No Exceptions at Elitlopp

- Straying over to the harness side for a moment, on Sunday, some of the world's best trotters will compete in the prestigious Elitlopp in Stockholm, Sweden. The lone North American invitee is Enough Talk, a five year old representing his native Canada, but who is stabled at the Meadowlands for trainer Peter Kleinhans, who purchased him privately for $250,000 in March. Subsequently, he set a world record of 1:52.2 for older trotters on a 5/8ths track. That makes him a World Champion in harness racing parlance, which I think is pretty cool.

Kleinhans has been posting on Andrew Cohen's First Over blog on Harnessracing.com, and I found this entry interesting for a couple of reasons:

The only thing I'm not happy about with him is his hind heels. He's got a bit of irritation there, which is not a problem right now but I'm trying to make sure it doesn't get worse, since I can't really treat it the way I normally would.

Horses sometimes have a tendency to develop cracks in their heels which often ooze or bleed slightly; sometimes this is a result of salts from the track, sometimes it is a result of minor, localized bacterial infections. They are not harmful to the horse in general, but they can become painful if not treated. My favorite treatment is an antibiotic salve called SSD; this combines silver nitrate, a great, soothing dryer-outer and calmer-downer, with an antibiotic.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to use anything with any kind of antibiotic in it within 96 hours of the race, and I am now inside this window. I am working with my veterinarian, Brian MacNamara, and with local officials here to find a treatment that is both effective and that will not test positive or break any of the Elitlopp rules. I have to make 100% sure that even a seemingly-innocuous remedy is within the specific boundaries of pre-race treatment for this race. This is the kind of tightrope-walking that training often entails, and I want to make sure I handle it properly for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As soon as the race is over, he'll be getting his SSD back and the problem will be resolved, but in the meantime the challenge is to keep his heels from flaring up and bothering him on Sunday. [First Over]

For one thing, I guess that's good to know if you're planning on wagering on the race, available as it is at outlets in New Jersey and Canada. More significantly, it's another example of the striking contrast between racing here and, it would seem, just about every other place in the world. Seems as if Kleinhans is in a tight spot over there, but the strict no-exceptions rules certainly levels the playing field and eliminates any misunderstandings over fine lines.

And also, I'd love to read more stuff like this from trainers of any breed. I know they're busy and work odd schedules, and most of them aren't lawyers as Kleinhans is. But certainly we can do better than that Rags to Riches blog, or the blabberings of Dutrow in the NY Post.

- The Elitlopp is a two-heat affair, and it's pretty funny to imagine any thoroughbreds running two races within hours of each other. I don't think Formulator carries any stats on that. Enought Talk will be driven by Luc Ouellette, and starts from the four post in his elimination heat. The first four finishers of each will run in the final.

Notes - July 5

- Stewards in Kentucky refused to comment on Wednesday's report in the Daily Racing Form that cobra venom was found in the barn of Patrick Biancone when it was searched on June 22. They would only acknowledge that a post-race test of one of his horses yielded a positive; but that a second sample has not yet been tested at a different lab for verification. According to the Form, the sample tested positive for a derivative of caffeine and for a derivative of an inhalant. Marty McGee writes in the Form that until Biancone is brought before the KHRA for a hearing, Biancone is free to run horses in Kentucky and elsewhere.

At the time of the search, he had about 75 horses spread among three barns at Keeneland. With racing at Churchill set to end Sunday, he soon will shift his main base of operations to Saratoga while also maintaining a string at Keeneland.

Of course, any track has the right to ban people from their private property, as several tracks have done over the last few months to the jockeys implicated by the TRPB in a vague race-fixing scheme that we still have few details about. And again, without making any assumptions about Biancone's innocence or guilt, I don't understand how it's in the betting public's interest that his horses should be allowed to be entered to race at this point. I just don't get it.

- A comment by NYTHA president Richard Violette had caught my attention the other day. He was talking about the purse increases for Saratoga and the last three weeks of the Belmont meeting.

“It is good to see that the lines of communication between NYTHA and NYRA are open and the immediate results are purse increases which will benefit every segment of the thoroughbred racing community. ” [Glens Falls PostStar]

The reason I found that notable is that the NYTHA hadn't had anything nice to say about NYRA ever since it hooked up with Empire. That was just not part of Empire's playbook. So in retrospect, that quote was an indication that the group was already on its way out from the group.

