A Bloodhorse-y Mess

I've often praised Bloodhorse.com for the quality of their reporting, particularly their in depth stories on off-track and political issues; a prime example being the excellent job by Tom Precious covering the goings-on in Albany over the past few years. Whatsmore, in the past, the main page was always one of the first places I'd go for a quick one-stop, comprehensive peek at the current headlines. With a clean, concise look and the stories neatly grouped, just a brief glance was sufficient to bring me up to speed.

So, what the hell happened? Now, one has to first navigate down through a morass of self-promotion at the very top - is a 'featured video' on Jerry Lambert, Rider of Native Dancer Diver, the first thing one sees today, really a way to entice readers to explore further? And then you must pick your way through obstacles such as a long list of links to its various stallion lists, the Inside Track (snore), ads for its own stallion directories, the "Blog" Stable (quotation marks added with purpose, and, with all due respect, give me the TBA stable anyday), an ad for TOBA seminars, and photo galleries (are Curlin and Big Brown really relevant right now?) - all just to get to the stories. And even then, the type faces of the headlines are dull and somehow unappealing. Funny how the visual appearance of a website can make it seem worthwhile, or not, no matter what the quality of the content is behind it.

And I imagine that the content is still fine. But this website now drives me away rather than pulls me in. It's just a big mess in my opinion. Ray Paulick has gotta be laughing...and probably picking up some hits too. I know I've been heading to sites like his, and to the Form for my quickie news doses these days. Whoever they've been paying to fix their site has done a fine job causing mayhem on a site which didn't really need fixing at all.

Aqueduct Notes

Northern Buster ($7.40) won the first at Aqueduct on Wednesday, moving up off the claim for trainer Bernardo Callejas, who took him for $7500 from trainer Sal Iorio, Jr. The son of Northern Trend won by six, and was claimed back by Iorio for 10K. So, for owner PZ Racing Stable, a $12,000 winning share, plus the profit from the quick sale, and not a bad payday for a three week investment.

In the 3rd, Jenay Benay ($7) won first off the claim for trainer Scott Volk, who continues to impress here at the Big A. And first off the claim, this guy has won with nine of his last 14. Five of those times, including today, the horse was moving up at least 50% in claiming price; that out of seven in that category. He claimed this three-year old daughter of Smoke Glacken for 20K from Anthony Dutrow, who was dropping her in class off a win. I would have been suspicious of that (and she ran 4th at 8-5). But Volk took her, moved her up all the way to 35K here, perhaps confided his confidence to close associates as suggested by her going off as the 5-2 choice, and saddled her to an easy two length win. You gotta love this game.

In the 4th, Tartan Plaid, a distant 6th last month when bet to 2-1 from 8-1 morning line in her debut, for trainer Carlos Martin, was in for a 25K tag. Sent off as the 9-10 choice, she faded to 9th after an early pace duel. A horse to put on the beware list.

Trainer John Terranova broke an 0 for 45 streak with first timers with bombshell Daily Star ($59.50) in the 6th, and then took the featured Get Lucky Stakes for Sovereign Stable with Awesome Again ($8.10). That's the second stakes win in a row, both at a mile and 70 yards, for this four-year old daughter of Awesome Again; this filly really loves two turns.

Catching Up

Busy busy busy these days, so excuse the light and succinct posting. A couple of comments from the weekend:

Nicanor had to be the deadest-on-the-board 5-2 shot in racing history. If he wasn't Barbaro's brother, he would have been just another 20-1 first-timer who runs up the track, excuse or no excuse. Dubinsky, on the other hand, was incredibly and absolutely pounded to 6-5, and was just awful at that price, obviously finished around the turn.

Gulfstream is just a joke - how can you read anything into these nine furlongs supposed Derby preps when the outside horses have as much chance as the eight horse at Yonkers? And now, after the Holy Bull, they'll turn back to a mile for the Fountain of Youth and then back to two turns for a Florida Derby just as dependent on the post position draw. The only real conclusion one can draw is that a horse, such as Big Brown or Barbaro, who overcomes the bad post stands to run well at Churchill. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine.

Really catching up, I've been meaning to link to a comment from reader Erin, in which she relays an email exchange with NYRA's Vice President Director of Racing PJ Campo regarding Underground Hero, the Nick Zito horse who broke down after dropping drastically in claiming price, and even more so from his auction purchase price. And as Erin comments, Mr. Campo is missing the point. We know that horses are examined, and we know that Nick Zito is a compassionate and thoughtful horseman. But in a case like this, a more detailed stewards report of why the horse was dropping in class so sharply, preferably straight from the trainer's mouth, the results of the morning exam by the vet, and the exact reason for the breakdown would do wonders in establishing the betting public's trust.

- Great post here by Handride regarding the industry's (latest) missed opportunity.

