Sunday's Stakes - Early Ladies Day

The stakes menu for Sunday, March 9 features the following three races:

Grade I - Santa Margarita - Santa Anita - 1 & 1/8 miles - 7 entered
Grade II - Rampart - Gulfstream - 1 & 1/8 miles - 7 entered
Grade III - Azeri - Oaklawn - 1 & 1/16 miles - 6 entered

Another example of the lack of coordination within the North American racetrack industry. With horses prepping for the Kentucky Derby or Breeders Cup, you can excuse such conflicts but not in this case. Is there any way for racing to setup a series of major events outside of the three year old division that would land all the major players at one venue for a race? Not bloody likely outside of the Breeders Cup. This is obviously not a new challenge for the industry - it has been this way since racetracks spread westward in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Here's an idea - setup major races in divisions like the older fillies & mares - and similarly for older males and sprint/turf divisions for both - around the Triple Crown events. Events like the Pimlico Special, the Early Times at Churchill, and the Manhattan at Belmont all could be upgraded and run on the same day as the three year old event. Belmont is running the Brooklyn the day before the Belmont this year - why? Who will see it? Put it on Saturday and try very hard to get the networks to show the race live and try to explain the significance of the event. It's the best chance the industry to branch out beyond the Triple Crown.

Daily Recap - January 17, 2008

Commentator - the 7 year old New York bred gelding - made his seasonal debut at Gulfstream today winning an optional claiming race by 14 lengths and setting the mile track record at the track at 1:33.71 - the one-turn mile course being used originally at the 2005 meeting. Trainer Nick Zito made his usual "God Bless America" comment in the winners' circle after the race.

The connections of owner James Scatuorchio and trainer Todd Pletcher sent out a very impressive debut winner in the 3 year old filly Back For More - a daughter of More Than Ready who won a maiden race wire to wire under Johnny V.

The Train Service to Monmouth Park

From reading comments of racegoers who attended the Breeders' Cup at Monmouth, it sounded like taking the train back into New York City was not the way to go. A typical quote from the Louisville Courier-Journal's article were the following:

"But our worst experience was leaving the track on Saturday. Trying to get on the train (to New York City) after the Classic was a nightmare - and a very dangerous situation. There must have been 5,000 or more people waiting for the train. There was no organized queue, just NJ Transit employees urging everyone to spread out all the way down the track. ...Only the doors on the first two train cars opened....everyone rushed to the two doors that were open, creating a very dangerous crowd of people pushing and shoving to make it onto the train."

Similar quotes from racing patrons came be found from 1880s-1890s experience in travelling to Monmouth Park on the train from New York. One hundred plus years later and the same disorder exists on a big race day at Long Branch.

Betting without Borders

Payoffs from Japan Cup and Japan Cup Dirt last weekend - comparing results in Japan vs. North America:

Per $1 bet

Japan Cup

Japan results North American results

Admire Moon $10.90 $2.40 $11.90 $2.60 (Win-Show)
Pop Rock $1.80 $2.20 (Show)
Meiso Samson $1.10 $1.10 (Show)

Ex $81 $62.20
Tri $159.80 $255.60


Japan Cup Dirt

Vermilion $2.30 $1.30 $3.50 $1.90 (Win-Show)
Field Rouge $2.50 $3.20 (Show)
Sunrise Bacchus $4.20 $7.50 (Show)

Ex $18.00 $28.20
Tri $163.10 $490.10

TVG Coverage of Japan Cup Races

It's nice to have TVG showing the top races from Tokyo this weekend. But perhaps they should mention just once that the Japan Racing Association is paying the bill for their trip - just for integrity sake.

Transparency is good for everyone.

Thorn Song wins the River City at Churchill

The Zayat Stable's Thorn Song won the 30th running of the River City Handicap on the turf on Saturday at Churchill Downs. The win was worth $133,940 for Zayat - pushing Thorn Song's winnings to over 300k at $312,110. The horse was purchased for 200k at the May 2005 Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic sale.

The horse has thrived since his placement on the grass at the Churchill spring meet taking three victories and three seconds in his last six starts - all on the turf.

Zayat's proprietor is Admed Zayat - an Egyptian who owns Al Ahram Beverages. Mr. Zayat led a team of international investors who bought the company from the Egyptian government upon privatization. The company has been very successful under Zayat's leadership.

The general belief is that Mr. Zayat has lost tens of millions of dollars buying thoroughbred horses. I'm not sure what the training costs of Thorn Song have been for the past two years but they probably just about wipe out the 100k that Mr. Zayat has made on purse money above the purchase price of the horse.

I know this is a wildly optimistic idea but wouldn't it be interesting to see the top stables in the country compete not just on the racetrack but also on a net earnings basis? Which stable is truly the most successful and efficient organization in North America? I'm not talking about the specifics of the cost of running a stable per se but more along the lines of Zayat Stable has won $5 + million in earnings in 2007 - what did it cost to acquire these horses? Is this stable more successful and efficient than Stronach Stables who have earned $6.6 million? How about West Point Stables at $2.1 million.

Transparency - that's what I am looking for here and what the sport needs so badly in so many areas. Tranparency as far as making information available, reporting medication violations, communicating horses' physical conditions and ailments, and my favorite, wagering totals. Shining a huge spotlight on the industry - all of it - would flush out so many issues and help to provide for a sustained future that may not need to dependent upon alternate gaming revenue. This is our sport, these are our people, this is our history, this is our connection with the past.

Of course, maybe Churchill Downs' new Over/Under wager will catch on like wildfire and all of this will be unneeded.

Horse Racing as Sport

As the biggest races of the year take place in Asia and Australia, one is reminded that these countries view horse racing more of a sport than North America does. The coverage and presentation of the Melbourne Cup, Japan Cup, and Hong Kong International races is more colorful and non-wagering orientated than all of our races bar the Triple Crown races. North American racetracks - so long accustomed to simply opening gates and letting the degenerates in - no longer have the ability to host and present big races as the showcase events that they deserve to be. Most every other day, crowds at these facilities dwindle to fraction of big race days. Some places are better than other because of the configuration and skill of the track management (Belmont and Santa Anita for example).

North American racing will never be as tightly controlled as JRA (Japan Racing Association) or HKJC (Hong Kong Jockey Club) racing is which allows for a better presentation of the sport. But North American racing must come up with a more inviting and interesting way to show and explain the sport than the current emphasis on wagering, payoffs, and carnival approach to bet the next race.

Veterans' Day - 1957 v. 2007

Thirty years ago today - Monday, November 11, 1957 - was Veterans' Day. A crowd of 31,742 attended the races at Jamaica in Queens and bet $2,696,205 on an eight race card. Today - Sunday, November 11, 1957 - a crowd of 3,653 bet $849,582 ontrack on the nine race card at Aqueduct in Queens.

I know that 90%+ of the money bet these days is offtrack. Back in 1957 there was still a significant amount of off-track money bet illegally across the country. What the exact split was between ontrack/off-track no one will ever know but it was at least 50-50 if not higher off-track.

There were thirty thousand in attendance for the 6th running of the Washington D.C. International at Laurel and I'm sure large crowds in Chicago and Los Angeles also.

None of the major tracks is open tomorrow, November 12, 2007, when we celebrate the Veterans' Day holiday once again.

