Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Saturday, September 27
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
NTRA Thoroughbred Notebook
News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by NTRA Communications.
CURLIN SHOOTING TO BECOME NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST $10 MILLION EARNER IN SATURDAY'S JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP
Through history, the Thoroughbreds who became North America's leading money-earner rank amongst the greatest racehorses of all time, from Man o'War to Seabiscuit, Citation to Kelso, Alysheba to Cigar. Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., reigning Horse of the Year Curlin seeks to put his name atop that exclusive list and become North America's first $10 million horse in the 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be televised live by ESPNEWS and can also be seen live on TVG and HRTV with a scheduled post time of 4:52 p.m. Also Saturday are the $600,000 Beldame for fillies and mares (2:40 p.m.), the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies and mares on the turf (3:13 p.m.), the $400,000 Vosburgh at six furlongs (3:46 p.m.), and the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (4:19 p.m.).
The winner's purse in the Jockey Club Gold Cup is worth $450,000, and should Curlin, who won the Gold Cup last year, score a repeat victory, he would add to his current earnings total of $9,796,800 and surpass the great Cigar ($9,999,815) as the richest North American-based racehorse ever. Cigar's record has stood for 12 years, second only to Kelso's ($1,977,896), which endured for 15 years before being broken by Affirmed ($2,393,818).
"It's so exciting to think he might break the record," said owner Jess Jackson of Curlin, who has won four of five starts this year including Grade I wins in the Dubai World Cup, the Stephen Foster, and the Woodward. "But first, he's got to win."
Curlin, who will break from post five, will go off as a heavy favorite against the eight others who were entered in the 1¼-mile race.
"It's not about the money, it's about his place in history," said Jackson, noting that Skip Away (1996-97) was the last horse to repeat in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. "I think Curlin has already proven he's one of the best, and I think one of the best in the last half-century, if not the century. That's just an owner's selfish view of the horse he loves, but that's the way I feel. It's an honor just to be included with horses like Cigar."
The complete Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational field, in post position order, is: Ravel (jockey: Rafael Bejarano, morning line odds: 30-1); Merchant Marine (Cornelio Velasquez, 12-1); Timber Reserve (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Wanderin Boy (Alan Garcia 10-1); Curlin (Robby Albarado, 3-5); Angliana (Rajiv Maragh, 30-1); A.P. Arrow (Ramon Dominguez, 20-1); Stones River (Gabriel Saez, 20-1); and Mambo in Seattle (Edgar Prado, 7-2).
ZENYATTA BIDS TO REMAIN PERFECT AS OAK TREE PRESENTS SIX GRADE I STAKES
Zenyatta, racing's paragon of perfection, and stablemate Tiago, defending champion in the $500,000 Goodwood Stakes, will be major players at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday when the Oak Tree Racing Association presents an unprecedented six Grade I stakes races, each with Breeders' Cup World Championship implications.
Unbeaten Zenyatta, the 4-year-old filly who has towered over her opposition in seven starts, will be a solid choice in the $250,000 Lady's Secret Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, but could get her sternest test yet when facing Hystericalady, winner of three consecutive Grade II stakes by a combined 19½ lengths.
Tiago will defend his title against 10 rivals in a wide-open Goodwood with the mile-and-one-eighth event to serve as a final prep for the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, climaxing an expanded Breeders' Cup program featuring 14 championship races over two days.
A top-notch field of 10 entered the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles on turf with trainer Todd Pletcher's Wait a While the one to beat. The 5-year-old gray mare won the Yellow Ribbon by 4 ½ lengths two years ago and is two-for-two over the Santa Anita turf.
The $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship at 1 ¼ miles features Spring House, also two-for-two over the local grass, and an odds-on winner of the Del Mar Handicap in his last start.
The $250,000 Ancient Title Stakes at six furlongs, a prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, has attracted such crack sprinters as Idiot Proof, who took the 2007 Ancient Title, and Street Boss. The latter has won his last five starts including Hollywood Park's Triple Bend Handicap and Del Mar's Bing Crosby Handicap, both Grade I races, in his last two.
Stardom Bound, a dazzling 4 ½-length winner of the Grade I Del Mar Debutante in her last start, will be the center of attention in the $250,000 Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
First post for the unique 11-race program billed as Breeders' Cup Challenge Day is at 2:30 p.m. Excepting the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship, winners of the Grade I stakes will be assured a starting spot in their respective Breeders' Cup events under the event's "Win and You're In" program. The Breeders' Cup will take place at Oak Tree at Santa Anita this year on October 24-25.
TURFWAY PARK TO HONOR PERFECT DRIFT AT SATURDAY'S KENTUCKY CUP
Multimillionaire Perfect Drift will return to Turfway Park one more time for congratulations and honors as he begins his retirement. A special celebration and ceremony is planned for Saturday, September 27, as part of festivities surrounding the Florence, Ky., track's Kentucky Cup Day of Champions.