- I had a dream the other night that I was Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers had a game on Long Island, but I, or Henrik, misjudged the time and was stuck on a train somewhere (going to Aqueduct)? I tried to call a teammate to let him know, but I could only remember that each one's cellphone number ended in his uniform number, and couldn't remember the rest. I missed the game, and the Rangers lost 7-6, with Gilles Villemure in goal. If anyone knows what this means other than I need to get a life, please let me know.

Slots, Hot and Cold

Wagering on slots at the Saratoga harness track is up 2% from last year over the first nine months of the fiscal year beginning last April 1; that according to Paul Post in the Troy Record. And if you think, as I do, that any such increase is astounding given the dismal economy and the prevailing gloom over the near-term outlook, check this out.

Of the state’s eight racinos, seven have posted gains this year, while only Monticello’s numbers have gone down.

Saratoga has the second-highest total income after Yonkers....But Saratoga’s 2 percent gain is the lowest, year to date.

Every other harness track has had double-digit percentage increases and Finger Lakes is up 8 percent.

Overall, the increase is 11.4 percent. Some of that may be attributable to Yonkers benefiting from high gas prices and the staycation effect. But that's history, and besides, any way I look it, it's still unbelievable. What the hell is it about slots that makes it resilient even in this economy? Lottery ticket sales have gone down or remain[ed] flat. And we know about racing handle, in New York and most other states as well.

One thing's for sure though is that people like to gamble. I'm starting to think that maybe track officials really have no excuse when they blame the economy; obviously the appetite is there. It indeed may just be the case that they have no shot against the electronic bandits, a game for our times, no thinking required, soothing sights and sounds, and the chance that any pull of the handle push of the button can be the one to lead to a stimulus package of your own. Too much work to make a score like that at the races, and besides, the slots pay back a much greater percentage of your money anyway.

But on the other hand, there's also gotta be something to said for nice, comfortable new facilities with dining and entertainment. Look around the websites of the state's racinos - Finger Lakes, Vernon Downs, Tioga Downs, the Yonk, Batavia, Buffalo, Saratoga, and they all have something to offer. And while Monticello may be dreary and struggling now, wait until the new track opens at the Concord.

Of course, thoroughbred racing takes place during the afternoon for the most part, so nightclubs are not going to do the job. And we all know that racinos have not done anything to boost the business of the accompanying racing even when it's at night. But they seem to be succeeding in luring customers with attractions and attractive facilities, and that's not part of the deal at tracks, at least at the ones I go to.

- New York's racinos are already built. The matter of constructing flashy new slots parlors in this economy is another matter however. Thus, no surprise that there was tepid interest to build slots parlors in Maryland; just six bidders submitted proposals for the five slots locations, with only one of them, Anne Arundel County, the home of Laurel Park, receiving more than one bid. Penn National proposed to house only 500 machines - out of 2500 allowed - in Cecil. "What we're hoping to do by filing this application is to remain in the process now," a company spokesperson told the Baltimore Sun.

"We would have had more bidders if the economy were better," said House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel). "Capital is drying up . . . and it's just a tough time." [Washington Post]

- No news of course regarding Aqueduct and Delaware North. "We just can't seem to get to the finish line. I don't know what's holding it up." That quote could certainly be from a NYRA official today, but it's actually former NYRA VP Bill Nader lamenting the delays in July, 2006.

Rap Tale Romps

Remember when Super Bowls used to be boring?

Rap Tale led every step of the way in a facile win at Philly Park on Saturday, earning the $25,800 first place share, thus bringing her career earnings to $188,000; most of that for Kasey K. For those of you who said she needed a rest, I'm not saying I told ya so, because I didn't. With the race just 13 days after the Affectionately, and a lot of racing under her belt, I have to admit that I had some doubts myself; that despite the word from Bruce Brown that she bounded out of the Affectionately absolutely fine and ready to go.

Rap Tale earned a Beyer of 76, not the figure breakthrough that was hoped for. But she was a running fool left to her own devices on the lead, affirming the sharp early zip she displayed while putting away favored Spritely in the Affectionately. Perhaps Mike Luzzi is a bit vindicated now; I do think this is her natural running style. Bruce Brown, looking ahead as always, has his eye on a minor stakes at Laurel four weeks hence.

- In the 4th at the Big A on Sunday, Hatfield ($11.40) was a prime example of a horse getting bet disproportionately heavy in the win pool as compared to the show pool (the theory being that the "smart" money is betting the horse on the nose). This three-year old son of Proud Citizen was making his debut, for a 40K tag, for Asmussen. 6-1 morning line, he wasn't bet too far below that at 9-2; but it was the way he got bet that attracted my attention, accounting for just around 8% of the show pool as opposed to some 14% to win. Hatfield battled with Geno Green to the top of the stretch, and when Jorge Chavez started looking behind him at that point, that smart money was looking smart indeed, and he drew off to win by ten. For Steve Asmussen, it was his 15th winner in 38 starters at the winter meet, but his last one, for now, with Hatfield; he was claimed by Gary Contessa for owner John Moirano.

