Horse Hockey

- The NY Daily News chimed in with their own editorial regarding Belmont's Bathroomgate....or Bathgate. Yeah, I know, yet another excuse to include a picture of an old Ranger. But this time it's actually in context. A representative of the Water Authority of Western Nassau County called the notion that NYRA was being supplied low pressure water "horse hockey."

Joseph Corbisiero, the authority's director of plant operations, said, "System pressures were actually elevated in anticipation of a high demand for Belmont." He added that when he spoke to Belmont's chief plumber during the track's water woes, the authority's pressure was fine.

"No other customers experienced pressure problems," Corbisiero said. [NYDN]

The editorial calls on Governor Paterson to get to the bottom of Saturday's toilet fiasco, a somewhat revolting thought.

In a somewhat related development, veteran harness driver Ron Waples said of the unbeaten Somebeachsomewhere: "If I was a horse and I looked over and had to race that thing next week, I'd be peeing my pants." [Toronto Globe and Mail]

Yeah....but.....if he was a horse, he wouldn't be wearing pants....nevermind. The colt drew the two post for Saturday's Pepsi North American Cup, at $1.5 million, the richest harness race in North America.

And a large class action group of addicted gamblers are suing the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation for $3.5 billion, claiming that the province's casinos are not doing enough to keep them out despite their being on a "self-exclusion" list.

Those who sign up for the program are photographed and registered, and their information is stored in binders at every provincial casino. If they are caught trying to enter a casino, they can be arrested for trespassing.

But gamblers who spoke with CBC News on condition of anonymity said the program doesn't work. One woman said she registered for the program, but her gambling addiction led her back to a casino soon after.

"I walked through, no one looked at me," she said. "I kept gambling for the next couple of years." [CBC]

Yeah....but....what happened to the 'self' part of self-exclusion? Nevermind...

Wednesday Morning Notes

- A reader wrote in and cited Wednesday's card as an example of how the quality of racing in NY ain't what it used to be. And while the point is well-taken, I'm thinking that this card is actually pretty good in comparison to some of the stuff we've seen around here lately. And just wait until the 3rd or 4th week of Saratoga, you'll be dreaming about programs like this one, featuring full fields if little else. But that's a subject for another post.

Big Pick Six carryover today, and good luck figuring out whether the crazy storms that zipped just south of me here in Northern Queens drenched the grass courses at Belmont Park [UPDATE: Fast and Firm]; four of the six races in the sequence are scheduled for the turf. Also, if you're looking at the Pick 6 opener and thought Reyana's Jet looked very tough, she's also very ineligible for the race and will be scratched.

In the sixth, scheduled for the grass, Sumphin makes his first start off the claim for trainer David Jacobson. This barn has a record of 46-10-11-8 off claims this year on the NY circuit. Sumphin is coming off a win against restricted claimers in which he defeated Sly, who was also claimed out of the race and won his first start, for Bruce Brown, with a Beyer of 95. Two races back, Sumphin was defeated narrowly by Romp, also in this field (also trained by Brown). Romp is part-owned by my buddy Bob's Kasey K Racing Stable, though I'm not in on this particular one. The horse slipped and fell at Monmouth in his last race. You may have read the complaints about the turf course there being too short and therefore slick; and Romp is Exhibit A. The horse is fine though, and should be a contender here if his head is still on straight.

Best of luck everyone and have a great day.

Serving the Common Good

- The New York Sun reported on Tuesday that ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer is pitching a plan to start a so-called vulture real estate fund, which would scoop up distressed real estate assets around the country, revamp them, and flip the properties for a profit.

When Spitzer resigned in disgrace three months ago this week, he told the assembled press:

As I leave public life, I will first do what I need to do to help and heal myself and my family. Then I will try once again, outside of politics, to serve the common good and to move toward the ideals and solutions which I believe can build a future of hope and opportunity for us and for our children. [NY Times]

Somehow, the concept of buying properties at fire sale prices from those bearing the brunt of the current mortgage crisis, thus exploiting their woes for his own financial gain, doesn't quite fit my definition of "the common good."

But even better, Sun reporter Jacob Gershman also informs us that Spitzer has told friends that he is consoled by passersby who stop him on the city sidewalks and tell him that sex is "no big deal..." That's a conversation I'd like to hear.

Europeans, the former governor has noted, have been especially supportive of him and perplexed by the fallout from the scandal.

Oh man...

While waiting to get out of the parking lot on Saturday, which took around a half hour, I heard Spitzer's successor on the FAN. I'd heard that he's an occasional caller on the sports talk station and a big Mets fan. Governor Paterson was quite outspoken about what he feels is a lack of leadership on the part of the club's manager Willie Randolph. But we didn't find out what he thinks about NYCOTB, nor get any insight on the selection of a racino operator.

The legislative session ends on June 23, and there's no sign of a resolution of either of those. That's just eight more working days for Senators and Assemblymen to themselves serve the common good. 1,500 OTB employees face imminent layoffs, and Mayor Bloomberg warned on Tuesday that time is growing short.

"I don't want to be a pessimist, but at the moment, our plan is Sunday will be the last day OTB is open in New York City," he said of the 38-year-old operation. "New York City is not going to lay off one cop, one firefighter or one teacher so that we can support a bookie operation." [Newsday]

A gubernatorial bid is amongst the possibilities being discussed for Mayor Mike once his second and supposedly final term ends next year. Spitzer and Paterson may be apathetic towards the industry; Bloomberg, who made his fortune helping Wall Street book its own kind of bets, is downright hostile.

We of course have no clue what's going on behind the closed doors. But perhaps the opposition by horsemen, NYRA, and, most likely, the other politically connected regional OTB's are holding up the plan that had been floated last week. Besides, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, in the middle of matters as usual as the Chairman of the Committee on Racing and Wagering, called Bloomberg out last week, accusing the mayor of exaggerating OTB's shortfalls, and adding: “I don’t believe the city is negotiating in good faith." [Bloodhorse]

In fact, there's not much of anything getting accomplished in Albany, prompting one Senator to pronounce: "We need a giant AED (a defibrillator) sent down to the Assembly and the Senate. Something has to resuscitate the process here." [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle] Paterson was criticized by one reform group last week for abandoning the Spitzer steamroller on which he was elected as the former governor's running mate. However, the governor has submitted a wide range of worthy bills that have not been acted upon, including a property tax cap which is now apparently dead.

