Memorial Day

Some good stakes action is on tap for Memorial Day, topped by the G1 Met Mile at Belmont. Todd Pletcher’s trio—Aikenite, Caixa Eletronica and Ibboyee—is impressive, but for my trifecta (boxed)  I like Soaring Empire, Tackleberry and Tizway, in a repeat finish to the G2 Gulfstream Park Handicap. All three have been working gangbusters for this event; Tizway loves the track and Tackleberry should enjoy getting back on a dry surface.

One race prior, the G2 Sands Point will doubtlessly see Winter Memories go postward a short-priced favorite—and rightly so—but overall it’s actually quite an impressive field. Not a lot of early speed, which is going to impact the pace quite a bit, and probably set things up perfectly for Winter Memories, but I’m quite interested in Christophe Clement trainee Naples Bay, who just happens to be a half-sister to Medaglia d’Oro. She’s lightly raced, but progressing well. Mystical Star will enjoy getting back on turf and shortening up. I know my favorite Brooklyn Backstretch denizen will be rooting for Celestial Kitten while I have to go sentimentally with Parting Words, a Foolish Pleasure damline descendent, and half sister to Maximus Ruler.

The G1 Gamely at Hollywood features Carla Gaines trainee Malibu Pier attempting to extend her win streak to three races. Cozi Rosie and Restless Soul have every right to flesh out the trifecta, but 7-year-old Celtic Princess (previously a G1 winner in Brazil) has posted smoking workouts in advance of this 2011 debut; Bejarano aboard is a bonus, but she probably isn’t up to the class of these. Much more likely, though, is Dubawi Heights who will be stretching out beyond 8.5 furlongs for the first time. Turning Top loses Bejarano, but gains Garrett Gomez which makes her my top choice for this race.

Race 5 at Churchill—a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds going 4.5 furlongs—features a field of 10, with the far outside starter being a Johannesburg colt named Brown Eyed Jozi with Calvin Borel up. Calvin rode his dam Brown Eyed Beauty when she crushed her maiden start, winning at Churchill at first-ask by 5.5 lengths. His half sister Brown Eyed Baby won second out as a juvenile, after running second first out, so I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. D’Wildcat Road has posted sharp works from the gate in advance of this at Keeneland, and if he gets a strong start, he could be a serious force. He’s closely related to Forestry Type, who broke his maiden second out at three and won the Prairie Mile over a sealed sloppy track. The other one in here with sharp works is Jonmil Johnny; his half sister Jonmil’s Edge took three attempts to break her juvenile maiden—all three races over synthetic surfaces—and then finished third in the Presque Isle Debutante. Interestingly, she also finished third behind Brown Eyed Baby in a Churchill allowance race in the finale of her juvenile campaign, so maybe a little sibling rematch is on.

Good luck with all your wagers, and be safe this Memorial Day.

Quirky Rules

Researching history is addictive. Ask any historian, regardless of their area of specialty. The detective work involved, pieces of a puzzle coming together, and sometimes just the unexpected tidbits that you run across, make it all worthwhile. This summer I’ve got two projects on tap: finishing that Pittsburgh skyscraper book that I’ve put on the backburner far too long (seriously, only one chapter needs written at this point), and starting a new one of the history of horse racing in Western Pennsylvania. Guess which one is more interesting to me right now?

Accessibility via the Internet to a host of scanned materials makes my job so much easier these days especially with keyword searchable .pdf files. Ah, long gone are card catalogs and laboriously flipping through countless books! GoogleBooks is helpful, but personally, I love Internet Archive. Of particular interest to those interested in horse racing (in all its manifestations) is the online collection of the Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Collection—with over 1,600 books on horses. It includes manuscripts on racing and breeding in the U.S., Europe, Australia, India and, well, just about everywhere. Nineteenth and early twentieth century stud books for August Belmont’s Nursery Stud and Whitney Stud are available, as well as books on racing silks and a whole host of topics.

In the process of browsing the collection, I ran across an 1887 book by Jay Ford Laning called The Fairs’ Racing Rules, whose preface states:

"The object of compiling this book is to furnish the rules that are to be administered in the conduct of speed engagements upon the courses of Agricultural Fairs, both trotting and pacing, and running also, all in a handy volume, so that the law concerning any point can be readily referred to by those who desire to know it."

Since much flat running in Western Pennsylvania in the nineteenth century occurred at county fairs—and still does—I thought this would be an interesting read. For the most part, it is, but a couple rules struck me as a bit quirky, particularly the clear forbiddance of sprints shorter than six furlongs for older horses:

17. ONE DECLARED ALL DECLARED

“When a party having more than one horse entered in a purse, shall declare one out, he thereby declares all out.”

31. MISCELLANEOUS
“There shall be no race given for horses three years old and upward, after the first of July, less than six furlongs.”

41. HORSE BOLTING
“If a horse leaves the course, he must turn back and run the course from the point at which he left it.”

