Beach Day

- It's a beach day alright, with the temps heading into the 90's and the humidity high. We won't be going to an actual beach, but our little Queens backyard is serving that purpose for now. Later on, we'll be heading to the Meadowlands for a real beach party. The Head Chef is extracting a stiff price in exchange for going, so you can bet that I'm done with Belmont for this spring/summer meet. Great weather for fast racing, as harness horses go faster as the weather gets more hot and humid. Perhaps they're just smart and want to get back into the shade.

But anyway, there's no telling how fast Somebeachsomewhere will pace tonight in this weather; the stakes record of 1:48.3, which he tied last week, seems almost certain to fall. The world record for three-year olds is 1:47.4, which would seem within reach as well. The all-time record for a race is 1:46.4 by Holborn Hanover, and some feel that SBSW could break that should he remain at the Meadowlands to race on a hot afternoon on Hambletonian day in the Oliver Wendell Holmes Pace.

I went out early and nabbed the second to last Harness Eye at the one place around here which still carries it. There's a letter from the editor on the inside front cover page, announcing a price increase to $6. Apparently, they recently cut back on coverage, but fans reacted by saying that they preferred a price increase. So they got one. The simulcast edition of the Form is $5.50; can an increase be far behind?

Great card on tap for tonight, and do I dare try some harness picks? In the second, My Little Dragon (7-2) has been burdened by bad posts and bad trips, but could have better fortune here with Sears from the four hole. In the third, Won The West (6-1) finished full of run for a very close 5th in the Haughton final after a wide trip, and seems to prefer a post towards the outside such as the six he has tonight. In the fifth, Up Front Hotsey (5-1) defeated probable favorite Buck I St Pat (9-5) two back, then provided cover for that one when first over in their last. Could be the other way around tonight with the favorite starting from the rail. In the 9th, Tinys Million (10-1) has raced extremely well since coming to New Jersey; closing strongly to win two back against cheaper, and then moving up to this class and enduring a tough trip for 5th. Moves to an outside post from where Daniel Dube will hope for a good cover flow at a fair price. Glass Pack (9-2) drops for Campbell and may go for the lead in a race without much apparent speed. Southwind Lynx (3-1) is the class of the field, drops sharply seeking his level, but recent form has been discouraging.

And yeah, I like Somebeachsomewhere in the Meadowlands Pace. Bullville Powerful (12-1) has done little wrong and remains extremely sharp. Art Official (10-1) dared to challenge the favorite first over in the elimination, and lived to tell the tale, continuing gamely for second. Badlands Nitro (6-1) was third in that race, has a bad post here, and Brian Sears told Harness Eye: "Coming off just a week's rest after racing at Yonkers two weeks in a row, it's a lot to ask."

Saturday Morning Notes - July 19

- In the 8th at Belmont, Diamondrella (4-1) (Rock of Gibralter) climbs the class ladder while making her third start off the layoff for trainer Angel Penna. This filly showed vast improvement from prior form, with two bang-up closing efforts from mid-pack. Two back, she missed by a head (to West of Gibralter, also in here) in a race that produced two other subsequent winners; and she won her last under a confident ride by Maragh, getting the last two furlongs in 11.3 and 11.1. The two career tops may be cause for concern, but she's had five weeks off, and four breezes since that last effort. Beatrix Kiddo (5-1) was 8th at 7-2 in a Monmouth stakes, now drops to the level at which she missed by a neck two back after some traffic problems on the backside. West of Gibralter (6-1) should appreciate the cut back in distance, and would be an overlay at her ML odds.

That's it for the "official" picks, but a few horses worth a mention. In the second, Richard Violette has first time starter Portable Alpha (3-1), a three-year old colt with a most unusual pedigree. This horse is closely inbred, 3x2, to Cox's Ridge, one of my all-time favorites (as in, I cashed a few tickets on him). He was a successful sire with 53 stakes winners, but one doesn't generally see horses inbred to him, no less so incestuously. This son of Hook and Ladder sold for $397,000 as a two-year old in training last March, so it's taken quite some time to get him to his debut today.

In the third, Golden Weekend is listed as the 9-5 favorite despite never having run on grass. I think the favorite's role will go to Poronui (3-1), from the blazing Clement barn. Son of Rahy returns to grass, and nice turf pedigree here. Out of the G1 winner Fantastic Look, he's a full brother to the G1 turf winner Designed For Luck.

Music Note will be solidly favored in the CCA Oaks, which may or may not be part of the Triple Tiara, and who really cares anyway? But Acoma (2-1) comes in with the highest speed figure, a 99 earned in the G3 Dogwood at Churchill. She's a daughter of Empire Maker, out of a stakes winning Danzig mare, and she's a half-sister to the Super Derby winner and current sire Arch.

Reader onecalicocat is excited about a local sighting of a Smarty Jones baby; Me You and Her goes in the third at Monmouth. This filly is a half to a French stakes winner, and a daughter of an unraced Deputy Minister mare who's a half-sister to the G1 winner You And I.

And finally, Foolish Bid goes for Kasey K in the 9th at Philly Park today, returning to the two turn distance which he far prefers. He's fit and ready to go, and looks like excellent value at 9-2 in my opinion. Good luck everyone and have a great day!

Hot Hough

- Stanley Hough has a reputation as a guy who wins with two-year old first time starters at Saratoga, but the stats don't really bear that out, at least going back for five years via Formulator. During that time, he's won just three, out of 19, races of that type at the Spa. Overall, he's won there at an 11% rate, and 18% everywhere else.

But Hough is the hottest trainer on the grounds right now. With two more winners on Friday, he's won five out of his last seven races; and his latest two are horses that almost never win! Holiday Trip was 1-17 coming in, and Deputy Indy had won once in his last 16. At least they both race a lot. Hough has no starters for the rest of the meeting, so he will hope to carry his momentum over the break, much like the Mets did resuming play last night, and improve those Saratoga stats.

