Back to Belmont

The return of racing to Belmont starts on a flat note as Friday's planned General Douglas MacArthur stakes had to be shelved after drawing only three entries. Things pick up with three Grade 1's Saturday, including the Man o' War. Showing Up steps up to face older company in the Man o' War, including Bobby Frankel's Cacique and two other Gr. 1 winners. I love Showing Up's chances here despite the accomplished elders he faces. Showing Up has been brilliant so far, winning 5-of-6 races including the Gr.1 Secretariat. And that one loss, in the Derby, was better than it looks as Showing Up hung tough with Barbaro for nine of ten furlongs before giving way in only his fourth career start.

Fellow 3-year old Bernardini is drawing much of the sport's attention right now, but I think Showing Up's campaign becomes every bit as impressive with a win Saturday.

Franchise Bidders in Glass Houses...

Empire Racing steps up the propaganda campaign against NYRA with a press release citing 'disappointing' attendance figures at the 2006 Saratoga meet.

Total attendance at Saratoga Race Course has fallen each year since 2003, from a peak of 1,049,309 in 2003 to 908,569 in 2006 – a total decline of 13%, according to NYRA figures cited in the Empire Racing release.

NYRA's own spin notes that on-track average attendance was actually up very slightly in 2006: 25,939 fans per day, compared to 25,914 fans per day in 2005. Overall handle increased 5%, and Saratoga continues to top all other racetracks in attendance, handle and purses.

Empire, not surprisingly, fails to acknowledge the attendance problems of Churchill Downs and Magna Entertainment, the two largest 'for-profit' racetrack operators in the U.S. and key supporters of Empire's bid for the NYRA franchise. At Churchill's signature spring meeting average daily attendance in 2006 slipped 11%, to 12,319.
And, as Bill Finley notes on ESPN.com, what racetrack has not seen on-track declines since 2003? He makes particular note of Magna's performance at Gulfstream Park.

"Perhaps no track in the nation has seen more severe declines in on-track attendance in recent years than Gulfstream Park, which is run by Magna Entertainment. That's the same Magna Entertainment that is partnering with Empire it its bid to take over New York racing. Funny how Empire has failed to put out a press release castigating Magna for its many failings."

Denman's on Notice

Denman's officially on notice (with apologies to Brad and John). Don't mess up the Breeders Cup Denman!
Jose Santos makes the list for his awful ride on Caiman in Friday's first at Saratoga. Santos gets fanned out five wide on the turn (in a six-horse field!) and then can't extend Caiman enough to get by Seaside Salute and apprentice Jeffrey Sanchez (who was making his first-ever ride at Saratoga).

Durkin Out as Breeders Cup Announcer

It looks like Tom Durkin's contract with NBC will prevent him from calling the Breeders Cup on ESPN this year. It will be the first Breeders Cup without Durkin. The day, of course, is about the racing but I don't think the BC will be quite the same. Durkin is one of the best announcers in all of sports and it's usually a joy to hear him call a day at the races.

Durkin does seem to get a bit bored for some of the lesser races (especially something along the lines of a late-November state-bred frightfest at my beloved Big A) but he is always on for big races. Durkin calls a race smartly without laying on the cliches or hyperbole. He's very good at calling or signalling moves before they become evident (especially if you're on track). And he is one of the few announcers that instinctively knows that more than a few race watchers also care about who finishes second and third in a race.

Some are suggesting that the ESPN job may go to Trevor Denman, the announcer at Santa Anita and Del Mar. I haven't heard Denman all that much but I haven't been that impressed. He seems to make mistakes. Any SoCal race followers or goers think differently or view this positively?

Blood-Horse: Durkin Out as TV Voice of Breeders' Cup

And Then There Were Four

It looks like only four bids were made for New York's racing franchise (down from the 16 entities who identified themselves as potential bidders just last month). Interested bidders now include current franchise holder NYRA; Empire Racing; Excelsior Racing; and Capital Play Limited of Australia, according to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of Racing.  The only real news today is that none of the regional OTBs submitted a bid for the franchise.

All details will be withheld from the public until the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of Racing makes recommendations to the governor and legislature next month.

The committee has said that it will release its recommendations to the governor and legislature - both of which must approve a winning bid - by Sept. 29. Under the committee's rules, bidders are prohibited from discussing their responses until the committee releases its recommendations, at which time the bids will become public, Williams said. (Daily Racing Form: registration required).

Albany has apparently looked toward the post-Soviet 'privatization' of Russian oil, gas and other natural resource assets as the model for the state's sale of the New York racing franchise. It's disturbing that that even the value that each bidder places on the franchise won't be released. A few oligarchs and their hired lobbyists will dote on the board members over the next month, and then we'll magically have a 'solution' presented out of Albany for what ails New York racing. And public property, a true gem, passes into private hands for a pittance

Then again, it could all be a charade with the process restarting again once New York's likely new governor Eliot Spitzer takes office in January. According to DRF's Matt Hegarty, officials in Spitzer's office indicated that the "current process would not identify the ultimate winner of the franchise."

