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.

Black Caviar - Undefeated Aussie Sprinting Mare

Black Caviar won the 57th Lightning Stakes at Flemington on Saturday to record her ninth win in nine career starts.

Racing and Sports Australia has a nice article on the Australian historical perspective of starting career with ninth successive victories

http://www.racingandsports.com.au/racing/rsNewsArt.asp?NID=201306&refID=598&tag=Lightning%20Stakes

I've never been to Australia but plan to go next spring (Australian spring) to witness the Melbourne Cup. Australia is the best country to visit that combines love of horse racing with love of gambling to produce a racing experience that is unrivaled in the world.

Edward Evans Day

The two sports that present the best stories about individuals are golf and horse racing. In horse racing, the stories are of both humans and equines.

One of the most notable parts of racing that has been lost in the past half-century - and there are many - has been the lack of homebred stables. Racing operations based on breeding horses and running them on racetracks instead of pointing the majority of horses towards commercial sale. The names of past legendary homebred racing stables are on lists of winners of every top race in North America - the Whitneys, Haggin, Calumet, Cain Hoy, Lucky Baldwin, Idle Hour Farm of Colonel Edward Riley Bradley, Darby Dan, Meadow, Overbrook, on and on. They have not all vanished - Breeders Cup Classic winner Blame is the latest of a long list of great horses bred by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider (who in turn was continuing in the tradition of her grandfather John Olin who won the Centennial Derby with Cannonade).

Edward (Ned) Evans carried on the tradition of his father Thomas Mellon Evans who won the 1981 Derby with the homebred Pleasant Colony. Ned Evans was quoted in Blood Horse in 2002 saying "My operation has always been separate, and I've been doing this for a long time." Thomas Mellon Evans - a cousin of another great breeder-owner Paul Mellon - was a legendary corporate raider of fifties and sixties and obviously Ned Evans wanted to be recognized for his own accomplishments. Evans had purchased Spring Hill Farm in 1969 and in earlier racing days he would have rightfully been called "The Master of Spring Hill Farm".

Ned Evans died on New Year's Eve at Mt. Sinai Hospital of leukemia at the age of 68. Today at Aqueduct, Dance Quietly - the first horse to run in Evans' familiar colors - Yellow, Black Diamond Hoops, Two Black Chevrons on Sleeves, Black Cap - since his death won the 38th running of the Busanda. Within the hour, a horse named My Uncle Ned - a homebred of Evans' brother Robert - won a maiden turf race at the Fair Grounds paying $24.80.

Two Year Old Race of the Century - Dewhurst at Newmarket

Unbeaten colts Frankel, Dream Ahead and Saamidd line up in today's mouthwatering 133rd renewal of the Dewhurst at Newmarket.

Racing Post's Tony Elves reports in his "View from the Gallops" column in Saturday's edition "I have seen a lot of gallops over the years, and the one that Frankel delivered last Saturday was breathtaking. He worked with an older horse and just blew him away."

Dewhurst goes at 9:25 a.m. Eastern time with the Champion Stakes next up at 10:00 a.m. on a superb Newmarket card of graded events.

DERBY DAY in North America

Derby Day across North America highlighted by the 31st runnings of both the Pennsylvania Derby (purse boosted to $1 million due to slot revenue) at the newly named Parx Racing and the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. Thoroughbred Legends wins their first major stakes race with 7-2 Morning Line wiring the field and holding on gamely to win by a neck over 8-5 favs First Dude (running 2nd or 3rd in his 6th consecutive Grade I or Grade II stakes) with a nose further back to Ned Evans' A Little Warm. Trainer Nick Zito takes his 3rd Pennsylvania Derby - tying record set by Woody Stephens - at the track where he won his first race when it was named Keystone. Adele Dilschneider's Apart takes the Super Derby as 5-2 2nd favs with a strong closing kick to win by a length and a half over Robert Evans' Distorted Economy. 40th Ontario Derby goes to 5-2 2nd favs Stately Victor for trainer Michael Maker who closes strongly to win by 3 1/2 lengths. 56th Pomona Derby at Fairplex goes to 2-1 2nd favs Bench the Judge under Martin Pedroza. 56th Kent Stakes at Delaware won by 19-10 favs Earle Mack's Grand Rapport who closes late to beat 5-2 2nd favs Workin for Hops by a half-length.