Now nine years old, Perfect Drift was retired earlier this year after racing at the sport's highest levels during his eight-year career. From 50 career starts he posted 11 wins, 14 seconds, and seven thirds and collected $4,714,213 in earnings. He won seven graded stakes and was graded stakes-placed in 14 others. He also competed in five consecutive renewals of the Breeders' Cup Classic, finishing third in 2005.
Perfect Drift was bred and campaigned throughout his career by Stonecrest Farm, the Kansas City, Mo., breeding and racing operation of Dr. William A. Reed, a cardiovascular surgeon who now chairs the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Ks.
"The whole family has enjoyed a wonderful experience with Perfect Drift for the past nine years," said Dr. Reed, who will be on hand for the ceremony. "'Drift' was foaled in Kentucky but grew up here on our farm. This is just a new time in his life."
Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for the bay gelding, who broke his maiden at Turfway and also won the Lane's End Spiral and Kentucky Cup Classic there. "He established his reputation and fan base at Turfway Park," said Reed, "so it seemed appropriate that he would return to his racing home for his retirement."
Perfect Drift will be led to the paddock by his longtime groom, Richard Anderson, and exercise rider, Mike Bowlds. After a brief presentation, Murray Johnson, who trained Perfect Drift for all but his last four races, will saddle Perfect Drift to lead this year's Kentucky Cup Classic field onto the track.
Among those Perfect Drift will escort prior to Grade II, $350,000 race is possible favorite Honest Man, who was an impressive winner of the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park last time out. The main question for the Larry Jones trainee surrounds Turfway's Polytrack racing strip, because Honest Man has never raced over a synthetic surface.
"Honest Man has done very well training on the Tapeta [synthetic surface at Fair Hill], and when I galloped on this track today, it's very similar, so I expect him to run well," said Jones.
The Kentucky Cup Classic is the last of five stakes races that make up this year's 15th annual Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. The Saturday Turfway card also features the Grade III Kentucky Cup Distaff at 1 1/16 miles, the Grade III Kentucky Cup Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles, the Grade III Kentucky Cup Sprint at 6 furlongs, and the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies at one mile. This year marks the 15th renewal of the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. The stakes series begins with Race 6 on the 12-race card.
CURLIN SHOOTING TO BECOME NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST $10 MILLION EARNER IN SATURDAY'S JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP
Through history, the Thoroughbreds who became North America's leading money-earner rank amongst the greatest racehorses of all time, from Man o'War to Seabiscuit, Citation to Kelso, Alysheba to Cigar. Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., reigning Horse of the Year Curlin seeks to put his name atop that exclusive list and become North America's first $10 million horse in the 90th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be televised live by ESPNEWS and can also be seen live on TVG and HRTV with a scheduled post time of 4:52 p.m. Also Saturday are the $600,000 Beldame for fillies and mares (2:40 p.m.), the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies and mares on the turf (3:13 p.m.), the $400,000 Vosburgh at six furlongs (3:46 p.m.), and the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (4:19 p.m.).
The winner's purse in the Jockey Club Gold Cup is worth $450,000, and should Curlin, who won the Gold Cup last year, score a repeat victory, he would add to his current earnings total of $9,796,800 and surpass the great Cigar ($9,999,815) as the richest North American-based racehorse ever. Cigar's record has stood for 12 years, second only to Kelso's ($1,977,896), which endured for 15 years before being broken by Affirmed ($2,393,818).
"It's so exciting to think he might break the record," said owner Jess Jackson of Curlin, who has won four of five starts this year including Grade I wins in the Dubai World Cup, the Stephen Foster, and the Woodward. "But first, he's got to win."
Curlin, who will break from post five, will go off as a heavy favorite against the eight others who were entered in the 1¼-mile race.
"It's not about the money, it's about his place in history," said Jackson, noting that Skip Away (1996-97) was the last horse to repeat in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. "I think Curlin has already proven he's one of the best, and I think one of the best in the last half-century, if not the century. That's just an owner's selfish view of the horse he loves, but that's the way I feel. It's an honor just to be included with horses like Cigar."
The complete Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational field, in post position order, is: Ravel (jockey: Rafael Bejarano, morning line odds: 30-1); Merchant Marine (Cornelio Velasquez, 12-1); Timber Reserve (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Wanderin Boy (Alan Garcia 10-1); Curlin (Robby Albarado, 3-5); Angliana (Rajiv Maragh, 30-1); A.P. Arrow (Ramon Dominguez, 20-1); Stones River (Gabriel Saez, 20-1); and Mambo in Seattle (Edgar Prado, 7-2).
ZENYATTA BIDS TO REMAIN PERFECT AS OAK TREE PRESENTS SIX GRADE I STAKES
Zenyatta, racing's paragon of perfection, and stablemate Tiago, defending champion in the $500,000 Goodwood Stakes, will be major players at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday when the Oak Tree Racing Association presents an unprecedented six Grade I stakes races, each with Breeders' Cup World Championship implications.
