Foolish Pleasure

Maximus Effort

2009-11-30T00:35:00.002-05:00

Tremendous juvenile racing this long holiday weekend at Aqueduct, Churchill and Hollywood—although I’m not sure we saw the second-coming of Rachel Alexandra. Still, good stuff! Dana over at Green but Game has a great recap of some promising potential stars, but I wanted to give a proper post to one of my favorite efforts, an allowance win by Maximus Ruler in race 8 at Churchill on Saturday.

On November 14, this son of Roman Ruler, out of a Lost Code mare named Lost Love (whose dam Flirting just happens to be by Foolish Pleasure, out of the Advocator mare Horsing Around—not a bloodline you hear much these days) made his debut in race 10 at Churchill Downs (MSW, 7f dirt), set off at odds of just over 52-1, and, as you can see via the race replay below, he was tremendously-impressive closing late to finish third by less than a head (he’s also a BIG boy):

Nominated for the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club, his connections opted for an 8f allowance race for non-winners of two, of which he was the sole maiden. Watch the replay—jockey Francisco Torres makes a sweet move to bring him mid-pack in the backstretch and then he bursts through to take the lead, never really threatened:

Final time for the mile: 1:35.94. The second-place finisher, Guys Reward (by Grand Reward out of a Mr. Greeley mare Beach View) is another to watch as he (surprisingly) looks to want a bit of distance—well, maybe not so surprisingly, as through his dam he is related to Giant’s Causeway.

Freshman sire Roman Ruler has impressed me thus far with his first crop, among the best being G1 Champagne victor Homeboykris (who was crushed by potential superstar Buddy’s Saint in the G2 Remsen on Saturday), and the ill-named filly Connie and Michael who finished third in the G3 Miesque over the Hollywood turf on Sunday. He also has a G1 winner in Mexico, called Zacatlan, so much like their daddy, I suppose Roman Ruler's progeny are precocious.

On the Other Side of the World

2009-11-29T03:13:00.005-05:00

As a life-long night-owl, I’ve always appreciated being more cognizant of breaking news in the middle of the night, whilst normal people slept. Still, prowling around the ‘net early Sunday morning, even I was impressed by the number of breaking stories.

First, and most disappointingly, is news that that Summer Bird is out of the JPN-G1 Japan Cup Dirt after suffering a bone chip—it would be even more disheartening if he were to be retired rather than have the opportunity to run next year. Obviously, even after surgery he might not be the same horse, but I was honestly looking forward to seeing the best of him yet to come. Here’s hoping the Jayaramans resist the breeding shed temptation for now.

The second news is far more pleasant, as the much-beloved 5-year-old mare Vodka finally won the JPN-G1 Japan Cup, after fourth and third place finishes in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Lightly-raced 4-year-old colt Oken Bruce Lee nearly caught her at the wire, only to lose by a nose, while cracking 3-year-old filly Red Desire finished third, ahead of favorite/BC Turf champion Conduit. The video is in Japanese; Vodka is #5 and chestnut Oken Bruce Lee is #10:

Just as here in the U.S., group racing Down Under is about to crank back significantly, with only two G1 events in the next two months—the G1 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot on December 5, followed by the G1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington on January 30.

Steve Brem, whose blog This Racing Game is sorely missed, must be very proud, as his once-$50,000 yearling/now 4-year-old filly Ortensia crushed the G2 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot this weekend—a worthy achievement, even with top sprinter Lucky Secret scratched. Hey, she even has her own Facebook page!

Ortensia and the game 4-year-old filly Romneya, victress of the G2 Classic Stakes, share Fille Detoile as their fourth dam—as does one-time Kentucky Derby favorite Friesan Fire (actually, Romneya’s dam Mannington and Friesan Fire’s dam Bollinger are half-sisters). Interesting to hear that Friesan Fire, now under the tutelage of Steve Asmussen, will make his first start since the Preakness this coming Thursday in an allowance race at Fair Grounds, against much seasoned older horses. His major goal: G1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream on February 6.

In 2000, Stormy Pick won the Spinaway, becoming the first G1 winner for then-freshman sire Storm Creek. Nearly a decade later, Storm Creek, who now stands at Stoney Bridge in New Zealand for $5,000, got his second G1 winner this week, when promising 3-year-old filly Eileen Dubh won the open-company NZ-G1 Levin Classic for 24-year-old trainer Francis Finnegan. Nice story, and well-bred filly—her dam Vingtaine is a half-sister to the G1-winning mare Culminate whose most impressive race this year was a narrow second-place loss to Typhoon Tracy in the AUS-G1 Coolmore Classic. Breathtaking!

Vingtaine is also a half-sister to the unraced Cappie, whose daughter Captivate won the NZ-G1 Breeders, and a half-sister to Paris Sky whose daughter Solvini won the NZ-G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic in race and track record time.

Thanks to nzracing for posting the race video; Eileen Dubh is in white/green chevrons with white cap mid-pack early, but lifting along from the inside late:

Another impressive filly to watch for Down Under in the coming months: 2-year-old Solar Charged who won on debut at Randwick-Kensington on Saturday. Not only was her five-length win visually-impressive, but also she set a new course record (57.97 seconds for the 1000 meters), and established herself as the likely early favorite for the G1 Golden Slipper.

On Perspective and Bias

2009-11-22T01:48:00.002-05:00

On November 23, 1918, the legendary Exterminator wrapped up his Kentucky Derby-winning 3-year-old campaign, prevailing by a nose over Clark Handicap victor Beaverkill in the 2-1/4 mile Latonia Cup. Five days later, he won the 1-1/16 mile Thanksgiving Handicap, and then shipped home to Binghamton, NY, to be turned out for the winter, after amassing for the year a record of 7 wins, 4 seconds and 3 thirds in 14 starts, and total earnings of $36,147. In addition to the Kentucky Derby (his first race of the year) and the two Latonia stakes, Exterminator also won the Carrollton and Ellicott City handicaps at Laurel in October, as well as the Pimlico Autumn Handicap in November. As the Daily Racing Form (DRF) noted on December 10, 1918:

“When he started in the Kentucky Derby his inclusion in the field excited no consideration, and when he won the big race it was put down as a fluke. But his subsequent career in racing dispelled this illusion, and when he returned to Kentucky in the fall to win the two miles and a quarter Latonia Cup it was with the well-earned reputation of being one of the best three-year-olds of 1918.”

Yet, when the DRF checked in on the nation’s third-leading money winner later in December, it was his Travers-winning stablemate who garnered the headline “Sun Briar Wintering Well.” The DRF reporter gushed:

“It is easy to express an opinion of Sun Briar’s appearance as he is today. He is the handsomest horse in America, and looks the exact part of what he surely is—a high-class, all around race horse at any distance. He is as sound as he ever was, and racegoers may have the pleasure of seeing this really wonderful horse under colors again the coming year, as Mr. Kilmer is undecided as to the future of his favorite.”

He continues, with considerably less enthusiasm:

“In the next stall stands Exterminator, the winner of the coveted Kentucky Derby and the only horse to win that cherished event and the Latonia Cup. While not as high a class horse as his more famous stablemate and nothing like as handsome, the unsexed son of McGee is a decidedly useful sort, as attested by the fact that he was third in the list of American winners for the racing season just closed.”

Rodney Dangerfield enjoyed considerably more respect than poor Exterminator.

Surely that unnamed DRF writer would eat his words, though, beginning with a near-track record performance Exterminator put on at Oaklawn in his 1919 opener, a 1 mile and 70 yard handicap on March 22 for which, carrying 126 lbs, he gave between 11 and 18 lbs to his competitors. Yet, after Sun Briar returned in August, victorious over his stablemate in the Champlain Handicap at Saratoga, the DRF ran another article heralding Sun Briar:

“It is gratifying to chronicle the fact that besides being one of the fastest horses in the country, if not, indeed, the fastest with scale weight up, Sun Briar is a superb specimen of the thoroughbred race horse in conformation, quality, finish and type. He is the color of old San Domingo mahogany, stands about 15.3 hands high and looks as much like an equine gamecock as any horse ever did. None of your lop-eared, listless, gross-looking, gummy legged ones is Sun Briar, but a living model for one of...the extremely bloodlike old English turf champions. No one would ever mistake him for a gelding...”

History proved Sun Briar’s worth as a stallion, as his progeny included Hall of Fame handicap horse Sun Beau, as well as 1925 champion 2-year-old colt Pompey and Pompey’s full-sister Laughing Queen, the third dam of the great Tom Fool. His daughter Suntica won the Test and Kentucky Oaks, and son Sun Flag took the 1924 Travers.

Yet, it is Exterminator—“Old Bones”—whose exploits on the track have become legend, winning 50 of 99 races over a career that spanned eight years, including 33 stakes—three consecutive Pimlico and Toronto Autumn cups, and four consecutive Saratoga Cups, in addition to the Brooklyn, Clark, Camden, Ben Ali, Philadelphia and Kentucky handicaps. It is gangly, 17-hands tall Exterminator who, in his 1945 autobiography, Colonel Matt Winn chose as the greatest horse he ever saw race “because when greatness is reckoned, the factors entering into it are speed, courage, stamina, intelligence, and perhaps, more importantly, durability.”

It is virtually impossible for contemporaneous writers to provide proper or unbiased perspective regarding the horses they see race—as with all historical observations, time must pass before a deeper understanding and appreciation sets in, and personal bias overcome. The same is true of the ongoing Zenyatta-Rachel Alexandra “debate”. Right now, passions run high based on how one feels about their respective connections, as well as campaign issues including geography, track surfaces, competition and, of course, the fact that they did not meet on the track. I completely understand the desire to debate their relative merits, and even the swirling “Horse of the Year” controversy. While some agree the issue is hardly worth the battle royal that has erupted on boards, blogs and in print—and sharing the award a worthy goal—others are determined there can be only one—and most of those strongly prefer one over the other. And that’s fine.

As my prior comments on the matter have been criticized in various quarters—and it’s even been suggested that folks like me need to “grow a pair” (a revolting thought, to say the least)—I’ll put aside my historian’s inclination to be unbiased, and render my own just-as-prejudicial-as-everyone-else’s view. Don’t be surprised when, in years to come, the merits of one horse far overshadows the other. It will be the one who traveled from track to track all over this country, taking on open company multiple times and challenges no longer pursued by top race horses—and not the one coddled by her connections, and aimed for one race on a preferred home surface.

In a December 1922 Vanity Fair article entitled “Exterminator: A Wonder Horse”, O’Neil Sevier noted about the then-seven-year-old “Horse of the Year”:

“Wonder horses are of fairly common recurrence in racing. [They] are cropping up every season or so to crowd writers of racing hard for fresh superlatives. Fairly often, two thoroughbred whirlwinds show in a single season and it is necessary toward the end of such to organize special events...to determine which is the champion in his class. At more widely spaced periods great outstanding fellows like...Man o’War appear each to be decorated, for a time at least, with some such grandiose title as “The Horse of the Century.” At very remote intervals one of these horses keeps winning long enough, or retires opportunely enough, to have such an appellation stick, as in the case of Man o’War. But horses like Exterminator are very rare....The career of Exterminator is an American racing epic. His racing glory is the glory of a fixed star, not the ephemeral, meteoric kind of the wonder horse or the horse of the century.”

Personally, I can’t wait for the next chapter in Rachel Alexandra’s epic—onward to 2010!

Sources consulted:

“Kentucky’s Racing Returns of Money Won By Owners at its Lexington, Churchill Downs, Douglas Park and Latonia Meetings” Daily Racing Form (December 10, 1918).

“Sun Briar Wintering Well. Mr. Kilmer’s Great Horse Not Likely to Go to Europe. Exterminator and Two-Year-Olds to Be Trained at Hot Springs, Ark.” Daily Racing Form, December 20, 1918

“Sun Briar Superb Type of Horse” Daily Racing Form (August 14, 1919).

O’Neil Sevier, “Exterminator: A Wonder Horse” Vanity Fair (December 1922) pp. 75, 114.

Better Than Honour Strikes Again!

2009-11-16T00:52:00.002-05:00

Broodmare extraordinaire Better Than Honour struck again on Sunday, when Cascading, the 2-year-old daughter of her daughter Teeming (Storm Cat), won the Glorious Song Stakes at Woodbine in only her third start. Watch the race replay here. A beautiful ride by Patrick Husbands, and a good training job by Josie Carroll who’s having quite a run with fillies these days, most notably G1 Alabama winner Careless Jewel. With her pedigree—by A.P. Indy, just like Rags to Riches—one can only hope that Cascading has a brilliant 3-year-old campaign ahead of her.

Can’t IEAH do anything simple? First, they buy Diamondrella, run her in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (where she finished 11th of 14), then ship her to Kentucky for the Fasig-Tipton sale only to buy her back at $1.1 million, and now ship her back to California and place her with new trainer Gary Stevens. She’s schedule to run in the November 28 G1 Matriarch at Hollywood. Not that I wish Diamondrella ill-will, but no wonder Michael Iavarone needs a burly bodyguard—those IEAH investors must be pissed with him flinging money away, flying her back and forth, paying Fasig-Tipton’s fees and now probably having a horse that is not in prime condition after her cross-country misadventure.