Frank's Sugar Girls Triumph

Frank Stronach has the soon-to-be Eclipse award winner for best older mare in Ginger Punch. But his stable also has a couple of fast four year old fillies names Sugar Shake and Sugar Swirl who both won stakes today at Aqueduct (The Turnback The Alarm) and Churchill (The Very Subtle). Their records are very similar:

Sugar Shake - (Awesome Again - Skipping Around) - 15-6-3-3
Sugar Swirl - (Touch Gold - Astrapi) - 16-6-3-4

Both fillies have now won approximately 500k in their career while trained by Bobby Frankel. Sugar Shake won the Gr. I Santa Maria over a mile and a sixteenth at Santa Anita last winter while Sugar Swirl's top win was today's victory in the Very Subtle at six furlongs.

Injuries to Top Horses

Rags to Riches is done running for the year but is scheduled at this time to return to racing in 2008 after suffering a hairline fracture when running 2nd in the Gazelle at Belmont on Saturday.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/88602.html

Manduro - ranked as best horse in training in the world by International Federation of Horseracing Association - was injured while winning the Prix Foy at Longchamps on Sunday. He is out of the Arc de Triomphe and may be finished for his career.

http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/master.sd?psection=racingpost.co.uk&page=News&category=News&story_id=926184

Jerry Brown Continues Red-Hot Streak

Following up on their score with the purchase and shipping of Student Council to win the Pacific Classic, Thoro-Graph's race of the week was the Woodbine Mile. The Bottom Line read this way:

"If Shakespeare stays in one piece he's a likely winner, and since we don't like Becrux, Sky Conqueror or Art Master, the exotics look inviting. The others to use are Kip Deville, Galantas, Remarkable News, and Le Cinquieme Essai.

The Results:

1st Shakespeare
2nd Kid Deveill
3rd Galantas
4th Remarkable News

$1 Exacta $21.45
$1 Tri $214.20
$1 Superfecta $937.35

US Racing Summed Up

John Gosden is quoted in Sunday's Racing Post on American racing:

"I think it would be a terrible error for our races to become too short, just over six furlongs, seven furlongs and a mile. We don't want to be one-dimensional, it's happened in America.

"In America, a mile and a half race is regarded as a marathon and we don't want to go down that route."

With the top-class field expected for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in three weeks that any of the first six betting favorites in that race would beat any North American horse in the BC Turf.

I wrote this post before reading Sunday's Daily Racing Form. Alan Shuback had very similar thoughts on this issue in his column:

A longer way to go?

"A comparison of the average distances of the races run at the prestigious August meetings around the world reveals some interesting data.

A question persists: How can we develop top-class horses in America able to stay beyond a mile when the average distance of our races has dwindled to barely seven furlongs? Our breeding industry is certainly not going to produce horses that can stay 10 or 12 furlongs when most of the money devoted to our static purse structure is funneled into races shorter than a mile. For goodness sake, a glance at the chart might lead one to believe that what goes on at Del Mar is a completely different sport from that at Clairefontaine, the meeting run up the street from Deauville.

In France, they are in a conundrum for exactly the opposite reason. As can be seen from the chart, staying at least 1 1/8 miles is essential there. Yet the French breeding industry is in a near panic. At the conclusion of the recent Deauville meeting, 100 French breeders declared their industry to be in a "state of crisis." Decrying the lack of top-class stallions standing in France, they noted that only 40 percent of the sires in Deauville's August yearling sale stand in France. Even worse, only 25 percent of the yearlings in the catalog were bred in France.
Part of the problem is the power of the commercial bloodstock market and its emphasis on speed, a bias that has led to the situation in America, where we see sprinters and milers routinely tried at nine or 10 furlongs. Here's hoping French breeders stick to their traditional guns and continue to inject stamina into the makeup of the French Thoroughbred. If they do, it will benefit the sport in the long run."

Ladies Day at the Races

Today's bill of fare includes the Gr I Alabama at Saratoga (and not named the Cottrill = http://horseracing.about.com/library/blalabama.htm), the Gr I Del Mar Oaks, the Gr III Arlington Oaks, the Gr III Gardenia at Ellis Park and the Washington Oaks at Emerald Downs.

How about a National Ladies Day at the Races with free admission to all females entering North America's racetracks and special filly and mare races everywhere?

Just an idea......

Lady Blue Sky wins 10th in a row at Remington Park

The five year old mare Lady Blue Sky continued her winning streak with a length victory as 2-5 favorite in the 6th race at Remington Park on Friday evening. The mare has now won 10 consecutive races - the longest streak in North America - dating back to Oct 6, 2006 at Hoosier Park. She has won races at Hoosier, Charles Town, Fair Grounds, Delta Downs, Prairie Meadows, Indiana Downs and now Remington in the streak. She was stabled over the summer at Canterbury Park but did not race there. Dick Jerardi had a nice story on her in DRF awhile back:

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=86996&subs=0&arc=1

DRF Letter to the Editor on Hialeah

Daily Racing Form published my letter to the editor on the Hialeah situation in Sunday's edition (August 19). The post is below on August 13.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/87736.html

Roarofdefeat at Prairie Meadows

Somebody went off the deep end in the 6th race tonight at Prairie Meadows. The Maggi Moss owned Roarofvictory went off at 1-2 and took $5,222 of the $7,292 bet in the show pool in finishing a distance 4th - show payoffs of $11.20, $12.20 and $21.40.

Prussian takes the field

Bill Mott debuted a very impressive two year old colt today at Saratoga named Prussian who took the maiden race in the 4th on the grass by almost seven lengths going wire to wire. The horse is a homebred from Monticule Farm in Lexington and from the final two year colt of the great stallion Danzig. He must be considered one of the early favorites for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf event.

Indian Charlie is a Beauty

He had a couple of classic items in Sunday's edition:

1) Marylou Whitney's husband John Hendrickson won the Rolex watch that was given away on Funny Cide day at Saratoga

2) "Of all the people who own a piece of Curlin, the ones who are now being bedded down behind a screen, are the best of the bunch!" - referring to the incarceration of two part-owners of the Preakness winner involved in the Fen-Phen scandal - Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion.

Hong Kong season starts Sept 8 in North America

Dick Jerardi has a column in the DRF highlighting the great opportunities in being able to bet into the massive Hong Kong wagering pools beginning this fall. This is truly a major step towards the globalization of wagering that is needed for the economic future of the sport in all countries.

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=87420&subs=1&arc=1

Save Hialeah Park

Bill Finley on the ESPN web site has a great story on a local, grass roots effort to save and revitalize Hialeah Park for horse racing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=finley_bill&id=2971851

The two largest operators of racetracks in the United States - Magna and Churchill Downs - both run facilities in the South Florida area (Gulfstream and Calder). They have shown absolutely no interest in any plan to open Hialeah again. This is a classic example of the short-sightedness and lack of vision within the racing industry. A short, boutique meeting at Hialeah in March would be a natural in the simulcasting era. It doesn't matter anymore that affluent South Floridians may not want to venture to Hialeah. 90% of the money wagered will be off-track anyways. Hialeah is a racing treasure that legitimized winter racing and was the foundation on which Florida horse racing was built. Back in the day, this would be a no brainer. The money would be found from people named Widener, Galbraith, Phipps, Kennedy, maybe even from someone like Meyer Lansky. Now that's not an option. So here's an idea. Seek sponsorship from Sheikh Mohammad, Juddmonte Farm, Florida breeders, or Keeneland for the meeting. Get the state involved for alternative gambling - there's more than enough space. Run half the races on the turf. Restore the Flamingo and the Widener.