Unbeaten Zenyatta, the 4-year-old filly who has towered over her opposition in seven starts, will be a solid choice in the $250,000 Lady's Secret Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, but could get her sternest test yet when facing Hystericalady, winner of three consecutive Grade II stakes by a combined 19½ lengths.
Tiago will defend his title against 10 rivals in a wide-open Goodwood with the mile-and-one-eighth event to serve as a final prep for the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, climaxing an expanded Breeders' Cup program featuring 14 championship races over two days.
A top-notch field of 10 entered the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles on turf with trainer Todd Pletcher's Wait a While the one to beat. The 5-year-old gray mare won the Yellow Ribbon by 4 ½ lengths two years ago and is two-for-two over the Santa Anita turf.
The $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship at 1 ¼ miles features Spring House, also two-for-two over the local grass, and an odds-on winner of the Del Mar Handicap in his last start.
The $250,000 Ancient Title Stakes at six furlongs, a prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, has attracted such crack sprinters as Idiot Proof, who took the 2007 Ancient Title, and Street Boss. The latter has won his last five starts including Hollywood Park's Triple Bend Handicap and Del Mar's Bing Crosby Handicap, both Grade I races, in his last two.
Stardom Bound, a dazzling 4 ½-length winner of the Grade I Del Mar Debutante in her last start, will be the center of attention in the $250,000 Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
First post for the unique 11-race program billed as Breeders' Cup Challenge Day is at 2:30 p.m. Excepting the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship, winners of the Grade I stakes will be assured a starting spot in their respective Breeders' Cup events under the event's "Win and You're In" program. The Breeders' Cup will take place at Oak Tree at Santa Anita this year on October 24-25.
TURFWAY PARK TO HONOR PERFECT DRIFT AT SATURDAY'S KENTUCKY CUP
Multimillionaire Perfect Drift will return to Turfway Park one more time for congratulations and honors as he begins his retirement. A special celebration and ceremony is planned for Saturday, September 27, as part of festivities surrounding the Florence, Ky., track's Kentucky Cup Day of Champions.
Now nine years old, Perfect Drift was retired earlier this year after racing at the sport's highest levels during his eight-year career. From 50 career starts he posted 11 wins, 14 seconds, and seven thirds and collected $4,714,213 in earnings. He won seven graded stakes and was graded stakes-placed in 14 others. He also competed in five consecutive renewals of the Breeders' Cup Classic, finishing third in 2005.
Perfect Drift was bred and campaigned throughout his career by Stonecrest Farm, the Kansas City, Mo., breeding and racing operation of Dr. William A. Reed, a cardiovascular surgeon who now chairs the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Ks.
"The whole family has enjoyed a wonderful experience with Perfect Drift for the past nine years," said Dr. Reed, who will be on hand for the ceremony. "'Drift' was foaled in Kentucky but grew up here on our farm. This is just a new time in his life."
Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for the bay gelding, who broke his maiden at Turfway and also won the Lane's End Spiral and Kentucky Cup Classic there. "He established his reputation and fan base at Turfway Park," said Reed, "so it seemed appropriate that he would return to his racing home for his retirement."
Perfect Drift will be led to the paddock by his longtime groom, Richard Anderson, and exercise rider, Mike Bowlds. After a brief presentation, Murray Johnson, who trained Perfect Drift for all but his last four races, will saddle Perfect Drift to lead this year's Kentucky Cup Classic field onto the track.
Among those Perfect Drift will escort prior to Grade II, $350,000 race is possible favorite Honest Man, who was an impressive winner of the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park last time out. The main question for the Larry Jones trainee surrounds Turfway's Polytrack racing strip, because Honest Man has never raced over a synthetic surface.
"Honest Man has done very well training on the Tapeta [synthetic surface at Fair Hill], and when I galloped on this track today, it's very similar, so I expect him to run well," said Jones.
The Kentucky Cup Classic is the last of five stakes races that make up this year's 15th annual Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. The Saturday Turfway card also features the Grade III Kentucky Cup Distaff at 1 1/16 miles, the Grade III Kentucky Cup Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles, the Grade III Kentucky Cup Sprint at 6 furlongs, and the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies at one mile. This year marks the 15th renewal of the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. The stakes series begins with Race 6 on the 12-race card.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
"Polycapping" at Keeneland
the following story appeared in Wednesday's Lexington Herald Leader
Keeneland announces handicapping tool for Polytrack
'polycapping' will provide more info
By Alicia Wincze awincze@herald-leader.com
While synthetic tracks remain a work in progress in Thoroughbred racing, Keeneland has developed an innovative new database to help its handicappers get a better grasp of its Polytrack surface.
A handicapping tool, dubbed PolyCapping, will be unveiled this week when the track launches its redesigned Web site in advance of the start of its fall meet, which begins on Oct. 3.