Officials in Spitzer's office said privately last week that he intended to take an active role in the process next year if he were elected governor. The officials said they believed the current process would not identify the ultimate winner of the franchise.

Here's the bidder line up:

NYRA is the current franchise holder.

Empire Racing includes a group of New York 'horsemen' as well as Churchill Downs, Magna, Woodbine and others.
Excelsior is led by Steinbrenner son-in-law Steve Swindal.
Capital Play is an Australian bookmaker.

Taking a Stand Against Bernardini

Bernardini will lose the Travers tomorrow. The horse has faced some pretty dim competition, making his star appear brighter than it actually is.
I'll take a shot with Minister's Bid (trained by John Ward), who will hopefully go off near or above his 8/1 morning line. He's run huge in all his races so far. Minister's Bid chased a tough pace with Bernardini through the first seven furlongs of the Jim Dandy, only his third career race, before giving way (and finishing second, nine lengths behind Bernardini).
I think he turns the tables tomorrow. Minister's Bid to win and we'll box him in exactas with High Cotton and hope for a price. Good luck to all on Travers Day.

91-year-old (Harness) Driver is Real Menace

Equidaily.com links to a great story on Leo Burns, the 91-year-old harness racer and trainer who took a 2-year-old stakes at a fairgrounds track in Anna, Ill. earlier this week.

After having made a miscue at the start of her last race, Winsome Wyoming, driven by 91-year-old owner, trainer, and driver Leo Burns, got back on track at the Union County Fair in Anna, Ill. on Wednesday, August 23. The duo dominated their division, in 2:052, in the Egyptian Colt Stakes raced on the first of three days of harness racing action at the fair.

Burns planted Winsome Wyoming right on the front and his opponents could not reach the duo and mount challenge. In the end, Burns and the flashy chestnut filly by Wilson Wyoming finished 35 lengths ahead of the field and posted their seventh win in eight outings this year. The 2-year-old now has won in excess of $14,000. Tuf’s Gift and driver Buddy Simpson, who is closing in on 1,000 career wins, finished second, and Defiant Girl and driver Pat Melloy, Jr. finished third.

Burns will head to the Du Quoin State Fair the last week in August for his next start with Winsome Wyoming. Burns hails from Albion, Ill. and trains two horses.

US Trotting Association: Winsome Wyoming gets back on track at Anna, Ill.

Equidaily.com: When is this story going to get the press coverage it deserves???... 91YO sulky driver and 2YO filly score by 35 lengths for seventh win in eight starts!

George Must Go!

The Steinbrenner-backed group bidding for the New York racing franchise is revving up their PR campaign in advance of next week's deadline for bids.

[Steinbrenner son-in-law] Steve Swindal said redevelopment of New York racetracks into entertainment facilities with video lottery terminals would have a trickle-down effect on the industry and the economy. He said the involvement of Richard Fields, [whose company developed Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel complexes in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla.], is an asset. "It's an overall development process that's quite impressive," he said.

I don't think this comment bodes well for the future of New York racing and its tracks should the Steinbrenner group get the franchise. Steinbrenner, a convicted pardoned felon, has become a tad less loathsome with age, but I suspect the family's experience with New York racing would more resemble what Steinbrenner managed to do with the family shipyard business (bankrupt it), rather than the good luck he's had with the Yankees (it would take a supreme idiot to lose money on that franchise).
On the bright side, however, I would be able to dust off and get some use out of my early-90s era "GEORGE MUST GO!" signs each time I head out for the sideshows (horse races) at the slots parlors formerly known as Aqueduct and Belmont Park.

Yankees Partner: Group Keen on New York Racing

"I'm not bitching because I lost."

Murray Johnson goes on one the funnier diatribes in recent memory, suggesting that a souped up track and milkshakes put Lava Man over the top in Sunday's Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

Johnson charges that Del Mar graded and hardened the track under the cover of darkness, to the benefit of Lava Man.

"(Lava Man) is a good horse, but when you get things catered toward you . . . I'm not bitching because I lost. I'm just telling you what I saw," Johnson said.

Murray also pointed to Lava Man's record outside California and wonders aloud about whether Doug O'Neill's was giving milkshakes before the race.

"I'd love to know his (Lava Man's) bicarb level," Johnson said. "I'm sure it's in the 30s.

Johnson recanted a day later, saying that he just kidding. He says his emotions were running high because of a heart attack suffered by his father two days before the race.