And since I’m mini-ranting, it blows my mind that a quality racemare like Indian Blessing is being sent to an unproven sire (and frankly dubious-quality racehorse) in the form of Zensational. I don’t know how much sway Bob Baffert has over his owners, but, damn, if Hal and Patti Earnhardt are buying his bullshit... “The reason we are breeding Indian Blessing to Zensational is to come up with the perfect Thoroughbred. They were both unbelievable on the racetrack with perfect conformation and exceptional brilliance. We are all after the super horse, and I was blessed to train both of them.”...then they deserve whatever crappy horse is produced.

While Foolish Pleasure’s success at stud was marginal at best, as I’ve mentioned on this blog two or three...okay, maybe a zillion...times, his influence continues in the damline of some very nice turf horses—Grand Couturier, Banrock and Get Stormy, who won the G3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill in stakes-record time on Sunday for trainer Tom Bush. He’s matured a great deal this year, finally stretching out beyond a mile, and, with a much-deserved break, he looks to be even better as a 4-year-old in 2010. What a looker too, with his sire Stormy Atlantic’s bay coloring and wide blaze, but with four white stockings!

With only five starters, you might not take a second-glance at Aqueduct’s Race 3 this coming Thursday, but it depresses me as it’s filled with has-beens and might-have-beens. Two millionaires—recent G2 Suburban winner Dry Martini and G2 UAE Derby victor Honour Devil—join the much-ballyhooed Peruvian “mystery” horse Tomcito (remember him?), along with 2007 G3 Stuyvesant winner Hunting (a 6-year-old gelding in for a $100k tag—after winning less than $70k in the past two years?) and 5-year-old Giant Chieftan (sic), a $950k yearling purchase that has earned a grand total of $187,957 in 22 lifetime races.

Gaining Momentum?

2009-11-14T13:34:00.002-05:00

Is it possible that a movement to honor both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta as co-Horse of the Year Eclipse Awards is gaining momentum? The Saratogian’s Jeff Scott and the New York Post’s Ray Kerrison may have been the first mainstream journalists to suggest thinking “outside the box” and putting a joint option on the final ballot or just outright declaring the two co-winners, but their voices have now been joined by a number of other revered turf writers, including Steve Haskin at The BloodHorse who rightly recognizes:

“I realize I’m talking from the heart and not being analytical or realistic at all, but the campaigns of 5-year-old Zenyatta and 3-year-old Rachel Alexandra are so far removed from each other, and orchestrated with such different goals in mind, they cannot be compared, despite all the analysis and statistics. Therefore, the Horse of the Year award in this case should be voted on with the heart, and the heck with all the meaningless statistical comparisons. That means there is only one course of action: give it to both of them and make everyone happy. Why not? Who is it going to hurt?”

Now, the Daily Racing Form’s Steven Crist has weighed in:

“The question is whether an option to crown co-champions should be added to the Eclipse ballot....It's at least worth consideration. Regardless of your preference, there is no denying that both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta accomplished entirely different but genuinely unprecedented things that will land them both in the Hall of Fame and stamp them as among the greatest fillies and mares of all time. Neither deserves to lose the title, and there is no rule that one of them has to: One of the virtues of the Eclipse system is that it has no ancient rules and bylaws, and the voters can pretty much do what they want.

If it turns out in the weeks ahead that a majority of the voters favor a joint award, why deprive them of that choice?”

Amen.

Yes, Virginia, There is Life after the Breeders’ Cup

2009-11-11T01:57:00.003-05:00

After basking in the gloaming of a reasonably successful Breeders’ Cup—one, however, that only firmed the penumbra position of real dirt racing in America—it was back to business as usual with a host of premature retirement announcements. Among them, lightly-raced synthetic sprinter Zensational who will stand for $25,000 at Hill ‘n’ Dale—exactly what the sport needs, another Unbridled’s Song son breeding! Conduit will race once more before standing stud in Japan, while Mastercraftsman will stand in Ireland.

Beyond the promised return next year of geldings Cloudy’s Knight, Presious Passion and Mine That Bird, I’m most looking forward to Summer Bird who should only ripen into a magnificent older dirt horse, the quality and quantity of which (not withstanding Curlin) has been severely lacking in recent years as so many 3-year-olds (Street Sense, Hard Spun, Big Brown, etc.) retired well before really proving themselves on the racetrack. Others returning include Cannonball who embarks on a Pacific Rim campaign, beginning in Hong Kong and then on to Australia, before heading back to Ascot next summer, and Rags to Riches’ half-brother Man of Iron who will aim for Dubai’s spring carnival.

Those fillies and mares retired or likely to be retired include Music Note, Cocoa Beach, Zenyatta, Ventura, and Seventh Street—but the good news is, in 2010, we will be able to enjoy the likes of Goldikova, Informed Decision, Sara Louise, Rainbow View, Dar Re Mi, and Rachel Alexandra (not to mention a Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs).

Sayonara, Azeri ($2.25 million), Magical Fantasy ($1.8 million), Lady Joanne ($1.6 million), Ginger Punch ($1.6 million) and Laragh ($850,000)—Japanese buyers raided the fall sales on Tuesday, coming away with all of the aforementioned G1 winners. They also acquired G1-placed Jardin and the unraced Loves Only Me, half-sister to European champion 2-year-old Rumplestiltskin, whose dam is a full-sister of Kingmambo, out of the champion Miesque. Talk about some nice bloodlines!

Among those who failed to meet their reserve at Fasig-Tipton were Diamondrella ($1.1 million) and Honey Ryder ($1.25 million), while those removed from the sale included recent G2 Raven Run winner Satans Quick Chick, G1-placed Silver Swallow, G1-placed Dubai Majesty, G1-placed Justwhistledixie, and Xtra Heat’s promising daughter Elusive Heat.

Finally, a plethora of analysis and commentary regarding the paramount issue du jour—who should be Horse of the Year—is out there, and you’ll find none better than those of Lisa Grimm (Superfecta), Teresa Genara (Brooklyn Backstretch), Gary West (West Points), Jeff Scott (The Saratogian) and, for historical perspective, Kevin Martin (Colin’s Ghost).

As I alluded to in a previous (albeit abbreviated) post, I (and other more highly-respected industry insiders) firmly believe this year deserves co-Horses of the Year, as both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are equally worthy. It's not like it hasn't happened before.

And don’t give me that bullshit about the Breeders’ Cup being the “World Championships” (it’s not—deal with it) or it “cheapening” the award by not selecting one over the other—this isn’t the damn electoral college or something equally profoundly important. It’s just a stupid award which, frankly, no one outside of the industry will even care about so why affect discord and hostility among what few fans remain? Let’s be adults, put aside our bias about the horses’ owners and their campaigns, and just celebrate two equally spectacular performances. Honestly, this sport does its damnest to piss people off on the smallest things rather than take on and fight the really important battles.

I Couldn’t Have Said It Better

2009-11-07T21:13:00.001-05:00

“That was probably the greatest performance I've ever seen. Fantastic. I'm happy and proud for Zenyatta and glad I was here to see that. I never saw Secretariat run but I've never seen anything like her. I'm really torn when it comes to the Horse of the Year. I'm probably Zenyatta's biggest fan, but it's also hard to forget what Rachel Alexandra did. If ever there was a year to split the award, this is it.”—Eoin Harty

“That was one of the greatest moments I've witnessed in my life and I'm not only talking about horse racing. She not only won but it was the way she won that made this so special because she did it with something to spare. We've now been privileged to have seen two great fillies in the same year, and it's impossible to say one was better than the other. For the good of the sport, they've got to give them both the Horse of the Year award because it just wouldn't be fair for one of them to lose. I know one thing, if they do split it, nobody will be mad.” –Angel Cordero, Jr.

Breeders' Cup Saturday

2009-11-07T02:47:00.003-05:00

All in all, I quite enjoyed Friday’s races, although I still got too fancy and only cashed one winning ticket—a PS on Mushka in the Distaff (I’ve decided to stop toeing the party line in calling it the “Ladies’ Classic”).

In the Marathon, Rags to Riches’ 1/2 brother Man of Iron bested Cloudy’s Knight by the smallest of margins—what a heart-breaker! Still, that performance, along with Informed Decision’s surprisingly-easy victory in the F&M Sprint and Forever Together’s third in the F&M Turf, put trainer Jonathan Sheppard tops in my eyes. What is it with gray Tapit fillies? Tapitsfly impressed in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, battling wire-to-wire with Todd Pletcher’s Rose Catherine—and the much-ballyhooed Euro Lillie Langtry was a complete non-factor, well back in eighth. I wasn’t as convinced as others on Twitter that the impeded Biofuel would have caught either She Be Wild or Beautician in the Juvenile Fillies.

Midday chalked one up for the Euros in the F&M Turf, with Forever Together disappointingly third. Probably the biggest surprise placing of the day was 35-1 Free Flying Soul’s third-place finish in the F&M Sprint, but that early speed and rail really aided her. And, by the by, she is a damline descendent of Foolish Pleasure, being out of the Farma Way mare Ruby Surprise who won the G2 Humana Distaff as a 5-year-old. And, boy, didn’t Life Is Sweet prove much-the-best? I liked Mushka coming off that Keeneland win, and Rajiv Maragh (who otherwise had a tough day) made a nice inside move on Music Note to get up for third. Careless Jewel is a filly with (hopefully) an amazing future—she just ran too greenly against these.

For whatever it's worth, here are my picks for Saturday. Good luck!

Juvenile Turf (1:45 p.m. Eastern)
Interactif cuts back in distance off two G3 wins on turf. Becky’s Kitten was runner-up to Bridgetown in the G3 Summer Stakes at Woodbine. The best of the Euros on paper is Pounced, runner-up in the G1 Grand Criterium one month ago; with Lasix, he’ll attempt a route for the first time. Runner-up in the G2 Champagne at Doncaster last out, Viscount Nelson is bred to run all day and has regular rider John Murtagh aboard—but no Lasix.

For a longshot chance, I like the Irish-raced maiden winner King Ledley. In his last race at The Curragh, he beat Beethoven who subsequently won the ENG-G1 Dewhurst; he’s also been working well in advance of this, first at Keeneland, and then Santa Anita. Local leading jockey Rafael Bejarano takes the ride, as he runs with Lasix for the first time. Oh, and did I mention his dam Mt. Kobla is a half-sister to Quality Road?

$1 Trifecta box: Viscount Nelson, Becky’s Kitten, Interactif (2, 10, 11)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: King Ledley (8)

Turf Sprint (2:23 p.m. Eastern)
What a hot mess this field is, with more contenders than toss-outs. I’ll just root for the fillies and mares, with Diamondrella coming in off a victory in the G1 First Lady over Forever Together, G1-placed Gotta Have Her enjoying a terrific year for trainer Jenine Sahadi, and front-running Canadian Ballet for Linda Rice. Former Rice trainee Silver Timber (claimed for $25k back in April) comes in off two G3 victories and a narrow loss to ENG-G1 Golden Jubilee runner-up Cannonball. California Flag is undefeated in three starts since failing in last year’s BC Turf Sprint—tossed exercise rider and ran back to barn earlier this week.

$1 Trifecta box: Cannonball, Gotta Have Her, Diamondrella (6, 7, 10)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Canadian Ballet (10)

Sprint (3:10 p.m. Eastern)
Instead of returning in the Turf Sprint, Fleeting Spirit attempts the shorter Sprint, and should be a handful for these boys to handle. She’s won or placed in 4 G1 events this year, including a win in the G1 July Cup and a close second to international sprint champion Scenic Blast in the G1 King’s Stand at Royal Ascot—100% quality. With Fatal Bullet and Zensational likely to set a speedy pace (possibly with Join In The Dance), it sets up well for both her and G1 Ancient Title victor Gayego. While he doesn’t have the big speed figures of Zensational, the pace scenario could set up more favorably for Capt. Candyman Can.

$1 Trifecta box: Fatal Bullet, Gayego, Fleeting Spirit (3, 5, 9)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Capt. Candyman Can (8)

Juvenile (3:49 p.m Eastern)
Without all-weather or turf experience, I just can’t back D’Funnybone at his short price, but G1 Norfolk victor Lookin At Lucky comes in looking strong—only the far outside (13) post is bothersome. From the East, G1 Breeders’ Futurity winner Noble’s Promise won at this distance last out and held off the nicely-closing Aikenite. Of the Europeans, Beethoven is the best tried—a positive (experience) but also a possible negative (tired from a long campaign).

$1 Trifecta box: Noble’s Promise, Aikenite, Lookin At Lucky (4, 9, 13)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Beethoven (3)

Turf Mile (4:28 p.m. Eastern)
Defending champion Goldikova won 3 G1 races in July and August, but surprisingly failed in her last effort before this—vulnerable? I like the form line of Zacinto, who looks to continue Juddmonte’s BC success this year, and Cowboy Cal has early speed which bodes well for his chances.

No horse in this field is better bred to be a Breeders’ Cup winner than Justenuffhumor. Not only is he a half-brother to 2006 BC Juvenile Fillies champion Dreaming of Anna, but his dam Justenuffheart is also a half-sister to 2004 BC Turf runner-up Kitten’s Joy and multiple-G1 victress Precious Kitten. If only he can get enough speed to run at, an upset possibility. Ditto for Ferneley who has excellent form behind Ventura last out in the G1 Woodbine Mile.