The new database, which is free to access, will allow horseplayers to search for a wide range of information on winners of Keeneland races since Oct. 2006, including positions at key junctures of the race, last start, workout information, track maintenance and temperature.
"The concept behind this was everyone had their theory on what was important," said Julie Balog, digital marketing manager for Keeneland. "Rather than bundle it all together and tell them, 'This is what we think you want,' we're going to let them choose what they think is important."
PolyCapping was developed in partnership with Jeremy Plonk, editor of HorsePlayer magazine, and also includes data from Keeneland's past turf races. Once the fall meet gets under way, the data will be updated at the end of each card.
Nick Nicholson, president of Keeneland, said part of the motivation behind the creation of PolyCapping was to address the apprehension some bettors felt about handicapping races over the sometimes unpredictable surface.
"We recognized we have a new surface, fuller fields than we've ever had before, much less track bias than we've ever had before ... so the more data we can give people the better," Nicholson said.
"What got lost in all this is (that) the acceptance of this new surface has been extremely positive. The four meets we've had on this surface have been the four most successful meets in the history of Keeneland."
© 2008 Kentucky.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kentucky.com
Keeneland announces handicapping tool for Polytrack
'polycapping' will provide more info
By Alicia Wincze awincze@herald-leader.com
While synthetic tracks remain a work in progress in Thoroughbred racing, Keeneland has developed an innovative new database to help its handicappers get a better grasp of its Polytrack surface.
A handicapping tool, dubbed PolyCapping, will be unveiled this week when the track launches its redesigned Web site in advance of the start of its fall meet, which begins on Oct. 3.
The new database, which is free to access, will allow horseplayers to search for a wide range of information on winners of Keeneland races since Oct. 2006, including positions at key junctures of the race, last start, workout information, track maintenance and temperature.
"The concept behind this was everyone had their theory on what was important," said Julie Balog, digital marketing manager for Keeneland. "Rather than bundle it all together and tell them, 'This is what we think you want,' we're going to let them choose what they think is important."
PolyCapping was developed in partnership with Jeremy Plonk, editor of HorsePlayer magazine, and also includes data from Keeneland's past turf races. Once the fall meet gets under way, the data will be updated at the end of each card.
Nick Nicholson, president of Keeneland, said part of the motivation behind the creation of PolyCapping was to address the apprehension some bettors felt about handicapping races over the sometimes unpredictable surface.
"We recognized we have a new surface, fuller fields than we've ever had before, much less track bias than we've ever had before ... so the more data we can give people the better," Nicholson said.
"What got lost in all this is (that) the acceptance of this new surface has been extremely positive. The four meets we've had on this surface have been the four most successful meets in the history of Keeneland."
© 2008 Kentucky.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kentucky.com
Thursday, September 18, 2008
NTRA Thoroughbred Notebook
News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by NTRA Communications.
COMMENTATOR TOPS FIELD FOR SATURDAY'S MASSCAP
Commentator, a two-time Grade I winner for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, leads a field of seven for this Saturday's 66th running of the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. The MassCap has a star-studded roster of past winners, including such racing legends as Seabiscuit and the sport's all-time leading money winner, Cigar.
The morning-line favorite at 3-to-5, Commentator is coming off of an impressive gate-to-wire score in the Grade I Whitney Handicap at Saratoga on July 26. He won the 2005 Whitney as well. Overall this year, the seven-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor has three wins from four starts, including a dominant victory in the Richter Scale Handicap at Gulfstream Park, which he won by over 13 lengths. Commentator starts from post two in the mile-and-one-eighth dirt contest and will be ridden by John Velazquez for owner Tracy Farmer.
"He's been training spectacular," said Farmer. "I've had a great number of horses in my life and he has a bit of Seabiscuit in him. He understands what he is supposed to do. He's just a special horse. It's almost like he's my child. He's someone that keeps coming back and running."
Dr. Pleasure, third in last year's MassCap, returns as the 7-2 second choice for owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward. The five-year-old son of Thunder Gulch out of the champion mare Beautiful Pleasure returned from nearly a five-month layoff to post an impressive 8 ¼ length win in an optional claiming race at Saratoga on August 10. Cornelio Velasquez is named to ride Dr. Pleasure, who will break from post six.
COMMENTATOR TOPS FIELD FOR SATURDAY'S MASSCAP
Commentator, a two-time Grade I winner for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, leads a field of seven for this Saturday's 66th running of the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. The MassCap has a star-studded roster of past winners, including such racing legends as Seabiscuit and the sport's all-time leading money winner, Cigar.
The morning-line favorite at 3-to-5, Commentator is coming off of an impressive gate-to-wire score in the Grade I Whitney Handicap at Saratoga on July 26. He won the 2005 Whitney as well. Overall this year, the seven-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor has three wins from four starts, including a dominant victory in the Richter Scale Handicap at Gulfstream Park, which he won by over 13 lengths. Commentator starts from post two in the mile-and-one-eighth dirt contest and will be ridden by John Velazquez for owner Tracy Farmer.
