Curb My Enthusiasm

Tracking the Pick 4

2009-06-30T04:34:00.001-04:00

I've been trackin my Pick 4 bets since the Preakness and my record isn't too good, this weekend we took a chance at the Iowa Festival of Racing and went 3 for 4 in those bets including a Pick 4 that paid almost $9K for 50 cents... that being said there always seems to be one horse that even in hindsight there is no way you would ever consider including...

Squatters!

2009-06-22T18:59:00.004-04:00

So to make a long story short, for a reason I've yet to figure out, my account did not renew with the domain company and someone purchased the web address out from under me, apparently choosing to mock-up a bad copy of my blog to post some really bad advertising.

So here we are, back where we started... although still trying to figure out what I'm going to do, I do still get a fair amoutn of hits through this since this is the initial web domain that I created the website through.

Charitable Man An Attractive Play

2009-06-06T14:25:00.005-04:00

While I'd certainly like to see Calvin Borel win the jockey triple crown aboard Mine That Bird, at the current even-money odds it's hard to bet the horse outside of a Pick 3 or 4. My Pick Four Partner and I are using him, along with Charitable Man, Dunkirk and Chocolate Candy in multi-race bets (Pick Four and Grand Slam).

At current odds of 5-1, Charitable Man, a son of Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, looks to be the straight play. I also really like the Zambezi Sun/Champs Elysees entry in the Manhattan, a race that we're going deep to find our value in Grand Slam and Pick 4 plays. In those wagers we are using:

Just a Game (GII): Forever Together, My Princess Jess
Woody Stephens (GII): Hull, Everyday Heroes
Acorn (GI): Justwhistle Dixie, Four Gifts
Manhattan (GI): Court Vision*, Zambezi Sun*, Gio Ponti, Cosmonaut, Cowboy Cal

We've also got a late Pick 4 bet at Churchill (we went 3 of 4 on the early P4), it's hard to stay away from those wagers for 50 cents.

*The half of the entry I like.

Slots likely to be part of debate in Ky Special Session

2009-06-01T08:36:00.005-04:00

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is calling the legislature back for a special 60-day session to address the state's near $1 billion budget shortfall (according to Beshear's estimate), and expanded race-track gaming will be on the table.

Much like the last year, expect the state House to be in favor of the issue, with an uphill battle in the Senate, with Senate President David Williams leading the opposition for race-track slots.

I'll expand on this more later today, until then, check out The Courier-Journal for more on slots (the first two of these were published in Sunday's paper).

Rachel Alexandra at 8-5 or better? That's a deal breaker ladies...

2009-05-16T12:05:00.000-04:00

While Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra is my pick to win today in the Preakness, she's by no means a stone-cold lock and I can't bet her at 8-5 outside of multi-race bets (that being said, I think she'll go off at even shorter odds closer to post time).

In addition to using her in our Pick Four, my Pick Four-partner and I are including Friesan Fire (6-1), Papa Clem (12-1), and Pioneerof the Nile (5-1), with zero plans to use Derby winner Mine that Bird (6-1).

I keep hearing the TVG and HRTV guys mention that no one has ever won the Preakness from further outside of Post 12, but does anyone know how many time the Preakness has had 13 or more starters? I don't have that info handy...

Singles
In the Preakness undercard, I think the horses worth considering as a single are Affirmatif (3-5) in the Woodlawn and Ravelo (3-1) in the Maryland Spring (GIII), which are both part of the late Pick 4.

Value
The long-shot special of the day is Out to Please (20-1) in the 6th race, a part of the early Pick Four.

ESPN Bumps Racing Coverage For A Replay of Poker?

2009-05-16T12:02:00.003-04:00

When news broke in April that ESPN would be cutting it's coverage of the Preakness undercard, I wondered what the worldwide leader would be showing instead... as it turns out, instead of showing live racing from Pimlico, they are showing a rerun of the 2008 World Series of Poker on ESPN and NCAA Lacrosse Quarterfinals on ESPN2.

Bumping the post position draw coverage makes sense, as those "events" never belonged on TV in the first place, and I even agree with cutting the Derby-day coverage to start at noon, but a replay of poker in place of any live racing on a Triple Crown undercard is a joke.

When ESPN took over the Breeders' Cup telecast, there was an expectation (and I think some early promises) that they would attempt to draw new fans to the sport.... I noted in 2006 my dismay with the fact that there were little-to-no promotions leading up to that year's Breeders' Cup broadcast... at the very least we can hope this is a decision based on the current economy, instead of a look at ESPN's long-term plans about not covering Triple Crown undercards.

Derby Winner Departs Churchill Today, Preakness Draw Tomorrow

2009-05-12T20:45:00.003-04:00

Trainer Chip Woolley loaded Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird onto a trailer this morning, and will behind the wheel of the Ford F-150 during the drive to Baltimore.

“I have about 115 gallons and hauling the trailer I get about 8 ½ miles a gallon,” Woolley said today from Churchill before departing. “This will be about like our first day coming here when we went from El Paso to Lone Star Park (in suburban Dallas ). We won’t need to stop for gas. When we stop to eat, I’ll open the top of the window and let him look out and take things in. He’s a good shipper. Nothing bothers him.”

According to the Churchill Press Release, the drive to Baltimore is expected to take Woolley 10-hours. I've made the drive from Louisville to Washington, D.C. many times, and it's just barely a 10 hour drive in a Honda Civic Hybrid that is NOT hauling a loaded horse trailer through the mountains of West Virginia and the Maryland.... good luck with the fog when you get to Frostburg.

Regardless, I wouldn't recommend asking Woolley about the drive, considering the way he reacted to NBC's Kenny Rice in his post-race interview.

I expect that we won't find out about if Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra will go in the Preakness until just before the post draw tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Kentucky Derby 2009: Can we try that again?

2009-05-03T21:30:00.010-04:00

When I was able to catch up with my Pick Four Partner on Sunday afternoon, we agreed that after today the 2009 Kentucky Derby should never be mentioned again... I think that's a rule for this blog too, with minimal mentions until the Preakness.

Today trainer Chip Woolley was noncommittal when asked about Mine That Bird going in the Preakness, saying a decision would come today or tomorrow. Just a note about history: we haven't had a Derby winner skip the Preakness since 1996, when Grindstone was injured.

“Me and the owners will meet and have a little discussion. It really wasn’t something that was on our radar, so we’ll decide on it. We were looking to run the horse farther anyway, so we’ll just have to see what it brings today," Woolley said.

Considering how Woolley acted in the post-race interview with NBC's Kenny Rice, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to skip the rest of the Triple Crown to avoid the spotlight. This guy was such an ass that he makes Steve Asmussen and Barclay Tagg look affable in comparison.

Either way, I'm okay no matter what Woolley and the rest of the connections decide about Mine That Bird's future. Is he destined to be remembered as one of the greats or is this just a dud Derby year? At least it's harder to forget Derby winners... quick, what was the name of the horse that beat Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes last year?

Several to skip the Preakness
Rumors from the Larry Jones barn are that they are crossing thier fingers that post-time favorite Friesan Fire (18th) will be able to go to the Preakness, as the horses was scratched up a bit on Saturday. No news on the plans for I Want Revenge, who scratched from the race ~~due to a drug test~~ with an injury, the early word was that trainer Jeff Mullins was leaning toward skipping the Preakness.

Also, Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra is probably going to target the Acorn and will not go in either the Preakness or Belmont. She is not nominated to the Triple Crown, which means it would cost a $100,000 to supplement her entry.

Trainers Bob Baffert (Pioneer of the Nile) and Derek Ryan (Musket Man) both said they would give their horses a couple of days before a decision was made on the Preakness. Of the top finishers on Saturday, only trainer Gary Stute would commit fourth place finisher Papa Clem to the race in Baltimore in two weeks.

"With a little luck, I think he could have been second,” Stute said. “We will probably stay here a few days but we will go to Baltimore when there is a flight. He may go back to the track here, but I want to get him to Pimlico and have a work over the track before the Preakness.”

Trainers that have indicated they will skip the Preakness include: Chocolate Candy (5th), Summer Bird (6th), Regal Ransom (8th), West Side Bernie (9th), General Quarters (10th), Hold Me Back (12th), Desert Party (14th), and Atomic Rain (16th).

Trainer Todd Pletcher was noncommittal about Join in the Dance (7th), Dunkirk (11th), and Advice (13th), although said he will send Take the Points, who skipped the Derby in favor of a Preakness start.

I figured that with a long-shot Derby winner coming from an off-track that there would be more Derby horses pointing to the Preakness, I still expect a full field, I guess most of those horses will come from races like the Withers, Lexington, and Derby Trial.

Race Callers
While I'm not going to beat up on Tom Durkin, but I can't go without mentioning his missed call in yesterday's race. With 19 horses to keep track of I think the guy gets a pass, I'm sure he mentally eliminated Mine The Bird after the horse fell to the back of the pack and was too busy focusing on the cavalry drive at the front of the pack as the eventual winner skirted through on the rail.

You can watch a replay on Churchill's website to hear new track announcer Mark Johnson's first Derby call -- he caught the winner a little earlier than Durkin (I like the way he says Papa Clem).

No Accidental Winnings This Year
In 1999, I placed an alcohol-induced $5 across the board on Charismatic from the Churchill Downs infield, and in 2005 a Laurel Park clerk made a mistake that left me holding a ticket for Giacomo (luckily I didn't realize the mistake until I was on my way out in the parking lot and was too lazy to go back to refund the bet). Too bad I didn't make any mistakes this year...

Breaking News: Scratch I Want Revenge

2009-05-02T08:40:00.005-04:00

News from Louisville is that the connections of I Want Revenge are going scratch the horse from the Derby during a news conference at 9 a.m.

No other information was available at this time. I hope the horse just have a fever and it's nothing to do with an injury. (Update 8:47 a.m.: Looks like it might be an injury).

I'm going to be on the road during the press conference, so check out The Courier-Journal for more information.

Speaking of the C-J, here is a story I wrote on Thursday about how to bet the Derby with just $25.

Kentucky Derby Day Selections

2009-05-02T06:33:00.002-04:00

In the Derby, it seems to me that if you liked Hard Spun two years ago (I did), after the way Friesan Fire has been training, you have to like this colt too. Of both of Sheikh Mo's horses, I like Regal Ransom after Desert Party drew gate 19. Horses to use in multi-race bets include Dunkirk, Papa Clem, General Quarters, and (sigh) I Want Revenge. I also like Summer Bird (50-1) to round out the superfecta. I want to like Pioneerof the Nile, but I think Colonel John soured me from last year.

Picking up the card during the second Pick Four:

Race 4: 1 1/16 Miles 3yo+ $50K Allowance
I don't mind Northern Prince (2-1) coming off of the short layoff, and like the trainer wins 23% of the time in those conditions, however at these odds I only like him to include in Pick 3s and 4s, not to bet to win. Glenwood Canyon (5-2) seems like a logical second choice as he has raced well at this distance and over the Churchill dirt, but lackluster workouts leave me scratching my head. If you think that Magenta Light (AUS) (20-1) can transfer from synthetic-to-dirt then he offers great value at this price, at the very least he's worth including in exotics.

Race 5: 1 Mile Turf, 3yo+ 80K Optional Claimer
I think pulling back to eight panels is just what Why Tonto (7-2) needs and like him to end up on top here, would have expected him to be the top choice. Woodbourne (20-1) could be there in the end considering how well he ran at The Fair Grounds, the jockey/trainer numbers certainly made me look twice. Hold the Salt (10-1) has raced well at this distance, but the layoff could be a concern, nevermind that he's running for a tag -- even still, I like him to get a piece of the pie, but don't see him on top.

Race 6: The Churchill Downs (GII), 7 furlongs, 4yo+ $250,000
With the likes of Kodiak Kowboy (8-5) and The Roundhouse (12-1) this race is kind of like a look back at the colts from 2008 that didn't quite pan out as expected, all snark aside I like both of them coming off wins, although Kowboy certainly did see a much tougher field. Love the connections on Accredit (8-1) taking a recent $75K claim to Graded Stakes, trainer is 0 for 14 in graded stakes this year, is he due? Love the trainer/jockey percentages.

Race 7: The Eight Belles (GIII), 7 1/2 furlongs, 3yo $100,000
No matter what you think about the competition in this race, the Derby gods will make sure that Larry Jones wins this race, which means that Just Jenda (4-1) or Warrior Maid (10-1) are your plays -- I actually like the former anyway, considering her previous 6 furlong and mile efforts. I like Lady's Laughter (15-1) to improve second off the layoff and expect her to be able to move back to dirt easily.

Race 8: Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (GII), 1 mile turf, 3yo+, $200,000
I always have good luck with the Lemon Drop Kid mares on the grass and Lemon Chiffon (6-1) has won second off a layoff in two tries -- love this horse to click today. Visit (GB) (7-2) obviously improved last out after the layoff, perhaps the shorter distance today is exactly what she needs. Stealin' Kisses (20-1) managed to easily make it around the track after Mena fell off coming out of the gate, but how much did that race around the track take out of her last week? I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with her... there are many others to like here and would consider almost all in multi-race bets, with a nod toward Elusive Lady and Zee Zee

Race 9: Humana Distaff (GI), 7 furlongs, Fillies and Mares, 4yo+ $300,000
When you first see Informed Decision (9-5), who is 3 for 3 at this distance in her last 3 tries, including a win in the GI Madison, it is hard to go against her... And then you notice that Secret Gypsy (7-2) and Game Face (2-1) have had similar recent success, and it really looks like a toss up between these three.

Race 10: Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI), 1 1/8 miles turf, 3yo+ $500,000
Playing to beat the favorite (who should still be used in exotics and multi-race bets), I'll go for the Poudinsky (GER) (6-1) and El Caballo (12-1) duo who have both had recent success at this distance. Thorn Song (12-1) is worth a second look considering his success over the Churchill grass, too bad that on that second look you notice that he finished 6th in this race last year and looks to be on a downward spiral.

Race 11: The Kentucky Derby (GI), 1 1/4 miles, 3 yo, $2 million
Friesan Fire (5-1), Regal Ransom (30-1), and Papa Clem (20-1).

Will I Want Revenge Deliver?

2009-04-29T20:34:00.007-04:00

I'm not on the I Want Revenge bandwagon, and unfortunately don't think the favorite will deliver on Saturday. The horse ran an impressive race in his Wood Memorial win, but a hard run like that is a lot to ask a colt to come back from so early in the year.

Unfortunately, trainer Jeff Mullins' history doesn't help much either. After Mullins was caught milkshaking horses in California in 2005, his stable was placed in a 24 hour detention barn during which time he saw his win rate drop from 30 percent to about half of that. Will the same thing happen when his horse is under the drug testing scrutiny of the Kentucky Derby? I think so.

But it was 2005 when one of his horses tested positive for what a Santa Anita veterinarian said was the equivalent of feeding a horse a half a box of baking soda, so surely this guy has turned over a new leaf by now right? Wrong.

The day after the Kentucky Derby (convenient, no?) Mullins begins a seven-day suspension for giving a horse in the security barn over-the-counter drugs, a violation in New York state.

Race-day medication other than Lasix administered by a veterinarian is prohibited by New York state, never mind that giving horses any medication is prohibited in the security barn. However, always playing the role of the innocent guy, Mullins claims that he didn't break the rules and at the very least, someone should have warned him...

From the Washington Post:

"Trainers who wish to participate in New York racing are responsible for knowing our race day rules and our medication rules," Racing and Wagering Board chairman John D. Sabini said. "These sanctions should send a clear message that ignorance will never wash as an excuse."

Mullins said he was not questioned by NYRA security personnel while inside the detention barn. He didn't use it as an excuse but felt he should have been given a "heads up" by security if they felt he was committing a violation.

What? That's almost as bad has his claims that the 2005 positive Milkshake tests were due to a "feed" program...

Mullins from 2005: "There were a few of us caught with high TCO2 levels in their horses, but there was no one caught with a tube in their hand," Mullins said. "You've got to do everything you can to get your horse to perform. That's what people hire you for. Like a mechanic: He's going to take everything in his knowledge to get his car to run the best. We're going to do what we can to make these horses run without breaking any rules or getting anyone in trouble."