Only five of the 18 bills he has sent to the Legislature since he took office on March 17 have been approved, according to his office. And the ones that were approved dealt mainly with budgetary issues.

Kent D. Still Waiting...

- Kent Desormeaux initially thought he was off the hook this time.

"Anytime I get beat by less than a length, I think there's absolutely something I could have done different," he said. "That one [his defeat on Real Quiet in 1998] just ate me up. This will never eat me up." [Newsday]

As it turns out, that was only his final misjudgment of the day. I don't think it's at all fair to pin the blame solely on the jockey for Big Brown's last place finish in the Belmont. I had enough questions before the race - his quarter crack, his workout with the slow last quarter and lack of gallop-out, the differences within the BB camp as to when to apply the acrylic patch - that I hesitated to pick him and made some small wagers against. However, I certainly don't think that Kent D did the horse any favors, and I'm absolutely convinced that he was totally psyched out by the events of ten years ago when he fell short of a Triple Crown by a nose. "In that one day," Desormeaux said [before Saturday's race], "I learned how not to ride the Belmont." [ESPN]

“Asking (Real Quiet) for that burst of speed so quickly was unnecessary,” Desormeaux said at Wednesday's post position draw. “It's a marathon. It's not about speed. I wouldn't want (Big Brown) to show a big burst. I would just let him lengthen out his stride. He doesn't need to be pressed for more speed, he just needs to be turned loose.” [SignOnSanDiego.com]

As I was watching Saturday's race unfold, waiting for Big Brown to make his move, I could almost hear Desormeaux thinking to himself "wait, wait, wait." Unfortunately, by the time he was finally ready to step on the gas, the tank was empty, even at $50 million a gallon.

As to what happened next, I'm not going to criticize Desormeaux for pulling the horse up. I know some disagree, and Michael makes a quite reasoned case that it fit in with the rider's history. However, I thought it was pretty clear at that point that he was going nowhere, and the last thing we needed was another ugly incident. So I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

As for Dutrow, I didn't at all mind his bluster before the races; in fact, I came to find it refreshing in a sport in which the participants are often far too staid. But while it's easy to be classy after a win, the real test comes with adversity, and Dutrow is failing this one as badly as his horses have flunked their drug tests in the past. Time for the trainer to get real quiet himself.

- Michael Iavarone indicates that Big Brown may be headed to the Haskell rather than the Travers; these days, that's usually an either/or rather than a both. But don't worry Saratoga fans. Nick Zito says that both Da'Tara and Anak Nakal will be pointed there. He'll probably throw in another unqualified horse or two as well. Yeah, I thought you'd be excited.

Notes - June 9

= So much for Indian Blessing relaxing early with blinkers off. She blazed the first quarter in 22.85 in the Acorn, the second in 22.49; and that, according to the chart, under a firm hold! She didn't have much left to resist Zaftig (Gone West), a pure Beyer play as the 5-2 second choice; her 102 fig in the Nassau County is faster than anything Indian Blessing has ever run. Now, Baffert's champ will be running shorter. “This is too far for her,” Baffert said. F&M Sprint perhaps?

The Beyers also gave you J Be K, the winner of the G2 Woody Stephens; sometimes it's just as simple as that. I didn't like Ready's Image after his unimpressive return to the races; but I got all creative and esoteric and went for some value with Groomedforvictory and the awfully-named Fatal Bullet; serves me right for that and for drinking too much too. Sometimes the fastest horse is just the fastest horse. Asmussen's colt, a son of Silver Deputy, was an easy winner at 5-2. Majestic Warrior was a somewhat inexplicable 5-1 and continued his run of mediocrity.

Ventura is now three-for=four for Frankel since coming over from the UK, after taking the G1 Just A Game. This Juddmonte homebred is by the late Chester House, out of a Be My Guest mare.

- We've seen a number of distorted anti-NYRA editorials in New York newspapers over the past few years, none of which I ever recall delved beyond the bullet points in Empire and Capital Play's press releases and ads to examine the core issues affecting the industry in the state. Now, the New York Sun makes the case that the bathroom and water pressure problems at Belmont demonstrated what a shameful job NYRA has been doing.

It brought a vast crowd out to the track to see Big Brown, sold them huge quantities of beer (the vendor of lemonade ran out just when it started to get hot), and then locked all the bathrooms — for men and women — and hung up out-of-order signs on them. This, it says, was a drop in pressure.
....
We don't suggest the bathroom failure is anything more than symptomatic of the unpreparedness of NYRA's board of directors. But no wonder thoroughbred racing has been in decline in New York State.

I think it's fair to say that the first paragraph is a gross exaggeration. Now it's not my intent to minimize what really did happen with the bathrooms on Saturday. It was really bad. The lines, particular on the first floor grandstand (I never made it to the clubhouse), were untenable; and the resulting public urination was disgusting. I wouldn't want to be a squirrel scavenging around the park for food right now; and that's just what was going on outside. It was a public health hazard.

However, it seems to me that a drop in water pressure is something probably beyond NYRA's control. Matt Hegarty reports in the Form that NYRA will meet with the local water utility on Tuesday. A commenter wrote in that someone at NYRA made a wrong call to shut the water. Since he/she chose to remain anonymous, that doesn't mean much.

However, it's certainly within the realm of possibility that human error was involved, and that someone, trying to help, mistakenly made things worse. Even so, it's a tough situation for NYRA. As a couple of un-anonymous commenters noted, NYRA is not in the position to build bathrooms that would be used once a year - at most! I could only imagine what the editorials would have said about that. Yes, running the facilities is a crucial part of the job, and, as I've said, NYRA could have done a better job directing people to less crowded locations (I used bathrooms all day, and, to be honest, I had no idea of the severity of the situation until I read the papers the next day); and they certainly could have had more portables tbere.