Pletcher pulled one over with Sunday Elegance late last year when he dropped her to 15K, collected the winners share when she romped by seven, and didn't see her get claimed away. The sale was over in Sunday's 5th, as she was moved up to 30K. Opened up daylight again, and managed to last despite an agonizing final quarter of 27.38.

The Toddster also took Saturday's feature, and scored a winner at Gulfstream on Saturday as well. But in Sunday's 9th at GP, his first-timer June Day got pounded to 2-1 favoritism and weakened to third. This son of Gone West has some highly unusual breeding, incestuously inbred 2x3 to Mr. Prospector as he is. He's out of the stakes winning Love That Jazz (Dixieland Band), the dam of G1 winner Society Selection, and a half-sister herself to the G2 winner Sea of Secrets. It was another debut runner, Gatorette (Distorted Humor) ($18.20), who took the money for trainer David Fawkes. This barn had a glaring 0-for-39 mark in the Form in the first-timer category. But a closer look in Formulator shows an 11% winning percentage in the category over five years; so it's not like this is barn that can't win with them. We've recently seen guys like Mott and Shug endure long first-timer losing streaks, and you gotta figure it's going to even out at some point.

Aqueduct Notes

Reptilian Smarts won the 3rd at the Big A on Friday; the 4th win in as many starts for this five-year old son of Include since he was claimed by Rick Dutrow for 15K last November. This one has moved up in class modestly since then, and has now found a home in the 16K Starter Handicaps and its winner's share of over $25,000. 123 pounds was no deterrent on this day, and he can run his little heart out at this level until the weight gets to be too much. This horse had some back class and some prior success on the inner track, so there are at least a couple of explanations for his improvement other than the usual suspicious ones. Each animal needs to be judged on its own circumstances.

Brother Chip Dutrow got into the act, with West Coast Flier ($9.50) taking the 7th, moving up a bit off the claim. This Dutrow is now two-for-two first off the claim, hello. And Anthony is 14 for his last 38 (37%). All in the family. Scott Lake took the winner for 30K, so a nice $26,000 profit for the owner between the purse and the profit from the claim. Bullara, dead last at 23-1, was claimed by Asmussen for owner Maggi Moss. This horse has some very nice grass form; in fact, he ran second in the Forerunner at Keeneland in 2007. So you gotta think that Asmussen has some greener pastures in mind for this one, and this could turn out to be an excellent claim.

Pick six carryover today, thanks in part to jockey Orlando Bocachica, who brought home bombshells Wyatt's Women ($51.50) and Amongooseamongus ($53.50).

Saturday Morning Notes - Jan 31

I bet and picked Break Water Edison in the Hutcheson, and he checked in dead last. Sometimes I feel stupid in retrospect for a bet gone bad; but other times, like this one, I figure the logic was sound and the horse just ran bad. So we just move on.

With West Side Bernie (3-1) and Beethoven (4-1) stuck on the outside, a couple of longshots drawn inside of them piqued my interest in Saturday's Holy Bull. El Crespo (12-1) had a sluggish debut, but turned things around with a narrow loss and a win after switching to turf. Or maybe it was because of adding blinkers; or stretching out in distance. Plenty of grass pedigree here for this half brother to grassy stakes winners Rey De Cafe and Tricky Causeway, out of a half-sister to the likewise King Cugat. But his third dam is Con Game, the dam of Seeking the Gold and Fast Play, and you'd expect a son of AP Indy out of a Private Account mare to handle dirt.

Stately Character (20-1) beat This Ones For Phil in winning the Foolish Pleasure in December, before that one became the fastest horse in the world. This son of Pleasant Tap came back off a subsequent freshening with a solid third over the track, not far behind Remsen runner up Atomic Rain and McPeek's impressive Free Country. I think he can outrun his odds here for trainer Gerald Procino.

Danger to Society (5-1) is another hyped McPeek horse, and I think he'll likely go off at lower odds than indicated. Son of Harlans Holiday out of a half-sister to Silver Charm handled winners and two turns just fine in winning his second race in as many tries. Looks like the logical choice inside of the favorites.

- I hate Einstein as the 5-2 ML favorite in the Donn. Hate him. I do get myself in trouble at times when pick against specific horses here, but don't bother writing to mock me if he wins this time. Not saying he can't do so. But I do think he would be a poor wagering proposition as the favorite breaking from the ten post. I'm still not convinced he's a top stakes horse on dirt; for one thing, he's benefited from a series of beneficial post draws. In fact, his weakest effort of the last year was the last time he drew poorly - the eight post in the Donn last year. Bad luck of the draw again here, and I think it's worth a stand against. Similarly, Albertus Maximus (4-1), who figures to take money on the strength of his BC Mile win, has been running strictly on synthetics (though he did break his maiden on dirt), and has to be considered a question mark as he preps for Dubai.