Monmouth Park revived the long dormant Garden State Stakes (Futurity) that was run for 40 years at extinct Garden State Park and has not been run since 1998. 7-1 Sweet Ducky under Joe Bravo wins the race on the Bill Daly by a half-length over 15-10 2nd favs Curlinello.

First Kent Stakes was run at Delaware Park on opening day at the inaugural meeting - June 26, 1937. Strabo won the first Kent - War Admiral was scheduled to run by was injured winning the Triple Crown in the Belmont three weeks prior. Total onsite handle at Del Park on their first day in 1937? 390k. Onsite handle today at Del Park (73 years of inflation later) - $145k (total handle on races was $1.3 million). Takeout in 1937? 7.5%. Takeout in 2010? 17% on WPS, 19% on Ex and 25% on rest. I know that onsite players have it a little easier - 10% take on exactas. But can you see what is going on here?

FRANKEL DOMINANT

The brilliant Juddmonte 2 year old colt Frankel trained by Henry Cecil and named for legendary trainer Bobby Frankel won the 64th Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot in dominating fashion today to stay undefeated in his third start and will go to the top of the bookmakers' lists for the 2000 Guineas and Derby along with Godolphin's top 2 year old Saamidd.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Preview Day

Le monde a lew yeux rives sur Longchamp. The French always put up a nice website for Arc day:

http://www.prixarcdetriomphe.com/

Today Longchamp hosts the the three main trials for the greatest European race. Alan Shuback - as always - has keen observations into these races and their history in producing Arc races:

http://www.drf.com/blogs/arc-trial-day-boom-or-bust

I was at Longchamp for Arc Preview day in 1999 and saw the great Montjeu win the Prix Niel in preparation for winning the big race three weeks later. It's a day that is much less stressful than Arc Day - the crowd is less than a quarter of Arc day so it's easier to navigate Longchamp and you can still see most of the horses that will run on Arc day. Similar to the October 2 Grade I bonanza of races at Belmont or Hollywood in anticipation of Breeders Cup.

Presque Isle Masters Day

Another day in North American racing when the largest purse is distributed by a slot-fueled racing operation where the attendance last night to witness Godolphin's Gayego win the 4th Presque Isle Mile was 916 with a whopping ontrack handle of $55,892. How they calculate attendance at a casino is beyond my knowledge. How long do you think this will keep going on in Pennsylvania?

Roger Stein says he has moved all his remaining horses up north to Golden Gate. Roger is training these from his bed anyways so it doesn't really matter where they are running. Roger used to be a bit of a force at Pomona back in the day. He still operates a decent racing radio show on Saturday and Sunday morning however. He doesn't pull punches and grills major racing figures.

ST. LEGER DAY at Doncaster

234th running of the World's Oldest Classic goes to Arctic Cosmos to give trainer John Gosden his 3rd victory in the race and jockey William Buick and investment banker Robin Geffen their first classic win at 12-1.

Godolphin's Saamidd looked very impressive under Frankie Dettori in winning the 178th Champagne Stakes. He will be among the top of the betting lists for the 2011 Classics along with the 2 year old that Juddmonte introduced on Friday at Donnie with a powerful win - Frankel. Classy folks to name one of their top 2 year olds after the legendary trainer who passed last fall.

Alan Shuback has a story up about this at DRF:

http://www.drf.com/blogs/bobby-frankel-favorite-epsom-derby

Why can you bet a $1 Exacta and a $1 Trifecta on the UK races on YouBet and not on TwinSpires where the minimum is $2? Stupid. Why didn't either site take the races from the Curragh that showcased two Group I races - the Vincent O'Brient National for 2 year olds and the Irish St. Leger? But they are going to show the races from the Curragh on Sunday. But never the races from France - especially on Sunday when they run the Arc Preview races.

Horse Racing - Newspapers - Boxing

There are many similarities between these three industries. Each "had their day" during the 19th and 20th centuries. Each has been in a state of decline for decades. All are threatened now in the 2nd decade of the 21st century. All are seeking to regain or hold on to prominence among the public that they once enjoyed.