But NYRA's main job is to present racing, and the day otherwise proceeded seamlessly. Some of you wrote beforehand that it wouldn't be a day for serious betting because of long betting lines, but I didn't see a single one all day. And that with a crowd of 95,000 which is still historically huge even if well short of the record. The tote system handled $99.3 million worth of wagers without a hitch. The backyard was crowded but more than manageable, and there surely was no problems getting beer! NYRA did a lot of things very well, and most everyone I saw seemed happy.

The Sun editorial goes on to liken NYRA's non-profit status to "socialist racing."

New York turf lovers deserve better....and horseplayers get better in other states. Churchill Downs is a for-profit company, whose Nasdaq symbol is CHDN; Pimlico is owned by Magna Entertainment Corp., whose Nasdaq symbol is MECA. Why do New York race goers have to go be subjected to a non-profit, socialistic company?

Yes, better they should be subjected to Frank Stronach's near-bankrupt capitalist company instead. This editorialist obviously didn't make much of an effort to research what he/she wrote.

The Roar Back for a Day

- John and I were marveling at The Roar of the crowd as the horses turned for home at Belmont on Saturday - especially in races in which the prohibitive favorite wasn't being pulled up on the turn! Usually, one can make out individual voices; and at times, each individual echo rattling around the empty stands. But on Saturday, the noise rose as one to a deafening din, a most welcome sound that was once routine, but now comes once a year in New York; at least east and south of Saratoga. It helped to make the day memorable even though the Belmont Stakes itself was such a drag. As we've seen in the past, a foiled Triple Crown bid can make for theater just as compelling as a successful one. But this was just an anticlimax, pure and simple.

There were two particularly outstanding finishes amongst the other stakes which really had the crowd in a frenzy. Benny the Bull kept the day from being a total loss for the Big Brown connections. He looked beaten when he passed us around the sixteenth pole - and John thought he had the 7-3 exacta nailed. But Benny charged home determinedly from that point, getting up by a neck for jockey Edgar Prado, closing through a final furlong of 12 2/5 to win the True North. Excellent effort by runner-up Man of Danger.

The finish of the day was in the Manhattan, which was also the only race I got right. Dancing Forever is one of the finest examples of a horse brought along ever so slowly by Shug. I can't say that this son of Rahy crept up his conditions, because he was still eligible for entry level allowance races when he got his first stakes win in an ungraded contest at Calder in December. Since then, he'd been a neck short of two more stakes wins, both of the graded variety. I loved him here at 4-1, and got my second lucky head bob in the last week when he just got up on the inside. Unfortunately for me though, it didn't pay off. I didn't like second place finisher Out of Control, who I considered a shaky favorite having never been the distance, and left him out of the exacta. I also had the winner hooked up in doubles with Ready's Echo and Icabad Crane, and you know how that turned out. At least that was the only money I lost on the Belmont.

- The Times' The Rail blog, which Joe Drape told NPR was the second busiest blog on the paper's website, will be shutting down shortly; I received a 'last call' for posts. It was fun while it lasted, and perhaps they'll start it up for the Breeders' Cup this fall.

SomeSteroidsSomewhere

- Here's one knowledgeable person who feels that the current discussion over steroids in horse racing is overblown (hat tip to the excellent harness racing blog Pull the Pocket):

Mike Weber, manager of veterinary services for the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, which regulates and supervises pari-mutuel betting on horse- racing, insists steroid use by horses wouldn't cause them to collapse and die and doesn't have a significant effect on them.

Yet he admits that if the drugs are overused, there are side effects. The reproductive performance of mares and fillies can be affected. But that, he said, can be reversed once the drugs are stopped.

"We're concerned, in racing, [with] the effect on performance," he said, adding that anabolic steroids have become "high-profile" in recent years following a spike in the number of cases in sports such as baseball.

But he maintains the fuss is overblown, arguing that steroids - which occur naturally in some horses (mainly stallions ) - don't appear to have the same effect on them as on human athletes. He said rather than boosting performance, steroids help racehorses recover their strength after injuries, stress or surgery.

"There's been a lot of concern about anabolic steroids in other sports. They've come to the fore and people are concerned horses are receiving anabolics, so pressure's being put on to do something about it," Weber said.

"It's not a fair comparison. Scientific studies have shown they are not a performance enhancer [for horses]. In my opinion, it's not as big a problem in horses as it is in humans." [Vancouver Sun]

But even if you accept this man's view, I suppose one could then argue that Big Brown's missed steroids shot could have affected him in terms of recovering from any stress or strength caused by his quarter crack injury.

And wow, the 3yo pacer Somebeachsomewhere remained unbeaten with a spectacular 1:49 mile in the eliminations of the Pepsi North American Cup at Mohawk Raceway in Ontario, coasting home under wraps. Check out the replay at the preceding link. What's really scary is that this colt is suffering from a stone bruise on one of his feet, and is said by his trainer to be "around 80% right now." Yikes.

What's The Problem, Nick?

- Joe Drape of The Times posed the question of whether Da'Tara is on steroids, and got another no comment from Nick Zito. I don't understand what Zito's thinking is here. The drugs are legal in this state, so I don't see him taking a hit to his reputation - I haven't heard anyone seeking to ban Allen Jerkens or Barclay Tagg, two admitted users still held in high esteem. But by withholding comment, Zito, in my view anyway (and I've recently had to eat words uttered about him), is making an implicit admission of usage which makes him look secretive and shady. That as opposed to, say, Richard Dutrow, who admitted his use of Winstrol freely. Of course, Dutrow also said he didn't even know what it does, but that's besides this particular point.

