Been There All the Time

- Big Brown arrived at Pimlico last night, and took a little stroll this morning to check out the scene. Apparently it's like he's been there all the time. We've been prepared for the big announcement of his stud plans, as if we really care about the details. IEAH Stables’ Michael Iavarone told us all we need to know when he said yesterday that the chances of his racing at three four are "none." Beyond that, they can keep the details to themselves. (Though I was heartened to read of the owners' involvement in this.)

Joe Drape reports on The Rail:

NBC will open its broadcast at 4:30 p.m. with a half-hour round table hosted by Bob Costas and featuring Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Dr. Larry Bramlage, NTRA president Alex Waldrop, Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones and the New York Times own William Rhoden who, our readers know, has been unforgiving of an industry that he believes is out of touch.

- It's gonna be kinda quiet here today; a guy has to earn a living once in a while, and I'm busy today. I'll have a horse-by-horse analysis up sometime tomorrow on this site; from the look of it, it may be my biggest reading audience ever, so I'll try not to make a total fool out of myself. At least I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to pick the winner!

I'm off tomorrow, and the weather is supposed to suck, so maybe I'll do a live blog thing during the ESPN coverage from Pimlico, which will run from 3:30 until 6.

In the meantime, for my fellow indie rockers out there, you know who you are, check out this show going on sale today. As far as indie Lead Guitar Gods go, these three bands on one bill is like the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont all in one day! Whew, rock on!

Belmont Notes - May 14

- Ready's Image made a winning return in the third at Belmont today; it was his first start since he was 5-2 against War Pass in the Champagne. Actually, I should say he was 5-2 against Majestic Warrior, who was the even money favorite; War Pass was 9-2. Pyro was 32-1.

Pletcher's son of More Than Ready got the job done, but I didn't think he looked all that great. He got a fast pace to close into, but Johnny V. went to work on him midway around the turn, and went right to the whip in upper stretch. He really had to work to get past the two leaders, and Velazquez even applied one last smack for good measure, even as it looked like he was trying to gear him down at the end. It looked rather awkward. However, it was the colt's first race since October, so he figures to have gained conditioning. The horses in his running lines from last year - besides the abovementioned, Z Humor, Tale of Ekati, Maimonides - don't seem as imposing as they did then. But I suppose he'll be pointed towards summer stakes at Saratoga, where he earned a career high 105 Beyer winning the Sanford.

Senator Joe Bruno hopes that Exonerated turns out to be the ultimate hunch bet! Bred by none other than the Senate Majority Leader himself, and a horse connected to a controversial transaction which may be part of the current FBI investigation into his business dealings, the three-year old daughter of Johannesburg graduated in her first start on the grass. Trained by Graham Motion, this is a nicely-bred filly who traces back directly to the influential Best in Show, her 4th dam. So, way to go Joe, who got $105,000 for the filly at Keeneland in 2006.

I was checking the tote for the 8th at work periodically, and I could swear that Stalingrad was 4-1 with a few minutes to go. So he must have gotten pounded late, because he paid $7.50 to win. I mentioned him here this morning; he seemed like an interesting horse at the time, but after this, he seems like a pretty serious one. He's now 5-3-2-0 on the grass, and handled the step up in company flawlessly. Check out the snug hold Channing Hill had on him even as he crept up on the two leaders on the turn, as opposed to Eibar Coa, who was all out on favored Cougar Bay. So it was no surprise that, once asked in the stretch, Stalingrad was gone. Cougar Bay is a nice horse who's held his own in graded stakes; but Stalingrad won easily for Mike Hushion in 1:40.79, final sixteenth in six seconds flat. He's by Glitterman (Dewan), out of a mare by Dynaformer; and he's a half to Crowned King, a stakes winner on grass.

Preakness Notes

- It's been frustrating this week in that there are no Racing Form past performances available for the Preakness. They had free pp's for the Derby probables up for quite some time before the post position draw, but the Preakness gets no respect. So we have to wait until this evening. Hard to handicap the race when you can't see all the horses together.

Of course, we all know who the likely winner is. However, Ray Kerrison reports in the NY Post today that one figure maker is expressing concern. Like Len Ragozin's sheets, Thoro-graph calculates that Big Brown ran a phenomenal race given his ground loss and the wind. In fact, Jerry Brown calls it "by far the best Derby of all time." And he issues a warning that none of us want to hear.

"And that might be the problem. When he goes in the Preakness, Big Brown will be at risk, the same kind of risk Barbaro faced."

Brown said both horses will have gone to the Preakness only two weeks after running their fastest races ever, on top of a thin foundation of only a few races.

"That places them in jeopardy," said Brown. "I'm not for a minute implying that Big Brown will break down in the Preakness, as Barbaro did, but when horses run very fast at the highest level on short rest, they are under great stress." [NY Post]

Brown likes three horses if "Big Brown collapses" (I imagine he may regret that particular phrasing) - Behindatthebar, Kentucky Bear, and, especially, Hey Byrn. "He rebounded to win the Holy Bull. He ran four times in nine weeks and now has had a little rest."