- I have to say that I sympathize with Joe Bruno when he said he was "outraged that the governor’s staff members moved so swiftly to refer the matter to investigators," with that matter being the taxpayer-financed trips to New York City reported by the Albany Times-Union. That was in the Sunday edition, and to wake up on Monday and already be reading statements by the governor's staff in the Times is pretty outrageous. It takes something pretty momentous to get a response from the government on a Sunday, and it seems as if the governor's staff is in a 24/7 attack mode that is bordering on childish.

The Associated Press on Tuesday produced several people, including a spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who attested to meeting with Bruno on official state business during those trips, and accounting for all three.

The night of May 24, Bruno attended a fundraiser for himself, after being dropped off by state police at City Hall where he met with..Bloomberg. "It was about the city's legislative agenda in Albany," said Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Bloomberg, a Bruno ally and campaign contributor. "The meeting happened." [AP]

And it's exactly that sequence of events, a mix of personal fundraising and state business, that would appear to make the trips legal.

An opinion issued in 1995 by the state Ethics Commission appears to also approve the use of state aircraft for travel that includes "political functions" as long as there was some legitimate state purpose, as Bruno maintains.

Bruno is now accusing the Times Union of attempted extortion, claiming that an ad salesperson pressured him to buy ad space in return for more favorable coverage.

The newspaper’s publisher, Mark E. Aldam, said in a statement that the senator’s staff had mischaracterized the call. Mr. Aldam said the salesman had merely offered Mr. Bruno the chance to respond to a campaign advertisement taken out on the newspaper’s Web site by the state Democratic Party, attacking Mr. Bruno and Senate Republicans. [NY Times]

But Bruno's office counters that there was never any mention of the Democrats' ads, and that the pitch was only "in the context of his newspaper’s negative coverage of the senator.” Bruno has canceled his subscription to the newspaper.

So Long Stevie, We Hardly Knew Ye

- We went what, two or three days without a retirement, so I guess we were due. But the retirement of Stevie Wonderboy is certainly no surprise. In fact, owner Merv Griffin and trainer Doug O'Neill tried to bring him back long after others would have packed it in and sent him off to stud on the merits of his BC Juvenile and two-year championship honors. He'll stand at Airdrie, and the marketing machine is already in full swing. "I really believe the juvenile field he beat, with Henny Hughes and First Samurai, was as strong as any in recent memory, and he was really getting away from them at the end." [Bloodhorse]

First Samurai...remember him? I have to say I was surprised to look and see that he's standing for $40,000.

Brilliant 2YO by Giant's Causeway
WON Hopeful-G1 & Champagne-G1
The ONLY 2yo MG1SW in His Crop

Henny Hughes also gets $40,000. Man, imagine if either of them had shown any attributes other than raw speed? As opposed to those two sons of sons of Storm Cat, Stevie is by Stephen Got Even, a son of AP Indy. He has very odd breeding in that his paternal and maternal grandsires are half-brothers, both being out of the prodigious producer Weekend Surprise. He's free of Mr. Prospector, and has just one instance of Northern Dancer, so expect breeders to have some fun with him.

- On the other hand, there's been no break from news of trainers under suspicion - or worse - of drug violations. Biancone remains under investigation, Gary Contessa gets a week for a Bute violation, five trainers in Kentucky, including Bobby Frankel, are fined for amounts of Lasix Salix far exceeding the allowed limit. So high, in fact, that it's called the testing methods into question.

And in New York, a father-son training team pleaded guilty to injecting a harness horse at Saratoga with cobra venom on one occasion, and Epogen on another. Oh man.

"This restores the integrity of harness racing to the betting public, who need to know the races they are betting on are fair and true contests," [District Attorney James A.] Murphy said. [Albany Times-Union]

Well, I wouldn't go that far!! In fact, it certainly makes one wonder how many people involved with either breed have gotten away, or are still getting away with the same. Indeed, the wiretaps in the case resulted in additional wiretaps at other racetracks and investigations that are still pending. The two pleaded guilty to felony interference with a domestic animal, and though they are not expected to serve jail time, the felony allows the state to permanently revoke their licenses.

Getting back to Biancone for a moment; again, we have no details of what's going on, and we don't even know if this is about medication, though that's certainly a fair guess. But he is listed as the trainer of Itsawonderfullife, the 2-1 morning line favorite in the 4th at Churchill today. Wouldn't it be in the betting public's best interest if the horse was ordered scratched? Bettors now may be wondering what's going on, and thinking, 'hey, if he's under investigation, he probably isn't using any drugs on the horse this time, so we should bet against him.' [UPDATE: He won by five at 3-5. I guess not many people were concerned.] I think that those are the kinds of issues best eliminated from the handicapping equation, and that the stewards should not accept entries from the barn until the matter is cleared up.