Truth be told, I couldn't care less if Zito gave his Belmont horses steroids or not. If he did, I wouldn't contend for a second that they were the reason Da'Tara won the Belmont anymore than I think that the lack of them caused Big Brown to lose. But I do care very much that somebody ask the question! I mean, you can't spend a month absolutely killing Dutrow for admitting using them, and then just give Zito a pass because he's a good guy who is effusive, accessible, and eminently quotable win or lose. It's like virtually the entire racing press - and much of the blogosphere for that matter - are engaging in a mass ass-kissing here. Full credit goes to Bill Finley and Joe Drape for asking the question. Now, I for one would like to see some aggressive follow-up. It's not only totally relevant in light of all of the discussion over the last five weeks, but it's absolutely demanded by any basic tenets of good journalism.

Belmont Day (Mostly) Not Lame

- Most of Belmont day was not lame (including, we're thus far told, Big Brown). NYRA was certainly prepared for the big crowd in terms of betting windows; there were no significant lines at all, at least where I was traveling; I never had to wait more than a few minutes, at most. Same goes for food and drink. The bathrooms and the water situation were another story. NYRA tried; some men's rooms had been converted to woman's, and there were some (but not enough) portable toilets out in the back. Seems like 20/20 hindsight now to blame NYRA for the loss of water pressure - one NYRA employee told Newsday that it was caused by fire hydrants being opened in the area. But it certainly highlighted the infrastructure improvements needed at the facility. If I have one criticism of NYRA, it would be for not directing people standing on the most imposing lines (including the ones for prime spots in bushes) to seek relief elsewhere in the building. I never waited very long...and no, I did not go in one of the staircases like I saw some men do (though one of them was nice enough to use a cup).

But the Belmont Stakes itself certainly was lame. And so was I....and I'm not talking only about my picks. Upon arriving in the backyard a little after 11 after a riotous ride on a packed LIRR train (the first of the day), I was walking around the back, carrying a heavy load, dodging the blankets already set up, looking for a spot. And in clumsily navigating a particularly crowded section, I stepped on an uneven patch of grass and turned my right ankle quite badly; even earning a gasp, and a "are you all right?" from a stranger.

I also got a gasp out of my buddy Ira when he saw how swollen it was. I spent much of the day applying ice, which I fortunately had in my cooler. And I managed to limp up and down between my prime spot under a lush tree (also hanging out with John of The Race is Not Always To The Swift, and our excellent seats just inside the sixteenth pole in section 3S. I also made it to a gathering of TBA bloggers.

And later, sufficiently numb from several Excedrin washed down with bourbon, I made it to the paddock before the Belmont.




All eyes (and cameras) were on the big favorite as he prepared to parade around the paddock.



Looked OK here.



If he was feeling the heat, he certainly wasn't showing any outward signs of it; at least at this point.

Back up to the seats, and the crowd roared their approval for Big Brown.


The cheering would stop in a few minutes. It was not nearly the hush that fell upon the crowd when Birdstone caught Smarty Jones - I've never heard so many people silenced as suddenly as they were on that day. But it got pretty quiet when Big Brown floundered down towards the finish line; and a few boos even rained down from the stands.

I was at a big family event on Sunday, and everyone asked me what happened. And of course, I had no intelligent answer to give. We're told that the horse is fine; and Michael Iavarone insists that he will continue on to the Travers and Breeders' Cup....as long, that is, as nothing is found to be wrong. Iavarone has zero credibility of course, so excuse me for expecting an imminent announcement that upon further review, the horse suffered some vague injury during the race, and that Big Brown will be retired for his own safety. A return by the horse in the Travers would certainly cause much intrigue. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Kent Blame the Jockey?

- One commenter places blame on Desormeaux, pointing out the way Big Brown was restrained early on. Clarice correctly pointed out that the rider was in a spot at that point, and that he quickly got him out into a stalking position.

But perhaps the original commenter has a point. Not that you can every really place sole blame on a jockey for such a decisive defeat. But I thought it was interesting to hear Desormeaux comment that: "There were a couple of times where he thought it was time to go and he jumped into the bridle." Earlier in the week, he was insistent that he wouldn't make the mistake of moving too soon, as he admits he did with Real Quiet. That leaves me wondering if the jockey was so intent on correcting that error, that he, on more than one occasion, discouraged Big Brown from running when the horse wanted to do so. And that if it's possible that any such restraint, combined with the earlier incident, the heat, and the distance he'd never run before, could have all contributed to the horse getting discouraged and giving up the chase.

Da'Oh!

- As some commenters were quick to point out after the race, I summarily and rather rudely dismissed the chances of Da'Tara in the Belmont. Another unqualified entry for the team of Nick Zito and Robert LaPenta, nice going guys, I wrote. D'oh! I see that some readers and even another blogger have taken some obvious delight in turning those words against me. I feel as if I'm expected to offer a humble mea culpa, as Homer always does in the end.

But all I'm going to offer is - "so?" I had a strong opinion about a particular horse, and I was wrong, what's the problem? I don't really understand what that has to do with my "credibility." I don't advertise this as a tout site. I sometimes express opinions about races; sometimes I'm right, most of the time, I'm wrong - though this is the first time in 3 1/2 years that I recall regretting such a snarky toss as this. I think that's a decent record.

In any event, if I looked at this race 100 times, I'd come to the same conclusion. This is a horse with a 425 Tomlinson mud number whose only win came in the slop, and who'd never gained ground in the stretch in any of his six fast track races. I thought that made him unqualified, and I have no problem standing by that. Perhaps that was too strong of a word, probably prompted by my annoyance with Zito who, as one commenter so correctly put it, has been "throwing darts" in Grade 1's over the last few years. But I'm far more inclined to chuckle about it than to lose any sleep.

I could certainly make a case to dismiss Da'Tara's win as a fluke given the bizarre circumstances of the race; and I suspect that his Beyer will ultimately support that contention when it comes out - especially given the fast times during the day. These tracks just can't seem to resist the notion of souping up their surfaces on big race days. But he set fairly steady fractions - as far as these things go - of 23.82, 24.48, 24.60, 25.06, 25.25, and 26.44. So he did enough during the race to win legitimately, though I think it's certainly fair to say that Denis of Cork and the others fizzled out late. In retrospect, one could look at his form and see a colt with improving form. But there was certainly no guarantee that he'd get a mile and a half just because he's by Tiznow (gimme a break), and it's not the first time that Zito has asserted that he has a horse bred for the mile and a half distance (see Hemingway's Key and Pinpoint for starters).

