Open and Shut Case

- Nice job by John over at The Race Is Not Always To The Swift, who deftly shows how in years where the Triple Crown is split three ways, the [three-year old] championship gets more subjective. (But c'mon man, did you have to show that map?)

John opines that therefore, the vote will be close between Barbaro and Bernardini. My take is that if you're voting strictly on performance and not trying to make a political statement about premature retirements, Bernardini gets the award hands down. It's not even close - that's my opinion. Bernardini made an absolute mockery of the competition in the Preakness and in New York and affirmed that form with a tremendous performance against the best older horses in training in the Classic. It's an open and shut case. To this observer, anyway.

Dems in Demand

- Former NY Governor Hugh Carey, a Democrat, has joined the board of Empire Racing, and the NY Times' Empire Zone blog notes that the organization continues to roll up Spitzer-friendly allies in its bid to take over New York’s thoroughbred racing franchise.

Lately, Empire has brought aboard some Democratic stalwarts, including Stephen L. Green, the real estate developer who is a big Spitzer donor and the brother of Mark Green, the former attorney general candidate, as well as Denise E. O’Donnell, a former prosecutor and attorney general candidate from the Buffalo area who is on Mr. Spitzer’s transition team.

(Hat tip to Albany Law School Racing and Wagering Page.)

Notes - Nov 18

- It took Todd Pletcher 31 tries to get his first winner of the Churchill meeting. But since then, he's now he's won four out of his last five, having taken the late double on Friday. He took the 8th with Terrific Storm (Storm Cat), who has been mostly disappointing since winning three in a row last winter. And he took the 10th with Maizelle, graduating at 2-5 in her third start - she was beaten at the same odds in her last race.

Pletcher is 0 for 1 at Hollywood thus far, having been beaten with even money favorite Forest Code in the 7th race on Thursday.

- The Jockeys Guild has sued its former attorney and amateur comedian Lloyd Ownbey.

"The errors and omissions of Ownbey and the others were all actions that fell below the standard of care for licensed attorneys in California, and constitute professional negligence," said Michael Grobaty, whose Newport Beach law firm filed the suit on behalf of the Jockey's Guild. [Bloodhorse]

But what about Dr. Wayne Gertmenian? Whatever happened to the police investigation of his writing outsized checks to himself and to Albert Fiss on the day that they were removed? The Guild's former treasurer Eddie King, in explaining the reasons why he has spurned the organization's overtures to return, said, "Here's a man who lied to them and stole from them and they are just going to let him go. That doesn't set well with me."

Here's a story from last March in the Bloodhorse saying that the Guild did indeed file a federal lawsuit against Dr. G. However, I've seen nothing about any such case since then.

- It seems as if absence truly makes the heart grow fonder in the world of horse racing. The Journal News of Westchester reports that the excitement could be felt almost anywhere as Yonkers Raceway reopened after a 17 month absence. Nine races were run for $53,000 in total purses, but that amount is slated to double next week, and again once more slot machines are added.

And the Fair Grounds will reopen on Thursday after being closed last year due to Katrina. The AP reports that when 1200 spots for dining reservations for opening day became available, “We sold out in 35 minutes,” said Fair Grounds president Randall Soth. Horsemen are excited too; 3400 applications were received for 1800 stalls.

Unlike at Yonkers, at the Fair Grounds it's the racino which is being delayed - it will not be ready until next year. However, brisk business at New Orleans' off-track wagering sites will allow the track to offer $350,000 in average daily purses, up from $275,000 for the last meet held.

More Brothers

- The inner track was fast at the Big A today and should remain that way the rest of the weekend. Another winner for Anthony Dutrow, who is having an amazing meeting thus far. Unstoppable Me (Yonaguska) was a first-timer in a two-year old maiden claimer tor a $75,000 tag. She was the 3-1 morning line favorite, but went off as the 9-2 third choice; nonetheless, she wired the field. Dutrow now has four winners with his last six starters here, and three of them have paid 4-1 or more; and he also had two winners out of town on Monday. His record at the meeting is 15-5-3-3

Anthony's brother Richard claimed a first-timer out of the race for $75,000 from Linda Rice. Dressed To Win is a daugther of Exchange Rate who was purchased for $60,000 at Ocala in March. She went off at 9-1 and ran 9th, beaten more than 10 lengths. But the trainer obviously saw something he likes, probably in the morning - the filly has been working steadily since Saratoga. It might be interesting to see what he does with her.

