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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Monday Morning Notes - April 28

- Filly Owner Courts Criticism - New post up at The Rail, over at The NY Times.

- Three winners for Contessa to close out the Aqueduct meeting. Since January 1, the trainer had 77 winners from a staggering 453 starters at the Big A.

Two winners for Prado, who wasted little time getting here from Keeneland. He took the G3 Fort Marcy with Silver Tree for Mott. Had I not spent my day watching the Rangers get shut out, I might very well have been betting against the winner. The eight-year old son of Hennessy had been beaten at short odds in his last three, and looked decidedly on the downside of his career.

- Doug O'Neill was disappointed but not discouraged by Lava Man's third place finish against Cal-breds on the grass.

"Down the backside, I thought (Lava Man) was 1-9," O'Neill said. "The little hair that I have left, I'm fixing it and saying, `I think I'll stand on that side of the winner's circle today.' That's what is so shocking, but when he came back to be unsaddled, he was really blowing, and that's a sign of conditioning.

"We were disappointed, but he still ran a very good race." [San Bernardino Sun]
The Hollywood Gold Cup is still on the schedule for Lava Man.

Surf Cat had a far more successful return when he won the Mervyn LeRoy on Saturday with a rousing rally. You gotta figure he's headed towards the Gold Cup too, but he may be making a detour to the Met Mile here at Belmont.

Belmont opens on Wednesday with $1 million in improvements, including expanding the picnic amenities to the backyard. [NY Daily News] However, fans will pay more for the track programs, increasing in price from $2 to $2.50; and, worse yet, NYRA will once again attempt to eliminate the old pocket programs that veterans like myself feel totally lost without; they will be replaced by a $3 "Daily Racing Program." The last time NYRA tried to get rid of the "small programs," it didn't work out so well, as a torrent of protest led them to bring them back. But that was at Saratoga, where there were actually people who cared enough to complain. So it looks like the classic old track program is history.

6 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Check out Hard Rock Aqueduct!


http://investor.shareholder.com/slg/

SL Green Proposal to Revitalize Aqueduct

Race Track Teams with World-Famous Hard Rock to Create Global Entertainment Destination

Master Plan Includes Hotels, Dining, Retail, Gaming, Memorabilia and Music


New York, N.Y. - April 28, 2008 - SL Green Realty Corp., the largest owner and manager of commercial office properties in New York City, today announced details of its plans to revitalize the legendary Aqueduct Race Track. The redevelopment plan includes the world-famous Hard Rock brand which will help develop and operate a fully integrated entertainment complex - with racing, gaming, restaurants, retail and hotels.

snip

Anonymous said...

To add to the Monday morning notes....

Any harness fans out there take note that Freehold Raceway joins the TVG lineup beginning Wednesday morning.

I guess the one benefit to not having Churchill is that tracks that would not have a prayer of seeing the broadcast schedule now have a chance, since TVG needs morning programming.

Happy Monday!!

Anonymous said...

i am kinda confused was surf cat layed up? i thought he won a race not to long ago.

Anonymous said...

Let them raise the price of the programs Alan. Doesn't matter to me. I'll be sitting home anyway this spring/summer with gas going to $5.00 a gal and food, who knows where that will go to. A lot of people will be doing that, Staying home. Horse racing and what they charge at the track will be the last thing on people minds in the coming weeks.

Anonymous said...

They are getting rid of the pocket programs again?
Will they never learn.
The little program and the form please and me go to work.

Alan Mann said...

>>Any harness fans out there take note that Freehold Raceway joins the TVG lineup beginning Wednesday morning.

Worthwhile just to hear Larry Lederman call the races.

>>The little program and the form please and me go to work.

Amen to that!