I've also read some talk about how much class Zito showed after the race; and indeed, he was, as usual, humble, gracious, and deferential to his competitors and to the game at large. However, I myself would like to know what Zito would have said if any of the reporters in the crowd had asked him if Da'Tara was running on steroids. I know the racing press treats him with kid gloves (as they do for most), but, given all the angst and derision over Big Brown's Winstrol, shouldn't that have been one of the first questions? Wouldn't it have been in a comparable situation in any other sport? And ten times more so in this case given the fact that Zito declined to comment when asked that question by Bill Finley last week?

Since the regulars didn't ask, I think that one William C. Rhoden should have been the one to do so. He was very quick after all to speculate in the Times today that Big Brown's missed steroids shot of May 15 is the explanation for his non-performance yesterday. So don't you think it was his journalistic responsibility to get Zito to clarify his earlier non-remarks?

Last Leg

1) Big Brown - I find myself wavering back and forth between thinking he's going to win by 20 lengths, or not at all. Any interruption of a routine, especially one that's been so successful to this point, is nothing but a negative in my mind; and slight or not, the horse's quarter crack caused Dutrow to alter his schedule. And how much did it have to do with a workout that has received some mixed reviews? We've read about how he slowed down in the last quarter, and Joe Drape noted in his Q#A on The Rail that he was pulled up quickly, which I don’t like to see.

I'm not worried about his ability to get the distance, and I'm not the least bit concerned about Casino Drive. But I'm uneasy. I don't have nearly the same secure feeling that I did before the Preakness. And we've been through this scenario before, only to be disappointed.

2) Guadalcanal - Well, at least this maiden has been a mile and a half, albeit on the grass. There's some recent precedent here, as Nolan's Cat ran third as a maiden in 2005, but he at least had run against winners before. Guadalcanal lost by 26 in his only two turn dirt effort, and may do well to lose by that little in here.

3) Macho Again outran his breeding to be second best in the Preakness, and appears to be in raging form for trainer Dallas Stewart.

“We’re very happy with our horse. He’s trained well, he had a good work the other day, he seems energetic and his weight looks good — all the things we look for to stay on the right path. He’s an improving colt, and his last race was very nice. He’s showing he’s got a lot of fight and tenacity, and it looks like he really wants to win a race. [Schenectady Gazette]

I wouldn't wanna get beat by him again as I did in the Preakness, but pedigree questions persist.

4) Denis of Cork has had five weeks off since his rail-skimming third in the Derby, though his best races have come second off the layoff. He was one of the training stars prior to Churchill, and trainer David Carroll called his Belmont works pre-Derby like.

The final work, on Friday, was especially strong -- four furlongs in 48 1/5 seconds under jockey Robby Albarado, with the final eighth of a mile in a swift 11.1 seconds. [Washington Post]

Albarado replaced Calvin Borel, so perhaps we'll see this one rallying down the center of the track this time for a share.

5) Casino Drive - Two races, no proper workouts since the Peter Pan, and way too short at 7-2, or less, as I think he'll be. Three Belmont starters in a row for dam Better Than Honour is an amazing thing. But I don't like him one bit. [That was written before the news that he has a small stone bruise in his left hind foot. Three Belmont starters in a row for Better Than Honour? Could be that the odds are catching up.]

6) Da' Tara - This son of Tiznow is eligible for entry level allowance races, and actually is a maiden when it comes to fast tracks. Another unqualified entry for the team of Nick Zito and Robert LaPenta, nice going guys.

7) Tale of Ekati - Barclay Tagg runs this one on steroids, but I wonder how much outcry we'll hear about that if he wins. I'd come around on him since the Derby, but the more I look, he just hasn't shown any progress at age three, and I cannot get excited about him here.

8) Anak Nakal - It's been said that Zito's other entry shows similarities to Birdstone. That may be true in that they both, as two-year olds, had a maiden and stakes win sandwiched around a losing stakes effort. But any comparison ends there. Birdstone showed flashes of his ample ability with a 99 Beyer in his debut that Anak Nakal has never approached; and he won the Grade 1 Champagne over this track. He also won his 2008 debut, and had excuses in his disappointing Lane's End and Derby tries. Anak Nakal has never Beyer'd over 87, and his races have been nothing short of dismal this year. It's also said that he has the pedigree for this, based on the fact that 1998 Belmont winner Victory Gallop is his sire. That may be true, but, if you buy pedigree numbers, his dosage (4.0) and Tomlinson (287) are borderline at best. In any event, the only time he's closed in the stretch this year was in the Wood, when they walked home in 41 seconds for the last 3/8ths. I'm throwing him out completely.

9) Ready's Echo - Pletcher has been virtually invisible this week, except to decline to comment on whether this horse is running on steroids (as did Zito). So I think we can presume that he is. Ridgling son of More Than Ready has shown Beyer progression in each of his four starts, starting with one of the more spectacular seconds one could ever see in his debut. He trailed Casino Drive in the Peter Pan; but his only two turn effort, in a Keeneland allowance two races back, was an excellent one, as he closed very strongly into a negative pace scenario. If you like him to win and want a little company, Dick Powell makes a case for him over at Bris. I'd be more inclined to use him to rally for minor awards; how can you not like him to do so over Anak Nakal?

10) Icabad Crane started his career competing against NY-breds at the Big A last fall and winter, and has stepped up big time since then, with his Tesio win and Preakness third. Trainer Graham Motion thinks there's more improvement where that came from.

“You kind of think the Preakness would have been an exhausting race, and maybe after the Belmont [Stakes (G1)] I’ll feel differently, but right now I didn’t notice that it knocked him out in the slightest....He looks like he’s put weight on and filled out.