"He's been training spectacular," said Farmer. "I've had a great number of horses in my life and he has a bit of Seabiscuit in him. He understands what he is supposed to do. He's just a special horse. It's almost like he's my child. He's someone that keeps coming back and running."
Dr. Pleasure, third in last year's MassCap, returns as the 7-2 second choice for owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward. The five-year-old son of Thunder Gulch out of the champion mare Beautiful Pleasure returned from nearly a five-month layoff to post an impressive 8 ¼ length win in an optional claiming race at Saratoga on August 10. Cornelio Velasquez is named to ride Dr. Pleasure, who will break from post six.
PROUD SPELL TOPS SATURDAY'S RICH COTILLION AT PHILADELPHIA PARK
Philadelphia Park will provide the stage for the richest race of the weekend when the Bensalem, Pa., racetrack hosts the Grade II, $750,000 Fitz Dixon Cotillion Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Proud Spell, fresh off a stirring win in the Grade I Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, is the prohibitive favorite in a field of seven.
A leading candidate for Champion three year-old filly honors, Proud Spell has been nothing short of sensational since setting foot on the racetrack last summer. On Saturday, she will look to top the $2 million mark for her career. Should she turn in a good effort over the Philadelphia Park dirt, it is possible she could next take on her elders in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on October 24 over the new synthetic surface at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.
"We're going to take it one race at a time, but if we do go, needless to say, this will be our last race before that, and we'll just kind of see how she comes out," said Larry Jones, trainer of Proud Spell. "We've been working her at Fair Hill all the time just in case we decided to go. We'll have as much synthetic practice in her as we can get."
A number of talented fillies will be here looking for an upset in the Cotillion. By the Light has tasted defeat only once in her seven race career, running second to Indian Blessing in her first graded stakes appearance on July 5th in the Grade I Prioress Stakes at Belmont Park. Her most recent start was an off the pace victory in the Union Ave. Stakes for New York breds on August 18 at Saratoga.
Others of note include Seattle Smooth and Never Retreat. Seattle Smooth won the Bay Meadows Oaks back in April and ran a close third in the Black Eyed Susan Stakes in May at Pimlico. Never Retreat finished within two lengths of Proud Spell in the Grade I Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont in late June.
PERFORMANCE VERSUS PROMISE IN SATURDAY'S SUPER DERBY
The two horses that figure to attract the most wagering support in Saturday's Grade II, $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., are clearly at two different points in their career, even though the 1 1/8-miles race is restricted to three-year-olds.
The probable favorite from post three in the field of 10 is Macho Again, a battle-scarred veteran of 12 races, including the Preakness, Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes. To be ridden Saturday by Big Brown's jockey Kent Desormeaux, Macho Again has performed admirably in the top circles, finishing second in the Preakness behind Desormeaux and Big Brown, and winning the Jim Dandy. And his eighth-place finish in the August 23 Travers can be excused by horrific traffic problems at the top of the stretch that caused him to clip heels and lose all momentum. A victory by the hickory tough colt would come as no surprise.
Out in post 10, however, is Forest Command, who is a head shy of being undefeated through his first three races, all of which were at seven furlongs. Since dropping a heartbreaker in his debut, the son of Monarchos has broken his maiden at Churchill Downs, and destroyed a strong allowance field at Saratoga by six lengths.
Will Forest Command be able to cope with Saturday's stretch out in distance?
"I don't think the stretch out is going to bother him," said Forest Command's trainer John Ward. "Both riders that have ridden him, both Robby Albarado, who will ride him in the Super Derby, and Edgar Prado came back just amazed with what kind of raw talent this horse had. So you know the rider, Robby Albarado, was extremely happy with the animal. He doesn't think he'll have any problems going into the two turns. This horse trains big, runs big and probably I was doing him an injustice running him seven-eighths of a mile."
A leading candidate for Champion three year-old filly honors, Proud Spell has been nothing short of sensational since setting foot on the racetrack last summer. On Saturday, she will look to top the $2 million mark for her career. Should she turn in a good effort over the Philadelphia Park dirt, it is possible she could next take on her elders in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic on October 24 over the new synthetic surface at Oak Tree at Santa Anita.
"We're going to take it one race at a time, but if we do go, needless to say, this will be our last race before that, and we'll just kind of see how she comes out," said Larry Jones, trainer of Proud Spell. "We've been working her at Fair Hill all the time just in case we decided to go. We'll have as much synthetic practice in her as we can get."
A number of talented fillies will be here looking for an upset in the Cotillion. By the Light has tasted defeat only once in her seven race career, running second to Indian Blessing in her first graded stakes appearance on July 5th in the Grade I Prioress Stakes at Belmont Park. Her most recent start was an off the pace victory in the Union Ave. Stakes for New York breds on August 18 at Saratoga.