Purses a'Plenty

- Right on to NYRA's plan to boost purses at Saratoga for longer and fuller races. Steve Crist writes in DRF Plus that a high-grade money-won allowance race with a field of 12 could be worth $114,000 instead of $74,000. Saratoga already was the top purse-per-day track in the country, and this could send their numbers through the roof; and this all, of course, without slots. This is the kind of thing I had in mind when I said during the franchise process that NYRA's experience conducting top-notch race meetings had to count for a lot. Do you think Capital Play or Empire would have thought of this?

Racing secretary P.J. Campo hopes to have an easier time filling the longer distance races. In the meantime, in order to fill the races during the always difficult final weeks downstate, he's had to resort to a generous dose of maiden claiming sprints on both dirt and turf, and with claiming tags as low as 25K. But he seems to have gotten them all out of the way now, and the closing weekend cards look OK on first glance.

I think that Campo gets high marks for this meeting. As I've said before, we're probably never going to see the kind of consistent quality that we used to have here, given the way the better horses are handled more carefully and raced less, and the NY-breds that need to be accommodated. That will be the case at Saratoga as well once it gets into the middle of the week-or-so-too-long meeting. But, using variously conditioned claiming races (including, of late, dual condition beaten claiming races), starter allowances, and, yes, those ubiquitous hard-to-handicap but fun-to-watch turf sprints, he was able to present cards that I found consistently interesting and competitive. Campo has been helped too by a lively claiming trainer colony, infused by relative newcomers like David Jacobsen, Enrique Arroyo, and Bruce Brown, and featuring a purse structure which has encouraged them and others to race their horses at levels at which they can win. Here's hoping that all of the above, plus these new purse incentives, makes for some great betting days upstate.

Hard to Find

- Tried to find the Harness Eye, so that I could get started on Saturday night's Meadowlands Pace card. Not long ago, when it was still called Sports Eye, it was easy to get; even at some places that didn't carry the Form. That's apparently no longer the case.

The Racing Form, under its prior ownership, bought Sports Eye a couple of years or so ago, and it's hard to see why, at least based on its harness racing properties. I know they have some other sports publications, and I don't know what's happened to them. Someone there once mentioned that the deal improved their printing efficiencies. Maybe that's it, because they sure haven't done a thing with Harness Eye, and I think that's too bad. In fact, to say that it's been neglected is putting it rather mildly. When's the last time you heard of any publication that doesn't even have a website!? If you want harness pp's online, you need to go to BRIS or Track Master instead, and their past performances are not as good. How much expense and effort does it really take these days to put some PDF's online for sale?

So, I was rather taken aback when, while unsuccessfully seeking a Harness Eye, I saw that the good ol' Form itself is carrying the full Meadowlands card right there in the print edition! There's a first for you for sure.

Bob Heyden, the Big M's crack racing analyst, says that Somebeachsomewhere is the best horse he's seen since Secretariat. That might be a bit like saying that Sidney Crosby is the best player he's seen since Mickey Mantle, but you get the point.

When you expect a horse to be really good or great and then he knocks you off your feet, then he's really done something....I know for a fact -- and I'm not sure the casual fan does -- but I would say he only gave between a 60 and 70 per cent effort. That's all he needed off a 28-day layoff. You don't usually win eliminations by these kind of lengths. He just, naturally, drew away from the field." [Standardbred Canada]

The replay of the race is available at the above link, and it was exactly as Heyden describes.

Hunch Bets for Friday, July 18

Spanning The Globe 8th at Arlington
All Joking Aside 8th at Arlington
Money Issues 2nd at Presque Isle Downs
Time For Truth 5th at Calder
Earnings Report 3rd at Presque Isle Downs
Follow The Rules 9th at Ellis Park
Hard Rockin 7th at Colonial Downs
Hard Truth 6th at Colonial Downs

Life After New Bolton

Stephen Rea and Barbaro star in Kicking a Dead Horse, Sam Shepard's new play which opened at the Public Theater in NYC this week.


OK, it's not really Barbaro. Just a joke, OK? Though if it were up to Shepard, perhaps the late Derby winner would have the co-starring role.

“The dead horse should be as realistic as possible,” he writes, “with no attempt to stylize or cartoon it in any way. In fact, it should actually be a dead horse.”

So when the show premiered in Ireland, the Abbey Theatre dutifully located an actual already-dead horse (“With this PETA thing, you’ve got to be very careful,” Shepard says), made a cast from it, and used the horse’s real hide. “We were thinking it would have more realism,” says Shepard. “But when he kicked it, it reacted like a cardboard box or something. It flopped around." [NY Magazine]

Of course, if the horse is already dead, then I don't see what problem PETA would have with it. If the play were to catch on with the general public (unlikely since, as a Sam Shepard play, it's no doubt intelligently written and requires actual thought and concentration), it could open up a whole new world for horses who don't make it out of New Bolton. The touring company could use regional stars - Vindication for the LA version, George Washington in London, Eight Belles in Arkansas.... (OK, I think that's enough before I start beating the dead horse.)

- As reader El Angelo pointed out, retiring Senator Joe Bruno will have plenty of money with which to visit Saratoga this summer. However, he also said: “I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to go off and retire and just play with horses and golf."

Well, Mr. Green Mtn Punter, what do you think of that? We've been led to believe that Bruno is a genuine horse guy, and now he's retiring on a rich tax-free pension and he DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY WITH HORSES? Ha!

Bruno continues to dole out the money to his Saratoga constituency, coming up with $6 million to expand the City Center, plus an additional gift announced today, this one to the Troy waterfront. What the Capitol region will do without him I can't say.

- It's been quite a year for Stephen Rea (the live actor in the picture above). I recently saw him in Stuck, a gruesomely macabre film that nonetheless had me laughing (perhaps to keep from passing out). In that movie, Rea spent half the time lodged in an automobile windshield with one of the wipers protruding into his gut. (Based on a true story that could only have happened in Texas!) (Awaiting a retort from Sue.) Now, he's on stage alone with a (fake) dead horse for an hour and a half. The latter does seem preferable however. Kicking a Dead Horse runs at the Public through Aug 10. (Photo by Joan Marcus/NYT)

Perfect Day at Del Mar, Monmouth

- I looked up at the TV at Monmouth's Lady's Secret Cafe after the first at Del Mar, saw a final time of 1:46 3/5 posted for the mile, and thought 'oh man, here we go again!' Fortunately, the time was wrong. In fact, everyone should be happy after opening day, except perhaps those who miss boring speed biases, and the Beyer boys who will now have to go back to the drawing board. The times were normal, the crowd was an opening day record and, most importantly, there were no breakdowns, at least as far as I know from looking at the charts and reading the papers (though not the LA Times).

