SuperfectaBlog

Early Derby Preps & Comebacks

2010-01-22T11:44:00.002-05:00

There's local interest in this weekend's Derby preps (and yes, we're officially at that point where just about any race for 3-year-olds can be called a Derby prep) thanks to a horse owned by Rick Porter and trained by Tony Dutrow (aka 'the Dutrow we like'). Winslow Homer is running in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream on Saturday, although Dutrow suggests that the one-mile distance will be a little short for him; he told Dick Jerardi:

"The Holy Bull is not a big deal for me, Mr. Porter or Winslow Homer," Dutrow said. "A one-turn mile is not what Homer wants."
The goal, he is saying, is much bigger than tomorrow. Dutrow feels confident the colt will excel at two-turn racing.
"He is going to come back in the Fountain of Youth at a mile-and-an-eighth in his next start regardless of how he runs in the Holy Bull," Dutrow said.

While I'm not enthralled with the top half of the horse's pedigree (he's by Unbridled's Song), I like that he's out of a Summer Squall mare, and I'm always in favor of naming horses after landscape painters. However, he will have plenty to deal with in the form of likely favorite Jackson Bend, who picks up the services of Jeremy Rose. Jackson Bend was thoroughly professional as a 2-year-old, winning all but one of his six starts. What remains to be seen is whether his fine form at Calder translates to Gulfstream - and whether he's still 'hot' as a 3-year-old. Rick Dutrow also has a horse in the race, the Maryland-bred Homeboykris; Todd Pletcher (currently suspended in California, but that's an entire coast away) trainee Aikenite has also shown talent.

With son of Azeri/A.P. Indy Take Control off the Derby trail (yes, already), those looking for a new horse to back may want to keep an eye on the LeComte at the Fair Grounds. It does not have quite the talent profile of the Holy Bull, but there are a few horses who could demonstrate they deserve a shot at the next level. Maximus Ruler and Turf Melody are those mostly likely to succeed.

But it will also be a weekend of comebacks - Friesan Fire (pictured) is looking to return to the winner's circle in the Louisiana Handicap, and so is General Quarters. Both had disappointing races in December, but for each horse, it was the first time back after layoffs for injuries. For Friesan Fire, it will be his second time facing Good and Lucky, who beat him last time out; whether that was, indeed, luck, may be demonstrated on Saturday.

There's also a Breeders' Cup champion in action this weekend - inaugural Marathon winner Muhannak is attempting to rebound from a terrible year last year in the rescheduled San Marcos at Santa Anita. Coming off a more promising year is Loup Breton; he's an Irish-bred who has faced some serious competition in Europe with varying degrees of success. His first start in the US late last year was a close second to Proudinsky in the San Gabriel (the somewhat infamous race in which Lava Man finished last). Also worth keeping an eye on is Zappa, although he's also been very inconsistent of late - he finished last in his most recent start, back in August - but perhaps the light has gone back on. He did beat Well Armed two years ago, so there's talent in there somewhere. Of course, the weather will need to improve...

The Barbaro Family Good News/Bad News

2010-01-21T11:36:00.003-05:00

First, the good news; little brother Lentenor broke his maiden impressively at Gulfstream Park yesterday in a 1 1/16 turf race. Granted, he was only facing fellow maidens, but his finish was very nice indeed, noting especially how he pulled away on turf. While it's hardly time to start penciling him in for the Derby, he seems to be improving with each race and we may well be seeing more of him down the line.

Now for the bad news - if you've spent any time around broodmares, you know things can go wrong at any time - two years ago, a friend bred six mares, got confirmation most of them were in foal, but ended up with only two foals born - and one of them died shortly after birth. Happily, the situation resolved itself last year, with each mare delivering a healthy foal - but the same cannot be said for Barbaro's dam, La Ville Rouge, this time around. She lost the Dynaformer filly she was carrying just as we are approaching peak foaling season. Full details are forthcoming, but more often than not, it's one of those things that just 'happens' - I've seen a mare lose a foal near her expected due date simply because she had a mild infection, and I've also known a polo pony mare who lost a late-term foal because she got a little too fractious with a handler and ended up damaging the placenta.

For small breeders, it can be a huge financial loss (although it's cheaper than losing a foal that did manage to 'stand and nurse') in addition to an emotional one. But as in the case above, things tend to resolve themselves the following year; with a bit of luck (provided all is well with the mare), the hoped-for full sister could appear in 2011.

In the meantime, it's certainly encouraging that Lentenor looks promising - but could he beat Christine Daae?

Eclipse Awards: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta And The Rest

2010-01-19T11:32:00.006-05:00

Last night, they handed out a few awards for horse racing - you may have heard a bit about it.

2-year-old male: Lookin at Lucky
As per usual with the juvenile awards, there was no surprise here. His three G1 wins sealed the deal, and he looks to improve this year. We'll soon find out if he likes real dirt, but trainer Bob Baffert seems quite happy with things thus far.

2-year-old filly: She Be Wild
While this category had a little more competition, She Be Wild has a good backstory - former claimer, unwanted at auction wins four out of five, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Both dirt and turf could be in her future - versatility FTW!

Turf Male: Gio Ponti
A well-deserved bit of recognition for a horse who showed up just about everywhere - but who truly excelled on the grass. And the night was just beginning for him...

Turf Female: Goldikova
While I respect the notion that the Eclipse Award winner should have more than one start in the US, I am quite happy to toss that guideline out when the horse in question is as overwhelmingly superior as Goldikova is. Her repeat of Miesque's back-to-back Mile victories, under the tutelage of Miesque's former jockey, Freddie Head, completes an undeniably satisfying circuit - and the news that she's aiming to capture a third Breeders' Cup victory this year should certainly be rewarded. Given the excitement over Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, it may be difficult to recall that the opportunity to see a horse of Goldikova's caliber is rare indeed - and it should be celebrated.

Steeplechaser: Mixed Up
How often does a 10-year-old PA-bred win an Eclipse Award? And hey, he doesn't even take Lasix. These are Good Things.

Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
These awards tend to follow the money, and it's certainly hard to argue with Juddmonte's success in producing top-level horses. There were a few stray votes for Dolphus Morrison for breeding Rachel Alexandra - even if he did not want to truly unleash her talents.

Female Sprinter: Informed Decision
The overwhelming pick of her division (although one has to assume that Ventura's positioning in both this category and the Turf Female category may have hurt her chances), Informed Decision won at nearly every track she visited, under a variety of conditions - and the best news is that she'll be back later this spring to extend her winning streak.

Male Sprinter: Kodiak Kowboy
Although he had a respectable career as a 2 and 3-year-old, Kodiak Kowboy truly had the chance to prove himself as a 4-year-old, winning as a sprinter and miler. He goes to stud with a solid record of achievement.

3-year-old Male: Summer Bird
This was a no-brainer - but I am quite curious to know who cast the single vote for I Want Revenge. Trainer Tim Ice reiterated that we should be seeing him back on the track later this year; let's hope his recovery continues in such an encouraging fashion.

3-year-old Female: Rachel Alexandra
The great filly took home the least-suspenseful award of the night - it was also the sole unanimous award (but more on that in a moment). Owner Jess Jackson's acceptance speech was thoughtful, but at something approaching seven minutes, it could have used some judicious editing. But given that the award winners can't speak for themselves, we can allow a little indulgence.

Owner: Godolphin Racing
This was one of the most competitive awards, with only five votes separating the winner from Jerry and Ann Moss. But as in the case of the Breeder category, the Eclipse voters tend to recognize revenue - but the narrow margin of victory demonstrates that there is also a desire to reward owners with a more personal touch.

Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Once again, you cannot argue with the numbers - or his great good fortune in having Rachel Alexandra drop into his lap (although her original trainer, Hal Wiggins, also received a few votes). While I may not be a fan of his record of medication violations, his staff clearly loves the horses they work with, so the award is as much an acknowledgement of their hard work.

Older Male: Gio Ponti
A double on the night for the versatile 4-year-old was clearly in the offing; as much as I love Einstein, based on this year's wins, it had to go to Gio Ponti. He's still flying under the radar in the eyes of the general public, and even the racing press sometimes overlooks his accomplishments, so it was entirely justified that he be doubly rewarded. The Blood-Horse points out that he is the first horse to win this award without a win on traditional dirt - so it's particularly interesting. His future plans may involve the Dubai World Cup - that could end up a very competitive race indeed.

Older Female: Zenyatta
While this was another foregone conclusion, there was a single (protest?) vote from someone at the Daily Racing Form for Icon Project - presumably the backstory there will be revealed at some point. While I still believe she should have been crowned Horse of the Year last year, the news that she will return to the track this year means she may finally get to take home that honor; in any case, winning two consecutive Eclipse Awards and making history in the Breeders' Cup Classic is certainly enough to consider without worrying about Horse of the Year - yet.

Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes
Further proof that Puerto Rico knows what it's doing when it trains jockeys, this 19-year-old has a bright future - he would be wise to study the next winner.

Jockey: Julien Leparoux
It's hard to imagine he won the Eclipse for Apprentice only four years ago - it seems he's had nothing but success since arriving in the US. Clearly, the title of his Facebook fan group is on the right track.

Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra
In the end, it wasn't even close: the votes were 130 to 99. That in no way reflects poorly on Zenyatta's accomplishments - it simply honors the fact that during the past racing season, Rachel Alexandra had more opportunities to show off her immense talent, in a wider variety of venues - she won for her efforts throughout the year, not for a single race (regardless of how impressive that race may have been). But as I have said before, while Horse of the Year honors are important to some, a firm place in history means more in the long run. If we are lucky enough to see Rachel Alexandra take on Zenyatta, that would be tremendous - I'd like to see a Best of Five race series at a variety of different tracks. The difficulty will be getting other horses (male or female) into the gate to fill a race - but someone should certainly be working to set that up. Any takers?

Welcome Back?

2010-01-15T11:53:00.004-05:00

Like so many promising 2-year-olds before her (Halfbridled, in particular, comes to mind), Stardom Bound (pictured) has had difficulty replicating her early successes; luckily, though, she is being given the opportunity to try her luck at 4. She makes her first start of the year at Santa Anita in the El Encino on Sunday. She and Justwhistledixie will be co-highweights in the race, but they both have a large field to contend with; I'm interested to see how Kenny McPeek's Dream Empress does here, given that she has a nice weight break. If Stardom Bound does not rebound here, she could end up being bred to Big Brown - so fingers doubly crossed, for her sake!

Also looking for weekend redemption are Papa Clem and Mr. Hot Stuff; they are both back in the San Fernando. While Papa Clem's case is one of looking to return to his best form, Mr. Hot Stuff's is a little more complicated - he seems to find ways to lose, despite clearly possessing at least some of his full brother Colonel John's talent. To that end, trainer Eoin Harty has been working closely with Joe Talamo (the latest in a long line of jockeys to take the reins on the horse) to see if they can get him into the winner's circle. The 8.5 furlong distance should suit him well - if his team can overcome his mental quirks.

But let's take a closer look at Papa Clem; Jay Hovdey praises the horse's tenacity, and I also believe he's been extremely unlucky, yet he's always given his all in each race. In that respect, he reminds me a bit of Einstein (who, like Zenyatta, may or may not really be retired) - hopefully he'll get a chance to demonstrate what he's really capable of at 4 (or perhaps beyond, if we get lucky). If all goes well, he could be taking the California route to Dubai via the Santa Anita Handicap - and given the new synthetic surface at Meydan, that may prove a wise course to follow.

One imagines that many of this year's new 4-year-olds may follow a simple strategy - avoid Rachel Alexandra. Summer Bird is coming back as well - now may be the time for everyone else to pick up a few checks.

24 Hour Party People

2010-01-12T13:44:00.003-05:00

Many in the racing community were disheartened to learn of the removal of partymanners' well-curated collection of racing videos from YouTube, and there has been some thoughtful commentary from the R2 Collective and Ed DeRosa (among others). Having weighed in on the value partymanners adds to the racing world last year, it only seems right to address the issue again.

While it's not my place to delve into the full details, rest assured that no track or broadcaster complained or claimed copyright (although they would have been well within their rights to do so - clearly, they realized it was more helpful than anything else to have the videos out there) - the backstory is rather more petty and unfortunate, and you are welcome to follow the links and make your own decisions about that.

The current situation emphasizes the danger of relying solely on fan-created content: while there are a few other racing-related YouTube channels, partymanners' was by far the most extensive, and its loss is more deeply-felt as a result. In an ideal situation where an online archive were funded by some sort of industry program, there would be backups and alternate servers, along with full legal clearances. High-quality digital video would exist for more recent races, and older films would be restored, digitized and placed on a fully-searchable site using a simple solution like YouTube or Vimeo to deliver the videos.

But we live in the real world; there is no industry body with the will or ability to deliver the kind of professional solution this would actually demand - it would be expensive and very time-consuming to do it the 'right way' - and given that there are clearly people out there with the skills and time to do it on the fly, there is no reason to discourage those efforts (even if certain individuals seem keen to try to torpedo them for their own ends).

So, what's the next step? The immediate answer would be to create redundancy: ensuring that multiple copies of the videos exist somewhere (and can easily be found via a simple web search) would be the first goal. It's possible that YouTube may re-activate the partymanners account - if, indeed, that happens, a group effort to back up and re-distribute the videos (ideally via a number of different sites) would not be a bad thing.

But to avoid such derailments in future, the videos could at the very least be cleared with their (actual) copyright holders, and that is where it would be nice to get at least a little help from the industry. Editing, hosting and tagging the videos can easily be handled by fans, but if the tracks, broadcasters and the NTRA could come together to craft some sort of blanket fair use statement for racing footage (which should not be necessary, but is a handy thing to have when these roadblocks come up), that would put things on a firmer footing. A suggested Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video is already out there - it's a quick and easy read - and it's not as though anyone is going to become rich by offering someone a chance to see allowance races from the 1980s.

Let's get the party re-started.

Hello 2010, Goodbye (again), Lava Man

2010-01-05T13:44:00.003-05:00

While things are slowly gearing up in Florida and racing continues apace in California, one horse will most definitely be absent - Lava Man has been re-retired after his disheartening comeback race last month. His connections have remained true to their word that he would only remain in training if he could compete at the highest level, and so it's back to the farm for the 9-year-old gelding. Whether he will remain in California or head to Kentucky Horse Park has yet to be determined.

Age has not stopped Cloudy's Knight, however, despite the fact that he is Lava Man's elder by a year - he was in the winner's circle again on Boxing Day in the G2 W. L. McKnight Handicap at Gulfstream. Usual stalwart Presious Passion was barely a factor in the race, but he'll be back later this winter - Cloudy's Knight will have a break until the spring, and then he too will return to the track.

Gio Ponti is aiming to make his 2010 debut sometime in February, with a view toward the Dubai World Cup; there's no official word yet on whether Rachel Alexandra may be Dubai-bound as well, but she's been back galloping, with real works coming next month.

Newly-four Quality Road demonstrated that he's learned how to behave at the gate - now that he's a grownup 4-year-old, he handled things quite professionally in the Hal's Hope (and one could argue that the mile distance suited him well). He may use the Donn Handicap as a route to Dubai - although I'd prefer to see him in the Godolphin Mile, rather than the World Cup.

For those interested in what the 3-year-olds are up to, it's a bit too early to predict things - but it's certainly encouraging to hear that Take Control, offspring of two former Horses of the Year, won his career debut (back when he was just a 2-year-old, last week). It's easy to set the bar very high indeed when the parents in question are Azeri and A.P. Indy, and we have no real idea what sort of company he'll be keeping as his career gets going, but it's certainly a move forward for the Bob Baffert trainee.

We're still a few weeks away from some of the season's major races, but planning is very much underway - welcome to 2010!

The Official Superfecta 2009 Year in Review

2009-12-29T12:01:00.005-05:00

It almost seems we racing fans have experienced a karmic reversal this year; after the lows of the previous few years, we were treated to nothing less than history - live. So, without further ado, here are the top ten moments in horse racing for 2009, as seen from Superfecta HQ:

10) Einstein wins the Big 'Cap
It was wonderful to see Einstein, a blog favorite for years, pick up a big win; this may not have been his best season, but it certainly had high points - this being the top. Hopefully his versatility and record of sheer hard work will be rewarded with a successful stud career.

9) Bambera wins the Clasico del Caribe
Yes, the Venezualan filly is the real deal. Sid Fernando is your man for all things Bambera - and he notes that we should see her Stateside in 2010. She's won 15 of 17 starts - 10 of those were G1s, including her nation's filly Triple Crown and most of the mixed-gender variety as well. Look out, Gulfstream!

8) Goldikova repeats in the Breeders' Cup Mile
Let's recall that the French mare was beating the boys long before it came into fashion this year - she handled them with no difficulty in last year's Prix du Moulin and, of course, the Breeders' Cup Mile. Trainer Freddie Head, who rode the great Miesque to her back-to-back Mile victories thinks she's even better; she's on track to come back next year to aim for a threepeat. Fingers crossed!

7) Yeats wins his fourth Ascot Gold Cup
The Times was right - it's hard to imagine a more perfect swansong for the 8-year-old; he's demonstrated time and again why he's an all-time great. Here's hoping his stamina and quality is recognized at stud - it will be hard to live up to the reception he received from fans after his victory.

6) Rachel Alexandra wins the Kentucky Oaks
Can you remember seeing anything like it? Rachel Alexandra would go on to demonstrate in the Mother Goose that against her peers (including a perfectly nice filly like Gabby's Golden Gal), that's just how she rolls - deal with it. Super filly? You bet.

5) Sea the Stars wins the Arc
That's a lot of Group 1 winners finishing behind him - and it's not every day you see a colt equal his mother's success in that particular race. His win made him the first horse to win the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and the Arc in the same year - and he did it all undefeated. While it's easy to see the allure of getting the half-brother to über-stud Galileo into the shed, it's a shame we'll never really know what he might have been capable of.

4) Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness
While I normally go to the Belmont, it takes something special to get me to Pimlico for the Preakness (largely because of the appalling state of the track) - but I was certainly not going to pass up a chance to see Rachel Alexandra take on the boys for the first time in person, and it was a beautiful thing. It's only the second time I've seen the entire crowd cheering for one horse (the other being Smarty Jones coming into the Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line); it was to be the first time I would see that faith rewarded.

3) Rachel Alexandra wins the Haskell
What, you want me, the Preakness winner, to beat the Derby and Belmont winners? Hey, you asked for it. Even with the miserable weather, this is by far the best performance I've ever seen live (sorry, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer!); once again, the crowd was there for Rachel, and only Rachel - and she repaid them with another runaway victory. This race also receives special note for Sarah K. Andrew's fantastic photo (right) - my favorite of the year.

2) Rachel Alexandra wins the Woodward
Finally, some real competition - and the chance to see what Rachel would do when eyeball to eyeball with another horse. Apparently, the answer is win - yet again. I'm looking forward to seeing her as the 'older horse' - after all, in a few short days, she'll be all of 4.

1) Zenyatta wins the Breeders' Cup Classic
I'm one of Those People who wanted Zenyatta to be Horse of the Year last year and I was not pleased by the rest of her campaign this year - but she proved she's more than just a great mare with a distinctive running (and, let's be honest, walking) style. She earned the number one spot with her sparkling, historic performance.

While I've already determined that the Horse of the Year debate will not matter much in the long run - indeed, who, beyond the industry, even knows or cares that such a thing exists? - my own vote would go to Rachel Alexandra. I cannot think of another year when I would have listed the same horse more than twice, at most, in a year-ending review - to see the same name four times is not something I expect to see again anytime soon. However, as she'll be running next year, I may need to keep some slots vacant...but the truth remains that both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta firmly stamped themselves into this history books in emphatic style.

Here's hoping that 2010 will be half as exciting as 2009!

Christmas Wrapping

2009-12-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

If you're a last-minute holiday shopper still looking to pick up a racing-related item, look no further than Jim Squires' Headless Horsemen. It's a thoughtful, often quite entertaining, look at the industry from the ultimate insider/outsider. While Squires is never going to be one of 'the Dinnies' whose portraits he rather deliciously paints in the book, it's also hard to maintain true 'outsider' status after breeder a Kentucky Derby winner - a story chronicled in his previous racing-related memoir, A Horse of a Different Color - also recommended. (And as an aside, I would submit that the horse in question, Monarchos, is one of the most even-tempered stallions I've ever had the good fortune to meet).

While none of the issues regarding auctions, medication and the like will be new to most racing fans, his first-person perspective makes for interesting reading. I have some minor quibbles with the book in that it could have been a little more carefully edited (there is a bit of repetition here and there, and it's not always clear what audience Squires is speaking to), but it's an essential addition to one's racing library. It may be that in the future, it will be regarded as something of a period piece, capturing the industry in a particular moment of flux - and that would likely be no bad thing, by Squires' reckoning.

Given the current state of breeding economics, that's almost what has happened to Kevin Conley's excellent Stud: Adventures in Breeding - it documented the high water mark of the Storm Cat era earlier in the decade - and it's well worth re-reading now to reflect on where breeding trends had gone, and where they might go in the future.

If it's memorabilia you're after (and don't mind it coming a bit after Christmas), you can still bid on Mike Smith's autographed goggles, a vest with a horse that vaguely resembles Zenyatta, a better Zenyatta likeness on a beer stein or this charming Zenyatta-themed mousepad.

For the Rachel Alexandra fan, you can get a Calvin Borel-autographed whip or bobblehead - and, naturally, a mousepad. (It would seem that 'custom' mousepads are to horse racing memorabilia what fan fiction is to Star Trek). Of course, if your pockets are a bit deeper (and you live in a state that doesn't prevent it), you can still snag a bottle of Rachel Alexandra wine.

So, in the immortal words of Noddy Holder, merry Christmas, everybody - as well as good Yule, festive Festivus, Io Saturnalia, and happy belated Hanukkah, Dōngzhì and Winter Solstice.

Check back next week for our year in review!

Epic Fail in the Making?