..."or getting anyone in trouble" doesn't mean following the rules, it just means not getting caught. If recent years are any indication, one can expect all Derby horses to be tested and only an idiot would have anything in a horses system that would result in a positive test... or a guy who thinks he can't get caught.

Pletcher Starts Three on Derby Day

2009-04-28T21:48:00.004-04:00

While not quite the five horses trainer Todd Pletcher started in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the three horses he will start this year still gives him the most horses of any trainer with Advice, Dunkirk and Join in the Dance.

His fourth horse that was a possible option, Take the Points, will target the Preakness.

"That race gives him two extra weeks, a shorter distance to work with and a track where we think his tactical style will work to best advantage," Pletcher said. "In the end, we just thought it was the right choice.”

Jockey assignments for the Pletcher trio include Edgar Prado on Dunkirk, Rene Douglas on Advice and Chris DeCarlo on Join in the Dance.

John Velazquez, who is a usual rider for Pletcher, will ride trainer Eoin Harty's long-shot Mr. Hot Stuff. That colt is a full brother Colonel John, Harty's Derby starter from last year.

Tuesday's Kentucky Derby Notes: Square Eddie Out, I Want Revenge Works

2009-04-28T21:17:00.007-04:00

Considering the problems that Quality Road has been having with his hooves since the Florida Derby, it was no suprise when trainer Jimmy Jerkins declared the horse out of the Derby, but the loss today of Square Eddie was somewhat unexpected.

Trainer Doug O'Neill said that he thought the colt came out of his work in good shape on Sunday, but ordered x-rays after heat was felt on the colt's left shin on Monday.

"The X-rays didn’t show anything, but that heat is there and Dr. (Mark) Cheney said it might be best not to take any chances; that we were probably looking at a sign of possible problems."

O'Neill said in the the end that he and owner Paul Reddam decided to err on the side of caution.

"Mr. (Paul) Reddam said ‘Do what’s in the best interests of Eddie,’ and that’s what we’ve done," O'Neill said.

Square Eddie suffered a small fracture in his left front leg following a workout in February in California. The colt will be shipped back to California next week, although there are no plans yet for a next race to target.

Dry Work for Probable Favorite
Although it was pretty wet in Louisville today, likely favorite I Want Revenge was able to get a workout in over a dry and fast Churchill track, working minutes before the heavy rain began to fall.

The Wood Memorial (GI) winner worked a four furlong bullet in :47.20 under jockey Joe Talamo with fractions of :11.40, :23.20 and :35.40.

“We got a great race track today, and we got to let him do what he normally does. I think we accomplished what we wanted to do today,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “We just wanted to see him moving forward and into the work and happy. He worked this morning like he normally does.”

“From the Gotham and even before that, we knew he was a pretty good horse. Obviously, in the Wood, that answered a lot of questions for everyone. To overcome a trip like that is just incredible,” Talamo said. “He’s so mature for his age. It’s hard to explain. He does everything so easily."

The statements about mature for his age are funny considering that they're from the also mature for his age Talamo, who is 19 and is preparing for his first Derby.

I'm no fan of I Want Revenge for several reasons (mostly because of Mullin's milkshake history), but more on that later in the week.

Kentucky Oaks Notes from Churchill Downs and (Odd) Kentucky Derby Odds

2009-04-28T20:38:00.009-04:00

While we wait for Derby odds, the Kentucky Oaks odds and post positions came out today and after drawing post position six, Rachel Alexandra was officially set as the 3-5 heavy favorite in the field of eight (it was no surprise). Expect more updates like this as the week progresses.

Rachel Alexandra is on a four-race win streak with jockey Calvin Borel having been aboard for all four wins. It looks like thunderstorms are expected on Oaks day (it always rains on Oaks Day), however, one of the wins for the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro came in the slop on March 14 in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), she won that race by 1 3/4 lengths even after being eased in the stretch.

“It rained all day there that day; it never stopped,” trainer Hal Wiggins said from Churchill Downs. “They kept the track in good shape and stayed on top of it. It wasn’t a deep slop that day.”

Wiggins seems to be comfortable with his filly's standing as the one to beat. During workouts this morning the trainer was standing at the gap by the clockers’ stand and trainer D. Wayne Lukas rode up on his pony to give Wiggins some grief.

“Hey Hal, your filly got a ‘2’ on the ‘Rag’ sheet yesterday,” Lukas said, referring to the :46.40 half-mile work put in by Rachel Alexandra on Monday.

“But I didn’t get a dollar for it,” Wiggins said with a laugh. “She’s got to do it in the afternoon.”

Justwhistledixie
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin's Justwhitledixie was set as the second choice on the morning line at 5-2, she will break from post five under jockey Julien Leparoux. The daughter of Dixie Union is in a five-race winning streak, this is her first race against favorite Rachel Alexandra. Her two most recent wins were at Gulfstream Park in the Davona Dale (GII) and Bonnie Miss (GII).

McLaughlin expects the pace to be solid in the Oaks, and he also expects favorite Rachel Alexandra to be doubly tough after watching her workout on Monday morning.

“She’s an amazing filly. You hear a lot about fillies taking on the boys in the Derby. This filly is probably that caliber,” he said. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us, but if we have our best day and she doesn’t, who knows? If we both have our best days, we might be in trouble. But we’ve won five in a row, so we’re happy with her.”

Odd Derby Odds
After the Derby post position draw mid-day tomorrow, we will get the official morning line odds set by Churchill Downs' Mike Battaglia... in the meantime, there are various Kentucky Derby betting options available, including some interesting bets that go further than the betting options for the race participants. Favorites include a series of bets about LeAnn Rimes, including betting on what color hat she will wear and an over/under on how long it will take her to sing the National Anthem.

Florida Polo Tragedy: 21 Horses Dead, Test Results Expected by Friday

2009-04-20T19:28:00.004-04:00

Here is an update on the strange case in which 21 horses died before a polo match in South Florida yesterday.

From CNN:

"At this time, there is no evidence that these horses were affected with an infectious or contagious disease, as there are no other horses affected at this time," according to Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesman Terence McElroy.

According to a report I heard on NPR the horses have been sent to two state facilities in Florida for necropsies -- results are expected by the end of the week. Hopefully the results will shed some light on what happened. It's good news that there is no urgent outbreak, lets hope the results are due to an unfortunate feed or medicinal mistake instead of something nefarious.

Churchill Downs shocker: 50 cent Pick Four

2009-04-17T14:53:00.005-04:00

I thought this day would never come... The bets are even available on
Oaks and Derby. Two good ideas in a month, up must be the new down. More later when I have time to update.

Update: The great idea I noted in the brief post above is the plan Churchill has to try-out three night racing dates this spring meet (no I wasn't talking about LeAnn Rimes singing the National Anthem on Derby Day).

I've been hoping for a Pick Four at this price for some time... I have been an ardent supporter of the bet at other tracks, since it makes betting a daily ticket so affordable. Although now instead of taking a chance at a track that is less familiar to me (like Lone Star) or that offers an odd mix of talent and races (Ellis Park) or a surface I can't figure out (Keeneland, Arlington) -- I can participate in a regular manner at a track where I feel really comfortable... now if they'll just lower that takeout from 19 percent...

Great Day at Keeneland so far

2009-04-11T16:41:00.001-04:00

I was able to score a great reserved seat in Section F, in front of the wire.. it's not as crowded as Blue Grass Stakes day usually is.

I agree with commenters on the last post about today's card here... And I've had a great day cashing some decent tri bets... I'm not betting the JennyWily unless Forever Together goes off higher than I expect.

Also planning to hammer Mafaaz and Join in the Dance in the Blue Grass; my Pick Four Partner likes Hold Me Back...

Sent from my iPhone

Keeneland Bound

2009-04-11T08:05:00.002-04:00

Despite what at first-glance appears to be an underwhelming field in today's Blue Grass Stakes, I'm heading to Keeneland later this afternoon. Hopefully my brother-in-law will drive, which means I can handicap in the car during the just over an hour drive to the track. The baby isn't coming with us, her first Keeneland trip will probably be in October.

More updates possible throughout the day.

Churchill Has A Great Idea -- No Joke

2009-04-01T20:31:00.015-04:00

Churchill Downs has asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to be allowed to experiment with three night races this season.

Spokesman John Asher told The Courier-Journal:

"… It's another option, another opportunity out there. It also would give us an indication whether we should think about down the road bringing in some permanent lights. Basically it's an experiment to see if the public has an appetite for it and if there is an opportunity for growth."

If approved, the track will install rented lights so they can run 11 races from 6 p.m. until about 10:45 or 11 p.m. on Friday June 19 and 26 and Thursday July 2.

I think this is a great idea. If you listen to the TVG guys, Friday night racing at Hollywood Park is the best thing to happen to racing since the Formulator. I hope Churchill has similar success and draws a robust after-work crowd.

If nothing else, it's nice to see Churchill test-market a potentially good idea that could actually draw new blood to the track, rather than pinning their hopes on one of their ridiculous new wagering scheme like betting on who finishes last or what color horse wins -- you know, ideas they think will appeal to a "hip" and "different" crowd.

That being said, a Pick Four for 50 cents would be nice...

Godolphin to Attemp Direct-from-Dubai Method... Again

2009-03-30T22:53:00.002-04:00

It looks like Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin Racing will be sending two horses to Churchill Downs after stablemates Regal Ransom and Desert Party ended up first and second in the UAE Derby, finishing 15 lengths ahead of the rest of the field.

According to Godolphin Racing Manager Simon Crisford:

Both horses ran super races, and they are legitimate contenders for the Kentucky Derby. They will ship to Churchill, and we will wait until closer to the Kentucky Derby to decide if both run or we leave one for the Preakness Stakes, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it."

The Sheikh's m-o (yuk, yuk) for his past contenders is to send the horse straight to the Kentucky Derby, with the UAE Derby serving as the lone prep race at 3-years-old.

How's that method working out?

Well, remember when Sheikh Mo made a promise that he would win the Kentucky Derby in the next four years? Probably not, since he made the promise 10 years ago, and has yet to finish better than 6th place in five tries... in fact, Godolphin hasn't started a horse in the Derby since 2002 when Essence of Dubai finished a lack-luster 9th place.

The Lexington Stakes at Keeneland could serve as a nice spot for a horse to test two weeks ahead of the Derby, however, the Sheikh and his team of (presumably) highly paid agents can't seem to see that sending a horse to Churchill Downs straight from Dubai has yet to work... while history is never a promise of future results, there is a casual enough of a relationship here for me to consider discounting these two horses when it comes to building exotics in May.

I guess the Sheikh is going to do it his way, history be damned. (Insert ego here).

Also, Godolphin apparently expected second-place finisher Desert Party to finish on top... it will be interesting to see if Frankie Dettori comes to the United States to ride.

Quality Road Sets the Bar High

2009-03-30T21:34:00.006-04:00

As the first winner of the five top tier Derby Preps (Florida, Arkansas, New York, California and Kentucky), Quality Road is obviously at the top of most people's lists, and rightfully so...

Unlike Big Brown who I loved to hate last year, until he proved me wrong all the way to the Churchill Downs winner's circle, the Florida Derby winner set the early Derby bar high in my eyes.

The 103 Buyer Quality Road posted in his win on Saturday is his third triple digit speed figure in four starts (he earned a 113 in the Fountain of Youth and 101 in his maiden win at Aqueduct) and after fighting back to win in the stretch, dispelled any argument that he might be nothing more than a miler. However, as is the case with iterations of the Florida Derby since they changed the schedule, I still don't like the extra time between races and I'm still open to being impressed by Fresian Fire, Old Fashioned, The Pamplemousse or anyone else who steps up in these final weeks.

More Polytrack Likely for Mafaaz

2009-03-19T23:41:00.010-04:00

So it looks like Churchill Downs is giving an incentive to a very rich guy to bring a horse to the Kentucky Derby...that worked out greaaaaaat.

Actually, this horse doesn't look too bad. And the good news is that after 11-2 favorite Mafaaz (GB) won the $115,000 stakes race by a neck at Kempton Park near London on Wednesday (video below), trainer John Gosden said the horse would likely take his next start in the Bluegrass Stakes.

I wish he'd take him to Arkansas to test instead, as Keeneland means two starts on Polytrack before moving to the Churchill dirt. Last year I was leery of horses coming off synthetic-only preps until I saw Colonel John work like a beast and drank the kool-aid... but not this year (caveat: unless a horse looks real good...right, I never learn lessons).

Anyway Gosden noted that kickback seems to be more of an issue than the actual hardness of the dirt surface and said that his might have enough tactical speed to make that a non-issue.

"Also, Churchill is a unique track. It’s also been my experience from taking horses there back in the old days that you know very quickly whether or not they’re going to handle that track,” he said.

Sounds like a good plan -- so we'll see how this horse does at the Bluegrass and in Churchill works.

Speaking of Polytrack preps -- I'm looking through the Lane's End PPs now... I want to play to beat West Side Bernie, but I'm not falling in love with anybody and my handicapping is rusty.

P.S. This VCU and UCLA game is awesome...

Spot in Kentucky Derby Field Given Away Tomorrow in England

2009-03-17T08:07:00.020-04:00

Fourteen 3-year-olds are going to try for the first true "Win and You're In" spot for the Kentucky Derby tomorrow at Kempton Park in $115,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes. The race is scheduled for the third race tomorrow night and will go to post about 3:50 p.m. EDT Wednesday.

So the race is on Polytrack, is run clockwise, and is at night, which all reasons some will point to on why not to like this race as a Derby prep... but I have two reasons why I really don't like it:

The purse is only for $115,000 (yes dollars, not pound sterling)
It is in mid-March

There hasn't been an international entry in the Kentucky Derby since 2002, so I understand why the Kentucky Derby powers-that-be are hoping that a "Win and You're In" will spur international competition and more European fan interest in the race... but I'm not sure that giving away (and I mean giving away) a Derby slot to the horse that wins this race is the right route. According to the press release issued by Churchill Downs today:

The race provides an additional incentive to owners and trainers who in the past may have been hesitant to point toward the Kentucky Derby because of uncertainty over whether their horse would have sufficient graded stakes earnings to qualify for the field.

I guess while all prep races are equal, some prep races are more equal than others... it's only a matter of time before Equirace LLC gets wind of this and tries to buy its way into the entire field and gets a free a Derby spot.

I mean, I guess I understand why you aren't giving a free-ride to the winner of the UAE Derby considering how poorly horses from the black-hole of Dubai have finished in years past, but is a race with a $115,000 purse really going to bring Europe's best and brightest Poly/dirt horse?

Look, I'm no xenophobe, heck I'm watching my DVR backlog of BBC's Top Gear as I type this...and I understand that Churchill wants to give the Euros coming off Polytrack an incentive to try for the Derby, but instead of an incentive they're giving out a free pass. Why not instead hold the race a few weeks earlier and give the winner a berth in the Derby if they also hit the board in a North American graded race? This would be a true incentive to train for the Derby... the way it is set up now the horse could go directly to the Derby, which is just over seven weeks away.

Also, consider that in just the past two years the 20th horse in the Derby field was Imawildandcrazyguy in 2007 and and Denis of Cork in 2008 -- horses that finished fourth and third in their respective years... not too shabby if you ask me.

And if you were wondering, Canonero II, shipped from Venezuela to win the Derby in 1971 and is the only horse based outside of North America to win the race.

Blog Comback (Redux)

2009-03-09T23:33:00.009-04:00

After some good-natured prodding from a frequent betting syndicate partner, I'm back. Do I have excuses? Sure.

There were several things going on and amidst it all, my heart really wasn't into blogging... it almost put a nail into the coffin of this blog -- but the bottom line is that I'm back and feel like writing again now that the Derby prep season is heating up.

I'm not sure yet if the blog will be like it was before the break, but my plan is to work updating back into my morning routine and in the early evenings on weekdays. We'll see how the weekends shake out as the season draws on. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to Keeneland on Good Friday for the Maker's Mark Mile...

Frequent updates to follow. It's good to be back.