I'll go with Arson Squad (3-1), another example of a horse turning it around after switching to Rick Dutrow. Six-year old gelded son of Brahms really floundered for trainer Bruce Headley after winning the Strub in 2007. However, after switching to Dutrow, he improved his Beyer 13 points in winning the Meadowlands Cup - thus contributing to the astounding 34% of first-time Dutrow runners which have won over the last two years - and then ran a close 4th in the Cigar Mile last November, his most recent race to this point. Back to two turns and to the winners circle (he says brashly) here. Babe.

Warming Up For The Big Debut

Wow, Michael Matz did it again, scoring in the finale at Gulfstream with 17-1 Princess Haya....and completing the trifecta with 20-1 Dress Parade; that's three longshot winners for the barn since Saturday.

Matz will, as you might have heard by now, start Nicanor in the 8th at Gulfstream on Saturday; smack dab between the Holy Bull and the Donn. Barbaro's brother is listed at 4-1 in the morning line, and you gotta be kidding me. I was thinking he'd be more like 2-5, seriously. I was going to root against him just to be annoying to the weirdo FOB types. However, I of course only have the good of the sport in mind, and a successful debut would certainly generate some coverage and interest, as we've already seen.

So, I'll just root against him because he's a mandatory bet-against....assuming, that is, if he is far closer to 4-5 than 4-1, which I'd bet will be the case; especially in this less than inspiring field in which all but one of the horses who have started have hardly distinguished themselves. Dubinsky (7-2) threw in a clunker in his second start, but, reunited with Castellano, stretched out to a mile over the track successfully, with a much-the-second-best placing behind Alma D'Or. That one was graduating by five, going first-time for Dutrow, and earning him the #37 spot on Haskin's Derby list (good grief), but not a column by Beyer. Dubinsky is the morning line favorite with Castellano again aboard, and deservedly so. But I'd be shocked if he's favored come post time. Seems like fair value at his morning line for Patrick Reynolds and owner Paul Pompa.

In the Hutcheson on Friday (?), Break Water Edison (3-1) doesn't have the best post, starting from the rail at seven furlongs. But he's trained solidly for his first start since winning the Nashua in November, and gets Alan Garcia, for whom he's run well each time. He faltered in the Hopeful on short rest, and had little to offer in the Champagne. But, with Garcia back aboard, he showed class circling the Nashua field four wide on the turn, holding off Hello Broadway (5-2) while finishing up in race horse time of 23 4/5, and earning a field high Beyer of 99 (with LeComte winner Friesan Fire finishing 4th).

Dutrow Fires Back

Rick Dutrow lashed out at Andy Beyer (h/t to reader Erin), and he and bloodstock agent Nick Sallusto, who recommended the purchase of This Ones for Phil for owner Paul Pompa, laid out detailed and perfectly reasonable explanations for the horse's improvement.

"He was wiped out in behind, as many horses tend to be after training for a prolonged period at Calder, and that was messing his heels up," Dutrow said. "So I changed shoes, training him in a shoe with a plate across the heel. We also wormed him, did his teeth, and put about 50 pounds on him. I also backed off on his training between works. [Daily Racing Form]

Dutrow is not the only trainer ticked off about the column, and personally, I think the others have more legitimate reasons to be upset. Beyer never actually accused Dutrow of doing anything wrong in this case. Noting his record of suspensions, he simply pointed out that turnarounds such as this one make bettors highly suspicious. He went out of his way to note that there was no evidence of wrongdoing with Big Brown under the Triple Crown spotlight, and added that Dutrow is "a skillful trainer who certainly has the ability to improve horses put in his care." The fact is that the trainer has brought this kind of distrust upon himself with his history of suspensions and his cavalier attitude towards them. My gut feeling is that the performance was legit; but I certainly don't blame the readers who wrote in to mock that notion. Dutrow needs to earn their trust, and good for him for detailing his training regimen despite no doubt revealing some trade secrets along the way.

Where I think Beyer was wrong in his column was to lump in a group of other trainers, mostly without the same kind of history, in with Dutrow. He labeled them, in a tone that came across as sarcastic to me, as "miracle workers." Marty Wolfson was one of them.

"Maybe Andy Beyer should take the time to come visit my barn one day and see our operation before making accusations," Wolfson said. "To see how many hours I spend here or some of the treatments we give, legally, that can improve a horse. I don't like what was inferred."

Trainer Peter Walder, a member of the Gulfstream backstretch committee that meets regularly to discuss horsemen's issues, said Beyer's article was upsetting to the committee, including such notable trainers as Dale Romans, Ken McPeek, Joe Orseno, and John Ward.