"With the emotions of the time, I was looking to blame things and people that weren't to blame," Johnson said Monday in statements released by the Del Mar publicity department. "I want people to know that's not what we think and feel. It was totally wrong to make those comments."

And, yesterday, the California Horse Racing Board issued an unusual advisory that leapt to the defense of O'Neill and Lava Man, stating that all eight Pacific Classic starters fell below legal limits for carbon dioxide.

"Lava Man left no doubt he is a true champion when he won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday and became the first horse ever to win the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic in the same year," CHRB chairman Richard B. Shapiro. "Doug O'Neill has done a marvelous job training this horse, and no one should take anything away from these achievements.

 

 

Lost in the Fog

Lost in the Fog is returning home to Golden Gate and will soon be put down soon because of inoperable cancer. I was lucky enough to witness most of the East Coast stops on his brilliant campaign in early 2005. I happened to be in Florida in late January and caught him in the Sunshine Millions Dash, and was on hand as the cross-country tour continued with romps at Aqueduct and Belmont in the Bay Shore and Riva Ridge, respectively. I think it will be a while before we see another horse who made winning look as effortless as he did during his amazing ten-race coast-to-coast winning streak starting in late 2004. I watched heartbroken as he faltered in the stretch of the Breeders Cup Sprint last year, but not nearly as sad as I am now.
Blood-Horse: Inoperable Tumor Found In Lost In the Fog

Decoding Churchill's Magna, Empire Alliances

Churchill Downs’s second-quarter earnings conference call on August 9th (full transcript is available via the SEC website) sheds some light on why it linked with Magna to get behind Empire Racing’s bid. (Churchill and Magna announced plans to “cooperate” in the NYRA bidding process on August 4th, but did not announce that they had “joined” the Empire Racing effort until yesterday).
“It’s in the general interest of the industry to ensure that there is continuity and longevity in New York racing. And to the extent that we can play a role in assisting (emphasis mine) whoever might be the successful bidder in ensuring that there is longevity in New York, it will inure to the benefit not only the industry but to Churchill Downs and to Magna,” outgoing Churchill CEO Tom Meeker said in response to an analyst question on the alliance with Magna for the New York bid. “And so, the relationship that we’ve structured now is that we will join together and try to assist some bidding group with a successful bid. And beyond that I really can’t comment obviously.”
Meeker dodged a question on whether Churchill would be willing to take a minority interest in a bid. “The various permutations of relationships that may occur are extremely wide,” Meeker said on the call. “And I really am not in a position right now to tell you what we might or might not do.”
It doesn’t sound like Churchill and Magna will be major players behind Empire Racing, or significant financial contributors, in the process. They’re simply getting on board and lining up behind the group they view as the inevitable winner of the franchise.
Meeker also tipped Churchill’s motive for its growing links with Magna on the conference call (and what it may push for will push for in exchange for “assist[ing]” Empire Racing): favorable access to Churchill’s signals, and support for the development of its own account-wagering platform. “There is an imperative out there that has to be addressed,” Meeker said in response to a question on its growing links with Magna. “We need to get a more customer-centric approach to the delivery of our account-wagering products in the United States and then ultimately in the international community. And when I say customer-centric, we need to make sure that our fans have the opportunity in a very easy way to access the content that they want and, more important, to be able to - on a transactional basis to be able to access a single account to transact their business, albeit there may be various front ends out there that will be accepting bets through XpressBet, TVG, whatever. But the customer ought to be - like a Visa credit card or a MasterCard - ought to be in a position where he or she doesn’t have to maintain four or five accounts to make wagers on our products.”

Empire Building toward New York Racing Franchise

Churchill Downs and Magna Entertainment announced this week that they have joined Empire Racing’s bid to takeover the New York racing franchise currently held by NYRA. Empire Racing has previously announced the support of Delaware North (operator of Finger Lakes); Woodbine Entertainment (the Canadian racino operator); and Scientific Games (a pari-mutuel systems supplier). Empire Racing bills itself as “a group of visionary New York horsemen and breeders seeking to revive New York racing by securing the exclusive right to operate the three New York Thoroughbred racetracks (Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga1:place>).”
What’s not clear (at least I haven’t seen it reported anywhere yet) is who or what is the true financial power behind the folksy Empire Racing façade. What force has managed to bring all these competing interests to heel behind the bid? New York State comptroller Alan Hevesi put the value of the state racing franchise at $1 billion or more last September (which exceeds the combined market capitalization of both Churchill and Magna Entertainment). Who is ready to front this type of money for Empire Racing? Are New York horsemen and breeders sitting ready with access to a $1 billion warchest? None of the Empire Racing ‘supporters’ identified to date have been willing to discuss the terms of their involvement, but it doesn’t they are committed to putting major cash behind the bid. The parties simply seem to accept Empire as the inevitable winner of the franchise, and are just lining up behind the bid to gain whatever benefit they can. Who’s really pulling the strings at Empire Racing?