In case you've missed it, Dutrow is writing a column for the Post, and his early concern along the lines of what Brown is saying seems to have given way to bravado. He wrote of Gayego :

They say he had a bad trip. I think he just got outrun - and it's going to happen again. That horse ran terrible in the Derby, flew back to California, now he's flying east again. That's enough for me to know. They're just completely putting him up against it.

- Steve Crist wrote the other day about how odds on favorites haven't done so well in the Preakness. But the overall stats on favorites are daunting. Post-time favorites have captured 68 of 133 runnings of the middle jewel of Triple Crown, a race run in two divisions in 1918. [AP] That's over 50%, well above the rule-of-thumb 33% rate that we expect to see favorites win.

- You may be happy to know that Pimlico is taking steps to protect the portable bathrooms in the infield.

Preakness officials say that, in an attempt to thwart a repeat of last year's impromptu event -- in which inebriated people raced across the rooftops of a long row of portable toilets while fellow revelers pelted them with open cans of beer -- the portable units at Pimlico this year have been arranged in smaller groups with more space between them. [Baltimore Sun]

So we won't see any of this.



I dunno, made me laugh, I must admit. I'm sure they'll find some other way to amuse themselves. As long as they don't throw their beer cans at the horses.

Hunch Bets for Wednesday, May 14

In A Breeze 7th at Chruchill Downs
Never Stop Dreamin 7th at Belmont
Deliver Hope 3rd at Charles Town
Sensational Score 1st at Hollywood

Tagg Team

- I'm pretty sure I've used that headline before. But Barclay Tagg has been on fire at Belmont thus far, with a record of 14-5-2-2; he's lost three races by less than a length, including a narrow defeat by Dave in the Kingston Handicap on Sunday. All of the winners were horses making their first starts here after shipping back up here from Gulfstream or Keeneland.

Tagg has two strong looking favorites on Wednesday's card at Belmont. In the 6th, Moral Compass (8-5) comes out of the G3 Palm Beach, in which he finished third, beaten a length by Sporting Art, who subsequently won the G3 Calder Derby (and the race also produced two other winners). This is a nice looking three-year old who has shown solid improvement this year. He's by Grand Slam, out of a stakes winning Well Decorated mare; his second dam is Buzz My Bell, the dam of Derby winner Grindstone.

In the 8th, Cougar Bay also comes out of a third place finish in a Florida stakes - the G2 Mac Diarmada in his case. Prior to that was an even 4th, to Einstein, in the G1 Gulftream Park Turf. This Irish-bred five year old gelded son of Daylami has shown a solid Beyer progression since coming over to North America last fall, and looks like he should have his way with this allowance field. Stalingrad has improved big time since switching to grass for Mike Hushion, with two wins and two close seconds. He returned from a trip to California with a solid win last month in his first race in four months, and moves up in class. Best Alibi ships over for Godolphin and has some scary back form from 2006 - a win in the Group 2 York Stakes, and a third, beaten four lengths, to Dylan Thomas in the Irish Derby.

Smile Again

- I think that this article is worth reading in its entirety for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it presents a powerful argument against the total elimination of horse slaughter plants in this country. Honestly, this is not an issue I've really explored here, and I'm not taking a position either way. But my knee jerk reaction has always been, 'well yeah, of course shut down the plants.' So I appreciate reading some informed opposing points of view.

Secondly, I think it's worth reading in light of all the self-flagellation going on since the Derby. I don't think this industry has anything to be ashamed of with respect to how it treats its horses, and this piece is one reason why. Of course, there are exceptions in any business, but thoroughbred racehorses receive a lot of tender loving care, and that's something that the industry should be proud of (and about which they should be letting people know) And we should be similarly proud of the concern for the animals' well-being that has had the sport entangled in the impassioned debate over synthetic tracks that are changing the very nature of the game. That's a discussion that's been going on since long before last Saturday.

It's time to move on from Eight Belles, while retaining what's been learned, and working towards making the game safer for the participants. While what happened was sad, I suspect she lived a pretty good life, and even a long one compared to some kids around the world given the natural disasters and shocking indifference that have occurred over the last couple of weeks. I hope we can all put a smile on again for the Triple Crown's second jewel. So, who do you like for second?


(You don't have to answer, just needed a closing line.)

Storm Cat Packs It In

- Tired of being blamed for contributing to an ever-weakening breed, Storm Cat has called it quits. "For almost 20 years, I've faithfully cranked out foals which have earned you horsemen a fortune in the sales ring and on the breeding farm. Yet whenever something goes wrong, you point your fingers at me. Why would you spend millions for my kids if you think they all have bad knees? Perhaps you should look in the mirror. In any event, you won't have Storm Cat to kick around anymore." He added that he's looking forward to settling into a monogamous relationship for his remaining years.

