Belmont was canceled again on Friday, and this time it actually rained. A deluge actually, early in the morning hours. Thursday's card was canceled in anticipation of the tropical storm that was widely predicted to drench the area all day and night - they initially announced, on Wednesday afternoon, that the grass races would be off. After some early morning rain, it was basically dry for the rest of the day.
Racing will resume on Saturday for the big Super Saturday card. Five Grade 1 Races! reads the ad over on the right (the one under the picture of Braylon Edwards going into a little jig after his TD catch against Miami...and where are all the haters this week, huh? I'm telling you, don't fucking come around here if the Jets fall into the Bills trap on Sunday; I don't want to hear from you weak, punk-ass trolls if you're not gonna show up when they win). Five Grade 1's don't automatically excite me these days.....could very well mean a parade of short fields and prohibitive favorites. But this card has come up pretty strong, with only the Beldame having less than eight horses. Expect the Flower Bowl and the Hirsch Turf Classic to be run on soggy grass, and be wary of the status of the other races scheduled to be run on turf.
Thursday's weather forecast also cast gloom on the prospects for that night's Belle and Sebastian concert outdoors on the waterfront in Williamsburg; a lot of angst by fans who'd been waiting four years to see them play live. But, unlike NYRA, the promoters stayed the course, and man, were we rewarded. Amazingly, not a single drop of rain to be felt (and a spectacularly eerie view of the Manhattan skyline through the fog and tropical humidity), and the Scottish band mainly mined their vast catalog (despite a new album coming out, on Matador, on October 12) in an exquisitely brilliant two hour performance. One can really appreciate how deep a band's repertoire is when you go home from a great show and realize how many amazing songs that they did not play.
Here's a couple of videos I found online, the first courtesy of Big Ass Lens, the second thanks to some fan who posted it on You Tube.
Belle and Sebastian - Me And The Major / Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying from Big Ass Lens on Vimeo.
20 Comments:
Beyer is absolutely the biggest dipshit in racing.
dirty
He can't be any better than second.
What's your gripe, this piece of shit?
Is it possible to say something about Zenyatta that isn't 100% positive without pissing off Dirty? I hope she loses on Saturday.
Alan, the twitter feed on the right of the article made my day. Thank you.
Naw, Dirty is 100% right on this one. Not that Beyer is a dipshit necessarily, but his article was such utter crap for so many reasons. As for Zenyatta though, one has to wonder if they are pushing it with this incredible mare. I think it's possible she has lost a step. But what kind of clown (Anon 2:34) would hope to see the streak broken. BTW, Alan, I am dragging the wife to Belle & Sebastian when they visit Boston in a couple of weeks. Can't wait. Jets still suck though. They haven't won a meaningful football game in 40 years. -jp
Beyer's article was quite poor, though I don't disagree with his conclusion. Zenyatta's clearly a great horse and a HOFer, but an all time great (i.e., top 20 all time)? Is she really better than Goldikova? Or Miesque? Or Azeri? I'm not saying she's not, just that it's debatable.
Yes, El Angelo, it's debatable. When you get into all-time greats in any sport, inevitably people will have different opinions. You could make a strong case Zenyatta is an all-time great and you could make a case, I suppose, that she isn't. It's highly subjective. But it's incredibly ill-timed and short-sighted for Beyer to write this article as this mare, who happens to be far & away the best story in horseracing right now, goes for 19 in a row. It's an ego-driven article that is meant to be a critique of synthetic tracks, which apparently Beyer has never figured out how to handicap. Furthermore, his commentary on Cali racing and what used to happen when Cali speed horses shipped east was ridiculous and fraudulent. Lastly, to say Zenyatta is "unproven" on dirt is grossly inaccurate. She clobbered Champion Ginger Punch at Oaklawn when Ginger punch was in the midst of a 7-race string where she was six-for-seven, the lone loss coming when she was crushed by Zenyatta. A friend of mine made a good point -- Zenyatta's connections should just retire her now. She's more than proven her point. Why mess with perfection with a mare that appears to be tailing off? -jp
>>It's an ego-driven article that is meant to be a critique of synthetic tracks, which apparently Beyer has never figured out how to handicap.
jp - EXACTLY!!! And I also disagree with the whole premise that California racing was somehow more dynamic because they were rock hard and speed favoring. I mean, I would argue the opposite, as I'm not enamored with that kind of racing.
And also jp, I took the Head Chef to see Belle and Sebastian, and she loved it!
Beyer should put his fucking money where his mouth is and offer to perform fellatio on quality road if zenyatta wins. I predict him getting ready to deep throat around the 1/8 pole.
Dirty
Actually, I think Beyer's more annoyed his fabled numbers don't work on synthetics than he can't handicap them.
Either Beyer is much better picking cheap claiming races than the stakes races he writes about, or his betting must take a very serious cut out of whatever he makes for selling his figs and columns.
I hated watching the speed biased baked CA dirt track races, never mind betting on them. Some of the horses that raced there in years past traveled well, but lenty of them flopped when then came East.