TBA blogger and Racing Saratoga correspondent Alan (of Left at the Gate) has some excellent points on the issue over at Saratoga Racing Daily.

There's a Movement Afoot at Bay Meadows

Tote Board Brad gets to see Movement, his two-year old filly, make her eagerly anticipated debut in Saturday's seventh race at Bay Meadows. Movement gets the nine post in a $12,500 claiming race, and carries 119 lbs along with the hopes of Tote Board Brad and every other member of the TBA. Best of luck to Movement and Brad. Go Baby Go!
Brad Buys a Yearling: Race Fills, Movement to Debut Saturday

Hits Keep Coming for Paul Lo Duca

It took Met catcher (and thoroughbred owner) Paul Lo Duca's year-old tryst with a 19-year old teller at a Philadelphia OTB to finally knock the London terror plot off the front page of the New York Post today. The Post doesn't bother to mention to name the place but it must be Philadelphia Park's South Philadelphia Turf Club, right next to Citizen's Bank Park and the Old Vet. Lo Duca impressed his 'teen lover' by betting $300 on each race when his team was in town.
Oddly enough, I visited the same Turf Club two weeks ago after a Phillies-Marlins game two weeks ago. It was a day game during the brutal late July heat wave. My lovely wife and I needed to kill a few hours before catching a show Philadelphia that night. The Turf Club magically appeared like a desert oasis as we pulled out of the ballpark's lot. It was 100 degrees outside, and air conditioned inside, so wifey agreed.
We arrived just in time to catch the last three races of the Monday, July 31, Saratoga card. I took my Racing Form in hand and figured I would put on a handicapping clinic for my beloved. I settled on a win bet on Anthony Reinstadler's Erdison in the seventh, who promptly delivered with a 4-1 shot, putting $40 in the kitty toward dinner. Wifey also landed on the same horse with her $2 win bet. I went cold for the last two races, while wifey nailed them with $2 win bets on 10-1 and 8-1 shots respectively. I was humbled and awed. Her system: "Bet the 5," which took the last three races on July 31. A $2 Pick Three bet on the same races would have netted $1,410, but who needs the bother of a W-2G form on a daytrip to Philly.

New York Post: LO DUCA TRIES SOME PHILLY CHEESECAKE

Edgar Who?

If one of the nation's best jockeys goes to L.A., collects an award, and no one notices, does he still make a sound? Not until a month later in the Albany Times Union. No one recognized Edgar Prado when he went out to Los Angeles last month to collect an Espy award as the nation's top jockey.

"They were interviewing a girl, and she was a champion fisher," Prado said. "I couldn't believe they were interviewing her more than me. I guess I'll have to start fishing."

By his estimation, there may have been a dozen people in the house who even knew who he was. The rest of the pro athletes there didn't have a clue. He was just a short, nice man in a room full of big-name athletes whom everybody knew.

"I was pretty much ignored and it bothered me a little bit," Prado said. "I am a jockey and there are a lot of riders out there. I was the one that got the award; what about the ones that didn't? Who knows them? The people out there had no clue who I was and there were some that asked me. I should have put a picture on my shirt with Barbaro on it."

ESPN, which takes over the television contract for the Breeders's Cup this year, owes it to the sport to move the event to Las Vegas in 2007. They could allow wagering on award outcomes, and include an award for most New York Post front page or Page Six appearances. Paul Lo Duca would surely bring the number of people who recognize Prado to a Baker's Dozen.

Albany Times Union: Riding in a state of anonymity

Beyer on Drugs

Andrew Beyer is working overtime this August (with Del Mar datelines) with his second column in as many weeks! I'm hoping for a "How I Got the Washington Post to Pay for my Summer Vacation Even tho I Don't Really Still Work for Them" column sometime around Labor Day. Today we learn that Beyer's second-favorite sport is cycling (who knew?). And we also learn that what horse racing really needs is its own Floyd Landis to run out of town.

[Thoroughbred racing and cycling] have much in common. Both are plagued by the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Both are being spoiled by public cynicism; fans suspect that any brilliant or extraordinary achievement might be the result of cheating.

Cycling's governing body metes out meaningful penalties for drug positives, in contrast to horse racing's laughable response to cheaters, Beyer argues. He trots out the recent suspensions of Richard Dutrow and Steve Asmussen to make his point:

Yet no track executives question the presence of stand-ins for rule-breakers such as Asmussen and Dutrow. (In racing, we don't use the word "cheater.") Most owners have continued to support these trainers, feeling no stigma of being associated with them.
There is only one way that horse racing can prove that it is serious about stopping the use of illegal drugs. When the sport catches a high-profile trainer engaging in a blatantly illegal practice, it should throw the book at him, run him out of the sport and castigate him as a cheater and a disgrace. What horse racing needs, in short, is its own Floyd Landis.