2009-12-15T13:51:00.003-05:00

The Breeders' Cup Board of Directors met last week to discuss a long-term strategic plan(!), and while I generally encourage such things, it sounds like the group did not come up with anything particularly earth-shattering – and a few ideas were simply not well thought out by this group largely comprised of older white men (with a few token exceptions). The four points the board agreed on were as follows:

Explore the feasibility of a single permanent host site location for the Breeders' Cup World Championships
Establish a new Breeders' Cup Racing Series in partnership with North American and European racetracks to better define and market the road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships
Expand brand marketing and commercial development programs, with an emphasis on digital marketing and social media
Take a new approach to nominations to significantly expand the number of Breeders' Cup eligible horse

We'll discuss the first point in considerably more detail below, but the fact that the other three were presented as 'new' ideas is a bit surprising (or not, depending on your point of view) - they should have been no-brainers that were adopted long ago. Let's take the point about establishing a new international racing series - wasn't that the point of Win and You're In? I agree that that whole concept could be improved and finessed, but establishing yet another new series will likely cause confusion in the short-term, possibly leading to a watered-down product.

Even if we suppose that careful choices are made to include exciting, relevant races in this 'package,' the question of where they would actually be seen immediately comes to mind. Who is paying ESPN to broadcast Royal Ascot, for example? Do we assume the casual fan finds their way to TVG or HRTV (presuming they even receive the channels)? It would seem to me that creating a new racing series is getting ahead of the game - without a firm commitment from a major media outlet, it's not worth exploring. The fact that it's limited to the US and Europe is understandable, but I would be much more interested in something that included Japan and Australia - even if our seasons don't quite match up.

The decision to focus on 'digital marketing and social media' sounds like one that was taken about five years ago - but I suppose it's better late than never. However, it is telling that these seem like Exciting New Concepts to the Breeders' Cup organization - their somewhat ham-fisted efforts over their 'social media award' were not inspiring, even if the intent was good. It's abundantly clear there's no one on the board who understands How These Things Work - and that's unfortunate.

The final issue of expanding nominations makes sense from a business perspective in that it continues to fill the coffers of the Breeders' Cup organization with nomination fees, which is fair enough - but it would have been considerably more forward-thinking if they had incorporated nomination changes that could keep top horses in training longer (as we've discussed here before). If this is truly a long-term plan, it would make sense to think beyond the next five years.

And so back to the single-site idea; before I explain why I think it's a terrible idea, let's examine some other opinions. Paul Moran suggests that if there is to be a permanent location, Churchill Downs is the only option, and he makes some good points about the possibility of night racing. And while I would agree with him that choosing the same site two years in a row was misguided, I have less of a problem with the Breeders' Cup being run on synthetics - I just don't want to see it every year, although I love to see the European horses do well. Ed DeRosa reports that Santa Anita has already been in talks with the Breeders' Cup Board - but whether that is a trial balloon or simply a case of having been in contact with the right people as 'outgoing' hosts is unclear.

Putting aside the surface questions, I find a single site a very poor idea for a number of reasons. The first is simply the expense of getting fans to the location - I did not go to Santa Anita because I won't fly across the country for the Breeders' Cup - and I'm already a fan. When you point out that I did fly across the country a few short weeks later for the MLS Cup, that highlights a separate issue: it was in a place I wanted to go anyway. Churchill Downs suffers from this problem - it's harder to get a casual fan to fly visit Kentucky, than, say, New York. If a fan is going to undertake the expense of traveling for more than a day trip to the Breeders' Cup, the track needs to be easily accessible from a major city so that they can make a worthwhile short vacation out of it - and that leaves Arlington, Belmont, Woodbine and Santa Anita in play (although the weather might have other ideas for Arlington and Woodbine).

As an aside, I would lament here that there are not better tracks in more interesting cities - clearly, the Breeders' Cup is not going to go to Golden Gate Fields, Emerald Downs, Portland Meadows or Philadelphia Park (to name just a few). And while the weather may have been fine this year at Santa Anita, I actually found the Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park one of the better I've been to - despite the wet, it was nowhere nearly as cold as Belmont can be in November.

The other major problem with choosing a single site is that it eliminates the possibility that it could be held outside the US and Canada at some point - and I'd much rather go to a Breeders' Cup held somewhere in Europe and make a vacation out of it, over spending a long weekend in Kentucky (and, quite frankly, the airfare would probably be cheaper). If the goal is truly to expand the international nature of the event, taking that option off the table seems an odd move.

It would seem, overall, that the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors is sorely lacking in creative thinkers - expanding beyond its monoculture should also have been a priority. Maybe next year...

What Can a Commissioner Do? Ask MLS.

2009-12-09T13:01:00.003-05:00

With winter settling in in earnest, there's not a lot going on in the racing world Stateside. The Rachel Alexandra/Zenyatta Horse of the Year debate continues apace, of course, with Jess Jackson suggesting he's happy for a little controversy - after all, it keeps horse racing (somewhat) in the public consciousness. The same cannot be said of the NTRA Health & Safety Alliance, whose accreditation program has been deemed 'effective' - although what that really means is open to debate.

Given the uncertainty that lingers over the Alliance and the future of similar programs, it seems a good idea to finally get around to something promised weeks ago - a discussion of what American racing could learn from American soccer. In the decade I have been following Major League Soccer, it has moved from something dangerously close to an international punchline to a viable, vibrant sport - and some of the lessons learned along the way could be useful ones for racing.

But first, a step back; in 2000, as a fan of the San Jose Earthquakes (who suffered at the time from an uninterested ownership group, a recent name-change, bad management and well-deserved last-place ranking), it was hard to imagine a time when the excitement of the game on the pitch would exceed that of the small gathering of fans and players who had been forced to come out and mingle that took place after each (losing) game. Supporters often wore bags on their heads during segments of the game to emphasize the shame of supporting such a risible team - but it still demonstrated that someone cared. And we had a great goalie in Joe Cannon - but little else. One year later, we had a new manager, a rising star in a then-teenaged Landon Donovan and we managed to go from being the worst team in the league to hoisting the MLS Cup. The last home game, the semi-final that sent the team to Columbus for the big win, was considered quite successful - something like 4,000 people turned up (which was quite a bump up from the usual few hundred scattered around the tiny stadium). The players were still compelled to meet and greet with the fans, so those of us in the supporters' club enjoyed drinks, dinner and donuts with the team a few weeks later (so yes, I have split a donut with Landon Donovan - and that's not some sort of bizarre euphemism). Despite phenomenal growth, one of American soccer's advantages over its worldwide rivals continues to be access to stars - teams still regularly host events where fans can meet their players and coaching staff in a casual setting.

Fast forward to this year: I went to the MLS Cup in Seattle, which had an attendance above 47,000 - largely comprised of local fans (even though their team did not make the finals) and supporters (like me) from across the country who bought their tickets well in advance, with no idea who would be playing. How did we get from a few hundred fans of a Saturday afternoon to full stadiums? With some careful planning, a willingness to learn from mistakes - and listen to fans.

Each year, before the MLS Cup, the league hosts a Supporters' Summit - any fan is welcome to come, meet other fans, enjoy some cheap food - and to grill the Commissioner of MLS, Don Garber, about anything that's bothering them (also possible other times, as he's on Twitter). Under Garber's auspices, the league has gone from having to buy time on ESPN (sound familiar, racing?) to making $20 million a year on television rights. At this year's Summit, Garber indicated that MLS was now in a position to dictate terms as well - they want to see every game broadcast in HD, and that's likely to happen for the next season.

The league as a whole has gone from hemorrhaging money in 2000 to aiming for actual profitability next year - all while improving the quality of the American game, building soccer-specific stadiums and becoming more closely aligned with international soccer as a whole - and each element has helped to build the fan base. There were early tough decisions - some teams were eliminated (somewhat mirroring the less-product-higher-quality argument current in racing) to keep the league afloat in the early 2000s. Now that things are on a solid financial footing, expansion is continuing apace: this year's expansion team, the Seattle Sounders, sold all 22,000 season ticket packages before the season's first kick - and went on to win the US Open Cup (a tournament that includes teams from other leagues, including semi-professional ones - it's separate from the year-end championship - although it should be added here that the Sounders supporters' clubs and fans were extremely welcoming, generous hosts during the MLS Cup this year). In 2010, Philadelphia is the newest expansion team - and we've already sold more than 6,000 season tickets for our under-construction stadium, down economy and all - not bad for a team whose first players only arrived in town yesterday. Portland and Vancouver will be added in 2011, giving easily-traveled rivalries on both coasts.

It would be difficult to imagine US racing operating under the sort of single-entity structure that has been so effective for turning around American soccer, but the lack of any sort of central control means there is no way to move forward as a united sport; piecemeal change is the only current option. But perhaps seeing the results possible with a strong commissioner could entice the various track ownership bodies to come together - after all, good decisions and a real long-term plan lead to more money for everybody. And with the news that MLS is exploring gambling options with a view to the future (although games are already available on a European platform) - getting a move on with regard to centralized, streamlined management should be a no-brainer. Soliciting real ideas from fans, creating real merchandising opportunities and learning from other sports is long overdue - creating committees comprised of the same fifteen people isn't a way to effect change.

So, in a nutshell, the way forward is to finally get a commissioner and build from there; who wants to take that first step to make it happen?

Musings on the Year of the Filly

2009-12-02T10:27:00.003-05:00

As many have noted, Vodka's thrilling win in the Japan Cup put yet another stamp on the Year of the Filly. With Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta Stateside, Goldikova in Europe and Vodka in Asia, it almost seems that the colts are an afterthought - indeed, even Down Under, the talk of the racing world is a filly (although one who has yet to make her professional debut).

While these stars (and, perhaps, a star in the making) are united by gender, there are major differences in the way they are handled and the ways in which their campaigns have been planned. Both Vodka (pictured) and Goldikova have regularly faced males in their careers - and they've both shipped around the world to face the best competition on offer. While both mares have an impressive stack of G1 victories, their connections have not been worried about marring their records with the odd loss - even a closing fourth-place finish can demonstrate their class, while such a result might be seen rather differently in the US. Part of this is no doubt due to the differences between turf and dirt racing, but it's also worth considering whether we in North America are overly concerned with the notion of a perfect record - for Rachel Alexandra, a perfect eight-for-eight season, and of course Zenyatta's fourteen lifetime starts (and wins).

This is not to denigrate our own stars, for both have achieved great things - but imagine what more might be possible if maintaining perfection were to be taken out of the picture. I suspect that even while cheering Zenyatta to victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, many fans thought, at least for a moment, of what more we might have seen from the big mare.

Greatness does not require perfection, nor does perfection equal greatness - Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Vodka and Goldikova have demonstrated that it comes in a variety of packages.

A Return, and a Long Weekend

2009-11-24T15:34:00.004-05:00

Things are slowly getting back to normal here at Casa Superfecta, after a quick jaunt to the left coast for some soccer (but more on that later). The Breeders' Cup may be in the history books, but Thanksgiving weekend offers quite a variety of top-level racing.

On Thanksgiving Day at Churchill Downs, Unbridled Belle and Swift Temper are in action in the Falls City Handicap; it is likely the last start for both millionaire mares.

The following day, Einstein (picture, by Barbara Livingston) is aiming to return to winning form in the Clark Handicap; as Julien Leparoux will be in Japan, he'll have Rajiv Maragh aboard as well as some stiff competition from Macho Again and Bullsbay. But it seems that it may not be the final start for the stalwart son of Spend a Buck - he's been supplemented to the Hong Kong Cup in December - however, it would still be lovely to see him win.

Both coasts are in action over the weekend; in New York, the Cigar Mile is the headliner. Quality Road has been working hard on his gate schooling, and the distance makes the race seem like a good fit for him - if he wants to start. It's a great lineup in any case - Bribon, Kodiak Kowboy, Munnings, Vineyard Haven and Pyro are all possible starters. The 2-year-olds will also be on display in the Demoiselle and the Remsen.

In California, Ventura has a chance to give Bobby Frankel a final win in the Matriarch; while she will run in the name of his longtime assistant, Humberto Ascanio, Frankel was still directing her career, even at the end:

“Last Friday (Nov. 13), Bobby called me while I was at the barn and told me, ‘I’m going home tomorrow. I’m not going to take any more transfusions. I just don’t want to go on like this.’ And he said, ‘I’m scared.’

“There was a silence, and then, Bobby said, ‘Talk to Humberto and just tell him, two easy halfs for Ventura and she’ll be fine for the Matriarch.’

Ventura's frequent rivals Rutherienne and Diamondrella (who is now trained by Gary Stevens, which was apparently something of a surprise to him) are also expected, but it would be nice to see Ventura end with a flourish. Also looking for a positive final race is Cowboy Cal in the Citation, but he will have competition in the form of El Gato Malo, Whatsthescript and another Frankel horse - Proudinsky.

And while she will not be running, Zenyatta will still be very much a presence in California over the weekend; she's expected to parade around Hollywood Park between races on Sunday. There will be posters, DVDs and other collectibles on offer - although hopefully these are not part of the package.

Overseas, Breeders' Cup Turf repeat champion Conduit will line against top Japanese mare Vodka in the Japan Cup - last year's winner, Screen Hero, will be on hand to defend his title. Conduit will be retiring to stud in Japan after the race, but he could take home a considerable bonus if he wins on Sunday. Interpatation, Marsh Side and Just As Well will be representing the US in the race.

And while neither news item relates specifically to this weekend, there is welcome word that Rachel Alexandra has begun to stretch her legs again, and that Goldikova will, as rumored, remain in training next year. Rachel Alexandra will head to the Fair Grounds for the winter after leaving Churchill Downs, while Goldikova's campaign to win a third Breeders' Cup Mile will begin again in France.

Check back later (likely after the holiday weekend) for some thoughts on what racing might learn from American soccer - and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Breeders' Cup Wrap-up, 2009

2009-11-10T14:43:00.005-05:00

While Zenyatta's historic win in the Classic seems to eclipse the rest of the two-day event, there were many other interesting storylines - each race stood out in its own way this year.

Marathon
What a fascinating result - nine-year-old Cloudy's Knight very nearly got there to be the oldest Breeders' Cup winner on record (and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. would have been only the second female jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race), but he was run down by three-year-old Man of Iron. The Aiden O'Brien trainee was actually sold just before the race and will be moving to Luca Cumani's barn, but he proved yet again that like his half-siblings, Rags to Riches and Jazil, his dam's offspring like to run as long as possible. He will aim for the Dubai Carnival races next. Last year's winner, Muhannak, was no factor this year, but he also changed hands and will remain in California under the tutelage of Ben Cecil. Man of Iron was the only Ballydoyle horse who ran on Lasix - and their only winner this year.

Juvenile Fillies Turf
Tapitsfly rewarded her backers, professionally taking on Rose Catherine in the stretch. Favored Lillie Langtry came out of the race with a slab fracture, but she should be back after some minor surgery and time off. Tapitsfly gave trainer Dale Romans his first Breeders' Cup victory - and so far American-based runners are two-for-two in this turf event.

Juvenile Fillies
She Be Wild proved she enjoys running on synthetics, but she and the other top two finishes, Beautician and Blind Luck, will all be aiming for the Kentucky Oaks on conventional dirt. Both the runner-up and third-place finishers had some bad luck during the race, as did wiseguy favorite Biofuel, who got pretty knocked around - luckily, all seemed to have only minor complaints and a few of them may run again before the year is out.

Filly & Mare Turf
Legendary trainer Henry Cecil scored his first Breeders' Cup win when Midday took the Filly & Mare Turf - and perhaps she will be back to defend her title, as the plan is for her to remain in training next year. It's an exciting possibility.

Filly & Mare Sprint
Informed Decision gave jockey Julien Leparoux his second Breeders' Cup weekend win; as expected, it came down to a dogfight between the winner and top-class mare Ventura. We should see Informed Decision next year as well.

Filly & Mare Classic
Without stablemate Zenyatta to waltz past her in the closing strides, Life is Sweet finally had a chance to demonstrate her class - and trainer John Shirreffs plenty of confidence going in to Saturday's races.

Juvenile Turf
The first Breeders' Cup race on Saturday's card went to Pounced; the American-bred, European-based colt had the always-welcome piloting services of Frankie Dettori. Trainer John Gosden (who was based at Santa Anita for many years) snagged his second victory in this race, having won last year with Donativum.

Turf Sprint
California Flag, who had given himself an impromptu workout before the race, proved he suffered from no ill-effects from his adventure. Joe Talamo secured his first Breeders' Cup win aboard the California-bred speedball, with 'other' filly Gotta Have Her getting up for second (the well-traveled Diamondrella didn't fire on Saturday).

Sprint
Dancing in Silks scored a major upset - and made trainer Carla Gaines the third woman to train a Breeders' Cup winner in the process. All the 'big names' finished off the board, with Gayego getting closest in fourth. Favorites Zensational and Fatal Bullet finished near each other in fifth and sixth, and global star Fleeting Spirit did not seem to take to the surface. It was a fantastic race for longshot bettors!

Juvenile
Upset winner Vale of York gave up-and-coming Godolphin jockey Ahmed Ajtebi his first Breeders' Cup win. The horse may be pointed to the Kentucky Derby, but he'd be working against history by prepping in Dubai. Bob Baffert trainee Lookin at Lucky was not terribly lucky in the race, but he still finished a respectable second - and seems a more likely Derby contender.

Mile
Goldikova continued to display her brilliance - matching the great Miesque's back-to-back Mile wins, and she did so by overcoming a difficult post position and not the easiest trip in this year's installment. It caps a year in which she's been (mostly) beating up on the world's best milers and it means she now has seven G1 wins. The suggestion that she could come back next year to aim for a third Mile win was not immediately ruled out - let's hope it happens. For those who may grumble that it seems unfair to give an Eclipse award to a horse who has made a single US appearance this year, I'd say that's true - unless it's Goldikova.

Dirt Mile
Mastercraftsman was billed as unbeatable, but obviously no one told longshot Furthest Land. Followed closely on by perpetual maiden Ready's Echo and Midshipman, Furthest Land gave Julien Leparoux his third win for this year's Breeders' Cup. And Mastercraftsman? He's retired.

Turf
Another repeat - Conduit did it again. What was perhaps almost as exciting was Presious Passion's gutsy effort for second in the race - running off like a sprinter at the beginning, yet still managing to get a big slice of the purse. Dar Re Mi also ran a good race for third (overcoming some considerable traffic trouble), and we could see her again next year. Conduit will now retire to stud in Japan, and it's possible Presious Passion may also head to Asia - but in his case he'd be going to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Vase.

Classic
Did Rip Van Winkle's feet bother him? Perhaps. But even if he had been in top form, it's difficult to imagine anyone having beaten Zenyatta on the day, as she was perfection incarnate. It's easy to overlook the quality efforts put in by both Gio Ponti in second and Twice Over in third, but neither had any sort of chance against the giant mare. Poor Einstein had to check behind the slowing Rip Van Winkle, which essentially took him out of the race, and Summer Bird did not have the best luck but still managed to be a closing fourth. But it was really all Zenyatta - and while the Horse of the Year discussions will go on, they really don't matter; she's one of the greatest, and that's all anyone will remember.

On Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra and Memory

2009-11-08T09:07:00.003-05:00

Memory plays a very particular role in horse racing, and the journey from historical statistic into the realm of myth necessitates some editing of that memory.

We remember that Man o'War won twenty out of twenty-one races, but we give special note to his single loss - losing to a horse named Upset only seemed that much more perfect; we often forget that loss came when he was a little-known two-year-old, and not the legend he would become. Like so much in horse racing folk-memory, it looks that much more predestined when seen in retrospect.

We have similar blinkers on regarding Secretariat in that his rare losses also became part of his myth - of course he lost at Saratoga, the Graveyard of Champions - how could he not? Even the nature of that loss is couched in the language of folklore - his vanquisher, Onion, was trained by "Giant Killer" Allen Jerkins. Although Secretariat was Horse of the Year at two, it's his three-year-old year we remember; nothing in Triple Crown history can compare to his Belmont victory, which is perhaps the most indelible image in the entire sport of horse racing. We do not ask what caliber of horse Secretariat beat, because, quite frankly, it does not matter.

From our vantage point, it can be difficult to see Ruffian as anything other than the inevitably tragic heroine, hurtling toward her fate - we often overlook her record-shattering brilliance on the track because we know how the story ends, with a shattered leg. And yet she is still the benchmark for her sex - we still do not question what sort of competition she faced in the filly ranks, largely because she made any comparison to her peers irrelevant. Her memory had become part legend, part cautionary tale; despite considerable evidence that she was the product of a brilliant-but-fragile gene pool, Ruffian's death came to be framed as the natural outcome of sending a filly against the colts - a useful bit of received wisdom to point to when explaining why American fillies so rarely faced off against colts in the modern era.

Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta might be viewed as long-overdue avenging angels for Ruffian's cause. One proved that a tough bay three-year-old filly can take on not only boys her own age, but could also emulate racing's heroines of old and beat older males; the other proved that it was possible for a mare of otherworldly size to beat males while maintaining a perfect record - both results which were denied Ruffian.

We will not remember most of Rachel Alexandra's races against her own sex, save the Kentucky Oaks and her utter annihilation of the field by more than twenty lengths - we will remember her gritty Preakness victory, her runaway Haskell win and her hard-fought Woodward. The names of the other actors in her dramas may fade, but their roles will remain - we will remember that she beat the Kentucky Derby winner, the Belmont winner and the Stephen Foster winner. We will remember her milestones: the largest winning margins in Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose history, the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, the first filly or mare ever to win the Woodward.

Zenyatta's perfect record may have been curated by careful placement for much of her career, but the final gamble leading to her Breeders' Cup Classic victory proved that she had it in her all along to beat anything that came her way. The complaints about her relatively soft competition will not linger - we will only remember that she did not know how to lose, regardless of the field she faced. We will remember her quirks - her high-stepping, her pawing the ground in winner's circle after winner's circle, her sheer physical presence. We will remember how she towered over her competition, both literally and figuratively; given her size, coupled with her come-from-behind running style, she seemed like nothing less than a leviathan on the track, inhaling her lesser opponents in a final, devastating sweep.