Storm Cat entered stud in 1988, and is 25 years old. I'm guessing that we won't have to contribute to his retirement fund.

- Preakness Top Ten over at The Rail.

Talkin 'Bout Other Stuff

- Don't really know what we're going to talk about between now and the Preakness. The race would seem to have as much suspense as tonight's West Virginia primary. My favorite Preakness news of the day is this:

Hall of Famer Bill Mott caught Riley Tucker, fitted with his new blinkers, going five furlongs in 1:04 today, though the Belmont clockers got him two seconds slower because Mott said they were watching a different horse. [Schenectady Gazette]

Maybe that was Z Humor. Can we rescind Mott's Hall of Fame spot if he keeps running unqualified horses in Triple Crown races?

Anyway, let's talk about other stuff:

A commenter on this recent post about the continuing Bruno investigation sent along a link which shows, as he or she claimed, that Pat Lynch was a lobbyist for Delaware North last year; for part of that time, the company was still associated with Empire Racing. She, along with Brian Meara, also listed as a lobbyist for the firm, are former top aides to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Ms. Lynch worked with Silver for eight years, and is described as having been a top staff member. She formed her own lobbying company in 2001 (which now employs Spitzer's former communications director Darren Dopp).

Of course, there's nothing wrong here in a legal sense, and it's certainly not the first time Ms. Lynch has lobbied her former boss (among other things I'm sure, she worked for Madison Square Garden against the Jets' stadium, which Silver single-handedly killed). She was properly registered as a lobbyist, as opposed to the cases of Richard Fields and Jared Abbruzzese, both of whom, as you may recall, were investigated for being unregistered lobbyists early in the franchise campaign. (Fields was fined, and I don't know what the hell ever happened with Abbruzzese.) It's up to you to decide if it's proper for a person to lobby a public official with whom he or she has had close ties; but it's, of course, common practice at all levels of government.

I don't know if Ms. Lynch is still lobbying for the firm. It would make sense given their bid for the Aqueduct racino (though she surely hasn't been successful if she's tried to convince Silver to allow slots at Belmont). I'm curious to know, but when I tried to access further information on the NYS Temporary Commission on Lobbying website, I found that it's a private site. ID's are available for lobbyists, public corporations, and clients only. It's their own private little world, quite typical of Albany. Why should us voters know just who is getting the ears of the public officials that we elect?

As long as I'm getting annoyed, I've mentioned here briefly, as much as my tangents from our main subject matter allow me to stray, Andrew Cuomo's investigation into alleged political meddling and dirty tricks by the NY State Police. You may recall the urgency with which Governor Paterson authorized the probe, and Cuomo's pledge to conduct a wide-ranging investigation, even calling on a former prosecutor from the Knapp Commission. Joe Bruno said that the probe will "bring more clarity to this disgraceful situation."

But what are we talking about here that has these guys so riled up? Perhaps the police might have exposed one governor's use of public money to facilitate rendezvous with prostitutes? And another governor's use of taxpayer money to pay for motel trysts with his mistress? Or a Senate Majority Leader's use of state aircraft for his own political purposes? Oh, the horror!

So where the hell is the outrage over things like this? Or this? Or this?

Or this? Do you think these cops would still have jobs with the police department if they fired 50 shots into a car with some well-connected white kid in it? How long do you think the NYC cops' stop-and-frisk program would last if Pat Lynch was searched? Just thought I'd ask.

- Temeka Lewis is expected to plead guilty for her involvement in the prostitution ring of which former Governor Eliot Spitzer was a client; and the Times reports that two of the three others arrested are close to pleas as well.

Several former prosecutors and defense lawyers said the movement toward resolving the charges against Ms. Lewis and her codefendants suggested that prosecutors were nearing a decision on whether to prosecute Mr. Spitzer. The pleas do not indicate clearly what decision the government might reach, they said.

“It’s an indication — it’s not definitive” that a decision is near on Mr. Spitzer, said Patricia A. Pileggi, a criminal defense lawyer who served for 25 years as a federal prosecutor.. [NY Times]

Monday Night Notes

- A couple of readers brought up Bernardini in response to my being in favor of Stronach's decision to not run Harlem Rocker. Not only is that an excellent point, but their campaigns were rather similar to this point. Harlem Rocker took a seven furlong race at Gulfstream in his debut, then won a mile allowance there before taking the Withers. His Beyers were 81-97-106. Bernardini had a bad start and ran 4th in his debut, a six furlong race at Gulfstream. But, like Harlem Rocker, he won a one turn mile at Gulfstream in his second start and then, in Bernardini's case, went directly into the Withers from the maiden ranks. His Beyers were 68-90-104. So, true, Harlem Rocker is in a similar spot as was Bernardini; and in fact, he's been better.