Washington Post: Let's Follow in Cycling's Tracks

Free Kieren Fallon!

U.K's Guardian is reporting that alleged "conspriacy to defraud[er]" Kieren Fallon may yet ride Ace in the Arlington Million. Last night it looked like Ballydoyle may appeal the suspension, according to the Guardian.

It emerged last night that Fallon and his Ballydoyle team may appeal against the decision. Arlington Park stewards have upheld the Illinois Racing Board's ruling that suspensions from other jurisdictions be honoured at the state's tracks. "Mr Fallon's presence on the grounds of any facility under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Racing Board calls into question the honesty and integrity of horse racing due to his current indictment in England of conspiracy to defraud," ruled the stewards.

Fallon is suspended from riding in Britain as he faces trial next year on charges of conspiracy to defraud. However, as he holds an Irish licence he is free to ride in Ireland and other European countries. He had applied for a licence to enable him to partner Ace in the Arlington Million and Ivan Denisovich in the Secretariat Stakes. Fallon's name originally appeared against both horses in the Arlington Million declarations, but was removed following the stewards' ruling.
Fallon won last year's Arlington Million aboard Powerscourt for trainer Aidan O'Brien. Last night no one from the Ballydoyle stable would comment on a possible replacement rider for Ace and Ivan Denisovich.

Guardian: Fallon Chicago ride hinges on late appeal

UPDATE: Fallon's apparently headed back to Ireland after a judge in Chicago denied Fallon's appeal for a restraining order.

Free Arlington Million Contest

Many thanks to fellow TBA members for the heads up on Arlington Park's Arlington Million Turf Challenge this weekend.
Blinkers Off: Arlington Millions Contest...it's free.....
The Race is Not Always to the Swift

It's free and prizes include a VIP trip to the 2007 Million, cash, and other stuff. You pick a stable of horses, trainers, and jockeys and get points based on how well they do in the Arlington Million, Beverly D, and Secretariat Stakes on Saturday. Details are at the Arlington site. My team will be proudly anchored by Barclay Tagg's Showing Up in the Secretariat (I rationalize my not-so-bold pick of a 7/5 shot by reminding myself that he was my favorite in the Derby at 26-1. So I'm allowed to stay on this colt as the odds drop).

Friday Evening Update: Here are the winning picks to the contest.

1) Beverly D : CHIC DANCER
2) Beverly D : FILM MAKER
3) Million : BETTER TALK NOW
4) Million : CACIQUE (IRE)
5) Million : ENGLISH CHANNEL
6) Million : THE TIN MAN
7) Secretariat : GO BETWEEN
8) Secretariat : SHOWING UP

Jockey
1) Ramon Dominguez

Trainers:
1) Graham Motion
2) Todd Pletcher

Nonsense in Newsday

Newsday columnist Raymond J. Keating takes some cheap shots at NYRA in a column that essentially begs for Churchill Downs to take over the New York racing franchise. Keating's arguments are ill informed, off the mark, and generally lose sight of what really matters: It's the racing, stupid!

He draws his conclusions after a tour of Churchill Downs during a non-racing day, which included a trip to the Kentucky Derby museum, a "well-stocked gift shop," and a "fine lunch."

My visit during a nonracing period on the calendar (Kentucky's spring meet finished at Churchill on July 16) turned out to be far more interesting and enjoyable than what I've experienced on actual race days at Aqueduct and Belmont.

Quite simply, it's apparent that Churchill Downs is run as a business focused on providing a pleasing and full experience for customers.

 

But, what about the racing Ray? Churchill does have an impressive physical plant, but excluding Derby week the quality of racing is well below that of New York, and even in-state Kentucky competitor Keeneland. Give NYRA some credit for still managing to maintain the highest-quality U.S. racing (and the most desirable signal) offering despite a clumsy, stultifying operating structure as a "quasi-governmental, non-profit entity." Change is neeeded (and certain) but the Churchill-ization of New York racing is what is needed. Churchill's management of Hollywood and Calder isn't too inspiring. Arlington Park is a gem but the quality of racing is unfortunately minor league.

Keating also appears ignorant of Churchill's unholy alliance with Magna Entertainment to jointly pursue a bid for the New York racing franchise. Magna has degraded every racing asset it's touched. Keating just need ask Newsday's actual horse racing columnist, Paul Moran, for insight on how much worse things could become if Magna was involved.

Keating's conclusion is downright horrifying.

In particular, though, let's hope that Belmont Park gets the respect and vast improvements it deserves. After all, as host to the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, its history is as rich as Churchill Downs' and the Kentucky Derby's.