“It sounds odd to say this in three weeks, but it seems like he’s really changed since the Preakness,” Motion said. “He’s just really matured. Maybe it’s just the time of the year, but he’s really grown up.” [Thoroughbred Times]

Son of the AP Indy sire Jump Start, out of a Rahy half-sister to graded winner Adcat has never failed to fire with a record of 5-3-0-2, and rates as my top choice to upset the favorite.

So, I'm not going to make a definitive pick here, as I'm not planning to bet the race. I don't feel secure enough about Big Brown to invest on exotics with him on top, especially with the strong possibility that Casino Drive, who I was counting on to create value by leaving him out, won't run. And I'm not going to make anything more than a token wager against him because I simply don't want to root against a Triple Crown. I want Big Brown to win. I've read some people who say that the sport does not "need" a Triple Crown winner, and that it will do nothing for the sport. I don't at all agree with that, and here's one reason why. It would create more interest, and how can that not be good, even if just for the remainder of this year? But as far as wagering goes, I think I'll just sit this one out, other than perhaps fool around with Icabad Crane.

That's going to be a wrap for me as far as the Belmont goes; thanks as always for checking in. Any free time I manage to have between now and my early departure tomorrow will be devoted to handicapping the rest of the card, especially the non-stakes races; perhaps I'll have time to post some quick picks. To those of you who have written to ask, no, I will not be in the pressbox and will not be live blogging; though thanks much for the interest. It will be a historic day in one way or another, and I intend to hang out with the masses, nab some real estate in the back (to go with my seat in section 3S), violate my no-drinking and betting rule, and have a fantastic time on what promises to be a great, if somewhat warm, day. So, here's, hopefully, to a Triple Crown and, definitely, to a momentous day of our favorite sport. Best of luck to you all!

Belmont Drug Questions Nothing New

- Baffert is in town, and he's two-for-two since arriving on Wednesday. He'll saddle Indian Blessing in the Acorn, second on my list of which races I'm most excited for. I got on her case last year for her unimpressive finishes, but she earned my admiration in her two races at Fair Grounds this year, including her loss to Proud Spell. This turnback after a respite to a one turn mile seems like a good spot. Baffert said that he wants to "shut that motor down early in the race," and she did so more or less in the Frizette at this distance here last year, when she sat just off the pace of Dill Or No Dill. She may have to do the same behind Dance Gal Dance here.

Baffert won the fifth on Thursday with Under Serviced, an expensive ($325,000) Hook and Ladder NY-bred who'd won her only start on the Cushion at Hollywood almost a year ago. 5-2 morning line, she paid $4 winning on a track which was sealed for the second straight day. Under Serviced is out of a mare by Thirty Six Red, who had the lead turning for home in the 1990 Belmont for trainer Nick Zito as the 7-2 second choice to Unbridled, the 6-5 favorite who stopped on the turn and finished 4th. Thirty Six Red had to shake off 65-1 Baron De Vaux, and succumbed to Go and Go.

Drugs were a major topic of discussion that year too, as it wasn't until 1995 that Lasix was legalized in New York. Unbridled had been running on the drug, and the question of whether he, and other horses, could run without it here was a key handicapping factor in those days, and often as much of a guess as the synthetic track questions today. Reporting on the race for the New York Times, Steven Crist noted:

Summer Squall, the Derby runner-up and Preakness winner, did not even contest the Belmont because his handlers were reluctant to run him without Lasix, on which the colt had been racing.

We don't really know what steroids are doing to horses long-term, but they have no effect on how we bet races as Lasix, or the lack thereof, did then and still does now. Hell, we don't even know which horses are using steroids (though you can guess that trainers that decline to comment probably are).

Here's a video of the race. I'm not going to mention the track announcer's name, because I'm sure he's a nice guy and I wouldn't want him to see this if he Googles himself. But hearing his calls just sends shivers up my spine, and this one epitomizes everything that was wrong about......him.



Woodbine-based trainer Reade Baker is also two-for-two after shipping in Find the Wire to win the 4th. And Baker also has a live one on Saturday, though his is 8-1 morning line. Fatal Bullet has an awful name - ugh!! I mean, why would anyone give their horse such an unattractive name? Can't the Jockey Club refuse names for being in bad taste?

But the son of Red Bullet does have some attractive form on the Poly at Woodbine. He's dominated all three of his 2008 starts, while moving up the ladder after running for a 62.5K tag in the first one. He'll have to improve more to compete in the G2 Woody Stephens; but Northern Nelli passed her class test for Baker in the state-bred Bouwerie, paying $22.80 in transferring her form from Woodbine. So this Adena-bred gelding could be a live one on Saturday.

Notes and News - June 5

- As Brett pointed out, the forecast for Saturday now calls for temps in the low 90's, so you can probably leave that light jacket home. Belmont is often an interesting meteorological phenomenon, in that it can literally feel 10-15 degrees cooler up in the grandstand seats than in the sunny backyard. But if the weather is going to be as steamy as they're saying, it's not going to matter. (I will be bringing something nonetheless....you never know what it's going to be like at 8 PM for that 13th race.)

- Big Brown's dam, Mien, has been bred to Stormy Atlantic by her owner Dr. Gary Knapp; and as was the case with the Derby/Preakness champ, it's an interesting and rather eclectic combination. Big Brown has that inbreeding to Round Table and Damascus, in addition to Northern Dancer. This new prospective foal also has the Northern Dancer inbreeding; and, in addition is inbred, 4x4, to the full sisters and highly influential broodmares Moccasin and Thong. Both of those of out of the blue hen mare Rough Shod, who, in addition to dropping those two, is the dam of the stakes winning colts Lt Stevens and Ridan.