An absolutely gorgeous, perfect day at Monmouth, where the crowd of 5,482 made for a lazy, but still lively enough atmosphere, as compared to the morgue that is the gargantuan Belmont during the week. The 8th race killed me, as I had some nice Pick Three bets going with singles on 7th race winner Sway ($4.20) and 9th race winner Southcote Road ($6.40). One of the three I had in the middle leg was 9-2 Ismus, who led every step of the way.....except the last one or two. I thought I'm supposed to be able to hang on at that track.

A couple of weird races as far as betting goes. In the third, Angelonmyshoulder, 7-2 third choice in the morning line, was slammed to 6-5 as morning line favorites Apt to Succeed and Angel Veloz were totally dead on the board. The betdown horse won by four, as the two others were nowhere, hello. But in the 6th, 4-1 morning line Scesney Says went off at 17-1 and wired the field.

The tote board froze before the first at 9 MTP. Larry Collmus finally made an announcement reminding bettors that the race was just two minutes away. Afterwards, this guy starts complaining to me that he didn't know the race was about to go off, and got shut out of the daily double. But he also took the opportunity to show me his $40 exacta ticket on the winning combo. This guy nailed a $52 exacta twenty times, and he's freaking whining to me? Sounds like a candidate for the SAFC (Self-Anointed Fan Complainers). The second was delayed for about ten minutes when the tote system went down completely, providing a little scare for those of us who drove some distance to get there.

- Another winner each for Clement and Stan Hough at Belmont, what else is new. Two winners (plus one DQ'd) for Contessa.

- One of these horses will be guaranteed a spot for the sure-to-be-thrilling Breeders Cup Marathon. Don't get too excited.

- Bill Finley gets some column space in the NY Times for Somebeachsomewhere.

News and Notes - July 16

- The races are expected to be faster this year at Del Mar, as the track will be watered in the afternoon. That should make a lot of horsemen happy - the way the track dried out and got slow in the afternoon was the main complaint about the Polytrack last year. My personal opinion remains one of who cares about a couple of seconds either way time-wise if the track proving to be safer. Here's one horseman at least who agrees:

Trainer Barry Abrams just doesn't understand why everyone complained last summer, when race times were slower but there were only six fatalities on the surface ---- and none in the first 39 race cards of the meet ---- compared with 14 the year before on the more conventional dirt surface.

"It looks good (this year), but it looked great last year, too," Abrams said this week. "It was different in the mornings and afternoons. That's why everyone had complaints, but I didn't. I just thought it was a safe track.

"It was slower, but if you look at the numbers, Del Mar had one of the highest win percentage of favorites in the country, so as far as the bettors saying it was slower, they were really just running to form. I didn't see the problems everyone else had." [North County Times]

Track president Joe Harper is counting on the 'staycation' theory while hoping that the economy does not hurt business. "I figure we'll lose a few (fans) from L.A. and pick up a few from San Diego..."

Apparently, not all gambling concerns are immune from the economic bad times.

Both sides in the Maryland slots referendum are citing the economy for their cause. Supporters are warning of higher taxes that people will be less able to afford should slots be rejected. Opponents are highlighting gambling declines like the one in Las Vegas mentioned in the first article linked to above.

A recent poll however showed the slots supporters with a big lead, 63% to 34%. We know from experience that little things like a 30 point gap and a huge financial disadvantage will hardly discourage the opponents. However, they announced that, contrary to some prior indications, they will not accept badly needed donations from gambling interests, those in surrounding states who might be inclined to help quash the competition.

- Andrew Cohen of the First Over blog on Harnessracing.com is an owner of Share the Delight, who won his Meadowlands Pace heat to give John Campbell his 10,000th career win. Cohen knows that he's screwed come this Saturday, when his horse will have to face 2-5 morning line favorite Somebeachsomewhere. Nonetheless, he's prodding readers to encourage the local media to cover the race, providing links to lists of local TV, radio, and newspapers.

That's something that us thoroughbred fans shouldn't really feel above. For sure, coverage of harness racing is virtually non-existent here, but that's the direction local thoroughbred coverage has been heading towards for years. Even around Belmont time, most of the stories seemed to be about steroids, cheaters, and bathrooms. I found it revealing last week that Joe Drape's (non)story in the Times about the perfectly legal drugs that Curlin was no longer using was front page of the sports section material. His story on the actual race was buried on the last page of Sunday's sports section.

Raising Money - Or Not

- Elizabeth Benjamin reports on her Daily Politics blog that soon-to-be ex-Senator Joe Bruno [Update: he will step down on Friday] is still raising money, and still doling it out prudenty. His reported disbursements include:

Two payments - $11,305 and $2,201 to the New York Racing Association. Bruno, an avid horseracing fan who has dabbled in breeding himself, has two boxes at the historic Saratoga track, one of which was made available to him as majority leader and now presumably gets passed on to his replacement, Dean Skelos. [NY Daily News]

Sounds like Senator Joe is looking to keep his red carpet at the Spa in place once he reverts to private citizenship. Meanwhile, Governor Paterson surprised observers by having raised over $3 million for his re-election campaign in just the last two months. Less surprising is that the money comes from virtually everyone with a cause - or pending state business.

The tidal wave of money came from everywhere: Lobbyists. Real estate moguls. Industry titans. Labor unions. Wall Street wizards. Gay marriage advocates.

"It's astounding," said New York Public Interest Research Group's Russ Haven, who called the pace of Paterson's fund-raising "torrid."

"This doesn't happen by accident; people are pursuing very aggressively. There are a lot of bills on the governor's desk, and everyone wants a say." [NYDN]

The prodigious fund-raising comes despite the governor remaining "deeply committed" to campaign finance reform.