Friday Morning Notes - Nov 17

- If public comments from the NY politicians who will ultimately decide on the racing franchise are any indication, NYRA's chances are not very good. Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer has made his feelings about the association quite clear; and now Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno told the Troy Record:

"Personally, I believe a for-profit has the greatest chance of succeeding in providing the best racing, to provide the destination center for people and families," he said. "It is an extremely competitive world, and they compete against everything that takes place in the universe to bring people in."

- Business at Yonkers' racino has been so robust that $1.5 million is already in the purse account as racing commences tonight. With the Meadowlands also getting underway, and racing ongoing at Freehold (NJ), Monticello (NY), and Chester Downs (PA), there may not be enough horses to go around.

When tracks were dropping like flies during the '80s and '90s, breeding and ownership decreased significantly, but now with new tracks opening in the VLT era, there simply will not be enough horses to go around. "There are much fewer horses now than there were in the past and it's just going to be exacerbated by fewer horses and more race tracks," [Meadowlands VP Dennis] Dowd said. "The numbers just don't work." [NY Daily News]

Seems like a good time to get into the standardbred business.

Mohegan Sun officials reported that some 16,000 people came through the turnstiles on Tuesday, opening day of the racino at Pocono Downs, and in two days of operation, gamblers wagered more than $12 million and lost $1.26 million.

State officials, with their 55 percent tax on slots revenue, pocketed nearly $693,000 to use for property tax relief, aid to municipalities and help for the state's horse racing industry. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

12% of the state's share goes towards racing.

- Deep Impact has been disqualified from his third place finish in the Arc for a banned medication.

With the disqualification, fourth-place finisher Hurricane Run (Ire) has been awarded third place, which carried $289,888 from the Arc's total purse of $2,536,200. [Thoroughbred Times]

Deep Impact will make what will likely be his final start when he meets Ouija Board and Heart's Cry in the Japan Cup on Nov 26. Wow.

- Bernardini will likely win the Eclipse for the top three-year old despite a growing sentiment in favor of Barbaro. But if he does, it will be without the vote of the Star-Telegram's Gary West, who writes: Bernardini's premature retirement represents a perversion of values and yet another insult to the sport and its fans.

Many owners, of course, try to explain the premature retirement of their horses by citing the insurance costs of racing or the irresistible profits of breeding. Some say their horse "has nothing left to prove," which has the unmistakably hollow ring of nonsense, and the more creative tend to discover some compromising ailment, which always arouses suspicion.

But rationalizations soon appear silly when dressed up to look like explanations. And the true reason for most premature retirements remains greed, specifically the subordination of the sport, its fans and even the horse to profit.

But can profit be the motive here? Or could it be that the most prominent horse owner in the world is simply more focused on breeding than racing?

Neither attitude deserves encouragement. And so the flimflam artist doesn't deserve my vote. [Dallas-Ft Worth Star Telegram]

Late Night

Aberdeen City
God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me

Brotherly Love

- Those wacky brothers Maktoums were at it again on Thursday, and c'mon, go ahead and admit that you're just riveted by their rivalry, right? It's as fascinating as watching George and Jeb Bush playing ring around the oil well. The stakes were far lower, a three and up maiden race at Aqueduct rather than the Breeders Cup Classic. But perhaps it was a small measure of revenge - very small - when Darley's three-year old Pulpiteer, trained by Tom Albertrani, defeated Kiran McLaughlin and Shadwell's Abraaj in the 4th at the Big A.

It was the 8th lifetime start for a son of Pulpit for which Darley paid $900,000 as a yearling in 2004. This win gives him lifetime earnings of around $70,000. Thus far, I guess this one goes in the foolish category. Pulpiteer is out of a half-sister to the late Hollywood Futurity winner Siphonic.

- Rob must be excited. Wait no more, NYRA has moved this weekend's racing to the inner track, and there is one person - she knows who she is - who knows that I predicted last weekend that we'd be seeing the inner track before its scheduled Nov 29 opening. Imagine, something at the Big A opening ahead of schedule. With the main track needing repairs that NYRA can't afford, tonight's heavy rain and the prospect of a sloppy racetrack has prompted them to move Friday through Sunday's action to the IT. They hope to have the main track in good condition for next Saturday's Cigar Mile and supporting stakes.

Checkbook Horsemen Strike Again

- One of the points that Beyer made in his checkbook horsemanship column (which, to the Form's credit, is still posted on their website) was that real sportsman, however wealthy, breed their own or buy young horses at sales, and then seek to affirm their judgment by testing those horses against other people's best. The Maktoums, in addition to their own stock, go out and make hard-to-resist offers for other owners' horses that have made an impression on the track.

