Monmouth Park is claiming this to be the 68th Jersey Derby today. They are only recognizing one Jersey Derby run prior to Garden State Park's opening in 1942. There were numerous Jersey Derby's run at old Monmouth in the 1870s and 1880s won by hall great three year old horses Harry Bassett, Tom Bowling and Spendthrift. The race was run continuously from 1871 to 1879 at least.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Champions Day at Greyville
South African racing season ends today with their Champions Day racing program at Greyville. I've been watching the coverage on Racing International and one nice change from the usual post race coverage has been acknowledgement and appreciation given to the winning horse's groom in the trophy celebration afterwards. You never see any recognition to the grooms in North American or European racing coverage and this neglects an important part of the story of getting horses ready for the races.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Fabulous Frankel
The idea that Juddmonte and Henry Cecil are going to send this horse to run around two turns at the Breeders Cup Mile at Churchill is preposterous. They are not talking about sending him to Churchill at all and plan to run him as a 4 year old. Perhaps if the Breeders Cup is awarded to Belmont Park in 2012 we might get a chance to see this great one.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
International Racing Hall of Fame
Each country has their own racing Hall of Fame. How about an International Racing Hall of Fame based in Newmarket or Dubai? Inaugural inductees would be the greatest horses from each country:
Australia - Phar Lap, Makybe Diva
Canada - Northern Dancer
England - Ormonde, Pretty Polly
France - Gladiateur
Germany - Tincino
Hong Kong - Viva Pataca
Hungary - Kincsem
Ireland - Pretty Polly
Italy - Ribot, Nearco
Japan - Deep Impact
United States - Man o' War Citation,Secretariat
I was thinking of this idea when I see the retirement of one of the greatest racers in Hong Kong a few weeks back - Viva Pataca
Monday, July 11, 2011
Grand Prix de Paris
America is not the only country having trouble with historic racing fixtures. If you go back and review newspapers in late June from the late 19th century into the first half of the 20th century, you will invariably see references to the Grand Prix de Paris and the magnificent processions through the Bois de Boulogne to Longchamp where la creme de la creme would turn out for the race.
Sounds like the affair to be held on Thursday (Bastille Day) will be much tamer than the good old days per the article by Alan Shuback in TDN:
The only time when Longchamp attracts a significant crowd is on Arc day and I would guess at least half of that crowd are not locals.
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
It has been almost five years now since this horrific piece of legislation passed Congress and was signed into law by President Bush. What strikes me as amazing is that whenever you try to register with a global racing wagering site, you are asked what country you reside in. On the list are such notable liberal nations as North Korea, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia but the good old United States is not to be found. The United States stands alone among the nations of the world prohibiting online wagering (with the exception of legalized horse racing sites).
Requiem for the Futurity
John Sparkman in Thoroughbred Times Today has a good piece on the history of what was one of America's greatest races - the Futurity - run for the 122nd time and at the earliest date in its history on July 3 at Belmont Park.
The main point is one hard to reverse - horses are running less every year as 2 year olds and what used to be an abundance of good 2 year old stakes are dwindling down to a handful of races leading up to what is usually the championship decider - the Breeders Cup Juvenile.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Sensible Plan for Ohio Racing
Bloodhorse has an article with advance knowledge of recommendations by consultants on how horse racing should be operated in the state of Ohio moving forward. Ohio recently passed legislation allowing video lottery terminals at the state's racetracks so it's a good time to implement these recommendations.
Of course I'm sure they will likely be ignored. There is also a lot of talk of current Ohio racetracks "shifting" territory to allow for major metropolitan areas to be covered for VLT's.
Horse Racing needs to have more regional cooperation in the running of race meetings - there's no way the current number of dates will be able to be run with the shrinking horse population.
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