In the end, Horse of the Year will not matter; the votes of a select few will bestow that title on one (or, ideally, both) of these outstanding fillies, but our collective memory will do them a better sort of justice - we will count Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta among the very greatest horses ever to have graced the track.

Zenyatta: Your Breeders' Cup Classic Champion

2009-11-07T19:57:00.008-05:00

Some early press reports -

Racing Post: Zenyatta Makes Breeders' Cup Classic History
The Age: Remarkable Zenyatta Takes Breeders' Cup Classic
New York Times: Zenyatta Stuns Males to Win Breeders' Cup Classic
New York Times: Zenyatta Wins the Breeders' Cup
The Blood-Horse: It's All Zenyatta in the BC Classic
Daily Racing Form: Zenyatta Triumphs in Classic
The Guardian: Zenyatta Joins the Immortals with Sensational Win in Breeders' Cup Classic
The Telegraph: Breeders Cup: Zenyatta provides fairytale finale in $5m Classic
The Times: Breathtaking Breeders’ Cup is all about the girl

Breeders' Cup 2009: Saturday

2009-11-07T13:50:00.015-05:00

We'll just go straight in for the commentary - latest updates always on Twitter.

Juvenile Turf
I had Viscount Nelson with Pounced in my exacta, so I won't be cashing any tickets, but it was a very professional effort by Pounced (with more than a little help from Frankie Dettori). In any event, it's always fun to see Dettori in the winner's circle. Lady Serena Rothschild, his owner, reminds me of this:

Turf Sprint
Nice to see Joe Talamo get a Breeders' Cup win - naturally, I had the other filly, Diamondrella, boxed in my exacta with California Flag - as well as Cannonball, who finished third. Gotta Have Her put in a great run for second, even if she did ruin my ticket.

Sprint
I only had Fleeting Spirit - obviously, she would have done better in the Turf Sprint. Wish I'd had the trifecta for this one! Still, Carla Gaines trains the winner, Dancing in Silks, and I'm all for more female trainers winning Breeders' Cup races.

Juvenile
Ahmed Ajtebi is having quite a year - he gave Vale of York a great ride.

Mile
GOL-D-KO-VA! Clap, clap, clapclapclap! That's how it's done, folks.

Dirt Mile
I had to dash out for that, but I'm glad I didn't bet it - I'd have had nothing. Really odd result.

Turf
What a great race - Conduit coming back to repeat, just like Goldikova - and fine runs from Presious Passion and Dar Re Mi. At least I got $3 on her - but how exciting to see two champions successfully defend their titles.

Classic
The gate scratch of Quality Road made everything peculiar - but what a result. Zenyatta proved everything and then some - and what great efforts from Gio Ponti and Twice Over as well.

Let Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta share Horse of the Year - who needs the colts?

Breeders' Cup 2009: Filly & Mare-athon Day

2009-11-06T15:09:00.011-05:00

The Breeders' Cup is finally upon us; from my vantage point (watching TVG), the weather looks perfect. We've had a few scratches - Kera's Kitten in the Juvenile Turf, and Allegre from tomorrow's Turf - but at least in the case of the former race, the Ramsey barn has so many talented Kitten's Joy offspring floating around that they've been able to slot Dean's Kitten in as a replacement.

While it does throw off our analysis a bit for that particular race (scroll down here if you missed any of 'insights' into each race), on the whole, we're sticking with our picks. Any exciting wagering wins will be reported - as will the usual 'why did I toss him/her out at the last minute?' wails.

We'll be following along in real-time (except when day care pickup beckons) and will be posting some notes here, but you can get the most current thoughts on Twitter.

Good luck and safe journeys to all the horses and jockeys - I do apologize for today's title.

Thoughts -

Marathon
What a fantastic finish - really outstanding efforts from both winner Man of Iron and runner-up Cloudy's Knight. Here's something to ponder: imagine what Better Than Honour's stud fee would be if she were a stallion.

Juvenile Fillies Turf
I'd gone off Lillie Langtry last night after hearing about how she'd been taking to California (not well); Smart Seattle didn't have a good trip, so I'd draw a line through this one for her, but I'm very glad I threw a last-minute bet on Tapitsfly. I assumed she was going to be close to her morning-line odds, but when I noticed she drifted up, I was very excited. Nice win for the grey filly.

Juvenile Fillies
Well, I did get a piece of the action with Blind Luck's third - really good effort from She Be Wild. Poor Biofuel did not get the best of it.

Filly & Mare Turf
Should have stuck with my gut - I jumped off Midday before the race. Whoops.

Filly & Mare Sprint
So much for my Sara Louise/Ventura exacta. I had no good reason to ignore Informed Decision, just didn't like her odds. Handicapping FAIL.

Filly & Mare Classic
Life Is Sweet is pretty sweet on her own. Without Zenyatta to overshadow her, she was a game winner. Careless Jewel just ran off. Nice run from Music Note as well. One wonders if trainer John Shirreffs had any pressure to run his two star mares in different races - it's always a good idea to spread the risk!

I'm very encouraged by Julien Leparoux's day so far - I would love to see him win the Classic on Einstein tomorrow. See you then!

Breeders' Cup 2009: Classic

2009-11-05T10:20:00.001-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Mine That Bird, Chip Woolley, C. Borel, 12-1
Perhaps unfairly overlooked; he does have the rail and Bo-Rail.

2 Colonel John, Eoin Harty, G. Gomez, 12-1
Solid runner is flying a bit under the radar.

3 Summer Bird, Tim Ice, K. Desormeaux, 9/2
Gets better and better each time out - can't wait to see him again next year.

4 Zenyatta, John Shirreffs, M. Smith, 5/2
Her numbers and recent competition are the biggest concern - she looks amazing. Perhaps she just does all she needs to? In any case, it's great to see her here.

5 Twice Over (GB), Henry Cecil, T. Queally, 20-1
Tough European seems to offer great value here.

6 Richard's Kid, Bob Baffert, A. Solis, 12-1
The mystery horse; was his shock upset of Einstein the beginning of a pattern? His works have drawn raves.

7 Gio Ponti, Christophe Clement, R. Dominguez, 12-1
Solid, honest horse who happens to beat just about everybody - without garnering much acclaim. Great spot here.

8 Einstein (BRZ), Helen Pitts-Blasi, J. Leparoux, 12-1
He's got the ability, he just needs the luck - would love to see him (pictured) go out on a win, especially for Pitts-Blasi.

9 Girolamo, Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Garcia, 20-1
Three-race win streak is more G2 level, but he does have talent.

10 Rip Van Winkle (IRE), Aiden O'Brien, J. Murtagh, 7/2
If his foot doesn't bother him, he wins - if it does, he finishes up the track.

11 Regal Ransom, Saeed Bin Suroor, R. Migliore, 20-1
Came back from a post-Derby layoff with a win in the Super Derby; hard to evaluate where he sits.

12 Quality Road, Todd Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 12-1
Would have preferred to see him in the Dirt Mile - or even the Mile, given his Aussie breeding. Next time?

13 Awesome Gem, Craig Dollase, D. Flores, 30-1
Will he hit the board again? He did in the 2007 edition of this race.

Ideal world: Einstein & Zenyatta DH for first, Gio Ponti takes second, Summer Bird third Picks: Rip Van Winkle, Einstein, Gio Ponti, Twice Over

Breeders' Cup 2009: Turf

2009-11-05T10:15:00.001-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Telling, Steve Hobby, J. Castellano, 20-1
Sword Dancer winner is competitive with American turf runners, if not often in the winner's circle.

2 Conduit (IRE), Sir Michael Stoute, R. Moore, 7/5
Wins almost every time he does not face Sea the Stars - a worthy returning champion.

3 Red Rocks (IRE), B.J. Meehan, J. Leparoux, 20-1
2007 winner of this race has struggled to find his best form this year.

4 Allegre, Brian Koriner, J. Velazquez, 50-1
Big step up in class; distance may also be a concern.

5 Dar Re Mi (GB), John Gosden, L. Dettori, 3-1
Second to Zarkava last year and beat Stacelita (let's be honest) - good result in the Arc (pictured).

6 Presious Passion, Mary Hartmann, E. Trujillo, 4-1
Best US-based chance in the race; always gives his all.

7 Spanish Moon, Sir Michael Stoute, K. Fallon, 5/2
Very solid European performer (although American by birth) is a strong threat here.

8 Monzante, Mike Mitchell, R. Bejarano, 30-1
Recent form does not suggest a huge threat here.

Picks: Dar Re Mi, Conduit, Spanish Moon, Presious Passion

Breeders' Cup 2009: Dirt Mile

2009-11-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Mastercraftsman (IRE), Aiden P. O'Brien, J. Murtagh, 6/5
Class of the field, no question (pictured).

2 Furthest Land, Michael J. Maker, J. Leparoux, 20-1
Won Kentucky Cup Classic last time, but he's not beaten much.

3 Midshipman, Saeed Bin Suroor, G. Gomez, 6-1
Only blemish is a second in last year's Norfolk Stakes; second start off a long layoff.

4 Bullsbay, H. Graham Motion, J. Rose, 3-1
His third behind Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward is closer than most horses can claim to have come.

5 Neko Bay, John Shirreffs, M. Smith, 20-1
Always first or second at Santa Anita, but against lesser opponents.

6 Mambo Meister, Philip A. Gleaves, M. Cruz, 30-1
Has a win last time out; seems more of a G3 performer.

7 Pyro, Saeed Bin Suroor, J. Velazquez, 10-1
Didn't do much in this race last year, but has done well since returning to the races late this summer.

8 Mr. Sidney, William Mott, K. Desormeaux, 12-1
Well-bred underachiever could use a win, but has faced some quality competition.

9 Chocolate Candy, Jerry Hollendorfer, J. Rosario, 15-1
Has been earning his keep the hard way, but has more talent than that might indicate.

10 Ready's Echo, Todd Pletcher, C. Borel, 20-1
Remember how he dead-heated for third in the Belmont behind Da'Tara? No? Still winless.

Picks: Mastercraftsman, Bullsbay, Midshipman, Pyro; longshot: Chocolate Candy

Breeders' Cup 2009: Mile

2009-11-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Court Vision, Richard Dutrow, Jr., R. Albarado, 12-1
Looked good last time out, but this is a tall order.

2 Whatsthescript (IRE), John W. Sadler, K. Desormeaux, 15-1
Third in this race last year; has not won since August of the same.

3 Cowboy Cal, Todd Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 6-1
Won the Oak Tree Mile last time out; as with Court Vision, the distance seems a better fit for him, but it's a big stage.

4 Delegator (GB), Saeed Bin Suroor, L. Dettori, 3-1
A notch below horses like Sea the Stars and Mastercraftsman, but could snag a win if Goldikova has an off day.

5 Karelian, George R. Arnold II, R. Maragh, 20-1
Second to Court Vision last time out; big step up in class.

6 Courageous Cat, William Mott, G. Gomez, 20-1
3-year-old seems to be developing nicely - perhaps next year.

7 Ferneley (IRE), Ben Cecil, R. Bejarano, 20-1
Beat Allicansayis Wow, second to Ventura. Likely to finish behind Goldikova.

8 Zacinto (GB), Sir Michael Stoute, R. Moore, 8-1
Most recently second to Rip Van Winkle at Ascot.

9 Gladiatorus, Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Ajtebi, 20-1
Formerly the world's highest-rated racehorse (according to Timeform), he's been hit and miss since then.

10 Justenuffhumor, Kiaran McLaughlin, A. Garcia, 10-1
Ultra-consistent until last time out.

11 Goldikova (IRE), O. Peslier, 8/5
The reigning champ (pictured) should equal Miesque's feat and repeat.

Picks: Goldikova, Zacinto, Delegator, Ferneley

Breeders' Cup 2009: Juvenile

2009-11-05T09:52:00.001-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Alfred Nobel (IRE), Aiden P. O'Brien, J. Murtagh, 20-1
Has G1 and G2 wins in Europe, not as lucky his last few races.

2 Piscitelli, Gregory D. Sacco, K. Desormeaux, 50-1
Maiden by Victory Gallop.

3 Beethoven (IRE), Aiden P. O'Brien, R. Moore, 20-1
Ten lifetime starts, has faced many tough European contenders (pictured).

4 Noble's Promise, Kenneth McPeek, W. Martinez, 8-1
Undefeated - in two starts, but one was a G1.

5 D'Funnybone, Richard Dutrow, Jr., E. Prado, 5/2
Has two G2 wins coming into this race.

6 Pulsion, Patrick L. Biancone, M. Smith, 20-1
Second in one lifetime start.

7 Vale of York (IRE), Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Ajtebi, 20-1
Competitive in solid company in Europe - last start in Italy.

8 Eskendereya, Todd Pletcher, J. Castellano, 10-1
Regally-bred son of Giants Causeway has a win from 1 start.

9 Aikenite, Todd Pletcher, A. Garcia, 8-1
Third and second in two G1 races; aims for a win.

10 Aspire, Eddie Kenneally, J. Leparoux, 30-1
Second in the Hopeful, third in the Champagne.

11 Radiohead (GB), M. Dwyer, 15-1
Winner of the (British) Norfolk Stakes has not been as lucky since, but gets Lasix this time.

12 William's Kitten, Michael J. Maker, R. Dominguez, 30-1
Ramsey homebred has one win from two starts.

13 Lookin At Lucky, Bob Baffert, G. Gomez, 8/5
Undefeated winner of the (California) Norfolk Stakes

Picks: Beethoven, Lookin At Lucky, Radiohead, Aikenite

Breeders' Cup 2009: Sprint

2009-11-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Zensational, Bob Baffert, V. Espinoza, 7/5
Likely the fastest horse in training (pictured); will the post position hurt?

2 Cost of Freedom, John Sadler, T. Baze, 20-1
Won the Ancient Title here...last year.

3 Fatal Bullet, Reade Baker, E. Da Silva, 9/2
Speedy 4-year-old loves synthetics; second in this race last year.

4 Crown of Thorns, Richard E. Mandella, R. Bejarano, 12-1
Seems to be improving after a long layoff, but probably not ready for this company.

5 Gayego, Saeed Bin Suroor, G. Gomez, 5/2
Ex-Derby candidate successfully reborn as a sprinter; can he keep up with Zensational?

6 Dancing in Silks, Carla Gaines, J. Rosario, 12-1
Step up in class for improving gelding.

7 Join in the Dance, Todd A. Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 30-1
Has yet to win a race.

8 Capt. Candyman Can, Ian Wilkes, J. Castellano, 15-1
3-year-old has thrived at sprinting distances.

9 Fleeting Spirit (IRE), Jeremy Noseda, L. Dettori, 8-1
Always competitive with the world's best turf sprinters; classy mare could pick up the pieces.

Picks: Zensational, Fleeting Spirit, Fatal Bullet, Capt. Candyman Can

Breeders' Cup 2009: Juvenile Turf

2009-11-05T09:32:00.003-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Zip Quik, Patrick L. Biancone, M. Smith, 50-1
Has 1 win so far, from 5 starts; often in the money.

2 Viscount Nelson, Aiden P. O'Brien, J. Murtagh, 6-1
Lovely breeding, some nice European wins so far.

3 Codoy, Mark Hubley, G. Gomez, 15-1
Second to Interactif (pictured) in the Bourbon at Keeneland.

4 Pounced, John Gosden, L. Dettori, 9/2
Very American-bred colt returns from Europe; second in G2 company there.

5 Gallant Gent, Craig A. Lewis, J. Rosario, 30-1
Third in the Norfolk.

6 Awesome Act, Jeremy Noseda, R. Moore, 20-1
Another Euromerican, like Pounced, although only has a maiden win.

7 Bridgetown, Kenneth McPeek, R. Landry, 8-1
Won the G3 Summer Stakes at Woodbine.

8 King Ledley, Darrin Miller, R. Bejarano, 20-1
Yet another US-bred coming from Europe; has 8 lifetime starts, 1 win.

9 Kera's Kitten, Michael J. Maker, R. Maragh, 12-1
Ramsey homebred has a turf win.

10 Becky's Kitten, Wesley Ward, J. Leparoux, 12-1
Another Ramsey Kitten, this one second in the Summer Stakes

11 Interactif, Todd Pletcher, K. Desormeaux, 4-1
Has 2 G3 wins on turf - will that form translate?

12 Buzzword (GB), Saeed Bin Suroor, A. Ajtebi, 6-1
G3 winner in France; not as lucky in G1 company.

Picks: Viscount Nelson, Pounced, Interactif, Becky's Kitten

Breeders' Cup 2009: Filly & Mare Classic

2009-11-04T10:52:00.005-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Careless Jewel, Josie Carroll, R. Landry, 2-1
Looks absolutely outstanding here - and it would be great to see a female trainer score a big win.

2 Life Is Sweet, John Shirreffs, G. Gomez, 8-1
Although she has a chance to step out of stablemate Zenyatta's shadow, this may not be her day.

3 Mushka, William Mott, K. Desormeaux, 12-1
Has a 2-win streak (of sorts - see below) and won over Keeneland's synthetic surface - will she like this one?

4 Lethal Heat, Barry Abrams, A. Solis, 20-1
Her recent record of running in third and second will not help her here.

5 Proviso (GB), Robert J. Frankel, J. Velazquez, 8-1
Gave Mushka her Spinster Stakes win - by DQ - but that was her 1st US start. Winner in France.

6 Cocoa Beach (CHI), Saeed Bin Suroor, R. Migliore, 8-1
Second to Zenyatta in this race last year; her form this year isn't quite up to last year's standards.

7 Music Note, Saeed Bin Suroor, J. Castellano, 9/5
Reeled off 2 G1 wins in a row and will be a strong contender.

8 Rainbow View, John Gosden, J. Leparoux, 6-1
Second in her 1st North American start, she's been a few lengths behind the very best European competition.

Picks: Careless Jewel, Music Note, Rainbow View, Life Is Sweet

Breeders' Cup 2009: Filly & Mare Turf

2009-11-04T10:29:00.003-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Visit (GB), Robert J. Frankel, J. Velazquez, 10-1
Always close, but has not won since last August.

2 Forever Together, Jonathan Sheppard, J. Leparoux, 5/2
Defending champion back for another crack.

3 Rutherienne, Christophe Clement, A. Garcia, 8-1
Finally won after tough luck her previous two trips; this is a tough field for her, but it's a nice price.

4 Magical Fantasy, Patrick Gallagher, A. Solis, 3-1
Loves California turf - coming in off a 4-race winning streak.

5 Pure Clan, Robert E. Holthus, G. Gomez, 5-1
Won the Flower Bowl last time out, but finished 10th in this race last year.

6 Midday (GB), Henry Cecil, T. Queally, 4-1
Already proven to be very classy in Europe, the first-time-Lasix angle could give her an unbeatable edge (pictured).

7 Dynaforce, William Mott, K. Desormeaux, 8-1
6th in the Flower Bowl, but a Beverly D winner; also unlucky in this race last year.

8 Maram, Chad C. Brown, J. Lezcano, 15-1
Has only 2 starts this year, seems a notch or two below her form last year.

Picks: Midday, Rutherienne, Magical Fantasy, Forever Together

Breeders' Cup 2009: Filly & Mare Sprint

2009-11-04T10:08:00.003-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Free Flying Soul, Bruce Headley, M. Smith, 50-1
California mare likes the track, but seems outclassed here.

2 Sara Louise, Saeed bin Suroor, L. Dettori, 9/2
Hey, she's beaten Rachel Alexandra - and has proven herself as a tough sprinter since then (pictured).

3 Game Face, Todd A. Pletcher, E. Prado, 10-1
Winner of the G1 Princess Rooney has had ups and downs this year.

4 Only Green (IRE), Freddy Head, O. Peslier, 20-1
More than just Goldikova's rabbit, she won last time out in France when running in her own right - and gets Lasix here.

5 Silver Swallow, Bruce Headley, A. Solis, 30-1
Has been competitive in top company - but has had a long layoff.

6 Evita Argentina, John W. Sadler, J. Rosario, 20-1
Has both wins and disappointing finishes over this surface.

7 Informed Decision, Jonathan E. Sheppard, J. Leparoux, 5/2
Has beaten Ventura in the past and could well do so again.

8 Seventh Street, Saeed bin Suroor, R. Maragh, 4-1
Second in the Ruffian last time out and winner of the Go For Wand before that - will be a threat.

9 Ventura, Robert J. Frankel, G. Gomez, 8/5
May be better at a mile, but it would be nice to see here win for ailing Bobby Frankel.

Picks: Sara Louise, Ventura, Informed Decision, Seventh Street; longshot Only Green

Breeders' Cup 2009: Juvenile Fillies

2009-11-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds

1 Zilva, H. Graham Motion, J. Rose, 30-1
4th in the Alcibiades; taller order here.

2 Ms Vanenzza, Juan Vasquez, J. Rocco, 30-1
Beat Juvenile Turf entrant Potosina in the Blue Hen Stakes.

3 Blind Luck, Jerry Hollendorfer, T. Baze, 3-1
2nd in the G1 Debutante, won the G1 Oak Leaf (pictured); very tough here.

4 Beautician, Kenneth McPeek, R. Albarado, 6-1
Has been competitive, but doesn't have a win - yet.

5 Bickersons, Kelly Breen, J. Rosario, 20-1
Twice 3rd in G1 company - but also lacking a win.

6 Connie and Michael, Kenneth McPeek, K. Desormeaux, 4-1
Impressive in her win at Keeneland, but it's still early days.

7 Devil May Care, Todd A. Pletcher, J. Velazquez, 8-1
Winner of the Frizette; will she take to the Polytrack?

8 She Be Wild, Wayne M. Catalano, J. Leparoux, 8-1
G3 winner and G1-placed; has talent.

9 Champagne d'Oro, John Daley, M. Garcia, 50-1
DQ'd from a win in August, 8th in the Del Mar Futurity - would need luck.

10 Negligee, John P. Terranova II , R. Maragh, 6-1
Alcibiades winner seems to be on the improve.

11 Always a Princess, Bob Baffert, G. Gomez, 6-1
2nd in the Oak Leaf Stakes, interesting pedigree.

12 Biofuel, Reade Baker, E. Da Silva, 15-1
G3 winner in Canada; has yet to establish consistent pattern, but that's not unexpected.