You guys have already nailed Beyer pretty well on this, but what gets me on top of what you've said is that he doesn't see it worth mentioning that she's also undefeated on dirt. And it is as if that BC Classic doesn't count. If Curlin had won his, you bet that race would have counted as the final piece of his greatness evidence.
It's hard to compare Zen with grass mares or international stars like Miesque, but she is one for the ages, up there with Personal Ensign, and (I guess I'm about to piss off everyone by going bipartisan here) Rachel Alexandra.
Yes that is a piece of shit article on zenyatta, long on personal bias and short on fact.
All time great lists are subjective, especially in a sport with so many variables, distance, surface etc, but she will be in consideration on EVERYBODIES lists forever and may be at the top of some lists IF she wins the BC Classic this year.
Blame looked quite ordinary in the paddock and on the track, not a 10 furlong horse, no shot in KY. The old Harvey Pack rule proved true again, dont bet a horse at short odds trying to do something it never has done, this time going 10panels. I tried to beat him with Fly Down to no avail.
A lot of NY owner/breeders were very happy with the result, the Empire Classic is now wide open with Haynefield heading to KY.
H looked fantastic in paddock, but was very fractious, rearing up and kicking something, I was watching Fly Down at that moment so did not see what but heard it, drawing a gasp from the crowd. After that he still ran his hear out.
Rail Trip did not handle dirt at all, perhaps they will try him on turf in KY.
Other notes;
Girolamo was professional but not particularly impressive beating nothing, play against in KY.
Forever Togethar got a stupid wide ride from Gomez but appears finished regardless, time to be a mommy.
Life At Ten should be odds on in the Distaff, although Blind Luck had a nice prep today.
Turf Classic should be downgraded next year, no one that ran today is a threat to hit the board in KY.
Lastly, Looking At Lucky ran terrific today and might be the biggest threat to Z in The Classic.
No excuse for NYRA today, a giveaway, unbeatable weather, five G1's and no meaningful competition from baseball yet the backyard was fairly empty.
Joe Carl right back.
d
I doubt that dirt was any kind of major issure for Rail Trip. It's been documented that he ran into some phsyical problems recently, and i felt going in that he might've been rushed into the race as kind of a last-ditch effort to make the Classic (i would've strongly considered playing him in the JCGC had i felt otherwise). Also, i don't think he's particularly well-suited to 10 furongs, though i realize he's a Grade 1 winner at the distance. I've been following the horse a long time, and i've always felt he's better sprinting. Regarding that, if he can somehow make it to Churchill in 100% good health, i think he'd represent a gigantic threat in either the Dirt Mile or the Sprint. His connections seem intent on running him long though, so who knows what'll happen there.
AS for Life at Ten, i've seen nothing to suggest that she's any better than the California-based contingent of 3yo fillies, that being Blind Luck, Evening Jewel, or Switch. Incidentally, Switch is an exceptionally nice fily, so let's not hear about how Zenyatta beat another "nothing" field (although i'm sure we will). Wouldn't shock me if either one of those three took the Distaff.
Lastly, what are the chances Beyer will issue a publi apology should Zenyatta become the first (and probably the last) female to win back-to-back Classics? That accomplishment would be incredibly sweet, especially with the second one coming on dirt. Go Zenyatta. Let's end this thing with a bang.
I completely agree with DP on all accounts, but the Life at Ten point is the most useful for BC wagering. The Distaff is going to be wide open and there will be some good wagering opportunities out there.
Personally, I still like Blame in the Classic, and like more that he's definitely going to be no better than the 4th choice behind Zenyatta, Lookin at Lucky and Quality Road.
I don't see how you can watch Saturday's Gold Cup and conclude that Blame is not a 10 furlong horse. Do that at your own peril. Haynesfield got his first half mile in around 49 seconds which is absurdly slow for a grade one 10 panel race at Belmont. Blame ran admirably and was finished well.
Blind Luck should be tough in the Distaff. But the punters will make her the favorite.
Zenyatta 5-2
LAL 9-2
Blame 5-1 (local KY money)
QR 6-1
Everyone else, > 15-1
Haynesfield looked terrific in the paddock and does not resemble a sprinter at all, big scopey horse with a long stride. Was VERY excited but it did not effect his on track performance (Fly Down was also fractious). I still refuse to believe he gets the distance vs. legit speed like QR.
Blame did not finish like a 10f horse, has never won at the distance, and physically I was just not impressed in person. I know it was a slow pace, but that was Haynesield out there, not QR, and he never made him sweat.
Can't knock his record, but Blame is built more like a sprinter, to my somewhat trained eye.
I never thought the tiny Mine That Bird would get 10f so I could be wrong, and Blame might just love CD, but he will not be on my ticket, anywhere, nor will QR who I know can not get the distance.
IF I can get 5-2 on her I will be all over Zenyatta with my lone concern LAL.
If you are right and Blame is not a 10f horse, that'd be a heck of a call by you. The horse has gotten 9 no problem and his bred top and bottom to handle 10 panels. It looked to me as if he were running well at the end of the race on Saturday. He distanced himself from Fly Down in the lane. -jp
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