“I did some research on my own and found from 1914 to 2002 that 85% of the American classic winners had one or more crosses of significant female families in their pedigrees,” said Knapp, who referenced American Classic Pedigrees (1914-2002). “I want to be in that group when I breed horses.”
....
Knapp set a minimum stud fee when searching for a stallion this year. “I can’t remember, but it was either $20,000 or $25,000,” he said. “I looked at all the stallions standing in Central Kentucky at that level or higher, and all of them had one of more crosses of significant female families within the first seven generations, except five stallions.” [Bloodhorse]

Dr. Knapp also obviously likes the cross with Northern Dancer-line stallions. Big Brown (the result of a mating in 2004) is by Boundary (Danzig); a 2005 colt is by Horse Chestnut (Fort Wood/Sadlers Wells); a 2006 filly by Touch Gold (Deputy Minister/Vice Regent); a 2007 filly by Belong to Me (Danzig, and thus a 3/4 sister to Big Brown), and now the future foal by Stormy Atlantic (Storm Cat/Storm Bird), are all by Northern Dancer-line stallions.

- Bettors would not be the only ones helping to subsidize NYCOTB through higher takeout rates under the proposals being floated in Albany to relieve it of a portion of its payment obligations. While higher rates of retention would salvage NYRA's bankruptcy plan, the NY horsemen figure to take a hit. So NYTHA president Richard Violette Jr. issued a scathing criticism of the plan; and, in doing so, got right down to the key point.

“Mayor Bloomberg has made it abundantly clear that he has no real interest in the overall welfare and future of NYCOTB or the Thoroughbred racing industry. It would be unwise to allow an entity so vital to the racing industry to remain in the hands of such disinterested leadership. Whatever solution the governor and the legislature finds for NYCOTB’s immediate problems, it must include a binding commitment to either a merger with the NYRA or have NYRA take it over completely.” [Bloodhorse]

Even Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, in the course of negotiating the agreement, blasted the mayor.

“We gave them a plan that worked, and he rejected it....I think the city thinks they have us over a barrel" because of the upcoming Belmont Stakes, the lawmaker said. “I don’t believe the city is negotiating in good faith."

Bloomberg has not had a good year, seeing his presidential aspirations and his key policy initiatives go down in flames. Now, taking a nod from his petty predecessor, he's making noise about quashing the legal limit of two mayoral terms and thus overstaying his welcome in office. Which, as far as I'm concerned, he did when he arrogantly brought the GOP convention to this overwhelmingly blue city in 2004, and presided over the disgraceful mass arrests during the protests that inevitably (and quite correctly) followed.

Hunch Bets for Thursday, June 5

True Bliss 2nd at Belmont
Disconsolate 3rd at Arlington
Wonder No More 5th at Lone Star
Used To Be A King 3rd at Penn National
It's Mine All Mine 3rd at Calder
Token Of Love 1st at Belmont
Falsified 7th at Golden Gate
Slim And None 9th at Monmouth
Embellish 8th at Woodbine
Fight On 2nd at Hollywood

- Just Zip It didn't really look out of place at all in open allowance company, finishing a clear third-best in the 8th at Belmont on Wednesday. She was three wide for the entire turn, not a winning formula at the big track, and still finished with much interest to earn a purse share of $5900.

Early Bird (and the GM) Gets the Worm

- For any early birds out there planning on getting to Belmont early (gates open at 8:30 AM, not sure when the beer goes on sale), they'll be a "Backyard Adult Fun Area" which I don't believe will include throwing beer cans at people running on top of portable bathrooms. We're far too sophisticated for that shit here in NYC. Instead, they'll be a dunk tank, "bouncy boxing," and "gladiator jousting." Steve Crist, Watchmaker, and Dave Litfin will handicap the card at ten. If you just can't wait until the noon post time to start losing money, wagering on British racing, including the Epsom Derby, will be available starting at 9.

You might want to bring some headphones or ear plugs however, as they'll also be the cast of the Broadway musical Movin Out, which will be performing Billy Joel covers starting at ten. Talk about a buzz kill.

All of the details are available on NYRA's Belmont Stakes fact sheet (PDF file).

- Here are the post positions for the Belmont. The draw was conducted in relative secrecy, televised only on a local cable channel rather than the ESPN national telecasts we saw for the first two legs. Some are wondering why that is, but given the irrelevancy of the post positions for this particular race, it seems appropriate enough to me. Big Brown draws the rail.

- Talk about an executive rolling up his sleeves and getting down and dirty! The blur of a man trying to corral the loose horse pictured here is none other than Remington Park General Manager Scott Wells.

"As she went by, I thought, 'I have to grab this filly.' So, I grabbed hold of her, and she jerked me off my feet, and I looked very awkward there," he said. "But, we got her stopped, and she didn't get herself hurt, so she was none the worse for wear." [KOCO-TV]

Both horse and GM are fine; you gotta check out the full video here. I'd like to see Charlie Hayward do that!

Just Zip It in Tough Spot

- Very tough open allowance race for Just Zip It, in the 8th at Belmont today. Out of her state-bred allowance conditions, she's in a tight spot these days, and this entry-level race shows why. The idea is to eventually get her into a state-bred stakes in which she can be competitive. But she's training well and is ready to go, so they'll take a shot in with these today. As well as she's run, she'll really have to step up the Beyer scale to be competitive here. I do get concerned however, given her obvious competitiveness and eagerness to run, that she could get discouraged running her heart out against seemingly faster fillies such as these.

The third place finisher from her last race, One Tough Belle, won her next start with an 87 Beyer, the kind of improvement Just Zip It would have to show today. One Tough Belle is trained by Bill Badgett who, as I noted the other day, has been moving his horses up. That barn starts Valid Yankee (3-1) in the 5th today; she's a filly who has burned a fair amount of money in her career. Nothing to get too excited about, but certainly a horse to include, I think, if you're playing the early pick four.

In the 4th, let's take a flyer with Party Girl (12-1), if the race should remain on the grass despite the overnight rains here. This filly was group stakes placed in France, but has been thus far disappointing in three US starts. However, she had little shot two back against an unfavorable pace scenario, and showed signs of life in an even 5th in a stakes race in her last. Trainer Peter Pugh is another one of those under the radar guys with some high percentage numbers from limited starters - 6-2-2-0 at this meeting, and the two winners were both double digit odds. Drop in class and distance could get Party Girl close at a fair price. Good luck and have a great day.