Churchill Downs Inc. not only runs its famed Kentucky track, but also owns six others around the country. Wouldn't it be ironic if it took Churchill Downs to revitalize Belmont Park? New York racing could do worse. Indeed, it has for some time.

What are these vast improvements that Belmont deserves? Slots? A shopping mall? A nicer gift shop? Some nice pointy spires on top of the grandstand? Keating doesn't say and would have you believe that Belmont resembles a New York City OTB parlor. Talk about no respect. Belmont is an absolute gem. There's no better place to enjoy a race. It's doesn't need revitalization. And certainly not the type of 'revitalization' that Churchill-Magna has in mind.

Newsday:Our racetracks are too slow to improve

I Bet It Tastes Like Chalk

Jerry Bailey gets the ultimate honor this weekend, an ice cream flavor named after him. It's part of NYRA's "Salute to Jerry Bailey Day" at Saratoga on Saturday Sunday.

"Choco Jocko Bailey ice cream, made with dark chocolate and black sweet cherries, will provide fans with a tasty way to pay tribute to Bailey'’s legendary career." Or so says NYRA.

Victories in the Triple Crown races, the Breeders Cup wins, the run with Cigar, a bobblehead, and now an ice cream (especially nice now that he can actually eat ice cream without having to worry about keeping a 114 lb frame). I wonder what Jerry considers his greatest acheivement. Oh, wait. And how could I forget that ESPY?! And as an aside: Bailey has been excellent as a commentator on ABC and ESPN this year.

Bailey's Spa honors include a tribute video (wake up and cue the Chowder Man), a named race, and the special ice cream created by Stewart'’s Shops. There's also commemorative Bailey poster, courtesy of the Daily Racing Form. Fans can get Bailey'’s autograph on the poster for a $5 charitable donation to support the Belmont Child Care Center, according to NYRA.

NYRA.COM: The Week Ahead

Farewell Chop-Chop

Jorge Chavez will join Aaron Gryder and Norberto Arroyo as former NY/NJ circuit riders who now toil on the Southern California circuit, according to the Blood-Horse. Chavez's decline has been tough to watch. He was an early favorite just as I started getting into racing. He's toiled some through injuries which have left him visibly weaker on horses. I hope he can turn in around in California.

"He's going to retire here," said Chuck Marikian, [Chavez's agent and] a former trainer. "The response (from horsemen) has been overwhelming. He always wanted to come out here, and when the opportunity presented itself, he jumped on the chance."

Blood-Horse: Chavez Moving Tack to Southern California

Decoding the First Two Weeks at Saratoga

Dave Liftin has noted in the Daily Racing Form that chalk has not been as dominant through the first seven racing days of the 2006 Spa meet as has been the case in the past two years:

Overall, the chalk staggered - sometimes literally - through the first seven racing days to win 17 of 66 races, a mere 25.7 percent. Meanwhile, 23 winners got away at 6-1 or better. For purposes of comparison, the corresponding period last year produced 13 such good things.

 
And a look at the first two weeks (11 racing days) of trainer stats also reveals that wins are being widely spread amongst trainers. Todd Pletcher leads with seven wins from 37 starters, a 19% win percentage (four have come in stakes races). Scott Blasi, who has taken over Asmussen's string, is a strong 6-for-21 (29%). And only 1 win has come in 2-year-old races, which has been Asmussen's strongest Spa angle over the past two years. Bobby Frankel has four wins, from 19 starts (21%). And then some 12 trainers are tied for fourth place in wins with three apiece. Interesting angles that have turned up for far, include: Barclay Tagg is 3-for-6 off the 30-day-plus layoff. Pletcher is 4-for-13 (31%) in two-year old races. D. Wayne Lukas (2-for-8) and Richard Violette (2-for-5) have two wins. And 11 trainers have notched 1 win in two-year-old races.

The talent is very deep at Saratoga and the stats bear this out so far. The horse (and trainer) colony have been evenly matched during the first two weeks, which may explain the decline in the number of favorites winning and higher mutuals. Pletcher is taking his spot at the top of the standings, but has been far from dominant. Blasi (with Asmussen's strong East Coast string) and Frankel, both figured as strong trainers this year, and are second and third, respectively. The 12-way tie for fourth includes: Contessa; R. Dutrow, Zito; Mott; Biancone; Clement; McLaughlin; Bush; Violette; Tagg; Hills; Rice. All 12 are generally solid, competent trainers. The first two weeks have been tough to decode. Post-race reviews generally show that the horses (and trainers) winning generally do figure somehow. Time to buckle down for the second-third of the meet to take down some of those juicy prices.

I'm in...