Others of note include Seattle Smooth and Never Retreat. Seattle Smooth won the Bay Meadows Oaks back in April and ran a close third in the Black Eyed Susan Stakes in May at Pimlico. Never Retreat finished within two lengths of Proud Spell in the Grade I Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont in late June.
PERFORMANCE VERSUS PROMISE IN SATURDAY'S SUPER DERBY
The two horses that figure to attract the most wagering support in Saturday's Grade II, $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., are clearly at two different points in their career, even though the 1 1/8-miles race is restricted to three-year-olds.
The probable favorite from post three in the field of 10 is Macho Again, a battle-scarred veteran of 12 races, including the Preakness, Belmont Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes. To be ridden Saturday by Big Brown's jockey Kent Desormeaux, Macho Again has performed admirably in the top circles, finishing second in the Preakness behind Desormeaux and Big Brown, and winning the Jim Dandy. And his eighth-place finish in the August 23 Travers can be excused by horrific traffic problems at the top of the stretch that caused him to clip heels and lose all momentum. A victory by the hickory tough colt would come as no surprise.
Out in post 10, however, is Forest Command, who is a head shy of being undefeated through his first three races, all of which were at seven furlongs. Since dropping a heartbreaker in his debut, the son of Monarchos has broken his maiden at Churchill Downs, and destroyed a strong allowance field at Saratoga by six lengths.
Will Forest Command be able to cope with Saturday's stretch out in distance?
"I don't think the stretch out is going to bother him," said Forest Command's trainer John Ward. "Both riders that have ridden him, both Robby Albarado, who will ride him in the Super Derby, and Edgar Prado came back just amazed with what kind of raw talent this horse had. So you know the rider, Robby Albarado, was extremely happy with the animal. He doesn't think he'll have any problems going into the two turns. This horse trains big, runs big and probably I was doing him an injustice running him seven-eighths of a mile."
RACING TO HISTORY
Sept. 18, 1920: Carrying the top weight of his career, 138 pounds, three-year-old Man o' War won the Potomac Handicap, conceding 24 pounds to his nearest rival, Paul Jones, and 30 pounds to the second-place finisher, Wildair.
Sept. 18, 1943: The U.S. Army occupied the grounds of Hollywood Park as part of the war effort.
Sept. 18, 1999: Jockey David Gall retired as the fourth winningest rider of all time with 7,396 victories to his credit.
Sept. 19, 1943: Rider Eddie Arcaro returned to racing after a 12-month suspension that resulted from his attempt to injure a fellow rider in the Cowdin Stakes the previous year.
Sept. 19, 1942: Alsab, runner-up in the 1942 Kentucky Derby, beat 3-10 favorite Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown champion, by a nose in a $25,000 match race at Narragansett Park. The match was arranged after Alsab was scratched from the Narragansett Special, a race won by Whirlaway one week earlier. Narragansett's president, James Dooley, offered to contribute the track's share of the mutuel handle, plus breakage, to the Army and Navy Relief Funds, making attendance at the race a patriotic gesture. Alsab and Whirlaway met twice more that year, with Whirlaway winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 3, and Alsab besting him in the New York Handicap on Oct. 10.
Sept. 19, 1997: Chelsea Zupan set an Emerald Downs record by winning seven consecutive races at the Auburn, Wash. oval. Zupan won four on September 18th and three on September 19th. The feat was a national record for consecutive victories by a female rider.
Sept. 20, 1965: Jockey Jorge Velasquez made his American racing debut, riding for owner Fred W. Hooper, at Atlantic City Racecourse. He won with his first mount, aboard Keypoint, in the sixth race, at 8-1 odds.
Sept. 20, 1976: Two-year-old Seattle Slew made his racing debut, winning a six furlong maiden race by five lengths at Belmont Park. His zesty workouts prior to the race made Seattle Slew the 2-1 favorite and he was the public's choice in both his subsequent races that year. After only three starts (including the Champagne Stakes) in the space of 27 days, Seattle Slew was voted champion two-year-old colt for 1976.
Sept. 20, 1980: Before a crowd of 23,000 spectators, four-year-old Spectacular Bid won the Woodward Stakes in the world's richest walkover. To the surprise of trainer Bud Delp and owners Harry, Teresa and Tom Meyerhoff, "Bid" was awarded only $73,300, which was half of the winner's share of the purse, but all that was allowable under the track's rules. There had not been a walkover in a major U.S. stakes race since Coaltown won the Edward Burke Handicap on April 23, 1949.
Sept. 20, 1999: Storm Cat's stud fee was raised from $200,000 to $300,000.