Though they're not specifically mentioned here, I'll take a wild guess that Aqueduct racino bidders SL Green, Capital Play/Mohegan Sun, and Delaware North are all on the list too. We've certainly seen a lot of absurdity from Albany over the years, but the failure to name an operator has to go in the Dysfunction Hall of Fame. 'The end of the month' is the latest target date for a decision I've seen from Paterson, but there's no reason to take that the least bit seriously given all the missed deadlines. With all the talk about how revenue projections in the budget may come up short due to the bad economy, here's a virtually recession proof flow of funds which would come with no cost nor effort, and, with two of the bidders anyway, a huge upfront payment to the state; and they just can't get it together after all these months to make a relatively simple decision. Unreal.

Jersey Bound

- Taking the day off today, and going to Monmouth. Barring an unforeseen freak storm, it will be nice to see a fast track there for a change after four days of rain at the Breeders' Cup last fall. The heck with gas prices; I have some new CD's, including Beck's retro Modern Guilt, so I'm gonna crank it up and head down the Garden State Parkway (if I ever make it off the BQE, which, these days, features rubbernecking for the way-cool New York City Waterfalls; actually worth the time waiting, for a change.)

In the second, Lit de Edwardo (10-1) goes for trainer Willard Thompson, a barn which is not exactly burning up the track with just three wins from 73 starters at the meeting. Nonetheless, this gelding was a close and wide second two back against significantly better, in a race that produced three subsequent winners and a second. Dropping in class for his last effort, he was severely checked and taken up approaching the turn while making a threatening move on the rail. Additional drop in class here could do the trick. Devil's Zone (3-1) set the pace and lasted for second as the favorite in the top choice's last race; trainer Bruce Levine hasn't slowed down here - he's 33 for 73 - 45%! He's 8-3-3-1 in his last seven at the shore. Devil's Zone races with Lasix, front bandages, and blinkers, but without EPO.

In the third, Apt to Succeed (3-1) has found her game - all three of her sprint efforts have been very good, and she's displayed a powerful late kick in his last two. Will try to turn the tables here on Angel Veloz (5-2), who resisted her late surge in his last.

Here's our friend Christophe Clement, unveiling first-timer For Free (7-2), on the grass in the 4th. The barn is 0 for 8 at Monmouth thus far, and, in this case, I'll take that as meaning that he's due. This filly is by Forestry, 13% with first-time turf runners. Fever's Gone (5-2) is the logical favorite for the Toddster off a game second in her debut, in which she was challenged on the lead by Realgoodlookin (5-1) every step of the way.

If you've been visiting here, you've read about the recent exploits of trainer George Weaver at Belmont, where he's won three of his last four, all at generous odds. This barn's runners have been doing well out of town too - it's like he flipped a switch to make all his horses run well. He's 4-1-1-1 at Monmouth, has recent wins at Philly and Colonial, and a narrow miss at Finger Lakes. Amazing. He sends Manitoba Miss in the 5th; but at 6-5 morning line, perhaps I'll try to beat him, though I'm not sure with whom. Perhaps Bi Rose (3-1), stretching out for trainer Richard Small. She put up some very fast internal fractions after breaking slowly in her debut, which has produced two next-out winners; and the daughter of Include, out of a half-sister to Private Terms winner Etude, may like the stretch to two turns.

Sway (8-5) looks like a solid favorite in the 7th; set the pace this level in his last, succumbing to Dyna's Lassie, who went on to win the Miss Liberty Stakes.

In the 9th, Southcote Road (4-1) drops to conditioned claimers for trainer Bruce Alexander, 21% on the meeting, and 4-4-3 with his last 14 runners. This filly managed to be four wide going into the first turn from the three post, and continued three wide on the final turn before finishing second. Looking for a more favorable trip from the rail today. Good luck and have a great day!

[DiscreetCat checks in with his thoughts on the opener at Del Mar, a race which I'll definitely be sticking around for outside at the Lady's Secret bar after the live races. If you're at the track, stop by box 58 and say hi!)

Tuesday Morning Notes - July 15

- A lot of excitement in Nova Scotia on Saturday night as their hometown horse hit the big time.

Maritime simulcast locations were jammed for the Meadowlands elimination races. At Summerside, New Brunswick Health Minister Mike Murphy and P.E.I. Provincial Treasurer Wes Sheridan were among the patrons who cheered on Somebeachsomewhere. The Horse Shoe Sports Bar in Dieppe was filled to capacity with fans cheering on the Petitpas horses. [Times & Transcript]

Reg Petitpas is a partner in Schooner Stables of Truro, Nova Scotia (which also owns Silent Swing, who finished second in the Haughton Memorial; nice night). You gotta love reading stuff like that; it evokes images of people gathering around their radios to listen to Seabiscuit against War Admiral. Not that I personally remember that, but y'know, like in the movie.

Reader Brett related that Gary Seibel was saying that Somebeachsomewhere raced into a headwind when he came home in 26/2 on Saturday. “There was a bit of a stiff breeze in his face coming home," confirmed trainer Brent McGrath. Combine that knowledge with seeing just how easily the horse was going, and there's no doubt that this was something quite special. The colt will now try to become the first-ever undefeated winner of the Meadowlands Pace on Saturday night.

Although McGrath says that Somebeachsomewhere will return to race in Canada next month, it's likely that he will find somestudfarmsomewhere on this side of the border next year. "He’s going to be a stallion next year somewhere and it will probably be in the U.S." [Chronicle Herald] His present value as a stallion is said to be $8 million.

- Whatever one thinks of trainer Larry Jones, you have to acknowledge and respect that he's a man of his convictions. That became evident when he ignored know-nothings like myself who were telling him where and where not to run Hard Spun last year, and further confirmed when he stuck to his guns and ran Eight Belles in the Derby. So why would he care that people were questioning the wisdom of racing Proud Spell in the Delaware Oaks on Saturday, just over two weeks after she was roughed up in the Mother Goose? He was certainly opening himself up to the harshest criticism possible in these most sensitive times, and I don't even want to think of what the reaction would have been had something bad happened. PETA might have established a separate Larry Jones division.