Picks: Blind Luck, Always a Princess, Negligee, She Be Wild

Breeders' Cup 2009: Juvenile Fillies Turf

2009-11-03T19:39:00.003-05:00

#, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds
1 Potosina, Mark Shuman, J. Velazquez, 20-1
Two-time stakes winner with mid-Atlantic connections, but likely outgunned here.

2 Elusive Galaxy (IRE), Ben D. A. Cecil, R. Bejarano, 12-1
Won her first time out in Ireland and has finished 3rd to Lillie Langtry (pictured); a close 3rd last time out at Woodbine.

3 Smart Seattle, H. Graham Motion, J. Rose, 8-1
Always in the money, this is in her first time in graded company; she beat Hatheer to break her maiden. Due for a win?

4 Rose Catherine, Todd A. Pletcher , J. Castellano, 8-1
Speedy breeding, but her only win was in a maiden special weight; not sure why she's as low as 8-1.

5 La Nez, J. Eric Kruljac, M. Smith, 20-1
Winner of more than $150,000 so far; has a 3rd in a G1 race and a win over the Santa Anita (main) track.

6 Jungle Tale, Steven M. Asmussen , S. Bridgmohan, 15-1
2nd in the Natalma Stakes at Woodbine; does seem to prefer turf to Polytrack.

7 House of Grace, Kenneth G. McPeek, M. Luzzi, 4-1
Undefeated - in two races - she beat Smart Seattle by a nose in her last race.

8 Lillie Langtry, Aidan P. O'Brien, J. Murtagh, 3-1
Six lifetime starts, half wins, the rest in the money. Really, what's not to like? Besides, I once stayed in a hotel that had been one of the human Lillie Langtry's residences, and that seemed to work out well.

9 Hatheer, Kiaran P. McLaughlin, A. Garcia, 10-1
A winner over turf, although perhaps a notch below the European horses.

10 Tapitsfly, Dale L. Romans, R. Albarado, 8-1
Like House of Grace, she's finished ahead of Smart Seattle and seems consistent.

11 Junia Tepzia (IRE), Peter Schiergen, K. Fallon, 8-1
Undefeated - but this time in one start (albeit a listed race). Likely needs more seasoning.

12 Lisa's Kitten, Michael J. Maker, J. Leparoux, 12-1
A winner at Retama Park. (Where? Oh, Texas.) Also finished behind Tapitsfly and Smart Seattle at Saratoga.

Picks: Lillie Langtry, Smart Seattle, House of Grace, Tapitsfly; La Nez as a longshot

Breeders' Cup 2009: Marathon

2009-11-03T19:23:00.004-05:00

The post positions, in this case, have no real impact on my more detailed thoughts on this field which are already up on the NTRA site - while Mastery (pictured) and Father Time seem the class of the field, I like Black Astor at a price.

# Horse, Trainer, Jockey, ML odds
1 Black Astor, Lisa Lewis, Alex Solis, 12-1
2 Muhannak (IRE), Ralph M. Beckett, Ryan Moore, 12-1
3 Nite Light, Todd A. Pletcher, John Velazquez, 4-1
4 Cloudy's Knight, Jonathan E. Sheppard, R. Homeister, 8-1
5 Father Time (GB), Henry Cecil, Eddie Ahern, 3-1
6 Mastery (GB), Saeed bin Suroor, L. Dettori, 9/5
7 Sir Dave, Jack Carava, Joel Rosario, 20-1
8 Eldaafer, Diane Alvarado, R. Bejarano, 30-1
9 Man of Iron, Aidan P. O'Brien, John Murtagh, 8-1
10 Gangbuster, J. Keith Desormeaux, Kent Desormeaux, 30-1

Will Zenyatta Bump Up Street Cry's Stud Fee?

2009-11-03T14:23:00.005-05:00

Shocking's Melbourne Cup win gave his sire, Street Cry, G1 winners at both sprinting and staying distances, but the stallion could garner even more accolades this weekend. While Street Sense has already carried the banner for Street Cry in the Juvenile in his 2-year-old season, and Zenyatta took the Ladies' Classic last year, if she were to win the Classic this time around, one presumes his stud fee would take another leap upward (and well done to Darley for updating the graphics on his page to reflect the latest news - if not the body text - while that might be taken as a given in other sports, it's relatively rare in racing to see the marketing piece done with any style, as anyone who has ever watched stud farm ads on TVG can attest).

We'll know the answer to the will-she-won't-she dance this afternoon when the post positions for each race are drawn; it's hard to imagine Zenyatta's connections wouldn't want to take the bigger shot. But the solid European contingent is feeling very confident indeed already - and while Santa Anita's surface is given as the major reason, I would argue that last year the better horses on the day won, for the most part (as, indeed, was the case of the previous year on Monmouth Park's sloppy track, despite arguments to the contrary) - whether it will go the same way this year remains to be seen.

Starting tomorrow, we'll do a race-by-race analysis (although you can preview the Marathon here) - check back then, and follow us on Twitter for live thoughts on the races Friday and Saturday! In the meantime, you can catch us on Alex's radio show tomorrow discussing All Things Breeders' Cup - tune in!

We Interrupt Breeders' Cup Week for the Melbourne Cup

2009-11-02T12:30:00.003-05:00

While we look forward to the Breeders' Cup draw tomorrow, tonight (at least for those in North America) is the Melbourne Cup. There's a 24-horse field entered this year, including last year's winner, Viewed - and not a little intrigue. Should Mourilyan win, will the money make Bad Things Happen in Chechnya? Will Alcopop (pictured), a 7-year-old gelding with a previous career as an occasional cattle wrangler (not to mention a little-known provincial jockey) find the winner's circle? Veteran trainer Bart Cummings, who conditions Viewed as well as Roman Emperor and Allez Wonder, doesn't think so - and his reasoning serves to highlight a major difference between US and Australian racing:

"He's a very good horse but he hasn't raced for three weeks, so who knows? I would have preferred him to race a little closer than three or four weeks ago."

Viewed ran last Saturday (yes, on Halloween - they do things differently Down Under) and came out of the race with some superficial injuries, but he's been cleared to attempt a Melbourne Cup repeat Tuesday - all while carrying the field's high weight.

Other favored horses include the Kiwi hope Daffodil, who won the Australian Oaks, but she has an outside post to overcome; Roman Emperor and Shocking also have many backers (including, in the case of Shocking, prime minister Kevin Rudd).

TVG will be airing the race live (you're looking for the seventh race from Flemington), which should go off around 11 pm EST. Set your TiVos - and check back in tomorrow for our real kickoff to Breeders' Cup week.

Breeders' Cup Pre-entries - Initial Thoughts

2009-10-28T11:16:00.006-04:00

You'll want to go over these today - I'll be doing that on a train shortly, with more to come later. In the meantime, here are a few quick thoughts --

Zenyatta's first preference is the Classic - huzzah!

Dar Re Mi is down for the Turf, with the F&M Turf as her second choice; also good.

Summer Bird has the Turf has his second choice - I'd love to see him try this at some point.

A thought inspired by Mine That Bird in the Classic - should the Kentucky Derby count as a Win & You're In race? Not knocking him specifically, since he has been working nicely and since I think his other Triple Crown race efforts are underrated, but would a horse who had done nothing since winning the Derby automatically get a spot in the Classic? Just wondering.

Square Eddie has first preference in the Turf Sprint - that seems a good fit.

Chocolate Candy is technically out of the field at this point (with his first preference, sensibly, being the Dirt Mile) - I'd rather see Quality Road try the Dirt Mile, currently his second choice over the Classic - perhaps he could take on the Mile next year. Like Summer Bird, I think he could do quite well on the grass.

Black Astor in the Marathon, trained by Lisa Lewis - does that make five female trainers with Breeders' Cup entries this year (including Helen Pitts-Blasi, Josie Carroll, Carla Gaines and Jenine Sahadi)? Did I miss anyone? I worry that may be a record.

Breeders' Cup Musings & Arc Winning Dates

2009-10-27T10:52:00.005-04:00

While we are focused on the Breeders' Cup, across the pond they are already thinking about next year's 2000 Guineas and the Derby, thanks to St. Nicholas Abbey's impressive victory in the Racing Post Trophy over the weekend. The 2-year-old Montjeu colt is 3-for-3 so far - if nothing else, he's already accomplished considerably more than the last colt named for a Barbados landmark. While no American-based 2-year-olds have (so far) suggested future brilliance, there's a long time between now and next Spring.

But there is still plenty of European interest in the Breeders' Cup - Zacinto is back on for the Mile, while Mastercraftsman may take the Dirt Mile (this leaving the way clear for Rip Van Winkle in the Classic). Godolphin and Ballydoyle may be the biggest largely-European teams represented (and we will take a closer look at their entries later), but there's plenty beyond them - Dermot Weld is likely to send out Famous Name in the Dirt Mile, while Henry Cecil has Middday in the Filly & Mare Turf, Father Time in the Marathon and Twice Over aiming for the Classic. Jeremy Noseda has Awesome Act primed for the Juvenile, while his outstanding mare Fleeting Spirit is going for the 'dirt' Sprint. And, of course, Freddie Head has both Goldikova (pictured) in the Mile and her pacemaker, Only Green, in the Filly & Mare Sprint.

That's not to say the US contingent is lacking firepower; while another major name has definitely been ruled out (Indian Blessing), Einstein and Summer Bird are both looking sharp, and even unlucky-of-late Mine That Bird worked a bullet over the Santa Anita surface. Zenyatta also had a good workout - tomorrow we should discover which in race(s) they've opted to pre-enter her.

Finally, of course, comes the news that Sea the Stars will, as predicted, stand at stud in Ireland. He'll be at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud, where last year's Arc winner, Zarkava, will pay him a visit. It will not be the first time an Arc winner has been bred to an Arc winner - Urban Sea, dam of Sea the Stars, was sent to Lammtara, producing Melikah (winner of the Pretty Polly stakes, and now a broodmare). Urban Sea was also sent to Peintre Celebre, a breeding that resulted in the unheralded Emily - so it's no guarantee of success.

Check back later in the week for more on Breeders' Cup pre-entries...

No Alarms and No Surprises

2009-10-23T14:13:00.006-04:00

The Breeders' Cup defections continue apace; Icon Project has been retired with a tendon injury, Macho Again caught a cough, Gitano Hernando and Lahaleeb didn't want to pay entry feeds, Rail Trip has a foot bruise and Septimus isn't going to make the trip from Europe. With the retirement of Sea the Stars and the absence of Rachel Alexandra, things were starting to look a little thin this week for the big event - but there have been some interesting developments.

Kodiak Kowboy is going to contest the Sprint, which will now feature hard-knocking mare Fleeting Spirit (pictured) with Frankie Dettori aboard. Fleeting Spirit had been aimed at the Turf Sprint, given her aptitude against some of the world's best turf sprinters - clearly, the thinking is that her form will translate directly to the synthetic surface. Of course, it may just be a case of sharing the wealth - her stablemate, Strike the Deal, is down for the Turf Sprint. Capt. Candyman Can seems to be maturing nicely into this division, however - it would be no bad thing to see him represent for the 3-year-old American boys - if he likes the track.

But back to speedy European horses for the moment; Goldikova's rabbit, Only Green, has an entry - but she will be running in her own right in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Whether she can stack up to Sara Louise, Indian Blessing or Ventura in that race remains to be seen - it's shaping up to be one of the stronger races for North American-based horses. The same might be said of the Filly & Mare Turf - Diamondrella, Pure Clan, Rutherienne and Forever Together are a formidable bunch - although Midday, who has faced Sariska and who will have the services of Tom Queally (even though he's not staying on Fleeting Spirit), could well be ready for them.

The Irish contingent is looking very strong; Aiden O'Brien plans to send out Beethoven and Alfred Nobel in the Juvenile, with Viscount Nelson taking the Juvenile Turf option. Man of Iron, half-brother to Belmont winners Rags to Riches and Jazil, might be seen in the Marathon, now that Septimus has been ruled out. Naturally, Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman are looking like the major stars for Ballydoyle as they work toward the Classic - but don't count out either Einstein or Zenyatta. Given the notable absences from the Classic, one hopes it's becoming more and more likely that's where Zenyatta will be entered; there's nothing for her to prove against anyone in the likely Filly & Mare Classic field.

There was some action in the Juvenile division; IEAH managed to come up with some cash that is not tied up in a lawsuit to purchase Radiohead. The Racing Post seems to find this a bit peculiar:

The deal, thought to be for in excess of $1 million, represents a calculated gamble on behalf of IEAH, as Radiohead has yet to race beyond 6f or on an artificial surface.

In addition to doubts about his stamina to see out the 1m½f trip of the Juvenile, his new owners will also need to fork out the bulk of a $100,000 entry fee because Radiohead was not Breeders' Cup registered as a foal.

On the plus side, the horse's name and new associations give ample opportunity for dropping in Radiohead titles and lines from songs (one wonders if they listened to 'We Suck Young Blood' before the purchase - presumably 'Karma Police' was not on the playlist) - but really, I'd prefer to see a winner's circle free of fake tans.

We will continue to round up Things Breeders' Cup-related next week, then we'll start getting serious about it, with a closer look at each race coming soon. We're nearly there - in the meantime, why not check out the DeFrancis Das h this weekend?

Keeping Time

2009-10-21T10:49:00.003-04:00

I wrote a new post about the Breeders' Cup Marathon last week for the NTRA that has yet to appear there (in case you're wondering why part of a 'new' article will be out of date by the time you read it), but since that's not up yet, why not check out my most recent review? It's a little more timely.

You can expect more about this story in my next Marathon post - whenever that goes up.

Jigsaw Falling Into Place

2009-10-20T13:31:00.004-04:00

As we move inexorably closer to Breeders' Cup time (pre-entries are to be announced in a little more than a week), things are fairly quiet - last weekend's (stateside) races were most notable for a major exit, rather than as Breeders' Cup preps.

But it was a satisfying exit; Champs Elysees capped his career in style, by going out on a win in the Canadian International. He beat a thoroughly professional field that included Jukebox Jury and Quijano, and he is now off to join his brothers, Dansili and Cacique, at Banstead Manor Stud. It will be interesting to see how they price him, given the economy and the fact that Juddmonte is rather awash in Danehill-Hasili stallions - Dansili is already a proven sire, with notable offspring including Arc winner Rail Link (also a Juddmonte stallion) and Zambezi Sun, but Champs Elysees has had a more varied racing career, including G1 wins - Dansili never won a G1 race. Fellow G1-winning brother Cacique's fee is officially private, while Dansili stands for £65,000 - will Champs Elysees sit somewhere in the middle, or come in at a lower rate as the junior partner?

And so to some racing that may have more of an impact on the Breeders' Cup - the Newmarket Champion Stakes. Twice Over (something of a stablemate to Champs Elysees in the sense that both reside under the very large Juddmonte banner) was the winner and while he has earned a spot in the Turf, he may instead follow the European crowd to the Classic. Something of an underachiever at 3 and earlier this year (despite a race record full of glittering opponents, including Sea the Stars, Vision d'Etat, Tartan Bearer, Henrythenavigator and Raven's Pass - who finished behind Twice Over in the Craven Stakes), he has recently come into his own. On Saturday, he beat a fine field including favo(u)red Fame & Glory (an unthreatening 7th - he may have been tired from a season of chasing Sea the Stars) and held off strong efforts from Mawatheeq and Sariska. Unfortunately neither will be coming to the Breeders' Cup - Sariska is getting a break before aiming for next year's Arc - but it seems likely we'll see both next year. As for Twice Over, he's flying slightly under the radar (at least compared to Rip Van Winkle) - you may want to make note of him.

Also hoping to go out on a win like Champs Elysees is Red Rocks, winner of the 2006 Turf - but with a slight difference. If a stallion deal for the 6-year-old is not finalized before the Breeders' Cup, he'll head to Fasig-Tipton a few days after the race for the auction block. Someone could pick up a bargain - although if Spanish Moon, Conduit and Dar Re Mi do show up, he'll have his work cut out for him.

Other horses operating in stealth mode (but who appear on the Breeders' Cup possibles list - PDF warning) include Stardom Bound - she may not have lived up to her potential in the spring, but she's been working toward redemption in the Filly & Mare Classic. Whether her strong workouts will translate back into a win in the afternoon remains to be seen - but the prospect of Zenyatta losing to 'Baby Z' (or to Music Note or Icon Project) should send her to the 'classic' Classic (where her name presently does not appear) - a good finish behind just about anyone in this potential field still says a lot. We should know reasonably soon, in either case.

We'll look at other possible Breeders' Cup matchups later, but if Radiohead does come for the Juvenile, will he prove fitter/happier than the local boys?

Sea the Stars Makes Room for the Lady?

2009-10-13T12:39:00.004-04:00

Although we had the rare luxury last weekend of enjoying racing on normal-ish television for two days in a row, we're now in that odd pre-Breeders' Cup holding pattern, where we wait on the who's-going-where decisions.

One that's already been made is that Sea the Stars will not be coming to the Breeders' Cup, but will, instead, be going directly to stud. John McCririck (he of the mutton chops and deerstalker) sounded positively heartbroken:

"Obviously commercially this is the right decision as he could only harm his reputation, by either defeat or the possibility of injury.

"But if he had stayed in training there could have been world tours, virtually. Everywhere he turned up crowds would have come just to see this phenomenon. Horse racing would have had its very own Usain Bolt.

"He would have been an absolute star attraction and it would have been fantastic for the sport, so it's very sad that commercial realism has taken over."

Sea the Stars' owner, Christopher Tsui, put it this way:

"We feel it is unfair to keep him going any further given his unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months."

I'd point out that Rachel Alexandra's unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months does not preclude her racing next year - but there you are. You can still relive Sea the Stars' brief-but-exciting career in photos.

Fortunately, we still have Zenyatta, who extended her unbeaten streak on Saturday in the Lady's Secret. The absence of Sea the Stars has to make the Breeders' Cup Classic more appealing to her connections - but of course, the same will be true for other top horses. She hasn't faced much of anything this season and she'll have to step up her game if she does take on the boys (her Beyer was a 97, versus a 106 for Gitando Hernando - see below), but she's one of the few American horses name-checked by the European press as a real threat in the Classic.

It's easy to understand their writing off our homebred competition when some of our better 3-year-olds and older horses were easily beaten in the Goodwood by the aforementioned Gitano Hernando, a second- or third-string runner behind the likes of Sea the Stars and Rip Van Winkle who had not previously won a graded stakes race. (A small aside here - Gitano Hernando's last race was nothing terribly exciting at Wolverhampton, but some may find the race notable for last year's Marathon winner, Muhannak, finishing eighth. For myself, I haven't been to Wolverhampton since a last-minute road trip to see My Life Story, an indoor band if ever there were one, play for some hippies in a field in 1996 - but I digress).

However, we do still have Einstein and Summer Bird (one can easily argue that Gio Ponti is also being overlooked in the Classic picture). Mine That Bird will also be heading to the Classic despite his lackluster showing in the Goodwood; he seemed uncharacteristically worked up before the race, so perhaps he was just having a particularly off day. Poor Tiago finished last, which is a shame; he's always seemed to have more potential than his Derby-winning brother.

Presious Passion and Gayego also indicated that they would be prepared for their respective Breeders' Cup divisions; Presious Passion beat Medici Code and Spring House in the Clement Hirsch with a view toward the Turf, while Gayego took the Ancient Title on his way to the Sprint.

And now we wait.

Epic Television FAIL Shockingly Not Racing-related

2009-10-12T10:18:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, just sometimes, racing fans catch a break - on both Saturday and Sunday, ESPN actually showed some racing. American soccer fans were not as fortunate; while we got the desired result (we're going to the World Cup!), watching the qualifying game in question was not an option for most. But this time around, we don't get to blame ESPN.

While it's possible to give the Honduran soccer federation a pass on some things, given the fact that their country is still in the middle of a coup, their mismanagement of the TV rights is not one of them. Rather than simply sell the US rights to ESPN or another network, they opted to go with the finest 1980s technology and sold the game to individual bars, making it available only via closed-circuit television - and those bars were required to kick back much of the cover for the privilege (after the initial cost to air the game).

While this was a subject of much annoyance to hardcore fans for a number of weeks, it was news to the more casual fan who presumed (and not unreasonably) that their national team's penultimate World Cup qualifier, one in which they could clinch a berth, would be on television - the #usmnt Twitter stream was filled with invective just before kickoff as those searching for the game in vain were told their best shot was to get to one of a very few bars, pronto, or just follow along on Twitter, hoping to find a pirated stream.

The good people behind the bid to bring the World Cup back to the US in 2022 helpfully set up a search tool so fans could find a bar that was actually allowed to show the game (and it would be wonderful if the NTRA could do the same for major race days - of course, that's assuming that a bar that showed racing could be found in more than a very few places) - but again, for the more casual fan, it was like being told that the Kentucky Derby was only available to paying customers at a sports bar that might require a long journey - at 5 pm on the first Saturday in May.

By most accounts, the game was nothing if not epic, and may have signaled something of a sea change for American soccer, with the goals coming from players who work their day jobs in Major League Soccer, rather than in Europe (although given that we produce some of the best goalkeepers in the world, you'd be hard-pressed to find a player like Tim Howard in the US at the peak of his career - we still send them to Europe, and MLS gets them back when they retire from international play).

It just would have been nice to, you know, see it.

Here's hoping everyone has learned their lesson - and that racing doesn't get any clever ideas from this.

More Quick Hits: Zenyatta, Mine That Bird, et al.

2009-10-09T10:48:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's another Friday with too much going on - time for some quick hits!