$1 Trifecta box: Cowboy Cal, Zacinto, Goldikova (3, 8, 11)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Justenuffhumor (10) or Ferneley (7)

Dirt Mile (5:12 p.m. Eastern)
It’s impossible to look beyond the form line of Mastercraftsman, especially behind Arc winner Sea the Stars, and his facile victory over all-weather surface at Dundalk last out. Plus, this field is just weak. After prolonged contemplation (mostly negative), I just can’t put Pyro in the final three, even after his G1 Forego win—not convinced he likes all-weather surfaces (that horrific G1 Bluegrass still haunts me). Bullsbay also has strong form—but did nothing in the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup. Last year’s G1 BC Juvenile champ Midshipman has only 1 race since then (an AOC at Belmont) so not sure how ready he is. I’m tempted to toss in Furthest Land off his G2 Kentucky Cup Classic win at Turfway last out, and even Mr. Sidney off his turf form. Chocolate Candy has just broken my heart too many times and Calvin Borel on Ready’s Echo isn’t a positive. For a bomber, why not turfster Mambo Meister?

$1 Trifecta box: Mastercraftsman, Furthest Land, Mr. Sidney (1, 2, 8)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Mambo Meister (6)

Turf (5:57 p.m. Eastern)
All talk is about the Euros Conduit and Dar Re Mi, but I believe Presious Passion can steal this. He loves the rock-hard turf, and has a good record over this track—just firing on all cylinders in advance of this. If he doesn’t freak in the post parade, Spanish Moon has a very good chance.

$1 Trifecta box: Conduit, Spanish Moon, Presious Passion (2, 6, 7)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Telling (1)

Classic (6:45 p.m. Eastern)
Zenyatta, Zenyatta, Zenyatta—she’s going to get a ton of money, but enough speed to run at? I think it will be Einstein who takes this, probably with Zenyatta within a half-length, followed by either Richard’s Kid or Twice Over. I absolutely love Summer Bird, but the surface is a huge question mark. If he does win, it would be very tough—regardless of how their one-on-one match-up ended—to not seriously consider him for Horse of the Year. Sorry, I’m not willing to concede this to the Euros this year.

$1 Trifecta box: Zenyatta, Richard’s Kid, Einstein (4, 6, 8)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Twice Over (5)

Analysis Paralysis

2009-11-06T02:09:00.002-05:00

Analysis Paralysis: a situation where the sheer quantity of analysis overwhelms the decision making process itself.

As I wrote in my most recent blog post for the NTRA, I was determined this year to follow the simple yet profound adage “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Last year I drove myself crazy in advance of the Breeders’ Cup by picking apart every little detail, reading every single article, pondering all possible scenarios—all to no avail when it simply came down to this: every horse that won over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface had previous all-weather surface or turf experience, and European horses dominated.

What's more, despite all the hype, each race is still just a race, so why not handicap them in the same way? After all, the fundamentals still apply...

With that in mind, here are my impressions for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races—prime contenders and longshot potentials, as I see it.

Marathon (3:35 p.m. Eastern)
Perhaps the most spectacularly difficult to handicap, as there are far too few races of this distance in North America, let alone quality races. It’s all about pace and stamina. Last year’s winner Muhannak is back, but doesn’t have the same strong form coming into this race, thus I can’t back him. I love 9-year-old Cloudy’s Knight who is back in form after a long layoff and rehabilitation for new trainer Jonathan Sheppard. He is a G1 winner against international competitors (2007 Canadian International), a class edge certainly over his fellow North Americans—but he’s never run on an artificial surface.

Of the Europeans, Godolphin’s 3-year-old Mastery looks strongest, with a G1 win in the English St. Leger last out, and a placing this year in the 2 mile ENG-G3 Queen’s Vase at Ascot. He’s beaten Father Time twice this year, but that one likes a faster pace which he should get with Black Astor likely to be sent (à la Presious Passion) to the early lead with, according to trainer Todd Pletcher, Nite Light prominent as well.

Of the longshots, Eldaafer appeals to me in terms of his connections and stamina potential. Man of Iron interests me not because he’s a half-brother to G1 Belmont victress Rags to Riches, but his two all-weather victories this year (albeit in allowance company—but, hey, Muhannak didn’t have much more last year).

However, the one that most peaks my interest is Gangbuster who ran well fresh with Kent Desormeaux up in the Fort Harrod at Keeneland, winning by nearly 11 lengths. After running sixth to Brass Hat in the G3 Louisville Handicap on turf, he returned to Polytrack, finishing second behind Rumor Has It at this distance in Arlington’s Polar Expedition Stakes. In the 12-furlong Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar, he finished fourth, just two lengths behind victor Usual Suspect, the talented Richard’s Kid, and last year’s Marathon runner-up Church Service. His performance in the G3 Turfway Park Fall Championship wasn’t good, but off a freshening, and with Kent back aboard for his brother Keith, I think Gangbuster is a real threat for a piece of the exotics, if not an out-and-out winner.

$1 Trifecta box: Cloudy’s Knight, Father Time, Mastery (4, 5, 6)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Gangbuster (10)

Juvenile Fillies Turf (4:08 p.m. Eastern)
Aidan O’Brien-trained Lillie Langtry is G1-placed in Europe, which will garner support for her, but I think there are plenty of strong candidates from this side of the Atlantic. Lightly-raced House of Grace is 2 for 2 (one on turf, the other Polytrack), and both wins came at a half furlong longer than this race—the drop back in distance is surely a positive. Smart Seattle finished just behind her last out, and looked better on turf in her previous effort. From all accounts, Tapitsfly is working gangbusters since arriving in California, and looks to rebound from disappointing effort in the off-turf Miss Grillo at Belmont—a race that had only three runners, which completely threw out any real pace. If she runs back to her form in the P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga, she’ll be tough to beat.

Other possible exotic players: Steve Asmussen’s sole Breeders’ Cup entry, Jungle Tale, was a narrow second-place finisher in the 8 furlong G3 Natalma over the Woodbine turf last out. Todd Pletcher-trained Rose Catherine comes in off an impressive 6 furlong maiden win.

My longshot flyer is Potosina who comes in off a victory in Belmont’s 8.5 furlong Good Mood Stakes over a soft turf. She’s out of hot sire Cactus Ridge whose 3-year-old daughter Hot Cha Cha recently won the grassy G1 QE II Challenge Cup; her dam was not only champion turf mare in Chile, but has also produced two Chilean champion turf fillies. Being an on-pace runner breaking from the rail with Johnny Velazquez aboard again, I think she’s a strong possibility to finish in the top three.

$1 Trifecta box: Smart Seattle, House of Grace, Tapitsfly (3, 7, 10)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Potosina (1)

Juvenile Fillies (4:45 p.m. Eastern)
I see this as an “East vs. West” competition, with Keeneland’s G1 Alcibiades and Santa Anita’s G1 Oak Leaf as the two major form lines.

From the East, Negligee impressively won the Alcibiades and has worked well in advance of this—but draws so far out (10) that I’m not hopeful of victory. She Be Wild lost to Negligee last out, but gets a more favorable post (8) and jockey change to Julien Leparoux. Beautician ran into all kinds of problems in the Alcibiades; a jockey change to Robbie Albarado and strong works at Santa Anita bode well for her chances.

Oak Leaf winner Blind Luck drew post 3, while runner-up Always a Princess is unfortunately stranded out in post 11. It’s actually the third-place finisher from the Oak Leaf that appeals to me—Kelly Breen-trained Bickersons has posted three impressive works since that race, draws post 5, and gains the services of local sensation Joel Rosario. At morning line 20-1, I’m all over her here.

Of the others, the ill-named Connie and Michael comes in off a maiden win at Keeneland—is she special enough to handle far more experienced fillies? Devil May Care put on a gutsy performance winning the G1 Frizette, but has zero all-weather or turf experience.

$1 Trifecta box: Beautician, Bickersons, Negligee (4, 5, 10)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Bickersons (5)

Filly & Mare Turf (5:23 p.m. Eastern)
Defending champion Forever Together is back, but off two consecutive losses, I don’t see her as unbeatable. Magical Fantasy is on a four-race win streak, including victories over the likes of Visit and Black Mamba. With her experience over this track, she’s a major threat. Pure Clan had her number last year, and comes in on an upswing—though with new rider Garrett Gomez, as Leparoux sticks with Forever Together. The lone European entry Midday has excellent form, including a G1 victory over this distance in August. With Lasix for the first time, she’s hard to leave out of the exotics. I also like Rutherienne who has twice finished behind Forever Together this year, but the distance is such a concern.

$1 Trifecta box: Forever Together, Magical Fantasy, Midday (2, 4, 6)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Rutherienne (3)

Filly & Mare Sprint (6:02 p.m. Eastern)
My full analysis for this race is available at the NTRA site here, but I’m leaning more and more towards Ventura on top and Informed Decision back in third or even out of the money. I can’t fully articulate my uneasy. However, if Leparoux is riding well prior to this race, I’ll give her a bigger chance. I do think one (or both) of the two Godolphin fillies will be tough. I’m particularly fond of Seventh Street, but Sara Louise is the fresh, hot young thing, and from all accounts has taken to the Pro-Ride surface. Much like the then 3-year-old Indian Blessing, I think Sara Louise will finish second behind Ventura.

$1 Trifecta box: Sara Louise, Informed Decision, Ventura (2, 8, 9)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Evita Argentina (6)

Ladies’ Classic (6:45 p.m. Eastern)
The Godolphin duo that finished second and third behind Zenyatta in last year’s Ladies’ Classic (Distaff) return once more. If you asked me back in June about Cocoa Beach’s chances of being here, I’d respond with great skepticism, but she put in a good effort against Zenyatta and Lethal Heat in the G1 Lady’s Secret last out, and has been working well over the track. Still, she had beaten Ginger Punch coming into this race last year...With an even more limited preparation, her stablemate Music Note is the one I prefer, with victories over Indian Blessing and Informed Decision in the 7-furlong G1 Ballerina and over the in-form Unbridled Belle in the G1 Beldame. Rajiv Maragh has been riding her a treat, so I give her a big chance from post 7.

Careless Jewel and Rainbow View will get lots of support, but I believe their youth won’t overcome these saltier competitors. While Life Is Sweet has good form (particularly behind her stablemate Zenyatta), I just think she was better earlier in the year. Lethal Heat also looks a threat, and I wouldn’t be disappointed if she won, but I’m not sure she can carry her speed against these.

For a longshot, I like Mushka. In her two all-weather races—both victories at Keeneland over this distance—she’s posted strong times, and she’s rounding into form unlike the others who may have peaked earlier.

$1 Trifecta box: Mushka, Cocoa Beach, Music Note (3, 6, 7)
$2 WPS longshot flyer: Lethal Heat (4)

The Race That Stops a Nation

2009-11-01T22:50:00.003-05:00

Photo: Phar Lap winning the 1930 Melbourne Cup

Over 100,000 people on track, as well as millions of others across Australia and around the world will stop and watch the A$5.5 million AUS-G1 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday (Monday, 11 p.m. Eastern here in the U.S.). Run for the first time in 1861, the 3200 meter (2 miles) race is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world—a true staying test and stallion-maker, although sixteen times the race has been won by fillies and mares, including three consecutive years by the legendary Makybe Diva.

Last year’s winner Viewed (Scenic-Lovers Knot, by Khozaam) was a revelation, particularly for American bettors—he paid $186 win, $57.70 place and $29.10 show. He also represented the 12th Melbourne Cup winner for trainer Bart Cummings, and a record-tying fourth winner for owner Dato Tan Chin Nam. The same connections have a very real chance to repeat this year, as Viewed comes in off a victory in the G1 Caulfield Cup and, just three days ago, finished third in the G1 Mackinnon. Jockey Brad Rawiller is seeking his first Cup win on the favorite.

Don’t overlook the other Bart Cummings’ entries, though. Roman Emperor (Montjeu-Gussy Godiva, by Last Tycoon) finished second to his stablemate Viewed in the Caulfield Cup—and (as an aside to American racing fans) his dam is a half-sister to the recently-retired G1-winning Black Mamba. The distance should not be a problem for him, as Hugh Bowman rides. Michelle Payne attempts to become the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, as she rides Bart’s third entry, 4-year-old mare Allez Wonder, recent winner of the G1 Toorak. I’d be shocked if she gets 3200 meters, but Bart is a magician.

Others to watch for:

Alcopop is bred to be a Melbourne Cup winner. His sire Jeune won the 1994 edition, his second dam Petite Luck is by 1986 winner Al Talaq, and his damsire Blevic is the son of Scenic who sired last year’s Cup winner Viewed. He’s won 7 of 10 races, but this is a major class test. Still, he’s running second favorite to Viewed.

Four-year-old New Zealand mare Daffodil would appreciate a little sting out of the track, but she’s top class. She finished an impressive fall campaign with a win in the G1 AJC Oaks over 2400 meters (1-1/2 miles), and having built up steadily this campaign with a win in the G1 Windsor Park Plate and a close-up fourth-place finish in the G1 Kelt Capital, both in New Zealand, before finishing a nice fourth behind Viewed in the G1 Caulfield Cup. She does break from the outside post 21, and you better believe previous Melbourne Cup winning (Jezabeel, 1998) jockey Chris Munce is driven to redeem his tainted reputation with a big effort. If only the turf were a little softer...still, she’s a big chance.

A win by 4-year-old Shocking would further validate his sire Street Cry. After six races this campaign, he looks to be in top form, having finished second to Alcopop in the G2 Herbert Power, then second to quality stayer Baughurst in the G3 Coongy Cup, and finally a win three days ago in the G3 Lexus. Corey Brown rides.