Yes, BobF, Frank Stronach is Canadian, so it makes perfect sense that he would point this colt to the Queen's Plate. And since that race is not until June 22, he can run in a two-turn prep; perhaps even the Plate Trial on June 1. With all due respect, I still think Frank is doing the right thing here. Yes, Bernardini dared to face Barbaro, and he did get the win, albeit a tainted one. But I'm sure I was against him running in the Preakness too!

I guess I'm just conservative in these matters, and I'm expressing the way I'd manage a horse like this if I were the owner. Or, at least the way I'd like to think I would. Yes, it's the Preakness, but it's a long season, with a lot of opportunities to come. Who's thinking about the Preakness on Travers Day? Why not give the horse some time and foundation? Because, of course, I would be the sporting type and bring him back to race at four and five.

But wait a minute - foundation? experience? Who needs that if a horse can ship here from Japan and romp in a graded stakes in his second start?? I don't know how to respond to that. That, and Big Brown's Derby win, makes my argument seem outdated. So I'll at least concede that there would have been nothing wrong with running Harlem Rocker in the Preakness, and I take back what I said about the Toddster. However, I still think Frank is doing the right thing for the horse (even though he's probably doing it for himself).

- Do you think that Harlem Rocker will like long distances? He's by the second year sire Macho Uno, who himself won the Juvenile, Pennsylvania Derby, and Mass Cap. But he in turn is by Holy Bull, who is by Great Above, and I generally think more in terms of speed with that sire line. And his broodmare sire, Lit de Justice, was a spinter himself; and the BC Sprint and Eclipse winner in 1996.

You Gotta Have Friends

- Bobby Frankel told the NY Post, of Big Brown:

"I think he's an excellent horse. He might be a great horse. (But) the best thing he has going for him are his 'friends,' the horses he's running with. Taking nothing away from him, he's making them look bad."

However, Frankel thinks that Dutrow's colt would have done fine against the big three from last year - Street Sense, Curlin, and Hard Spun. "He'd match up with them, and he would probably beat them." Hmmm.... I presume he's talking about the 3 yo version of Curlin as opposed to the present one. But still, hmmmm.....

- The call to skip the Preakness with Harlem Rocker came from Frank Stronach.

"I thought the horse worked extremely well," Pletcher said [on Sunday]. "His work this morning was very, very good. I'm going to recommend to the Stronachs that he runs. Obviously it's their decision." [NY Daily News]

And kudos to Frank for doing the right thing....in this case. Why would you run a colt who hasn't gone beyond a mile, and hasn't been around two turns, against Big Brown in the Preakness? Didn't make sense to me, and I'm a bit surprised that the Toddster would be in favor. Guess he's really desperate for a Triple Crown winner who's not a filly.

Belmont Notes

- Made it to Belmont for a few races on Saturday, and I lost; that for the guy who said I don't write about when I lose. In the fifth, Unbridled's Heart, a $1 million 3yo son of Unbridled's Song making his debut for Darley, was 4-1 morning line. He was dead on the board as can be at 13.90 to 1. Yet he went straight to the lead and stayed there throughout, drawing away willingly and ridden out to the end to win by ten. I lost, and I swear, you could run that race 1,000 times, and I would never have that winner. Just goes to show you that there's no such thing as 'never,' because I would generally say that those horses never win. No less by ten.

Unbridled's Heart is out of a stakes winning mare by the late Farma Way (paddock accident) who's a half-sister to the graded turf winner Man From Wicklow. The dam won on the grass too, so perhaps we'll see him on turf at some point.

I actually had Thatsrightofficer, the winner of the sixth, singled in some midday doubles. Wasn't going to let this Schosberg winner get by, and the barn is now 8-3-2-1 at Belmont thus far. However, I tried to beat the 7th race favorite, Boxitup, in the 7th, and I lost.

I didn't lose the G2 Bold Ruler, because I didn't bet. Alan Garcia had himself a handful on the turn with Lucky Island, and seemed ready to pounce on pace setting Man of Danger. Garcia may have thought he'd have an easy time, but had to shake up his mount to get past a stubborn foe. But he sprinted away at the end, closing in a solid 12.35 to give Kiaran McLaughlin his ninth graded stakes winner of the year. This is an Argentine bred, by Lucky Roberto (Belong to Me), who is now three-for-three since adding Lasix after his first US Start.

I tried to beat Casino Drive in the Peter Pan, so I obviously lost. I was at least right about how the race would be bet, but that was about it. I knew I was in trouble when I saw this colt in the paddock. Sure, he was bucking and kicking at first, and one might have thought he'd leave the race there. But once Kent D. got aboard, he was all business, and he looked fantastic. Not a strong edition of the Peter Pan, but that doesn't really detract much from what this colt accompished in his second lifetime start. He got the last three furlongs in a solid 37.04; final eighth in 12.61; those according to Formulator.