Things New Yorkish/Canadian
Is Dublin a lock in the Champagne? Recall that Vineyard Haven and Munnings were 1-2 last year - is it becoming a prep for future sprinting success?

Should we be paying more attention to the Canadian 2-year-olds?

Things Californian
Will Spring House surprise Presious Passion in the Clement L Hirsch, or will Artiste Royal repeat?

Mine That Bird gets Calvin Borel back in the Goodwood, but faces a tough field - Chocolate Candy and British newcomer Gitano Hernando are the only other 3-year-olds taking on some quality older horses. Colonel John almost always shows up, but it would also be nice to see Tiago overcome his recent bad luck. As for shock Pacific Classic winner Richard's Kid - who really knows?

Finally, of course, there is Zenyatta in the Lady's Secret - will it be lucky 13 for her? She hasn't faced much this year, but Cocoa Beach could make her work for it; Anabaa's Creation got quite close last time out - it should be great fun to see what happens.

Jockeys in the Wild

2009-10-08T10:48:00.002-04:00

Because time is short today, and you can never have enough Simon Pegg, today we offer two 'jockey' sketches from Big Train spliced together:

Live Nude Jockeys

2009-10-07T16:03:00.003-04:00

Isn't it odd that ESPN the Magazine chose to Alex Solis to represent naked jockeys, over Chantal Sutherland, for their clothing-optional issue (out on Friday)? You can watch him getting some nether-makeup here (about 1:10 in on the video) as he prepares for his closeup; note that Levi the horse avoids total nudity (and, apparently, cosmetics) with a bridle. Granted, Solis likely offers a more 'typical' jockey physique, given the gender disparity in the sport, but it's still a little surprising they didn't opt for her - after all, I rarely get search results for 'Alex Solis nude' whereas 'Chantal Sutherland nude' is quite a popular topic.

Still, it's exposure for the sport, right?

(Did you see what I did there? I do apologize - I'm distracted by the notion of tasteful nude photos of Oguchi Onyewu - pictured).

Wins, Losses and a Mysterious Breeders' Cup Picture

2009-10-06T14:18:00.005-04:00

The past weekend's racing raised almost as many questions as it answered, but two were given an unqualified affirmative - yes, Sea the Stars is really that good, and yes, Summer Bird loves New York. Surprising losses both at home and abroad, however, are keeping the Breeders' Cup picture mysteriously cloudy - and we'll start in the losing column.

Perhaps the most unexpected loss was Goldikova's in the Prix de la Foret. True, she had a wide trip, and it was her first shot at seven furlongs, but she seemed to be lacking her usual closing kick in her third-place finish - whether she will still fly to California to defend her Mile title is up in the air at this point. But if any horse deserves a shot at her seventh G1 win, it's Goldikova; hopefully we'll see her again next month (and possibly next year).

Yeats was an unlucky third as well in the Prix du Cadran - but he was not the unbeatable favorite going in. It seems he used up the last of his great good luck in his fourth Ascot Gold Cup, and his fans certainly do not hold this loss against him. He heads off to stud now at eight - that's two lifetimes for most high-level colts these days - and one hopes he settles well into his new career; he's earned it.

There was an unpredictable loss in New York as well; Gio Ponti came up short behind longshot Interpatation in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, but the defeat does not alter his plans - he's still set to switch from the grass to the synthetics next month with a shot at the Classic. He's already won over the surface there, so it's worth watching his preparations.

Kodiak Kowboy won the Vosburgh; runner-up Fabulous Strike collected another paycheck, but he may avoid this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint in favor of next year's renewal. However, the win may send Kodiak Kowboy to Santa Anita instead; it's at least an option on the table for him which was not widely considered earlier. 3-year-old Munnings was a few lengths behind his elders, but he did figure in an interesting statistic - his trainer, Todd Pletcher, went to 0-49 in New York G1s with his loss. Munnings will likely aim for the Cigar Mile.

And so to the predicted winners on each continent - Summer Bird and Sea the Stars. The only person seriously arguing that Summer Bird can only win over a wet track seems to be losing trainer Todd Pletcher, whose Quality Road put in a fine effort despite the conditions:

"I think he's better on a fast track," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Quality Road for Edward P. Evans. "Summer Bird relishes this kind of surface. That's the way it goes. Sometimes, you get lucky [and] it rains when you need it to. Sometimes, it doesn't. "

Here's a thought for the Toddster: perhaps Summer Bird is also better on a dry track. We may need to revive the notion that a really fine horse wins no matter the track conditions - and that's no insult to Quality Road, who simply seems more suited to a slightly shorter race. News that the Dirt Mile is a possibility for him is most welcome.

But let's not downplay Summer Bird's win - he joins rare company in completing the Belmont-Travers-Jockey Club Gold Cup treble - it has not been done since Easy Goer accomplished it in 1989, and it is a fraternity that includes greats such as Man o'War and Damascus. The horse is keeping trainer Tim Ice from seeing his newborn son anytime before November (the baby will make his track debut at Santa Anita), so clearly he understands the unique position Summer Bird occupies - and it's refreshing to hear that he is considering the Turf for the 3-year-old:

"I think we could put him on anything and he'd run, " Ice said. "We'll probably be in against a bunch of turf horses in the Classic anyway."

Of course, Ice recognizes that as good as Summer Bird is proving himself to be, he's still a good six lengths behind Rachel Alexandra for Horse of the Year - and that's fine, too. If anything, it should make next year very interesting for both.

And so to a horse who has run out of competition on his continent - Sea the Stars (pictured, with trainer John Oxx) proved once again that he's one for the ages in his Arc victory. Even more exciting was the fact that a trip to Santa Anita after his historic campaign could still be on the cards; The Guardian argues that there are few potential downsides (given that the breeding business certainly did not mind that his half-brother, Galileo, disappointed in the Classic) - and that, in fact, American racing needs him:

American racing is currently engaged in a slow, painful switch from dirt to artificial surfaces, which offers scope for Sea The Stars to be the first super-horse of the all-weather era. Had he emerged in 2010, when the Breeders' Cup will return to dirt at Churchill Downs, he would be an ex-racehorse already, as Oxx would never entertain the possibility of running him on dirt. It is only the fact that Santa Anita has a Pro-Ride surface that makes a run in the Classic a possibility.

In other words, there are sporting reasons to go to America as well as commercial ones. Racing needs horses like Sea The Stars, now more than ever. It is asking too much to see a £50m horse race on at four. One more outing in a race that might have been designed with him in mind is not.

While I would argue that it's entirely possible to run a wildly successful stallion at 4, I would not quibble with the notion that it would be wonderful to see him in the Breeders' Cup - although we won't hear either way for another week or two. What seems more certain is that he will most likely move to the Irish National Stud (former home of his equally-Arc-winning dam, Urban Sea); such a deal would also ensure that the public could continue to visit him.

Although Sea the Stars would most definitely be a headliner in the Classic alongside Summer Bird, one should continue to keep an eye on his vanquished foes, Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman...

JCGC and Things French

2009-10-02T13:37:00.005-04:00

It's Super Saturday at Belmont and there are two days of spectacular racing at Longchamp, so let's get right to it. First up, the outstanding card at Belmont.

The Beldame is suffering somewhat from the absence of Icon Project (I don't think anyone ever seriously thought Zenyatta was going to fly to New York for the race), but while that leaves Music Note the overwhelming favorite, Captain's Lover and Unbridled Belle may still have something to say about it. Having seem Captain's Lover do well in the slop on Haskell day, I think it might be her day tomorrow.

The Vosburgh has drawn a small field, but the three standout entries should find each other good competition. Munnings is stepping out against his elders for the first time, and he is very well-placed to come home with a win. He's certainly got the speed for it, and his two-pound weight break won't do Fabulous Strike or Kodiak Kowboy, both very capable sprinters, any favors. Incidentally, a previously-unknown portrait of Munnings' namesake, equine artist Sir Alfred Munnings, has recently been discovered.

The Flower Bowl is an ideal spot for Dynaforce to repeat her victory in this race, but she should be pressed by Carribean Sunset and Pure Clan. If the predicted rains do come, that could shake things up a bit, but as with the Vosburgh, the top three in this race are so classy that it should not cause them much trouble.

The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic is an opportunity for Gio Ponti to extend his winning streak. It will be his first effort at a mile and a half, but he's won four G1 races in a row; if he were running primarily on dirt, he'd be getting a lot more well-deserved acclaim - which is perhaps the reason he is likely aiming for the Breeders' Cup Classic. However, this is no walkover - Presious Passion and Grand Couturier and both very dangerous, and I like Musketier and Ready's Echo as longshots.

And so to the big race - the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Summer Bird (pictured) is aiming to join Easy Goer as a Belmont-Travers-JCGC winner, and he has a great shot to do so - if he can get past Macho Again. It will be the first time these two members of the Second to Rachel Alexandra Club have met, but the weight break for 3-year-olds Summer Bird and Quality Road should give them both a bit of an edge. I'm still not convinced Quality Road wants to run this far, and the consistent but often-overlooked Dry Martini is a threat as well. Asiatic Boy will likely get a piece of the action as well, but I anticipate seeing Summer Bird and Macho Again battling it out at the wire.

And so to France - while Sea the Stars in the Arc is the big story, the entire weekend is packed with quality racing; we'll hit a few highlights.

Saturday's highlight has to be the Prix de la Foret, in which Goldikova is aiming for her seventh G1 win - and the best news is that if she continues her winning ways here and in the Breeders' Cup Mile, she may remain in training next year. It's hard to argue there's a better miler in training anywhere - and the fact that US fans will, if all goes well, get another chance to see a mare who continues to stamp herself as one of the greats is even better. Here's hoping for a win tomorrow - and another one at Santa Anita.

On Sunday's card, Fleeting Spirit is the star in the Prix de l'Abbaye; she was a bit unlucky last time out, but has been facing and often beating the world's best turf sprinters for the past two seasons. She faces a challenge from 2-year-old Monsieur Chevalier (yes, that's right - a 2-year-old against older horses) who has six wins already this year - although this is a step up in class for him.

While it takes place after the Arc, we should not forget the Prix du Cadran - it will be the final race for the great Yeats. If he goes out on a win, it would be his eighth G1 win - although he's already so loaded with laurels that simply a good effort would be enough of a reward for his many fans. Here's hoping he's equally popular at stud.

Finally, of course, there's the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe itself - a chance for Sea the Stars to underline his much-discussed all-time-great status; indeed, a win on Sunday after a long season would be ample proof. But it's going to be no easy task; Vision d'Etat has been aiming for this race all year, Conduit (already beaten by Sea the Stars previously) may relish the distance, and fillies Dar Re Mi and Stacelita have their own scores to settle in the Arc. Fame and Glory will try to turn the tables on Sea the Stars - but it's more his race to lose than anyone else's to win at this point. He's essentially already had his coronation, so just getting to see another race while he's still at the top of his game should be excitement enough.

For those who like to complain that racing was better in the past, this weekend's lineup is an antidote - we're seeing three great European horses in Goldikova, Yeats and Sea the Stars, while Summer Bird seems to have taken a few steps in that direction; a win on Saturday would certainly advance his cause if he can keep winning this year - and next year as well. The future is equally open wide for Gio Ponti; a little recognition of his achievements would not go amiss.

Retirements and Departures

2009-09-29T12:29:00.003-04:00

While Lava Man is working toward a comeback, the equally hard-knocking Better Talk Now is finally heading for retirement. Better Talk Now was aiming for another G1 win in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic coming up this weekend, but he injured a suspensory ligament while training; he'll be looking at a comfortable retirement instead of more racing. With Lava Man's reservation at Old Friends canceled and Kona Gold's stall at Kentucky Horse Park sadly vacated last week, there are plenty of appealing options for Better Talk Now's future.

Also preparing for retirement is Champs Elysees; he has one more race left on his schedule, the Canadian International at Woodbine, before he joins big brother Dansili at stud in England. The new economic realities of the breeding game had kept the son of Hasili in training this year, rather than heading to an immediately lucrative stud career; Bill Finley hopes this also delays the flight to the breeding shed for horses including Summer Bird and Sea the Stars. (It must be particularly tricky for Summer Bird to find a stud 'gig' at the moment - who would want to stand him, despite his accomplishments so far this year, when his sire commands a mere $10,000 a pop? Hopefully, that fact alone should keep him in training next year).

There was some rather exciting racing this past weekend, both here and abroad; Indian Blessing held off Sara Louise in what has to be one of the most thrilling finishes the Gallant Bloom has ever seen. One hopes both will aim for the Filly & Mare Sprint, since they seem to be worthy adversaries. Meanwhile, at Ascot, Rip Van Winkle proved he is more than an afterthought to Sea the Stars with a determined win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. This victory is setting him up for a run at the Breeders' Cup Classic (following last year's winning 'European Milers Take 1-2 in the Classic' formula) - it's a shrewd move since it avoids Goldikova and allows him to keep his solid miler status intact.

Rip Van Winkle's great rival, Sea the Stars, is still on target for the Arc on Sunday - it's highly unlikely he would come to California after his Paris run, but it's still not been entirely ruled out. We'll look at the Arc in more detail later this week, but it's hard not to chuckle a bit at the British outrage that some of the Arc undercard will not be broadcast on terrestrial television - imagine being able to see the Arc itself on even a normal cable channel in the US!

Tomorrow, I'll be discussing the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Alex Brown's radio show - tune in to hear our thoughts on Summer Bird, Quality Road and the other likely entrants!

Quick Hits

2009-09-25T14:35:00.006-04:00

Time is short today, so we are limited to a few brief bullet points:

Lava Man back in training – the 'Behind the Music' version is very informative.

Zenyatta to possibly run a few times next year – hey, that would be half her season this year already! How about Keeneland instead of Santa Anita? It would be a Good Thing, in any instance.

Cryptoclearance dead - another stud dies, this one very much under-rated.

Human racing - with the Thoroughbred Brief in Kentucky, or me in Delaware. She's got Secretariat, but I have beer. Or you could just cheer for both of us.

Anglo-Saxon hoard from Staffordshire - this is entirely relevant, as there are plenty of items with horse motifs in said hoard. This is bigger than Sutton Hoo, folks - it's another chance to try to figure out how many things Bede was just making up about the kings of Mercia (and Anglo-Saxon kingship as a whole).

Indian Blessing takes on Sara Louise in the Gallant Bloom - will both be going to the Filly & Mare Sprint? So far, Sara Louise is proving to be more than just the answer to a trivia question.

Ballydoyle Watch - Rip Van Winkle is almost certain for the Breeders' Cup Classic (feet permitting), but Yeats will likely bow out in France.

Rachel Alexandra - now accepting fan mail. And why not?

New NTRA Blog Post

2009-09-25T11:04:00.001-04:00

...is up over there. More to come later!

Weekend Results & Breeders' Cup Plans

2009-09-22T12:24:00.004-04:00

Ventura added her success in the Woodbine Mile to the ongoing Season of Female Domination; second in this race last year, she blew past the field to win easily this time around. Although it's a Win and You're In Race for the Breeders' Cup Mile, she'll be heading to the Filly & Mare Sprint to defend her title. While Ventura is very tough at a mile, it makes sense for her to go to her preferred sprinting distance - since Goldikova looks nearly unbeatable in the Mile.

Goldikova's trainer, Freddie Head, has opted to send the 4-year-old to the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp for her final Breeders' Cup prep - and he also suggested that she might remain in training next year, which is an exciting prospect. Should Goldikova repeat her Mile win, she will be the second mare partnered by Head to such a result; he was the jockey aboard the great Miesque for both of her Breeders' Cup Mile wins - and he thinks that Goldikova is better (and certainly easier to ride). Now in possession of six G1 wins and a gilded list of defeated foes, it's not surprising that she may be scaring off some competition.

Other European horses with possible Breeders' Cup plans include Ballydoyle's Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman, both of whom are under consideration for the Classic (although they tend to excel at the mile distance - but see Goldikova, above). Sea the Stars is still looking unlikely, but is a theoretical possibility for the race.

Recently unlucky (to put it nicely) filly Dar Re Mi may head to the Filly & Mare Turf, and Godolphin recently purchased Delegator (last seen beating older horses after previously finishing in the wake of Sea the Stars) with a view toward the Mile (although I don't love his chances against Goldikova). Obviously there will be a slew of European horses coming for the Turf - but you knew that already.

Although she is not being pointed toward this year's Breeders' Cup, it's not a bad bet to keep an eye on Deluxe - the 2-year-old filly won her debut race in France, and if she follows in her sisters' hoofprints, we can expect to see this latest daughter of Hasili in the Breeders' Cup at some point in the next few years. Banks Hill won the Filly & Mare Turf at 3 and was second at 4, while Intercontinental won the race at 5. (Champs Elysees, another Hasili foal, had bad racing luck over the weekend in the Northern Dancer - he ended up being placed third after an inquiry).

Back in the States, the appallingly-named D'Funnybone stamped himself as a favorite for the Juvenile in the Futurity, while Regal Ransom put himself back in play for the Classic with his Super Derby win. With only a few more major races to go before we get to serious Breeders' Cup countdown time, divisions are beginning to tighten up - here's where things get interesting...

Breeders' Cup horse betting

Beware the Weekend Post!

2009-09-18T13:00:00.003-04:00

This year's edition of the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs may not be its most stellar, but it does have an interesting cast of horses who have something to prove (a perfect setup for 'Jockeys' - but more on that later). Regal Ransom blew the doors off his more-heralded stablemate Desert Party in the UAE Derby, but his less-than-stellar effort in the Kentucky Derby landed him a layoff - until tomorrow. Another surprise winner, West Virginia Derby Soul Warrior, is also in the mix here and both horses should like the 1 1/8 distance here. Whether this race ends up having any Breeders' Cup impact this year remains to be seen - it's not exactly up to the standard of the vintage 1980s runnings of the race - but it could prove a prep for the Dirt Mile.

Meanwhile, at Belmont, Rutherienne is back in action in the Noble Damsel; she and Social Queen are co-high weights for the race. Rutherienne has been very unlucky in her last few starts (she and Einstein share the distinction of looking like the best horse in the race, but missing out on first down to sheer bad luck of late), and she looks like the horse to beat again on Saturday - hopefully, she will come home with a win.

Also on the Belmont card are the Matron (which looks appealing for Dashing Debby) and the Futurity - the 2-year-old boys are working toward the Juvenile in earnest now, although I cannot commit to any bandwagons yet.

As we move toward the Breeders' Cup, I would direct your attention to the NTRA's website, where I'll be blogging about the Breeders' Cup Marathon - so many thanks to the NTRA for the opportunity, and please do check out the other Breeders' Cup blogs while you are there - it should be good fun.

Speaking of good fun, our entire household had a wonderful time playing Spot the Continuity Error on last week's episode of 'Jockeys.' This was particularly diverting during the Jon Court segments, especially those (meant to be) on Kentucky Oaks day. Back in May, I recall wishing I'd bet Orthodox for his big undercard win (and speculated that we'd be seeing this on 'Jockeys,' since it was practically a Hollywood-perfect end to that storyline - not to mention an outstanding payout).

While there were some of the usual reality-show issues (particularly Court's wife apparently changing dresses back and forth on 'Oaks day' between scenes), my favorite part was when they cut to the infield screen at Churchill Downs to show Orthodox 'in the post parade' - when the screen clearly showed the results and payouts for the race he (and Jon Court) had just won. Granted, only someone who had actually watched the Oaks undercard would have noticed - perhaps it was an inside joke? There was a shot of Calvin Borel congratulating Court in the jocks' room - couldn't we have worked in one quick clip of him on Rachel Alexandra that day? It would have been nice to see more mention of Einstein winning the Big Cap as well - can we get Julien Leparoux onto the next season?

Quibbles aside, 'Jockeys' seems to be working its magic - Joe Talamo will be appearing on Conan O'Brien's show next Monday, which I cannot imagine would have happened without its influence. As trainer Ron Ellis notes:

"I'm not known as Ron Ellis, the trainer," he said. "I'm known as Joe Talamo's girlfriend's dad."

Indeed.

Incidentally, this is my 666th post. You have been warned. Why not celebrate with some Oktoberfest fun?

Breeders' Cup FTW!

2009-09-15T10:55:00.003-04:00

As much as I like to complain that the racing industry often Gets It Wrong, the Breeders' Cup did two Very Good Things this week (and it's only Tuesday). First, they announced that a race will be airing live between two college football games on October 10th - and while I don't personally see the point of college football (or, really, any football that largely involves the hands), this is a very smart marketing move. Depending on how things shake out, we should have a chance to see either Zenyatta or Mine That Bird in a Breeders' Cup prep.

There will be a good schedule of racing shown October 10th on ESPN in any event (the Goodwood, the Lady's Secret, the Oak Tree Mile, the Shadwell Turf Mile and the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity), but getting at least one of those races out to a new audience is a welcome gesture. It's a shame it couldn't have been the Woodward, but it's a step in the right direction.

The second Good Thing is the launch of Breeders' Cup 360 - it may be aimed primarily at bettors, but it's full of plenty of great content and it's powered by our favorite racing engine, Raceday 360. There's plenty of opportunity for commentary and discussion and it's got a fantabulous layout and design - full marks for everyone involved!

The flip side to all the good news was the very strange outcome of the Prix Vermeille over the weekend, in which the winning filly, Dar Re Mi, was disqualified to fifth - leaving the pre-race favorite Stacelita undefeated. The reasoning was that she interfered with the fifth-place horse, but I would challenge anyone to find anything amiss with the ride - it's certainly not one of those 50/50 calls. Both fillies will likely still point to the Arc - but as impressive as Stacelita has been so far this season, in my mind, she's certainly not undefeated anymore. And if the ground comes up soft in Paris on October 4th, Stacelita, a fan of the wet stuff, may well be the victor - for Sea the Stars won't run if it's damp. In that case, we'd be more likely to see him in the Breeders' Cup in November - but in any event, the race for the Arc has gotten very interesting indeed.

