Already Still Laboring (With Periodic Updates)

- My plans to play some races from home on this Labor Day have run into some early snags. Perhaps someone is trying to tell me something. Formulator was inoperative into the early afternoon; none of the downloads were working, whether it be past performances, trainer stats, the race charts....nuthin! But they must have dragged someone in from vacation, as it seems to be getting up to speed, albeit very slowly. In addition, the Meadowlands, being offered today on TVG, is for some reason not available for wagering on the NYRA internet wagering site. Don't understand that one at all....but nice to hear Dave Johnson - whose calls here in NY back in the 70's helped get me interested in this game - calling the races there today in any event.

So I'll be around if anyone has any brilliant ideas that they'd like to share on the races coming up.

- Pletcher downplayed Rags to Riches' training hiccup of last week after she breezed at Saratoga on Sunday. "She only missed three days of training and one breeze, so it wasn't a huge setback. She has a pretty high level of fitness." [Bloodhorse] It does appear that the Belmont champ will be make a triumphant return to the scene of that victory, whether it be in the Ruffian next Saturday, or the Gazelle the following week.

- The third at Saratoga produced an unusual result that actually hasn't been that unusual lately; it's the third time in recent months that I've seen two halves of a longshot entry run 1-2. Tom Durkin noted that Corny V and Kent D, tied atop the jockey standings with 43 wins apiece, were head to head in the stretch on favored Aly's Tough and second choice Kid Doc. But it was Gary Sciacca's first-timer Body Blows who delivered one to many bettors by rallying up the rail; and entry-mate Pano's Love picking up the place spot on the outside. They lit up the board at 18-1. Sciacca had suffered through a horrible meet, with just one win out of 33 starts; but this was his second longshot winner (Tobruk at 12-1) in the last three days.

- Bob Baedeker is on TVG with Greg Wolf today, and insomniacs are advised to take notice. Not that Baedeker isn't highly knowledgeable, but his low key drone could be made into one of those relaxation environmental type CDs. Of course, I also complain about the 'wow, isnt' this great' style of some of the other hosts who I'm sure we'll be hearing from later, so perhaps I should just shut up.

This has so far been an excellent day to just lay off the Saratoga races as I have managed to do thus far. Three big prices in a row through the 5th now, including Cornelio Velasquez on Steve's Double ($21.60), beating Kent D. on 5-1 Elusive Value and taking the lead in the jockeys' race. In the 5th, first-timer Big Brown romped on the grass at odds of 14-1. With Jeremy Rose - here to ride Rosinka for Graham Motion in the Glens Falls - replacing the injured Edgar Prado, this Patrick Reynolds-trainee ran off impressively to win by 13 or 14 according to Durkin, who is usually right-on with those margins. He's by the Danzig sire Boundary out of Nureyev mare, and has inbreeding to both Damascus and Round Table; so some nice grass breeding there. Rose went into his Afleet Alex routine and continued to whip Big Brown as he drew away to an insurmountable lead, drawing a rebuke - a subdued one, of course - from Baedeker during the replay.

- Another winner for George Weaver in the 6th at the Spa. I was not enticed, however, by the 5-2 odds on Ground Hero.

Todd Schrmmppff is at Ruidoso Downs along with G Stevens today, so I guess we'll have the 'B' team at Del Mar, if anything. No offense, but quarter horse racing ain't my thing, and I'd much prefer to be watching the Cane Pace at Freehold to be honest. I acutally recall going to Freehold on a Labor Day long, long past. They used to have some other big three-year old pace there on that day, a Someone-or-other Memorial Pace that I guess the Cane has replaced.

- Matt Carrothers is on the Graham Motion bandwagon today. He touted Lady Digby in the 6th, and actually prodded me into a small (losing) exacta investment. Then, he also liked Rosinka in the Glens Falls, singling her (at 9-2) in his pick four. He touted her as lone speed, which wasn't the case, as she sat second; but she took over in the stretch, took a peek at the crowd, jumped some tire tracks, but got down to business when threatened late by Mauralakana. Nice price. Carrothers actually scared me off her a bit by liking her, but I'm alive in the Pick Three with Ready's Image and a few in the 10th.