Innagural Infield

2009-01-20T07:43:00.003-05:00

When talking about the large crowds that have gathered on the National Mall this morning for Obamapalooza, CNN's John King this morning mentioned that the non-ticketed "general admission" areas were like the infield at Pimlico.

While the crowd is much larger, (isn't likely Pimlico-level unruly), the point is well taken. And on this historic day of change, I'm thankful the Triple Crown races don't happen over the winter.

Goodbye Patrick McGoohan

2009-01-14T20:57:00.008-05:00

I just learned the sad news that actor Patrick McGoohan died Tuesday, he was 80. While most people my age will likely only recognize McGoohan as the main bad-guy in Bravehart, King Edward Longshanks, I was a huge fan of his 1960s cult spy-classic The Prisoner.

I initially began following the mysterious adventure of McGoohan's "Number Six" and his weekly attempted escape from the Village sometime in Junior High School when I found the show being replayed very late at night on A&E (this was before they had that Law & Order replay mandate). Years later, well after college, my wife thought I was nuts when I bought and got her to watch the 16-episodes on DVD, but she came around and admitted that (other than the last episode) the show was pretty amazing (although she didn't share my interest from the show in the Lotus 7 or Penny-farthings).

Obviously this isn't horse racing related, but AMC is currently remaking a mini-series of The Prisoner, and considering how great the cable channel's other origional programming has been (i.e. Mad Men, Breaking Bad) I'm cautiously optimistic...

First Graded Derby Prep of 2009

2009-01-10T13:19:00.002-05:00

I'm having problems with my Internet connection today, so this short update is from my handheld. Two picks in the Lecomte (GIII) today, both coming out of the same race. I like Steve Asmussen's Uno Mas (5-1) who is 2 for 2 here, and I also expect Larry Jones' Fresian Fire (5-1) to improve upon his second start at the Fair Grounds, and would play both on top accordingly.

For which we are about to receive...

2009-01-06T20:53:00.007-05:00

Acording to comments in the ridiculous Barbaro sibling blog, we are at t-minus three weeks until 3-year-old Nicanor starts. Not since The Green Monkey has the racing world seen such a bet against opportunity in a debut race.

Hat tips: Patrick (story), Deadspin (photo).

Notonthesamepage to Fountain of Youth

2009-01-05T18:15:00.004-05:00

That noise you hear is people rushing to jump on the Notonthesamepage bandwagon...

I wish I had all that money I invested with Bernie Madoff to play with after his 115 Beyer romp in the Spectacular Bid this weekend. Anyway, Trainer Wesley Ward wasted no time setting the stage for the colt, keeping him at Gulfstream as he points toward the Fountain of Youth (GII) on Feb. 28th.

From The Daily Racing Form:

"We want to try to stretch him out, and the Fountain of Youth is at a mile this year, which should be perfect," Ward said. "The timing is also good, since I always like to give my horses at least four or five weeks off after a big race. And that certainly was a big race he ran here yesterday."

As Ward notes, The Fountain of Youth is a furlong shorter than the 9 furlongs at which it has been set since 2005.* That distance change is an interesting development, because as Eddie D. comments, I think Notonthesamepage is a play against when he stretches out. However, a one-turn mile that will play more like a sprint than a route at a track he clearly likes could be a perfect set of circumstances for this speedy colt. I may have to wait until the Florida Derby (GI) to bet against him.

*The Fountain of Youth was contested since the 1950s at 8.5 furlongs.

Spectacular Bid Stakes Opens Derby Prep Season

2009-01-02T20:23:00.005-05:00

Thanks to the demise of Calder's Grade III Tropical Park Derby, the first 3-year-old stake of the season is Gulfstream's Spectacular Bid, a $100,000 ungraded stake at six furlongs this Saturday.

While most of the money will go toward You Luckie Mann (8-5) and Silent Valor (2-1), I like Notonthesamepage, who is offering spectacular value at 5-1.

Marty Wolfson's speedy You Luckie Mann debuted with a 14 3/4-length win in his maiden at Calder in July. That debut was followed up by pair of back-to-back third-place finishes in Florida Stallion Stakes races during this summer. The grey son of Exchange Rate then won huge in the Birdonawire sprint at Calder by 11-lengths in his last start Oct. 18 -- that race earned him a 107 Beyer, the fastest of any 2-year-old last season.

Silent Valor won two of his five starts in 2008 and finished eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI), just four lengths behind the winner. The Kentucky-bred son of Lion Heart colt won the Sapling (GIII) at Monmoth in August and followed that win up with a fifth place finish in Oak Tree's Norfolk Stakes (GI) a month later. Expect this Todd Pletcher trained colt to take a ton of money tomorrow.

I however, like Wesley Ward's Notonthesamepage at a price. Another one of the fastest 2-year-olds in 2008, this colt made a big splash in April when he posted a 104 Beyer in his second start at Churchill. Although the horse has yet to follow that win up with another, having a huge belly flop when he finished 2nd in the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth (where he was the 1-9 favorite) and then 5th and 11th in a pair of Grade Is. I'm a big fan of the equipment change (blinkers onoff) and like that he's shortening up, I think he could have a big day and hope he stays at this price.

The photo that should have won...

2008-12-31T07:06:00.004-05:00

I know some are going to get emotional about my posting this, but this photo by Brian Bohannon of the Associated Press should be your Eclipse Award winner, without question.

The Eclipse judges should get their head out of the sand because this photo is one of the important photos from the Eight Belles story. The filly's death shared the spotlight alongside Big Brown's Triple Crown chase over the summer and was "the story" of 2008, which is why a photo of Kent Desormaux pulling up the colt in the Belmont should also be a finalist. While Frankie Dettori leaping off of a horse is something I'll admit I enjoy watching, it by no means encompasses any of the major thoroughbred story lines of 2008.

The photo of Eight Belles just before she is euthanized certainly isn't too brutal or graphic to be published, especially when compared some of the Pulitzer Prize photo winners over the years -- including just about any of the ones from the 1960s, 1973, and most importantly 1994 (for both the spot news photo of a U.S. soldier's body being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu and for a feature photograph of a Sudanese girl collapsing beside a vulture on her way to a food center).

Hell, one need look no further than the 2008 winner (below) to see that the Pulitzer judges understand that it's about the best photo and how it impacted society when it was published.

Eclipse Award Winning Photo?

2008-12-29T22:25:00.007-05:00

While Matt Goins' photo of a Frankie Dettori's leaping dismount is certainly a good photo -- I'm not sure that it is award winning photography. It's not just that it is generally less impressive than his 2006 award winning photo of Julien Leparoux's death defying tumble over the rail at Keeneland... it's that I could find several near identical or just as impressive photos of Dettori jumping off a horse in the span of about 30-seconds on Google. I mean, Dettori leaping off of a horse in the winner's circle is about as common as a bank collapsing nowadays.

I would have thought that one of the photos of Eight Belles being euthanized would have been in the running for the award... but they weren't even mentioned as a finalist.

So what do you think, can you spot the award winner?

Oh and the good news is that now that the baby is sleeping more, things are getting back to normal (really). I should be back for good now... just in time for the 2009 Kentucky Derby preps...

And in case you're not familiar with it, this is the photo of Leparoux that won Goins the Eclipse in 2006:

Best of 2008

2008-11-18T21:11:00.003-05:00

Think you know who the best horse was of 2008? Best jockey? Best gray/roan horse to run in North America? These are just three of the 25 questions on The Thoroughbred Times Best of 2008 Survey...

And for those of you die-hard Ron Paul fans, you can also write-in candidates in most categories.

For the record, my answers to the questions above are Zenyatta, Garret Gomez and Stardom Bound.

Crazy Stevens Juror Keeps Looking Better and Better

2008-11-04T17:14:00.003-05:00

Considering the interview that Marian Hinnant gave outside of court after she told a federal judge why she went AWOL as a juror for the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, lawyer A.J. Kramer's strategy to keep her quite in court was a great idea.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

"She apologizes to the court. In fact, her father did not die," Kramer said. "The story about her father was just one that popped into her head."

Hinnant cut in, however, and in a thick drawl gave a rambling, incoherent and baffling monologue about her former employers in the horse-racing industry in Kentucky. She mentioned drugs, wiretaps and horse racing, but it was impossible to tell what connected them.

"I'm not the one who was selling the drugs; I'm not the one who was doing the drugs," she said, a comment that left the courtroom baffled.

She said she felt a bit guilty about leaving behind her responsibilities but that she really wanted to attend the Breeders' Cup.

"I didn't think they would go this long," she said of the four-week trial. "And I needed to go to California, I wanted to go to Breeders' Cup. I worked in the horse industry."

In the mean time, it doesn't look like Hinnant will be held in contempt of court (nor does it look like Stevens will be reelected). I wonder if she know that Laurel Park simulcasts the Breeders' Cup...

Sen. Stevens Juror Lied to Attend Breeders' Cup

2008-11-04T12:59:00.002-05:00

If you were following the corruption trial of Alaska Senator Ted "series of tubes" Stevens, you will remember that a juror left for California after she said her father died, and was then dismissed after she couldn't be reached... it was revealed yesterday that her father did not die and that she is apparently a lying gambling addict.

The Anchorage Daily quoted her as saying that she "Just wanted to go to the Breeders' Cup" in what they reported was a rambling and incoherent interview. Sheesh.

She also noted that she worked in the industry, but apparently no one can really make sense of her crazy excuse which also involves wire taps and drugs...

Late Pick Four Update...

2008-10-25T18:22:00.003-04:00

Thanks to an excellent job by the manager of our syndicate, we hit the early pick four and are alive to Curlin in the late pick four... sigh, here we go again on Breeders' Cup day with my hopes resting on a single in the classic.

(I have the Euros and Colonel John in some savers just in case...)

Too many races...

2008-10-25T15:48:00.003-04:00

I told my usual Pick Four partner that all of these races are going to make my head explode.

Here are my thoughts about the final half of the day:

Juvenile
I'm playing against Munnings and putting all hopes on Midshipman. I think there is a chance we could see signs of brilliance out of Street Hero and European invader Bushranger as well.

Juvenile Turf
I love Donativum with Frankie Detttori up, notice the size of the fields in two of his last three races were two dozen horses. Also sticking with the Europeans, I'm looking for a big day out of Westphalia.

Sprint
After the scratch of Cost of Freedom, I think Street Boss is the one to beat, also could get a big run out of Fatal Bullet, who looks to be a synthetic sprinting specialist and is undefeated when on fake dirt.

Turf
This race is really wide open, and advocate hitting the "all" button if you budget allows, but if I was required to make a stand, I would go with Eagle Mountain.

Classic
It's hard to go against Curlin, considering that we may be watching the best horse to race in this decade, but the synthetic question looms for the returning Classic champion and I'm looking to Raven's Pass and Colonel John as spoilers, and have bet them accordingly in multi-race bets.

Breeders' Cup Early Pick Four Update

2008-10-25T15:41:00.004-04:00

It's been busy around here and it's been quite a lucky day for me, in addition to finding the high chair we liked on clearance, I loved Goldikova in the last race. Luckily the syndicate I'm participating in agreed, went deep in the early legs and is alive to two horses going into the final leg of the early Pick Four.

Here is to hoping that we're right playing against Pletcher favorite Munnings and going with Midshipman and Bushranger...

I've been Robo-called... (and not by who you would think).

2008-10-22T00:19:00.006-04:00

I've been robo-called twice now, sadly though, it wasn't from the McCain campaign -- instead it was from a non-identified group in Maryland supporting Question 2, which as many of you know will allow 15,000 slot-machines at various locations in the state, which could include Laurel Park and Ocean Downs, but not Pimlico.

The call was interesting, not only because I moved from Maryland two years ago, yet received the call on my home phone in Georgia (we're almost a swing state), but also because slot machines were never mentioned in the phone call.

The caller, a woman's who's accent proved she was most certainly not Gov. Sarah Palin, instead asked for support of Question 2, under the guise that it will replace a need to raise taxes and will help fund education -- and everyone hate taxes, right?

Companion legislation was also passed by the legislature, and that should voters approve the slots measure, revenues generated from the new gaming sites would be divided to: the Education Trust Fund (48.5%), video lottery licensees (up to 33%); horse racing purses (7%); local grants (5.5%); racetrack facilities (2.5%); the lottery agency (2%); and to the small, minority, and women- Owned Businesses Account (1.5%).

The funds to horse racing purses can not to exceed $100 million annually and funds to racetrack facilities can not exceed $40 million per year.

Alan has more on the Question 2, which apparently has support of 58% of the voters.

Oh, and I don't think I was nefariously registered to vote in Maryland, instead I've just yet to be purged from the rolls and my old home number informs callers that the number has been changed to my new one.

Unsolicited Advice

2008-10-18T00:42:00.005-04:00

Here is my outline of how I would write the apparent upcoming appearance of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live --

Tina Fey in her dressing room telling producer Lorne Michaels that she refuses to play Palin again, instead offers to do an impression of someone obscure (such as Harper Lee or Debra Winger), which is when Michaels goes to plan B -- bring in the real Palin to play Fey (or if we really wanted to get Python, Palin playing Fey playing Palin).

This might give Fey a chance to vent a little about why she doesn't want to play Palin anymore and will give the audience what they want: Palin and Fey on screen together.

Whatever happens, lets hope it ends up better than the scene in the film Bob Roberts when the eponymous character, who is a conservative folk singer-turned Senate candidate, goes onto a Saturday Night Live-esque show and there is a melt down...

Big Brown Shouldn't Retire

2008-10-14T11:31:00.004-04:00

While the injury that Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner Big Brown faced seemed inevitable considering the way the horse burst onto the scene with the often mentioned caveat of "fragile feet," this doesn't have to be the end.

The only reason this is the end of the horses's career is because IEAH won't race the colt as a 4-year-old (I'm actually surprised they didn't retire him after his Belmont loss). The piece of Big Brown's right foot that was torn off goes to the bulb of the heel, and would up to 90 days to heal. While this certainly means that the Breeders' Cup Classic is off the table, it doesn't have to and shouldn't mean an end to the colt's career.

Considering how Curlin's value was seriously enhanced as he continued to race (and keep in mind didn't go undefeated) in the older horse division, I think this proves that a 4-year-old campaign is what Big Brown needs to justify what can only be expected to be a six-figure stud fee...although it should be less considering he finished the last two years with a campaign shortened by injury. In my mind he is nothing more than a three-year-old with bad feet who was able to dominate a sub-par 3-year-old crop...what would you pay for those genes?

Gas Shortage a True Economic Crisis

2008-09-29T18:36:00.005-04:00

While everyone else is grumbling and groaning about Wall Street bailouts and waiting for Jim Cramer's head to explode, I'm just looking for a tank of gas.

In Atlanta, while disco is still dead and there aren't any bad cop-dramas on TV (until Life on Mars begins) the gas shortage and lines we've been dealing with for over a week makes it feel like 1976... although the plight of those from all points between Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte is unknown by most of the nation, our cars are running out of gas... and most stations have no supplies and are sitting closed... often the only indication is the prices that have been removed from the sign and the trash bags placed over the pump handles. And if you do find gas, you can wait in line for hours.

We're a large city with over five million people and major employers that have headquarters here like the CDC, Delta airlines, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, AT&T, and UPS... yet no one is even talking about this.

I did find a blog post by a producer from CNN, which is based here, lamenting about the media ignoring this regional crisis...while we're not dealing with The Grapes of Wrath here, it's getting worse, so check back.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who represented a suburban Atlanta district when in Congress, made a brief mention of the shortage on ABC's This Week on Sunday, although his assertion that it was like living in a "third world" country might have been a bit of an overreaction since we still have running water, indoor plumbing and social services... If something doesn't change soon, our economy is going to come to a halt -- and people won't be able to get to work or school.

Why?

The low-sulfur gas that is supplied to our region comes from refineries in the Houston-area, and thanks to a loss of power to the refineries due to Ike, the pipelines are now dry. Our local AAA predicts that it will be another two weeks for our supplies to get back to normal -- I'll admit I didn't expect a week of power loss in the Houston-area would mean three-to-four weeks of no gas in the Southweast.