Quality 5-year-old mare Leica Ding is in career-best form, having won the G3 Geelong Cup last out. She’s already won at 3000 meters, and has been increasing in distance every race this campaign. Jockey Craig Williams and trainer Darren Weir are a potent duo, and she only carries 111 lbs here.

Wouldn’t be a huge surprise:

Particularly if there’s an off-track, look for Fiumicino. He led nearly all the way, before fading to sixth in April’s G1 Sydney Cup over this distance, and he’s rounding back into form, with a third place finish in the G1 Metropolitan on October 3, and a fifth-place in the recent Caulfield Cup. Jockey Steven King won the 1991 Melbourne Cup, with Bart Cummings’ mare Let’s Elope.

Seven-year-old Master O’Reilly finished fourth in last year’s race, and comes in here after four successive G1 efforts out-of-the-money versus younger up-and-comers Whobegotyou, Heart of Dreams and Predatory Pricer. With his experience and regular jockey Vlad Duric up, he could be ready for another good effort.

The 7-year-old war horse Zavite won the G1 Adelaide Cup at this distance back in March, and prefers a rock-hard track which is very likely. He finished fourth behind Alcopop in the G2 Herbert Power two starts ago, and appears to be rounding into form at just the right time. Although he usually leads, trainer Anthony Cummings (Bart’s son) has said it isn’t necessary so it will be interesting what they do with him. Mark Zahra is up.

Of the European invaders, Warringah interests me most. Not only does he gain the services of two-time Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver, but also gets a significant weight drop from his recent races—he’ll only carry 116 lbs, as opposed to between 128 and 136 lbs in Europe. He’ll definitely be on pace, and will relish the firm footing.

Key to the race:

Probably even more important than a horse’s staying ability and preparation is the rider. This is a jockey’s race, and the key is to sit, be patient and position your horse just right for the last big push in the home stretch.

Selections:

This is tough, and a lot will depend on the track condition and how they look parading. Without a doubt, one if not more of Bart Cummings’ horses will be in the top three, and personally I’m hoping for a chalky Viewed-Alcopop exacta—it’s the “Foolish Pleasure” factor that has been so prolific this past year Down Under, through his daughter Idyllic’s son Scenic. I’ll probably tinker around with a complex trifecta that includes Daffodil, Roman Emperor, Shocking and Leica Ding.

Who do you like?

Stars of Tomorrow Today

2009-11-01T03:23:00.003-05:00

Churchill Downs opens for its four-week Fall Meet on Sunday with a card solely of juvenile races, billed as “Stars of Tomorrow”—very catchy, I must say. I know some handicappers dislike 2-year-old races because of all the unknown factors, including first-time starters, but, boy, it sure beats a card of tired claimers this time of year. As a pedigree geek, I love these kinds of races.

I couldn’t find any free past performances for race 1, but am amazed a granddaughter of champion mare Princess Rooney is in for a $40k tag—St. Rose (Lion Heart-Rose Tiara, by St. Jovite). By mere reputation, I would assume Wesley Ward-trained Cuvette (Cuvee-Reason to Live, by Mt. Livermore) is a good bet.

In race 2, Steve Asmussen sends out Raphael Alexandro (yes, aren’t those Zayats clever in naming their horses?), a son of Medaglia d’Oro out of Game Trick, by Clever Trick. Nice series of long works at Hollywood since September, so why come East to run on dirt? About the only thing (beyond a hot sire) to merit this boy’s Keeneland September 2008 $500k price tag is the fact that his dam is a half-sister to Sweet Briar Too, dam of champion sprinter and sire Langfuhr. I much prefer Forgotten Tales (Tale of the Cat-Forgotten Secret, by Secret Slew) who tired on the lead in his first start over the Keeneland Polytrack; a 4f bullet work at Churchill since suggests he may be better prepared this time for new jock Kent Desormeaux. He is a three-quarter brother to G1-placed (Princess Rooney S.) Hot Storm, and a half-brother to G2-placed Unforgotten. A true longshot is Jimmy The Kid (A.P. Indy-My Trusty Cat, by Tale of the Cat). I like the cut-back for his first start at 8f, blinkers added and running on real dirt. His dam My Trusty Cat won the 2005 G1 Humana Distaff, in addition to the G2 Honorable Miss and several other graded placings.

In race 3, Stately Victor (Ghostzapper-Collect the Cash, by Dynaformer) returns to dirt after winning a maiden turf route at Saratoga, then finishing well-back in the G1 Breeders’ Futurity on Keeneland’s Polytrack. He did finish second behind Winslow Homer in his first effort on an off-turf race at Saratoga, but his dam is a G1 turf winner by Dynaformer, so I’m not sold on him on dirt. Holiday Buzz (Afleet Alex-Dixie Holiday, by Dixieland Band) broke his maiden over this distance at Hawthorne last out, with terrific late kick; his half-sister Holiday Runner won several stakes at 2, and finished third in the G2 Adirondack—oh, and, by the way, Holiday Runner is the dam of multiple G1 winner and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint hopeful Seventh Street. Guys Reward (Grand Reward-Beach View, by Mr. Greeley) comes out of a second-place finish in the off-turf Cradle Stakes at River Downs, and a fifth place in the turf G3 Bourbon; he may like dirt better.

In race 4, Shawnee Moon (Forestry-Indian Halo, by Halo) has put in a string of impressive works leading to this starter for Eddie Kenneally, including a bullet 4f in :46 (1/33) at Keeneland on October 21. She’s a three-quarters sister to G3 Affirmed winner Indian Ocean. If she draws into the field, I’d also take a close look at Starlite Starbrite, again with good works, for Tom Amoss—out of a good producing, stakes winning dam Starlight Surprise (Salutely), and a good first-time starting sire Mutakddim. One that perhaps wants longer is David Carroll-trained Atwitter (Distorted Humor-Alchemist, by A.P. Indy)—her second dam Aldiza won the 1998 G1 Go For Wand by a nose over Escena, and her dam’s full-sister Altesse won last year’s G3 Turnback the Alarm; this is also the family of G2 Molly Pitcher victress Atelier (dam of G3-placed Alaazo) and G1 Spinaway third-place finisher Aunt Anne. Fascinating that Julien Leparoux takes the ride on Atwitter instead of the likely-favorite Sparkle of Light (Alke-Blushing Hope, by Housebuster) who he rode at Saratoga last out—for regular patrons Ken and Sarah Ramsey, nonetheless—and for top 2-year-old trainer Wesley Ward. Edgar Prado takes the mount.

In race 5, Henry’s Time (Hennessy-Since Time Began, by Rubiano) looks strong after finishing third at this level at Saratoga back in September; his previous form includes finishes behind G1 Hopeful third-place finisher Aikenite and CAN-G3 Summer Stakes victor Bridgetown. He is also a half-brother to G3 Azalea victress Victorina. Steve Asmussen first-time starter Mister Minister (Songandaprayer-Cherylville Slew, by Evansville Slew) has a series of strong workouts, while Helen Pitts-trained Midnight Vigil (Strong Hope-Miss Moonlight, by Broad Brush) has a big price-tag ($260k) and prolific dam (4 for 4 winners, with 1 stakeswinner).

In race 6—the first of two turf races—Graham Motion sends out Straight Talk (Macho Uno-No Foul Play, by Great Gladiator) with turf-master Julien Leparoux. This half-brother of G3 Excelsior victor Temporary Saint, out of the terrific Canadian turf stakes mare No Foul Play, ran strong in his only turf start back in August at Saratoga. However, the likely post-time favorite will be Romans Reward (Kitten’s Joy-Knock Off, by Fit to Fight) who, like Henry’s Time in race 5, has form behind CAN-G3 Summer Stakes victor Bridgetown (and, thankfully, isn’t called Roman’s Kitten). He also has some nice turf winners in his family, including half-sister Art Fan who won the Virginia Oaks, and half-brother Hunting Print who, ironically, finished second in last year’s Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial. River Oaks (Distorted Humor-Lakeway, by Seattle Slew) tries turf for Bill Mott and Kent Desormeaux, and his breeding suggests he should love it; his multiple-G1 winning dam Lakeway has produced turf winner Sluice and G1 Kentucky Oaks-placed Flying Spur. Chef Bobby Flay entrusted his Furious Run (Rock Hard Ten-One Dream Cat, by Storm Cat) to Todd Pletcher who has twice tried to run this colt on turf, but both times it was taken off; his second dam is the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff victress One Dreamer. For a longshot play, you could do worse than Bascom Hall (Mizzen Mast-Victorian Woman, by Jeblar) who should appreciate the stretch-out from his last start; his half-brother Old Man Buck won the Grand Canyon over the Churchill turf course at two, placed third in the G2 Jefferson Cup at Churchill last year, and now runs in hurdle races. Also, Ticondero (Cherokee Run-Gal of Mine, by Mining) didn’t totally disgrace himself on soft Belmont turf last out; he is a half-brother to America America who was G2-placed on turf in Canada at 2, and on the Lone Start Oaks on turf at 3.

In race 7, Bashful Bertie (Quiet American-Clever Bertie, by Timeless Native) may have the biggest pedigree to live up to—among her dam’s six winners is multiple graded stakes victresses Hurricane Bertie and Allamerican Bertie, the latter this one’s full-sister. However, Heavenly Sister (Hennessy-Little Sister, by Valid Appeal) is probably the best bet. Her G3 winning dam has thrown a load of winners, and her second dam Mepache is not only out of a half-sister (Nowmepache) to Foolish Pleasure, but also is the dam of G3-winning Valid Expectations and Sugar Bowl Handicap victor Littleexpectations—both full-brothers to Little Sister. Another first-time starter with strong breeding is Dream Regime (Roman Ruler-Dream Deal, by Sharpen Up), with his G1 Monmouth Oaks-winning dam having already produced G2 Churchill Downs Distaff winner Dream Scheme, multiple-G1 winner Clear Mandate (dam of G1-placed Newfoundland), and Fairy Doll, dam of JPN-G1 QE II victress To the Victory, who finished second in the 2001 UAE-G1 Dubai World Cup (the only female to ever place in that race). Hidden Value (Value Plus-Raw Gold, by Rahy), who makes her eighth start of the year, doesn’t appear to be as talented as her half-sister Kadira, but has been tip-toeing around the winner’s circle; with Rajiv Maragh up for D. Wayne Lukas, this may be her day.

Race 8 is the G3 Pocahontas, a race won by multiple-G1 winning Pure Clan in 2007, and last year gave us not only red-hot Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint candidate Sara Louise, but also 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. So, the question is, who are the future stars in this race? I’m not convinced it’s Sassy Image (Broken Vow-Ideal Image, by Hennessy). She obviously disliked Polytrack, finishing well back in the G1 Alcibiades, but she also well beaten by Hot Dixie Chick and Beautician in the G1 Spinaway. Todd Pletcher-trained Happy Week (Distorted Humor-Lassie’s Legacy, by Deputy Minister) has form behind G3 Schuylerville pacesetter Stormandaprayer, and won nicely over this distance last out. Her dam is half-sister to AP Indy, Summer Squall, and Weekend in Seattle, dam of G1 Travers runner-up Mambo in Seattle—not to mention Weekend Storm, dam of multiple-G1 winner Court Vision (among others). Running Bride (Cherokee Run-Kazumina, by Green Dancer) is undefeated against Indiana-bred competition and has posted several bullet works at Churchill, but even with Julien Leparoux up, this looks too tough. Decelerator (Dehere-Paris Rose, by Accelerator) won the G3 Debutante here in June, but has been far back in three graded stakes efforts since. Vertical Vision (Pollard’s Vision-Caney Creek, by Service Stripe) has posted some fast dirt times at Lone Star and Prairie Meadows; can this Oklahoma-bred conquer Kentucky? Vivid Colors (Roman Ruler-Scene Maker, by Unbridled’s Song) easily defeated stakes-winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf probable Tapitsfly in her maiden effort at Churchill—which was followed by two dull efforts at Saratoga. After a break, she stretched out to 8.5f at Keeneland and with Kent Desormeaux up for Ken McPeek, this filly could steal this race on the front end. For longshots, there’s All About Anna (Maria’s Mon-Suzanna Anna, by Tale of the Cat) whose half-brother Time Limit won the Tremont and finished second in the G3 Kentucky Cup Juvenile at 2, and half-sister Miss Indy Anna finished second in the G1 Test. Earlier in the summer, she finished well back of Decelerator, Hot Dixie Chick, Beautician and Sassy Image, but after a break came back in a devastating win in the Bassinet at River Downs, followed by a disappointing fifth-place in the Presque Isle Debutante. However, if the Tapeta form from PID is as successful at Churchill as it was at Keeneland, she could be in the money here. And, for probably the longest shot winner, how about Biorra (Smoke Glacken-Birr, by Farma Way)? Okay, not just because she’s a damline descendent of Foolish Pleasure—her dam Birr won this race in 1995.

In race 9, Flatter Than Me (Flatter-Hannah’s Doll, by Boston Harbor) impressed me with his second-place finish behind Backtalk in the G3 Bashford Manor, and I can’t help by root for Indiana-bred You Already Know (Supah Blitz-Dial a Fantasy, by Phone Trick), a Foolish Pleasure sireline descendent, through his son Maudlin’s son Mecke’s son Supah Blitz.