Looking Forward by Looking Back: Breeders' Cup Marathon

2009-09-14T15:25:00.008-04:00

This post also appears on NTRA.com.

At first glance, the Breeders' Cup Marathon might seem as though it was designed to attract the European horses bred for longer distances; but while the Marathon is relatively new to the American racing scene, having only been added to the schedule last year, its new 1 3/4 distance is one that would have been familiar to American horses in the past - and is still quite relevant to modern breeders looking to demonstrate the stamina in their bloodlines.

American Eclipse (1814-1847) was one of the first nationally-famous racehorses; like his British namesake, he retired undefeated. His specialty was winning races comprised of 3-4 mile heats - and he passed on that enthusiasm for distance to his offspring. His 1826 filly, Black Maria (out of his former rival, Lady Lightfoot), was renowned in her day for having won the Jockey Club purse over Long Island's Union Course in 1832, after running five 4-mile heats (yes, that's right - twenty miles in total). We quote from Charles E. Trevathan's The American Thoroughbred, 1905:

"We wonder if there is a horse on the turf to-day that could stand up under such a performance as this? We fear not, for unfortunately, the English dash system of racing has become too popular on this side of the Atlantic for the good of our stock. We have learned to look too much for speed and to pay too little attention to the more valuable quality of endurance...[i]t is a sad commentary upon our system of racing that a purse for a contest of four miles - a four-mile dash, not heats, please bear in mind - fails to secure a run worthy of the name of race."

But such long-distance contests were not confined entirely to the 1820s and 1830s; 3-mile heats continued through the 1850s, even as single-heat 'dashes' were becoming more popular; later, during the Civil War, the Jersey Derby was a 1 1/2 mile 'dash,' although elsewhere on the card were 2-mile heats. The 1870s and 1880s saw distances gradually normalizing to those more familiar to the modern eye, and by the early 20th century, longer races had been consigned largely to history.

However, interest in distance races has been bubbling under the surface in recent years. The Brooklyn Handicap is a longer race again (after many changes over the years), and the 13-furlong Gallant Man Handicap was inaugurated last year at Hollywood Park. Keeneland got in on the act in 2008 as well (thanks, in large part, to the presence of the Marathon on the Breeders' Cup card) with the Fort Harrod Stakes. These races, as well as the few 1 1/2 mile races scattered throughout the country that are Not The Belmont Stakes, may not make up a huge division at present, but there's time for growth - and anything that encourages breeders worldwide to remember the long-distance horse as a goal is a worthy endeavor.

And it's not as though that stamina is missing from American bloodlines - modern distance greats like Ireland's Yeats and Australia's Makybe Diva both benefit from surprisingly 'American' pedigrees. It's high time we got to see those stamina influence at work here in the States - and that's why I'm a Breeders' Cup Marathon fan.

(Mostly) the Correct Outcomes

2009-09-08T12:22:00.003-04:00

Almost all of last weekend's stories played out exactly as scripted - Sea the Stars continued his march to greatness in Ireland, while we here in the US continued to enjoy Rachel Alexandra's assault on the history books. Even Pyro made an exciting comeback, while only unlucky Einstein just missed out on getting the win he very much deserved.

Sea the Stars took the Irish Champion Stakes in highly impressive style (which is to say, his usual style) and Timeform have, somewhat controversially, awarded him a rating of 140 - which would rank him with all-time greats like Mill Reef and Shergar. It seems churlish to nitpick, but it's worth pointing out that he's been largely beating the same group of horses and that his campaign has been planned to avoid soft ground - but he should face some strong competition in the Arc. The Breeders' Cup is looking very unlikely, as is any talk of a campaign next year - but I do wonder whether he could beat Goldikova at the mile. It's a shame we will likely never find out - it would be wonderful to see him at 4.

Of course, there are accolades aplenty for Rachel Alexandra's historic victory in the Woodward; owner Jess Jackson is likely to give her the rest of the year off (and she has certainly earned that). Her eight starts (and, of course, eight wins) this year have each been spectacular in their own way - and having Horse of the Year wrapped up in September is fine by me. In case you're curious, Sea the Stars has only five starts this year - and eight starts lifetime; on this side of the pond, Zenyatta has started three times so far this season, and only iron horses Einstein and Macho Again can boast six starts this year. (Awesome Gem has seven starts, but I don't see anyone putting him forward for Horse of the Year). I think we've been more than privileged to follow Rachel Alexandra along through her historic season - let her have her break and come back refreshed next year. Let's also give credit to Macho Again, who ran quite a race for second - he certainly deserved to be there and to be part of history. I stand by my statement that Rachel Alexandra's drive to stay ahead of Macho Again in the closings strides was not unlike the Millennium Falcon being shot out of the exploding Death Star at the end of Return of the Jedi. Only better.

Pyro was certainly looking brighter in the Forego, in which he finally landed a G1 win; it was his second start back after time off, and sprinting clearly suits him. It's nice to see a promising horse finally find his groove.

Richard's Kid was certainly an upset winner in the Pacific Classic, but runner-up Einstein has nothing to be ashamed of - he put in a tough, gritty effort that would have gotten a win nine times out of ten - this time happened to be an outlier. Richard's Kid benefited from an outstanding ride from Mike Smith, but I wonder where we will see him next. Colonel John had a bad trip, but also looked a bit tired - maybe next time. In any event, Einstein seemed quite at home on a Southern California surface - I'd love to see him win a Breeders' Cup race.

History, Achieved

2009-09-05T20:20:00.004-04:00

Opportunities to bask in the glow of historical perspective abound in Rachel Alexandra's win in the Woodward - it's difficult to imagine anyone else even close to Horse of the Year after such a performance - but the chance to see her become the first 3-year-old filly to hold that position since 1945 has been worth the wait.

The full magnitude of what she accomplished today may take some time to set in; beyond the very few historical comparisons (most notably Twilight Tear and Busher in 1944 and 1945 - or going all the way back to Lady Primrose winning the Manhattan in 1887 - when she only carried 104 pounds), the sheer speed of the opening quarters was enough to torpedo most great horse's chances. Indeed, it took a toll on the merely good - Past the Point and Cool Coal Man were the final two official finishers after pressing the pace, and Da' Tara was eased in the stretch - he did not even officially finish. The early speed was such that Rachel Alexandra's winning time was a full second faster than Curlin's in the same race, and just a shade off Ghostzapper's result (both of whom won at age 4).

This now means we have a Rachel Alexandra victory to suit any occasion - and that is just looking at this season:

For utter dominance, her Kentucky Oaks victory:

For getting a glimpse of what she could do when pressed - the Preakness:

Winning for fun in the Mother Goose:

Sheer class and the most picture-perfect finish I've ever been lucky enough to see in person at the Haskell:

And today - the true grit and determination of a storied champion; enjoy your 2009 Woodward champion, Rachel Alexandra:

Rachelmania

2009-09-04T09:57:00.006-04:00

It's a rare year in which the Woodward could determine Horse of the Year; we are lucky enough to be living through one of them now. While some have scoffed at the level of competition Rachel Alexandra (pictured yesterday in the paddock at Saratoga - courtesy of NYRA) will be facing in the race, others have continued to note how unusual a win would be - Jeremy Plonk cites Lady's Secret and Shuvee, who each had a single victory against males in multiple starts. Bill Finley points out how impressive those horses dispatched by Rachel Alexandra have proven in their next Rachel-free outings - and it's a strong list.

The Woodward field may not be quite as strong as the Pacific Classic field this year, but it's still got plenty of firepower - recall that Past the Points really made Curlin work for his victory in this race last year. And Macho Again is no slouch - although you have to respect West Point's Terry Finley's attitude toward the horse's participation in the race:

"How many times do you get a shot to really be part of history?" said West Point president Terry Finley, who estimates the 17 partners in Macho Again will bring about 500 friends and family members to the race. "I would hope that in 50 years people would talk about the 2009 Woodward."

and

"He hasn't really garnered a ton of attention to this point," Finley said. "So what do you do to market a stallion? One way is to be in a race that the whole world is going to be looking at."

I like the fact that 'Second to Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward' could appear in the Stallion Register at some point down the line - and that it would be a selling point. Summer Bird can use his second in the Haskell and Musket Man should feel no shame in listing his third-place finish in the Preakness.

Bullsbay has also come into his own of late - the Whitney winner has been improving against the tougher company he's been facing recently. Asiatic Boy may not have been able to maintain his Dubai form Stateside, but he's talented - he just seems to prefer to express that talent in second-place finishes. I'm presuming that Da' Tara is in here as a rabbit for Cool Coal Man - I wouldn't be surprised to see Cool Coal Man hit the board, but I think that honor will more likely go to Macho Again and Bullsbay. It's a Bird has had ups and downs lately, but he seems more like a solid G2 contender.

Even the DRF has Rachelmania; they ran a nice article on her exercise rider, Dominic Terry. And Gary West proclaims that seeing her is 'as close to greatness as we will see' (a notion which my fellow Haskell attendees would agree with).

But perhaps nothing is more telling than Andrew Beyer's take on the race - it seems rare enough for Beyer to praise a modern horse, so his words about Rachel Alexandra should not be taken lightly:

Rachel Alexandra can lock up the horse of the year title with a victory, but she can also earn an even rarer distinction. While other members of her sex have won the sport's top honor without beating the best males, this will be the first time in the postwar era that a filly, running on dirt, will be regarded as America's best racehorse, regardless of gender.

It almost seems unfair that she gets a weight break (for both age and sex). That's not to say she's unbeatable - any horse can have an off day - but here's hoping for another decisive victory on Saturday.

Other Races You Won't See This Weekend

2009-09-03T15:06:00.003-04:00

With all the excitement over Rachel Alexandra's run in the Woodward, it is easy to overlook that there are a few other exciting races that won't be on national television this weekend either. The Woodward undercard on Saturday at Saratoga also feature the Forego, and Sunday is Pacific Classic day at Del Mar. I'll merely point out here that in the past, ESPN has managed to carve out some time in the schedule for the Pacific Classic at the very least - it seems odd that it's no longer an option now. Ahem.

The Forego offers Pyro another chance to live up to his early promise, but he'll have plenty of competition - Kodiak Kowboy, Riley Ticker and Ready's Echo (now with blinkers) all seem like legitimate threats in this race. Whether they are all truly sprinters or simply did not want to face Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward is a question, but it's an interesting spot for many of these now-older horses (no 3-year-olds opted to run this year).

After the Forego comes the Woodward - but more on that tomorrow. Sunday at Saratoga, hard-knocking Commentator will get a chance to say goodbye to his fans as he heads off to a well-earned retirement; his activities include a chance to stretch his legs and a mint-flavored key to Saratoga Springs to munch on in the winner's circle - not a bad way to bow out, by any means.

And so to California - Sunday's Pacific Classic is looking like a compelling one. Blog favorite Einstein (pictured) is looking to come back after bad luck (terrible traffic, then a soggy course) in his last two races; the drama was ratcheted up today when it was announced that Stronach Stables has bought the son of Spend a Buck. The best news is that Einstein will remain in the care of Helen Pitts - and getting his ownership out of the hands of People In Jail cannot be a bad move. Colonel John, who won his first race back after a long layoff with pneumonia, was made the morning line favorite. It is, perhaps, somewhat unique that both headline horses have shown an affinity for dirt, turf and synthetics - I would certainly find that appealing as a breeder - and a good effort should set them both up for the Breeders' Cup.

But they are hardly the only two horses in the race - Awesome Gem may finish second quite often, but he's made a lot of money doing it. This is his third crack at the Pacific Classic. Mast Track has also hit the board quite a few times, and it's curious to see Global Hunter and Tres Borrachos in the field. You may recall that Global Hunter won the Eddie Read last time out, finishing ahead of Awesome Gem after favored Thorn Song decided to turn right instead of left on the first turn - it's unlikely something that peculiar will happen again in this race. Tres Borrachos seemed to have peaked at 3, but has been on the improve in California of late. The lone 3-year-old in the race, the Bob Baffert trainee Misremembered, is also worth watching; his sire, Candy Ride, was perhaps the most impressive winner of the Pacific Classic.

As ever, we will be rooting for Einstein, but Colonel John's long road back from pneumonia will strike a chord in our household as well; everyone except me has had it in the past few weeks.

Tomorrow we'll analyze the Woodward - check back then!

The Woodward Field - Where to Watch?

2009-09-02T12:04:00.005-04:00

The Woodward field is set, and it's larger than I had thought it would be:

1) Da' Tara
1A) Cool Coal Man
2) Bullsbay
3) Rachel Alexandra
4) Macho Again
5) It's a Bird
6) Asiatic Boy
7) Past the Point

It's interesting to see Asiatic Boy in, since trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had previously indicated he'd be skipping the race if she entered - and what an odd spot for Da' Tara to pop up in! Rachel Alexandra (pictured, courtesy of NYRA) was installed as the 1/2 morning line favorite (rather unsurprisingly). As it seems I won't have a chance to get to Saratoga to see her again this time around, I began casting around for interesting places to watch the race - at home? At a local track? Neither really fit in with the family's weekend activities.

Planning out where to watch the Woodward got me thinking - are there any horse racing bars in the US? We soccer fans complain often enough about the lack of footy-friendly bars, but it's really not that difficult to find one (although finding one that has good beer and/or isn't a fake Irish pub is a taller order - but it can be done), regardless of how obscure the friendly you're hoping to catch might be. Sure, you can go to the Turf Club or OTB, but they tend to be pretty unpleasant (even those with 'food') - and good luck bringing a child with you to most. (This spurs a side note to the management of such establishments - if your businesses are so disgusting even fans of the sport don't want to venture in, you may want to re-evaluate what you are doing.)

There are a few OTB-affiliated bars in New York that are better (e.g. The Playwright, which still doesn't offer much in the food or family-friendly department), but I can't think of any equivalent in Philly. I'm told the Whip Tavern shows a few races from time to time, but something in the city itself would be handy. It's difficult enough that the race will only be on TVG/HRTV, but the lack of any public place to watch makes it even harder to market the sport as a whole - watching a simulcast at Philly Park or at the Turf Club isn't exactly an appealing option. It seems local sports bars will be busy with 'college football' (which mystifies me - I can't understand the appeal of watching professionals play the sport, much less largely dumber-than-legacy kids who should be studying for their Rocks for Jocks exam) - and I doubt they receive TVG anyway.

It's true I'll be TiVoing the race no matter what, but lack of opportunity for a more communal experience on big racing days is a major drawback; it's hard to convince someone who isn't already a fan that this is fun when there's no decent off-track venue to catch a dinnertime sporting event.

But I'm happy to be proven wrong - if you know of a bar that shows racing, post a comment!

Summer Bird, Vindicated

2009-09-01T14:46:00.002-04:00

We here at Superfecta HQ are always pleased when we pick a winner that
some have doubted; with that in mind, it was especially nice to see Summer Bird win the Travers (and earn a 110 Beyer in the process). He will most likely head to the Jockey Club Gold Cup or the Goodwood next, but the Super Derby in trainer Tim Ice's home state of Louisiana is also an outside possibility.

Hold Me Back proved he's not just a synthetic specialist with a creditable second-place finish, but poor Quality Road didn't get the best of the race. While he was a bit unlucky, he didn't look like a horse who wanted to go that distance - his performance suggested he'd be much more comfortable back somewhere between 7 furlongs and a mile. For some reason, however, Todd Pletcher still thinks that Quality Road would like to consider the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but the Goodwood seems a better fit for distance (and a more useful prep for whichever Breeders' Cup race he aims for - I'd vote for the Sprint or Dirt Mile). Mine That Bird, now reunited with Calvin Borel, is also aiming for the Goodwood on his way to the Breeders' Cup.

The sprinters showed they are a worthy division as well - even if it was a little rougher. Capt. Candyman Can is clearly at home in this company in his win-by-DQ in the Kings Bishop, and while I doubted Vineyard Haven's readiness for the race, he certainly performed well - until he started shoving into Capt. Candyman Can, that is. It seemed pretty clear from the head-on replay that Vineyard Haven's number would be taken down (and jockey Alan Garcia ended up with a seven-day suspension), but his connections must still have been pleased with the ability he showed - even if they missed the check for first place. (But with a purchase price of $12 million, it's not as though he's ever going to earn that back at the track). It was pleasing to see Ian Wilkes, formerly the assistant to Carl Nafzger, get his first G1 win, even if it was in slightly peculiar circumstances. The only real disappointment in the race was Munnings - but he's probably due an off day, having most recently tried outrunning Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell (although that didn't seem to bother Summer Bird).

Of course, the focus has now shifted squarely onto Rachel Alexandra, with NYRA declaring the events surrounding Saturday's Woodward 'The Rachel Alexandra Show.' For those still keen to complain that the field for the Woodward may not present her much of a challenge (as if the Travers might have), NYRA invested in a bit of historical research (huzzah!) to further highlight how unusual her turn in the Woodward will be. In addition to noting the achievements of Twilight Tear and Busher (both featured at Colin's Ghost previously), the few other 3-year-old fillies to beat older males in the US included greats such as Miss Woodford and Beldame - more recently, European shippers (some of them among my favorite horses ever) like Miesque, Six Perfections and Goldikova have also risen to the challenge - but it's become even more of a rarity on dirt in recent years.

Naturally, we'll have a lot more to say about Rachel Alexandra later this week, so for now we'll close with trainer Steve Asmussen's take on the press following her normal workouts receive:

"All the attention and the crowds is just part of her life," said Asmussen. "She doesn't know everybody else doesn't get treated that way. She probably thinks 25 to 30 people follow everybody when they go over to run. Those kind of things might be unsettling for other horses, but it's kind of the norm for her."

Indeed.

Travers Day

2009-08-28T11:20:00.005-04:00

Travers weekend is upon us, and for once, we'll get some decent mainstream television coverage on ESPN - although the Ballston Spa won't be shown live, the other major stakes races on Saratoga's Saturday card will be. There's quite a bit to cover, so let's get to it.

Ballston Spa
This is a really interesting one - Rutherienne is taking on Cocoa Beach and My Princess Jess, as well as the interestingly-named Teamgeist - how can I not like a horse who shares a name with a soccer ball? Rutherienne was deeply unlucky last time out in the Diana (she was, in retrospect, probably the best horse in the race, but had to contend with traffic, wet ground and general unpleasantness) and she should be in a better spot here. However, Cocoa Beach will be tough for her to beat; I'm a fan of the Chilean-bred mare and like her versatility - dirt or turf, short or longer distance - nothing seems to faze her. Captain's Lover is taking a step up here, but I cashed a ticket on her last time out, so she warrants watching.

Ballerina
This year's Ballerina has a shorter field, but it's a talented one - Indian Blessing is looking to regain her good Saratoga form, but Informed Decision is red-hot at the moment and will likely be the deserving post-time favorite. Music Note is looking to make a return to the winner's circle as well, but I wonder if this race is a little too short for her - it's an interesting spot, in any case.

Kings Bishop
This race is another one that's packed with quality (and blazing speed); Munnings will be toting the highest weight, but it's a fine group of sprinters all around - Capt. Candyman Can is back to chase after Munnings, as is Big Drama, and Vineyard Haven has popped back up. Munnings should still be the overwhelming favorite, despite drawing the rail, and I'm a bit puzzled by Big Drama after the West Virginia Derby (although this race should set up more to his liking). I really like Capt. Candyman Can here - if Munnings is in any way compromised by his post position, I could see him picking up the pieces. Vineyard Haven is attempting a comeback as a sprinter after a long layoff - he will probably need a race.

Travers
You can listen again to my Travers ruminations, if you so desire, but here's the short version: I like Summer Bird. That's not to say I don't like the rest of the field - Richard Eng points out that six of the field of seven are coming off triple-digit Beyer performances in their last races - so it should be very competitive. I am lukewarm-to-chilly regarding Our Edge, Charitable Man and, to a lesser extent, Hold Me Back, but I see a lot to like in Quality Road, Kensei and Summer Bird. Warrior's Reward is my longshot pick - if either Quality Road or Kensei runs out of steam at the eighth pole, he may get a piece of the action. The classic distance is the real question mark for both Quality Road and Kensei - we know both are fast and talented, but it's not clear (yet) if either one really wants to run a mile and a quarter. Summer Bird obviously has no distance questions, and although he was a distant second-place finisher to the best horse currently in training in the Haskell, he should have a better shot on Saturday. If nothing else, it would be nice to see a Belmont winner come back and do well in other races - that's become something of a rarity in recent years.

Perhaps some good viewing figures this weekend will get the Woodward on national television - we can dream...

Not Quite Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Cool

2009-08-27T09:24:00.007-04:00

The Blood-Horse's Tom LaMarra noted earlier this week that our fair commonwealth of Pennsylvania has launched a marketing campaign to make the track 'cool' again. I noticed an ad on philly.com on Tuesday and it prompted mixed emotions; while I was pleased to see that someone had taken the initiative to buy ad space, the ad itself is a bit confusing (and could be better placed).

While its main objective seems to be promoting the Pennsylvania Derby (fair enough), the image (right) is one of youngish people cheering on harness racing – with part of a thoroughbred flying above their heads. I fully appreciate that PA Racing is trying to cater to both their thoroughbred and standardbred constituencies, but if the target audience is people in their 20s who have never been to the track and don't have a clear idea of what the Pennsylvania Derby is already, this isn't going to help them very much.

Their choice of advertising venue doesn't make much sense either, if the goal is to get a younger, presumably hipper, demographic, why choose philly.com? Beyond it hosting one of the worst newspapers I've ever had the misfortune to read, I would never go there to find something to do of a weekend – there are plenty of great local blogs (Foobooz, Philebrity, etc.) that do a much better job of that.