I'm pretty sure that no horse has ever won the Belmont off of two lifetime starts; but what the hell do these rules mean anymore? Say Big Brown does what we (mostly) expect him to do on Saturday; would you really think Casino Drive is ready to take him on? We might assume he'll get the distance because his siblings have; but I personally don't feel as if Big Brown has any breeding limitations as to how far he can go. Sure will make it interesting anyway....if Big Brown wins on Saturday, that is.

Saturday Morning Notes - May 10

- The New York Times editorializes against a racino at Aqueduct today.

The state’s overly generous revenue projection is based on the hope that bidders will pay $250 million for development rights from the state-owned racetrack

Well, I have news for you bub. Three bidders already have committed to do so. I mean, wouldn't you think that an editorial writer for the New York Times would take a little time to educate him or herself on the topic first?

Problem gambling doubles within 10 miles of a gambling facility, according to study published in 2004 that included a nationwide survey of 2,631 adults. This means thousands of people who do not currently have a gambling addiction would, in all probability, get hooked with the addition of these video lottery terminals at the Aqueduct. How much extra revenue are these people’s lives worth?

Gambling is an awful way to fill a hole in the budget. There are already more than 12,000 video lottery terminals in eight facilities across New York. No matter how much the state rakes in from gambling, it never seems to prevent budget deficits. This year is no different. The state would be better off finding a source of revenue that doesn’t prey upon its own people.

I think that the idea that "thousands" would be come problem gamblers seems rather overblown. But other than that, I've never really had an argument to make against sentiments such as these. We've spent the last week pondering the morality of putting animals at risk for our own entertainment. So, when we advocate for expanded gambling to help keep our own local industry competitive (as in, subsidized), shouldn't we also think about the effect on people in the area? What does the industry do for problem gamblers in surrounding communities? Or for those at its own tracks for that matter?

I know, too heavy a topic for a Saturday morning as we prepare for a day at the races. But probably something we should take some time to consider.

- The Monmouth replay show is on TVG this morning, and it's quite a familiar sight. The track was the same sloppy mess that it was the last time there was racing there. That was the case all over the rainy Northeast on Friday, with sealed, sloppy tracks at Belmont, Penn National, and Pimlico. Not, however, at Presque Isle Downs, where the Tapeta Footing was fast, and the first race, a maiden special for PA-breds, had a purse of $50,000.

The purses will not be like they were last fall, when the track was distributing a surplus of slots money, and the actual payouts were 75% above the stated purse values. But the average will reportedly be around $180,000, not too bad at all. It's just that there are a lot of tracks in action in the region these days, and some are already having problems attracting full fields. Looks like Presque Isle will have the same problem, at least based on the size of Friday's fields.

The featured Inaugural Stakes attracted horses from all over, and Tom Amoss took the top prize with Ride Em Cowgirl (Mazel Trick). She'd run well there last year, so the bettors weren't fooled by the 8-1 morning line and sent her off second choice. American County was a crummy even money favorite for Dale Romans.

-

Confirmed for the Preakness are: Big Brown (K. Desormeaux), Behindatthebar (D. Flores), Giant Moon (R. Dominguez), Hey Byrn (TBA), Icabad Crane (J. Rose), Kentucky Bear (J. Theriot), Racecar Rhapsody (R. Albarado), Recapturetheglory (E.T. Baird), Riley Tucker (E. Prado), Stevil (J. Velazquez), Tres Borrachos (T. Baze) and Yankee Bravo (A. Solis). [NY Daily News]

Still waiting for a decision on Harlem Rocker.

Reade Baker is the trainer of Kentucky Bear, and he doesn't sound the least bit afraid of the Derby winner. "Let's not put Big Brown in the Hall of Fame too soon."

Saying he's "positive I can win this race," Baker believes too much is being asked of Big Brown after his huge effort at Churchill Downs in which he powered to a 4 3/4-length win in just his fourth career start.

"Where Big Brown is vulnerable ... a handicapper would say 'there's a horse that carried 126 (pounds in the Derby) and he's going to run back in two weeks off a peak effort?' " Baker said. "The wise guys would say he's going to bounce." [Toronto Sun]

Peter Pan

- I'd read just a little about Casino Drive, preferring not to get too far ahead of myself. But I knew that he's a half-brother to the last two Belmont winners. What I didn't know, until I read Bill Finley's article in the Times and looked at his past performances, is that he's only run once, a dominating win at a mile and an eighth on the dirt (not on the grass, as the abovementioned reporter reported).

So let me get this straight: Running a filly in the Derby, a big one, and one who'd run nine times, earning speed figs superior to the large majority of the field, was reckless and arrogant (in hindsight, for the most part), but running a colt with one start against non-winners some 2 1/2 months ago, in a Grade 2 stakes (albeit a mediocre one) with the intention of then running a mile and a half against, perhaps, a dominant Big Brown, is a historic quest?