Sept. 20, 2001: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince and Defense Minister of the United Arab Emirates, donated $5 million to a disaster relief fund, established by Keeneland, to assist those affected by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
Sept. 20, 2001: Leading breeder Harry T. Mangurian, Jr., pledged $1 million to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association-New York Heroes Fund.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
STEVENS WILL BE SIDELINED FOUR MONTHS
Hall of Fame rider Scott Stevens did not get the verdict he was hoping for on his injured knee when he arrived in Phoenix following the Canterbury Park meet, and that means he will miss the opening day of the meet at Turf Paradise for the first time since he started racing there in 1992.
Stevens believed there was a good chance he would need only arthroscopic surgery on the knee to repair damage inflicted following a race at Canterbury. Stevens drove nonstop from Shakopee to Phoenix when the meet ended Labor Day to make an 11 a.m. appointment on Thursday.
He reached Phoenix with time to spare, arriving late Wednesday afternoon, but didn't get the news he hoped for the following day.
The meniscus in the knee was damaged worse than thought and he will require a replacement ACL ligament as well. "They'll clean up the meniscus as well as they can and replace the ACL (from a cadaver),'' Stevens said.Stevens, a three-time riding champ at Canterbury, finished sixth in the standings with 34 wins, 25 seconds, 41 thirds and earnings of $569,702 from 243 mounts during the 2008 meet. He will be sidelined approximately four months following the surgery late this month.
Stevens believed there was a good chance he would need only arthroscopic surgery on the knee to repair damage inflicted following a race at Canterbury. Stevens drove nonstop from Shakopee to Phoenix when the meet ended Labor Day to make an 11 a.m. appointment on Thursday.
He reached Phoenix with time to spare, arriving late Wednesday afternoon, but didn't get the news he hoped for the following day.
The meniscus in the knee was damaged worse than thought and he will require a replacement ACL ligament as well. "They'll clean up the meniscus as well as they can and replace the ACL (from a cadaver),'' Stevens said.Stevens, a three-time riding champ at Canterbury, finished sixth in the standings with 34 wins, 25 seconds, 41 thirds and earnings of $569,702 from 243 mounts during the 2008 meet. He will be sidelined approximately four months following the surgery late this month.
by Jim Wells
Patience/Seeking value is key
Have you found yourself tapped out before the races you really wanted to wager on have even started? Unfortunately, too many horseplayers share this trait. Three simple rules of thumb can help eliminate this bankroll-destroying pattern:
1) Scan over pp's and form a game plan targeted for value before arriving at the track; too many distractions once trackside.
2) If your plays are run later in the day, don't arrive until late in the day. No need to be tempted by all the action you really don't have strong opinions/lack value.
3) Stick to your plan; can’t tell you how times I see last minute wagering adjustments that don't pan out.
Most horseplayer’s bankrolls survive only by consistent winning (unless you are someone like Steven Crist) + smaller tracks such as CBY will sadly only survive if their players churn.
by Jason Ige
1) Scan over pp's and form a game plan targeted for value before arriving at the track; too many distractions once trackside.
2) If your plays are run later in the day, don't arrive until late in the day. No need to be tempted by all the action you really don't have strong opinions/lack value.
3) Stick to your plan; can’t tell you how times I see last minute wagering adjustments that don't pan out.
Most horseplayer’s bankrolls survive only by consistent winning (unless you are someone like Steven Crist) + smaller tracks such as CBY will sadly only survive if their players churn.
by Jason Ige
Monday, September 15, 2008
GEORGE BANGO 1934 - 2008
George Bango worked a great deal with claiming horses during his training career; so many of his friends regarded his victory in the 2004 Claiming Crown Iron Horse as an appropriate accomplishment.
It was the highlight of a career that spanned four decades and it had a clear impact on Bango, who was astonished, pleased and grateful all at once after Superman Can, owned by Dana Issacson, collected the biggest check of his career, and Bango's, too in the $50,000 race.
"It was one of the highlights of my career,'' said winning rider Scott Stevens. "Three weeks before the race he wasn't planning on running him, but the horse got good at the right time and ran the race of his life.''
Funeral services for Bango, a regular on the backside in Shakopee since the opening of Canterbury Downs, are scheduled on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, his home state since the early 1970s.
Bango died on Thursday evening at his Phoenix home after battling cancer the last several months. A vigil is scheduled Monday evening at Menke Funeral Home in Phoenix. A mass of Christian burial is scheduled Tuesday at St. Rafael's Catholic Church. Burial will take place in Holy Cross Cemetery.
Bango alternated his stable between Turf Paradise in Phoenix and Canterbury for several years after one time racing at tracks in the East, where he first became enamored of the sport.
He was elected president of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Assn. last spring. "It was a short presidency,'' said his widow, Mary. "He was kind of a troubleshooter there for a few months while he was able.''
Bango, 74, was a native of New Haven, Conn., and operated a radiator shop. Racing was his love. "He was always interested in racehorses,'' Mary said. "He would attend the races at the New York racetracks.''
Bango would conclude every season at Canterbury with the announcement that he was either retiring or intended never again to train in Minnesota. His family grew accustomed to his season-ending proclamations and took them with a grain of salt.