Beyond that, the Track Pack website itself is a nice start, but it's rather let down by the product. They suggest an evening out at the track for a 'fine meal' and 'drinks' but I would challenge anyone to find anything remotely resembling that at Philly Park – while I don't expect Jose Garces to come set up shop at the track (although that would be unequivocally awesome), there isn't even decent ballpark quality food. Citizens Bank Park has done a pretty good job of offering a range of food and drink options (indeed, the one really useful thing on philly.com is the list of what beer is available in each section of the stadium – and there are plenty of great local choices, with Victory, Yards, Yuengling, Flying Fish, Sly Fox, Troegs and Philadelphia Brewing Company widely available). Of course, you can barely see the racing at this point at Philly Park, but that's another story - and probably a secondary concern for this particular marketing effort.

One other quibble on the website front is the section with links to Twitter, Facebook et al. - rather than allowing you to follow them or become a fan, all it does is let you send the URL around - it's a one-time shot that's losing the chance to collect user information and maintain a regular chain of communication. You can follow them on Twitter with a little more work - you need to click to 'join the TrackPack' rather than use the buttons on the front page - so it's not winning any points from a user interface perspective. However, it's early days yet, so presumably they are still working out some of those issues.

Another minor point is that if the hipster crowd is, indeed, the goal, the models could have been dressed a little more Northern Liberties, rather than South Philly (although I was getting a bit of a Jersey vibe as well); I may not be a fan of the annoying porkpie hat myself, but I suspect their wearers may be more susceptible to the allure of a Rat Pack-esque night out.

That leaves the other problem - there's no good way to get to Philly Park from the city (or most of the suburbs) without driving - and if I'm going to drive to the track anyway, I tend to go to Delaware Park. True, the food is still terrible (there is one halfway decent beer stand, which is better than nothing), but the atmosphere is so much better - it's a racetrack that happens to have a slots parlor attached, but I never need to see the casino portion of it. Philly Park doesn't give the impression that racing is still terribly important - and judging by their own website, they don't care if you can't get there via public transit (which is handy, because it's not a viable option).

So while the Track Pack is a useful notion, it would be much better served (at least locally) by a real effort to make the track itself more appealing - partner with a good beer distributor, get in a real catering company and make getting to the track less difficult. Marketing to new fans is certainly welcome, but if their first visit doesn't impress them, it's a wasted effort. For existing fans, the above would be very much appreciated - as would a better space to actually watch the racing, which, surely, is the whole point of the operation in the first place.

Catch Up, Tune In

2009-08-25T15:20:00.004-04:00

This year's Alabama may not have had a filly in Rachel Alexandra's class, but that didn't stop Careless Jewel from emulating her in a big-margin victory (and running a 106 in the process). One also might view the race as the year's second major Canadian incursion, after Mine That Bird's earlier success up north - trainer Josie Carroll (left, with Careless Jewel) was the first woman to train a Queen's Plate winner in 2006 and is regularly a top trainer at Woodbine. The DRF points out that the Breeders' Cup could be shaping up rather nicely for Careless Jewel, who is already a winner over Polytrack (and apparently quite handy on conventional dirt as well) - not having to face Rachel Alexandra (and/or Zenyatta) this year makes the Distaff a more realistic goal.

Speaking of Woodbine, Hasili family scion Champs Elysees was narrowly beaten there by Marchfield in the Sky Classic; seeing him pop up in a race made me wonder whether any of Hasili's other offspring were currently in training; it seems 4-year-old Raise the Flag made a luckless start in France for Andre Fabre last year, but I did not find any more recent information. Meanwhile, the mare herself has headed back to Europe to see Oasis Dream after spending a few years Stateside and visiting with Storm Cat and Empire Maker. Her Storm Cat filly should be a 2-year-old now, but I would imagine we'll hear from her later rather than sooner.

And so to next weekend; it's unclear whether Mine That Bird will indeed be lining up for the Travers; so far, he seems to be doing well after his minor throat surgery, but a decision will be made tomorrow. Quality Road had a fine workout that should make him the morning-line favorite - for all things Travers, tune in tomorrow to hear my thoughts in my very own dulcet tones.

In other racing news, Einstein is headed to California after working a bullet at Churchill Downs; naturally, we Einstein fans hope to see a great performance from him in the Pacific Classic (ideally one not beset by the bad luck he's run into in his last two starts).

Looking to make a comeback from both bad luck and a much longer layoff is Tiago; he became ill after last year's Breeders' Cup and has been slowly working his way back to the races ever since. He's prepping in the Harry Brubaker (a turf race) at Del Mar tomorrow - hopefully he'll get something out of it and we'll see him feature in bigger races this fall.

Once again, feel free to tune in tomorrow (or listen again later) for more Travers talk!

On to the Woodward...

2009-08-24T13:34:00.005-04:00

It's official - Rachel Alexandra will take on the bigger boys in the Woodward. The announcement was made this morning after another one of her 'routine' clocker-stunning workouts. While I'm a little disappointed I won't be able to see her in person again for this one, I think it's the more interesting move to make - beating older males says a lot more than trouncing the same set of 3-year-olds again (Quality Road notwithstanding - but more on that in a moment), at least from an historical perspective.

And while the argument can certainly be made that the current crop of older horses isn't all that exciting, I don't see Macho Again as an easy foe - he's certainly done a lot more than the 3-year-olds. It's true it makes the Travers easier for her stablemate, Kensei, but as their connections are attempting to plot out career-making paths for the two horses at once, it's the most logical choice:

“Given how well Kensei was doing, I thought he deserved a chance in the Travers,” said [Steve] Asmussen. “It would be a race that would mark his career and with that decision, Rachel will be pointed towards the Woodward.”

I think Kensei is a nice horse, but it's hard to translate that statement as anything other than 'Rachel Alexandra would blow the doors off Kensei' - at least he's in good company.

I'll be discussing the Travers (which now looks like a much more attractive option for many other probable entrants with Rachel Alexandra officially out of the race) in more detail on Wednesday, but here's a quick preview: I like Quality Road a lot now that his feet are back as they should be, but I wonder about the distance for him - there are some stamina influences in his pedigree, but his more recent breeding (even the Aussie part, which I admire a great deal) is more on the sprinter/miler side - I would not be surprised to see Kensei, Summer Bird or a post-surgery Mine That Bird run past him in the final eighth of a mile or so. I wouldn't go so far as to predict that outcome, since he's clearly a very talented colt and will likely be the deserving favorite, but it's the one possible chink in his armor.

We'll recap the rest of the weekend's racing tomorrow, then feel free to tune in Wednesday for more Travers talk...

Moon of Alabama?

2009-08-21T11:12:00.002-04:00

The collective connections of the fillies in the Alabama are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief at the absence of Rachel Alexandra. Without her long shadow looming over them, we get the chance to note that they are a nice group - they may not be as freakishly talented, but they have, for the most part, performed well elsewhere. I earned a bit of money on Funny Moon last time out, and I like seeing her here again facing a number of competitors she's beaten before. She also has the services of Alan Garcia, who has been on fire at Saratoga - and while I also like Don't Forget Gil and Be Fair, Funny Moon is the one to beat. While none of them may match up to previous winners like Miss Woodford, our featured horse this month, or twentieth-century Alabama champions like Vagrancy, Go For Wand or Silverbulletday, they are a good group that could progress down the line.

But it's not just the fillies worried about Rachel Alexandra's next start - Charitable Man's next race will also depend on where she goes. While the Travers has been the goal, he will point elsewhere if she goes. Naturally, for my own convenience I'd like to see her in the Pennsylvania Derby - but we should have a fine Travers on tap either way. I'll be handing out no doubt ill-thought-out commentary on the Travers next week on the airwaves, but please do tune in anyway!

And so, on to season two of 'Jockeys,' which kicks off tonight; this time around, it's the lead-up to the Derby. For the committed racing fan, that means a large part of the drama will be somewhat lacking, but I'm particularly interested to see the activity around I Want Revenge - how did Animal Planet avoid getting slapped by a lawsuit? It seems everyone else involved got one. Monsters and Critics has details on each episode and it sounds as though each one will be fairly self-contained, with a slightly deeper focus than the first-season episodes. Garrett Gomez and Corey Nakatani seem cast as the villains to a certain extent, although one imagines (hopes?) it will be a little more complex upon viewing.

In any event, it's a welcome return for a show that sheds a little more light on the industry to a wider audience.

Not an Epic Fail, But Needs Work

2009-08-20T13:11:00.003-04:00

I finally had a chance to look at the rules for the Social Media category of the Breeders' Cup Media Awards; while I'm glad they decided to come to the party (if a bit late), I must admit I'm not terribly impressed by their grasp of social media - nor am I thrilled that they hand out the 2008 awards in late 2009 (that's assuming they meant to put 2008 on the page), which is about a century too late in social media time.

My views are certainly colored by the fact that I'm not infrequently giving presentations on how my profession can better use web 2.0 tools (especially Twitter) and a quick glance at the guidelines leaves me with one impression - everyone means well, but a real understanding of How This Works isn't quite there.

Let's analyze the criteria point by point:

Social Media Award Criteria

Twitter
Must have over 200 followers
This seems fair enough - no arguments here (although I hope that's after blocking all the porn-bots and spam-bots).

Must have over 30 Breeders' Cup related Tweets (between Oct. 1, 2008 – Sept. 30, 2009)
Again, a reasonable number to start out with - that's less than an afternoon's worth of discussion on a big race day.

Must be Re-Tweeted over 20 times (Can be non-Breeders' Cup related)
Here's where things start getting tricky; who is meant to be tracking these re-tweets? Using what methods? Why does something not relating to the Breeders' Cup count toward that final number? Does that mean the link to my Twitter for Archivists presentation, which gets re-tweeted often, counts? Does it count if I'm re-tweeting from my other accounts? And how will a re-tweet be 'counted' when it's long lost its original provenance?

Must have Re-Tweeted a Breeders' Cup Tweet at some point
Not a problem - you want to know who's playing, that makes sense.

When tweeting Breeders' Cup related material use hashtag #BC09 when possible
Very sensible, but I seem to recall suggesting this hashtag only a few weeks ago (specifically on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009) - and what relevance would it have for 2008? Most really specific Breeders' Cup tweets for 2009 won't kick in until late October or early November - well past the deadline for consideration this year.

And what about the many other uses for which #bc09 is also being used (to wit: Better Connected 09, a British local government conference; Seattle's BarCamp 2009)? And what about talk of 2010 - that doesn't count? I'm a big fan of hashtags, especially for conferences and special events (if you'd like to overload your Twitter client - and I hope you're using Tweetdeck or something similar - try looking up #saa09 or #thatcamp to see the back channel from the last few conferences I attended), but I'm not sure this will capture as many relevant tweets as it might. Nonetheless, it's a good starting point, if a slightly imperfect measure.

And so to the guidelines for blogs - and this is the part that really needs work.

Blogs
Must have over 10 posts about horseracing
Right, this covers essentially racing-related blog on the internet - how about some other qualifying factor here, such as decent grammar, a history of regular publication, number of sites linking to it or any of the usual metrics employed for site evaluation? And what makes this Breeders' Cup-specific? It's a good idea to have some sort of baseline, but an indication of what greater heights might be aimed for would also be useful.

Average number of comments per post must be over 10
This is a huge mistake (or, as we say on 'teh interwebs,' EPIC FAIL) - the number of comments has nothing to do with the number of pageviews, returning visitors or anything else. I rarely comment on any racing-related sites - perhaps once or twice a week at most - and I would certainly count myself among the most racing-involved people online. Even during Derby week, when my pageviews soar, I get one or two comments at most - and that won't even necessarily be on a popular post. Many of the things that might have previously ended up as comments on a blog have shifted to Twitter as well, especially over the last six months or so - blog comments are a bit 2005 at this point. It's not quite as silly as insisting that all sites under consideration work in Lynx or the nightmare that was IE3, but it's edging in that direction. (I'd be happy to share the great books I used at work in the 1990s on 'programming for the Mosaic brower' if anyone is interested - that was back before tables).

What seems to be lacking here is a specific means of evaluation - asking for pageviews would be one obvious measure (since the content itself seems to be of less interest), or if the goal were to see what blogs drive most traffic to the Breeders' Cup website, look at it that way - and I hope it's not a giant leap to assume someone is tracking traffic in and out of the Breeders' Cup site.

Finally, there's the real problem - entry requires snail mail, which to this old-skool dot-commer is entirely beyond the pale - couldn't we at least use Gopher, if we're going retro? It very much sounds as though the 'panel of experts' determining the winners has no idea how to interact with social media if they are seeing printouts of a few blog postings and some screenshots of someone's Twitter client (and there's no mention of the re-tweets in the submission guidelines). I realize I'm not doing myself any favors here with regard to entering this, but I would hope that these questions are viewed in the spirit in which they are raised - I'd like to see growth and improvement here, and hope this is taken as constructive criticism.

But hey, at least you can use the TwapperKeeper I've been nice enough to set up for you. Otherwise, you're completely missing the interaction between other users being employed to promote racing - which, surely, is the point of the award?

Oh, and you're welcome - I'm not charging you for this session. This would have been pretty pricey if I were still charging the rates at which HP used to bill out my services!

In all seriousness, I'm glad there's an effort to try to recognize what's going on online regarding horse racing, but the current version is (to use our crazy technology terms) almost an alpha version; let's hope next year we're at least beta testing. Perhaps this award needs to be crowdsourced...

Horses Americans Should Know VII: Sea the Stars

2009-08-18T12:53:00.003-04:00

While the US racing world waits for news of where Rachel Alexandra will appear next after another effortless bullet work, European racing fans got a chance to see their all-conquering hero again today when Sea the Stars set a track record at York in the Juddmonte International. The 3-year-old colt had scared off most of the competition long before he took to the track - only Ballydoyle was able to muster up three horses to face him. For those on this side of the pond who might not have been paying attention, here's how we arrived at this point.

Sea the Stars is nothing if not regally-bred; he is the latest Group 1 winner out of Kentucky-bred Arc winner Urban Sea, who died earlier this year from foaling complications. Her other star offspring include Black Sam Bellamy, My Typhoon and world-beating racehorse (and now top sire) Galileo. Even on his sire's side, there is a tradition of strong female performances - Sea the Stars is by Cape Cross (also the sire of Ouija Board), whose own dam was a champion.

But a fantastic bloodline doesn't necessarily translate into a great racehorse - indeed, a number of Sea the Stars' siblings are unraced - and his first start at two wasn't hugely inspiring (although certainly not discouraging); he finished a close fourth in a seven-furlong maiden race at the Curragh that also featured recent US immigrant Black Bear Island getting up for second. Moving to Leopardstown a few weeks later, Sea the Stars won and hasn't looked back since.

He finished 2008 with a win in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes and made his 2009 debut in the 2000 Guineas, defeating a field that included Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman, the former 2-year-old champion. His win came despite a loss of training time earlier in the spring due to illness, but trainer John Oxx had no worries. The form of that race has certainly held up - Rip Van Winkle went on to convincingly beat his elders in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last month - but it's clear he doesn't enjoy running against Sea the Stars.

Their next meeting, at Epsom in the Derby, was no more successful for Rip Van Winkle; he finished a well-beaten forth to victor Sea the Stars, who matched his elder half-brother Galileo in winning the race. The two horses met again in the Eclipse, which included talented older horses such as Breeders' Cup Turf winner Conduit and Cima de Triomphe (last seen finishing fourth in the Arlington Million). But even a bit of traffic trouble did not bother Sea the Stars - he ran right past Rip Van Winkle, who hung on for second this time. With the win, Sea the Stars became the first horse to win the 2000 Guineas/Derby/Eclipse treble since 1989.

It seems that the English Triple Crown is not among the goals for Sea the Stars, however - the St. Leger distance is predicted to be a bit longer than he would want to run. His future plans are said to include the Irish Champion Stakes - and perhaps the Arc or Breeders' Cup Classic; it's unlikely we'll see him race as a 4-year-old, which is rather a shame. At of this writing, he has a 6-race winning streak - it would be interesting to see how long (and how internationally) he could stretch it, given more time. It is not often we get to hold up the American horse as the more seasoned competitor, but it works in our favor in this instance - Rachel Alexandra has 10 wins from 13 starts and is on an 8-race winning streak, while Sea the Stars has won 6 out of 7.

We are lucky enough to be enjoying a year in which the two best 3-year-olds the US and Europe are already being hailed as all-time greats; wouldn't it be exciting to see them face each other (someday, somewhere, on some neutral surface)? Granted, it's a remote wish - but it would be quite a sight to behold. Here's hoping against hope that both are in training next year.

Einstein, Zenyatta et al.

2009-08-07T10:56:00.004-04:00

If you go by Google News, you may think the only races taking place this weekend are the Arlington Million and the Clement Hirsch - but there's a lot more going on beyond those two (and I think you'd be hard-pressed to support the notion that anyone beyond the usual suspects would be watching the Clement Hirsch if it did not involve Zenyatta).

Back in the day, people beyond hardcore racing fans used to care quite a bit about the Whitney as well and it's got an interesting field this year that should make it worthy of wider general appreciation. Commentator is back to try to win the race for the third time; whether the 8-year-old gelding has another one in the tank is the question. He's always flown slightly under the radar, which is a shame - he's been nothing if not consistent at the highest level, beating Saint Liam in the 2005 Whitney and earning last year's highest overall Beyer in his repeat victory. He seems equally comfortable going longer or shorter distances, he can run in the mud or on a fast track and he beats up on his fellow New York-breds like Rachel Alexandra does her agemates. He's got some competition, though, on Saturday - Macho Again and Dry Martini are both coming in off recent wins, and Smooth Air and Asiatic Boy are looking to overcome their perennial runner-up status. Of course, Commentator has been in this position before - he may simply turn on the afterburners and leave the rest behind.

Heading to Arlington Park (but before we get to the Big Race), we have the Secretariat Stakes and the Beverly D on the card. The Secretariat features Giant Oak and Take the Points as the larger American names, but there are a few European 3-year-olds who have made the trip as well. Chief among them is Black Bear Island, who was unlucky last time out, but he's been running with rather stellar competition and one assumes that Coolmore would not have summoned Johnny Murtagh for the ride if they weren't quite confident about his chances - even though the plan is for him to stay in North America going forward.

In the Beverly D, we see jockey Julien Leparoux reunited with favorite Pure Clan; the DRF notes that although she was swept up in the Great IEAH Horse-buying Spree of 2008, her breeder bought back the fraction he'd sold them later in the year - an interesting side note. She'll have to contend with Black Mamba and the improving Tizaqueena, plus a few more foreign invaders. The biggest Irish name is Mad About You, trained by Dermot Weld; the Independent ran an interesting feature on her groom, Jeff Byrne. It should be a good one.

And so to the Arlington Million - regular readers will know we're pulling for Einstein (pictured), especially after his troubled trip in this race last year. There's a feature article (again in the Independent) on trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi and what Einstein means to her barn (although it would have been nice if they'd run a picture of her actually aboard the horse in question, rather than a stablemate). His task is made harder by the inside post, with speedball Presious Passion to his outside. Gio Ponti will also be a very tough opponent and the international horses are no slouches - globetrotters Cima de Triomphe and Gloria de Campeao have both done exceptionally well throughout their careers. A good effort here from Einstein will likely send him to the Pacific Classic - which will be lacking the presence of Well Armed, who is back in the shop (as it were) with an ankle chip - but naturally we're hoping for a win.

There's another big, dark bay horse running this weekend, but she won't be facing anything near the caliber of competition mentioned above. It's always a pleasure to see the wonderful Zenyatta take the track, but it's becoming increasingly frustrating for fans to never see her challenged. The Clement Hirsch has a field of nice fillies and mares looking to take her on, but it's hard to give them any more enthusiastic accolades. As per usual, Zenyatta should sweep by them with little effort. While it certainly makes sense as an owner or trainer to place your horse where they have the greatest chance of success, one hopes this may act as a stepping stone to the Pacific Classic or something more ambitious; she's got the talent, let's see it on display. For all we know, she's getting bored with her current competition, too. While naturally I'd love to see her face off against Rachel Alexandra at some point, I'd be happy with a simple move toward tougher competition - Einstein and Zenyatta together in the Pacific Classic would make a fantastic photo opportunity.

We'll be going on hiatus next week while your faithful author heads to Austin, TX for some conferences - all food, beer and music suggestions for the area are most welcome! Expect normal business to resume on Monday, August 17th (although there will be the odd check-in via Twitter in the meantime).

Louisville Floods & Racing History

2009-08-05T10:49:00.004-04:00

It's typically an extremely rare occurrence when my worlds collide - oddly, this is the second time it has happened this year.

As many in the archival world know, I write about horse racing. And some in the horse racing world have a vague idea that I'm an archivist, but people in both spheres are probably a little unclear about what happens in the other one.

Here's the short version for each group - first, for the archivists: horses run around a track and I comment on it. American horse racing has a long and storied history that could be more (and here I'm dropping in a professional buzzword) accessible - but more on that later. For the racing folk: archivists preserve documents, photographs, ephemera, etc. from the past so that people (and not just historians) can learn about (and from) that shared past. We also do a lot of complicated things with digitization and metadata - while the usual adjectives employed to describe our profession are 'dusty' or 'musty,' that's only a small part of what we do.

Quite often, the archives (and the archivists who work there) are located in the basement - and that becomes a major issue in, say, a flood. The Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs just completed a renovation to their basement (where the storage and, as ever, archives are), including new shelving, when they were hit by a flash flood yesterday.

New shelving to an archivist is a precious commodity - we are rarely lucky enough to get shelving that is truly designed for archival use and it is difficult to raise money for it (as we have been doing in our archives for many a long day) because it's not immediately apparent to someone outside the profession how much the right shelves help protect and maintain the collection.

But of course, even the best compact shelving cannot save the collections from the archivist's second-greatest fear - water. At least one of the comments on the Courier-Journal article by Jennie Rees is wondering why the historical collections were stored in the basement, where they would be subject to flooding - and while that may seem unusual to the public, that's essentially standard practice; except for the few institutions that have successfully implemented a visible storage project, cultural institutions cannot take up exhibit space with shelves and processing space - and you need a large open space for most useful shelving systems. Best practices may seek to get the archives and artifact storage above the flood line, but it rarely happens - indeed, when our archives moves into our new building, we will again be in the basement. (It may come as something of a surprise to some to discover that water damage happens even when collections are stored on higher levels - leaky pipes are a constant source of worry in the archival world).