Race 10 is the G3 Iroquois, which features Dublin (Afleet Alex-Classy Mirage, by Storm Bird), winner of the G1 Hopeful who failed as the favorite in the G1 Champagne last out. Thiskyhasnolimit (Sky Mesa-Lovely Regina, by Deputy Minister) fired well on off-tracks in two Churchill races this summer, but failed spectacularly at Saratoga. This distance shouldn’t be an obstacle; his dam is a half-sister to Bernardini. The outside post position, though, doesn’t do him any favors. Since Julien Leparoux has won the last two Iroquois (on Court Vision in 2007, and Capt. Candyman Can in 2008), it’s a good bet that his mount, Raging Wit (Distorted Humor-Pleasant Temper, by Storm Cat) should not be counted out, and why would you, as he comes in off a fourth-place effort going 8.5f on turf in the G3 Bourbon? This will be his first dirt effort for Bill Mott, and I’m looking forward to his odds being anywhere near his 12-1 morning line. For a longshot flyer, Soaring Empire (Empire Maker-Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy) won his maiden effort impressively and certainly has the breeding—his dam is a half-sister to Tara Roma, dam of G3 Ack Ack hero Cappuchino and G1 Go For Wand winner Serra Lake, and to G2 True North victor Waldoboro.

In race 11—the other race carded for turf—first time turf runner Emmalee (Smart Strike-Lassie Connection, by Seattle Slew) hasn’t done much in her two previous efforts, but, god, what a bloodline! Her dam not only has 9 winners from 13 starters and 5 turf winners, but also is a half-sister to super-broodmare Weekend Surprise (A.P. Indy, Summer Squall, et al). With top rider Robby Albarado up, the nifty-named Cave In (Mineshaft-Quick Tip, by Unaccounted For) looks a fierce challenger; her dam won the G3 Cardinal Handicap over the Churchill turf in 2002. Valse Autriche (Dynaformer-Mille Feville, by Saint Ballado) gets blinkers, Kent Desormeaux and tries grass for the first time; her dam is a half-sister to turf G3 Modesty winner Noisette. The most impressive first-time starter is Graham Motion-trained Apple Charlotte (Smart Strike-Charlotte Augusta, by Chief’s Crown) who has some brilliant works coming into this, comes from a well-producing dam (5 turf winners), and gets the services of Julien Leparoux—enough said.

Wow! I didn' intend for this post to be so long, but writing out analysis like this is a boon to me in my own handicapping. Hopeful it's fruitful as well! Good luck.

UPDATE: Results from some of my better “longshot” suggestions:

Race 3: Holiday Buzz, 14-1 ($10.40 place)
Race 4: Shawnee Moon, 9-1 ($8.60 place)
Race 6: Bascom Hall, 27-1 ($15.60 place)
Race 10: Thiskyhasnolimit, 13-1 ($28.20 win); Soaring Empire, 6-1 ($5.00 show)

Breeders' Cup Pre-Entries

2009-10-28T22:38:00.003-04:00

Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup races were announced on Wednesday, which you can view here and here. Rather than pointedly noting that half of the 14 races failed to draw full fields and reeling off a litany of top competitors who, for one reason or another, won’t be at Santa Anita next week, I’ll take the high road and focus on the positive. And maybe one of the most heartening developments is the number of female trainers who will be represent with not just runners, but strong contenders—eight!

Helen Pitts-Blasi has Einstein coming into the Classic under the radar—and a major threat. The rock-hard Santa Anita turf fits Mary Hartmann-trained Presious Passion and this front-runner could steal the Turf. Josie Carroll’s Careless Jewel looks formidable in the Ladies Classic. Jenine Sahadi’s Gotta Have Her has yet to finish out the money in eight starts this year, and will enter the Turf Sprint off victories in the G2 Palomar and G3 Senator Ken Maddy handicaps. The Marathon field includes Lisa Lewis-trained Black Astor, and G2 Brooklyn Handicap winner Eldaafer, trained by Diane Alvarado. Carla Gaines entered California Cup Sprint victor Dancing in Silks in the Sprint, with second preference in the Turf Sprint, while Linda Rice-trained Canadian Ballet will likely draw into the Turf Sprint.

In the Filly & Mare Sprint, no Carlsbad, whose connections would have had to pay huge supplemental fees, or Indian Blessing, and Sweet Hearth (who I discussed in my latest NTRA post) will go in the Dirt Mile. That leaves (in alphabetical order):

1. Allicansayis Wow
2. Evita Argentina
3. Free Flying Soul
4. Game Face
5. Informed Decision
6. Only Green (IRE)
7. Sara Louise
8. Seventh Street
9. Silver Swallow
10. Ventura

If this race were held anywhere outside of California, Free Flying Soul and Silver Swallow wouldn’t be running; Allicansayis Wow and Evita Argentina flesh out the “home team.” Only Green is an unknown, shipping in from Europe, but Goldikova’s “rabbit” isn’t likely to match up against Informed Decision and Ventura who far surpass this field in quality. Sara Louise is perhaps the biggest threat to finish among the top three. I promise a more thorough evaluation after post positions are set next Tuesday, but this race looks to be chalky.

Other initial thoughts:
Zenyatta in the Classic is anti-climatic. Sorry, but I fear her undefeated streak is at an end, regardless of which Breeders’ Cup race she entered.

The Turf comes up amazingly light, with only 8 likely starters? Wow, if any race would have a full field, I thought that would be it, but I guess $3 million isn’t what it used to be.

The Sprint looks extremely competitive, but I love Fatal Bullet to improve on his second place finish last year.

I guess statistically the more horses you enter, the better chance you have of winning, BUT...Todd Pletcher doesn’t look to have a winner among his bunch (sorry, Toddster). On the other hand, Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin/Darley look to have a very good couple of days.

Cox Plate and Undercard Analysis

2009-10-23T20:02:00.013-04:00

G3 Red Anchor (Australia) Stakes (3A) 10:20 p.m. EDT
Peter Moody-trained filly Avenue looks impossible to beat here, coming in off two impressive G3 wins and being undefeated over this track in two attempts. For the rest, it’s a battle for second, and it’s likely to get personal. Craig Williams was dumped as stable jockey by David Hayes recently, thus Damien Oliver takes the ride on La Bella Encosta while Williams replaces Oliver on Darren Weir-trained Broken.

[UPDATE: Even without her best effort, 2-5 favorite Avenue was much the best; Darley's 25-1 Goverance (which I made a late impulse place bet on) rushed up from the rear to get second, followed by 25-1 Broken. Chalk one up for Craig Williams!]

G2 Crystal Mile (4A) 10:55 p.m. EDT
Top-weight Rangirangdoo has been flying of late, with 10 placings in 10 races, including 6 wins. He was a close second last out to Cox Plate contender Rock Kingdom, in the G1 Epsom over this distance. Although he has yet to attempt this unique Moonee Valley course in race conditions (according to reports, he did not work well over the course in trackwork earlier this week), he looks a good bet here. Lucky Thunder has yet to win in 6 attempts at 1 mile, but with 4 placings, including a third-place finish behind Heart of Dreams and Von Costa de Hero in the G1 Cadbury Guineas back in March, a win last out going 7-3/4 furlongs, a dry track, and dropping 11 pounds, he’s a real place money threat. Can Maxisun stretch out? For a price, The Fonz gets a thumbs-up if Craig Williams has a chip on his shoulder, or how about lightly-raced American-bred Sound of Nature, son of G1 Flower Bowl victress Yashmak—you can never count out the Lee Freedman-Dwayne Dunn combo.

[UPDATE: 9-5 favorite Rangirangdoo was always going to win; with blinkers on first-time today, he just missed setting a course record. My 20-1 Sound of Nature got place, and 8-1 All American was third]

G2 AAMI Vase (5A) 11:30 p.m. EDT
Carrara won the G2 Stutt here a month back and followed that with a second-place finish behind Starspangledbanner in the G1 Caulfield Guineas two weeks ago. Extra Zero comes out of the same two races—second behind Carrara and fourth in the Guineas; not certain he can reverse form against Carrara. The sole filly in the field, Miss With Attitude, finished third in the Stutt after being interfered with, and then last out finished sixth, two lengths behind Irish Lights in the G1 Thousand Guineas under Kerrin McEvoy; reunited with Clare Lindop, she’s a real threat here. Gai Waterhouse-trained Viking Legend may be the best fit horse, got the distance a G1-placing over a heavy turf last out. He broke his maiden here at Moonee Valley, and will love the drier surface. LATE ADD: Maybe some money on Hanks whose dam Sister Fromseattle is by Seattle Slew, out of the Secretariat mare Sister Dot, which makes her a half-sister to Dehere.

[UPDATE: Bred for distance, 9-1 Hanks (by Encosta de Lago out of the Seattle Slew mare Sister FromSeattle) wins! 11-1 Spacecraft got second, with Gai Waterhouse-trained Viking Legend third, and Carrara fourth. The filly Miss with Attitude never looked comfortable.]

G2 Schweppes Stakes (6A) 12:05 a.m. EDT
Tough, tough field, starting with last year’s Schweppes winner Lucky Secret who won the G2 Schillaci last out, and loves Moonee Valley. Danleigh won the G1 Manikato over this course and distance last out, but may prefer more sting out of the ground—his far outside barrier isn’t a bonus with MV’s tight turns. Greg Eurell-trained stablemates Apache Cat and Mic Mac are both threats, but also have niggling reasons to doubt them—Apache Cat did win the G1 Australia Stakes here in February, but his recent form hasn’t been dominating like the Cat of old; Mic Mac does much better with some sting out of the track, which he likely won’t get today. Light Fantastic was once hailed the Next Big Thing, but hasn’t won since August 2008’s G2 Liston. Even first up, Bank Robber could steal this race, but I’m rooting hard to the only mare in the race, Ortensia who didn’t like the Flemington straight last out, and has twice placed here at MV.

[UPDATE: The legendary Apache Cat beats Mic Mac, with Bank Robber third and Ortensia unable to find room late, settling for fourth. Nice exacta for trainer Greg Eurell!]

G2 Moonee Valley (Cathay Pacific Airways) Cup (7A) 12:40 a.m. EDT
Top-weight Ista Kareem boasts 3 wins in 3 attempts at Moonee Valley, but gives 13 pounds to Miss Darcey who outfinished him last out—she failed to draw into last weekend’s Caulfield Cup thus lands here for Tony Cummings. Lodge the Deeds finished second behind Speed Gifted over a heavy track in the G1 Metro last out; his fitness level puts him in strong contention here. Ready to Lift is sitting on a huge race—don’t be surprised if it is this.

[Update: 7-year-old 30-1 The Sportsman upsets, with 25-1 Irazu second and 16-1 Think Money third and 40-1 Kibbutz fourth. Damn, that’s gonna be a massive tri and super!]

G1 Cox Plate (8A) 1:30 a.m. EDT
With likely pace-setter Sir Slick a vet scratch, Gai Waterhouse’s Manhattan Rain may be hustled out of his outside barrier to the early lead. He and Bart Cummings-trained So You Think are the only 3-year-olds entered, giving them each a huge weight advantage (18-21 pounds) over the rest of the field—is that enough to conquer some pretty salty runners? If Manhattan Rain can’t get it done for Gai, how about Rock Kingdom? The lady trainer has won just about every big group race—isn’t it time to add a Cox Plate to her collection? Whobegotyou is unbeaten in four attempts at Moonee Valley and will love the dry track. Heart of Dreams likewise has nothing but upside. Don’t forget G1 Metro victor Speed Gifted who goes way up in weights, but has fitness on his side (as well as Freedman-Dunn). For “longshots”, consider wily veterans Scenic Shot (third in the G1 Turnbull last out), and Vision and Power, third last out to Whobegotyou and Heart of Dreams in the G1 Yalumba.

[UPDATE: Holy cow!! Bart Cummings’ 3-year-old So You Think won wire-to-wire, with the other 3-year-old Manhattan Rain getting second, and last year’s second-place finisher Zipping in third. Truly, an amazing training feat! Kudos to Bart :) The quinella paid $162.20, the $1 tri paid $6,747.40; the $1 super paid $22,744.35. Wish I had some of that...could have remodelled my bathroom. Instead, settled for $20.10 place and $11.10 show on Manhattan Rain.]

G3 Inglis Mile (9A) 2:20 a.m. EDT
Sparkling Satine loves this track, but hasn’t done well in group racing—time for that to change? With a dry track, don’t discount Beaucoup—terrible barrier, but quality mare. Ditto Estee who won the Adelaide Guineas with Kerrin McEvoy aboard; he returns to ride her here. Also, if Lucky Thunder wins or places in the Crystal Mile (4A), wager on Silent Sophia—or bet on her regardless. Good barrier, good move getting red-hot Michelle Payne aboard.

[UPDATE: In the finale, 6-1 Lady Lynette jumped up for the win, with 12-1 Moment in Time in second, followed by 40-1 Pink Shimmer.]

Caulfield Cup and Undercard Analysis

2009-10-16T21:04:00.007-04:00

First she was in, and then out, and now possibly in again.

Two weeks ago, it appeared the racing career of star mare Jolie’s Shinju was over, as she was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia after an uncharacteristically-poor performance in the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley in Australia, ending not only her AUS-G1 Cox Plate campaign, but essentially her career back home in Singapore.

On Thursday, she galloped carrying an ECG scanner, and was passed fit to start in Saturday’s AUS-G2 Tristarc Stakes at Caulfield. Whether she performs well enough will determine if new trainer Len Treloar starts her in next weekend’s Cox Plate.