Now comes word that the buyer of Zada Belle, a two-year filly who made a dazzling winning debut on October 13 at Santa Anita for trainer Adam Kitchington, earning a Beyer of 98, is none other than Darley. They may think that the man practices trash journalism, but they're happy to use his speed figures.

Kitchington was understandably excited after Zada Belle won by 9 in 1:03.04 for 5 1/2 furlongs. As she came past the eighth pole, Trevor Denman noted that "she has not taken a deep breath yet...Zada Belle looks like she could go around again; she's absolutely cantering!" Kitchington jokingly remarked, “That’s what happens when you run a 3-year-old against 2-year-olds.” [Daily Racing Form] He named the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet as the filly's goal. You can watch the race at Cal Racing.

But less than a week later, Kitchington was confirming the horse's sale. On Wednesday, the Form confirmed that the buyer was Darley.

William Peeples had purchased the Zada (Zay-da, according to Denman) Belle for $95,000, so you gotta figure he did pretty well on the sale. Kitchington said "we have mixed feelings," so perhaps the owner cut him in for a slice, otherwise I don't really know what the good part would be.

"I've only got 15 in my barn. She could be any kind of filly. Who knows what kind of publicity I could have gotten and how my barn could have grown." [DRF]

You gotta feel bad for the guy. It's getting to the point where a trainer like Kitchington won't even want to run a horse he/she thinks is special.

Zada Belle is by Indian Charlie out of a mare by Carson City. Not much to see on the catalog page until you get to her 4th dam, So Proudly. There you see that this is the distaff family of Optimistic Gal, the great Bertram Firestone filly who won 13 of 21 for trainer Leroy Jolley, winning six Grade 1's including the Alabama and the Kentucky Oaks. (That's right; the Alabama goes first!) But all in all, she's pretty modestly bred, and Indian Charlie isn't from the most fashionable sire line. I can't imagine she'll be worth too much as a broodmare unless she's a monster on the track.

Notes - Nov 16

- NYRA's Bill Nader told Newsday of the Aqueduct casino:

"Once we do get approval, the revenue going to New York State from these machines will be the same revenue as all the Atlantic City gambling combined provides the state of New Jersey."

- Yonkers Raceway opens on Friday, but on next Saturday, Nov 25, the track will show off just how lucrative the racing there promises to be. The Yonkers Trot will return to Old Hilltop after being run at Freehold and Hawthorne for the last two years, and will sport a record purse of $728,000! And that folks, is more than the purses of the Cigar Mile, the Remsen, and the Demoiselle, to be run earlier in the day at the Big A, combined. You can look that up here (NYRA's stakes page restored).

On the same night, they'll also have the $546,830 Messenger Stakes (the first leg of the pacing Triple Crown, and a former fixture at Roosevelt), the $291,456 Lady Maud Pace and the $330,476 final of the Hudson Filly Trot. Harness racing is back in the NYC area, and in a big way; though I'll again take this opportunity to lament the fact that, despite all the money spent on renovations, and the 16 month break in racing, they did not endeavor to expand the track from its present half-mile oval. If they really gave half a hoot about conducting top-class racing and truly competing with the Meadowlands, they would have done just that.

The Yonkers Trot is the third leg of the Triple Crown for 3-year old trotters, and Hambletonian winner Glidemaster is going for the sweep in his final race before retiring to stud in Pennsylvania. It's not just us thoroughbred fans that see our stars retired even before they reach their prime.

Wednesday Night Notes - Nov 15

- Brother Derek may try the turf, but to me, what he could really use is just to be spotted in some more suitable spots. He seemed to be on the way back, following up his disappointing return in the El Cajon (at 2-5, perhaps the most overbet horse of the year), with an excellent second to Lava Man in the Goodwood. He seemed poised to break through in his third start in the cycle, but they couldn't resist the Breeders Cup Classic, despite the presence of Bernardini and a distance that's probably a bit too far.

He ran his eyeballs out as far as he could go, and picked up the 5th place share of $125,000. Being a Cal-bred, the Sunshine Millions would seem to be a better objective than a meeting with Showing Up in the Hollywood Derby on a surface for which he shows no clear genetic preference. So I don't really understand this. Besides, if they think he'll like the grass, why not try him on the Cushion Track?