Just Watch Her Run!

- I'm glad that this guy said it first, because the idea of a filly, even the mighty Zenyatta, running against the boys seems taboo these days. I might even get a letter from PETA.

Unfortunately, Bob Mieszerski reports that trainer John Shirreffs has said taking on males is not something he or owners Jerry and Ann Moss are considering. That's too bad, because she doesn't seem to have much to prove against her own kind, even after only five career starts. She's already handled the defending division champ, and it seems hard to believe now that Ginger Punch was 2-5 against this amazon despite those credentials. She made her usual last to first move in the Milady Handicap on Saturday, and did so into a quickening pace while circling the field on the turn. "Let's just watch her run - this is Zenyatta!" proclaimed Vic Stauffer as she strode home. She got the final sixteenth in 5.97, a final time of 1:41 flat, and a Beyer of 103.

Heatseeker won the Californian three races later, hitting the one mile mark in the identical 1:35 1/5 as did Zenyatta. Heatseeker closed from there in 11.81, just a slightly faster rate than Zenyatta's last sixteenth, and finished the mile and an eighth in 1:47. He earned a Beyer of 109. He did save ground as compared to Zenyatta; but he also, in a change of tactics likely prompted by a small field and slow pace, had to withstand a pace duel with Surf Cat.

So who would you like if these two hooked up at the top of the stretch? Heatseeker may be faster on paper, but we've never seen Zenyatta seriously challenged in the stretch. Who knows what she could achieve with the proper motivation? As long as she's restricted to fillies and mares, we'll likely never know.

Now, with no further ado, this is Zenyatta!:

Tuesday Notes - June 3

- Alex Brown reports on The Rail that, "curiously," Big Brown's final quarter this morning of 24.8 was slower than his opening quarter of 23.6. But his exercise rider Michelle Nevin (no relation, I presume, to Bob), told the press: “He was a little rank today....He was looking to do something; he was trying to get away early. So I ended up having a pretty good hold on him all the way, to try to ease him down. I was very happy with him.” [Bloodhorse] So how 'bout we just load em in the gate already and get this thing underway!

The Head Chef cannot attend, as she's catering a wedding shower for our dear friends Ira and Carol's daughter Alison. And she's taking my car. So Ira is being forced to pick me up and accompany me. He's one of my Rangers seatmates, and a "fewbie" who meets me at the Meadowlands once or twice a year. Wait until I tell him that we're leaving my house by 11, and that the Belmont itself doesn't go off until 6:40! Oh man, I don't think he's going to be too pleased. And I have to keep him entertained all day!

- No dime superfectas on Belmont day....or on Friday for that matter either. A reader was told by a NYRA official that the explanation is that it would make the lines move too slow...and that since there's advance wagering for Saturday on Friday, both days are effected. I'll keep that in mind when I'm standing in line behind someone betting the dime superfectas from Churchill Downs. Yes, there's a full simulcast schedule, and even if ALL dime bets are banned, there are a lot of bets that could take up just as much if not more time. So it seems a rather odd explanation to me, especially for a wager not offered on every race.

A couple of readers mentioned the idea of windows exclusively for the Belmont or for novices. That's a concept that would start to bring us full circle back to the old days when one had to go to different windows for any different kind of bet. Exclusive windows for the dime bets, or for those wanting to bet simulcast tracks wouldn't be a terrible idea on a day like this.

- Nick Zito used to be one of my favorite guys, but now he persists in entering unqualified horses in these Triple Crown races. "I see a lot of similarities," he said, comparing Anak Nakal to 2004 upsetter Birdstone. What I see is a horse who actually makes Zito's other hopeless entry, Da' Tara, look good. At least the latter has cracked the 90 Beyer mark! "It's never bothered me what people say or what they think." I guess not. (I really hope I don't regret writing this.) John Velazquez jumps off Anak Nakal to ride Ready's Echo, and Julien Leparoux gets the mount.

- And Hoosier Park in Indiana is the latest member of the racino club - 2,000 slot machines went online on Monday morning, with the usual line around the block awaiting its opening.

By 4 p.m. Monday, more than 5,000 people had already visited the casino, said Jim Brown, Hoosier Park’s general manager for gaming.

“It exceeded my expectations,” he said. “It was a Monday, and we had customers lining up before sunrise. Over 800 folks joined us within the first hour.” [Herald Bulletin]

The Hoosier casino is a 24/7 operation, and therefore will never close its doors for all of eternity. There's a sobering thought for you.

Why Is This Horse Smiling?

Big Brown works five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 this morning.

Some readers wanted to know more about who/where/what is the money behind IEAH, and Joe Drape has the story in the Times today. Doesn't make the horse or the race any more or less interesting to me, but there it is for those who were curious.

Our buddy Walter out in Vegas sent along a message from an acquaintance of his that you might find more interesting:

This does not look good for BB waiting until Friday and put the acrylic patch on. I use to work with a vet at Hialeah Park, Calder and Gulfstream back in the day and have been around a lot of siutations and know a little about this and it is a negative sign. If the hoof was getting better and healing properly they would not hesitate to put the acrylic on as it would seal with the acrylic fiberglass and it would make it stronger. Once they put the patch on it is difficult to tell if there is any infection or problems. In my opinion that is why they are not putting the patch on as there is a lot of uncertainty about the crack.

The workout today was without a patch. Drape reported on The Rail yesterday that McKinlay actually wants to wait until race day to put on the patch; but Dutrow prefers Friday.

On Friday afternoon, he will take out the sutures, clean the hoof and put in a new set of sutures if necessary. He then will cover it up with the adhesive patch that seals in five minutes.

“The adhesive that we’ll rebuild that wall with is stronger than the hoof itself,” McKinlay said.

Nobody but the horse really knows what the deal is, though he didn't seem unhappy this morning. I keep thinking back to the case of Touch Gold, who had a worse problem than Big Brown, and who was kept on track to win the race, with help from McKinlay. My inclination is to ignore it....but it does add some intrigue to what otherwise seems a foregone conclusion.