This can be done and I urge all to support this effort to preserve the past and protect the future of horse racing.

http://www.myspace.com/savehialeahpark

http://savehialeahpark.com/ (not online at this time)

Horses in Training - Expected Starts for Top Horses – August 13:


Admire Moon – 4yo c – Matsuda – Godolphin – Tenno Sho Autumn – Tokyo Racecourse - October 28
Adore the Gold – 3yo c – Gorham – Murphy -
Afrashad – 5yo c- Suroor – Godolphin –
After Market – 4yo c- Shirreffs – Wygods – Del Mar Cap – August 26
Alexandrova – 4yo f - A O’Brien - Coolmore – Yorkshire Oaks – August 22
Any Given Saturday – 3yo c – Pletcher – Stonerside – Brooklyn – Belmont – Sept 22
AP Arrow – 5yo h – Pletcher – Paulson Trust –
AP Xcellent – 4yo c- Shirreffs – Fulton – Pacific Classic – Del Mar – August 19 or Del Mar Handicap – August 26
Araafa – 4yo – Noseda – Homaizi & Sagar
Arch Swing – 3yo f – Oxx – Garvey -
Areyoutalkintome – 6yo g – Manzani or Sarno – O’Neill
Arravale – 4yo f – Mac Benson – Costigan –
Arson Squad – 4yo c – Headley – Jay Em Ess – Pacific Classic – Del Mar – August 19
Art Master – 6yo h – Frankel - Juddmonte
Ashkal Way – 5yo g – Suroor – Godolphin – Out with injury – return uncertain
Asiatic Boy – 3yo c – De Kock – Bin Khalifa Al Maktourm – Juddmonte International – York – August 21 – then rest until Dubai meeting
Asi Siempre – 5yo f – Biancone – M Schwartz –
Attila’s Storm – 5yo h – Schosberg –Barry Schwartz – Forego – Saratoga- Sept 1
Aussie Rules – 4yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore –
Authorized – 3yo c – Chapple Hyam – Juddmonte International – York – August 21 – then Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – Longchamp – Oct 7
Awesome Gem – 4yo g- C Dollase – West Point –
Balance – 4yo f – Hofmans – Amerman Racing Stable – Molly Pitcher – Monmouth – August 25
Baroness Thatcher – 3yo f – Biancone – Zayat -
Bayou’s Lassie – 4yo f – Gold – Jacks or Better –
Becrux – 5yo g – Drysdale – Team Valor & Barber – Del Mar Mile – August 19
Belgravia – 3yo c – Biancone – Tabor –
Better Talk Now – 8 yo g – Motion – Bushwood – Sky Classic – Woodbine- Sept 23 or the Hirsch Turf Classic – Belmont – Sept 30
Big Timer – 3yo c – Semple – McKenzie
Boboman – 6yo c – Mandella – Wertheimers –
Boca Grande – 3yo f – McGaughey – Phipps –
Bob & John – 4yo c – Baffert – McNair –
Bordonaro – 6yo g – Spawr – Carrillo or Cassella –
Boscobel – 3yo c – Johnston – Darley – break
Brass Hat – 6yo – Bradley – Bradley –
Bright One - 4yo c – Romans –
Brillant – 4yo c – Howard – Mill House
Brother Derek – 4yo c – Hendricks – Peacock – out until 2008
Buffalo Man – 3yo c – Ol Memorial Stable – Gambolati –
Burmilla – 4yo f- Hardy – Darley – Ballerina – Saratoga – August 26
Can’t Beat It – 4yo c – Wolfson – Live Oak –
Caradek – 6yo c – Suroor – Godolphin
Cesare – 6yo g – Fanshawe- Cheveley Park Stud – Celebration Mile – Goodwood – August 25 – then QE II Mile – Ascot – September 29
Chatain – 4yo c- Penna – Lazy F Ranch – BC Dirt Mile – Monmouth – Oct 26
Chelokee – 3yo c – Matz – Centennial -
Circular Quay – 3yo c – Pletcher – Tabor –
Citronnade – 4yo f – Frankel – Stronach –
Cobalt Blue – 3yo c – Doug O’Neil – Estate of Merv Griffin-
Cockney Rebel – 3yo c- Huffer – Cunningham – QE II Mile – Ascot – Sept 29 – then Champion Stakes – Newmarket – Oct 20 or BC Mile – Monmouth – Oct 29
Colinda Verde – 4yo f – Drysdale – Team Valor – Late summer –fall campaign – Brazilian TC winner
Collier Hill – 9yo g – Swinbank – Hall, Crowe, Abell – will train up to Irish St. Leger – main goal is to defend Canadian International 2006 win
Commentator – 5yo c – Zito – Farmer – Forego – Saratoga – Sept 1
Corinthian – 4yo c – J Jerkins – Centennial – Woodward – Saratoga – Sept 1
Cosmonaut – 5yo h- Biancone – Flying Zee –
CP West – 3yo c – Zito – Farmer – Travers – Saratoga – August 25
Creachadoir – Suroor – Godolphin – likely to be rested for Dubai meeting
Curlin – 3yo c –Asmussen - Stonestreet & Padua – Jockey Gold Cup – Belmont – Sept 30
Daiwa Major – 6yo h – Uehara – Oshiro
Danak – 4yo c- Oxx – Aga Khan – Irish Champion Stakes – Leopardstown – Sept 8 or Hong Kong Cup – Sha Tin –Dec 9
Darjina – 3yo f – Royer Dupre – Princess Aga Khan – Prix de l’Opera – Longchamp – October 7
Dark Islander – 4yo c – John Hills –
David Junior –5yo c- Brian Meehan –
Devil’s House – 3yo f – Gestes – William Stiritz
Diabolical – 4yo c- Klesaris – Puglisi Stables & Klesaris – Vosburgh – Belmont – Sept 30
Diamond Stripes –4yo g- Dutrow – Four Rose – Woodward – Belmont – Sept 1 or Brooklyn – Belmont – Sept 22 or JC Gold Cup – Belmont – Sept 30
Discreet Cat – 4yo c – Suroor - Godolphin – working for Fall campaign
Dixie Meister – 5yo g – Canani – Tanaka –
Dominican – 3yo g – Miller – Silverton Hill –
Dreaming of Anna – 3yo f- Catalano – Calabrese- Pucker Up – Arlington – Sept 8
Dream Rush – 3yo f – Violette – West Point- Breeders Cup F&M Sprint – Monmouth – Oct 26
Dutch Art – 3yo c- Chapple-Hyam – Roy & Cheveley Park Stud – Haydock Sprint Cup – Sept 8
Dylan Thomas – 4yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore – Prix d l’Arc de Triomphe – Longchamp – Oct 7
Eagle Mountain – 3yo c- O’Brien – Coolmore –
Echo of Light – 5yo h – Suroor – Godolphin –
Einstein – 5yo h – Pitts – Midnight Cry
English Channel – 5yo c – Scatuorchio – Pletcher – Man o’ War – Belmont – Sept 8 or Hirsch – Belmont – Sept 30
Ermine – 4yo f – Werner – Oxbow – break in training
Excellent Art – 3yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore – Moulin – Longchamp – Sept 9 or QE II – Ascot – Sept 29
EZ Warrior – 3yo c- Baffert – Zayat – King’s Bishop – Saratoga – August 25
Fabulous Strike - - Beattie – 4yo c – Teddy Drone – Forego – Saratoga – Sept 1
Fast Parade – 4yo g – Miller- Barbers –
Fed Watcher – 2yo c – Violette – Saratoga 2yo campaign