Though the rave reviews continue to pour in on Hollywood's synthetic surface, all is not well with the Polytrack at Woodbine, where the kickback has increased as the temperature has dropped. Remember that kickback at Turfway last year? Woodbine's track superintendent told the Form that "There's a little more kickback here than what they had....It might be something that we're going to have to live through.."

Well, we can live through it, but how about the people and horse breathing whatever it is that's in that dust. Jen Morrison, at her Thorough-blog, has followed the story in Canada, and she reports:

There has been some evidence (according to trainers who were asked) that the surface is landing in horses' nostrils but whether it is ingested, is a question. Although, watching the kickback, it's hard to imagine that it's not.

I don't see any obvious benefit of breathing in little waxy particles, but it could be years before we know of any adverse long-term effect.

- Cavallo Pazzo (Mt. Livermore) won Wednesday's feature at the Big A. Trainer Anthony Dutrow, who is now 14-4-3-3 at this meeting, was ready when previous trainer Mike Miceli dropped this three-year old in for a $75,000 maiden tag in his third lifetime start. Since then, he's won three in a row, and improved his Beyers by nearly 30 points in the first two of those, both at Delaware. This time, returning to NY, he somehow went off as the 5-2 second choice, and won by three in a crisp 1:16.45 for 6 1/2 furlongs. Kiaran McLaughlin's Tuffertiger was a never-ever-threatening 4th at 4-5, ugh.

And if you have a few minutes to go over to Cal Racing, the three horse photo in the 9th, won by Keuka Maid, is worth a look.

The Dark Side of the Boom

- Pete from Gowanus, who probably has more hair growing out of his ears than I could ever hope to have on my head at this point, alerts us to a segment coming up on this Friday's 20/20 on ABC that's entitled "The Dark Side of Dubai." We get a preview on ABC.com's The Blotter blog:

Dubai's building boom has been made possible by some 500,000 migrant construction workers, most from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Many work 12 hours a day, six days a week, in extremely hot temperatures that have led to illness and, in some cases, death. The workers live in crowded camps, with eight or more men sharing one small room.

In the Human Rights Watch report, called "Building Towers, Cheating Workers," researchers say that the average migrant worker receives a salary of about $175 a month. There is no minimum wage in Dubai, and some workers make as little as $8 a day.
.....
Just last week -- only days before Human Rights Watch report was released but a decade after the building boom began -- Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, ordered stricter enforcement of the country's labor laws.

There's a lot more in the article, which you can read in its entirety here.

Now here's a wild guess: Ray Paulick will not be dispatching Steve Haskin to Dubai to do an investigative piece on this story. You think? I'd also guess that the ratings in the Lexington area will be poor. It will not be the first time that a TV network has done a disturbing report on the United Arab Emirates. Last year, HBO's Real Sports checked in with their expose of the abuse of child camel jockeys in the UAE. I've never read anything that directly connects the Ruling Family of Dubai to that nasty bit, as it was alleged in the lawsuit filed in Florida against them. But the U.S. State Department, in its 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report, noted that it was only in July, 2005 that the use of camel jockeys under 18 was banned in the UAE. The report goes on to suggest:

The U.A.E. should significantly increase prosecutions of all forms of trafficking, recognize forced labor as a form of trafficking even if the victim came to the U.A.E. willingly, and actively investigate trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation.

Yet these reports have gained about as much traction in the industry media as does Funny Cide on a sloppy racetrack. The events that have transpired since Andy Beyer's column came out makes it quite easy to understand why.

- Yonkers Raceway is finally set to open on Friday. Having added 500 more machines last weekend, the casino established new records for last week, having netted $4.2 million, $2.3 million of that slated for education.

Purses, which stood at $45,000 a night when the track closed last year, will increase to an average of $100,000 a night next week, said Joseph Faraldo, president of the Standardbred Owners Association, the group representing horse owners, drivers and trainers. [Journal News]

24/7 Slots

- I didn't realize that the casino at Pocono Downs, and therefore I suppose the rest of those which will open in Pennsylvania, are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CEO Robert Soper said, "Hopefully, we'll never close again." That's sick! It reminds me of a story I once read about a Denny's Restaurant that intended to finally close one year on Christmas day, but they couldn't find the keys to lock the place up. And another thing - only one-third of the machines at Pocono are in a non-smoking area. Oh man, can you imagine this place on a Tuesday morning at 5:30 A.M. in the smoking section? And you think I'm hardcore because I like to go to Aqueduct at 4 PM in the dead of winter for simulcasting?