"Writing that type of stuff is a discredit to the game, especially when written without getting all the facts, and Andy Beyer is part of this game," Walder said.

And I consider that to be an eminently fair and legitimate point.

- Dick Powell also weighs in on This Ones For Phil in his Handicapping Insights column at BRIS.

The fact is, there's a lot of vet work, perfectly legal, that takes place between races. And, even if you knew what was being done it wouldn't help you as a handicapper. I can't tell you how many times I have heard about a horse receiving a throat operation and the horse runs poorly even though it allegedly has had its breathing problems fixed. Sometimes, you are better off not knowing as there is an element of sausage-making to the training of horses and if you really knew how many ailments they have you would never play them.

Aqueduct (and GP) Notes

Racing is set to resume at the Big A on Thursday, though you might think about having a backup plan in mind. Wednesday morning's snow turned into rain as the temperature warmed. But it's supposed to turn freezing overnight. In the past, when inner track cancellations have occurred, they've usually done so in the freeze-thaw scenario being forecast. So, on the odd chance that they do cancel, you heard it here first.

In the first, trainer Randi Persaud looks to break out of an 0-for-22 streak at the Big A with Fit Faze (7-2). I guess one can spin a trainer streak any way he or she wants - stick with the trend or play the percentages. In this case, Persaud hasn't really been close of late, so perhaps I should stay away. However, this is the kind of class dropper that I can't resist, so I'll say he's due to win. This seven-year old son of Honor Grades has competed well against far better while dropping the class ladder, and I think he's found his proper level here. Persaud switches to Jeffrey Sanchez, who rode The Vin Man, one of the trainer's three winners this meeting, after the horse broke poorly in his last two before finishing quite respectably behind two legit 16K runners in Gallant Again and Three in the Bag. 0 for 12 on off tracks, certainly a possibility here, but he's run some good races in slop, and, in this case, I view that more as something that could create some value.

In the third, Even Raise (5-2) is actually looking for a big raise; in fact he's seeking to triple his salary. In this economy? This five-year old son of Stephen Got Even, who appears to have been purchased privately by Winning Move and Contessa, dominated the 10K Starter Handicap races at Calder, winning eight of 11 races on the year. His total purse earnings? Not even $60,000. While today's race carries a purse of $30,000, the comparable ones at Calder were for just $9,545.

But no pick for me in this race. I'm recusing myself because King Mobay (5-1) is in for Kasey K. Just look at the Form, and you don't need me to tell you that he is fit, loves to compete, and has three wins in the slop. Stealth Missile (3-1) rocketed right by Mobay last time in his first race for Enrique Arroyo.

Down at Gulfstream, another high priced winner for Michael Matz, whose Spicy Dubai ($39.40) won the 5th. He also had that first timer Indy's Sonata ($49.80) on Saturday. I don't think that Nicanor will go off at odds like that on Saturday.

Mott, whose name I don't seem to have mentioned on this blog since October 21 (welcome back), took the 9th, on the grass, with first-timer Strike Again ($25.20). Though this barn's 0-for-first timer streak still stands, at 49, in New York, this was his third such winner on the Calder/GP circuit since he arrived in December (from ten starters, with three seconds and a third). Strike Again is a Pin Oak Stud homebred by Dixie Union, out of a stakes winning Smart Strike mare; and he's a half-brother to the stakes winning, on dirt and grass, Euphony. This is also the distaff family of Tap Day, and the graded grass winner Fairy Garden.

Notes - Jan 28

Rap Tale is entered in the 8th at Philly Park on Saturday, an allowance for winners of three other than.. Looks like a group that she can definitely compete with. A reader mentioned recently that the purses in PA had taken a turn south, and that's quite apparent from looking at the pp's of this race. The two NW2X races in which she ran there carried purses of over $52,000; but this one is for only $43K. That in fact is less than the $46,250 she ran for in entry level allowance company, so that's a pretty stiff drop.

- Thanks much to reader o_crunk for the link to the past performances of This One's For Phil over at Illman's blog. If you covered up the Beyer figs, there wouldn't be anything unusually out of the ordinary at all in my opinion; and this reader questions the fig itself. I usually get into trouble when I do so. I guess I still don't really understand when a Beyer "is what it is," which I presume was the case here, and when they get projected, which what this case would seem to call for. So I'll stay out of that argument until we see the top two finishers run back. (I'm told that This One's For Phil earned a Ragozin number of -1, which would back up the notion that the race was extremely fast.)