Regardless of how the water gets in, archivists usually respond in just the way the Derby Museum staff did - by creating a human chain to get the materials and artifacts to higher ground. To add insult to injury, several museum employees lost their cars to the floodwaters while working to save the collections - but the good news is that it seems nothing was lost - just made very wet. Conserving wet materials is not as easy as just letting them dry off - the most effective approach is to have them freeze-dried and dealt with by a disaster mitigation firm. Obviously, that's not cheap, but some organizations are lucky enough to have insurance to cover those costs - I don't know whether that's true of the Museum, but I hope they are able to get their collections back to the pre-flood state I enjoyed when visiting the Museum only last month.

Public libraries are rarely that fortunate - and the Louisville Public Library sustained very serious damage to both the physical plant and the books and computers (as did several of the branch libraries). In their case, a fund has been set up and donations are being accepted; keeping libraries running can be a challenge under the best circumstances, but the combination of a down economy and a major disaster is one that no library director wants to face - it's a worthy cause.

I mentioned accessibility above and the lack of accessibility to horse racing history was, rather serendipitously, the topic of Teresa Genaro's article in The Saratogian today (a note to the archivists reading - Teresa writes the rather wonderful Brooklyn Backstrech blog and was one of my co-bloggers for BelmontStakes.com this year). She noted how difficult it was to authoritatively establish basic facts not only from the more distant past, but even statistics from recent years - and as someone on both sides of that fence, I couldn't agree more with her conclusions. American racing history is fairly widely dispersed - there's the Keeneland Library, the currently-damp Kentucky Derby Museum, the International Museum of the Horse, the National Museum of Racing and the National Sporting Library and while there is some crossover, for the most part, each has a different collection policy and research goals.

That list does not even begin to take into account an individual racetrack's holdings (and who knows what happens when they close - where are the records of Ak-Sar-Ben? Who will take on those of Hollywood Park?) including their film and video storage. Other sources of racing history, like the Daily Racing Form or Equibase, tend to be considerably more proprietary about their information. Unlike the aforementioned libraries and museums, making their information accessible is not the goal - and while that makes a certain amount of sense in their business models, it would be nice if they turned their data over to one of the aforementioned institutions or had a records management policy that involved making that data available online (with a preservation copy elsewhere) after a certain time period - I'd be happy to recommend a number of Kentucky-based archivists for the job.

It's difficult enough for researchers to find the information they are looking for under normal conditions; dealing with a disaster like the flooding in Kentucky makes the archivist's goal of preserving the past and providing access that much more difficult. The only potential upside is that the spotlight these cultural institutions unwittingly find themselves in brings in some much-needed funds for repairs and, hopefully, future improvements that serve both the collections and the public.

A Lot Happened

2009-08-04T11:35:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy few days in the racing world.

Rachel Alexandra's triumphant Haskell performance was quickly followed Monday by Quality Road returning to the track in record-breaking form - perhaps she does have some 3-year-old competition after all. We'll focus on those a bit more in a moment, but first, let's do a quick round-up of Everything Else That Happened.

Mine That Bird was troubled by what can only be described as an unfortunate ride in the West Virginia Derby - and jockey Mike Smith accepted full responsibility for his third-place finish behind exhausted speed horse Big Drama and the Steve Asmussen-trained (and otherwise-unheralded) Iowa Derby runner-up, Soul Warrior whose win paid his few backers handsomely. Smith summed his ride up as 'total rider error' and it's hard to disagree with that assessment. It does seem that he'll keep the mount for the Travers - at least that's the word so far.

Steve Asmussen added to his weekend haul with Dwyer winner Kensei winning the Jim Dandy; you may recall the horse also finished second in the Derby Trial and he seems to be coming along at just the right time for the Travers (which, given that he is also owned by Jess Jackson, is presumably one reason Rachel Alexandra may point elsewhere - but more on that below).
Mine That Bird's third-place finish in West Virginia certainly wasn't the worst performance from a top-level horse - that unwanted distinction went to Well Armed, who was making his first start Stateside after his Dubai World Cup win - and finished last in the San Diego Handicap (which he won easily last year, after finishing third in Dubai). Jockey Aaron Gryder dismissed talk of the feared 'Dubai bounce' - but exactly why he was missing his usual spark is still unknown.

Well Armed's trainer, Eoin Harty, at least had Colonel John's win from Friday to look back on; the horse took the Wickerr Stakes in his first start on turf - continuing to prove that Tiznow's offspring can run on whatever surface they please. It's also nice to see the Travers winner still racing a year later (and proving his versatility) - it's something of a rarity these days.

The older fillies and mares did not disappoint in the Diana - Forever Together won the race for the second time, but it was a quality trifecta all around, with Carribean Sunset hanging on for second and Rutherienne getting up for third (although she had traffic trouble and the wet conditions didn't help).

The same high expectations were not met on Sunday at Saratoga with the two-year-old fillies; the 2008 yearling sales-topper, Chimayo, was taking to the track for the first time in a maiden special weight. The $3.1 million dollar filly finished eighth for Darley Stables. Watching the race on the monitor from Monmouth Park, our group was hoping the filly who had only cost four figures at auction would win, to no avail; at least the winner only cost six figures, rather than seven - obviously, it was a win for the little guy.

Later on the Saratoga card, a lot of the usual turf suspects were in action in the Fourstardave - Cowboy Cal, Cosmonaut and Wesley - but none of them seemed in top form (and although the course was listed as 'good' it was, one presumes, still quite wet). Justenuffhumor (a half-brother to Dreaming of Anna and Lewis Michael) swept by the bigger names to take the race.

And then, of course, came the Haskell. You may have already seen yesterday's post recounting our trip to the Jersey Shore, but I would also encourage you to check out The Aspiring Horseplayer and Railbird for their thoughts on the day. Rachel Alexandra's performance was nothing less than dazzling - her 116 Beyer is the highest any horse has earned this year (and certainly compares favorably to Commentator's 120 - the highest overall last year). The number is a useful figure for those who like to grouse about the competition or the surface, but it doesn't convey how effortlessly she was running or what it was like to see her flash by the stands; it's something so rarely seen in our sport that we may no longer possess an adequate vocabulary to describe it. It's easier to sum up in platitudes: long may she reign.

But just as it seemed that there were no new worlds for her to conquer against her own age group, Quality Road threw his hat back into the ring yesterday, taking the Amsterdam in a track-record time. His win over Capt. Candyman Can may not have been as visually impressive, but he worked for it and showed his class. While using a sprint as a prep for the Travers is a bit unorthodox, it's good to know he's back in the picture.

As mentioned above, it's unlikely that Rachel Alexandra will run in the Travers, since Kensei needs a major win to build his stallion resume, but the alternative mentioned is more interesting to me - taking on older horses in the Woodward. The race, as Val notes, is rarely won by 3-year-olds and is long overdue for a filly or mare to win it (it's never been done); a good showing there would sew up Horse of the Year for many voters.

The one older horse the entire racing world would like to see face off against Rachel Alexandra is in action at the weekend - Zenyatta is back to defend her Clement Hirsch title in what is shaping up to be another paid workout. One hopes that the stars can somehow align to get them in a race together - surely someone can step up to the table and simply create one somewhere?

In the meantime, there's the Arlington Million, which is looking like a considerably more competitive race; blog favorite Einstein is taking on Gloria de Campeao, Gio Ponti and Presious Passion (among others) - check back later in the week for more!

Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

2009-08-03T11:29:00.002-04:00

It always rains at Monmouth Park.

Or so I presume, since 100% of my visits to the Jersey Shore track have involved weather conditions which could most charitably be described as monsoon-like. That said, on this occasion we stayed entirely dry - a welcome change from our Breeders' Cup experience at Monmouth when our seats were uncovered - by reserving a table in the Garden Room.

Prior to Sunday, my most recent visit to a racetrack was the purgatorial nightmare that is Pimlico - although it was well worth braving the disorganization and general neglect of the physical plant to be present when Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness. Monmouth is a world away from Pimlico - clean, well-lit, a beautiful paddock, friendly staff and there are well-placed merchandise and program kiosks throughout the facility. I felt that the track had done a great job with the Breeders' Cup - even in the (wet) temporary seating we had on that day, it was easy to bet, find food and so forth - but they really stepped up for the Haskell. True, we had the advantage of sitting in a climate-controlled part of the clubhouse with catering (which was surprisingly good for a buffet - one of our party is still angry about the highly inadequate buffet they endured at the Dubai World Cup, and found Monmouth's offering much better), but even in our jaunts outside our rarified surroundings, we saw a thoroughly professional organization at work.

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it was a great shame to see the empty paddock and surrounding outdoor areas - under better conditions, the bar/grill next to the paddock seemed like an ideal summer destination. Obviously there were more serious consequences of the extreme weather as well - the two horses who fell over each other in the fourth race (the last turf race of the day that stayed on the turf) were both fine after the incident, but jockey Fabrizio Jimenez was injured. I'm not convinced Tale of Victory's breakdown in the following race (back on the dirt) was necessarily weather-related, but it's certainly a possibility - and his jockey also ended up in the hospital. All told, those two races and the accompanying weather comprised the day's low point.

The next few races were full of scratches - while not surprising for the turf runners whose races were moved onto a sloppy dirt track, it was odd that some later fields stayed comparatively full, while others were limited to three starters. I still managed to pick six out of the fourteen races correctly for the Haskell Challenge, which is entirely baffling to me in retrospect, given all the scratches (and even when accounting for the game's mechanism of selecting the post-time favorite in case the user's pick was scratched). Apparently that put me in the black and in 290th place overall - clearly, I should bet actual money more often - it's a shame I only bet actual money on the tenth race (and on the Haskell itself).

We also had the luxury of watching and betting the races from Saratoga from our seats, which was quite pleasant - even if the weather wasn't much better there. We spent a fair amount of time poring over Tomlinson numbers for the rest of the day's card (and it will be interesting to see how that figure is adjusted for Medaglia d'Oro's offspring as more data comes in).

We had a wander down to the main gift shop in between races (we already had our Haskell hats - the logo for this year's event was really quite well-designed) and I was especially pleased to see that there was a decent variety of shirts for everyone - toddlers, actual women's cuts and the usual unisex t-shirts. They even managed to produce two Rachel Alexandra-specific designs (although only one was on a women's fit t-shirt), which was encouraging. It was certainly a huge step up from what little was on offer at Pimlico (and I hate to dwell on it, but Pimlico typifies so much of what's wrong with the sport, while Monmouth was getting it right).

Finally, the sky brightened a bit, the rain stopped and it was time for the horses to make their way to the paddock for the Haskell. We moved to a window just above the paddock on the second floor of the clubhouse and had a great view of each horse coming in - and while Rachel Alexandra was the only one to get applause just for showing up (and which she deserved - she has more charisma than any horse I've ever seen), many of the other contenders looked great as well. Munnings, in particular, looked bright, well-muscled and ready to go - just as he had on the Belmont undercard when I began to regret not betting him, simply based on his appearance. Summer Bird also looked as though he was going to run a big one - he was full of energy in the paddock. Rachel Alexandra's ears continued to flick back and forth, but she seemed to take no notice of the other horses - she was all business in the paddock.

As they made their way onto the track to the strains of New Jersey's own anthem, 'Born To Run,' we scrambled down to the other side of the clubhouse and helped ourselves to an empty owner's box just past the wire. Again, Rachel Alexandra got applause just for stepping onto the track, but it was nice to hear some claps of appreciation for Summer Bird, Munnings and Papa Clem, too, when their names were called out.

They loaded in professionally and it was clear right from the start that this was going to be fast - although it was something of a surprise to see Summer Bird keeping up with Munnings. Rachel Alexandra sat coolly off those two, ears swiveling throughout, before making her move on the turn for home. Once Calvin Borel asked her to go, it was done - she blew past them with consummate ease, and Calvin even had time at the top of the stretch to do a slightly acrobatic flip of his whip. At no time did she appear to be working at all; even though Calvin began his celebrations before the wire, she seemed to want to carry on running - she was around the next turn again when Summer Bird and Munnings crossed the wire. And I must say that both horses ran very creditable races - Summer Bird proved he could run closer to the pace, and Munnings demonstrated that his blazing speed can carry over a bit more distance - but they ran into a monster.

I stand by my earlier statement - seeing her pull away from the field so easily, and with such seeming disdain for the other horses (she had a perpetual look of, 'oh - you're here too?') must be what it was like to see Secretariat in person. And I don't drop the S-bomb lightly - I've been following this sport my entire life, I've seen some really wonderful horses live (Sunday Silence and Easy Goer as a kid, and more recently Smarty Jones, Lost in the Fog, Intercontinental, Curlin et al.) - but I've never seen anything like Rachel Alexandra.

I do hope to see her take on Zenyatta; and as much as I admire Zenyatta and believe she is in a class by herself, I have but two words for her if she meets Rachel Alexandra: good luck.

Some Things You Need To See In Person

2009-07-31T13:02:00.005-04:00

With so much high-quality racing on tap for this weekend, one would think that ESPN and/or ABC could make room in their busy schedule for at least Rachel Alexandra's appearance in the Haskell, but apparently they are more fully committed to their broadcast of the X Games, some sort of NASCAR event, a relatively minor tennis tournament and the very popular 'Hot August Nights Action.' The Jim Dandy is also out - there's an important look back at last year's Philadelphia Eagles lineup as well as 'Battle of the Gridiron Stars' right at post time. Even the return of the Dubai World Cup champion merits no coverage - Well Armed will run in the San Diego Handicap on Sunday, but ABC viewers will have to make do with 'America's Funniest Home Videos' and more filler on the ESPNs.

So, here's what you'll be missing if you don't get TVG - beginning with Saturday.

First, the usually little-heralded West Virginia Derby gets a boost, thanks to the star power of Derby winner Mine That Bird. While the field isn't otherwise terribly stellar, he is giving a lot of weight to Big Drama. His come-from-behind style may also hinder him somewhat, as the Quinella Queen, a Mountaineer veteran, notes. I'd still like to see the little gelding win, however - I'll definitely be pulling for him.

Heading up to Saratoga, the turf fillies are in action in the G1 Diana and the 3-year-old colts in the Jim Dandy. It's a great field for the Diana, with consistent fillies and mares like Forever Together, My Princess Jess and Rutherienne. I also have an eye on Carribean [sic] Sunset - it should be a good race. This year's Jim Dandy doesn't have quite the firepower it might, but Charitable Man and Kensei should make it interesting for each other.

Of course, Sunday is the big day - although we'll only see one filly running against the boys. Life Is Sweet was also aiming to take on the colts again in the San Diego, but it seems she didn't care for the Del Mar surface, so she will be passing up the race. Mast Track and Magnum will be lining up to see if Well Armed suffers from the infamous Dubai Bounce - although we can likely expect to see much of this field in the Pacific Classic (perhaps against Zenyatta - we can but hope).

In the absence of television coverage of the Haskell, I'll be journeying to Monmouth Park to see Rachel Alexandra. Again, one would presume that the Preakness winner taking on the Belmont winner might merit a little media interest, but alas, no. But you and I care, so let's consider Rachel Alexandra's chances: she's by far the class of the field and it's almost unfair that Summer Bird is forced to lug an extra five pounds - he's got a single G1 win (well, make that a single graded stakes win, although he was third in the Arkansas Derby) to her three G1s - and that's not even including her G2s and G3s (and the rest). Add in their very different running styles and unless the filly has a very off day, she finishes well in front of the Belmont victor.

Papa Clem's career has been something of a disappointment of late, and I'd agree with his trainer, Gary Stute, that he needs to rebuild his confidence - but that was the goal of his entry in the Long Branch, in which Atomic Rain prevailed. He may well finish in the money again (he was third in that race), but I don't see Sunday as his day. As for Atomic Rain, his participation in the race was questionable due to a sore foot. It seems the foot has improved, but whether it will impact him on Sunday remains to be seen.

Munnings will likely be the wiseguy horse (it's hard not to like a horse named for an equine artist), but the 1 1/8 mile distance looks to be a stretch for him. His sire, Speightstown, was a pure sprinter, and there is a little more stamina on his dam's side - but whether that will aid him this weekend is another question.

Naturally, I'm hoping for another decisive win by Rachel Alexandra that will send her on to the Travers - and here's hoping that the food in the Monmouth Park restaurant is worth what we're paying for it - and fingers crossed for some great women's-fit t-shirts! Feel free to keep up via Twitter...

Opera Australia

2009-07-29T15:00:00.004-04:00

Before we return to Saratoga and continue to New Jersey to see Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell, let’s take a brief journey Down Under - Sid Fernando reminded us that things are coming along nicely for pure white filly The Opera House. She has now won two barrier trials in a row (in Australia, they keep real statistics on these training races) - the first on July 3rd over 800m and the second, a little longer at 900m, on July 20th.

The 2-year-old is now aiming for a debut race (the kind they run for money) at a provincial track (rather than heading straight for the Aussie equivalent of Saratoga or Keeneland) - and her owners now include the eight lucky winners of a contest sponsored by majority owner John Singleton's brewery, Bluetongue (for which the filly was briefly named) Given her breeding, it seems likely she'll want a little more distance down the line - her champion 3/4 brother, Might and Power, won the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup (among many other distance races); the current plan is to find a 1300m race for her first official start.

If The Opera House does show Group 1 potential like Might and Power, there will be no cause for concern about how she might react to the limelight - thanks to her unusual coloring, she's already quite used to being photographed and shown off. And while her connections need not worry about how to toast any success she might have, might I suggest they brew a witbier to commemorate her first start?

Saratoga & the Shore

2009-07-28T11:47:00.003-04:00

It's opening week at Saratoga and things get going with some celerity – the 2-year-olds step out in the Sanford on Thursday, and this Saturday the featured race is the Jim Dandy. But much of the focus at Saratoga so far this week has been on the workouts – Rachel Alexandra turned in her final work (right) for the Haskell yesterday on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track. By all accounts, she loves Saratoga – so here's hoping for a win on Sunday in Jersey and a return to New York for the Travers.

Of course, she will have some competition in the Haskell – while Summer Bird may have the credential of a Triple Crown win, the shorter distance and the speed-favoring track at Monmouth Park will not do him any favors. The truth is we really don't know how talented he is yet – is he a one-hit wonder like so many recent Belmont winners, or is he the real deal, like his sire, Birdstone? Apparently there was plenty of interest in purchasing Summer Bird before his Belmont victory - even IEAH wanted a piece of the action before they got busier with their lawsuits.

There had been talk of Quality Road heading to the Haskell, but he is now aiming for the Amsterdam at Saratoga instead as his Travers prep. Perhaps the horse with the best chance of eyeballing Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell is Munnings - he's got the speed, but the distance is a real question for him. Atomic Rain and Papa Clem both need to earn their way back to the top tier of their division - but on paper, neither one has the class to beat the filly.

We'll have more on the Haskell later in the week, but let's not forget the other 'big' horse running at the weekend (even if, in fact, he's quite wee) - Mine That Bird will make history regardless of the outcome of his race as he's the first winner of a Triple Crown race to run in West Virginia. It's impossible not to see this as ducking Rachel Alexandra, but his connections had little to gain by taking her on in the Haskell - the track doesn't fit his running style to begin with, so he may as well collect a win (and a big check) somewhere else, with a view toward facing off against bigger fish later in the season.

And let's not overlook the 2-year-olds mentioned above - will Bulls and Bears join Afleet Alex, Affirmed and Secretariat as a Sanford winner? Or perhaps the oddly-named Nacho Friend? We will know later in the week. I highly recommend a perusal of Colin's Ghost today for some perspective on what opening day at Saratoga was like in 1919 - the year a 2-year-old named Man o' War finished second in the Sanford.

Check back later in the week - and I hope to see you at Monmouth Park on Sunday!

Coaching Club American Oaks: A Very Brief History

2009-07-23T13:02:00.004-04:00

The Coaching Club American Oaks may have been run at a variety of distances throughout its history, but it is notable that one of the purposes in creating the race in 1917 was to select the very best racemares to become stars in the breeding shed. Indeed, the NY Times described the Coaching Club's 1920 support of the race as 'a praiseworthy act' and that the winner of the race would be:

'...the type of race mare which through her progeny should enrich the thoroughbred horse families of the future in the United States.'

From its very inception, the purpose of the race was quite clearly stated - it was to emulate the Epsom Oaks and to improve the breed:

'...the Westchester Racing Association points to the need of such events for mares, as the question of elimination for breeding purposes is a vexed one.'

The more recent history of that race does bear out the intentions of the creators - My Flag, daughter of Personal Ensign and winner of the 1996 edition of the race, has been a notable success as a broodmare. The same can be said of Chris Evert, the 1974 winner and dam of Chief's Crown. Going further back, champion filly Vagrancy won in 1942 and she went on to become a very important part of the studbook.

While the first Coaching Club American Oaks was run at a 1 1/8 mile, plans to make it a 1 1/4 mile were afoot even before it was run - it was noted that the longer races were easier to fill - although some of those future entries had to be regarded as highly speculative, for a few yearlings ('practically untried') were penciled in for the third running. The 'historical Singleton Cup' (which had previously been awarded for an early-19th century race held in South Carolina over 3-mile heats) would also be awarded to any owner whose fillies managed to win three editions of the new race. The distance has, as mentioned above, varied over time - it was a 1 1/2 mile race for many years (off and on), but it switched back to its current 1 1/4 mile distance (again) in 2004.

The race may best be know today as the second leg of the often-overlooked Triple Tiara (depending on what races are comprising it at the time, that is), won by such luminaries as Shuvee and Ruffian (pictured), but it has a worthy history of its own.

Whether Livin Lovin or Funny Moon will go on to join the Coaching Club American Oaks sisterhood remains to be seen, but sometimes even the best ones lose - even the great Serena's Song lost the Coaching Club American Oaks - but she won the Jim Beam and the Haskell. It's worth watching.