Uh Oh...

- Patrick Biancone keeps his horses at Keeneland during the Churchill meeting, and it was there where a search of his barn has led to an investigation by the KHRA. Neither head steward John Veitch nor Biancone would comment. Keeneland's head of security told Bloodhorse, who broke this story earlier today, that the track will not take any action in regard to the matter until the KHRA has completed its investigation. Now, regarding the current meeting at Churchill, if a track can ban a jockey over murky suspicions of hanky panky at a distant track, I suppose they certainly could do the same to Biancone under these circumstances. We don't have any details, and I'm certainly not presuming anything at all; but you could certainly make the argument that given the publicity this will certainly be getting in the next few days, it's in the betting public's interest to have his horses withdrawn.

- Valerie Nellie pointed out that there are already stud ads for Lawyer Ron, and you can see his Stallion Register page here. His blurb is already written, and it's entirely possible at this point that there won't be anything to add:

SIX Straight Wins * FIVE Stakes
by Some 34 Lengths
Arkansas Derby-G2, Rebel-G3, etc.
Enters Stud upon Retirement

Oh, I thought he would take a year off and travel around Europe!

- Steve Davidowitz, writing for the Form's paid DRF Plus section, discusses the problems with the Cushion Track at Hollywood. It needs more wax to tighten it up; but according to Davidowitz, it won't be installed until July 9 at the earliest, and perhaps not for the rest of the meeting. He also reports that several trainers have privately admitted that some of their stock sustained back injuries.

In recent weeks, clockings have gotten noticeably slower, and some horses have not handled the looser surface nearly as well as the tight, perfectly balanced surface of 2006. Many horses have not handled the synthetic track as well as they did during the first two months of the current Hollywood meet.

This suggests that horses who negatively reversed their synthetic form from April to June might have been affected by the changing racing surface.

It also suggests that horses who might have missed a start during the last few weeks may have been forced to the sidelines to deal with body soreness, or some other minor injury. It also suggests that horses with good April and early May form over the surface should not be given an automatic edge on the present racing surface. [Daily Racing Form]

Something to consider not only now, but, especially, when analyzing the past performances once the action moves to Del Mar....and you have to deal with a totally different synthetic surface. I don't think that those fears of racing becoming too homogenized in the synthetic era, with every surface playing the same, are going to come to pass. Or at least not in the near future.

Del Mar will be adding some wax too.

"We received some feedback from the horse show people (in May) that the surface got a little looser in the afternoon when it warmed up," Fravel said. "That's why we wanted to get the (Polytrack) on there early and watch the various conditions." [North County Times]

Return of the Todd

- Todd Pletcher returns at the Fair Grounds on Saturday, and he'll saddle Circular Quay in the Risen Star, though he's not officially listed as the trainer. But his name is back in the Form on Sunday, with horses entered in races at Aqueduct and Gulfstream, including the return of last year's Risen Star winner Lawyer Ron at the latter in an allowance with conditions that could have been written specifically for him. Looking at his past performances since he switched to natural dirt, his Derby and Classic lines are ugly scars that deface an otherwise nearly flawless record. Nice to see him back, and hopefully we'll see him join what is already shaping up to potentially be one of the best handicap divisions in some time. With all due respect to Bernardini, the two best horses in the world (or at least on this side of it) are still in training and supposedly slated to meet (though on the other side).

Pletcher will also start Master Command in the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap in the 6th race on the Louisiana Derby Preview card. He's listed at 8-5 on the morning line, and has that big 114 Beyer at the Meadowlands, and doesn't that look a bit high to be true? He was allowed his own pace on the inside according to the chart, and freaked a bit on a track playing very quickly all night; 16K claimers went 1:09.25 in the first.

Of course, he could win this race based on some of his lesser efforts, and it is Pletcher off the layoff after all. But I dunno, it will be the first horse Pletcher has saddled in 45 days. Maybe he'll be rusty and screw something up. Do you think he practiced on a mechanical horse?