"We would just say, 'Ok, George,' '' Mary said. "Then the next year I'd pack his bags for him and he'd be off. It was really hard last year when he finally realized he couldn't keep up, that he didn't have the stamina and couldn't continue.''
According to Mary, George had a friend who went to Arizona every winter. "Then one day George sort of announced that he thought all of us should move to Arizona,'' she said. "I think his friend was a real big influence.''
George made the move from Connecticut to the Grand Canyon state in 1969 and Mary followed shortly after with their six children. The move also preceded his serious entry into training, some time in the early 1970s. He had a radiator shop for a while in Phoenix and worked also as a district circulation coordinator for the Arizona Republic before turning to training full time.
Stevens and Minnesota HBPA president Tom Metzen were among the final visitors at Bango's home. "It was a Godsend,'' Metzen said. "I saw him on Wednesday and I don't think he knew me.''
Stevens drove nonstop after the meet ended at Canterbury on Labor Day and arrived in Phoenix late Wednesday afternoon Sept. 3, and visited with Bango that evening. "I went back again on Friday (Sept. 4) and he didn't look the same at all,'' Stevens said.
Stevens rode the last horse Bango saddled to victory on closing day at Canterbury in 2007. "Hills of Ireland was the last horse he ever trained,'' Stevens said, then recalling a footnote to the victory.
"George was in the winner's circle and he said he was retiring, that he wouldn't be back,'' Stevens said. "I had heard that before and thought it was just George. But he had tears in his eyes. He must have known then.''Bango is survived by his wife and six children, all Arizona residents: George, Jr., Nancy Banks, Patricia O'Brien, Regina Davis, Karla Maines and Jessica Szabo.
It was the highlight of a career that spanned four decades and it had a clear impact on Bango, who was astonished, pleased and grateful all at once after Superman Can, owned by Dana Issacson, collected the biggest check of his career, and Bango's, too in the $50,000 race.
"It was one of the highlights of my career,'' said winning rider Scott Stevens. "Three weeks before the race he wasn't planning on running him, but the horse got good at the right time and ran the race of his life.''
Funeral services for Bango, a regular on the backside in Shakopee since the opening of Canterbury Downs, are scheduled on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, his home state since the early 1970s.
Bango died on Thursday evening at his Phoenix home after battling cancer the last several months. A vigil is scheduled Monday evening at Menke Funeral Home in Phoenix. A mass of Christian burial is scheduled Tuesday at St. Rafael's Catholic Church. Burial will take place in Holy Cross Cemetery.
Bango alternated his stable between Turf Paradise in Phoenix and Canterbury for several years after one time racing at tracks in the East, where he first became enamored of the sport.
He was elected president of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Assn. last spring. "It was a short presidency,'' said his widow, Mary. "He was kind of a troubleshooter there for a few months while he was able.''
Bango, 74, was a native of New Haven, Conn., and operated a radiator shop. Racing was his love. "He was always interested in racehorses,'' Mary said. "He would attend the races at the New York racetracks.''
Bango would conclude every season at Canterbury with the announcement that he was either retiring or intended never again to train in Minnesota. His family grew accustomed to his season-ending proclamations and took them with a grain of salt.
"We would just say, 'Ok, George,' '' Mary said. "Then the next year I'd pack his bags for him and he'd be off. It was really hard last year when he finally realized he couldn't keep up, that he didn't have the stamina and couldn't continue.''
According to Mary, George had a friend who went to Arizona every winter. "Then one day George sort of announced that he thought all of us should move to Arizona,'' she said. "I think his friend was a real big influence.''
George made the move from Connecticut to the Grand Canyon state in 1969 and Mary followed shortly after with their six children. The move also preceded his serious entry into training, some time in the early 1970s. He had a radiator shop for a while in Phoenix and worked also as a district circulation coordinator for the Arizona Republic before turning to training full time.
Stevens and Minnesota HBPA president Tom Metzen were among the final visitors at Bango's home. "It was a Godsend,'' Metzen said. "I saw him on Wednesday and I don't think he knew me.''
Stevens drove nonstop after the meet ended at Canterbury on Labor Day and arrived in Phoenix late Wednesday afternoon Sept. 3, and visited with Bango that evening. "I went back again on Friday (Sept. 4) and he didn't look the same at all,'' Stevens said.
Stevens rode the last horse Bango saddled to victory on closing day at Canterbury in 2007. "Hills of Ireland was the last horse he ever trained,'' Stevens said, then recalling a footnote to the victory.
"George was in the winner's circle and he said he was retiring, that he wouldn't be back,'' Stevens said. "I had heard that before and thought it was just George. But he had tears in his eyes. He must have known then.''Bango is survived by his wife and six children, all Arizona residents: George, Jr., Nancy Banks, Patricia O'Brien, Regina Davis, Karla Maines and Jessica Szabo.
by Jim Wells
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