Caulfield’s Spring Carnival wraps up with a bevy of group races this weekend, culminating in the US$2.3 million AUS-G1 Caulfield Cup, a major prep for November 3’s AUS-G1 Melbourne Cup. Four top horses—Baughurst, Shocking, Newport and Miss Darcey—failed to draw into the field, but there are 18 other top runners that make this a very tough race.

Top-weight Viewed finished tenth in last year’s edition, before shocking (at 44-1) in winning the Melbourne Cup. Although he hasn’t visited the winner’s circle since, he does appear to be rounding into peak condition faster this spring and will have no problem with the sting out of the track, currently listed as DEAD (yielding) with showers. Off a distant fourth-place finish behind Gio Ponti in the US-G1 Arlington Million, Cima de Triomphe is getting some play, but I find it hard to believe this much-traveled Euro-invader is a real threat against the top Aussie and Kiwi horses. Ditto for Kirklees who, despite three consecutive wins, failed horribly in the UAE-G1 Sheema Classic in Dubai earlier this year, the only time he’s faced this quality of competition. As much as I like C’est La Guerre, he’s never won or placed in four tries at Caulfield, much like Fiumicino who’s failed there in seven tries. So, who do I like?

The New Zealand mare Daffodil looks very strong, especially with her weight assignment and the current track condition. Low-weight mare Allez Wonder, with Michelle Payne aboard, could be a huge surprise, as could 7-year-old gelding Master O’Reilly who has been close-up in many of his races over the past year, including a fourth-place finish (two lengths back) in last year’s Melbourne Cup. Predatory Pricer is a huge chance and a must-use in all exotics, as is Light Vision.

[UPDATE: Bart Cummings gets the exacta, with Foolish Pleasure descendent Viewed ($34.60 win) and Roman Emperor ($16.80 place), followed by Vigor ($9.20 show), and my girl Daffodil in fourth. Urgh! Instead of boxing 1, 7, 13 for the exacta, I boxed it for the tri—and get nothing]

[UPDATE on UPDATE: I just checked my balance and I DID win that trifecta because it was 1, 7, ALL. Thus, I'm $235.65 richer!! Yay!]

In the AUS-G3 Norman Robinson Stakes (4A), Shamoline Warrior—half-brother to last year’s AUS-G1 Victoria Derby victor Rebel Raider—looks quite strong, having defeated fellow runners Tribunal and Saint Encosta last out. However, AUS-G1 Champagne winner Onemorenomore returns to his own age group after taking on his elders—and new jock Glen Boss loves these “big day” races.

[UPDATE: Shamoline Warrior ($5.30 win) over Onemorenomore ($5.50 place) makes chalky $28.80 exacta.]

Royal Discretion won last year’s AUS-G3 Moonga (Betfair) Stakes (5A), but not sure I’d back him over Rightfully Yours or the game warrior Sniper’s Bullet. McClintock is likely to finish in the top fours.

[UPDATE: Mcclintock ($20.80 win) upsets Rightfully Yours ($4.70 place) for descent $53.10 exacta.]

In the AUS-G2 Tristarc Stakes (6A), Hot Danish will be hard to beat, but if Jolie’s Shinju is truly back in form, these two could provide us with a race for the ages. Typhoon Tracy would prefer a rock-hard track, but is still a threat—and don’t count out Neroli or Gold Water. For a price, you can’t go wrong with Velocitea, and maybe Glowlamp’s time has come?

[UPDATE: Typhoon Tracy ($9.00 win) easily defeats Hot Danish ($3.30 place), but (surprise!) my little girl Glowlamp (at least 99-1) got third ($29.50 show) over Neroli. Jolie’s Shinju led, but faded to mid-pack. No Cox Plate would be my guess.]

Three of the four excluded from the Caulfield Cup go instead in the AUS-G3 David Jones Coongy Cup (7A), with the best hope of them being Baughurst. The big question is can Drumbeats get 2000 meters? I love Dwayne Dunn back on Cape d’Amore, and Ulysses should be there at the finish, as will Pre Eminence.

[UPDATE: Baughurst ($7.40 win) beat Shocking ($6.00 place)—Drumbeats finished within the top five or six.]

Finally, in the AUS-G2 Caulfield Sprint (9A), I’m all over Phelan Ready, Turffontein, and First Command. Diplomatic Force always run well first up, but the soft going won’t favor him.

[UPDATE: Favorite First Command ($4.30 win) defeated Turffontein ($16.80 place) with Happy Glen ($20.20 show) fleshing out the trifecta]

Ward and Ramsey Plan Another Foreign Invasion

2009-10-09T19:54:00.002-04:00

I always enjoy reading effervescent Australian lady trainer Gai Waterhouse’s blog, as she often reveals not only brilliant tidbits about her runners, but also makes insightful (and sometimes scathing) commentary on the state of racing. I can’t imagine an American trainer who could pull off what she does.

Fascinating morsel of information from her on Thursday—a scanned copy of a letter to her from American trainer Wesley Ward which states that: (1.) Hialeah Park is to be open for training purposes (in addition to quarter-horse races, I presume—something that I had not previously heard); and (2.) Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey plan to send ENG-G1 Golden Jubilee runner-up (and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint probable) Cannonball to Hong Kong for December’s G1 Hong Kong Classic, and then to Australia for the G1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington. Fascinating—and ambitious, to say the least.

Yet another jam-packed night of group races upcoming this evening (and early Saturday morning) from Australia, including the $1 million G1 Caulfield Guineas featuring Gai’s tremendously-talented Manhattan Rain taking on nearly-unbeaten Darley-colt Denman and promising Patinack Farm-owned Trusting. For a bit of price, I like the New Zealand-bred So You Think.

In the G1 Yalumba Stakes, last year’s winner Douro Valley returns—albeit way off form—but the hot-favorites look to be Whobegotyou and Heart of Dreams. For me, though, it’s the Kiwi high-weights that are sentimental choices, particularly Nom Du Jeu—and don’t count out the great mare Zarita.

The G1 Toorak Handicap features Black Piranha, recently unable to break out from the bridesmaid’s role, with four straight second-place finishes. Gai’s Rock Kingdom comes in off a win in last weekend’s G1 Epsom Handicap, but with a new jockey (Craig Williams) and an awkward post position (15). Rock Kingdom’s most recent jock, Blake Shinn, takes the ride of favorite Raheeb, but, with his drop in weight assignment (from 122 to 115), Raffaello could be very tough.

Seven-year-old Apache Cat tries the G2 Schillaci Stakes, although Lucky Secret will thrive at the distance, and watch out for the spicy-hot 3-year-olds, Wanted who has put in two sharp appearances this spring, and the General Nediym filly Paprika making her first start since finishing second behind Phelan Ready in the $2 million Magic Millions Classic back in January.

The 12-furlong G2 Presentation (Herbert Power) Stakes underwhelms me, especially with C’est La Guerre out. I suppose if I had to choose, last-out JRA winner Alcopop looks in form, and Zavite’s reunion with jockey Nash Rawiller (and the dry track) offer a promising return to the winner’s cicle.

That same dry track doesn’t necessarily favor Avenue in the G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes. I am looking forward to the return of the Shamardal filly Marquardt who thumped Manhattan Rain back in January. Darley-owned Kanzan will likely get a piece.

A Bird for All Seasons

2009-10-04T03:29:00.000-04:00

Now that the summer rains have changed to autumn rains—and, boy, did they come with a vengeance on Saturday in New York—the glorious chestnut colt Summer Bird is shining even more brightly. Quality Road’s connections can bemoan the track condition, but, wet track or no, Summer Bird wasn’t going to be denied victory in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, becoming the first horse since Easy Goer in 1989 to accomplish the Belmont, Travers and JCGC triple. The Eclipse award for top 3-year-old colt is a lock, in my opinion, regardless of the Breeders’ Cup Classic outcome. Honestly, much like Rachel Alexandra, what other 3-year-old colt or gelding has accomplished what he has this year—and continues to meet each challenge placed before him?

I loved Summer Bird back in April, pegging him a longshot flyer in the G2 Arkansas Derby off a maiden win, and then, for Ray Paulick’s Kentucky Derby Index, I was the only pundit to give him a vote—then justified my choice in a blog post which gained varied comments, including SaratogaSpa speculating he might try the Belmont-Travers double (good call) and my good friend Superfecta’s prophetic “I think he’ll be a big threat in New York.” Amen, sister!

In addition to his continuing upward trajectory, it’s so refreshing to not hear he’s being rushed to stud. According to trainer Tim Ice, “I think there's still a lot of upside to him. Today proved he can compete with older horses; he'll be back as a 4-year-old and he'll be taking on older horses most likely in the Breeders' Cup. He's a colt that has moved forward with each race he's won. He is what we thought he was.”

A champion, that’s what he is. On to Santa Anita!

Obscure Betting Angle Pays Off

2009-09-27T01:48:00.008-04:00

How fitting that, on the very day Calder hosted the $75k Foolish Pleasure Stakes, two of his damline descendents win over that very track? In race 4, Pound Foolish (Exchange Rate, out of Mecke mare Kobella Bean) paid $15.40 win, while in race 12, Pender’s Tune (Montbrook, out of Mecke mare Sea Mist) paid $21.80 win. Both geldings are trained and co-owned by Manny Tortora (with his wife Jacqueline) who also trained Mecke, as well as his son Supah Blitz before the latter was sold and moved to Doug O’Neill.

Speaking of Supah Blitz, you’ll recall he only sired 1 crop (of 13 foals) before being placed back in training in 2008. I don’t know how I missed it, but his first winner, 2-year-old Indiana-bred You Already Know, recently placed second in the Hillsdale Stakes at Hoosier (September 13).

In addition to Pound Foolish and Pender’s Tune, it was a prosperous day for bettors who bet the “Foolish Pleasure damline descendent” angle (and don’t we all look for that?—yes, I’m being facetious), as Pinstripe Kid (Skimming, out of Norma Bee, by Cobra King) took race 10 at Fairplex ($25.80 win), and R B Applause (Closing Argument, out of Lisa’s Approval, by Farma Way) broke his maiden in race 7 at Delaware ($22.20 win).

On the other side of the globe in Australia on Saturday, I’d like to point out that the “Foolish Pleasure damline descendent” angle was also fulfilled in the AUS-G1 Manikato Stakes, with Phelan Ready and Nicconi finishing second and third, respectively, behind Danleigh. Phelan Ready is next aimed for the G1 Caulfield Guineas on October 10, while Nicconi’s future includes an invasion of Dubai and England next year.

Xtra Heat’s second daughter to race, Don’t U Baby Me (Unbridled Song) made her debut at Monmouth on Friday, finishing second in race 2, a 5.5f MSW event where the winner was the only non-first-time-starter. The gray filly didn’t start well, made a strong move to get up to challenge the wire-to-wire winner, but did not have enough to get past her. All in all, not bad, but she also didn’t show the explosive gate speed her siblings have thus far displayed. Her half-sister Elusive Heat worked at Belmont on Friday, a bullet 3f in 36:74 (1/4). Since her stablemate Diamondrella (sold to IEAH recently) will be switching back to turf rather than pursue the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, it will be interesting to see where Elusive Heat ends up next—maybe the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland on October 10? Nominations close on Wednesday, September 30, so we’ll see. I’d still love to see her at the BC.

I don’t know if Indian Blessing is heading back to the Breeders’ Cup, but, boy, it was good to see her back to her gutsy self in winning the G2 Gallant Bloom over a game Sara Louise.

A tragic but striking phenomenon—the recent deaths of high-profile older champions, beginning with Gone West, followed by El Prado, and then Summer Squall. The latest: Cryptoclearance and Kona Gold. It’s like a blow to the gut each time you read of these losses, and why is it, much like their human celebrity counterparts, they always seem to occur one right after another? Geldings like Kona Gold can only be remembered for the races they ran, and I will forever remember him for outlasting the late-closing Honest Lady in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Sprint:

As for the others, what better way to be memorialized than through their descendents? Thus, on Saturday, Summer Squall was represented by two winners, Mark the Bench at Golden Gate, Race 3 (broodmare sire), and Gold Rush Casey at Thistledown, Race 3 (broodmare sire); as was Cryptoclearance, by Undaunted One at Arlington, Race 1 (sire), and Kim’s Gold at Charles Town, Race 4 (broodmare sire).

Intersections

2009-09-23T23:05:00.010-04:00

Frankly, it’s not often that my two passions intersect in the classroom—horse racing and art history. However, this semester I’m teaching a course on Modern Art which begins with French Romanticism, and includes Impressionism, so I’ve had the opportunity to discuss several nineteenth century artists who addressed the “Sport of Kings” in their work.

Best known for his dramatic rendering of the cannibalistic survivors of a notorious shipwreck off the coast of Senegal in “The Raft of the Medusa” (1818), Théodore Géricault had a deep love of horses (probably severely tested when two riding accidents nearly killed him). As early as 1810, he was doing watercolors of English-bred race horses (right) which revealed their Arabian heritage and keen intelligence, notably visible in the manner in which this beast eyes up the viewer.

Yet, as a Romantic painter, the awesome power of nature was never far from his thoughts, thus his 1813-14 “Horse in the Storm” painting (left) in the National Gallery, London. For the Romantics, it wasn't just the moral boundaries of humanity that was of interest; nature too is beyond our control, so “conquering” the horse, in a small way, empowers we puny humans.