I luckily filled up our Hybrid, before the shortage hit, but wasn't in a good position in our other car, which sat with about an eigth of a tank on Saturday night. Taking a page from my wife's book, I ventured out to find gas on Saturday night during the Alabama/Georgia football game (she used to shop during UK basketball games when we lived in Lexington), I counted 24 gas stations that were without fuel before I found one that had just been supplied with gas. So while I hit the gas station Mad Max style and only waited for about ten minutes, by the time I left after filling up, the line to the gas station stretched about a hundred cars long (not an exaggeration). The larger stations, when they get gas, run out in about six hours, and then don't get supplied again for another day.

In the mean time, our Volkswagen now sits parked in the garage with a nearly full tank (thankfully my wife is still on maternity leave and isn't doing much driving) and I'm driving a Hybrid Civic with just over half a tank about fifteen miles to work every day... hopefully I can make it to Columbus Day.

Kentucky Derby's Creats "A Win and You're In" Race (From Europe)

2008-09-17T19:40:00.008-04:00

Something to get me out of my paternity-leave absense from the blog was an interesting move today from Churchill Downs, as they announced a new race from England that guarantee a spot into the winner in the Kentucky Derby.

From The Daily Racing Form:

Churchill Downs announced plans Wednesday for a Kentucky Derby prep race at Kempton Park in Great Britain in which the winner would secure automatic entry into the field for the 2009 Kentucky Derby on May 2.
The $150,000 Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes (KDCS) will be contested going 1 1/8 miles over the Polytrack at Kempton Park on Wednesday, March 18, and the race is structured similarly to the Win and You're In racing series that leads up to the Breeders' Cup.

Being that we've seen overflow fields for the past few years that have required ranking of graded stakes earnings to deem entry into the race -- and since the aren't European trainers and owners beating down the gates to get into the race -- I'm not sure why Churchill thought this was necessary.

Had this rule been in effect the past two years, and the winner of the "KDCS" choose to compete in the race -- 3-year-olds Imawildandcrazyguy and Denis of Cork would have found themselves bumped from the Derby in 2007 and 2008 -- finishing fourth and third respectively...

And are we really going to see Europe's best and brightest for $150,000? Coming off of Polytrack? The more I think about this, the less I like it...

the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated...

2008-09-03T17:42:00.004-04:00

Well, maybe not greatly exaggerated... anyway, I guess I should have defined "soon" in regards to when I was going to return blogging.

I honestly had no idea how tired I would get from such an interrupted sleep pattern. When my roommate from college and his wife had a child just over a year ago, he told me how hard it was to survive on sleep when you never get it in a block of more than three hours... combine that with the fact that I started a new job just days after the baby was born, and I've been too exhausted to blog.

I have been able to enjoy (while rocking in a chair) live late-night coverage of the Olympics, round-the-clock news on Gustav, and marathon sessions of the political conventions on a raw live feed channel that Dish network came up with... What I have not got to see is any horse racing for the past 30 days or so...not to mention any racing news.

That being said, things are starting to normalize now that we're a month in... everything on the blog should be back to normal starting this weekend.

Billy Ruben is a great name for a horse...

2008-08-07T00:31:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know it is spelled bilirubin... we had a baby girl this weekend, so I'm going to be out of pocket for a while...

Regular updates will begin again soon.

Life Happens: The woes of a dreadful blogger

2008-07-23T23:27:00.010-04:00

So between being sick, changing jobs (this is my last week at the old job), putting a new roof on our house, and fixing our air conditioner... I've been a little busy. And with all of this amidst the approaching birth of our first baby, I really haven't had much time for blogging.

I guess it's a good thing I don't try to cover the Saratoga beat... Actually, one of my occasional Pick 4 Syndicate players is suggesting a NYRA boycott thanks to the increase in takeout on Pick 4s and Pick 6s to a whopping 26%...

Hell, Magna lost another executive who has been with the company for six months and I didn't have the time or energy to post about it... if this blog isn't for ranting about Frank's crazy antics, than what good is it? (Note: Tom Chuckas is on the clock...)

That being said, I'll be back to full strength soon, as I'm taking a week off before I start the new job.

In unrelated thoughts, while everyone is raving about the new Radiohead video for House of Cards (at the concert I went to, Thom said it was about the Bush Administration), I actually like the video that came out a few months ago for All I Need Better a little bit better... Enjoy the Olympics.

All I Need

House of Cards

Kruytbosch Funeral will be held at Churchill

2008-07-18T15:17:00.000-04:00

Churchill Downs announced today that the funeral service for track annoucner Luke Kruytbosch will be held in the Paddock Garden on Monday July 21 at 1 p.m.

Kruytbosch, 47, passed away this weekend at his Evansville, Ind. home, the cause of death was likely heart-related.

From Churchill Downs:

Kruytbosch’s remains were cremated Thursday and his ashes will be spread at Churchill Downs, which, according to friends, was Kruytbosch’s wish. Monday’s service will be open to the public and guests should enter the facility through Gate 17 adjacent to the paddock. (Note: The service may be moved indoors to the Triple Crown Room on the fifth floor of the Jockey Club Suites if there is inclement weather).

Donation can be made in Kruytbosch’s name to either the Kentucky Race Track Chaplaincy (9013 Lyneve Drive, Louisville, KY 40272) or Race Track Chaplaincy of America (P.O. Box 91640, Los Angeles, CA 90009).

Jackson Asks Public to Vote on Curlin's Future Plans

2008-07-15T23:02:00.006-04:00

Jess Jackson has set up an online poll asking the public to vote on Curlin's future plans. The options are:

Turf Campaign
Dirt Campaign
Synthetic Campaign
Retire

Vote at http://www.stonestreetfarms.com/

When I voted Tuesday night, about 4% of the voters had selected "retire," which I think is really just one voter (Rick Dutrow), clearing his computer's cache and voting over and over again...

Curlin's Arc Odds: 16-1

2008-07-15T22:27:00.006-04:00

Irish bookmakers have placed Curlin's odds for the Oct. 5th Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at 16-1 -- prior to the Man o' War the odds were set at 12-1.

According to The Daily Racing Form:

On Tuesday, Ladbrokes listed Montmartre as its 4-1 Arc favorite with Zarkava co-second choice at 6-1 with Soldier of Fortune and the Epsom Derby winner, New Approach. It then quotes the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, winner Youmzain at 10-1; Getaway 12-1; and the French Derby winner Vision d'Etat 14-1. Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has Montmartre and Zarkava as 9-2 co-favorites with next week's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes favorite, Duke of Marmalade, at 6-1. Curlin, 12-1 with Paddy Power before the Man o' War, has been pushed out to 16-1. He is, however, 8-1 with online bookies bet365.com, suggesting that someone, somewhere, is still very high on Curlin's Arc chances.

Should Curlin run in the Arc, chances are that any American money bet on the race will not be co-mingled with the international pool, so even if he were to go off at such long odds internationally, chances are we won't get anything close to that... This also means that it will be worth comparing the international odds to the domestic ones when trying to identify any over/underlays.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves... owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen have said that all options are open which could mean staying here for another turf prep like the Arlington Million or Sword Dancer; shipping overseas for a prep like the Irish Champion Stakes at Lepardstown or the Prix Foy at Longchamp; or staying here and switching back to dirt or synthetic before the Breeders' Cup.

Enough already, lets do this and take the horse to France or Ireland.

Louisville Mourns Wagner, Kruytbosch

2008-07-15T16:32:00.005-04:00

Louisville learned of the loss of two people who were influential of the Churchill Downs area yesterday, with the new that came early in the day that 70-year-old Pharmacist Lee Wagner, the long time owner of Wagner's Pharmacy (and more importantly lunch counter) died on Saturday after a long bout with diabetes.

Nick Zito told The Courier-Journal, "To me, you go to the Derby Museum, then your next stop is Wagner's. It's part of America. ... It's an institution."

From The Courier-Journal:

The business at Fourth Street and Central Avenue near Churchill Downs serves the area as a popular short-order grill for breakfast and lunch; a tack shop through its sister store Becker & Durski Turf Goods; an outlet to buy Kentucky Derby souvenirs, tip sheets and liquor; and a place where stable employees could cash their paychecks when no one else would.
"There were hundreds or thousands of horsemen that he's helped through the years with problems, whether they were related to a horse or to their own medical problems," trainer Don Winfree said.

Then the news followed later in the day that 47-year-old race caller Luke Kruytbosch was found dead in his Evansville, Ind. home -- presumably due to his heart.

Again, from The Courier-Journal:

Kruytbosch never got tired of being at the races, regularly going to River Downs on Churchill Downs' dark days. Horse owner Mike Pegram, Kruytbosch's close friend, said the announcer would leave Turf Paradise several days early each spring so that he could stop at tracks in New Mexico and Texas on his way to Louisville.
"Luke was a race fan before he was an announcer," Pegram said. "I hate to call it that he was the common man's race caller, but that's what it was. He just got the job done day in and day out. … What I loved about it was it didn't matter if he was calling the Kentucky Derby or a $3,000 claimer at Turf Paradise, he gave it his best."
Kruytbosch left Hollywood Park to become Churchill's fifth announcer. When he called the 125th Derby his first year, he became the first to call both the Derby and quarter-horse racing's biggest event, Ruidoso Downs' All American Futurity.
"My favorite memory of Luke was from his first Derby back in '99," Churchill spokesman John Asher said. "His lifetime goal was to call the Derby, and he'd finally done that; he'd brought Charismatic home before 151,000. You'd think after a day like that, you might want to sit back and relax a little bit, congratulate yourself on a career accomplishment. The next day he was at River Downs, watching races and betting bottom-level claimers.

Ellis Park Tape Delayed on TVG

2008-07-11T18:05:00.012-04:00

My partners and I hit the early Pick Four thanks to some superb ticket building by one of my partners, however, I didn't get to see the final leg until 15 minutes after the race was over...

Apparently TVG would rather show graphics and talk for five minutes after the post parade for the Solano County Fair and show repeated replays of (EXCLUSIVE) Ruidoso Downs than show Ellis Park... with all of the down time between races, there really is no real reason to wait so long to show a race.

I don't doubt for a second that this is some sort of "punishment" for Ellis not being a TVG exclusive track. That being said, I've yet to even see the track mentioned on HRTV, which should also have the track available.

No wonder Ron Geary is having a hard time turning a profit... no one can find his product.

UPDATE: They just showed the delayed video for the 6th race almost 20 minutes after the race went off... what a joke.

UPDATE 2: Going into the late Pick Four at Ellis (Race 7), as the horses were being loaded into the gate in Henderson, instead of showing the race TVG spoke with Frank Mirahmadi from Solano about a race 14 minutes before it was to go to post. Seriously folks, this is worse than being forced to watch a barn burner during the NCAA tournament while another game is close or in over time... why would TVG choose to pass on live racing for what is more-or-less idle chatter?

Ellis Park: Support the pea patch on opening day (one week late)

2008-07-11T12:15:00.005-04:00

A week later than expected, today is the opening day for Ellis Park.

If you gnashed your teeth or complained about the fact that owner Ron Geary announced last week that he was closing Ellis Park over a dispute with horsemen, now that a compromise has been reached and racing will continue, then I think you are obligated to play the track this weekend, at least try the two Pick Fours for fifty cents...

My Pick Four Partner (and our occasional third partner) will be playing the Henderson track this weekend, and will also take a try at the early Pick Four carryover at Arlington.

Tough Field in Man O' War Stakes

2008-07-09T23:39:00.007-04:00

Alan may not have been far off earlier in the week when he predicted Curlin is going to lose in the Man O' War Stakes at Belmont Park this weekend.

As reported by The Daily Racing Form, Curlin will likely face the 2004 and 2006 Breeders' Cup Turf winners Better Talk Now and Red Rocks, as well as Grand Couturier, Interpatation, Sudan, and True Cause.

I think this is the tough level of competition Curlin will need to face (and beat) if owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen really want to send the colt against top European turf horses in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October.

The Man O' War Stakes will be televised live on ESPNews this Saturday.

Not So Fast: Ellis Park to Reopen

2008-07-05T22:49:00.003-04:00

Ellis Park owner Ron Geary and Kentucky horsemen have reached a deal that means that the western Kentucky track will reopen on Friday.

From The Courier-Journal:

Geary’s offer included the horsemen agreeing that Ellis races would be available to the 10 account-wagering companies with which Geary had made deals, including TVG and Churchill Downs Inc.’s TwinSpires.com.

In return, Geary would give horsemen the entire share of account-wagering handle that he normally would split with them.

“Basically I’m turning everything over from (account wagering) into the purse fund,” he said. Geary admitted that that the deal means he will lose money this year.

“I’m taking a short-term loss, but I also think it may not be as big as I think,” he said.The deal could give Ellis races more exposure on the racing cable channels TVG and HRTV, which could prompt people to bet more on Ellis at times when they go to traditional simulcast facilities — where Geary would get a cut of the revenues.

Now that Geary and the horsemen have reached a deal, I challenge everyone who gnashed teeth over the lack of racing in Kentucky this summer to support the Ellis Park meet. The first of 11 stakes races will be the $50,000 Audubon Oaks on Saturday. The only graded race of the meet, $150,000 Gardenia Stakes (GIII), is on Aug. 16.

Goodbye Ellis Park

2008-07-02T22:18:00.007-04:00

The Courier-Journal's Greg Hall reports tonight that Ellis Park owner Ron Geary is closing the Henderson, Ky racetrack for good.

From The Courier-Journal:

Geary said he made the decision after a federal judge denied his request for an injunction against Kentucky horsemen that would have allowed him to offer the track’s races to national account wagering outlets.

“I don’t have any plans on opening it again as a racetrack,” Geary said in a telephone interview.

“That’s for sure.”About 400 horses are on the grounds in anticipation of the meet. How long the stable area would remain open was unclear.

The writing was really on the wall for Ellis Park, with the combination of the horseman's dispute that would have limited the already struggling track's signal (and profit) and the fact that the state legislature failed to expand casino gaming at racetracks earlier this year. That being said, I certainly didn't expect the track to close this soon, I thought there were at least one more summer meet left... this year would have been the track's 85th meet.

The closure of the western Kentucky track means that there will be no racing in the commonwealth between the Churchill meet that closes this weekend and the Turfway meet in September.

Curlin's work: coming up for air

2008-07-01T22:02:00.004-04:00

No, I've not stopped blogging -- I've just been real busy -- flying back and forth to Washington, D.C. for the past week (I am actually blogging from a hotel room now). To make a long story short, I've taken a new job and am in the process of training my replacement for my old position... more later on how the new job will effect my blogging availability.

Curlin worked seven furlongs over the Churchill turf today, marking the start of what could end up being a try at the Arc de Triomphe at Lonchamp in France this October.

From The Daily Racing Form:
With his regular jockey, Robby Albarado, aboard, Curlin breezed seven furlongs in company with a 4-year-old stablemate named Hawaii Calls. With the "dogs" spaced far out on a firm turf course, Curlin spotted his workmate a length or two when passing under the wire the first time on the seven-furlong course. They stayed that way for the first half-mile or so, after which Curlin crept closer from the outside. Turning for home, they were virtually even, after which Curlin edged away to finish about a neck in front when passing the wire a second time.
The final clocking for Curlin was 1:31.20, which Asmussen called a "very good time with the dogs out as far as they were." Equibase clockers caught the final quarter-mile in 24.20 seconds and the final furlong in 12.20. The gallop-out time for a mile was 1:45.60.

Although this time was nothing special, Steve Asmussen is a trainer who is known to send his horses out for conservatives works leading up to a race... so the fact that the time was reasonable, means that Curlin showed he didn't hate the surface and should prove good enough for those watching the workout tab.

The colt's next start will come on July 12th in either the Man O' War (GI) at Belmont Park or Arlington Handicap (GIII) in Chicago, and a work leading up to that race will be on the dirt. Obviously the age-for-weight Man O' War is a better selection for the colt, although his minority owners Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion, the partners in Midnight Cry Stable, have license issue in New York state as they are currently in a Kentucky jail and are on trial charged with fraud related to the fen-phen class-action case where they bilked some $60+ million in funds from over 400 clients.