42. RIDER FALLING
“If a rider falls, and another person of sufficient weight rides the horse in from the spot where the rider fell, the horse shall not be disqualified for overweight.”

That last one cracks me up. Can you imagine some person in the crowd simply jumping aboard and riding the winner home?

A Dream in Sloth

Poking around the Daily Racing Form archives available online via the Kentuckiana Digital Library (a joint project between Keeneland and the University of Kentucky), I happened across some priceless post-race form comments you couldn’t imagine a chart caller writing these days. In fact, some remind me of Radar O’Reilly’s attempts at writing reports while taking a correspondence course from the Famous Las Vegas Writers School—run by Ethel Hemingway, Jerry Steinbeck and Eunice O’Neill, naturally.

Written for races held coast-to-coast between 1896 and 1898, these gems include some rather curious (and even indelicate) observations on jockey and horse performances, such as:

• “Lillian E could not outrun a fat man.”
• “He left his field as though they were cart horses.”
• “The race was a farce and not worth tabbing as to the participants.”
• “Summer Coon ran like a rudderless ship sails the sea.”
• “He ran a good race under bad handling.”
• “Lambent hadn’t the speed of a cow.”
• “The Cripple has got to be an insane horse.”
• “The race will screw him up.”
• “Headlight went to pieces in the stretch. He is a coward.”
• “Interference at the start cooked San Carlo’s goose.”
• “St. Leo moved in turtle fashion.”
• “Vanessa’s performance was a dream in sloth.”

Oh, what simplistic poetry! Strange, isn’t it, that in an era before film the race charts were rather sparse while today’s Equibase charts are downright wordy by comparison?

Post-Derby Fatigue and Wide-Open Preakness

Am I the only one feeling post-Derby fatigue? Even with Monmouth opening this weekend, I couldn’t muster the desire to handicap for the Survival at the Shore contest, or even so much as glance at Belmont’s G2 Peter Pan card. The intensity of Kentucky Oaks/Derby preps now seems a bit anti-climatic—another reason why year-around racing is just too much. Saturation leads to apathy. And yet I feel obliged to talk Preakness…

A week out from the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes betting picture isn’t yet fully formulated, as entries don’t close until Wednesday, but I’m inclined to agree with Gary West in thinking Animal Kingdom’s chances of winning the Triple Crown are good based on the mediocre quality of competition he’s facing and his obvious stamina breeding. Honestly, if he can get past the Preakness with a win, the Belmont field may indeed be at his mercy, with the only possible stumbling block being a wet track.

Still, new shooters are lining up for the Preakness, none of which inspires absolute confidence—only the prospect of a fluke win. Having never attempted a graded stakes in his previous eight starts, Federio Tesio winner Concealed Identity looks a longshot chance at best, even with his hometrack advantage. Ditto for Norman Asbjornson and King Congie despite the latter being G1-placed (in that joke of a Grade 1 race, the Blue Grass), and even with his speed Flashpoint seems distance-challenged here.

On the more positive side, Astrology has yet to finish out of the money in seven starts, and this will be his third effort this year, one in which he could pull off with Mike Smith aboard. Interestingly, Smith jumps off his regular ride on Mr. Commons who he rode to a third-place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, so I’m not sure what that says about the Artie Schiller colt’s chances; Victor Espinoza picks up the ride on Mr. Commons. I’m also interested in Dance City now that Ramon Dominguez is aboard; as the Derby proved, the G1 Arkansas Derby was by far the best Derby prep race, which also makes Sway Away an intriguing entry.

Of those returning from the Derby, I’m still on board with Mucho Macho Man and Shackleford, and the fact that Zayat is rethinking whether to send Nehro in the Preakness or skip it in favor of the Belmont is a huge positive.

For a serious longshot, I really like Ruler On Ice. A half-brother to Champagne d’Oro, he closed well to finish third in the G3 Sunland Derby, and then ran second in the Federico Tesio. Since the Halls and trainer Kelly Breen don’t have Pants on Fire available for the Preakness, it might be a nice alternative. Jeez, the more I think about, this Preakness could be as wide open as the Derby.

Perception vs. Reality

Only in this age of gonzo journalism and reality shock television is publically airing dirty laundry on the most important day of horse racing viewed as “refreshing.” Whether or not Kentucky Derby winning owner Barry Irwin meant to be a jerk or not, the perception of the general public is that he was. Don’t believe me? Read the commentary streaming in from mainstream media reporters—not industry insiders who may know exactly to what Mr. Irwin was referring in his cryptic comments about “lying” trainers, racetracks needing to treat partnerships better, and apparently clueless turf writers. As an example, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post writes:

Maybe Barry Irwin needed a hug. Maybe he needed a mint julep. Maybe, when he was fiddling around with all those lovely red roses Saturday, he pricked his finger on a thorn. Whatever it was, if this is Barry Irwin during one of the highlights of his life, clear the way for when this chap goes ballistic. Irwin is the head of the ownership group whose horse, Animal Kingdom, had just won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Irwin rejoiced by saying he ended up with Graham Motion as his trainer because he got tired of his other trainers "lying to me." That's what the national television audience heard. What viewers didn't get to enjoy was Irwin spewing even more venom during a post-race news conference that surely smashed records for a lack of humility, grace and class.