Fortunately, the filly came through with flying colors, and showed why I still consider her to be the tops in her class. Gabriel Saez, who I'm sure had in his mind not to get locked in on the rail again, had the daughter of Proud Citizen three wide on both turns, and there were moments on the final turn and in the stretch, when he was riding her hard and she appeared to be spinning her wheels. It wasn't fast and it wasn't pretty, but she got the job done on class, holding off Graham Motion's improving African Violet to get the win at 1-5. I look forward to seeing her turn the tables on Music Note in the Alabama on August 16, which just happens to be the weekend that the Head Chef and I have penciled in for Saratoga this summer.

We'll also be hoping to see Just Zip It race in the state-bred Union Avenue stakes on Monday the 18th, at six furlongs and for a purse of $80,000. Our daughter of City Zip continued to pick it up in the A.M. with a half mile in 49.03 breezing (18/52) on Saturday. Bill Turner is thinking about prepping her in a NW2x open company allowance on July 28. That's a class over her eligibility and not an ideal spot, but it's pretty tough going in the condition book these days. She could certainly use a race, and he doesn't want to run her a step beyond six furlongs.

Poles Apart

- I'd DVR'd the Man O'War "coverage" on ESPN News, and we watched it on Saturday night upon returning from Big Vinny's 40th birthday party. Randy Moss had to correct the talking head, and inform him that he was in fact at Delaware Park, and not actually at Belmont. Moss set the race up by repeatedly and emphatically informing us what a difficult task this was to be for Curlin - "monumental," he called it at one point. He practically had the Head Chef in tears. "Oh, poor Curlin, why are they doing this to him?" she asked before she left the room, too terrified of what could happen to watch.

Curlin was fine, of course. But his defeat demonstrated how the sport in this country, as opposed to in Europe, are poles apart, as articulated by Julian Muscat in the UK's Guardian.

Curlin did not remotely resemble himself on Saturday. An entirely new set of circumstances essayed his defeat by Red Rocks, who has yet to win a group one race in Europe. Strengths that have propelled Curlin to exalted heights on dirt were neutralised by the different demands of racing on grass. Here are two for starters.

Curlin's greatest strength is his attritional, grinding style, yet he ran on a surface that favours acceleration. He is also an unlikely horse on pedigree to stay ten furlongs. While dirt racing regularly mocks such theory, it is not true of grass. The son of a miler from a mare of sprinting origins would be expected to weaken towards the end of an 11-furlong grass race, which is exactly how Curlin ran on Saturday. [Guardian]

If you buy that theory about his pedigree, one might postulate, looking back at the Belmont Stakes, that it was the pedigree of Rags to Riches that helped get her head in front at the wire, and the sheer class of Curlin that even got him close.

- When Magical Forest survived a stewards' inquiry to win Sunday's Barbaro Stakes (Delaware Park edition), he became the third rank outsider to win a short-field stakes for three-year olds colts this weekend; Tres Barrachos and Truth Rules in the Swaps and Long Branch respectively were the others. I suppose there's a message in there somewhere, and I think it's that this three-year old crop sucks. The reason I think Magical Forest may have indeed deserved to come down is that jockey Jorge Chavez persisted in his use of a left-handed whip even after the horse first responded to it by bearing out to bother Garrett Gomez and favored Cherokee Artist. Perhaps, with less at stake, Chavez would have been penalized for that.

Nonetheless, it was the second stakes win in a row for the Paraneck runner, coming after three unsatisfactory performances. One might have thought that the colt was getting tired given his non-stop schedule this year, but he seems to be getting stronger despite already having run 11 times this year - right on! He's a son of Forest Camp. I wrote last week about the Stallion Register versus the Thoroughbred Times Stallion Directory; and here's a clear advantage for the latter - despite the fact that Forest Camp stands in Korea, TT still has the full range of information on him and his progeny. The Stallion Register pays him little more attention than if he were dead.

- Two more winners on Sunday for trainer Christophe Clement, and at generous prices too! Clement now has 18 winners (from 73 starters), just five less than meet leading Dutrow. His first-time starter Cable ($12.40), winning on the grass, is a Dynaformer half sister to Exchange Rate, and to UK stakes Sabre D'Argent. Remember that this barn lost its first 16 races at this meeting, and is therefore winning at a percentage of 32% since. Two winners for the sharp Stanley Hough barn as well.

Sunday Morning Notes - July 13

- I haven't seen Rap Tale's race, since Colonial for some reason does not make their races available on Cal Racing; nor on its own website. So I'm depending here on Bob's account from the track. He called with five minutes to post to inform me that she was 6-5. With only $5,000 in the win pool, this was due largely in part to his own wager. She drifted up only to 3-1 however, and if I'd known that, I probably would have bet less on her, and more on Thou Swell ($45.60), who I mentioned here yesterday morning (how about some props for that).

Jockey Nick Santagata was "overmatched" by the filly I'm told, and never had a handle on her as she fought his restraint and tugged up to put a head in front, albeit a good 5-6 wide on the backstretch. I didn't hear the call either, just Bob's moaning and groaning, but I'm told that the announcer noted on two occasions how difficult she was to handle. She's extremely headstrong, and has fought the rider now in each of the last two races. Rap Tale had nothing left in the stretch, and finished 7th of 8, thus earning a grand total of $0. Call it a wasted trip if you'd like; I still think it was worth the shot. Bob said afterwards that he wants to put her back on dirt for now, perhaps cut back to a sprint, and just let her run. Hopefully, she came out of the whole ordeal none the worse for the wear.

- Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen are now faced with a decision that I'm sure they didn't want to have to make. Deep down, they might have wished that Curlin would either win the Man O'War, or run 7th himself, thus definitively showing whether he liked the turf or not. His second place finish certainly wasn't bad, but wasn't good enough to make their reservations to Paris today. He certainly wasn't the Curlin we've come to know, drifting very wide turning for home, and offering a rally that seemed half-hearted. "Class might have been the reason he got second today," said Robby Albarado. I also might question whether he wants more than a mile and a quarter; note that he's now been beaten in both tries beyond that distance. The guess here is that he goes back to the dirt and aims for the Classic.....which, actually, isn't on dirt either. Nobody really knows exactly what the fuck it's going to be run on, actually.