Rose Suspended Six Months For Striking Own Mount

2008-06-25T01:12:00.006-04:00

Jockey Jeremy Rose was suspended six months for an incident Monday when he hit his mount in the face with a whip during the third race at Delaware Park on Monday (video of race below).

From The Blood-Horse:

In the official ruling, Delaware Park stewards contended that Rose “engaged in extreme misuse of the whip during the stretch run while on the horse Appeal to the City.” John Wayne, executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, said the horse experienced some hemorrhaging around its eye due to contact with Rose’s whip.

In addition to the suspension, the 29-year-old jockey is required to complete an approved anger management class and is responsible for all veterinarian bills for Appeal to the City. Kudos to the Delaware stewards for acting swiftly and handing down what appears to be a fair punishment.

Since this suspension will be honored by other states, it means that Rose will lose a half year of income through lost mounts -- he is currently the second leading money earner at Delaware Park. Let's hope Rose doesn't win his appeal.

Race Replay

Head-on Replay

Congressional Summary

2008-06-19T19:33:00.005-04:00

The major piece of news from today's hearing on "Breeding, Drugs, and Breakdowns" before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection is that a bill will be introduced sometime this legislative session.

From The Daily Racing Form:

Somewhat surprisingly, the majority of racing officials who appeared on the committee's first panel agreed with the contention that racing needs a national governing authority, and several said that all race-day drugs - including the ubiquitous diuretic furosemide and the painkiller phenylbutazone - should be banned, in line with other major racing countries around the world.

In response to a question posed by Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois and vice chair of the subcommittee, all six racing officials on the hearing's first panel said that performance-enhancing drugs should be banned. Four of the racing representatives - Arthur Hancock, the owner of Stone Farm; Jess Jackson, the owner of Stonestreet Stables; Randy Moss, the television analyst; and Jack Van Berg, the Hall of Fame trainer - went even further, calling for a ban on all drugs.

I'm not sure that a bill will survive the legislative process(see below) during an election year when most politicians (and members of the public) are more focused on fuel costs, housing prices, health care reform, and Iraq war policy than they are about race-day doping.

Dutrow Scratches from Congressional Hearing

2008-06-19T01:52:00.003-04:00

There will be a change in Thursday's card on Capitol Hill, scratch trainer Rick Dutrow from your programs. The trainer will not appear before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection due to illness.

From The Canadian Press:

Rick Dutrow said Wednesday he has had a virus for several days and did not feel well enough to travel.

"I would go in a minute, but I just don't feel well," Dutrow said in a telephone interview. "To go down there when I'm not on top of my game would not be right."

Anyone really believe that Dutrow is (cough), really sick? Although it would have been nice to hear him have to answer for the fact that he's had at least one positive drug result every year since 2000, truth be told, fans of the sport are probably better off that this arrogant prick didn't testify before the boys on the hill, Thank god this clown's horse didn't win the Triple Crown...

New "Win and You're In" Races for Breeders' Cup Dirt Marathon, Dirt Mile

2008-06-18T17:12:00.010-04:00

The Breeders' Cup added some more races to the list of the "Win and You're In" today, bringing the total number of races that will give an automatic berth to a Breeders' Cup race to 57.

Three of the races will guarantee a slot for the 1 1/2 mile Dirt Marathon race, which will be run for the first time this year while another was added for the Dirt Mile, which will be run for the second time.

The new races are:

Dirt Marathon
Greenwood Cup, Philadelphia Park, July 19
Cougar II Handicap, Del Mar, July 30
Turfway Fall Championship, Turfway Park, Sept. 6

Dirt Mile
Tiznow Stakes, Louisiana Downs, Sept. 20.

While it's nice to see tracks like Philadelphia Park and Turfway Park (as well as tracks from Hong Kong and Europe) get included in the "Win and You're In" programs, I'm worried that the increase from 24 to 57 races might be too much. That being said, many of the horses that win these races would likely consider going to the Breeders' Cup anyway, and if the point is to make the idea a "Thoroughbred Championship" easier for the non-racing public to comprehend, then I guess these additions are a step in the right direction.... if the public actually notices.

And does a mile and a half dirt race at Turfway seem odd to anyone else? Are they going to start the race from the nearby Florence water tower?

My Old Kentucky Home: Stephen Foster Day Selections

2008-06-14T12:01:00.005-04:00

Even though he's carrying 10 more pounds than everyone else, it's hard to go against Curlin today in the Stephen Foster Handicap. My Pick Four partner and I singled him in our Pick Four, but did use Einstein in our Pick 3s. Also, I like Ballymore Lady at 15-1 as my value play of the day in the Mint Julep Handicap (GIII).

Here are my thoughts on the stakes races on the Stephen Foster card:

Race 6: Fleur De Lis Handicap (GII)
I thought that Cowgirls Don't Cry was a good spoiler, but she has scratched, which makes it really hard to play against Hystericalady here -- consider using her as a single in Pick 3s.

Race 7: Regret (GIII)
I expect Zee Zee to look very similar to the way she did in the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill on Derby week -- the one to beat. Magical Theater and Miss Mafioso are two who looked great last out over the Churchil turf, both have a chance to impress this stakes debut.

Race 8: Northern Dancer (GIII)
I know it's not exciting, but I really think it's down to the three Derby horses here, will be using Recapturetheglory, Pryo and Visionaire in Pick4s and Pick 3s accordingly.

Race 9: Jefferson Cup (GII)
I'm going to play against Halo Najib here and like Bobby Blue Eyes and Go West Bert, sticking with today's theme of "previous success over the track." Wicked Style certainly didn't have success here last out, but could improve second off of a layoff, and will use accordingly.

Race 10: Stephen Foster Handicap (GI)
It's obviously hard to play against Curlin here, although I will use Einstein in a Pick 3 in case the "back from Dubai" curse is a factor (it wasn't an issue for Benny The Bull last week).

Race 11: Mint Julep Handicap (GIII)
Just beaten here on Derby Day, Dreaming of Anna looks like a hard one to beat, but I really like Ballymore Lady, who looked great in her allowance win last out at Churchill, but has also been working bullets at this track like it's her job.

Daughter of Winning Colors Impressive in Churchill Downs Debut

2008-06-13T21:15:00.011-04:00

2-year-old Ocean Colors wins debut at Churchill Downs

(Photo: Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs)

Ocean Colors, the second to last foal from 1988 Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors, won her debut today at Churchill Downs.

Breaking sharply under Shaun Bridgmohan, the grey filly covered five furlongs in a meet best :57.08. Going off as the second choice, she defeated the field of six other 2-year-olds in front running fashon, beating favorite Jehan by 5 1/4 lengths.

“She sure has a lot of class,” trainer Steve Asmussen said in a release. “I didn’t know she’d be that fast from the (starting) gate. Who knows how good she might be?”

Ocean Colors is sired by sprint champion Orientate and is the next-to-last foal from Winning Colors, who was euthanized in February after a bout with colic. Of her 10 foals, her highest money earners, Golden Colors ($509,000, by Mr. Prospector in 1993) and Danzig Colors ($252,480, by Danzig in 1994), both raced in Japan.

Stephen Foster Handicap Field Set; Curlin Draws the Rail

2008-06-11T16:23:00.010-04:00

Nine rivals will take on 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin in Saturday's 1 1/8 mile Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) at Churchill Downs. Although Student Council did not enter the race (like Steve Asmussen guessed he would after he saw the weight assignments) Curlin will face an honest field that includes Donn Handicap (GI) winner Brass Hat and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (GI) winner Einstein. Because there will be at least one Grade I winner in the race, the purse will increase from $750,000 to $1 million.

Other horses to note in the other Stephen Foster Day stakes races include: Derby contenders Pyro, Recapturetheglory and Visionaire in the Northern Dancer (GIII); Pure Clan, Absolutely Cindy and Zee Zee in the Regret (GII); and Halo Najib and Old Man Buck in the Jefferson Cup.

Early thoughts on possible singles in Pick 3s and 4s include Hystericalady in the Fleur De Lis (GII) and Dreaming of Anna in the Mint Julep (GIII) -- they are both heavyweights at 121 and 123 pounds in their respective handicaps.

Stephen Foster Handicap
	Horse	Jockey	Weight
1	Curlin	Albarado	128
2	Delightful Kiss	Mena	114
3	Sam P.	Desormeaux	113
4	Einstein (BRZ)	Leparoux	118
5	Grasshopper	Gomez	117
6	High Blues	Lanerie	113
7	Red Rock Creek	Bridghohan	113
8	Jonesboro	Theriot	114
9	Barola	Castanon	113
10	Brass Hat	Borel	116

New York Stewards Summon Desormeaux

2008-06-11T14:28:00.008-04:00

Well, I guess I'm not done writing about this after all...

When I said yesterday that I wouldn't write anything more about jockey Kent Desormeaux's ride in the Belmont Stakes unless he was fined or suspended by the stewards, I really thought I was done. Well, if the New York stewards are going to do anything, they took their first step when they summoned Desormeaux for an interview today at noon.

From The New York Times:

"Everybody wants to talk about the ride," he said before entering the meeting with stewards. "You’re going to have to ask the stewards about it. I gave my interview after the race, and I really have nothing more to say."

When Desormeaux was asked about Dutrow’s criticism as he left the meeting at about 12:20 p.m., he refused comment again.

"I’ve been kind through the whole Triple Crown," he said. "I’m not saying anything more."
Dutrow said Desormeaux seemed intent on staying behind the early leaders in the Belmont despite the fact Big Brown had the most early natural speed. The colt was throwing his head around in the early going, a possible sign that he was fighting Desormeaux. Big Brown was third for much of the race but gave no response when Desormeaux tried to make a move on the final turn.

Big Brown was eventually eased, which Dutrow said was unnecessary and embarrassed him.

I have no idea if any sort of disciplinary action will come out of today's meeting, but it is refreshing to see that the stewards at least half way acknowledged that there might be an issue and actually met with Desormeaux over the incident.

In related news, it looks like Desormeaux and Dutrow also met this morning and, according to Dutrow, are "back on target." (Translation: The owner says I can't have Edgar Prado, so you'll do).

IEAH Sticks with Desormeaux Despite Dutrow's Concerns

2008-06-10T22:33:00.008-04:00

IEAH co-President Michael Iavarone told the New York Times that the current plan is to stick with jockey Kent Desormeaux in Big Brown's next race, even though trainer Rick Dutrow said he would consider making a change.

From The New York Times:

“If it were up to me, I would seriously consider it,” Dutrow said. “But Kent was never my pick to begin with. That was Mike Iavarone’s move. My pick was always Edgar Prado. Edgar’s my man.”

Iavarone, the co-president of the syndicate that owns Big Brown, said Tuesday that no changes would be made before Big Brown’s next race, which will either be the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 3 or the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23.

“As far as I am concerned, there will be no changes,” Iavarone said. “I don’t think anybody was happy with the ride, including Kent. But I’m not going to sit here and say that’s the reason why we couldn’t keep up with those horses. It had to be one element of many. Unless we find something wrong with the horse over the next few days, everything else is speculation.”

So with that, unless the New York Stewards were to actually suspend or fine Desormeaux (which is highly unlikely), I think this is probably the end of my coverage of Desormeaux's bad ride in the Belmont Stakes.

Now on to Steve Asmussen's decision to take Curlin to the Stephen Foster Handicap despite his concerns about the high weight...

Seattle Slew's Trainer Critical of Desormeaux

2008-06-10T16:43:00.004-04:00

Now you can add Bill Turner to the list of people who think Kent Desormeaux was wrong to pull Big Brown out of the Belmont Stakes this weekend.

Turner, the trainer of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, called the results "a disaster."

From The Blood-Horse:

"I’ll tell you one thing. You never, ever pull up a horse who’s structurally sound. No jock should ever pull up a horse in a classic race. If he had bobbled, that’s one thing. But he had a hard time pulling him up. When he did pull him up, he was sound! He took him out of the race. In the 1960s, ’70s, and even into the 1980s, the New York stewards would have run him (Desormeaux) out of New York and told him not to come back.”

The way he echos my argument from earlier in the week, I'd think Turner was a regular reader of my blog. If jocks start to regularly pull up their mounts when they're out of the money, horses are going to start being put in dangerous and possibly deadly situations.

Turner continued:

“He was getting beat and he couldn’t stand it,” Turner said. “When I saw him pull up, I thought, ‘Oh, no! He’s broken down and the rider’s saving him.’ But then I saw him when he walked off and there was nothing wrong with the horse. The horse was happy. He would have beaten most of the horses in the Belmont…No wonder (trainer) Rick Dutrow had nothing to say after the race. What can you say? The stewards have got to do something to prevent this from becoming a regular practice. They can’t allow this kind of thing to go on.”

It's easy to blame the jockey when things go wrong, and as I said on Sunday, I'm not usually a person who will pile on a jock. And while it's true that Desormeaux can't (and shouldn't) be blamed totally for Big Brown's loss, I think it is certainly fair to question his ride during the race -- particularly the decision to pull the horse up. However, Desormeaux's actions in the Belmont were just more of the same for those of us who've watched him give up on mounts that were being beat in the stretch. The only thing that was different this time is that he gave up on national television and in front of 95,000 fans.

I agree with Turner that something must be done. I was hesitant to fully make this argument before we were certain that the horse was free of injury, but since all the post-race examinations have come back clean and Desormeaux has failed to provide a adequate reason for pulling up the horse (other than the fact that he wasn't going to win), it is time to demand that he be suspended and fined.

Churchill's Creates "Matrix" Bet

2008-06-10T10:31:00.004-04:00

Beginning Wednesday Churchill Downs will offer a new wager that will allow on-track bettors to place a packaged win, exacta and trifecta bet at a lower cost than the usual individual minimum.

From Churchill Downs:

Called “The Matrix,” the unique format, which costs a minimum total of $9, enables bettors to name three horses on one ticket, which in turn provides them with 15 combinations featuring those three horses. If any of them wins, two of them run one-two, or all three of them run 1-2-3, the player collects an increasing payout for the number of correct selections."

A new betting pool will not be created, instead when the bet is played the total wager will be divided into the win, exacta and trifecta wagering pools. So a $9 minimum bet would places 60 cents on each of the 15 combinations. The new bet will only be offered to on-track bettors during this initial test-phase that will last through the Spring meet, which ends July 6.

The bet is an interesting idea, and when compared to other recent ideas (like the failed over/under bet) it's not that bad considering that it is using already existing pools and this simple format might actually appeal to the novice bettor. However, I'm curious what kind of odds you would need on the top horse to get to make it out of your bet.

That being said, any time a new bet is created, I keep going back to the same argument -- Churchill and Magna should stop trying to create new bets (and formats) and instead drop the minimums -- bring on the Trifecta and Pick four for 50 cents.

Babe! Dutrow Critical of Desormeaux

2008-06-09T18:07:00.012-04:00

Add trainer Rick Dutrow to the list of people who are critical of Kent Desormeaux's trip on Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes. Right or wrong, it looks like Desormeaux will be Dutrow's scapegoat. While he didn't go as far as I did (I called Desormeaux lazy), Dutrow certainly doesn't sound happy.

Here are some Dutrow samples from The Daily Racing Form:

On pulling the horse up: "I don't know why he had to do that. If he felt the horse was sore, yeah, but the horse was fighting him the whole way through the lane and he was fighting the horse the whole way up till the lane. I just don't get the whole thing."

On the trip: "Getting the horse from the gate to the first turn like that is not the way to play the game," Dutrow said. "A lot of people say that it really confuses the horse. I'm sure he didn't have [any] idea what the hell was going on going into the first turn the way [Desormeaux] was switching him all over the damn track. I don't know what he was doing. Did he tell you what he was doing?"

On possible excuses: I know it's not the combination that our stable has with the horse, me, [exercise rider] Michelle [Nevin], the groom. I know he went into this race unbelievable, so the rest Kent's got to answer."

On not hearing from Desormeaux: "A lot of people came back to the barn - a lot of people - Desormeaux wasn't one of them."