Well Said (Aptitude) makes his third start off the layoff, and achieved a career best 100 Beyer in a sloppy track allowance over this track. He ran a clear second to Good and Lucky, a vastly improved four-year old who was coming off a stakes win. Well Said was having a fine three-year old season early in 2006, capped off by a respectable 4th in the Rebel, just 3 1/2 lengths in back of Lawyer Ron, and a neck behind Steppenwolfer. Prior to that, he defeated Brilliant - twice - on the dirt, just before that one went on to take four grass races, two of those graded stakes, in six tries on that surface. He was gone for nine months after the Rebel, and won his return. though both of comeback races were in the slop, he's shown he can run on dirt as well. He's 9-2 morning line, and I guess that's about right, especially if the favorite's saddle slips. I'm not in love with Purim on the dirt here, and if he goes off at his 5-2 morning line, he's overbet in my opinion.

- Back to the Risen Star for a moment, Spankey Come Home, who was involved in that wacky race at Santa Anita when his DQ gave Giacomo's half-brother Tiago his maiden win, is amongst the entries despite still being a maiden. He posted a bullet seven furlong work last week, and jockey Gerry Olguin is in for the ride. I know at least one - actually, two - people who will probably have him on his ticket at 30-1 morning line.

- Pletcher's return has reader Jim L fuming over the Eclipse Award that Pletcher collected while under suspension and notes:

The NFL has instituted a policy in which no player shall be eligible for the Pro Bowl or reap any contractual benefit of being selected if he is caught using illegal substances. Maybe racing should have a similar policy.

It would be a way for the industry to do something without really doing much. Who cares, really, about the Eclipse award for trainers; it's not like it would have cost Pletcher any endorsements for Just For Men if he didn't win it. This would spare any trainer who's a victim of an "accidental" positive from any dire fate.

Still, it is rather symbolic, and a potential embarrassment to be sure. It would at least show that the industry is serious. If it can't even take a symbolic step, then how will they ever tackle the problem substantively?

- Brilliant was reported to be on the comeback trail in a January 25th article in the Form.

Intensive Counseling

- The Rev. Ted Haggard says that after three weeks of intensive counseling he is now "completely heterosexual." No word on whether he ripped any hair out of his chest.

That must be some really intensive counseling! Why, with therapy like that, you could possibly turn Republicans into Democrats, make Red Sox fans wear pinstripes, turn a sprinter into a stayer, or even make a winning bettor out of me!

Of course, the chances are pretty strong that Rev. Haggard is still of whichever sexual orientation that he was during his three year affair with a former male prostitute.

People have qualities that are never going to change, and neither is the fact that there will always be those whose qualities are questionable when there's money at stake. I had to laugh the other day when I saw a headline on the front page of the NY Times that read: S.E.C. Is Looking at Stock Trading. I mean, when is the S.E.C. not looking at stock trading? Or options trading? Or insider trading? Late trading? Options backdating? They can investigate, levy fines and suspensions, but there will be always be some cheaters staying a step ahead.

So it is with most any other business, especially ones like horse racing and securities trading that, by their nature, invite elaborate forms of chicanery with potentially large payoffs. I don't see that ever changing. The industry needs to do what they can, and in areas where they can be effective. The TRPB has spent a lot of hours, we presume, investigating whatever it is that has caused ten jockeys to be summarily barred from riding at many tracks, and for what? A suspicious race at Tampa Bay Downs over a year ago? What are they going to be able prove now that they haven't been able to by now? Couldn't they be using their time more wisely, on pressing problems that can actually be solved? Perhaps to work with racing authorities in all the states on effective drug testing and suspensions? I don't mean to be too glib about this; I'm not condoning race fixing. But you just can't stop every bit of hanky-panky that goes on, and I'd bet that anything that may have happened in a $12.5 maiden claimer at Tampa Bay cost the public far less money than is pissed away by unaware bettors on an uncoupled rabbit in a Grade 1 race.

In one of my very first posts on this blog, over two years ago now, way back when it was that ugly tan color, I suggested only half-kiddingly that, given the culture of deception and mean-spiritedness, and the rather unsavory characters successfully promoted by reality TV (and poker), a little scandal may not only not hurt this sport, but could even spark some interest! When's the last time that the NY Post ran an exclusive on harness racing? Maybe the sport should run with it and raffle off some cobras at the tracks.

Of course, I'm being flip again; there's really nothing funny about a horse trainer administering snake poison to his animal. But there's is a serious point in there somewhere. I believe that racing is like any other industry or sport - most of the participants are honest and compete fairly, while a few cheaters tarnish the reputation of others. For every trainer suspended for a drug positive, there are many more who are not. Perhaps I'm being naive, and it's more widespread than I think. Many people are just downright cynical, and won't be convinced otherwise. Not even after three weeks of intensive counseling.