During an 1817 trip to Italy, Géricault witnessed the annual riderless horse race held on the Via del Corso in Rome during Carnival. His studies and paintings of this event depict powerfully muscular horses, highly-idealized, but consist with his monumental tendencies in form inspired by the works of Michelangelo and Caravaggio (right). It also appears inspired by antique examples, such as the horses on the Parthenon frieze. However, the tension and struggle evident between man and beast reveals the artist’s further knowledge of the ugly history of this race—at its beginnings in the 15th century, it was not horses but Jews that were forced to run like horses in the street, publically humiliated by Christians. As Albert Boime notes, during Napoleon’s reign, Jews were emancipated in the Papal States, but after the Restoration, Pope Pius VII reinstituted the Inquisition, and Jews were forced to finance the race prizes. Ever the social critic (and rabble-rouser), Géricault’s horse race becomes a commentary on societal ills and prejudice—the struggle between the civilized and the raw primitive.

After the notoriety he achieved with “The Raft of the Medusa,” Géricault spent time in England where he painted “The Epsom Derby” 1821 (below; Louvre, Paris) for the horse dealer (and his landlord) Adam Elmore. In a style more reminiscent of English painting, the gray eventual winner Gustavus and his sleek competitors are set against an ominous sky, sailing over the turf in a flying gallop. It is the animals, not the absent race viewers, who are the work’s focus.

Just as it did in the British Isles and America, horse racing flourished in France during the nineteenth century, with the national studbook (or Jockey Club) organized in 1833—and, of course, we owe the French a debt of gratitude for developing pari-mutuel wagering. A decade after the first race was run at Longchamp, artist Édouard Manet rendered an impressionist heads-on view of a race (below; Art Institute of Chicago, 1864), yet the fashionable race-goers are just as significant as the horses, a situation clearly articulated by Caspar Whitney in 1900:

“Horse-racing in France is to the haut monde in summer what opera is to them in winter. The excitement of a quick race, with its intervals for promenade and gossip, fits the French volatile temperament to a nicety; therefore the flat racing at Longchamps…attract[s] spectators in great numbers.”

Probably the best known French horse racing paintings of the nineteenth century were executed by Impressionist Edgar Degas who, inspired by Manet, rendered familiar scenes of contemporary masculine Parisian culture—subject matter that was contrary to the grand tradition of history painting, although it seems so innocuous today.

His innovations in composition were inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints, with cropped vistas and unusual angles. Most intriguing about his nearly-one hundred racing paintings, pastels and drawings is the pent-up tension and palatable excitement of the horses and riders, the fleeting sensation captured in a moment. They are simply spectacular in their abstraction.

Ironic, isn’t it, that these scenes for Degas represented the epitome of modern life, when the working man had enough free time and disposable income to enjoy a day at the races?

Sources Consulted:

Albert Boime, Art in an Age of Counterrevolution, 1815-1848 (University of Chicago Press, 2004) pp. 127-130.

Rupert Christiansen, The Victorian Visitors: Culture Shock in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2001) pp 36-37.

Caspar Whitney “Athletic Development in France” Outing, volume 36 (1900) pp. 178-181.

Also, Chapter 11 in Émile Zola’s 1880 novel Nana regales us with an account of a day at the races, specifically the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp—you can read it online here.

Weekend Observations and a Shameless Plug

2009-09-20T00:52:00.003-04:00

All eyes on Woodbine today for the best racing in North America, beginning with the G2 Canadian which many appear willing to simply give to Forever Together—okay, probably rightly so, but don’t discount Points of Grace. In the G1 Northern Dancer, the Sheppard-Leparoux combo could score their second stakes win on the day, with Just As Well coming in off a second-place finish to Gio Ponti in the G1 Arlington Million. Sure to be overbet, Champs Elysees looks unlikely with the firm turf, but Marchfield should be tough, and one I would not leave out of my trifecta is Solitaire. In the G1 Woodbine Mile, of course, my sentimental favorite is the mare Ventura, but Ferneley comes in strong as does Bribon and Rahy’s Attorney.

Nice return for Godolphin’s Regal Ransom in the G2 Super Derby, wiring the field with Richard Migliore up, but the most visually impressive performance was the late-closing Blame, a colt I hadn’t previously heard of (but Gary West highlighted on his blog for those wise enough to read it in advance of Saturday’s race). Wow, talk about damline breeding! His dam is a three-quarter-sister to HK-G1 QEII Cup victor Archipenko, and, through his third dam Special, he is related to Corinthian, as well as top sires Nureyev, Sadler’s Wells, Perugino, and Chequer. Get that boy a G1 so he can retire to stud (I say tongue in cheek).

On Saturday, Alan Garcia rode three consecutive winners at Belmont—claimer Band of Thunder and maiden Simple Western sandwiched Rutherienne in the G3 Noble Damsel. However, I just couldn’t get enthused about D’Funnybone winning the G2 Futurity—the colossal joke that Rick Dutrow has become as the poster child for all that is wrong about racing repulses me. His strategically-arranged suspension can’t come soon enough. In the G2 Matron, I never discount Stanley Hough, so not surprised by victress Awesome Maria—and how fitting that her dam Discreetly Awesome is a half-sister to G2 Futurity runner-up Discreetly Mine! That would have made for a nice daily double. No satisfactory explanation yet for the horrible performance of odds-on favorite Worstcasescenario, but I’m willing to forgive Dashing Debby as she’s only still learning.

Personally, my favorite winner on Saturday was 9-year-old gelding Cloudy’s Knight who successfully returned from a year-long break to win the G3 Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes for new trainer Jonathan Sheppard. That break concerned me, but Sheppard is one trainer I trust to have him ready, and Rosemary Homeister, Jr. rode him a treat. A close second favorite was 6-year-old mare Danzon who won the Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf, also off a lengthy layoff, for new trainer Kellyn Gorder. No word on where each of them is headed next, but it’s good to see them back.

As I am ever on the lookout for Foolish Pleasure descendents, I must note not only did Banrock and Grand Couturier score wins at Belmont last weekend, but also 3-year-old Darley-owned colt Demerit won the G2 Caulfield Guineas Prelude in Australia on Saturday, over top quality competition that include Trusting and Manhattan Rain. Additionally, Godolphin-owned 4-year-old gelding Fateh Field (Distorted Humor, out of the Foolish Pleasure mare Too Cool To Fool) has settled in nicely since arriving in the U.S. from Dubai. After three races spaced nearly a month apart since July, he’ll race for the third time in two weeks (!) on Wednesday. On September 12, he finished second by a quickly-gaining head in a 6f Tapeta allowance race at Presque Isle; that was followed by a 7f turf allowance at Belmont on September 17 which he won by a neck, passing Evolutionist “with a flourish” according to the chart. Next up: a 7f turf allowance optional claimer (not for a tag), race 8 at Belmont on September 23. His regular jock: Jean-Luc Samyn (yay!).

For the NTRA, I am blogging about the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, and my first post is about how I believe the F&M Sprint shouldn’t exist. Talk about being a contrarian! Actually, I examine just how successful fillies and mares have been in the open company Sprint—in 10 of the 18 years in which at least one filly or mare raced in the Sprint, a member of the fairer sex has either won or finished second. That’s pretty damn good. Indian Blessing and Ventura have already taken on male rivals this year, so why not challenge the original Sprint? That said, I am excited about the F&M Sprint, even though it’s relegated to Friday (not Saturday), ESPN2 (not ESPN) and runs for $1 millions less. Look forward to everyone's comments and thoughts as we are now less than seven weeks from the Breeders' Cup.

Just Another Day of Reality Checks

2009-09-15T23:42:00.003-04:00

So, how much value does casino gaming add to a race track? About $53.25 million if you compare the $80.25 million bid accepted by a Delaware bankruptcy judge for the sale of Magna’s Remington Park in Oklahoma—casino already in place—to a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation, versus the $27 million price offered by the same entity for Lone Star Park in gaming-less Texas. Okay, this is just a starting bid and there are some differences in the properties, but the bottom line is one has slots, the other does not. The bankruptcy judge also accepted a bid by Harrah’s for Thistledown in Ohio—$42 million cash and another $47.5 million contingent on whether legal challenges to the state’s new slots are successfully thwarted. There it is, in pure hard cash figures. I would be curious to know from those more familiar with racing in those states whether these acquisitions are a positive for local horsemen/horsewomen, and horse racing overall, both short- and long-term. Particularly, if slots are in fact shot down in Ohio, what is the potential future of Thistledown?

Honestly, I don’t mean to harp on the deteriorating quality of the BloodHorse’s writing, or, at the very least, the lack of editing or fact-checking that seems to occur more often these days, but an error in Tuesday’s online article “Ventura Back for Woodbine Mile” is just so glaring, how could one not mention it:

In last year's edition, the daughter of Chester House—Estala, by Be My Guest, finished second by 1 1/4 lengths to locally-based Rahy's Attorney before going on to win the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

Come on! Did they forget Doug O’Neill-trained Maryfield ploughing through the sloppy Monmouth dirt to win the real inaugural Filly & Mare Sprint in 2007? Honestly, who is this “Staff” that gets the by-line here, some interns pulled in off the streets with no basic knowledge of racing? (Don’t be surprised in someone edits the story, making the correction by the time you read this—but cached Google searches last and last...)

From Ray Paulick’s splendid live blogging account of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, you get a real sense of the blood-bath consignors are enduring, particularly when—on day two—a Giant’s Causeway colt is sold for $5,000 (!) and an Elusive Quality colt failed to receive a single bid (!).

At least attendees got a glimpse of the “good ole days” when the two great powerhouses (Coolmore and Sheikh Mo) went all out on a Storm Cat colt out of multiple-G1 winner Fleet Indian, with Godolphin/Darley winning out at auction-topping $2.05 million. As Ray notes, just through his primary agent John Ferguson (and not counting the other associated entities also working on his behalf) Sheik Mohammed has thus far bought 31 yearlings for just under $13.5 million. Call me pessimistic, but it seems to me that, with his dominance at the Saratoga sale and now here at Keeneland, Mo is quite literally the savior of the breeding industry right not—whether they deserve such false hope or not. And, why shouldn’t he? It is an industry he has come to dominate around the world, and if stud fees and sales prices fall, his business is directly impacted. Obviously he doesn’t have to worry about getting credit to buy, so spend away, dear Sheikh—knowing that probably many of these purchases will never come close to reclaiming the outlay invested in them or sufficiently prove themselves on the track, but some idiots somewhere will still pay inflated stud fees on flashy yet fragile horses that do nothing to improve the breed.

For those craving information and opinion overload in advance of the Breeders’ Cup, you won’t want to miss some new internet sites, beginning with good friend Jessica Chapel’s Breeders’ Cup 360, “The Bettor’s Inside Source” as it is billed, sponsored by the Breeders’ Cup. An incredible array of professional turf writers analyze key prep races leading up to the big event with a particular focus on the horseplayer.

The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance (TBA) has hooked up with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) to provide comprehensive analysis, history and fan perspectives on each of the Breeders’ Cup races. Needless to say, it’s a thrilling opportunity for many of us, particularly those who can afford to pay their own way to Santa Anita, as full press credentials have been granted them for the event. Unfortunately, I don’t fall into that category (I'm cash-poor, 'though passion-rich), so look for my forthcoming blog entries dealing with the Filly & Mare Sprint. Fellow bloggers such as Gene Kershner (Equispace), Lisa Grimm (Superfecta), Patrick Patten (Handride), and Gina Rarick (Gallop France) already have posts up, so check them—and all my fellow TBA’ers—out!

Catching Up With Old Friends

2009-09-12T23:32:00.003-04:00

Besides the G3 PID Masters Stakes won in near-track record time by Informed Decision, it was an amazingly slow Saturday in racing—undoubtedly an inevitable lull following boutique meets at Saratoga and Del Mar. So, how about revisiting some old friends from the 2007 Triple Crown trail?

Two years removed from his last graded-stakes placing (second in the 2007 G3 Calder Derby) and his 4th place finish behind Street Sense in the G1 Kentucky Derby, 5-year-old Imawildandcrazyguy recorded his 5th lifetime win in his 41st start on Saturday, taking an 8.5f allowance race taken off the turf and run on a sloppy track at Calder (race 8). In his typical fashion, he came from well off the pace with a big late run, and nosed out Colonial Causeway. The victory brought his lifetime earnings up to $626,745.

Off his G1 Blue Grass victory, Dominican looked promising, but could only muster an 11th place finish in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. In Saturday’s 12 furlong G3 Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes, Dominican repeated last year’s third-place finish, this time behind Nite Light and the once-much-hyped Alaazo.

Another horse once on the 2007 Triple Crown trail, Officer Rocket—second to Curlin in the G3 Rebel—is now toiling in the claiming ranks at Woodbine, finishing 6th of nine in Saturday’s seventh race, running for $37,500 tag.

On several occasions I’ve written about Love Dubai, beginning in April 2007 after his last place finish in the G2 Illinois Derby and before another last place finish in the G1 Blue Grass Stakes, through a fifth-place finish in the G3 Colonial Turf Cup and a host of other overly-ambitious races, before dropping down into $5k claiming races last year. In 2009, he’s been running at Turfway, Presque Isle and Mountaineer, finding success when running over 12 furlongs—yes, that wasn’t a typo. This past Monday, the 5-year-old ran at Mountaineer in a 16 furlong (2 miles) race taking off the turf—and won by a length, his 3rd win this year and 7th in 31 races, with total earnings of $120,677.