I think the most interesting this about all of this is that Dutrow says --and Desormeaux seems to confirm this -- that the order was to take Big Brown to the lead like in the Flordia Derby, not set the horse outside on the lead like he did in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. It looked to me like Desormeaux had all the opportunity in the world to get to the lead, and was instead holding the horse from getting there -- I don't get it.

As far as not visiting the barn, Desormeaux said that immediately after the race that it looked like Dutrow looked like he needed his space. I'll agree that the sweat-soaked trainer did look just a bit cranky post-Belmont, but not reaching out by now (and only calling an IEAH partner) was probably a mistake.

It looks like that pat that Desormeaux gave Big Brown after the race might have been the last time that he will have any contact with the horse. While Dutrow didn't come out and say that he would switch jocks next time out -- I think you can read between the lines and figure out if Desormeaux will be in the irons if Big Brown ever races again.

One interesting thing that Desormeaux did suggest is that the three week layoff between the Preakness and Belmont might have been too much time off. Too much time? I didn't see that coming... the month between the Florida and Kentucky Derby certainly didn't seem to hurt the horse.

Curlin May Skip Foster Handicap Due to Weight Assignment

2008-06-09T00:17:00.004-04:00

Steve Asmussen is reportedly upset about the 128 pounds Curlin has been assigned for Saturday's Stephen Foster Handicap (GI). So upset that he told the Daily Racing Form: “It might eliminate us from running."

While it is certainly a lot of weight, it isn't the most Curlin has ever carried, as he was assigned 132 pounds during the February handicap in Dubai that he used to prep for the World Cup.

I'm not sure what Asmussen expected, but I think Churchill Downs racing secretary Ben Huffman probably made a fair assignment. Hell in the end, if Curlin toys with this field it will actually mean that he wasn't assigned enough weight.

From The Daily Racing Form:

“He’s won the Breeders’ Cup, reeled off four in a row, took the Jockey Club, and easily beat Dubai World Cup horses,” Huffman said. “It’s a lot of weight, but he’s a lot of horse.”

Huffman said he didn’t feel pressure to conservatively assign weight to Curlin, even after Churchill Downs has heavily marketed Curlin’s expected appearance in the race in recent weeks.

He said Curlin needed to be weighted appropriately to ensure participation from other horses.

The DRF reports that weight assignments for the other horses on the probable list are: Student Council (120), Einstein (118), Grasshopper (117), Brass Hat (116), Delightful Kiss (114), Jonesboro (114), Barcola (113), High Blues (113), Red Rock Creek (113) and Sam P. (113).

Quote Context: Was Desormeaux being safe or lazy?

2008-06-08T06:22:00.002-04:00

Almost immediately after the race was finished, jockey Kent Desormeaux made a statement that was broadcast on ABC about not being in fifth place and pulling up Big Brown to take care of him.

Here is how The Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman got the quote:

"I wasn't going to be fifth," he said, referring to the worst placing a horse can have and still receive a paycheck in the Belmont. "This is the best horse I ever rode. I took care of him."

Where was the part about the horse being injured?

And what did he mean not being fifth? Did Desormeaux mean: I won't make it to fifth in the end, I'll be worse, so why chance it.

It sounded more to me as if Desormeaux was instead saying: There is no way I was going to let my horse finish fifth, he's better than that... we'll come back another day.

Can that be right?

I didn't set my DVR to record and didn't think about listening again at the time, but I certainly at the at the time thought that Desormeaux was saying his rationale for pulling up this horse was that he wasn't winning. I was shocked he was actually admitting what I had suspected for years.

I guess I should offer some context to my anti-Desormeaux bias.

Oversleeping and missing a workout on Sweetnorthernsaint leading up to the 2006 Derby and misjudging the finish line in a race at Keeneland last year (a mistake that resulted in a $2,500 fine) may seem trite when used as specific examples of recent slip-ups from Desormeaux. However I think this two high-profile mistakes are just a part of a pattern of what I think is a lazy work ethic.

Yes, I called him lazy.

If you think I'm being unfair, pay attention the next time Desormeaux is on a horse that is considered "live" but is getting beat and isn't going to win. See if it looks to you like he's fighting to get up for second or third place or if it looks like he's giving up in the stretch. I'm pretty sure it will be the latter.

I've watched this happen time and time again over the past few years -- if this guy isn't winning, he just seems to give up and quit. And I know I'm not the only one who notices, because I have heard other people at the track make the same complaints.

I think if you search the archives you will be hard pressed to find an example of me beating up on a jockey like this. While I regularly criticize others in the industry for poor judgements, colossal failures, and bad ideas, I usually don't openly rant about a bad ride from a jockey. I figure that in the end when you add up the good rides and the bad rides, it all comes out in the wash. But there is a difference between a bad ride and a lazy ride.

So back to the quote about fifth place, what did he mean?

We don't really know why Desormeaux pulled up Big Brown. He just says he was out of gas. Does that mean he pulled the horse up just because he didn't fire when asked? If Desormeaux didn't hear or feel anything wrong (other than the horse not responding) and he pulled him up, doesn't that just mean that he folded up his table and went home? If he truly thought the horse was hurt, why didn't he dismount? Instead Desormeaux galloped the horse to the finish line after he was eased.

The only reason to pull up a horse is because he is injured... not because he will only finish fifth or because he can't get to fifth.

If either of those is indeed the case, he would have already been fined and possibly suspended in Hong Kong or Europe by now...and the same should be the case in this country. I'm not trying to make an argument for racing horses that could possibly be injured, I'm just making a case for racing a healthy horse to the best possible outcome he can achieve -- I'm just afraid that didn't happen in the Belmont Stakes.

Initial Thoughts

2008-06-07T19:17:00.000-04:00

I was at my sister's house helping her move this afternoon, and prior to the race my family had a blind-draw for the Belmont horses with each participant paying $5 per horse. When my adorable 13-year-old cousin asked me what I thought about Da'Tara's chances, I kindly patted her on the head and told her, "He'll probably finish dead last."

After watching replays, several of my family members (who only tune in for Triple Crown races) said they thought it looked like Kent Desormeaux never really asked the horse and instead appeared to be holding Big Brown the entire race. Several asked if I thought Desormeaux could have possibly thrown the race, and while I don't think so, that is at least some insight as to what the non-racing fan might see after watching the race.

Did we just see Big Brown's last race? More later when I return this evening...

Belmont Day Thoughts

2008-06-07T14:17:00.001-04:00

I've made it no secret that I don't like Big Brown going into the Belmont Stakes today. Earlier in the week a friend of mine said that the horse is going against bad hoofs, missed training days and 30 years of history... I tend to agree.

That being said, the loss of Casino Drive certainly does make Big Brown's quest a little easier. However, I think it's entirely possible for Macho Again, Anak Nakal, Denis of Cork and Tale of Ekati to all play the role of spoiler. I also like Guadalcanal under in exotics and will play him accordingly.

I think the Manhattan and Woody Stephens are wide open, and that for the sake of cost of a ticket you can go real deep in those legs after you single both Big Brown and Indian Blessing and hope for the best (my partner and I did the same thing on Preakness Day with Big Brown and Lantana Mob and cashed for $600). However, most of my plays for he day will be Pick 3s around Indian Blessing. In the Belmont race itself, I won't be playing Big Brown on top in any of my tickets and will attempt to play a Pick Four beating him, while not going quite as deep in the other legs.

Possible Injury to Casino Drive

2008-06-06T11:25:00.005-04:00

The Thoroughbred Times reports that Casino Drive missed a planned training trip to the Belmont track today due to unspecified problems with his left hind leg.

From The Thoroughbred Times:

"Right now our decision is to run ... We didn't like his way of moving," said Nobutaka Tada, the racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto. "So we just didn't go to the track this morning. He's just walking in the shed. Tomorrow morning we will see."

Tada said it was not clear why Casino Drive was walking differently than he usually does.
"[It] may be a stone bruise," Tada said. "We don't know yet. He's not lame, he's just slightly [off] .... We'll see tomorrow how he does. We entered the horse, we are going ahead with the horse, we are preparing for the race."

Tada said a veterinarian had examined Casino Drive, and further evaluations would be made throughout the day on Friday.

"We're always honest [with the media]," Tada said. "We don't hide anything."

I'm not sure if this news changes my betting strategy, which up until now was to try to beat Big Brown with about four other horses in exotics and multi-race bets (I'd rather spend money trying to beat him than win 10 cents on the dollar betting him to win ). If going into tomorrow, Casino Drive is a post-time decision, I think I'll still plan to include him in my Pick 4 -- if he is a late scratch, that just means that Big Brown will be added to my ticket, right?

Big Brown vs. Curlin: Suffolk Downs offers a $5 million carrot

2008-06-05T20:42:00.007-04:00

Should an undefeated Curlin face an undefeated Big Brown in the Sept. 20 Massachusetts Handicap, Suffolk Downs announced today that it will increase the total purse from $500,000 to $5 million. The added funds will include a $1 million "participation bonus" for both horses.

If either horse has a defeat going into the race, then the total added money would be $3 million, with a $500,000 participation bonus to each horse.

While it's a nice attempt by Suffolk's new ownership to make this race meaningful again, I think the only way that the extra money lures Curlin to the MassCap is if the Midnight Cry jailbirds are the majority owners (and need to pay off some legal bills). Sorry Suffolk, I think Jess Jackson is taking this horse to France.

Factoid: Triple Crown Post Positions

2008-06-04T16:46:00.007-04:00

Q: What does Big Brown have in common with the Triple Crown champions Sir Barton (1919), Assault (1946), Citation (1948) and Secretariat (1973)?

A: They all started from the inside post in the Belmont.

Calling Curlin: Stephen Foster Purse Increased to $1 Million

2008-06-04T15:26:00.016-04:00

In what is a clear attempt to attract reigning horse of the year Curlin to the Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) on June 17, Churchill Downs will boost the purse from $750,000 to $1 million.

The $250,000 will come from a marketing account that is available for "special circumstances," and the race conditions have been modified to require that a Grade I winner must start in the 1 1/8 mile race for the new money to be included in the purse.

As Marty McGee's story in the Daily Racing Form points out, this increase might be a hard pill to swallow for horsemen who recently saw the Louisville track cut purses 20 percent in reaction to revenue lost in the account wagering dispute that is keeping Churchill's signal off of TwinSpires.com.

From The Daily Racing Form:

Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said the organization does not object per se to Churchill using its own funds to boost the Foster purse.
"As long as the money isn't taken out of the purse account, it's entirely up to them," said Maline. "We wouldn't have a dog in that fight."
Nonetheless, added Maline: "It's probably hard for the trainers making this meet go to appreciate their going the extra mile to make this work. We've appealed to them to put that money back in purses, and yet we haven't been able to get them to agree to do that."

Perhaps this added money will also add a few more competitors for Curlin, who is coming off an impressive win in the Dubai World Cup. As the DRF story points out, the other horses that are considered possible include: Grasshopper, Jonesboro, Brass Hat, Sam P., and Red Rock Creek.

Other notable horses nominated to the race include: Perfect Drift, Student Council, Great Hunter, and turf horse Einstein.

My wife's favorite horse of all time, 9-year-old Perfect Drift, is a must use in exotics if entered -- he won the Foster in 2003; finished 3rd in 2004 and 2005; and placed 2nd in 2006. While he did have a bad 2007 then ended early due to injury, he did recently return from a 10-month layoff to finish 4th on the turf in the Shoemaker Mile (GI) on Memorial Day. Since a turf prep has been a part of his usual schedule before switching back to the dirt going into the Summer, maybe 2008 will be a little kinder to the old gelding.

Also, the Einstein nomination is interesting not just because he's a turf specialist, but because he is owned by Midnight Cry Stables, the co-owners of Curlin who are currently in the fourth week of a trial where they are accused of fraud. They allegedly bilked over 400 clients out of $64 million owed to them from a $200 million class-action settlement over the diet drug fen-phen -- read more about the case here.

Big Brown Draws Rail Post

2008-06-04T11:41:00.002-04:00

Belmont Post Positions
	Horse	Jockey	Odds
1	Big Brown	Desormeaux	2-5
2	Guadalcanal	Castellano	50-1
3	Macho Again	Gomez	20-1
4	Denis of Cork	Albarado	12-1
5	Casino Drive	Prado	7-2
6	Da’ Tara	Garcia	30-1
7	Tale of Ekati	Coa	20-1
8	Anak Nakal	Leparoux	30-1
9	Ready’s Echo	Velazquez	30-1
10	Icabad Crane	Rose	20-1

Churchill renames La Troienne after Eight Belles, Memorial Fund Established

2008-06-03T10:01:00.004-04:00

Churchill Downs announced a series of charitable contributions and initiatives today related to Derby runner-up Eight Belles, including the planned interment of the filly's remains at the Kentucky Derby Museum, the establishment of a memorial fund, and renaming a graded stakes race in her honor.

Owner Rick Porter and The Churchill Downs Foundation are each donating $25,000 to the newly established Eight Belles Memorial Fund. The fund, established by Thoroughbred Charities of America and will benefit continued research into racing injuries and toward training retired Thoroughbreds for post-race careers.

Churchill Downs also said it will rename the Grade III La Troienne in honor of Eight Belles. The $150,000 stakes race for 3-year-old fillies going 7.5 furlongs and is run on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard.

Eight Belles’ remains will also be interred at the base of a tree planted in the filly’s honor located within the Museum’s courtyard near the gravesites of four Kentucky Derby winners. The memorial will include a bronze plaque dedicating the tree to Eight Belles’ memory.

“The past month has been a time of indescribable highs and crushing lows for me and my family,” Porter said in a press release. “We watched Eight Belles run the race of her life in the Kentucky Derby, and that should have been our proudest moment as well as hers. Instead, it all changed in an instant. We’re still grieving and struggling to accept her loss, but even in the midst of our sorrow, we are determined to see something positive come from her death.”

More information about this and other thoroughbred charities can be found at the Thoroughbred Charities of America website: http://www.thoroughbredcharities.org/

Would you bet on Dutrow or Jesus?

2008-06-02T22:47:00.008-04:00

Winstrol: What Would Jesus Do?

Although official odds for the race won't be out until Wednesday, an idea of the possible morning lines for the probable Belmont horses (as well as some interesting "prop bets") can be found at various online sites.

My favorite gimick that I found was: "Who will jockey Kent Desormeaux thank first upon being interviewed after the 2008 Belmont Stakes?"

Choices and odds are:

God/Jesus (6-1)
Big Brown (4-1)
Family (5/4)
IEAH (8-1)
Rick Dutrow (9/2)
Fans (5-1)

I'm not sure what Rick Dutrow getting better odds than Jesus means. If this were a question about retired jockey Pat Day, then a bet for the religous "thank you" would be free money, even if they were set at odds of 1-20.

Spark Candle & Tomcito Out of Belmont, Some Remaining Contenders Work

2008-06-02T22:05:00.005-04:00

There were several changes on the Belmont Stakes scene going into Monday from this weekend, as Tomcito and Spark Candle were both removed from the probable list.

Spark Candle will instead go in the Hill Prince Stakes (G3) on Friday, the race it seemed that he was always targeting (I never really believed he was really serious considered for the Belmont). The news is a little bit more murkey about Pruvian Classic champion Tomcito, however, as he was identified with having an unidentified "reaction."

From The Daily Racing Form:

Tomcito, third to Big Brown in the Florida Derby, had some congestion on Sunday morning and was declared from the race, trainer Dante Zanelli Jr. said. Zanelli said that the owner, Jet Set Racing Stable, was likely to move the horse to another New York-based trainer and Zanelli would return to his Lexington, Ky., base.

In the recent workout news:

Friday
Macho Again worked four furlongs in :48.20 at Churchill Downs

Sunday
Tale of Ekati worked six furlongs in the Belmont mud in 1:11.99
Ready's Echo worked five furlongs in 1:00.91 over a fast Belmont training track

Monday
Denis of Cork worked four furlongs in :48.60 at Churchill Downs
Icabad Crane worked four furlongs over the Fair Hill synthetic in :48.60
Anak Nakal worked four furlongs in :49.67 on the Saratoga training track

Big Brown is expected to work on Tuesday and Casino Drive could possibly put in a timed work on Wednesday.