Finsceal Beo – 3yo f – Bolger – Michael Ryan – Matron – Leopardstown – Sept 8
First Defence – 3yo c – Frankel – Juddmonte – King’s Bishop – Saratoga – August 25
Folk – 3yo f – Albertrani – Hamdan Maktoum – Alabama – Saratoga – August 18
Forever Together – 3yo f – Sheppard – Augustin Stable -
George Washington – 4yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore – Juddmonte International – York – August 21 or QE II Mile – Ascot – Sept 29
Germance – 4yo f – Rouget – Radwan –
Get Ready Bertie – 3yo f – Flint – Klein –
Ginger Punch – 4yo f- Frankel – Stronach – Ruffian – Belmont – Sept 8
Glacken’s Gal – 2yo f – Pletcher – Let’s Go Stable–
Gold Coyote – 2yo g – Calhoun – C. Scharbauer Jr. – Arl-Wash Futurity – Sept 1
Grand Couturier – 4yo c- Ribaudo – Keller -
Great Hunter – 3yo c – Reddam – O’Neill
Half Ours – 4yo c – Pletcher – Aaron Jones – injured out indefinitely
Haradasun – 4yo c –Vasil - Coolmore et al –Bletchingly –Long Term Goal - Cox Plate –Moonee Valley - Oct 28
Hard Spun –3yo c - L. Jones – Fox Hill – King’s Bishop – Saratoga – August 25
Henrythenavigator – 2yo c- O’Brien – Coolmore – Champagne – Doncaster – Sept 15
High Finance – 4yo c – Violette – West Point – Forego – Saratoga – Sept 1
High Heels – 3yo f – Hartlage – Anita Ebert
Honey Ryder – 5yo m – Pletcher – Glencrest –
Idiot Proof – 3yo c- Sise – Wygods -
Indian Flare – 4yo f – Frankel – Juddmonte – Ballerina – Saratoga – August 26
Indian Vale – 5yo m – Pletcher – Melynk -
In Summation – 4yo c – Clement – Waterford Stable -
Irridescence –6yo m – Arnold – Royal Lantern Stable -
Jambalaya – 5yo g – Day-Phillips – Kingfield – Man o’War – Belmont – Sept 8 or Sky Classic – Woodbine – Sept 23
Jazil – 4yo c – McLaughlin – Maktoum - Injured
Jeremy – 4yo c – Stoute – Elizabeth Moran
Joint Effort – 4yo f – D Romans – Dizney –
Jump On In – 3yo f – Sadler – CRK Stables –
JZ Warrior – 2yo f – Mott – Zayat – Spinaway – Saratoga – Sep 2
Karen’s Caper – 5yo f – Stonerside –Frankel
Kastoria – 6yo m – Onyx – Aga Khan –
Kelly’s Landing – 6yo g – Kenneally – Summerplace Farm -
Kip Deville – 4yo c – R Dutrow – IEAH Stables –
Kodiack Kowboy – 2yo c – Asmussen – Saratoga Special – August 16
Lady Venice – 4yo f – Biancone – Schwartz – Beverly D –
Latent Heat – 4yo c – Frankel – Juddmonte –
Lattice – 3yo c – Mott – Dilschneider & Claiborne –
Lava Man – 6yo g – Doug O’neill – STD Racing – Pacific Classic – Del Mar – Aug 19
Lawman – 3yo c –Beguigne - Ciampi - – then Irish Champion – Leopardstown – Sept 8
Lawyer Ron – 4yo c – Pletcher – Hines Racing – Woodward – Saratoga – Sept 1
Lear’s Princess – 3yo f – McLaughlin – West Point – Alabama – Saratoga – August 18
Lewis Michael – 4yo c – Catalano - Calabrese –
Light Shift – 3yo f- Cecil – Niarchos Family – Nassau – BC F&M Turf – Monmouth – October 27
Liquidity – 3yo c – O’Neill – Reddam –
Listen – 2yo f – O’Brien – Derrick Smith – Debutante – Moyglare – Curragh – Sept 2
Mach Ride – 4yo c – Standridge – Rustlewood Farm – Vosburgh – Belmont – Sept 30
Magna Graduate – 5yo c – Pletcher – Elizabeth Alexander –
Mahler – 3yo c – O’Brien – Coolmore –
Maimonides – 2yo c – Baffert – Zayat – Hopeful – Saratoga – Sept 3
Mandesha – 4yo f – Royer Dupre – Princess Aga Khan – Prix Foy – Longchamp – Sept 16 – then Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – Longchamp – Oct 7
Magnificience – 3yo f – Headley- Sikura, Headley, et al- Injured – Santa Anita return
Manduro – 5yo h – Fabre – Baron George von Ullmann – Prix Foy – Longchamp – Sept 16 – then either Prix l’Arc de Triomphe- Longchamp – Oct 7 or BC Classic – Monmouth –Oct 27
Maraahel – 6yo h – Stoute – Hamdan Maktoum – Juddmonte International – York – August 21
Marchand d’Or – 4yo g – F Head – Giral – Haydock Sprint Cup – Sept 8 or Prix de la Foret – Longchamp – Oct 6
Master Command – 5yo c – Aaron Jones – Pletcher –
Meisho Samson – 4yo c – Takahashi – Matsumuto – Arc de Triomphe – Longchamps – October 7
Meteor Storm – 8yo h – Dollase – Horizon Stable -
Michael Lewis – 4yo c – Catalano – Calabrese -
Midnight Lute – 4yo c – Baffert – Pegram –Strub – Injured
Minted – 2yo c – Fabre – Aga Khan – Prix de la Rochette – Longchamp – Sept 9
Mistical Plan – 3yo f – O’neilll – Reddam
Molengao – 6yo h – Lobo – TNT Stud – Pacific Classic – Del Mar – August 19
More Happy – 2yo f – Baffert – Zayat – Adirondack – Saratoga – August 15
My Typhoon –5yo m - Mott – Live Oak –
Nannina – 4yo f- Gosden – Cheveley Park Stud –
Nashoba’s Key – 4yo f – Gaines – Williamson Racing –
Natagora – 2yo f – Bary – Friborg – Prix Morny – Deauville – August 19
Nobiz Like Showbiz – 3yo c – Tagg - Valando – BC Mile Dirt – Monmouth – Oct 26 or Hollywood Derby – Nov 25
Notional – 3yo c – O’neilll – Reddam – Injured – Malibu – Santa Anita – Dec 26
Notnowcato – 5yo c - Stoute – Rothschilds – Juddmonte International – York – August 21
Obrigado – 4yo c – Drysdale -
Octave – 3yo f – Pletcher – Dogwood – Alabama – Saratoga – August 18
On the Acorn – 6yo g – Indizguys Stable – Mitchell – Return for winter campaign at Santa Anita
One Hot Wish – 2yo f – W. Ward –Tanklage & Ward –
Out of Control -4yo c – Frankel – TNT Stud –
Panty Raid – 3yo f – Pletcher – Glencrest – Alabama – Saratoga – August 18
Papi Chullo – 5yo h- Contessa - Winning Move et al – Iselin – Monmouth – August 18
Passage of Time – 3yo f – Cecil – Juddmonte – Juddmonte Internatioanl - York – August 21 or Yorkshire Oaks August 22 or Prix Vermeille -Longchamp – Sept 16 or Prix de l’Opera or Prix l’Arc de Triomphe – Longchamp – Oct 7
Patriot Act – 5yo h – Howard - Farrish – Ben Ali –
Peeping Fawn – 3yo f- O’Brien – Coolmore – Yorkshire Oaks – August 22 or Irish Champion – Leopardstown – Sept 8 or Prix Vermeille – Longchamp – Sept 16
Point Determined – 4yo c- Baffert – Lewis Trust –
Pop Rock – 6yo g – Sumii – Katsumi
Political Force – 4yo c – A Jerkins – Joseph Allen – Woodward – Saratoga – Sept 1 or possibly Iselin – Monmouth – August 18