Well, maybe we'll find that he belongs and has no ill-effects of the 13 hour flight and subsequent quarantine. He did romp in his debut at 1-5, and worked five furlongs in 59 4/5. He's 2-1 morning line based on that, and who knows, we've seen Japanese horses get a lot of money sometimes. I wouldn't be shocked to see him closer to 6-5. Either way, he's the type I'm naturally inclined to stand against until proven unwise.

I don't like Tomcito at all, and I know a lot of you do. I think he has a better shot in the Belmont. He's lagged far behind since coming over here, and actually went backwards in terms of lengths behind in the Fountain of Youth Florida Derby. He made more progress in the Lexington, but did so saving ground after the pace slowed significantly after a lightning start. I don't think the one turn nine furlong route helps him here based on those efforts.

Ready's Echo(6-1) should certainly get the kind of pace he needs to make his move from far behind. I'd certainly consider him at his morning line, but I'm getting the feeling that he's a possible Belmont wise-guy horse, and may be overbet for the Toddster. He is still eligible for entry level allowance after all.

Shug starts Cosmic (8-1), and this colt shows the kind of slow but steady improvement that I love from this barn. He is stepping up from a narrow entry level allowance win (in his first try at the level) against a less than stellar field. But that was off a freshening, and he improved sharply second off a similar recent layoff. This is a full brother, by El Prado, to the Grade 1 winner Good Reward, who won a Grade 1, on grass at three. Not sure if the time has come for Cosmic. But I think he'll at least give a good account of himself, and seems worth a bet at around his 8-1 morning line.

Keep in mind that it's still raining here, and there's a chance of an off track.
OK, gonna check out a couple from Hollywood.

Big A Up, Churchill Down

- Hard to believe when you look at the attendance figures on a daily basis, but the Big A experienced increases across the board. Daily attendance was up 5.7%, daily on-track handle jumped 4.3% while total handle grew 11.2%. [NY Daily News]

Purses were also up at Aqueduct, by 6.2 percent over last year.

“The Aqueduct meet was very strong for NYRA particularly in comparison with the rest of the industry,” NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward said. “We had strong handle and purses increases while the industry in the first quarter of 2008 had a decline in total handle by 3.1%, and a decline in purses of 1.5%. We very much appreciate the participation of our horsemen and our customers.” [NYRA Press Release]

And while NYRA celebrates its new deal with the Mid-Atlantic tracks, Churchill, ensnared in a stalemate with its horsemen over ADW revenues, announced a whopping 20% purse cut!

- Lawyers for Patrick Biancone have filed suit against the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to block a hearing regarding his prospective purchase of the Hurricane Hall breeding farm. The KHRA wants to see if the deal violated the terms of its suspension deal reached just before the Breeders' Cup last fall.

The suit notes the training track is at a location “not under the jurisdiction of the authority,” and that the lease and sale transaction by Biancone and Fab Oak was handled by Stoll, Keenon, Ogden -- the same law firm used by the KHRA -- and that Biancone was aware of that.

“Biancone did not believe that these activities could even remotely be considered violations of the settlement agreement, a belief that was further validated by the involvement of counsel for the authority in the purchase transaction,” the suit states. [Bloodhorse]

- Primal Peak will be scratched from that PA-bred stakes at Philly Park tomorrow due to a foot abscess. Nothing serious, but bad timing. It was a very winnable spot with a $75,000 purse.

Flyers in 6

- Not that I'm bitter or anything. But I think that the Orange Crud will apply their usual physical pounding to Sid the Kid and friends, causing them to show the kind of frustration and immaturity they surprisingly did at the end of Game 4 despite still having a commanding series lead. The Pens take bad penalties and, unlike the Rangers did, the Flyers have been scoring big power play goals all postseason long.

You may have noticed that I don't like to write about the Rangers when they lose. I actually wrote a Rangers blog on and off during the post-lockout season of 2005-06. But when they fell behind 3-0 to the Devils in the first round, I simply abandoned it. I haven't really even looked at it in two years. But there's actually some pretty funny stuff there that two or three of you die-hards may enjoy, so here it is was.

Hunch Bets For Friday, May 9

Sinister 3rd at Churchill
Rebounded 3rd at Arlington
Mr. Vice Minister 4th at Indiana Downs
Close The Deal 9th at Arlington
Mr. Mischief 10th at Arlington
Themanmythnlegend 10th at Monmouth

Friday Morning Notes - May 9

- I seem to have picked up a heckler, but I thought my pick in the first yesterday was pretty damn good. Cagey Girl, at 11-1, rocketed to the lead as I said, and favored Chestoria went running past her in the stretch. Unfortunately though, Cagey Girl couldn't quite hold on for the place spot, getting caught late and missing by about a half length. It was worth a shot for a generous $45 will-pay. Yeah, bottom line is that it was a loser, but I put it in the 'nice try' category. In the third, I'd hinted that Wafi City (2-5!) was a flawed favorite, but no excuse for not having Greeley's Legacy ($19.40) considering that I noted just the other day that his trainer Richard Schosberg seemed on the verge of a breakout. Damn.