Elsewhere in the state, Magna's sale of the Meadows Racetrack has finally closed; the company received $175 million, with another $25 million due once a permanent racino opens. The closing allows Magna to fully repay $112 million to MI Developments, the real estate spinoff from Magna International (the automobile parts company), that owns a controlling share in Magna Entertainment Corp (the racetrack company).

If this all sounds like a cozy family affair, it seems that's not exactly the case. Magna (the racetrack company, heretofore to be referred to as MEC) faced some severe financial penalites from MI Developments (MID) if the sale had been delayed any further. ...As a result of MEC failing to meet certain deadlines specified in the MEC Bridge Loan...the interest rate for all amounts under the MEC Bridge Loan was increased by 2.5% per annum effective November 7, 2006. [CNW Telbec]. Whatsmore, MEC would have been assessed a $500,000 penalty had the closing gone beyond Nov 17. This is what MID's CEO John Simonetti has to say about MEC:

"Once The Meadows transaction closes, non-core asset sales will have enabled MEC to retire over $250.0 million of debt...However, MEC still has significant work to do in order to bring its debt and interest expense down to acceptable levels. Given our significant equity investment in MEC, we continue to evaluate whether, and to what extent, MID should participate in MEC's ongoing recapitalization efforts. And in this respect, I believe that no alternative should be ruled out."

Not exactly a vote of confidence, and anything but a guarantee of future funding. MID is also financing Gulfstream's slots facility, at interest of 10.5%! I wonder how MID treats companies that they're not associated with! It seems to me that MEC is little more than a company that's completely beholden to a real estate corporation which owns 96% of its voting rights. MID explains its investment in MEC thusly:

MID’s relationship with MEC provides the Real Estate Business with the opportunity to participate in the development or redevelopment of MEC’s lands and properties, including those used in its core racing and alternative gaming operations.

Oh yeah, I'm sure horse racing is a huge priority in the boardroom at MID, y'think? Nice to know that MEC, and thus MID, will be a partner in New York racing should Empire Racing get the franchise. I wonder if NYTHA President Richard Bromze was aware of all of this when he accused NYRA of conducting a "fire sale" of NY racing assets.

While the money starts to flow at Pocono, a battle with more significant implications is taking place in Philadelphia, where five companies are battling over the right to build two stand-alone parlors there. Philly will be the largest city in the country with casinos once they're built.

Back to Magna (the racetrack company); on Wednesday, Gulfstream will become the first in Broward County, Florida to open its slots parlor in a soft opening; promotion efforts will commence the day after a gala opening on Thursday. They'll have only around 500 machines to start, and the tracks there are all limited to 1,500 by law. That gives you an idea of just how massive the racino at Yonkers will be when it has its full complement of 7,500 slot machines!

That's Entertainment?

- "That's entertainment." So said one of the early customers at opening day of the racino at Pennsylvania's Pocono Downs as he pissed away 20 bucks in a Double Powerball machine. If that's entertainment, I guess racing must be considered to be hard work. And who wants to spend hours poring over a Racing Form, when they can get all of their action with a push of the button?

The crowd awaiting the opening was described as being in the hundreds, rather than the thousands; but racino officials were described as being ready to turn people away. With the harness meet over, the total capacity of the facility was said to be around 5,000. With only 1,100 machines on hand thus far, the competition figures to be stiff. The township commissioner, noting that there's only one left-turn lane for northbound traffic on the main route to the facility, said “I’m not sure that’s enough."

But apparently, mere ownership of a racino does not guarantee big profits, at least to Empire Gaming, the owner/operator of upstate NY's Monticello Raceway (no relation to Empire Racing Associates). They merely broke even, according to their third quarter earnings release. But no worry, Empire has bigger things on their plate, namely a full-blown Indian casino adjacent to the raceway for which they are awaiting favorable results of an environmental study. Unlike a racino, this casino would not require horse racing to be conducted, and horsemen at the Mighty M, as it was referred to during its heyday in the 70's when yours truly made many a Sunday afternoon trip there, are understandably concerned.

"If casino gambling comes here, it's going to be the end of racing in Monticello," says Alan Schwartz, a member of the Harness Horsemen's Association board. "Everyone has their homes here. Their kids are in the schools. We're a part of the community."

Management at the track says the casino will only change things for the better, and harness racing will go on.