As for o_crunk's disagreement about my comment about the 'public at large,' that's a fair point, but I suppose we travel in different circles of friends. My non-racing fans are in la-la land when it comes to the sport; they're completely innocent and wide-eyed and would believe just about anything I tell them (except, they've learned, who's going to win a particular race). And I don't really know any of them who thought that Barbaro or Eight Belles got hurt because of drugs. Abuse, in the form of too much racing or racing a filly against colts, perhaps, but not drugs. And, regarding Jay Cronley's column, though I've never watched the show, I'd guess that horse racing is hardly the only industry that has been sullied by CSI: Miami and other aging TV dramas as they struggle to come up with new plots that become more and more ridiculously contrived as the episodes wear on.

This One's For Rick

This One's For Phil earned a Beyer of 379 in the Sunshine Dash, first-time out for Dutrow, prompting the trainer to quip: "Time to sell, babe." Trainers are mostly a pretty dull and unquotable group these days, but not this guy. Things would sure be dull around here without him. The accusations are already flying about the obvious suspicions given Dutrow's history. Beyer writes: The public at large is alienated when it suspects that drugs are tainting the sport's greatest events. Of course, the public at large would have no idea about that stuff if people like Beyer weren't writing that it suspects that drugs are tainting the sport's greatest events.

Personally, I find it difficult to believe that even Rick Dutrow would or could be stupid, brazen, or brilliant enough to be successfully cheating with the spotlight trained squarely upon him as it is. That of course doesn't mean that he's not. However, this horse went turf to dirt, cut back to the distance of his previous best Beyer, ran for the first time at Gulfstream, switched to Prado, and had his morning routine changed.

"I decided not to pound on him in the morning....See the chart. I just jogged him between breezes, then blew him out a little bit the morning of the race. He also just might like this track." [DRF]

So there are at least some reasonable explanations...including the fact that Dutrow is obviously quite good at what he does.

This One's For Phil is not quite as obscurely-bred as some might lead you to believe. Though he's by Unuttable, a Florida-based son of Unbridled with extremely unorthodox breeding (he's inbred 4x2 to In Reality, and 3x2 to Mr. Prospector and his full sister Gold Mine), he's out of a Septeime Ciel (Seattle Slew) half-sister to G2 winners Finality and Stolen Beauty; and descends from the same distaff family as the G1 winner Island Sand and Queen's Plate winner Niigon.

Long Train (Not) Runnin'

Steve Zorn posted about the MTA's proposed "elimination of non-Stakes Belmont service" (and they're presumably not talking about the New York Stallion Stakes) via the Long Island Railroad over on his Business of Racing blog. He and NYRA's John Lee led the game opposition at a public hearing in Garden City.

"The LIRR would eliminate train service in a manner that impacts the least number of riders," according to the MTA's proposal. I don't know what the figures are for Belmont ridership, but it certainly can't be much, and I'm afraid that bottom line will ultimately trump the worthy arguments against the service elimination, should the Ravitch plan to bail out the MTA with payroll taxes and tolls on the East River bridges not be adopted (and the latter component of that plan has no shot). The proposed fare hikes, cutbacks, and job cuts are extensive, and they more prominently involve the city subway system. Their effects would be far more profound to far more people than those involving service cuts to Belmont.

So I'd say that the outlook is grim, at least in the short-term. But don't despair. Ultimately, the LIRR connection from Manhattan to Belmont will prove to be a powerful argument to bring slots to the track and additional redevelopment to the facility. Not only will the rail link survive, but the Belmont station will be renovated and cleaned and the tracks maintained so that the trains don't have to go like .2 MPH around that final turn for home over the Cross Island Parkway. In a more perfect world of course, NYRA would shake this off and instead lure stranded railbirds to one of their lavish OTB facilities in various parts of Manhattan. But that not being the case, attendance at the track will no doubt take a slight hit for the time being.

- Governor Paterson is getting absolutely reamed by the press over the manner in which he conducted his Senate selection process, and some seem to be writing his political obituary. NY Times' columnist Maureen Dowd called him a "goof-ball," the Daily News' Mike Lupica, who doesn't seem to know much more about politics than he did about sports, labeled him as "phony," and says he'll be "one term and out." And the NY Post, who attacked Spitzer with a kind of venom that was extraordinary even for them, claims that: we miss Client 9 in one of the most hilarious editorials I've seen in a while,. Gimme a break.

One can certainly criticize the governor for taking too long, and for thinking out loud too much and too often. But c'mon, it was the press itself who turned this thing into a circus, with its obsession with Caroline Kennedy's bid, its focus on meaningless polls, and its unrelenting questioning and probing of the governor's intentions. I think we were just seeing Paterson's folksy and irreverent style in response, and I don't believe it will ultimately have any effect whatsoever on his reelection prospects. His electoral fate will ultimately be determined by his handling of the budget negotiations over the next few months, and this messy affair will become a distant memory.

