Another Sign of Decline

I knew that ESPN's Randy Moss was also doing work on the NFL Network. While watching the 2nd game of the Creighton-Oregon CBI series this evening, I found out that another horse racing network personality - Kenny Rice - is moonlighting as co-host of Inside MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) on HD Net (Mark Cuban's network).

Now it's one thing to have a second job with the NFL (Moss) or NASCAR (Kurt Becker), but Mixed Martial Arts? Of course fans of MMA probably have a similar opinion of a fading sport called horse racing.

Eclipse of America

The results from Meydan on Saturday exhibit the continued decline of American thoroughbred racing and breeding. American runners "blanked" for first time since 2003 and only the fourth time in the history of the event. Only one American trained horse hit the board - Euroears' 2nd in the Golden Shaheen - a race that Americans have dominated since it was originated. Only three American bred horses hit the board in the seven thoroughbred races - Euroears, Red Jazz (3rd) in the Mile and Master of Hounds (2nd) in the UAE Derby.

Everybody knows by now that America is a country in decline. Gone are the glory days of American dominance in thoroughbred racing. We just watch now - watch as the world's best thoroughbreds run by our poorly bred, drugged horses on racing's greatest stage at Meydan.

Alan Shuback's blog entry on the fiasco:

www.drf.com/blogs/yanks-tank-it-dubai-tarara-darara

JENNA WINS AGAIN - AT 49-1

Jenna Joubert won her second race of the meeting at Oaklawn on Saturday taking the 4th race on Deep Dive at 49-1!

JENNA WINS

Jenna Joubert won her first race at the Oaklawn meeting today - scoring on a 7-2 shot named Future Prize for trainer Larry Jones. It was on her 37th mount of the meeting.

Congratulations Jenna!

Bob Holthus had two more losing starts today. He is now O for 16 on the meeting but will win a race before Oaklawn concludes.

Then there will be just one more person who needs to win before the end of the Oaklawn meeting.

Final Six Weeks at Oaklawn

The Oaklawn meeting has begun to leak oil as it always does this time of year. Fields get shorter and prices get smaller as stables begun to leave Hot Springs for all directions - Kentucky, Chicago, Des Moines, Dallas, Shreveport - all settings of spring/summer race meetings.

The meeting hasn't experienced any defining moment yet as in years past with Zenyatta appearances or a top 3 year old colt or filly like Rachel Alexandra, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex or Curlin.

With six weeks left to Arkansas Derby day, the race for an inaugural win for two people is what I am anxious the most to see.

Trainer Bob Holthus is 76 years old and has been racing at Hot Springs since 1953. Beset by medical issues the past few years, his daughter Debby is the main driving force behind the operation now. I don't have data on what was the last Oaklawn meeting when Holthus didn't win a race - I would guess it to be at least back to 1963 - as usual the industry stats are lacking on matters such as these. But if Holthus has won races at Oaklawn since 1964 - 48 consecutive years - it would be a euphoric winners circle celebration if he manages to continue the streak in the next six weeks. His stable is down to just a handful of horses - starting nine entries at Oaklawn with a second and a third.

Jockey Jenna Joubert is 26 years old and this is her first season riding at Hot Springs. She is from my home state of Minnesota and I remember her almost a decade ago showing up on cold Friday evenings in the simulcast parlor on the 3rd floor of Canterbury Park to watch races. She started riding at Canterbury soon after and advanced nicely in her riding career as an apprentice.

On May 14, 2009, Jenna won three races at three different tracks in three different states winning a race at Pimlico, Penn National, and Charles Town. She won her first stakes race riding Richard's Kid (in his pre Baffert days) to victory in the John B. Campbell at Laurel on February 14, 2009. Her mounts made a million dollars in 2009. Then she lost her bug and her earnings were cut in half in 2010. Now she is on the comeback trail at the ripe old age of 26 riding the b-string of Trainer Larry Jones at Oaklawn. She has had 18 mounts with two seconds and a third.

Godspeed to them both - fifty years apart - as they attempt to notch their inaugural wins over the remainder of the 2011 Oaklawn meeting.