- Wow! That's all I can say about Somebeachsomewhere, and his dominance in his elimination heat for next Saturday's Meadowlands Pace. No breathers at all for the still-undefeated colt in this race; driver Paul MacDonnell (MAC-duh-NELL) actually tapped him with the whip to get him past John Campbell and Meant to Be Me (Campbell won his 10,000th race in a later elimination heat), and up to the lead in a quarter of 27.1. They got to the half in 55, repelled a challenge in a third quarter of 27.1, to 1:22.1. Then, with no urging at all, and MacDonnell looking around for competition, Somebeachsomewhere rolled home in a final quarter of 26.2; the final time of 1:48.3 was the fastest Pace elimination ever, and tied the stakes record set by Rocknroll Hanover in 2005. A phenomenal performance, and you'll find me at the Big M next Saturday night, wouldn't miss this for the world. (Fortunately, no weddings or 40th birthday parties for me next weekend.)

- Yesterday's Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth and today's Barbaro Stakes at Delaware could have made for an interesting three-year old stakes had they been combined. Instead, as we often see in this fractured industry, the races were scheduled for subsequent days; thus, we had five horses yesterday, and five scheduled for today's race. How ridiculous (and I'm not even including the Swaps Stakes, since it is at least on the other coast). Also ridiculous is the way Atoned always seems to get himself beat, this time by a neck to longest shot on the board Truth Rules. Atoned now has a record of 12-2-7-0; and no less than six of those defeats have been by a head or less, amazing. That's three in a row for Truth Rules, a late developer for Zito, and one son anyway of the late Vindication who has been able to stay sound, improve, and stretch out at age three.

Tres Borrachos looked done on the turn in the Swaps as the anticipated duel between Two Step Salsa and Colonel John looked to be getting underway. But just like that - seemingly in just a couple of strides - Tyler Baze, taking advantage of the inside turning for home, had his horse clearly in front. And, despite a slow final furlong of 13.18, he was never really challenged after that, as the two favorites battled it out for second. You can offer the excuse that it was Colonel John's first race since the Derby. But the 'off-the-layoff' excuse doesn't go as far as it used to; and he apparently just isn't that fast. "I thought he was a little fitter than he probably was," said trainer Eoin Harty.

Recession Proof

- Revenues at Yonkers Raceway's racino was up an unbelievable 30% - $28 million - in the period from April through June as compared to the same timeframe last year.

Track officials Friday attributed the growth in part to better marketing and a full year in operation. Some experts said that with the high price of gas, gamblers are staying closer to home -- making Yonkers, close to New York City, a more attractive option.

"Basically what we are seeing is the impact of $4 gas," said Bennett Liebman, an industry expert and head of the Racing and Wagering Law Program at Albany Law School.

"We are seeing significant declines in Atlantic City and the Connecticut casinos, and we're just seeing more and more people realizing how convenient Yonkers is." [Pressconnects.com]

Bad economy? Ha! I know some commenters here have mentioned how the stay-near-home effect will help ensure a good Saratoga meet. The difference I believe is this - why would anyone in Saratoga who wants to gamble go anywhere else anyway? Plenty of action right there. I'd think that the harness track racino would stand to be the biggest beneficiary, as some may forego the greater variety of games at casinos elsewhere and stay local.

I think that the whole notion of gamblers staying close to home because of gas is silly anyway. How much, really, is the additional cost of driving to Atlantic City or Connecticut at $4.35 a gallon as opposed to $2.85? The price of an extra round of drinks, maybe? The main point here in my mind is simply that people will gamble whether times are good or bad. Overall, the state's eight racinos grew by 17%, only Monticello went down, and just wait until their new facility opens at the Concord, which promises to be the most happening event for the state's harness industry since...I can't even say. Perhaps we're seeing the effects of the new revenue splits which give the racinos more money for marketing. Lottery scratch-off ticket sales also grew. Revenue from high-priced instant-lottery games that sell for $10 and $20 a ticket soared by 26 percent in the first quarter.

If I'm wrong about a decline in business at Saratoga, it will, I think, not be driven primarily by locals staying home, but simply due to this mind-boggling addiction - I don't really know what else to call it - that our society has to gambling, which seems to be virtually recession-proof.

- OK, I'm sure virtually no one will see this before the races, but just some very quick thoughts on a few of today's races. Tizdejavu (2-1) appears to lay over the other horses with North American form in the American Derby at Arlington, but there are two beautifully bred European horses with nice form. Great War Eagle (3-1) is the more accomplished of the two with two seconds in Group 3's in Ireland. He's by Storm Cat, out of the Juvie Fillies winner Cash Run, who is in turn a half-sister to G1 winner and prominent sire Forestry. Blue Exit (10-1) has excellent form in listed races in France, and has Timeform - or whatever the hell they are - figures competitive with Great War Eagle. He's by Pulpit, out of an Arch half-sister to Dynaformer.

A tepid vote for Great Couturier in the Man O'War. He got good last year, and you can certainly excuse his BC Turf. He closed very well for third in his first race since then, getting the last quarter in 22 2/5, and could improve second off the layoff and getting an extra furlong. Curlin is 3-5 morning line, and NYRA is letting people in for free, so they can save $2 before they u redrop thousands betting on the favorite!

Colonel John (8-5) really has to prove himself in the Swaps I believe. Besides the fact that he's Colonel John, and was 9-2 in the Derby, I don't see why he should be rated higher than Two Step Salsa (2-1), who is plain faster based on the Beyers. By the way, four horses have come out of the Derby to win its next race. The first person who can correctly identify them without looking at Formulator will win......well, nothing, but I'll mention your name and send you a CD I don't like if you reimburse me for the postage and the gas to get to the post office.

And I like Atoned in the Long Branch at Monmouth. Nice second to Cool Coal Man in his return. I know he's had a penchant for close losses, but, as little as I think of Cool Coal Man, I think he's better than either Z Humor or the overrated Hey Byrn (setting myself up for abuse here).