Precious Kitten – 4yo f – Frankel – Ramseys -
Premium Tap – 5yo c- Kimmel – King Abdullah bin Aziz – Saudi Arabia campaign
Price Tag – 4yo f- Frankel – Juddmonte – Palomar – Del Mar – Sept 1
Proud Tower Too – 5yo h – S Gonzalez – Tricar Stables – injured – out for 6 months
Quijano – 5yo g – Schiergen – Fahrhol
Rags to Riches – 3yo f- Pletcher – Smith & Tabor – Ruffian – Belmont – Sept 8
Ramonti – 3yo c – Suroor – Godolphin – QE II Stakes – Ascot- Sept 29
Ravel – 3yo c – Pletcher – Smith & Tabor – out of training until June
Ready’s Image – 2yo c – Pletcher – Scatuorchio – Hopeful – Saratoga – Sept 3
Red Evie – 4yo f – M. Bell – Neill –Hungerford – Newbury – August 18 or Matron – Leopardstown – Sept 8
Red Giant – 3yo c – Pletcher – Peachtree Stable -
Red Rocks – 4yo c – Meehan – Reddam – Irish Champion – Leopardstown – Sept 8 and/or BC Turf – Monmouth – Oct 29
Remarkable News – 5yo c- Angel Penna – Rincon – Red Bank Handicap – Monmouth – Sept 1 –or Woodbine Mile – Sept 16
Rio De La Plata – 2yo c- Suroor – Godolphin – National – Curragh – Sept 16 or Lagardere – Longchamp – Oct 7 or Dewhurst – Newmarket – Oct 30
Rob Roy – 5yo – Drysdale – Newton
Rondo – 4 yo c – Suroor – Godolphin –
Royal Highness – 4yo m – Clement –
Safari Queen – 5yo m – Pletcher – Arindel Farm –
Sakhee’s Secret – 3yo c – Morrison – Swire – Haydock Sprint Cup – Sept 28 – then Prix de L’Abbaye – Longchamps – Oct 7
Salute The Sarge – 2yo c- Guillot – Southern Equine Stable – Del Mar Futurity – Sept 5
Satwa Queen – 5yo m - Roualle -
Scorpion – 5yo h- O’Brien – Coolmore –
Shakespeare – 6yo h – McLaughlin – Dell Ridge Farm – Baruch – Saratoga – August 25
Shamdinan – 3yo c – O’Neill – Triple B Farm – Del Mar Derby – Sept 3
Showing Up – 4yo c – Barclay Tagg – Jacksons – injured – out indefinitely
Sightseeking – 3yo c – McGaughey – Phipps – Travers – Saratoga – August 25
Silent Name – 5yo c – Gary Mandella –Stronach & Wertheimer
Silkwood – 3yo f – Jarvis – Darley – Yorkshire Oaks – York – August 22
Silver Wagon – 6yo h – Dutrow – Four Roses – Out until 2008
Simply Perfect – 3yo f- Noseda – Derrick Smith – Sun Chariot – Newmarket – October 6 – EP Taylor – Woodbine – Oct 21
Sir Greenley – 5yo c- Jerkins – Sport Page – training at Saratoga
Sixties Icon – 4yo c – Noseda – Susan Roy –
Sky Conqueror – 5yo c – Banach – Sorokolit –
Smokey Stover – 4yo g – Gilchrist – Aleo –
Soldier of Fortune – 3yo c – Coolmore – O’Brien –St. Leger – Doncaster – September 15Soviet Song – 7yo m – Fanshawe – Elite Racing Club
Spring at Last – 4yo c- O’Neill – Reddam – Sidelined with bone chip
Stage Gift – 4yo c – Suroor – Godolphin – Juddmonte International – York – August 21
Stoneside – 3yo c – J Canani – Naify – Del Mar Derby – Sept 2
Stormello – 3yo c – Currin – Currin – Stephens – King’s Bishop – Saratoga – August 25
Street Sense – 3yo c – Nafzger – Tafel – Travers – Saratoga – August 25
Subtle Aly – 2yo f- Dutrow – IEAH Stable – Spinaway – Saratoga – Sept 2
Sugar Shake – 4yo f – Frankel – Stronach – Personal Ensign – Saratoga – August 24
Surf Cat – 5yo c – Headley – Naify & Headley – O’Brien – Del Mar – August 19
Summer Doldrums – 3yo c- Violette – Klaravich –
Sun King – 5yo c – Zito – Farmer – Woodward – Saratoga – Sept 1
Sunriver – 4yo c- Pletcher – Aaron Jones – Man o’War – Belmont – Sept 8 or Hirsch Turf Classic – Belmont – Sept 30
Sweetnorthernsaint – 4yo c – Tombetta – Balsamo & Theos
Sweet Return – 6yo h – McAnally – Red Oak –
Take D’Tour – 6yo m– Fawkes – Muller – Ruffian – Belmont – Sept 8 – then BC Distaff – Monmouth – Oct 27
Takeover Target – 8yo g – Joe Janiak – Austrialian races
Tariq – 3yo c – Chapple-Hyam – Homeizi & Sagar –QE II – Ascot – Sept 29
Teammate – 4yo f – A Jerkins – Allen -
Teuflesberg – 3yo c –Sanders - Singer et al – King’s Bishop – Saratoga – August 25
The Leopard – 2yo c – Pletcher – Saratoga campaign
Thor’s Echo –O’Neill - Sheikh Rashid –
Three Valleys – 5yo h – Frankel – Juddmonte
The Tin Man – 9yo g – Mandella – Todds –
Tiago – 3yo c – Shirreffs – Moss – Travers – Pacific Classic – Del Mar – August 19 or Pennsylvania Derby – Philly Park – Sept 3
Tiz Wonderful – 3yo c – Asmussen – Stonerside – Travers – Saratoga – August 25
Turbo Linn – 4yo f – Swinbank – Nelson – Geoffrey Freer Stakes – Newbury – August 17 – then Park Handicap – Stockholm Cup – Taby – September 9
Unbridled Belle – 4yo f – Pletcher – Team Valor -
Unbridled Express – 3yo c – Flint
Utopia – 7yo h – Suroor – Godolphin – Minor injury out indefinitely
Vacare – 4yo f – Clement – Kellys – Ballston Spa – Saratoga – August 23
Vadapolina – 3yo f – Fabre – Aga Khan – Prix Vermeille – Longchamp – Sept 16
Valbenny – 3yo f – Gallagher - Wellmann – Del Mar Oaks – August 18
Vengeance Of Rain – 7yo g – Ferraris – Chow -
Visionario – 3yo c – Fabre – Aga Khan -
Wait a While –4yo f – Pletcher – Arindel Farm – Ballston Spa – Saratoga – August 23
Wanderin Boy – 6yo h – Zito – Arthur Hancock – Woodward – Saratoga – Sept 1
What a Tale – 3yo c- Biancone
Wild Desert – 5yo c – Borislow – Dutrow -
Wild Fit – 4yo f – Patrick Biancone –
Winker Watson – 2yo c – Prix Morny – Deauville – August 18
Wordly – 3yo g –Ben Cecil - Christopher Wright –
Yeats – 6yo h – O’Brien – Coolmore – Summer break- return perhaps in Irish St. Leger – Leopardstown – Sept 15 – then Melbourne Cup – Flemington – November 2
You’resothrilling – 2yo f – O’Brien – Coolmore – Moyglare Stud Stakes – Curragh – Sept 2 – then Cheveley Park – Newmarket – Oct 5
Youzmain – 4yo c – Channon – Jaber Abdullah – Grosser Preis von Baden – Baden Baden – Sept 2 – then Arc de Triomphe – Longchamp – Oct 7
Zada Belle – 3yo f – Harty – Godolphin – 3yo campaign
Zambezi Sun – 3yo c – Bary – Juddmonte – Prix Niel – Longchamp – Sept 16 –then Arc – Longchamp – Oct 7
Zanjero – 3yo c – Asmussen – Winchell –