Where Paterson really did go wrong was the critical remarks about Ms. Kennedy that "leaked" from his office after she withdrew. Although he's now attempting to deny his involvement, Elizabeth Benjamin had reported in the News that one of his paid consultants was behind it all; Fred Dicker calls him a liar. I think that this criticism is all completely valid, and that Paterson screwed up here. But, while not defending his actions, who can blame the governor for being pissed off? And for trying to make it clear that he wasn't going to pick her anyway? He would have been a goof-ball in my eyes if he had. Far too many people had far too many things to say about Ms. Kennedy, and statements by people like Bloomberg's aide Kevin Sheekey that he was nearly obligated to pick her if the state wanted a piece of the bailout pie, were way beyond the pale.....as were implications to that effect like her endorsement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. So I find his desire to push back to be completely understandable, if totally misguided. Paterson didn't at all need to condone leaks from his office to the effect that she wasn't qualified for the job - she clearly demonstrated that herself.

And by the way, Josh Isay, the consultant who did such a masterful job running Ms. Kennedy's "campaign" into the ground, was rewarded with a new gig. I'm telling you man, I'm in the wrong business...

True Love in Queens

That's the Big A, as depicted in the amazing Panorama of the City of New York, originally constructed for the 1964 World's Fair (yeah, I was there), and now permanently housed at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadow Park. It's accurate down to the building level, and if your house or apartment was built before 1992, you can find it there, though you might have to bring your binoculars. And it's one place where the Twin Towers still stand tall.

I suppose that, in 1964, when Aqueduct was averaging crowds of 31,500......on Mondays!......people might have thought that the model of Aqueduct seemed vast and empty. Now, it just looks like Aqueduct. Who's to say at this point what that spot will look like if they update the Panorama in ten years?

It's not too often that you get an artsy Manhattan crowd more than a couple of subway stops into this vast borough, as the Head Chef is all too often eager to point out. We have a love-hate relationship with Queens - I love it, and she hates it. Must have been true love for her to abandon her beloved West Village to come out and live with me here. But the Queens Museum threw a big opening reception for its new Queens International exhibit on Saturday night, and man, the place was rockin'. A huge, hip crowd, DJ's, live music, and some "performance art" in the form of BMX trick ramp bicyclists. I've been in that Panorama many times, but never before when it was infused with throbbing hip-hop and metal, and it seemed an altogether befitting effect.

It was all free, though $5 donations were gently requested at the door. And that includes the wine and beer. That's right, free booze. One of the really cool things about NYC that flies a bit under the radar is the phenomenon of free wine at gallery openings. Don't usually see them at museums as in this case; but if you're on a gallery mailing list or, better yet, just happen to be cruising by one at the right time, you can come in from the cold and down a little extra warmth as well. I mean, where else around here does one get to drink for free?

We were surprised to see one particular exhibit, as we had recently seen and marveled over it at another gallery in Queens.



Flesh of My Flesh is constructed entirely out of second hand clothing, and the artist, Derick Melander, originally hails from our second favorite city in New York State.

There was also food (not free) available from winners of the 2008 Vendy Awards for best street food. Unfortunately they were outside, where the weather had turned bitterly cold, and, worse yet, the deep freeze was not dissuading people from waiting on line. So it must have been true love that, though this particular food was not for me, I stood on line out there for nearly a half hour for the Head Chef, who was digging the warmth and the music inside.

It was worth it though, because she loved the food. And the scenery was cool too.

Dishonest Services

The State of New York and its citizens paid defendant JOSEPH L. BRUNO a salary for his honest services, but, as a result of the scheme and artifice to defraud, to their detriment, were deprived of such honest services and instead received dishonest services.

So reads Section 20 of the eight count indictment (pdf via the Times Union with h/t to blogger Saratogaspa) handed down by a grand jury against the former Senate Majority Leader after an investigation which dragged on for three years.

Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Baxter and FBI Special Agent-in-charge John Pikus said New York's ''byzantine'' legislative structure made the investigation difficult because so many political decisions, including bills and spending measures, are made behind closed doors. [Albany Times Union]

The document lays out, in clear and surprisingly readable terms, its allegations of Bruno's use of his political power for personal gain. It methodically recounts various entities depicted as shell companies designed to cover-up the payments, and specifies various failures to disclose his relationships and income to ethics panels, colleagues, and the SEC.

By tying the various alleged activities to specific instances of interstate emails, electronic bank deposits, and snail mailings, the grand jury indicted Bruno on charges of theft of honest services, a controversial prosecutorial tool which you can read more about here and here if you're interested. The best I can understand it, and any lawyers out there are invited to correct me if I'm wrong, it basically obviates the need for the prosecution to be at all specific as to motives and tangible damages caused.

There's not much here about Bruno's thoroughbred dealings; surprisingly, the broodmare transaction with Earle Mack which was just recently reported to be a continuing matter of the FBI's interest, is not part of the indictment. Instead, it alleges that Jared Abbruzzese compensated for the early termination of a consulting contract with one of his companies by paying Bruno $80,000 for a horse described as "virtually worthless." (And I certainly trust that Abbruzzese found a nice home for the animal, if it really changed hands.)