I'm now a proud member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. My thanks and appreciation to all TBA members for the great stuff they are posting, the support, and for creating a community of racing fans. Check out their sites below:

TBA

At the Spa

Athlone Assoc

Average Horse
Player

Blinkers Off Blog

The Bug Boys

CurbMyEnthusiasm

Horseman's Blog

Inner
Track

Left at the Gate

TheLemonDropKid

Not to the
Swift

Post Parade

Pulling Hair

Railbird

Saratoga06

Superfecta

ThoroughBlog

ToteBoardBrad

Triple Crown
Racing

Turf Luck

The Green Monkey Getting Closer

The Green Monkey, the record $16-million colt, was on Saratoga's Wednesday work tab, breezing five furlongs in 1:03 2/5.

"He worked well. He's getting closer," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "Each work gets us closer."

No other horse on the Saratoga grounds is being this closely watched. Pletcher is having every move measured with this horse and he's never even raced yet. Anything short of a Derby victory next May will prompt second guessing about the regimen. I wonder is Patrick Biancone quietly let go a sigh or relief when he learned that Tabor handed this one off to Pletcher.

NYRA.com: Pletcher uncertain on Green Monkey debut

Beyer on Breakdowns

Andrew Beyer makes one of his too rare Washington Post appearances today (which tend to get picked up a day later in the Daily Racing Form) to address the large number of recent breakdowns at tracks such as Del Mar and Arlington Park. Beyer deflects the blame from track surfaces, and says trainers fail to acknowledge that they are "part of the problem."

The construction and maintenance of racetracks today is much more sophisticated than it was decades ago -- when breakdowns were rarer. Moreover, a look at the Del Mar casualty list casts doubt on the theory that dirt was the culprit. Three of the 12 horses injured themselves on the turf. Two or three were horses whose records contained red flags suggesting that something was wrong; one of them, Ugotadowhatugotado, had run well in $62,500 claiming company and was entered for the bargain-basement price of $16,000 on the last day of her life. [....]

In many cases it is disingenuous for trainers to blame a racing surface for catastrophic injuries when they themselves are part of the problem. After the breakdowns at Arlington Park became a subject of controversy, trainer Christine Janks wrote a column for the Blood-Horse magazine and declared: "There is no mystery to me why we are having these breakdowns. . . . Trainers are responsible for the health of these horses . . . and not all trainers put the welfare of the horse first."

Washington Post: For Run of Fatal Breakdowns, No Easy Place to Fix Blame

Way to Go Ya Horse-toothed Jackass...

Congrats to Ba Ba Booey who won the first race at Yavapai Downs on Monday, a $3,500 Quarter Horse claiming race ( Equibase chart).

Hillary, Who do you like today?

Sen. Clinton visited Saratoga Saturday, taking in a few races and possibly looking for hubby Bill and Magna heir Melinda Stronach).



Newsday: Clinton attracks (Oh, attracks, ha ha, get it!) attention at Saratoga Race Course

Don't Believe the Hype

Godolphin's Bernardini looked awfully good Saturday in the Jim Dandy but talk of him as champion 3-year old or even horse of the year is nonsense. Let's withhold judgment through at least the Travers. The Preakness and Jim Dandy both appear to be very weak, suspect fields. Bernardini's brilliance may simply derive from his placement next to some pretty dim competition. Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint put in grueling three-year old campaigns prior to the Preakness. And we'll never know what Barbaro could have done. There was nothing in the Jim Dandy field except second-place finisher Minister's Bid, who was running the third race of his career (and has impressed each time). Bernadini missed each key first-half test for 3-year olds apart from the Preakness.The road to the 3-year old championship should run along the Derby trail and through the Triple Crown, especially Louisville. Bernadini started late and missed the Derby because he didn't have the earnings. He won the Preakness and Godolphin then decided the skip the Belmont. This should not work to his advantage at the end of year. The light schedule gives Bernadini a huge edge in the second half against other 3-year olds who have endured a full campaign. Anything short of a Breeders' Cup Classic victory should deny him champion horse honors.

Day Three

Race 4: We'll take the plunge on Tim Hills and #7 Freakazoid and hope he sets off a bomb in a race of 2-yr old state-bred maidens. #1 Crosstown Traffic for Kimmel and #3 Megan's World round out the tri.

Race 7:  #4 Owns the Place, trained by Scott Blasi (sitting in for the banned Steven Asmussen for the next 180 days), will wire this field. Scott Lake's #5 Cottage at 12/1 (with the nation's leading rider Julien Leparoux) Suffolk shipper #2 Be Cool Fool (8/1) make the exacta worth something.

This Just In...

Evening Attire is not dead! Funny Cide and Evening Attire should run a match race at Saratoga each year. Funny Cide would jet out to a 10-length lead and we'd see if the old gray could try to run him down in the stretch.

Owner Joe Grant reported that 8-year-old Evening Attire is not retired and will be back to the races in the fall.