That's it, good luck.

Saturday Morning Notes - July 12

- The Head Chef accompanied me to Belmont for just the last few races of the day on an absolutely perfect late Friday afternoon/early evening. A crowd of over 6,000 was on hand, and I'd guess that could be a record for the sunset racing cards.

Bob was there en route to Colonial Downs to see Rap Tale race in the stakes today. He had a late flight to Richmond, so what better way to kill some time. We went to the paddock before the 9th race, though Bob was improperly attired and appropriately banned. But I got to meet trainer Bruce Brown, who was saddling Slug, the favorite, who got slammed from 8-5 to 6-5 in the last minute. The owners, presumably the ones that came up with the sluggish moniker, were not there. So we were all set to pose as the owners in the winners circle after the race. Unfortunately, the horse finished 7th, leading to what seemed to this non-pick six expert to be a rather bizarre carryover. The odds on the winners in the sequence were 5-2, 8-5, 3-1, 6-1, 3-1 and 8-1. Nobody had that?

After the race, we went to Bruce Brown's barn, where we saw Rap Tale depart on her van ride to Colonial Downs. I'd written that she was leaving Thursday, but in fact she did not take off until around 8 PM last night. So she'll almost literally go straight from the van into the starting gate. Rap Tale is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. She's a big, long filly, whereas I'm told that many Tale of the Cats are more diminutive. She stands and walks the same way as she runs, with her long neck extended almost parallel to the ground. She's also a sweetie-pie; Bob told us how he gives her playful headlocks in her stall. Wonder if he gives her noogies as well.

The van passed right by us on its way out, and I wish I had a camera with me, as she looked quite pleased, sticking her head out like a dog in a car. You gotta figure that she sensed that something was up, as it's certainly not the routine to go out for an evening joyride. But she seemed not the least bit perturbed.

Nick Santagata will ride. If I was looking at this race as an outside impartial observer, I can't say that I'd come up with this filly. She's two races removed from running for 25K, and she ran 5th in her only grass try. So I can't say that I'm being objective in this case, but I'll certainly be backing her today. And I'm hoping that it will be on TVG so that I can actually watch.

- The second race was what I believe to be the first two-year old turf race of the season here. All first time starters, but around $800,000 was wagered on the race nonetheless. Horseplayers are a funny lot. So many races with so much information available, but yet we just can't resist.

Having said that, as is the case in many of these types of races, the result was a chalky one, with second choice Bittel Road besting even money Cairiene to produce an exacta payoff of $11.20. The winner was the 9th of the meet (from 57 starters) for Pletcher. Bittel Road is a $340K son of Stormy Atlantic, out of Sultry Sal, a full sister to stakes winning Top Notch Lady.

Another winner for Christophe Clement, who took the feature with Five Towns (and missed the third race by a neck with City Roar). This barn is winning at nearly 25% now, with 16 winners in 67 starts. Interesting to see Kenneth Ramsey claim the 5 yo gelding Metro Meteor for the optional 50K claiming tag.

Since I wrote on July 2 that trainer George Weaver is one to keep an eye on as the summer progresses, he was second by a half length with 10-1 My Man Lars on July 4, and he won with Solvent at 9-1 on Thursday. Weaver is getting a jump on Saratoga I guess. Today, he saddles Thou Swell, 15-1 morning line in the 8th. This $250K son of Aptitude ran a nice even 5th in his debut, on the grass, at Gulfstream in April, and now cuts back in distance after fading badly here at a mile and a quarter. That Gulfstream race was a good one which produced two winners, as well as Solitaire, third in the Queen's Plate after missing in the Trial by a neck. And the Belmont race is a bit of a key race itself, having produced two winners and three seconds. Calvin Borel, in town to ride Grand Couturier in the Man O'War, picks up the ride.

Sorry I didn't have time this week to get into some of the ample stakes races on tap today.....but best of luck and have a great day.

Quickie

- Some big races coming up this weekend on a professional and personal level, with Rap Tale slated to go at Colonial tomorrow. And I'll see none of them. I have functions to attend on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, ugh. If I'm lucky, I'll make it out to a few twilight races today, and that's only if I STOP WRITING THIS POST NOW and get back to work. So please don't expect much activity at this particular site for the next couple of days.

I've downgraded my 'WOO-HOO' over the prospect of betting against Curlin in the Man O'War to an simple and deemphasized 'woo.' Not that I've wavered one bit from my belief that betting against accomplished dirt horses on the grass is one of the best wagering opportunities one can find. But I find it hard to get excited about any of the particular participants in the race, based on their recent form. There are two BC Turf winners in the race, but neither are in top form, and it seems as if the malaise in the Grade 1 dirt handicap division has carried over to the grass, at least for this race. So I'll likely pass (like I have a choice anyway since I won't be able to watch).

Also of local interest is the eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace, which attracted 26 three-year olds to compete in three heats. Somebeachsomewhere will start from the five post in his heat, and driver Paul MacDonell sounded a bit like a certain thoroughbred trainer when he said: "I would be surprised if he got beat anytime soon." His main competition could come from Badlands Nitro, who won the Rooney Pace at the Yonk last weekend. Tonight at the Big M, the trotter Deweycheatumnhowe goes in the Stanley Dancer Memorial final on his way to the Hambletonian. OK, gotta go..

Belmont Notes - July 10

- That was a determined win by Buffalo Man in the Inside the Beltway Stakes at Belmont on Wednesday, rallying against the pace grain to get up in the final stride. He loomed midstretch, but didn't look like a winner until the very end of the spirited six furlong affair. One thing about these turf sprints, particularly with the better horses as in this race - they start out fast and they finish even faster. Racing the way it oughta be. They may be a bitch to handicap, but you gotta love the races. Buffalo Man ran each quarter faster than the prior one - 23.51, 22.60, and a final quarter of 21.95 (last eighth in 10.77): this all according to Formulator. I don't know if you ever see that in a dirt race.

Tough to come up with this one however I think, considering the way he really floundered in his last two turf tries, both in graded stakes. He did get bet though; 10-1 morning line before a couple of scratches, he paid $11.