The latest entry of Nick Zito's Da'Tara will make the Belmont Stakes a likely field of nine. Da'Tara finished second in the 8.5 furlong Barbaro Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Day. The colt worked four furlongs over the Saratoga training track last Thursday in 49.67 seconds, and will give Zito two entries in the race.

Casino Drive: A Video History

2008-05-30T13:02:00.003-04:00

The one thing that is nice about lightly raced horses, is that it's easy to get the video of past races into one easy to read blog post. Here are video of Casino Drive's first two races (he is the number 8 who leads throughout in his maiden):

Maiden
1 1/8 miles
Kyoto, Japan; 2/23/08

Peter Pan Stakes (GII)
1 1/8 Miles
Belmont Park; 5/10/08

Is Greed Good? Bad Press for IEAH's Iavarone

2008-05-29T10:33:00.016-04:00

Michael Iavarone, who is a co-owner of Big Brown, rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, and soon unflattering stories followed from Bloomberg news about the financial and regulatory history of the IEAH co-chief executive.

Ivarone, 37, had a seven-year career as an investment banker that consisted of selling penny stocks at four different firms in the 90s before he (unsuccessfully) became an independent day-trader after the tech bubble popped.

However, Bloomberg reported that in 1999, Iavarone was censured, fined $7,500 and suspended 10-days from trading by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) for buying and selling stocks on three occasions in 1995 without his clients' permission. That brokerage firm defrauded investors out of more than $75 million before filing for bankruptcy protection in 1996 (although Iavarone was not charged).

While Iavarone certainly doesn't sound like he has the past of Gordon Gecko (or Charlie Sheen's Wall Street character), investor Vernon Bell filed a complaint with the NASD and claimed that Iavarone ended up losing over $60,000 by making unauthorized transactions in penny stocks.

Iavarone said he doesn't remember Bell, although he apparently paid him $10,000 in settlement over the dispute.

From Bloomberg:

"They ran the prices up and then the bottom dropped out after they sold their shares,'' Bell said. "I learned a lesson.''
"I know his past history,'' Bell said. "I don't know if he's mended his ways. I wouldn't give him a second chance.''

Well there you go.

Other than what sounds like a "pump and dump" boiler room operation, there are other smudges on Iavarone's past including a $20,000 bad check to an Atlantic City casino in 1999, a judgement for over $500,000 in unpaid auction horses at Keeneland in 2003, and an unpaid tax issue -- all of which he says have sense been resolved.

Iavarone also told The New York Times that he worked for Goldman Sachs, the world's largest investment bank. The only problem: he never worked there.

What is it they say about Bill and Hillary Clinton: They tell a big lie when a little lie will do and they tell a little lie when the truth will do.

From The New York Times:

“If I had gotten into why I couldn’t talk about my past, it would have been misunderstood,” said Iavarone, who was never charged with criminal actions. “I was a 22-year-old kid who didn’t know what I was doing when I got censured. There were people who went to jail. I’ve learned my lesson and moved on from that life, and I don’t know how the mistakes I made 15 years ago are relevant now.”

Why is this all relevant? IEAH, who in addition to Big Brown owns about 70 other horses, is in the process of forming a $100 million horse racing hedge fund for high networth investors -- those with $1 million or more to invest.

Iavarone says the bad check to the casino is the result of identity fraud, which is possible and maybe even likely, but stack that up with all the other problems -- like regulatory sanctions and failure to pay for auction horses at Keeneland -- and investors might start to get worried.

He says that the 80 investors who are currently involved in IEAH know his background, only I wonder which one -- the real one, or the one that involved him working at Goldman Sachs.

No wonder IEAH was willing to give Rick Dutrow a second chance.

Nashboa's Key euthanized; Panty Raid retired

2008-05-28T19:16:00.007-04:00

Not a good day for the fillies and mares today, with tragic news for one multiple Grade I winner and bad news coming for another.

5-year-old Nashaba's Key broke her left hind tibia in her stall this morning at Hollywood and was subsequently euthanized. We also learned that 4-year-old Panty Raid was retired due to a torn suspensory in her right foreleg that was suffered last week while in training at Belmont Park.

Trainer Carla Gaines released a statement on Nashaba's Key:

In a freak accident at 5:30 a.m. this morning at Hollywood Park, Nashoba’s Key kicked the wall of her pen and broke her hind leg. She was euthanized shortly thereafter. She brought a lot of joy to everyone’s lives that were lucky enough to be associated with her and we will all miss her very much."

Co-owner John Greathouse said of Panty Raid:

"We had two different vets looking at the ultrasounds in two different ways. And the only conclusion you could come to is that by the time she got back to racing in the fall, it was going to be a mountain too high to climb."

Casino Drive Workout Plans Change, Final Time Too Slow to Officially Clock

2008-05-28T12:50:00.016-04:00

The plan this morning for Casino Drive to work in company with stablemate Spark Candle was changed when it became apparent in the warm-up that the colt was really worked up and ready to go. So rather than have him do too much on the track, after the warm-up Casino Drive was reined in a bit and galloped out alone.

The Blood-Horse reports that the final five furlong time of 1:12 2/5 was deemed too slow to record as a workout by the Belmont clockers, who were expecting a normal breeze.

From The Blood-Horse:

After the horses warmed up, it became apparent Casino Drive wanted to do too much and the plan was aborted, with Casino Drive going off alone.

“If we had followed the other horse, we were afraid he would go too fast,” said Tada, who was on the phone with trainer Kazuo Fujisawa in Japan while the workout was in progress.

The fractional times were :17, :31 1/5, :45 4/5 and 1:12 2/5 for five-eighths, with a six-furlong gallop out time of 1:25. Despite the slowness of the effort by American standards, Tada was not disappointed.

“We had him continue past the wire to the backstretch to the one-mile pole,” Tada said. “I know the clocking may not please everyone, but it was exactly what we wanted. The way he moved was very good, and his breath was really good after the work.”

The Blood-Horse also reports that Casino Drive may put in a similar effort on Sunday and possibly next Wednesday, although that work could end up being more traditional, depending on how the colt is doing.

I'm curious exactly how Casino Drive was acting before the planned work and if it was anything like his hind-kicking antics in the Belmont paddock before the Peter Pan, when he was clearly full of energy and ready to run.

**UPDATE**

Edgar Prado has been selected as the jockey for Casino Drive.

Also, The New York Times' Joe Drape reports over at The Rail Blog that Casino Drive "looked elegant" this morning in his odd workout.

From The Rail:

Under the exercise rider Yoshi Aoki, Casino Drive stretched his legs for three eighths of a mile before breaking into a fluid gallop. The colt moves effortlessly, and Aoki had him under a very light hold. He let him blow out, however, the final quarter of a mile.

Clockers here had been told to expect a full out breeze, but that is not what they got. Still, Casino Drive’s stride is something to behold. Tada says he’ll breeze the underfeated Peter Pan winner sometime next week.
“He’s a happy horse right now,” Tada said.

This is exactly what Casino Drive fans wanted to hear.

National Poll: Should racing be banned?

2008-05-28T10:45:00.006-04:00

A national survey of adults questioned on May 7th and 8th reveals that only 10 percent of those polled want horse racing banned. When asked in the context of the Eight Belles fatal breakdown in this year's Derby if racing should be banned, the results were:

10% Yes
72% No
17% Not sure

From Rasmussen Reports:

Men and women differ slightly on this question. While 14% of women think the sport should be banned, just 7% of men agree. Eighty-three percent (83%) of men and 63% of women oppose a ban of the sport.

Along partisan lines, 85% of Republicans oppose a ban on horse racing, while just 66% of Democrats do the same. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, just 8% say horse racing should be banned, while 67% believe the opposite.

I'm surprised that the number is as high as 10 percent, and wonder if another poll were taken farther away from such a public tragedy (it was taken on the Wednesday and Thursday following the Derby), if the numbers would differ. This survey was of 1000 American adults, and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

Real Quiet: Just one reason why Big Brown isn't a lock to win the Belmont Stakes

2008-05-27T12:02:00.015-04:00

In 1998, the racing world was buzzing about Real Quiet's chances of becoming the first triple crown winner in 20 years.

For the second year in a row, Bob Baffert swept the first two legs of the triple crown, the first time any trainer had done so in back-to-back years. However, victory was denied the previous year when Silver Charm was passed in the final strides by Touch Gold, losing by three-quarters of a length in the Belmont Stakes.

So in 1998 Baffert was back again, and the connections for Real Quiet were confident about their triple crown chances going into the Belmont.

From The New York Times in 1998:

It reached a peak when his cargo plane landed at Kennedy Airport two hours later, the wing door swung open and the chief members of the cast -- the owner, Mike Pegram; the trainer, Bob Baffert, and the jockey, Kent Desormeaux -- stood there with index fingers over their mouths, signifying ''real quiet.''

Desormeaux was also quoted as saying:

''I will say I'm 98 percent sure of winning. It's just that so many things have to go right. I mean, you could stumble in the gate. So, I won't guarantee victory. But I am very, very confident.''

Flash forward to the Belmont stretch drive (video below) with two furlongs to go, Desormeaux and Real Quiet opened up a four length lead, but instead of winning with authority, it came down to a photo finish after a hard closing effort by Victory Gallop.

After more than five minutes of waiting, the results came that Victory Gallop -- the runner up in both the Derby and Preakness -- had won the Belmont Stakes by a nose, the closest margin in history. And Real Quiet became the 14th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but not the Belmont. Desormeaux was criticised for asking too much of Real Quiet at the start of the race and for moving too early going into the long Belmont stretch.

To make matters worse, Desormeaux angled Real Quiet out (later he admitted doing so on purpose) and brushed Victory Gallop twice in the stretch, leading the stewards to say that had the horse actually won, he probably would have been taken down.

''There was some significant lugging out there. We probably would have D.Q.'d Real Quiet if he had won," steward John Joyce told The Times after the race.

But Real Quiet didn't win, even though after a convincing win in the Preakness that made everyone think the colt was untouchable.

Sound familiar?

However, since many chalk eating weasels failed to learn a lesson just a few months ago this year after watching War Pass lose when some thought he was unbeatable, it's probably too much to ask that they look back to Real Quiet (or Charismatic, War Emblem, Funny Cide or Smarty Jones for that matter) to see that nothing is ever a lock. Horses are not machines and can turn sour (or crack a hoof) overnight.

It does seem, at least, that Desormeaux has at least learned somewhat of a lesson -- even if he is still very confident about his horse.

When asked about Big Brown he said:

"It's still a horse race. Just like anything else, these horses show up on race day and 90 percent of them are nothing like the horse you breeze in the morning. And 50 percent of them are different on every race day. The same horse that bounces out on the lead one race might show up and decide he wants to be quieter this time, you know? They're race horses, and they have different feelings every time you get on them."

Well, at least that's better than the 2 percent chance he gave the 1998 Belmont field.

Minor Hoof Problems for Big Brown, He Could Return to Training on Tuesday

2008-05-27T01:01:00.010-04:00

Things like this always seem to happen when I'm out of town...

As we were leaving my in-laws house on Monday afternoon, I was loaded up with all of our baggage as my father-in-law came to the top of the stairs and announced that he just read that Big Brown had a crack in a hoof.

I fought back my initial desire to toss all the bags down the stairs (and look like a nut in the process) as I yelled "Wahooo!" and ran to the computer to see what the prognosis looked like... instead I just muttered: "$100,000 is a lot of money for a bad hoof gene if you ask me..." and proceeded to head to the car to load it up with our suitcases and dogs.

As it turns out, Big Brown suffered a minor quarter crack to his left front hoof, and had not been on the track since Friday. A phone call to my Pick Four partner soon after we got on the road revealed that the colt would miss less than a week of training... now that I'm home, it looks like the prognosis is even better and hoof specialist Ian McKinlay told The New York Times that the colt's feet were "ice cold" and that he could return as early as Tuesday.

From The New York Times:

Dutrow said he intended to give Big Brown a fast workout — his only one between the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont — on Saturday morning, but he reiterated that he was in no hurry to push what he had said repeatedly was a fit horse.

“We can most likely jog him, but I don’t want to do that,” Dutrow said. “I want Ian to look at him again before we actually go to the track. If he looks great tomorrow, I still won’t jog him.”

Dutrow said Big Brown would probably walk around the shedrow of the barn Tuesday with his regular exercise rider, Michelle Nevin. “I would be very happy if that happens,” Dutrow said.

“It’s a little hiccup on the way over there; that’s all it is. The time he has missed means nothing to me or him.”

In other Belmont Stakes news, Nobutaka Tada, racing manager owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, said Casino Drive is still scheduled to have a work on Wednesday, however the decision to name a jockey has been delayed from Monday to Wednesday. Yutaka Take, Edgar Prado and Garrett Gomez are the three jocks on the short list to ride the colt.

“We really appreciate how many good jockeys are interested in our horse,” said Tada. “We need the right rider for the Belmont Stakes, whether it be Japanese, American, or European.”

There are some conspiracy theories floating around the internet(s) that since Big Brown's hoof health was in question, that perhaps the connections of Casino Drive were holding back to see if Kent Desormeaux, who guided the colt to victory in the Peter Pan, might become available. I'm not buying into that theory and think it's probably something more benign, maybe the holiday weekend unexpectedly snuck up on the far-east connections...

Congress to Investigate Horse Racing Industry

2008-05-23T23:11:00.005-04:00

After protests by PETA, round tables by NBC and ESPN, the next logical step in the great debate about "how to fix the sport" is shaping up to... Congressional hearings? Well shit.

From The Courier-Journal:

Citing concerns that "leading officials in the sport" have failed to address longstanding concerns over the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses, a House panel has demanded that state racing commissions provide information on breakdowns, drug use and breeding.

Saying the public demise of Eight Belles in this year's Kentucky Derby shows that the "thoroughbred breed has become increasingly fragile," the leaders of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection say they want answers by June 2.

The panel expects to hold a hearing sometime next month on the state of horse racing in the United States, said Kristin Walker, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, its ranking minority member. Whitfield and subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, made their demands in a letter sent this week to the Lexington-based Association of Racing Commissioners International, which represents 44 jurisdictions.

It should be noted that Congressman Whitfield's wife Connie the Vice-Chairman of the Kentucky Horse Racing Association -- while she is an attorney and has held several positions in Federal Government, her major qualification for the KHRA is that she is married to a Republican member of Congress.

Congressman Whitfield has sponsored anti-slaughter legislation in the past and puts on a mask as a "friend" of the industry. He represents western Kentucky's first congressional district, which other than Ellis Park in Henderson, isn't a part of the state that relies heavily on the thoroughbred industry. I'm not really sure what side he is going to take in this debate -- but I'd probably plan for righteous anger rather than industry apologist.

While this could be the vehicle by which some sort of nation-wide racing commission (with teeth) can be created, I'm sceptical. I'm not trying to be cynical, but after working in Washington and on Capitol Hill (granted I was on the Senate side), I'm starting to think involvement by the boys on the hill can screw things up more than it can help.

No matter what, I hope Bob Evans, Richard Shapiro and Alex Waldrop remember to wear their flag pins. And would Frank Stonach wear an Austrian or Canadian pin?

Casino Drive's Agenda, Update of Belmont Stakes Roll Call

2008-05-23T12:18:00.006-04:00

Casino Drive will gallop on Sunday, weather permitting, and will have what NYRA is referring to as a "serious breeze" on Wednesday.

As everyone knows, Casino Drive is the half brother to Jazil and Rags to Riches, the last two winners of the Belmont Stakes. The Kentucky-bred son of Mineshaft broke his maiden in Japan and then shipped over to win the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont earlier this month under jockey Kent Desormeaux. Since sleepy Kent will obviously be aboard Big Brown, an announcement regarding a jockey decision will come on Monday -- the short list apparently includes Yutake Take, Edgar Prado and Garrett Gomez.