"It's exactly the right prescription for the harness-racing industry," says Charles Degliomini, vice president of Empire Resorts, which owns the raceway and the video-gaming-machine racino there. "You couldn't ask for a better formula than bringing 6 million people into close proximity to the industry." [Record Online]

Of course, only time will tell what the company's intentions are, but it's worth considering this: Revenue from racing and simulcasting thus far this year are around $4.3 million, while racino revenue stands at $23.2 million, with 1500 machines. The proposed casino would encompass some 29 acres, and is expected initially to attract 6 million visitors a year to its 3,500 slot machines and 125 table games. You tell me what kind of priority the little harness track will be if and when the casino is built.

- A fan who attended the Breeders Cup wrote to the Courier-Journal: "Concession lines were impossible (thought I was in N.Y.), so I didn't eat all day." I suppose he hasn't been to a New York track lately, where the only lines I've seen of late are the ones for the parking lot buses at Aqueduct, where the only remaining parking areas are on the side of the track whose entrance has been shuttered. We reported recently on the unfortunate vendors at the Big A's flea market who are being shut out on weekends leading up to Xmas due to NYRA's contention that they need the space for track patrons. If any of them took a peek on Saturday, they would not have been at all happy. With only around 4,500 patrons on hand on a perfect autumn day, the vast majority of the space where the flea markets are held were totally devoid of cars.

Interview Stream

- So yeah, my voice is out there on the web, and you know how it is listening to a recording of yourself. Mike from Curb Your Enthusiasm and myself were interviewed yesterday by host Derek Simon, and you can find the audio on his web page on 360 the Pitch. We were told that the subject would be the missing Steve Haskin article, but the questions went beyond that, so if I sounded unprepared, I was. I was also still in a pleasant state of shock from the Jets' inspirational 17-14 win in New England. So actually, only listen to Mike. Derek also has contributions on the Thoroughbred Connection site.

Notes - Nov 13

- Bobby Frankel took the Sunday stakes at Hollywood, the grassy Audrey Skirball-Kenis Stakes, with Citronnade, a three-year old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid who he imported from Canada earlier in the year. He'd had a couple of good dirt efforts, but has now won two stakes, one of the restricted variety, in three starts on the grass.

Citronnade is by Lemon Drop Kid, whose offspring continue to take to the grass. He was the Champion Older Horse in 2000. He won the Whitney, Woodward, Suburban, and Brooklyn that year, but when he ventured outside of New York for the Breeders Cup Classic, he finished 5th at 6-1 (though ahead of the 6-5 favorite Fusaichi Pegasus). But he got the conso Eclipse, partly because the first four finishers were three-year olds (as was the 6-5 favorite). I suppose that Bernardini will similarly take the Eclipse for three-year olds.

Lemon Drop Kid went to stud the next year at $50,000, where it stayed until his first crop hit the track in 2004, after which it dropped to $20,000, where it will remain next year. He had only four stakes winners coming into 2006, his third crop year. But he has eight stakes winners this year, and six won on the grass. (On the other hand, his only graded winners were both on the dirt - Lemons Forever in the G1 Kentucky Oaks, and Malakoff in the G3 Marine.) He's a son of Kingmambo, who is by Mr. Prospector out of Miesque, which makes him a full-brother to Miesque's Son, the sire of Turf winner Miesque's Approval.

- I entered "hardest working man in showbiz" into Google, and I found the phrase applied to the likes of James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Roger Ebert, and Ryan Seacrest. Ryan Seacrest? I seem to remember years ago, Johnny Carson being mentioned for the honor for some reason, even though he seemed to be away on vacation half the time.

If there's a "hardest working man in handicapping," it has to be Dan Illman of the Daily Racing Form. Besides writing his Formblog on weekdays, he provides detailed analyses of every two-year old maiden special race at Saratoga and Keeneland in addition to the comprehensive stakes previews that he does on weekends throughout the year. He wrote trip reports on all of the major preps for the Breeders Cup. His appearances at Siro's during the Saratoga meeting showed that he handicapped the card exhaustively, utilizing stats from Formulator, observations from watching replays, pedigree analysis, and workout reports that include who the horses worked out on the same day as, or in company with.

If handicapping was a game in which the results improved in direct proportion to the amount of work done, Illman could probably quit his day job. Well, I don't want to presume anything; maybe he can, and the Form gig is just a labor of love. But it seems to me that one reaches a point of diminishing returns when it comes to poring over the races in such detail, and that the advantage shifts to those with enough cold cash and rebates to grind out small percentage profits.

Anyway, now they have Illman doing a Horse of the Day [DRF, sub. only]. Horse of the Day? You mean one single horse out of every one running that day? The way this guy does his job with such due diligence, they'll have him watching every single replay of every last-out of every horse running in every race in the country!