Buffalo Man is a four-year old son of El Prado, standing for Frank Stronach at Adena, now for $75,000. The sire commanded as much as $125,000 in 2006. The pages from the Stallion Register that I often link sires to here is full of great information if you dig around. The Thoroughbred Times' stallion directory as fine as well; and, in fact, the healthy competition between the two has led to free features such as hypomating and nick reports. If you scroll down the Stallion Register to, in this case, El Prado's Current Top Performers, and click on Buffalo Man, you get a recap of the Appleton Handicap, which he won in January - these are the summaries that appear for all graded stakes winners in the stakes winners section at the back of the print editions of Bloodhorse.

Here, you'll often find interesting background information on the horse and its owners, as well as on its dam. I find the info on the latter to be particularly interesting, as you'll often read about specific examples of the ups and downs of the business of buying, breeding, and selling broodmares. In this case, we learn that Buffalo Man's dam, Perfect Six, a stakes winning daughter of Saratoga Six (Alydar), was purchased by Stronach for $450,000 at Keeneland November in 2000. A little further research shows that Frank sold the Forestry colt she was carrying at the time for $6,500; an inauspicious start. But in subsequent years, he sold a Running Stag filly for 37K, a Touch Gold filly (the stakes placed Ada's Dream) for 75K, Buffalo Man for 190K, an Awesome Again filly for 75K, and an Olmodavor colt for 125K. In 2007, after Perfect Six produced a Ghostzapper filly, Stronach sold the mare, in foal to El Prado, for 260K at the same Keeneland sale. So he lost 190K on the purchase and sale of the mare; but collected around 500K on the sale of her foals, which were produced by matings with his own stallions; so he didn't have to pay stud fees. So, while certainly not producing any home runs, the dam developed into a decently reliable money maker over the years, and I wouldn't mind having a few of those. Stronach does know how to make money in this business in one way, at least.

Off to Virginia

- Rap Tale is set to ship off to Colonial Downs tomorrow night for Saturday's Brookmeade Stakes, at a mile for Virginia-breds. Trainer Bruce Brown believes in shipping them either right before a race, so that the horse doesn't quite have a chance to fully grasp the fact that all is not as it usually is; or a week or two beforehand in advance in order to fully adapt.

She's listed at 10-1; but as I've said, there ain't much in here. Pletcher has the morning line favorite in Perfect Forest (5-2, and owned by Edward Evans, from whom Rap Tale was claimed). She's the obvious and clearcut class given her third place finish in the G3 Comely. However, she's never been on grass, and draws poorly, in post 11, for the first time in her career. Horacio Karamanos rides; he's winning at a rate of 35% at Colonial!

Debbie Sue is next at 3-1, off an allowance over the track with a field-best grass Beyer of 86. However, it's her second off a layoff with just 13 days rest; and she shows a distinct pattern of following good races with not-so-good ones. I'm wondering if she'll even run. Top Time (6-1) has been very consistent versus cheaper (not sure if that's quite the right word in this case), and also starts from an outside post. Rap Tale and two others follow at 10-1.

I think I've been pretty objective when it comes to horses in which I have an interest; too much for my own good in some cases, as with Highland Cat. Contrary to what at least one person commented, I did not tout Rap Tale here before her last race, her first on grass; but said merely that I was cautiously optimistic. But I have to admit that we're all pretty pumped about this race. She had a lot of stretch trouble in her last that was not reported in the charts and finished up very well once clear. Here, she draws an excellent post (4), and has good tactical speed in a field which doesn't have much at all. She hails from an up and coming trainer doing extremely well on the big stage, and the reports on her condition continue to be most upbeat. This time, I'm not being objective at all when I say that I think she has a shot. But I do think she has a shot.

- Just Zip It hasn't raced since her third in open company on June 4, and is being pointed to a state-bred stakes at six furlongs on August 18 at Saratoga. She's really been picking up the pace in her morning workouts; her last work, on July 3, was a half mile in 48.46 (4/27).

She hasn't raced simply because there hasn't been a spot for her. Strange, you'd think there would be an open company entry level allowance for fillies and mares at six furlongs sometime, somewhere in the condition book. But all there's been this month at Belmont is a seven furlong race, and a NW2X at six that's going tomorrow. Bill Turner considered the latter but decided to pass.

- Who’s gonna run in the Travers? Not Denis of Cork, for one.

Belmont Notes

- In the first, Beyond the Trees (5-2) seems like a worthy morning line favorite for trainer Stanley Hough, who has eight winners from 44 starters. Here's a hot barn - 3-2-1 from its last eight runners, with each of the two seconds being by the narrowest of margins. Four-year old gelded son of Smoke Glacken seems poised to move forward stretching out and facing winners for the first time. He graduated at six furlongs with a sharp front-running effort; and all three of the horses who have run back from that race have run second. Extra distance should pose no problem, as he was second at nine furlongs at Gulfstream in April. Thunder Alley (9-2) ships in and drops in class for Wesley Ward; same pattern as his three winners (from eight starters) this meeting. Dirty Water Dog (6-1) goes for Barclay Tagg, and the percentages have caught up to this barn of late. After a streak of four winners in five starts, Tagg has gone 0-for-10. Worse yet, no less than half of those have been under 2-1; beware.

Better races on the card to be sure, but hey, I didn't get to them, sorry. The 7th is a neat turf sprint stakes with an excellent lineup, check it out.

As long as I mentioned Stanley Hough, here's that mention of Discreet Treasure, the half-brother to Discreet Cat who won his debut by 12 for the trainer on Saturday. If he were a two-year old, I'm sure that the phone would be ringing off the hook. Maybe it has been anyway; he sure would make a nice companion trophy for the Sheikh, who I'm sure has always dreamed of winning the Cigar Mile two out of three years with horses from the same broodmare. Of course, Discreet Cat fizzled out at age four like one of those McCain speeches when he gives that little smirky laugh - heh heh heh; and his non-effort in the World Cup against Invasor ranks up there with Big Brown's Belmont as one of the big disappointments of this racing century thus far. Still, he is happily standing at Darley for $30,000.

[Free pick today from DiscreetPicks.com.]