Owned in partnership with retired 87-year-old trainer Tommy "T.J." Kelly and trained by Kelly's son, Pat, Evening Attire, winner of the 2002 and 2004 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap, was sent to nearby Mill Creek Farm in the spring and has enjoyed a leisurely summer so far.

"I know a lot of people thought he was retied (sic) , but he's not," Grant said. "He really doesn't like Belmont all that much, even though he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup there (2002). That was really a matter of him liking it one day on the right day. He's doing very well here and when `T.J.' saw him, he said, `Look at him. He looks like a two-year-old.'

NYRA.com: Grant says Evening Attire will return to action this fall

The Umbrella Was Declared a Non-starter (or Ran for Purse Money Only)

Summer Fun at Ellis Park:

"Jockeys and their mounts escaped injury Thursday afternoon when a large umbrella, apparently from the trackside picnic area at Ellis Park, blew onto the main track as the field charged down the stretch in fifth race on the program.

Blue Bay, under Jesus Castanon, was in front by two lengths approaching the final sixteenth of the seven-furlong event when the umbrella, apparently lifted from a picnic table by a strong wind, blew onto the track. Jockeys of the two horses behind Blue Bay, Orlando Mojica aboard Adriatic Lady and Randall Toups aboard New Rochelle, had to duck as the umbrella flew over their heads and into the infield."

Bloodhorse: Jockeys, Horses OK After Picnic Umbrella Blows Onto Track

Day Two Postmortem

Mary's Prayer Race 2 comment line just about sums up my meet so far.

Mary's Prayer: reluctant to load,off slowly, very greenly, tired

Day 2 Charts

Early Day 2 Plays

Race 2: #9 Mary's Prayer. Bred for sprints and sire wins early. Should
be a price.
Race 3: #3 Tiverton. Two decent starts this year and should be ready to win.

Tough Day at the SPAAAAA...

Chalk take four of the first five races and then some decent prices start rolling in. The day is capped by a late double combo of J.R.-Pletcher/Prado-Frankel that pays a very generous $247.50. A seemingly hittable Pick-4 pays $27,636. 35 more days to go.

Opening Day!

Weather looks like a go at Big Sandy. Congrats to NYRA on a good opening day Saratoga card.

Race 1. #11 Noah H. Kimmel appears to be back after a strong downstate showing so far in 2006. Kimmel turf runners will be an automatic play at the meet. Noah H. is fast enough has the form and is a juicy 10-1 on the morning line. Box over #3. Massoud and #9. Forget the Judge.

Race 2. 3/5 Rondo is beatable. I'll bet that The Chief has #2 Ready Read ready to fire. #3 Calculated Risk (Shug/and the other Velazaquez), #5 Forty Crowns (J.Jerkens), #6 Vision of Sunshine for Tom Bush are also very playable if the Godolphin entry goes off at odds on.

Race 3. #1 Schosberg entry, Benlaya in particular, over Tagg/Mig's #3 I'm a Yankee (who I suspect will be much lower than the 2/1 ML). #6 Woodmere and/or #9 Sly Diamond Jim round out the Tri.

Race 4. #9 Silver Timber looks very tough for Rice and will hopefully outrun #1 Wave the Baton (Clement/J.R.). Rene Araya horses have been very live since his return and #8 Macklennin should get a piece.

Race 5. Complete crapshoot with maiden babies. #12 Philomatt is worth a flyer in the win spot if he goes off at 20/1 ML or higher. #1 Dutrow enrty: the Magician has some expensive well-bred babies and could also be a value play at 12-1. Box 1 and 12 over Shug's #9 Consecration.

Race 6. #8 Political Force as the Chief puts over the second winner of the day. Frankel's #2 Saint Anddan #2B South of Broad should both be ready off the layoff. #3 Star Dabbler also worth a looksie if he drifts above 4-1.

Race 7. #2 I'm the Tiger. Short-priced Frankel favorites won't make you rich quick but I have a feeling the G1 winner will be cranked and should destroy this field. #1 Awesome Twist and #4 Spooky Mulder (HFC with two previous wins at Saratoga) will drift in behind.

Race 8. #3 Judy Soda. #1 Great Lady. #6 Samsincharge. #2 Paige Nicole. I think the likely favorite #2 Sweet Sweet is vulnerable after a walk over much weaker crop at Finger Lakes on July 4.

Race 9. #1 Chief Officer. Loved the way she destroyed the field with ease at Belmont in last in June 30. Hope she stays healthier than her dad and would love to ride her all the way to BC Juvenile Fillies. #4 Angel Island. Scott Blasi, now running suspended Assmussen's string, is worth a look, especially in 2 yr old races (Assmussen's specialty last year). #1 and #4 over #5 #6 #8 in Tris and Supers.

Race 10. #6 Pulpiteer for Albertrani at a price (10-1). over #2 #1