Belmont Roll Call Update
It looks like Macho Again and Icabad Crane moved out of the "probable" column and will go in the Belmont in two weeks. Trainer Todd Pletcher's Behindatthebar, who scratched out of the Preakness with a bruised hoof, is now being listed by NYRA as one of the horses that are planning to go in the Belmont.

Belmont Bound
Anak Nakal
Behindatthebar
Big Brown
Casino Drive
Denis of Cork
Icabad Crane
Macho Again
Ready’s Echo
Tale of Ekati
Tomcito

Possible
Spark Candle

Out
Colonel John (Swaps Stakes)
Gayego (rest)
Hey Byrn (turf)
Kentucky Bear (turf)
Racecar Rhapsody (allowance at Churchill Downs)
Riley Tucker (easier spot)
Stevil (rest)

Dutrow wants Big Brown to Target Travers, Breeders' Cup Classic

2008-05-23T10:06:00.009-04:00

After IEAH sold the breeding rights to Big Brown for $50 million, speculation began on whether or not The Belmont Stakes would be the colt's last race (see poll to the right).

Yesterday trainer Rick Dutrow said that he'd like to send his colt to the Travers (Aug. 23) and Breeders' Cup Classic (Oct. 25), but sees no other races on the schedule that "makes sense for him this year." That being said, Dutrow hasn't confirmed these plans with IEAH, although he said that he thinks they will want to keep the colt in training.

From The New York Times:

“I think Big Brown actively needs to stay in training after the Belmont, and the reason is that when horses have only raced against 3-year-olds, it’s more difficult for professionals and breeders to assess the merit of what they’ve actually achieved,” said Bill Oppenheim, a leading analyst of the breeding market. “Seattle Slew, when he won the Triple Crown against a group of 3-year-olds who turned out to be nonentities, much like this crop could be, went on to prove himself as an older horse and further went on to become one of the top sires of the last quarter-century. But we had the opportunity to assess him against older horses.”

Even though Dutrow wants to add two more races to the colt's career, he better check with his ownership group, because the details of when and under what circumstances the colt can continue racing are likely detailed in the contract they signed with Three Chimneys.

Rick Porter indicated to me on Derby week that he regretted signing the type of agreement he did with Darley over Hard Spun, he said that he wanted to continue to race the colt as a 4-year-old.

"If I had a chance to redo the contract, I think I could have won that battle," Porter said. "But I gave in too easy. But at least I had it in the contract that they couldn't race him, because that's what they wanted to do. They agreed to race him, but not in my name and not in my colors."

Anyway, back to Big Brown. While other races like the Breeders' Cup Classic certainly make sense, so does the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream. This race is at a track the colt clearly loves and is early enough on the 2009 schedule that he could still make it to the breeding shed in time for almost a full season. Too bad it will take just four covers to surpass the earnings the colt would make by winning the race.

So it's six to eight races lifetime and you're gone for good... I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Jess Jackson and Curlin.

Pyro's Gate Troubles (AKA Gategate)

2008-05-20T22:43:00.010-04:00

When I read in Saturday's Indian Charlie that trainer Steve Asmussen requested a special assistant starter to load Pyro for the Kentucky Derby, I didn't quite know what to think.

Indian Charlie tells that Churchill Downs President Steve Sexton eventually approved a request by Asmussen to use the same assistant starter on Pyro in the Kentucky Derby as was used in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby -- a request that had been denied by the Churchill starter and other officials.

Although Indian Charlie doesn't always draw a clear line between fact and satire -- this certainly had the tone of fact to it. Well, now we know that the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority is investigating the incident.

According to The Blood-Horse:

Following the meeting, Underwood said the KHRA is investigating a report that trainer Steve Asmussen persuaded Churchill Downs officials to use an assistant starter he selected to help load Pyro into the starting gate in the May 3 Kentucky Derby. The incident was first reported May 17 by the Indian Charlie newsletter.

According to Indian Charlie, Churchill Downs’ starter and other racing officials rejected the request from Asmussen, but he was allowed to use his own assistant starter after a track official approved it.

Because stewards were not notified of the use of a specially-designated assistant starter for Pyro, chief state senior steward John Veitch said it would violate state regulations if it occurred. Pyro finished eighth in the Derby.

After reading the regulations, I'm not so sure that I agree with Veitch's analysis. According to 810 KAR 1:005 Section 5, Subsection 3: The starter shall report to the stewards any disobedience of his orders or attempts to take unfair advantage at the starting gate and recommend penalties for offenders.

Considering that Asmussen appealed the starter's decision to Sexton, a Churchill official who overruled the decision in favor of Asmussen, I'm not sure that the starter's orders were actually disobeyed. Additionally, since Churchill doesn't likely need as many assistant starters for any other race as they do for the Kentucky Derby, and considering they might logically bring in assistants from other tracks they own (like Fair Grounds), it's not out of the ordinary for that particular starter to be used for the Derby. It's possible that this assistant may have been assigned to Pyro anyway because of his history working with the colt -- and it's not as if Asmussen asked that a mobster load the horse...

Also, I'm not sure that requesting a special starter really can give you any sort of an advantage. It's not as if he can ensure that the horse gets a "great" or "better" start, only that maybe it doesn't get a bad start... I think this would be more of a story had Asmussen requested a special assistant starter for Big Brown, Colonel John, or any other horse he doesn't train.

(Plus, Pyro didn't get a great start in the race anyway, which as Indian Charlie also points out, is beside the point).

All that being said, no matter what the race, any request for a particular assistant starter should be denied, without question, if nothing else to avoid the appearance to the public of an impropriety. The fact that this happend in the Kentucky Derby just makers matters worse and probably means that whatever punishment Asmussen gets will be much more than if he'd pulled this in the 5th at Ellis Park on a Thursday.

Belmont Stakes Roll Call

2008-05-19T12:16:00.003-04:00

Below is an early indication of what The Belmont Stakes is shaping up to look like coming out of the Preakness Stakes this weekend. Don't forget to vote in the poll in the right column.

Belmont Bound
Anak Nakal
Big Brown
Casino Drive
Denis of Cork
Tale of Ekati
Tomcito

Uncertain
Icabad Crane
Macho Again

Doubtful
Racecar Rhapsody

Out
Colonel John (Swaps Stakes)
Gayego (rest)
Hey Byrn (turf)
Kentucky Bear (turf)
Riley Tucker (easier spot)
Stevil (rest)

Poll: Is The Belmont going to be Big Brown's farewell race?

2008-05-18T21:49:00.005-04:00

So we know that Big Brown won't race as at four, but we don't know exactly when he will retire.

So, no matter the outcome, will the Belmont Stakes be the last race for Big Brown or will we see him for races like the Travers, Haskell and maybe Breeders' Cup Classic?

Vote in the right column.

NBC Skips the Allaire DuPont Distaff, Big Brown Sold to Three Chimeys

2008-05-17T17:19:00.004-04:00

So it turns out the deal between IEAH and Three Chimneys is done, and Big Brown's breeding rights have been syndicated for somewhere in the $50 million range.

We found this out just before NBC skipped the coverage of the Allaire DuPont Distaff S. Par for the course, instead of taking just under two minutes to show the race, they instead chose to do some sort of canned feature. In fact, as the race was going off (and I realized I had to switch over to HRTV to catch it) the network was showing a blimp shot and you could see the field of fillies leaving the gate.

It's a shame that ESPN shows all the stakes races on the card, but then you end up missing the race leading up to the Preakness because it happens to go off a few minutes after the switch to NBC. With over 90 minutes of coverage, you would think the network could carve out two to show a Grade II race on the undercard.

Kent Desormeaux certainly is confident, clearly he didn't learn anything after his Preakness win guarantee for Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Oh, if Big Brown wins, my Pick Four partner and I cash for about $600 in the Pick Four... now I'm invested.

Preakness Morning Blowout for Big Brown

2008-05-17T11:10:00.004-04:00

Big Brown worked 2 furlongs at Pimlico this morning in 24 4/5, this was the colts only work between Derby and Preakness, and Dutrow indicated earlier in the week that he may have a work the morning of the race.

I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of the Derby winner this year, but I think the horse is a legitimate single for cost purposes in the Pick Four. In fact, I think you can play multiple Pick Four tickets using Latana Mob in the Hirsch, Shakis (IRE) in the Dixie as singles in other tickets, allowing you to fan out in the other races (possibly wheeling "all" in the DuPont Distaff).

As far as my actual bets for the Preakness, I don't know -- I played against Barbaro and it paid off nicely, but it felt like I was cashing blood money. While I don't expect (or hope for) tragedy today, I certainly do think that Big Brown can be beat -- and I'm not just being contrary... horses aren't machines, they're like fruit in the fruit in the refrigerator, they can spoil overnight. How many times have you seen a "sure thing" fail to win, without any explanation or reason? I'm not going to bet the farm against the horse, but it's worth a cheap play against just in case.

I guess I'll make some sort of exacta box bet with Kentucky Bear, Icabad Crane and Gayego, as well as a wheel with Big Brown keyed on top and on bottom of those three and Hey Byrn.

3-8-12 exacta box
7 with 3-8-12-13
3-8-12-13 with 7

Not So Fast My Friend: No Stud Deal For Big Brown. Yet...

2008-05-15T23:20:00.006-04:00

The announcement that everyone expected today, and caused much gnashing of teeth on the blogosphere over the past day, never happened. The multi-million dollar deal for the breeding rights to Big Brown have stalled for the moment.

From The Daily Racing Form:

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t come to terms on a stud deal for Big Brown prior to the Preakness as we had hoped,” said Michael Iavarone, co-president of IEAH Stables. “Legal issues and time constraints proved too much to overcome, and we will revisit all options following the Preakness. Big Brown is training as well as ever, we expect a big effort on Saturday, and are very anxious for the race. We appreciate the great interest shown in our colt.”

After the statement, Iavarone dove into a pile of gold coins, like Scrooge McDuck. (I kid, Iavarone actually seemed like a nice guy when I spoke with him a few times during Derby week about details on how IEAH's hedge fund was going to work.)

While no one knows exactly who the buyer is, they have been referred to as a, "major American-owned stud farm in central Kentucky," which rules out the Irish-based Coolmore and the Sheik's Darley, so my guess is WinStar Farms, who co-own Court Vision with IEAH. Although it could be anyone -- Three Chimneys, Stonestreet...

Still just because a deal wasn't announced today doesn't change much, even if someone can catch Big Brown's rising star, it's not like ~~WinStar~~ the buyer is going to shave a million or two off of the price. The horse will sell for a big ticket in the tens of millions and will have an opening stud fee of at least $100,000 -- which is a lot for fragile hoof gene if you ask me.

The lack of a deal also doesn't change the fact that Iavarone said that there was zero chance the Kentucky Derby winner would race as a 4-year-old. We'll be lucky if we see Big Brown in October... hell, if this horse doesn't win on Saturday you may not ever see him race again.

Magna's Revolving Door: Dragone out after only six months

2008-05-14T15:02:00.005-04:00

It's been a busy week for me at work, but I had to come up for air once I heard that Magna is firing Maryland Jockey Club President Chris Dragone after only six months on the job.

Frank Stronach's hit list gets a little longer, as Drangone's name gets added to a list that recently included the popular MJC President Lou Raffetto and CEO Michael Neuman, who never appeared to really be in charge anyway. No one should be surprised, this isn't anything new from Frank.

From The Thoroughbred Times:

The firing of Dragone continues a string of management shakeups in Magna dating to 2000. The Canadian company, which has lost $306.4-million the past three years, has had five different chief executives in that time with Stronach assuming the role on an interim basis three times.

Dragone will leave after this Saturday's Preakness and will be replaced by Tom Chuckas, a long-time CEO of the nonprofit group that operates the Rosecroft Raceway harness track in suburban Maryland. Presumably the doomsday clock on Chuckas is already 5 minutes to midnight...

And in case you were wondering, the stock is trading at about 40 cents a share...

Gayego Joins Preakness Field

2008-05-13T14:56:00.005-04:00

Gayego was added to the Preakness field today, making him the only Kentucky Derby contender other than Big Brown to go in the second leg of the triple crown.

The colt won the Arkansas Derby, but then finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby after taking a wide trip around the track from post 19. The addition of Gayego will expand the number of Preakness contenders to 13, one short of the cap for the race. Post positions will be drawn Wednesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

Preakness Contenders
Behindatthebar (Pletcher, 1st Lexigton Stakes)
Big Brown (Dutrow, 1st Kentucky Derby)
Gayego (Lobo, 17th Kentucky Derby)
Giant Moon (Schosberg, 4th Wood Memorial)
Hey Byrn (Plesa, 1st Holy Bull)
Icabad Crane (Motion, 1st Tesio)
Kentucky Bear (Baker, 3rd Blue Grass)
Macho Again (Stewart, 1st Derby Trial)
Racecar Rhapsody (McPeek, 4th Lexington Stakes)
Riley Tucker (Mott, 3rd Lexington Stakes)
Stevil (Zito, 4th Blue Grass Stakes)
Tres Borrachos (Greely, 3rd Arkansas Derby)
Yankee Bravo (Gallagher, 4th Santa Anita Derby)

Out
Recapturetheglory (out with a fever)
Harlem Rocker (to The Queen's Plate at Woodbine)

Harlem Rocker ruled out of Preakness, Field Taking Final Shape

2008-05-12T11:13:00.010-04:00

Patrick at Handride, who owns a fractional share of Harlem Rocker, noted this morning that the colt is skipping the Preakness and trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Frank Stronach will instead focus the Canadian son of Macho Uno on the Queen's Plate at Woodbine in late June.

This is obviously great news for trainer Rick Dutrow, as Big Brown's path to greatness just got a little bit easier. The Kentucky Derby winner jogged over a muddy Churchill Downs track yesterday and is expected to ship to Pimlico on Thursday.

Another Preakness contender, Tres Borrachos also jogged at Churchill Downs yesterday, although with blinkers on for the first time. Trainer and part-owner Beau Greely said the colt may work with the new equipment on Tuesday before deciding if he will keep them on for the Preakness.

“In his races, horses would come up to him and he’d back up a little and then come again,” Greely said from Louisville on Sunday. “I want to see what (exercise rider Andy Durnin) thinks about them, but it looks like he was relaxed galloping today. He may have them on when he works Tuesday and then we’ll make a decision."

Stevin, Racecar Rhapsody and Macho Again are also training at Churchill in advance of Saturday's Preakness.

The field is shaping up to include the following 12 horse:

Preakness Probables
Behindatthebar (Pletcher, 1st Lexigton Stakes)
Big Brown (Dutrow, 1st Kentucky Derby)
Giant Moon (Schosberg, 4th Wood Memorial)
Hey Byrn (Plesa, 1st Holy Bull)
Icabad Crane (Motion, 1st Tesio)
Kentucky Bear (Baker, 3rd Blue Grass)
Macho Again (Stewart, 1st Derby Trial)
Racecar Rhapsody (McPeek, 4th Lexington Stakes)
Riley Tucker (Mott, 3rd Lexington Stakes)
Stevil (Zito, 4th Blue Grass Stakes)
Tres Borrachos (Greely, 3rd Arkansas Derby)
Yankee Bravo (Gallagher, 4th Santa Anita Derby)

Out
Recapturetheglory (out with a fever)
Harlem Rocker (to The Queen's Plate at Woodbine)

Sharp Work for Harlem Rocker, Preakness Decision Looms

2008-05-11T13:10:00.006-04:00

Harlem Rocker breezed five furlongs 1:00.10 this morning over the Belmont Park training track, a work that was the third fastest of 32 at that distance.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is set to make a decision on whether or not the undefeated Withers Stakes winner will go in the Preakness on Saturday. Harlem Rocker, who is owned by Stronach Stables, is also targeting the Queen's Plate on June 22nd at Woodbine.

Update: The decision has been made, no Preakness for Harlem Rocker.

Update: Does anyone know why the DRF is reporting different times for workouts? While they report the "official" time of 1:00.10 for Harlem Rocker on the workouts page, they report a time of 59.63 in a story on the website.

They did the same thing during Derby workouts and it was quite confusing considering that they are only using these "unofficial" times in stories, yet not in the past performances...