Another progeny of E Dubai about whom I previously wrote (when she broke her maiden on her 26th attempt), Smoochie Hoochie, has been unable to maintain her momentum since that victory. Staying on turf, she finished fourth next out ($5k n2L claimer), and then dead last of eleven when ambitiously placed at Laurel in a $26k n1x allowance race. During the brief Timonium meet, she finished second in a $5k n2L claimer on dirt, but was disqualified to fifth (last). On Saturday, at Laurel in an 8f dirt $5k n2L claimer, Smoochie Hoochie was done after 4 furlongs, coming in last of seven.

Finally, on a positive note, my favorite Alberta-champion mare Tanika added another stakes win to her resume, taking the Matron Stakes at Assiniboia by nearly 4 lengths on Friday evening.

Glory Days Rediscovered, or Do You Know What Was Once in Your Back Yard?

2009-09-11T04:08:00.004-04:00

What I most love about being a historian is the hunt—the piecing together of evidence that leads from one idea to another, much like a detective investigating a mystery. As you have probably guessed, I love PBS’s “History Detectives.”

When we first moved to Johnstown ten years ago, we rented a house in the posh Westmont neighborhood, built high above the city after the 1889 Flood by the executives of the Cambria Iron Company. With beautiful tree-lined streets and virtually no commercial development, it is a lovely neighborhood that, unfortunately, is facing the same financial problems of other cities and boroughs, with rising costs and a stagnant tax base. Recent moves to rezone residential land for commercial use has resulted in a backlash, with citizens forming a non-profit organization called Save Westy.

While perusing their website, I stumbled upon a link to another local website that outlines the history of Westmont, and imagine my surprise when I read this:

“Westmont was also home to the Johnstown Driving Park Association, which rented twenty-eight acres of land from the Cambria Iron Company from 1895-1905. The Association constructed a race track, which was bounded by the present-day streets of Dartmouth Avenue to Hood Avenue and Wayne Street to Tioga Street, with Luzerne Street as the central vertical axis. The racetrack was one-half mile long and sixty feet wide, and was enclosed by a wooden railing. There were fifty first-quality stables and a separate building which housed a secretary’s office, a private dining morn, and a public dining room. The grandstand provided seating for 2,500 people.”

My God! Johnstown had a horse racing track over a hundred years ago? Who knew! Maybe that explains the large number of degenerates who once inhabited the off-track betting parlor that Penn National closed here two years ago.

Determined to find more information (and hopefully a picture), I dug deeper, and—to my complete and utter astonishment—discovered that not only did Johnstown have a race track in Westmont that held three meets (spring, summer, fall) each year, but also a second track in the Roxbury neighborhood! In 1895, Isaac B. Barnhart sold 10 acres of his farm to the Roxbury Driving Association, later renamed Tri-County Park Driving Association, and, until 1904, the track was leased by John C. Pender who provided “an eagerly awaited racing season.”

Digging a little deeper, I discovered that John C. Pender was the leading “breeder of fast horses” in the city. According to Henry Wilson Storey’s 1907 History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania:

“He bought the now famous trotting mare “Alfalfa” in 1903; she was then a three-year-old, and since that date she has raced all over the country, at Lexington obtaining a record of 2:05. He has also owned “Moral” with a record of 2:11 ½; Robert D, 2:11 ½; Guy Red, 2:11 ½; John L, 2:18 ½; Kitty B, 2:19 ¼; Raymond, 2:19 ¼; Dr. Russell, 2:19 ¼; Colette, 2:19 ¼, a granddam of Dan Patch; also Willow Brook Queen, 2:18 ¼, together with many others with good trotting records.”

Rooting through the New York Times archives, I found a number of articles from 1902-1903 mentioning Pender as being temporarily reinstated by the Board of Review of the National Trotting Association, although I wasn’t able to pin down exactly the nature of his problems. I also ran across the names of several other Johnstowners involved in harness racing: John Hannan, Jr., F.B. Cook., C.C. Sipe, and William H. Hawes.

In Randy Whittle’s history of Johnstown, he notes that, in 1904, the leading Johnstown stockbroker Frank Cresswell took possession of the Roxbury track when the Tri-County Driving Park Association defaulted on $40,000 in bonds he owned. Cresswell attempted to quadruple the rent Pender paid to host racing, but:

“Pender promptly moved his popular events to the Westmont Racetrack through a five-year lease beginning with the 1904 racing season. The 1904 Roxbury Park season then became such a disaster that Cresswell tried in vain to get Pender back.”

As a result, a new organization formed, turning Roxbury into an amusement park, renamed “Luna Park” which hosted horse racing until the park was sold to the city of Johnstown in 1922; it now houses tennis courts and several baseball diamonds used by everyone from Little League to the AAABA (All American Amateur Baseball Association).

Here's a photo I found via Google Books showing horses racing at Luna Park in Roxbury in 1915:

I also found this c. 1910 postcard of Luna Park, with the track and grandstand:

Needless to say, this insight into the town I now call "home" is truly thrilling, lending a greater appreciation for the rich history horse racing—both Thoroughbred and Standardbred—has in this country. What a shame interest in the sport has fallen so far! Just imagine the small towns and cities that once enjoyed a glorious day at the races.

Works Consulted:

Henry Wilson Storey, History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, volume 3 (1907), pp. 666-667.

Randy Whittle, Johnstown, Pennsylvania: A History, volume 1 (2007) pp. 105-106

Other interesting tidbits:

An 1894 Johnstown newspaper article notes that the city had more than 100 race horses.

Johnstown hosted the 1897 Pennsylvania State Fair, which offered “$6,000 in purses for nineteen trotting and pacing events” from September 6 to 11.

In 1899, the National Trotting Association suspended the Tri-County Agricultural and Park Driving Association for non-payment of premiums.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow, Or Not

2009-09-10T00:22:00.004-04:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow, and, in some instances, painful...

DRF’s David Grening reports that Kiaran McLaughlin will no longer train for West Point Thoroughbreds, and G1-placed Justwhistledixie has been transferred to Bill Mott. However, don’t cry for McLaughlin; he is still the Maktoum families’ primary American trainer, and I, for one, am pleased to see him riding Rajiv Maragh more, apparently unlike some.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Aga Khan announced two weeks ago that Christophe Lemaire has been retained as their first-call jockey next season, ending an eight-year partnership with Zarkava’s jockey Christophe Soumillon who suffered an open fracture to an elbow on Tuesday and may be out for the rest of the year. Ouch! At least it will give Soumillon time to think before he speaks...

Much like Wesley Ward’s world-record setting One Hot Wish and William Curran’s track-record tying Ever So Pretty, I have a feeling we’ll never hear again from Doug O’Neill-trained Necessary Evil who fractured her left front ankle running in the G1 Darley Debutante last weekend. What possible value is there in blazing-fast two-year-olds who burnout way too fast? Is it just my imagination, or do we see far too many of these types nowadays?

Mixed feelings about Cosmonaut’s retirement...I always loved this son of Lemon Drop Kid, even when he was trained by cobra venom cheat Patrick Biancone. His highlights, for me, are the third-place finish behind Kip Deville and Excellent Art in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile at Monmouth in 2007, and the narrow second-place miss to Purim in the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland in 2007. Wow, now that I see that in writing, I guess it's been awhile since he's been at the top of his game. Still, sad to see him leave the turf, but he’s certainly earned a long, healthy retirement.

As for the loss this week of “sire of sires” Gone West, Glenn Craven (Fugue for Tinhorns) has said it far better than I; check out his post here.

Congratulations to Linda Rice for winning the Saratoga training title over Todd Pletcher—it’s no small achievement, especially with a limited number and type of runners. Thank god only 28 of 192 races were taken off the turf...

Let me get this straight: Rick “Duh”trow has been suspended 30-days for a 2008 clenbuterol positive, but, naturally, the suspension will not begin until after the Breeders’ Cup? Once again, those who govern horse racing—in this instance, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission—has permitted one of the game’s most notorious cheats to make a mockery of rules and regulations.

Furthermore, the agreement does not require him to transfer his horses to another trainer? I’ve read the commission’s disciplinary measures and penalties several times, and I don’t see where, as the DRF’s article claims, a transfer is required only after a second Class B violation. In fact, section 3 clearly states: “Prior offenses occurring in other racing jurisdictions may be considered by the stewards and the Authority in assessing penalties. The stewards shall attach to a penalty judgment a copy of the offender’s prior record containing violations that were committed both inside and outside of Kentucky.”

Additionally, section 7 clearly outlines: “A person shall not train a horse or practice veterinary medicine for the benefit, credit, reputation, or satisfaction of an inactive person.” The passage continues to outline how the new trainer, not “an associated person”, should maintain records of bills, etc. during the time the horse is under their control.

Ray Paulick derisively noted last year that, considering his extensive rap-sheet of infractions, Rick Dutrow should hardly be considered a “first-time offender” in this case. I totally agree, although I’m sure those few Dutrow supporters out there will again claim we are beating up on poor misunderstood Rick, but I don’t care. I’m tired of the hypocrisy, the double-standards and the turning a blind eye to drug misuse. Enough is enough!

PID Masters Stakes Will Be Best Race of the Weekend

2009-09-09T18:21:00.004-04:00

Wow, wow, wow! That’s my reaction to the entries for Saturday’s $400,000 G3 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes. While my favorite Elusive Heat is still on the sidelines after surgery for an entrapped epiglottis, the twelve entrants include the best female sprinters in America.

In the midst of a six-race win streak, G1 Just a Game winner Diamondrella with Rajiv Maragh up drew post 2, right next to G1 Test victress Flashing with Richard Migliore, and to her outside, in post 4, is G1 Princess Rooney and G2 Honorable Miss winner Game Face, with Edgar Prado riding for Todd Pletcher. Now, that right there is a horse race in itself!

Add in G1 Madison third-place Bear Now (Jamie Theriot) in post 5, G2 First Flight victress Porte Bonheur (Channing Hill) in post 6, G1 Humana Distaff third-place Dubai Majesty (Miguel Mena) in post 11, and...the pièce de résistance...G1 Madison and G1 Humana Distaff winner Informed Decision, with Julien Leparoux up, in post 9.

Hands down, this will be the best race of the weekend.

For Diamondrella who has run successfully on turf, this will be her first all-weather surface attempt, but as the sole deep closer, this race could set up perfectly for her especially saving ground from the inside. For Flashing and Game Face, this is also a crucial test heading towards the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, but Informed Decision and Bear Now are proven on artificial surfaces, as are Porte Bonheur and Dubai Majesty.

If any outside these seven win, it would be a complete shock. Christine Janks-trained Nicks (Israel Ocampo) won the state-bred Isaac Murphy Handicap at Arlington in June, but just doesn’t have the speed to keep up with these. Sweet Lorena (Dennis Carr) has been running successfully in allowance optional claiming company at Presque Isle this year, while Tequilas Dayjur (Terry Houghton) hasn’t attempted anything close to this quality since last year’s G1 Test—where she finished dead last, 26 lengths back in a field of six. Beautiful Venue (Rex Stokes III) and Rollicking Affair (Gabriel Suarez) are too slow.

Who will win is just too tough to call, and I suspect if you ran the race five different times, you’d get five different winners. Dubai Majesty hasn’t run since July 11, but has four works since August 9. Still, I’d be surprised if she won. Informed Decision couldn’t handle Music Note and Indian Blessing—or the sloppy track—at Saratoga last out, but her Polytrack efforts at Arlington and Keeneland are terrific—will she take to Tapeta? Porte Bonheur has posted two bullet work at Saratoga coming into this race, but I’m not convinced she’s completely in the same class as the others. Bear Now’s front-running style will probably cook her chances, as at Presque Isle, in 6.5f races, only 16% winners wire the field—it much more conducive to on pace and late closers. Even though she’s on a two-race win streak, I’m taking a calculated guess that Game Face won’t win here—she’s never beaten this quality of sprinters.

That leaves 3-year-old Flashing as the big question mark, although her breeding suggests she should handle Tapeta just fine. However, I really believe this is the perfect race for Diamondrella who’s been working gangbusters in advance of this. Informed Decision will be her toughest challenger.

Regardless of who wins, I can guarantee one thing—a new track record for 6.5 furlongs will be set.

Butterflies

2009-09-05T15:10:00.000-04:00

I admit, I awoke this morning with butterflies in my stomach. While I’m not personally vested in Rachel Alexandra running in the G1 Woodward, it is one of those occasions that qualifies in my eyes as a momentous event, thus the nerves and excitement building as post-time approaches.

As a historian by nature and profession, I appreciate the enormity of what she is attempting, and took a stab at giving context for it at my other blog, Fillies First. While she is not up against horses comparable with the great routers of yore—Stymie, Armed, Forego, Kelso, et al—this is a challenging field. However, in terms of pure talent, she towers above them. The only thing left is to hope and pray for a safe trip for all.

On my part, no bets for or against her will be placed today. Instead, I will sit back and enjoy this race purely as a fan of the sport, horse racing as it should be—a filly challenged to step up once more, run beyond the boundaries normally placed upon those of her sex and age, and, if the Fates allow, her name be forever etched in history as one of the truly great thoroughbred race horses.

Go, Rachel, go...