I went to the Meadowlands last night. I'm always subject to a flurry of addiction after the Rangers get eliminated. The simulcasting there is now virtually limitless - though I didn't notice Presque Isle Downs, which opened last night to much less fanfare than for its inaugural meeting featuring inflated purses last fall.

It was a very nice evening, and I was hanging outside. I'm so used to having my NYRA betting card that I'd forgotten to get a voucher, and when I went to bet the third at Lone Star, there were neither tellers nor any machines that would accept cash. It was too late to run inside, so I tried to call my OTB account; but the line was busy! The 21st century version of getting shut out. I was going to try to beat favored Anita Xanax, but would have had at least a saver on the $31 exacta she headed. So a great start there.

Then, I had 8-1 Lady Sometimes in the 6th live race; she forged to the front midstretch, but then got caught by a neck by a 9-1 shot. Different breed, but it all seemed quite familiar.

When the trotters came on the track for the 9th and it was announced as the last live race, I was shocked. I don't think I ever recall there being only nine races at the Big M; so despite the purse subsidy deal, I guess they're still having trouble competing for horses with Yonkers. I played some ten cent supers in that race - to no avail - but those bets have to be one of the great innovations of the present parimutuel century. I'd read that the handle on the Derby was down, and I can say for sure that I would have bet more if Churchill hadn't inexplicably increased the minimum to a dollar on Oaks and Derby day. It's also not beyond the realm of possibility that I would have had that super, though I guess I would have had to donate my winnings to a horse rescue farm or veterinary research or something like that, right?

But I'm glad to inform you - and I'm sure that that reggiefleming guy will be happy to know - that I stayed for one more simulcast bet after the live races, and nailed the exacta stone cold in the 11th at Saratoga Harness. At $27.80, I had it enough times to actually fill up my gas tank and have enough left over to pick up some Wendy's and still have some pennies leftover. I swear, I think the prices had gone up a few cents from the time I passed the gas stations on the way to the track just a couple of hours before.

- You can add Belmont to the Meadowlands betting menu starting today. NYRA reached an agreement with the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, though it is known that NYRA has been seeking some of the highest rates in the country for the signals from its three tracks, Belmont, Aqueduct, and Saratoga. [Daily Racing Form]

The Heat Is (Still) On

- Every once in awhile, a detail will emerge in the press to show that the never-ending FBI investigation into the business affairs of Senator Majority Leader Joe Bruno is still....well, never-ending. The Albany Times-Union reports today that two FBI agents recently paid a personal visit to the Legislative Ethics Committee to deliver a federal grand jury subpoena requested opinions issued to Bruno at his request more than ten years ago. This panel is a bipartisan committee which provides lawmakers with opinions and clarifications about ethics rules. The opinions, which, according to the article, were "promptly turned over," deal with Bruno's personal business interests, including real estate development and horse breeding, the Times Union has learned.

Another person close to the investigation said federal authorities are closely examining the process by which Bruno may have received authorization from within state government for his various private business dealings.
.....
One of the opinions relates to First Grafton Corp., a secluded Rensselaer County development in which Bruno was a 25-percent investor.

Bruno was a principal of First Grafton until 1992, when his investment in the development group was placed in a trust. That took place around the time he received an opinion from the ethics committee regarding his financial interest in the project, a source close to the committee said.

Another opinion Bruno received from the ethics committee was in connection with the senator's ownership of horses and business dealings with his friend, Columbia County veterinarian Jerry Bilinski.

Two years ago, Bilinski also received a federal grand jury subpoena related to his horse ownership records as part of the investigation of Bruno. [Albany Times Union]

These opinions are not covered by Freedom of Information laws, but some lawmakers voluntarily reveal them; however, Bruno's office specifically declined to do so.

In the past, we've been told that the investigation involved, among other things, Bruno's relationship with Jared Abbruzzese, the Empire Racing co-founder to whom the Senator funneled $500,000 of public money for one of his businesses; and his employment at a Connecticut investment firm that managed money from unions who regularly had matters considered in Albany. Every time you might think it's dead, another story appears; and indeed, the Times Union reports that there has been a flurry of new subpoenas in recent months, and that several people involved with the Senate Majority have retained counsel.

Bruno himself has spent over $200,000 on his own legal bills in the matter; but don't worry, his campaign funds are paying for it.

A 1989 state Board of Elections opinion holds that campaign funds may be used to pay legal expenses of public officers who are the target of a criminal investigation "if the criminal matter arises out of the campaign or the holding of public office."

