I don't know if the weather was quite the deluge that NYRA was anticipating when it postponed two grass stakes until later this week; but there was more than enough precipitation to justify its move, with all of the grass races taken off on both days. NYRA might have felt a bit silly despite their worthy intentions had it not rained, and they might have been getting a little nervous on Friday, which was mostly dry. Charlie Hayward and NYRA officials spend a lot of time I'm sure praying that the precipitation stays far away, but this time, given their apparent affinity for the SL Green bid, they may have had some Seminoles over to do a rain dance. Only 5,746 at Belmont for the two cards combined, just 2,064 on Sunday, and I can't imagine how freezing and depressing it must have been there. [UPDATE: As a reader mentioned, this is coming from someone who sat and suffered through (most of) the Jets game yesterday. I'm actually proud to report that I left before the overtime.]
Bobby Frankel took the 7th when his first-time starter Comic Marvel ($43.40) rallied through the slop. I looked back over Frankel's debut runners over the last five yeards in Formulator, and found that he had a record of 20 for 197 (10%). I would have guessed that he had more than just 20 over that many years. But more interesting, and amusing, is that the highest payoff on those 20 winners prior to #21 was 7.90-to-1; 12 of them were under 2-1. So I'd surmise that Comic Marvel was just as big a surprise to his connections as he was to the bettors. She's a two-year old daughter of Distorted Humor, out of a Lyceus mare who has produced four European stakes winners, including the Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado. So I'd expect to see her on grass before too long.
Another 20-1 shot in the 8th with McVictory ($43.80) winning for Bobby Barbara, having a fine Belmont fall meeting with five winners now from 20 starters, including of course the bombshell Interpatation in the boggy Turf Classic. He also missed narrowly last weekend with 28-1 Pleasant Sister.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday Morning Notes
Posted by Alan Mann at 7:45 AM
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9 Comments:
Not as depressing as it must have been to be at the Jets game.
Jets-7 1/2 next week??? That has to come down. Raiders are 100% against green teams.
RG
The NYRA might approve of the Florida based Seminole Indians bid for Aqueduct, but Governor David Paterson recently encouraged the Federal Government to grant the Long Island based Shinnecocks recognition and all that goes along with this acknowledgement.
Watch this Aqueduct award process come to a screeching halt as various factors outside the actual plans and bidders are factored. Folks like Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver still need to extract their pound of flesh. It's a game of chits in markers in this state.
Any update on Bobby Frankel's health status ?
>>:Any update on Bobby Frankel's health status ?
I haven't seen anything since the report in early July that he was ill. Anyone?
They almost fooled me into thinking it was different this time. But yesterday just showed that some things will never change. Same Old Jets.
I heard Frankel was suffering from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He's had such a tough year, 1st losing his beloved Aussie and then being diagnosed with cancer. Hope his toughness can help him overcome whatever he has to face.
I read somewhere that it was an upper respiratory problem, which could be be lung cancer.
In honor of trainers like Frankel and Allen Jerkens, NYRA should card some races named after them while they are still alive. Maybe something during the second week of the Spa meet.
I kept hoping they would add a "Woody Stephens" going 12f for older horses on Belmont Day before Woody passed.
Years later, they finally renamed the 7f Riva Ridge in his honor, not the same.
First Riva Ridge deserved a race, second, 7f sprints were not exactly Woody's specialty.
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