In the first half of the 20th century, it would have been far fetched to proclaim that within the next half-century these industries would become obsolete. But they are all on the verge of being obsolete.

Baseball, radio, and poker are other industries that could have followed down this path. But each of these industries are thriving. They were on a path to decline but made changes that put them on a different path to growth and success.

Zenyatta goes for 18th consecutive win at Del Mar, Quality Road and Blame meet in the 83rd Whitney at the Spa

Potential Derby Storylines

1) D Wayne Lukas or Baffert winning their 5th Derby
2) Shannon Ritter becoming first female trainer to win Derby and 2nd straight year the Derby winner goes out of the Sunland Derby
3) One of the "other" Pletcher horses winning

Derby Trial Day

All times Central

3:50 p.m. 131st Withers - Aqueduct - D'Funnybone
4:17 p.m. 86th Derby Trial - Churchill
5:19 p.m. 14th Texas Mile - Lone Star
5:33 p.m. 21st Bosselman-Gus Fonner Stakes - Fonner
6:22 p.m. 61 st San Francisco Mile - Golden Gate

Illinois Champions Day at Hawthorne
Gold Rush Day at Hollywood
Arizona Breeders Day at Turf Paradise
Closing Day at Gulfstream Park
Opening Day at Hastings

This Day in Racing History – 100 Years Ago

 

They’re off at Juarez - opening day of racing at inaugural meeting of the Juarez Jockey Club at Terrazas Park. Pinkola wins the Chihuahua handicap in front of a crowd of 6,000. 7-1 Enfield takes the first race. Chicago Tribune reports that 30 poolrooms or bucketshops are taking the race reports and this earns the track 3k a day (this would continue to be the major revenue source for the track while it raced 8 winters during 7 of which Mexico was undergoing civil wars). Racing would be conducted on Sunday during the meeting. 

From the New York Sun – February,1914

"There is one permanent institution in Mexico, the Juarez race track. No matter whether the Federals or the Constitutionalists are in possession of the town the 'ponies' gallop around the circular track for purses, and the bookmakers give odds to gringoes and greasers alike."

Damon Runyon met his 2nd wife at the track.  The US army fought one of its final cavalry fights around the racetrack in 1919. 

Dog racing took over the facility but you can still  see the outlines of the track on Google maps.

http://wikimapia.org/1793183/Juarez-Racetrack-Driving-Range

Breeders Cup Thoughts

Coolmore's record is the Breeders Cup is quite poor - winning only 34% of the races that they should have. With favorites, they are even worst - 1 for 12. They may win a race over the two days but I have to look suspiciously on all of their favorites - from Lillie Langtry in the Juve Filly Turf to Rip Van Winkle in the Classic. Other habitual overbet horses come from Juddmonte (with the exception of the F&M Turf) and the barns of Todd Pletcher and Christophe Clement.

I'm going to concentrate on local SoCal trainers/runners - from Black Astor in the Marathon to Richard's Kid and Einstein in the Classic. I think the wild card is Godolphin - they have underperformed to date at Breeders but they have been very hot since the Saratoga meeting and are primed for a big effort this weekend.

Andy Beyer can still produce the fresh goods - his take on the BC Sprint in his preview column is a very contrarian look at this race http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110502549.html

Best stories would be Bobby Frankel winning any race, Bob Holthus training Pure Clan to victory in the F&M Turf, Presious Passion in the Turf and of course, Zenyatta in the Classic.

Friday's card looks to be a lot more chalky than Saturday - ending with an impressive victory by either Music Note or Careless Jewel or a great duel to the wire.

Betting Without Borders - 140th Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo

Company
Screen Hero
Vodka

All prices in denomination of 1

Win Prices
North America - 10.4
Japan - 11.5
Australia -Queensland Tab - 10.1

Exacta Prices
North America - 365.1
Japan - 292.7
Australia - Queensland Tab - 538.2

Trifecta Prices
North America - 862.8
Japan - 1021.10
Australia - Queensland Tab - 2002.9