Arlington delayed by Tornado Warning

Omen? Arlington Park's card on Wednesday was delayed for more than thirty minutes today due to severe weather hitting the area. This just happened to be the day that Arlington switched their television coverage from TVG to HRTV - owned in part by Arlington's parent company Churchill Downs.

Perhaps the Gods have DirecTV like I do and were annoyed by the switch. Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

It was a nice gesture for track President Roy Arnold to get on the public address system and the simulcast feed to thank everyone for their patience during the delay. I haven't seen that very often.

Zayat $4.6 million yearling wins by 11

Maimonides - 2 year old colt by Vindication - trained by Bob Baffert won the 2nd race easily by 11 lengths today in his first appearance on a racetrack. The colt was sold at the Keeneland September sales last year for $4.6 million. He was part of the Zayat stable that was shipped by his owner - Ahmed Zayat - from Del Mar to Saratoga after the trainer and owner both expressed their disenchantment with the slowness and condition of the new Polytrack racing surface.

I've been following racing in the UK closely this summer and one of the great things about racing there is that whenever you see a performance like this - an impressive win by a 2 year old - the bookmakers will immediately issue odds on the horse for the classic races in the next year. The odds are usually absurdly low - from 10-1 to 20-1 - and ante post betting is usually a sucker's game. But it does keep the faithful always thinking about the future and reminds you of the sporting aspect of the game.

It would be nice if American horseplayers could have a similar outlet to bet the 2008 Kentucky Derby at this point. There may be a few off-shore sites that do quote odds on the Derby at this point of the summer but I am not aware of any of them.

The Race Book at Turfway Park

I try to visit all the local racetracks and off-track racing facilities when I travel. Today I am at The Race Book at Turfway Park in Florence, KY. All the customers are placed in the basement of the facility with very little natural light. Television monitors are no bigger than 28 inches in any part of the building that I have seen. There is Wi-Fi access but very few electrical outlets in the area that I am sitting in. As usual, the smell of smoke if prevalent in every area you sit in and non-smoking signs are routinely ignored.

Simulcasting has been around for about 25 years now. Most of the places are still just a few notches above a New York City OTB parlor - the rock bottom of betting accommodations that I have ever witnessed. When you walk into such a place for the first time, I can't imagine what a person would think of such a dive.

I actually did take a newbie into an off-track facility near the Tri-Cities area on the Tennessee-Virginia border. The place was another dump and there was the usual screaming and pounding on the tables by the few souls occupying the place. She was obviously not impressed.

With the expansion of account wagering combined with TVG and HRTV in the past 10 years, I don't expect that the racing industry will ever get the "simulcast facility" concept right. Is it too much to ask for a clean, comfortable, well-ventilated environment with some of the newest LCD monitors to show the races? Canterbury - my home track in the Twin Cities - has done a good on this as I have seen by adding some larger monitors for the live meet. Makes it very easy to follow what is going on during the live racing. I know there are others - Delaware Park's Wall of Racing is very impressive.

This maybe a global situation - I haven't visited the betting shops in the UK for awhile and my recent visit to Paris did not produce much hope there either. Maybe when so many of these places quit requiring an admission fee that they begin their decline. But I keep hoping when I travel that I will find a Clean, Well-Lighted Place to play the horses.

Handle Totals Don't Matter - Churchill

http://www.drf.com/news/article/87414.html

In another sign of how the racing industry is slowly fading into oblivion, Churchill Downs has decided to discontinue releasing betting handle numbers at the end of each meetings saying they are no longer "key metrics" for the success of its organization.

I hope the financial analysts rip Churchill to shreds for this actions. They have a point to make - handle numbers need to be analyzed for the overall impact on the track's bottom line. But to not release these numbers shows how completely untrustworthy and cynically deceptive this industry is on its current state. The industry is no longer "maintaining" as it has been through the movement of handle ontrack to off-track but is now in fact "shrinking".

You can't trust this industry to do anything right - control their drug program, collaborate to promote the sport's best events, recognize and publicize the great history of the sport, and now to publish accurate numbers on betting handle. It is truly disgraceful.

David Jacobson story - NY Post

Here is link to Ed Fountaine's story on trainer David Jacobson - son of famous trainer Buddy Jacobson.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07272007/sports/jacobson_back_at_spa_sports_ed_fountaine.htm

Del Mar v Saratoga

Saratoga had an average field of 10 horses per race on today's 10 race card with Del Mar averaged 7.5 on their 8 race card. Perhaps Polytrack will equal these numbers up as the summer goes along. Saratoga is filled with horses ready to run at the beginning of the meet. Four winners had their last race at Churchill Downs including Subtle Aly winning the 89th edition of the Schylerville. DRF reported that trainer Dutrow had never even seen the horse before visiting the paddock prior to the race - one of his two winners on the day. Stanley Hough - as usual on opening day per my memory - won a 2 year old race. The most interesting story is trainer David Jacobson winning the 6th race claimer - he is the son of infamous trainer Buddy Jacobson. I'm sure there will be a story in the New York papers or DRF in the next few days on this angle.

TVG on FOX Sports Net channels

Opening day at Saratoga was featured on Fox Sports New York this afternoon for an hour of programming by TVG. I have DirecTV's set of regional sports channels and TVG's programming is also frequently seen on other Fox regional sports channels across the country - especially in the Pacific Northwest - as well as their regular broadcasts on Fox sports channels in SoCal. You must commend TVG on their distribution prowess. Horse racing does not come close to the hours of programming that exciting sports like poker and ultimate fighting does but at least the Fox - TVG relationship is showing the sport much more frequently than any other time in the history of the sport. With the possible sale of Gemstar's (TVG's parent) assets, it is horse racing's best interests to contain this relationship. All the programming in the world is worth zilch without a distribution channel and I don't believe the internet as a sole platform is a viable option at the present time. Another hour of coverage is on tap on Thursday for the Sanford on Fox Sports New York.

Wagering Globalization Continues

The Las Vegas Dissemination Company announces they have secured to commingle pools with the Hong Kong Jockey Club for upcoming season beginning September 9 (September 8 in North America).

Will they offer both the Tierce (Trifecta) and the Trio (first three in any order)? I doubt it but this is great news for anyone wanting to bet into the gigantic Hong Kong pools.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/86997.html

The Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris is set to be run for 142nd time on a Holiday Saturday evening at Longchamp. It is Bastille Day in France - akin to July 4 in America. The renewal will be run at 12 furlongs and has enjoyed renewed interest in the past two years with the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) being run at a reduced 10 furlongs. Like many top races in the UK, Ireland, and especially France, five of the top stables of Europe - Coolmore, Juddmonte, Darley/Godolphin, the Aga Khan and the Niarchos family - look set to battle in out with their representatives in this race - Eagle Mountain (owned by Derrick Smith - part of the Coolmore confederation), Zambezi Sun, Airmail Special, Ashkazar, and Sagara respectively. There are also two German hopes - both withdrawn from the German Derby due to the turf condition - Axxos and Prinz. Alan Shuback had a nice story in last Sunday's DRF on the great history of the race.

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=86486&subs=0&arc=1

Who is the best now?

2006 Horse of the Year Invasor has been retired after an injury to his right hind leg discovered after a workout at Belmont Park in preparation for the Suburban Handicap.