From the comments left online for that article as well as any number of blogs, forums and websites, Barry Irwin is a polarizing figure. Some folks love his candor while others find him obnoxious and crass. Even my own non-horse racing fan mother asked me this morning if this “crazy man” (her words) on television before the Derby was “drunk.” That’s perception.

What else could the general public think when the press focused in on how shabbily jockey Robby Albarado was treated, being replaced by John Velazquez when Uncle Mo scratched, especially after he took himself off his Friday mounts just to be more fit on Saturday? They totally sympathized with Albarado, injured but perfectly able to ride a stakeswinner on the card—longshot Sassy’s Image in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff. How many of them have had a dream crushed by fate or circumstances beyond their control? No matter how common jockey changes may be, it just didn’t appear kosher.

For outsiders looking in, so much of what happened yesterday before and after the race leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and only validates the widely-held and historic opinion (rightly or wrongly) that horse racing morally and ethically brings out the worst in people.

Unfortunately, that less-than-flattering perception overshadows the fact that what Barry Irwin says about many things is spot on. His ideas on breeding, particularly the importance of international bloodlines on infusing stamina into the breed, and the evils of drugs to the sport should be applauded. Wanting his horses conditioned more in the international style, off-track on sprawling farms such as Fair Hill, and placing his trust in real horsemen like Graham Motion, is truly admirable. Yet, the lack of civility in the perceived gentile world of thoroughbred racing is jarring, nearly to the same extent that it is when forced to deal with truly morally bankrupt owners and cheats.

Maybe next time, for the sake of appearances, he’ll show some restraint before allowing others to use his honesty to formulate ugly misperceptions. Especially in this precarious age for the sport, we need honesty, but there’s a proper time and place for everything. Yesterday wasn’t it.

No Mo’ Time

Frankly, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to awake this morning to the news of Uncle Mo’s Derby defection—and you won’t see me crying about it either. It’s not just a recent phenomenon that brilliant 2-year-olds often don’t match that form when they age, so thanks for the memories, Uncle Mo. Now can we finally appreciate what’s in front of us instead of simply bemoaning how bad this crop?

Those like Bob Baffert who suspected Repole was hedging on Uncle Mo to get a better price on him come race time are in the right forest, but barking up the wrong tree—it’s his other entry Stay Thirsty who is completely flying under the radar. From all accounts, he’s working gangbusters these days (in a perfectly subtle way), and talk about a horse bred for this race! As if you need MORE information to consider in your Derby handicapping, check out the stamina pedigree analysis I do over at Hello Race Fans! here. At the time, I was pleased to get 20-1 on Stay Thirsty in the second futures pool, but he might be an even longer price on Saturday, so count me in.

Sentimentally and on merit, my Derby horse is Pants on Fire though. I just love everything about this horse and to witness Rosie Napravnik smash that last glass ceiling for female jockeys would be simply amazing. As an architectural historian, how could I not love Archarcharch? He’s a gorgeous animal with another great back-story in trainer Jinks Fires and jockey Jon Court (he lately of “Jockeys” fame). Ditto for Mucho Macho Man, but I just think the son of Macho Uno will come up a tad short on Derby day. Midnight Interlude is a quickly improving raw talent, but I’m thinking he’s more a Belmont horse. Nehro is another one who is quickly improving, but I’m thinking Preakness for him. Still, I wouldn’t be too upset if he won, especially since the Zayats avoided the temptation to bestow upon him some damn “Z” name.

If any turf horse in the field could win, it’s Animal Kingdom who’s got stamina galore on his damside; news that John Velazquez will take over for the injured Robbie Albarado is, to my eyes, a good sign. Master of Hounds is a joke being here—there, I said it. Now make a fool of me, horse.

Just sitting here, writing this has clarified a lot—now if I can just suppress the urge to rethink it all tomorrow. For exactas and trifectas,  I’m going with #1 Archarcharch, #7 Pants on Fire, and #4 Stay Thirsty, with #15 Midnight Interlude and #19 Nehro thrown in for good measure.

For the Oaks today, I can barely suppress my joy for Joyful Victory. What a dynamic talent! I would love to see a Rachelesque-type victory by her, but would also not be bothered if Larry Jones’ former trainee Summer Soiree won—I love my 55-1 future wager on her! Still, I suspect if any entrant can upset Joyful Victory, it’s Panty Raid’s little sister St. John’s River. Oh, believe me, I’m full in on her chances. I’ve thoroughly picked the Oaks apart for HRF’s Derby Prep Alert, for ThoroFan, and for Raceday 360. Now it’s just time to sit back and watch them run. Godspeed to all!