For Tuesday, he came up with some $15,000 maiden claimer in a $12,000 race at Remington Park, so I just had to check it out. It's a two-year old filly named Hand Me the Gold, and he writes:

HAND ME THE GOLD was competitive on both dirt and turf to begin her career, then was in over her head when facing 2/5 three-time winner Wrenice in restricted stakes at Retama. She had absolutely no chance that day after being bumped hard from both sides soon after the break, and then being checked out of the running.

She's 8-1 morning line, but in fact, with the class drop that she's taking (both of those competitive races Illman refers to were maiden specials), in addition to her receiving such a high honor, I'd be suprised if she's much above 8-5.

Final Thought

- Here's a final thought on the pulled Haskin article and the explanation posted here and elsewhere by Ray Paulick. When he wrote "Steve was not hired to write editorial commentaries on industry issues," I think on industry issues is the key phrase. Mr. Paulick continues that the Bloodhorse and its website "are not blogs or vehicles for personal commentaries appearing in articles meant to convey news and information." But to me, you can't write columns such as Haskin's Derby Trail or Countdown to the Cup columns without expressing your personal opinion on at least some things. Though he generally has refrained from commenting on industry issues (as he certainly will in the future), Haskin's columns are filled with his subjective judgment on subjects such as which horses are improving, which may or may not be better, or worse, than their last race looked on paper, or who's pedigrees make whom the best-suited for the race at hand.

And sometimes, in the course of making these evaluations, he'll write something like this, as he did after opening weekend at Keeneland:

Speaking of Polytrack, it looks as if you can throw form for the most part right out the window judging by some of the weird winners over the weekend.

One maybe could argue that this comment does concern an industry issue, that of how severely form on synthetic surfaces will differ from that on dirt. That's an important question that will impact, among other things, when, or if, we'll see Triple Crown and Breeders Cup races run on a synthetic surface. Haskin was expressing a personal opinion here based on limited data, and I called him out for it at the time.

I don't mean to suggest that Ray Paulick was being inconsistent; I agree that the Bernardini remark was clearly an editorial commentary on an industry issue. The Polytrack comment may or may not have indirectly touched on one. I'm just trying to make the point that fact and opinion are hard to separate in an industry in which the latter is the driving force behind almost every aspect of the game.

Notes - Nov 12

- Film Maker goes off to her rendezvous with Storm Cat having won over $2 million in purses, and a record of 27-8-8-7 - note that's 23 out of 27 races in the money. And her last 20 races were graded stakes. She won a Grade 1, the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Keeneland in 2003, defeating Sheikh Maktoum's French filly Maiden Tower by a nose. She was never quite able to get another Grade 1 in seven subsequent tries, finishing second three times, third twice, and 4th twice.

- Arbuckle Bandit is another former claimer turned stakes winner; and a cheap one at that. Saturday's Commonwealth Turf winner had been claimed early this year by trainer Michael Stidham out of a $20,000 non-winners of two lifetime race. After two improved tries against better on the dirt, he was switched to the grass. He has two allowance wins, two close thirds in Grade 3's, and now an non-graded stakes win in five grass tries. This is a $3500 yearling by Service Stripe, a son of Deputy Minister who stands for $5000 at Crestwood Farm in Kentucky. Since a service stripe is a decoration of the United States military which is presented to enlisted members of the U.S. Military to denote length of service [Wikipedia], I suppose that some hunch players could have had his son on Veterans Day. (Another of his progeny, Tally Up, ran third in the High Alexander Stakes at Hawthorne on the same day.)

Sunday Morning Notes - Nov 12

- A website has posted what appears to be a legit link to a story which reports that the Meadowlands and Monmouth are considering Michael Dickinson's Tapeta surface for their tracks. And apparently, synthetic surfaces are not just for thoroughbreds.

[Dickinson] displayed the surface's versatility by first training two Thoroughbreds over the track. Two hours later, after the surface had been rolled, [harness trainer Jim] Takter trained Standardbred horses over the same material. [Thoroughbred Times]

- I mentioned last week that the Mile winner Miesque's Approval is a half-brother to the stakes-winning Revved Up, and the latter, at the age of eight, a year older than his more prominent sibling, won the state-bred Bonnie Heath Turf Cup at Calder on Saturday. Perhaps someone from the Elias Sports Bureau can tell us when was the last time that seven and eight-year old siblings won stakes races in the same month. Revved Up also took the Grade 3 Sycamore last month at Keeneland, turning back Rush Bay, who ran quite creditably in the Turf.