Plunging Without Borders II:

48th running of the Takarazuka Kinen (Gr. 1) at Hanshin Racecourse goes to 6 year old Admire Moon over Meisho Samson with Pop Rock in 3rd. Here is comparison of results between Japan tote and American:

Japan USA

• Win $6.7 $9.5
  
• Exacta $31.80 $50
  
• Trifecta $155.70 $298.90

Magical weekend at Epsom sees the legendary trainer Henry Cecil return to Classic glory after a seven year drought by winning the Oaks on Friday with Light Shift and Saturday brought us jockey Frankie Dettori finally winning the Derby in his fifteenth try with an emphatic five length win on Authorized trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam who was enjoying his own redemption day. The stories about the winners contain the best characteristics of racing.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II witnessed Frankie's win today and could be seen cheering him into the winner's circle. Surely her thoughts must have drifted back to the week of her Coronation in the beginning of June, 1953. The Derby that year was moved from its usual Wednesday date to Saturday because of the Coronation. A huge crowd descended on the Downs to cheer the Queen's horse Aureole - one of the Derby favorites. But the Queen that day had to settle for the runner-up spot with victory going the legendary jockey Gordon Richards on Pinza. It was Richards first Derby victory after twenty-six losing mounts in the race and came within a week after the Queen had placed Richards on the list of people to be knighted. The Queen congratulated Richards in person after the race.

Link to BBC story with audio/video on Richards 1953 Derby win:http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/2003/06/sir_gordon_richards2.shtml

30 Years Down the Road

American Horse Racing's three week stint as a top-level sport came to an end at Pimlico on Saturday with Curlin's dramatic nose victory over Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. The sport will have gone 30 years without a Triple Crown champion when the series resumes next spring - not that this really matches that match in the wider scheme of where the sport is in the public eye.

The litany of the sports problems are well documented in the Letters to the Editor in the Sunday Daily Racing Form. The first letter describes the uncertainty with the movement from traditional dirt to synthetic surfaces, the abuse of drugs, high takeout, and the inability of account wagering operators to cooperate. The second letter complains about the high price tag in going to one of racing's best days - Breeders Cup - at Monmouth Park. The third letter details how the addition of slot machines has not significantly benefited the sport.

All true. I'd add a few more. The inability of major tracks to coordinate post times and standardize the reporting of wagering payouts. The lack of any creativity in the industry in the areas of new wagering ideas, gift shop promotion, and creating a sense of continuity and seasonality in the sport. The racing situation in the state of New York. The unwillingness to document and care about the great history of the sport in America.

Off the best time to be a racing fan in America, we now enter the summer doldrums until the start of Del Mar and Saratoga. The Belmont Stakes will be the 9th race on an excellent card on the 2nd Saturday of June in New York City.

During the next few weeks I'll explore my ideas for improving this situation - no spectacular silver bullet ideas - just common sense steps that the sport needs to take to maintain or regain its current dismal status in the consciousness of America.

Whatever you may think about Polytrack, you have to give Keeneland credit for installing Trakus and bringing the communication of the location of each horse in the race into the 21st century. Without question, Trakus should be implemented at every significant race track in the country. The improvement over the old manual system of reporting is tremendous.

From Bloodhorse on March 31, 2007:

Bob Evans - CEO of Churchill Downs -

"We're already at work trying to get DirecTV to pick up HRTV. Both the chairman of he board of Churchill Downs and I live in areas where there is no cable service, only satellite. And, we're both DirecTV subscribers now. If we can't get DirecTV to carry HRTV, we'll both have to switch to (the Dish Network) ourselves."

Let's hope so - your network becomes largely irrelevant as spring continues and HRTV's major tracks close until next winter.

Bridgejumpers at Gulfstream

Round Pound runs out at 2-5 in the Rampart at Gulfstream - taking with her 85% of the show pool and leading to show payoffs of 14.80 and 11.20 for the Hobeau horses who ran 1-3 - Miss Shop and Swap Fliparoo and 24 for Prop Me Up.

Horseplaying without Borders

Super Tuesday in Dubai

Discreet Cat scratched from the Burj Nahar due to high temperature - will train up to Dubai World Cup day according to trainer Saeed Bin Suroor.

Godolphin Blue strikes first win during Carnival with Mofarij easily winning the 2nd race

Plunging without Borders

Dividents for a denomination of 1 between North American pools and Japanese pools for February Stakes on Sunday, February 18:
NA Japan
Win Sunrise Bacchus 14 5.9
Show 2.8 2.2
Show Blue Concorde 1.9 2.0
Show Big Grass 38.1 5.9
Exacta 73.4 32.1
Trifecta 2002.6 542.1

I Wonder Why?

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud has renamed Premium Tap to now be called "Allam". He won the King's Cup at King Abdul Aziz racecourse in Janadriyah, near the capital Riyadh on Friday.

http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/master.sd?psection=racingpost.co.uk&page=News&category=Dubai%20International%20Carnival

He is expected next in the Dubai World Cup at the end of March. There is quite the rivalry between old and new money in the Middle East - the Abdullahs would certainly enjoy being presented the Dubai World Cup by the Maktoums.

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

April 18 - On this date in racing history - 1854 - Opening day of the spring meeting at the Union Course in New Orleans - at the corner of Gentilly and Bayou Roads (present site of the Fair Grounds).

December 29 - On This Date in Racing

1945 – Saturday – Santa Anita opens for first regular winter meeting in 5 years – Honeymoon with Johnny Longden up wins the Breeders’ Champion Stakes before a crowd of 45,212.

The Daily Racing Form used to carry a chart that showed all the biggest horses in the country and where they would be racing next based on the latest information available. They still do this for their Derby Trail reporting but do not provide similar information for other divisions of runners. Racing needs stars that fans can follow throughout the season so the Spirit will provide a list of some of the biggest current names in racing:

Commentator - Hal's Hope - Gulfstream - Jan 8
Ghostzapper - Metropolitan - Belmont - May 30
Kirkendahl - San Rafael - Santa Anita - Jan 15
Lost in Fog -Sunshine Millions Dash - Gulfstream - Jan 29
Rock Hard Ten - Strub Stakes - Santa Anita - Feb 5
Roses in May - Donn Handicap - Gulfstream - Feb 5
Second of June - Sunshine Millions Classic - Gulfsteam - Jan 29
Spanish Chestnut - San Rafeael - Santa Anita - Jan 15.
Sweet Catomine - Santa Ysabel - Santa Anita - Jan 9
Uncle Denny - Sham Stakes - Santa Anita - Feb 5
Yearly Report - Sunshine Millions Distaff - Santa Anita - Jan 29

Big day in California today with 233k carryover at Golden Gate and opening day of the Santa Anita meeting - the 70th anniversary of the track which opened on Christmas Day, 1934. The Grade I Malibu has a full field of 12 and features Grade II winners Quintons Gold Rush, Rock Hard Ten, and Love of Money. There is no racing in New York today.

Fusaichi Samurai - the $4 million dollar 2 year old - won his debut race at Hollywood Park effortlessly. Victor Espinoza - also the rider of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and sire of the colt - praised the winner in an "effusive" manner according to the LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-horse12dec12,1,3553817.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

I don't believe you could find a Derby Future Book with him not being one of the top favorites and his best price would not be above 10-1.

