball, for example, generates publicity and media coverage with all kinds of events associated with arcane statistics. Horse racing has a storied past, and it's sad that when significant or unusual events occur the industry does not have the historical knowledge to share with the public.

There is a definite need in the racing industry for organizations similar to ones baseball has - such as the Society for American Baseball Research or Retrosheet - to retrieve lost history.

Tim Peterson
Edina, Minn.

Another example of how racing has no clue on its history:

On Premium Tap's Woodward victory in the DRF, "Sent off at odds of 31-1, Premium Tap returned $64 to win, believed to be the largest win payoff in the 53 year history of the Woodward."

"Believed" - come on, we can do better than this. Look the charts up - it isn't that hard.

Comparable to Maktoum Weekend:

August 22, 1931 - Mrs. Payne Whitney’s (Greentree Stable) Twenty Grand won the 63rd running of the Travers Stakes at Saratoga – rebounding from his defeat by Mate in the Arlington Classic. Whitney stablemate St. Brideaux runs 2nd. On same card, C.V. Whitney’s Top Flight wins the Spinaway Stakes.

SABR for Horse Racing

As a follow-up to the call to create an organization similar to SABR for North American horse racing, the NTRA newsletter in September had an example of exactly the type of research (by a Racing Museum historian) that I believe would fit nicely into this realm:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/news/nrm-news-view-story-detail.asp?varID=126

Maktoum Weekend

There has been quite a bit written over the past week about the Maktoum family's dominance of the stakes events last weekend at Saratoga.

The astute Alan Shuback had the best observations in Sunday's DRF: http://www.drf.com/news/article/78183.html

John Pricci starts his weekly TheyAreAtThePost column with this observation:

Saratoga Springs--Never in Saratoga’s history has a racing dynasty dominated more prestigious events over the course of three days than did the ruling family of Dubai last weekend.

http://www.theyareatthepost.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=17

Without question, the Maktoum family enjoyed a very nice weekend of racing at the Spa. But was it the best ever in the history of the Spa dating back to when John Morrissey et al opened for racing in 1863? Could it have possibly been the best ever weekend of racing for a stable in North America?

One of the problems with horse racing in America these days is the absolute lack of any historical perspective in which to compare current results against. There are many reasons for this but certainly one of them must be a complete for the great history of the sport. There's always the next race to look at, the next card, the next road to the Derby. A sport with such a great tradition should take better care of its history so that when spectacular events take place, they can be given a context which to place them in. So as it was last weekend, the Maktoums wins garnered virtually no publicity outside of the industry.

Equibase was created to give the industry control over racing data and information. That has been accomplished. But without a more complete analysis and association of the data, Equibase will never be able to grow into an organization the extent that an Elias Sports Bureau plays in the baseball arena. What is desparately needed by horse racing is an organization like the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) - one that would provide a historical framework for racing data and past results.

There have been many powerful stables over the years in horse racing - August Belmont, the Lorillards, the Dwyer Brothers, James Keene, the Whitneys, Calumet, the Phipps. It's a shame that the Maktoums winning weekend can't be compared to similar past results in a meaningful way.

My Top Ten Favorite Racetracks (excluding hometown track Canterbury Park):

1) Keeneland
2) Del Mar
3) Santa Anita
4) Oaklawn
5) Saratoga
6) Belmont Park
7) Turf Paradise
8) Arlington
9) Emerald Downs
10) Delaware Park

Prominent turfman Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, died Wednesday in Australia and was immediately succeeded by his younger brother, the crown prince, Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the defense minister of the United Arab Emirates. The two brothers were the owners of the Godolphin racing stable.

http://www.godolphin.com/news.asp

This Date in Racing History - January 4:

1890 - First race at Guttenberg in New Jersey won by Bengaline – pays $104.50 for $2.

1894 - meeting held at Hoffman House in New York to begin steps to form a new Jockey Club to control racing in the East (New York and New Jersey) along the lines of the Jockey Club of England. Organization will supercede the Board of Control currently in place. NY Times reports news the next day – “rescuing it from the hands of the men who have injured it in their made race for profits, and have made of the sport little more than a gambling game”. One of the attendees of the meeting was George E. Smith - better known as Pittsburgh Phil, the greatest American horseplayer ever.

This Date in Racing History - January 3:

1945 - – All racetracks in United States must close by this date by order of War Mobilization Department director James Byrnes. No racing in North America on this date. NY Times article by Bryan Field from January 4 says “Followers of the sport, whether track officials or of the bookmaking fraternity, could not recall a previous day when there was no racing on the North American continent.” Racing would resume on May 12 after VE day.

1946 - Canadian-born jockey George Woolf, known as "The Iceman" for his coolness in the saddle, falls head first from his mount, Please Me, during a race at Santa Anita Park. He would die the next day.

This Date in Racing History - January 2:

1941 - Fair Grounds saved from being auctioned by group of local businessmen who form the Fair Grounds Corporation to rescue the track. Racetrack was scheduled to be sold at open auction and potentially turned into real estate subdivisions.

1945 - Last Day of racing in the United States due to order by War Department Mobilization Director James Byrnes. Racing takes place at Fair Grounds and Tropical Park. Racing would continue in Havana and Mexico City. Racing would resume on May 12 after VE day.

Horses in Training - Expected Starts for Top Horses:
Brother Derek - Hendricks - 3yo colt - San Rafael - SA - Jan 14
Da Stoops - Baffert - 3yo colt - Sunshine Millions Dash - Jan 28
Dream of Summer – Garcia – 5yo mare – Sunshine Millions Distaff – GP – Jan 28
Lava Man – O’Neill – 5yo colt – Sunshine Millions Classic – SA – Jan 28
Lord of the Game - Tomillo - 5 yo colt - Donn - GP - Feb 4
Original Spin - Mitchell - 3yo filly - Old Hat - GP – March 5
Proud Tower Too – Gonzalez – 4yo colt – Sunshine Million Sprint – GP – Jan 28