So, when us taxpayers picked up the tab for those disputed helicopter trips to NYC on which Bruno mixed official and campaign-related activities, we were also indirectly paying for his criminal defense lawyer. Very nice.

Bruno was asked by a Times Union reporter at a press conference yesterday if he would release the itineraries of those trips, as former Governor Spitzer and then Lt. Gov Paterson did. He responded:

“Where the hell have you been? Since you guys distorted the news on the front page of your paper, OK, totally distorted the news, lied about my schedule, guess what? I haven’t used state aircraft since I said I wouldn’t. So you want my itinerary? It’s zippo, zero.”

The reporter reiterated twice that he was interested in the itineraries for the first half of 2007, when indeed the senator was using the State Police helicopter for frequent trips to New York City for himself and his staff, including on days of Republican fund-raisers in Manhattan. [Capitol Confidential]

You can read more of the exchange, which included the type of language that we thought went out the door with Spitzer, at that Capitol Confidential link.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's investigation of possible political dirty tricks by the State Police, which grew in large part from the Troopergate affair, has hit a roadblock in the form of missing emails.

..Cuomo said a review of subpoenaed NYPA materials showed that "steps were taken by NYPA personnel to purposefully destroy responsive information, specifically, e-mails on the BlackBerry of Daniel Wiese."

Cuomo said the scrubbing occurred on April 1, the same day the investigation was announced. The NYPA received subpoenas three days later and immediately placed Wiese on paid leave. [NY Daily News]

Wiese is the police Inspector General, and one of the central figures in Spitzer's efforts to smear Bruno over his trips. Perhaps one of these days, the focus will be on the true nature of those excursions at taxpayer expense rather than any effort to make them public, y'think?

Synthetic Stupidity

- More on the non-story about NYRA and synthetic tracks in the NY Post. John Lee confirms what we kinda knew, that they're "not in a position financially to do anything about it." The cost would be around $50 million.

Nick Zito, one of the more vocal opponents of artificial surfaces amongst NY horsemen, said:

"Why spend $50 million on synthetic garbage we know nothing about? Before we rush to judgment again, shouldn't we study how much money it would take to put in safe, state-of-the-art dirt tracks? [NY Post]

I think that it's not constructive, and maybe even irresponsible, for Zito, as the chairman of the National Horse Protection Coalition, to be calling the surfaces "garbage" at this point in time. This is a divisive issue, and I know that some, and perhaps many of you may share his sentiments. But it's my strong opinion that the industry must give these surfaces a full and fair chance. The potential upside - fewer injuries, and a de-emphasis on speed that could very well spur the changes in breeding practices that we all would like to see - are far too great to cast them aside at this early stage. In the end, it's possible that we may just learn that dirt tracks built over newly-built cushions are the best alternative after all; if that's the case, then the experiment will still have proven worthwhile in my opinion.

William C. Rhoden wrote a far more controlled and rational column in the Times yesterday; it seemed almost as if he knew he went way too far on Sunday and was trying to demonstrate that he can be reasonable. However, amongst his suggestions on things the industry should be doing was this:

What about racing surfaces? There are indications, but no conclusive proof, that synthetic surfaces are safer. I suspect, however, that synthetic surfaces are becoming popular not so much to aid the horses, but to keep the surface consistent in order to make racing easier to schedule.

How dare he suggest that the motivation behind the surfaces is a cynical one based on finance and convenience rather than safety? Does he think California and Arlington went into emergency mode "in order to make racing easier to schedule?" I find that to be a despicable suggestion; one that I'd like to see him make to Joe Harper's face. (Or to mine for that matter!)

Thursday Morning Notes - May 8

- Matt Hagerty reports in the Form that the plan being discussed to relieve NYC OTB of a portion of its financial obligations could pose problems for NYRA's bankruptcy plan.

For NYRA, the plan would mean a reduction of $12 million to the association and its horsemen, according to Charles Hayward, the president of NYRA. Of that $12 million, $7 million would go to purses, and $5 million would go to the association for operating funds.

On April 28, a federal judge approved a reorganization plan that NYRA submitted to U.S. bankruptcy court. Hayward said the plan did not account for a reduction in payments from New York City OTB.

"If we had to pay out another $5 million a year from our operating cash, the plan wouldn't be feasible, and it couldn't go into effect," Hayward said. [Daily Racing Form]

Just as the state wasn't going to allow OTB to go under over a relatively small sum, I imagine that it's not going to allow $5 million to scuttle its franchise agreement with NYRA. Sounds like nothing a little takeout increase couldn't take care of..

- There were a bunch of stories yesterday regarding NYRA looking into synthetic tracks at all of its locations, and a symposium to discuss the matter this summer. However, this morning, NYRA's John Lee tells the Albany Times Union that that's not the case.

"This is a non-story....We have no plans to move in that direction. This is not something we are looking at in the foreseeable future."

Lee said comments he made to the Daily Gazette were misinterpreted.