Winter Racing season begins

Back in the day, racing in the East always ended with a meeting held in either Maryland or the Washington D.C. area in late October or early November. Racing in the West (not California mind you) would also end by November 1. Winter racing was located in New Orleans, California, and exotic locales like Havana and Juarez. There were also the infamous "Merry-Go-Round" tracks of Guttenberg and Gloucester in New Jersey which ran all winter racing that led to the establishment of the Jockey Club organization. The opening of Hialeah (and eventual success after initial failure) in 1925 began the improvement of winter racing and subsequent reopening of racing in California in the early 1930's and the training of Kentucky Derby winner Lawrin in Florida in 1938 all led to the winter racing environment that racing currently operates in.

Winter racing is still obviously a few notches below the summer season. Gulfstream, Santa Anita and Fair Grounds are the premier winter tracks - Turfway and Aqueduct are in the 2nd tier of winter racing.

Racing on the Radio

Thoroughbred Digest with Jay Privman - 10-11:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on www.1540theticket.com

Felix Taverna - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on www.kogo.com

Breeders' Cup Day 2004

Other than the Mile when Singletary won at 15-1, it's been a formful day for the Breeders' Cup races at Lone Star today.

Ooops....Wilko from the UK just pulled off the Juvenile at 28-1 - that will make for at least a $1 million dollar Pick-6 payoff if anyone hits it. Roman Ruler - Baffert's star - ran like a bum.

The Fair Grounds 2003-2004 season ended on Sunday. The usual array of bad results (i.e. declines in both handle and attendance) was served along with a platter of excuses (it rained on big racing days) and rays of hope in all the darkness. The hopeful factoid was a bit of a reach - highest combined attendance for FG Oaks, Louisiana Derby, and New Orleans Handicap days since the track's grandstand was rebuilt and reopened in 1997.

Visiting New Orleans in December provided a rather stark picture of 21st century racing in the Crescent City. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be invisible. I never found a newsstand or other outlet selling a Daily Racing Form or track program after searching throughout the downtown/French Quarter area (the FG web site does say they exist). The track itself is wonderful - the grandstand is centered around the multi-leveled paddock area. There are well-kept displays on the history of the Fair Grounds and its place in American racing. The neighborhood around the facility is a little "edgy" at night - you will not see Fair Grounds going to any sort of "twilight racing" anytime soon. But to anyone familiar with the history of racing of New Orleans - Metairie, Colonel Bradley, the continuous tradition of opening the season on or about Thanksgiving - it was sort of letdown, a feeling that is was in the past and future would be rather dismal and slotty.

I don't know why there isn't an teletheatre in downtown New Orleans - maybe it's a political thing. Walking through the French Quarter, there was one bar showing the feed from the track. You would think a wide-open, fun-loving section like the Quarter would welcome off-track betting with open arms.

A few final notes on poor, bankrupt Fair Grounds. The on-track handle is a measly 5.5% of overall handle - this number must be one of the lowest on-track handle percentages in North America. In 1949 - 55 years ago - the New Orleans Handicap was won by My Request on March 12 in front of 10,500 with a handle of $392,908. A week later, a crowd of 9,820 saw Joe. W. Brown's Rockwood win the Louisiana Derby with a handle of the day of 375,474. 55 years ago - these two days easily surpassed the 14,160 that witnessed the three spotlight events at the track this year and though I don't have the handle numbers for these two days this year, I would bet that the 1949 handle beat the 2004 handle. Very sad indeed.

When Senator Kefauver's Crime Committee visited the city in January, 1951, New Orleans Mayor de Lesseps Morrison testified that at one-time in his city "you could walk the five block stretch on St. Charles Street from Canal to City Hall and never miss the results of a single race from the loudspeakers which blared through the open doorways of the bookie parlors." Aside from an occasional television set in the Quarter, you would never have known Fair Grounds even existed in the business and tourist center of town.

Storm Flag Flying - BC Fillies 2002 winner - ran 3rd to Randaroo in the Distaff Breeders' Cup Handicap at the Big A on Saturday. Based on Shug McGaughey's comments on DRF.com, this might have been her final race. She has not been very impressive since the Breeders' Cup win.

Vazandar is now 7-2 to win the Minnesota Derby after his 3rd place finish in an Alw NW1X at Oaklawn.

Dubai World Cup update - final

American honor on the dirt is upheld with a stirring stretch battle with Pleasantly Perfect outdueling Medaglia D'Oro. Dubai Duty Free ends in dead heat between the German-trained Paolini and Right Approach bred by Her Majesty The Queen.

The advantages that Dubai has in offering this sort of 1-day event are:

1) Location - centrally located for the entire world - most everyone must travel which puts all on an even playing field.
2) Timing - Late enough in the year for the African/Asian/Australian season and not too early for the European season if you want to prep in France or Dubai. Also on the flip side of the calendar from the Breeders' Cup which gets virtually no representation from South Africa, Asia, and Australia.
3) Neutral track - a wide variety of races and surfaces give many opportunities on where to place a good horse
4) Money - The Maktoum family's resources have obviously made the event go.

Not sure if it would be that interesting an event to travel too since you would need to be on your mobile making bets the entire time but it looks rather cool on the tele.

Dubai World Cup - Update II

US sprinters still rule on Dirt - Our New Recruit and Alke run 1-2 inthe Golden Shaheen.

Polish Summer is produced on the outside from the Juddmonte/Fabre/Stevens combination and wins the Sheema Classic. Ken McPeek's Gulfstream shipper Hard Buck runs a credible 2nd. Mr. Abdullah did not seem to be on hand to accept congratulations from the Maktoums.

Dubai World Cup day has begun

During - Baffert/Mattress Mac horse - takes a big dump running sans drugs in the Godolphin Mile as the home team's Firebreak with Frankie D. up wins the first thoroughbred race on the card.

UAE Derby goes to the South Africans with Lundy's Liability - supposedly headed to Richard Mandella's barn after this win.

This really is a wonderful day of racing. Only significant drawbacks are the pervasive feeling that it is a "home horse" affair with the Maktoums - similar to old-time meetings in the US when the bookmakers owned both the racetrack and many of the horse running - and the absence of on-track wagering due to religious constraints in Dubai.

Last weekend on the Roger Stein show, Roger promised to reveal the story on whether or not SoCal trainer Frank Monteleone is a "snitch". Not sure what this may be about but Roger always makes things interesting every weekend.

Baltimore Sun published an article on Tuesday on efforts to build a racing/horse project near the former Havre de Grace racetrack - a lovely spot near the Chesapeake in Maryland.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-md.ha.racetrack16mar16,1,5415604.story

This is exactly what the sport needs right now - reconnecting with the past and certain areas' strong association with horse racing. Havre de Grace ran from 1912 to 1950 - usually running both a spring and fall meeting. Horses that ran there included Man O'War, Citation, and Seabiscuit. Fans and horseplayers travelled from across the East Coast to go racing there. The town is wonderful and going to the site of "The Graw", you can still the outlines of the track and I believe there are still portions of the grandstand seating on the site. The site is currently a Maryland National Guard maintenance facility.

Odds on Magna meeting pool guarantees today for Magna Pick Five (500k) and Santa Anita Pick Six ($1 million):

Both pools meets guarantees: 3-1
Magna Pick Five meets - SA P6 doesn't: 5-1
SA P6 does - Magna P5 doesn't: 8-5
Neither pool meets guarantees: 5-2

Another Loser for Lukas? The streak seeks to past the Joltin' Joe mark of 56 today with the following starters at Santa Anita:

Hasslefree in the 7th race
Arbitrate in the 8th race
Heroic Moment in the 11th race

Will the "perfect" season at Santa Anita for Mr. D. Wayne continue?

Big Cap Day at Santa Anita - One of The One Million Dollar Races

Will Lion Heart become Lion Tamer?

No, No Jeffrey - the story of Island Fashion

Pleasantly Perfect is out - Weak field remains