That'll Teach 'em

- The van driver who transported Sweet Catomine off the Santa Anita grounds was fined $500 for his role in misidentifying Pam and Marty Wygod's champion Sweet Catomine as a stable pony before transporting her from Santa Anita to Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic near Los Olivos. [Bloodhorse] That should really teach them. Her owner Martin Wygod not only had all the charges dropped against him, but because of the way the CHRB botched the investigation he’s now portraying himself as a sympathetic character who is being driven to quit the business. There's been about as much accountability in this affair as for the officers in charge at Abu Gharib.

- I saw several hot horses fail this weekend, but not in the 10th at Churchill today. It was a 3 and up fillies and mares maiden race and featured a first time starter named Reunited. She’s a William Farish homebred who showed spectacular bullet workouts and was bet down to 4-5. Reunited is by Dixie Union, out of Tivli, a stakes winning Mr. Livermore mare, and she’s a half to several winners including Our Summer Storm. This time, the money showed correctly as she won with ridiculous ease, breaking on top from the 12 post and winning by 6 3/4.

- Scott Ostler of SFGate.com writes of the mystique around Lost in the Fog, who smashed the track record win at Golden Gate Saturday. He claims that some wisps of fog literally rolled in as he took to the track.

The genuine mystique thickened Saturday. Lost in the Fog won by 10 lengths, no surprise, but his speed and style sucked the wind out of owner Harry J. Aleo, trainer Greg Gilchrist and Baze. They seemed surprised that they were surprised.

"Both of us were a little amazed today," Gilchrist said, speaking for Aleo. And hype isn't Gilchrist's style.

It wasn't the 10 lengths, it wasn't Fog's speed (a track record for 6 furlongs). It was more the horse's incredibly smooth floating power and his .. . mystique.

If you can drop the jaws of your 85-year-old owner, who has turned down $2.5 million cash for you; your 57-year-old trainer, and the second-winningest jockey of all time, you are a special horse. [SF Gate.com]

His next start may be the7f Riva Ridge on Belmont Stakes day.