- Tuesday is the day that the dreams of Pennsylvania horsemen start to become reality. The racino at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs is set to open that day at 10 A.M.

Gamblers are expected to pump more than $1 billion into the temporary facility’s 1,083 slot machines during its first year of operation. The casino’s projected take will be about $91 million – less than 10 percent – with the rest of the money paid out to winning slots players.

The tally will get even bigger when a permanent casino with 2,000 or more machines opens in 2008. [Times Leader]

But in this case, one man's dream is a Marylander's nightmare.

"Six years ago, we had 48 mares that people sent here to be bred to Maryland [thoroughbred] stallions," said Cynthia McGinnes, owner of Thornmar Chestertown on the Eastern Shore. "This year we had one. Do I need to say more?" [Baltimore Sun]

Maryland is losing one of its biggest slots proponents in defeated Republican Governor Michael Ehrlich. Gov-elect Martin O'Malley is said to favor a limited slots program to try and save the industry. On Friday, O'Malley said he hoped to have legislation passed in the first or second legislative session.

- Louisville's Courier-Journal placed a photo of the stricken Pine Island on the front page of their special Breeders Cup wrap-up section, and the paper's public editor Pam Platt reports that some readers objected, with one suggesting that "everybody who had any part of the decision to run that photo should be fired" Photo editor David Harrison responded:

"To fairly report any event, we cannot ignore unpleasant images. . . . Though disturbing, they are an important part to our reporting of (the Breeders' Cup). Racing is a beautiful sport. But like many things of beauty, there is a dangerous side. Some may not want to view these images and others may not want to acknowledge the potential for injury in a sport they love. My view is that editors must allow images to be seen and ignorance is only temporarily comfortable."

Looking for Thunder Out West

- With heavy rain expected here tomorrow, I took a peek at Sunday's races at Hollywood, and I see that Patrick Biancone is there to begin his annual winter campaign. Julien Leparoux will be in town to ride the two startes that Biancone has on the day. In the sixth, a maiden two-year old route race, he starts first-timer Got A Question, a Giant's Causeway half-brother to the G2 winner and router North East Bound. Biancone has been sharp with these juvenile debut runners of late; %if you look at his last 11 such starters, he has those two winners, along with three seconds and two thirds.

Biancone/Leparoux have Grande Melody (Grand Lodge), the morning line favorite in the feature on the day, the Audrey Skirball-Kenis Stakes at nine furlongs on the grass for three-year old fillies. She's a French import who made her U.S. debut a winning one at Keeneland on 10/11. Bet down to even money, she won off by 4 1/2.

But two things about that race. For one thing, it was a weak entry-level allowance field that she beat. And secondly, as in a couple of other cases I've noted lately, the trip comment in the Form gives a faulty impression. It reads Sluggish start,5w,drvg. The fact is that Leparoux saved all the ground on the turn for home, and swung out 5 wide in the stretch while rallying home for the win. If you were thinking from that comment that she was five wide on the turn, you'd be giving her more credit than she deserves; and a look at Trakus shows that she fared pretty well as far as distance traveled went.

So I'd look to try and beat Grande Melody if she's the favorite. La Mottie (King's Best/Kingmambo) is another Euro import, but she had better lines over there than Biancone's filly, and a decent ground-saving sixth in her U.S. debut, the Grade 1 Garden City at Saratoga, won by Magnificent Song. She comes from some grass family. Out of a mare by Lyphard, her third dam is the grass champion Trillion, her second a full to the multiple Group 1 winner Triptych. This is also the family of Australia's recent Caulfield Cup winner Tawqeet, and that should get reader Stalusk excited. La Mottie seems to me like a superior filly to Grande Melody, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if she is the favorite instead.

I should know better now than to bet against three-year olds from Europe, but my upset choice from the U.S. horses is 12-1 Ballado's Thunder. Here's a filly with just five starts who is clearly on the upswing for trainer Rafael Becerra. The barn is hot too, with two winners, and a second, third and 4th with its five starters at this meeting.

Ballado's Thunder changed tactics and rallied from well off the pace in her last, swinging three wide coming into the turn, and finishing up in 23.3. Her last two quarters were faster than the prior one; this is a filly with a nice late kick, and she could better her prior effort at this distance with rating tactics. Ballado's Thunder is by Saint Ballado, out of Instinct, a stakes winning Thunder Gulch mare who's a half-sister to the dam of the Grade 1 grass winner (Flower Bowl) Colstar.

Late Night

(with apoloties to atrios.)

Enjoy.



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