However, though racing is not a key part of the charges, it's been variously reported over the months years since the probe became known publicly that this all may have started when a lobbying investigation into Abbruzzese's jet flights, provided to Bruno around the time that the former was getting involved with Friends of New York/Empire Racing's franchise bid, drew the attention of the FBI.

Bruno of course lashed out against the charges and employed his usual boxing reference in his vow to fight them.

“I’ve been a fighter. And I don’t plan on changing now.”
.....
“There is a frightening message to all elected officials who are not wealthy and who have to work to make a living....You, too, can become target practice with a statute that can infer, insinuate and imply because they can’t find the facts to make a criminal case.” [NY Times]

And indeed, many of the allegations in the document are vague ones that the prosecutors will need to make clear. There are references to companies and unions pursuing unspecified interests before the state and to Bruno taking similarly unnamed "discretionary official action" to the benefit of those companies, accusations that Bruno "did not provide consulting services commensurate with payments he received," and, in one case, an alleged "oral agreement" at the heart of one of the counts. These will all surely be subject to highly conflicting spins from each side and may be hard to prove. Perhaps more difficult for Bruno - and this is all, of course, merely this layman's point of view - will be the matters of non-disclosures and ethics violations involving specific statutes that are named.

In any event and in my view, United States Of America v. Joseph L. Bruno is as much an indictment of Albany politics as anything else. I believe that Bruno is more a product of the environment in which he operated than a truly evil man (discussed in more detail in this post). The real problem is spelled out in Section 2 of the indictment, in which Bruno's duties as the Senate Majority Leader are laid out as follows.

(a) controlling the Senate's agenda and deciding whether bills would be brought to the Senate floor for vote; (b) together with the Governor and the Speaker of the Assembly, deciding which proposed budget appropriations would be funded in the annual state budget and (c) deciding how funds allocated to the Senate Majority for, among other things, member and line items, would be disbursed.

That's far too much power in far too few hands for a representative democracy, and, sorry for the cliché, but power breeds corruption as we know all too well, so what do we expect?

- One other comment, on the speculation that Spitzer was behind the investigation, or that his being indicted now has something to do with the incoming Obama administration. It's entirely possible that Spitzer, vindictive as he was, could have spurred on the Justice Department early on. However, the investigation continued and intensified long after Spitzer resigned. And it was also conducted by a Justice Department under Bush which was highly politicized. So I don't buy any of that talk one bit.

Sunday Morning Notes - Jan 25

David Jacobson has had his share of high priced claims go sour, but he's apparently undeterred. He took Fujita from Pletcher for $75,000 from Saturday's third. The stakes placed son of Lion Hearted was a close second as the 2-1 favorite, behind the well-bet Shoptate ($9.90), a winner for trainer Steve Jerkens, two winners and a second in his mere four starters at the meeting. This lightly raced five-year old son of Orientate is out of a Dehere half-sister to Miss Shop, a multiple graded winner for the trainer's father Allen.

A couple of well-bet three-year old first-timers at Gulfstream for the Toddster with differing results. La Rocca was 7-2 in the 5th, but the daughter of Toccet broke poorly and flattened out to 5th after recovering to flash some early speed. The winner was another debut runner, Indy's Sonata ($49.80), the first such winner for trainer Michael Matz since La Menina won her debut at Saratoga in July, 2007, some 71 starters ago (and she's entered in the 9th today at GP). The breakthrough comes just about in time for him to start that Barbaro brother horse too. Indy's Sonata is by AP Indy out of the graded stakes winner Golden Sonata (Mr. Prospector).

In the 5th, Pletcher unveiled Dunkirk, a $3.7 million yearling purchase for the Coolmore folks. Sent off as the 8-5 favorite, the son of Unbridled's Song out of the G1 winner Secret Status (AP Indy) also broke poorly. But this one swung six wide after encountering traffic on the turn, blew by the field and drew off to win by almost six. Before you get too excited though, consider this: John Velazquez rode Kings Village for Albertrani instead, and it seems highly doubtful that would be the case if Pletcher thought he had a big horse. In addition, take a look at the extent to which this race fell apart; after three horses sparred on top in quarters of 22.35 and 23, the subsequent quarter took an imponderable 26.76. So the breadth of the horse's move may have looked far better than it really was. Though he finished up in a respectable 12.90, I'm not at all interested in any futures lines on this one.

Attention Shoppers

Open up any newspaper on any day, and there they are - desperate retailers, especially those of the luxury category, offering their wares at just a fraction of their original retail value. Designer Sale - Now Up to 75% off at Barney's, itself said to be up for sale by its Dubai-based owners. Save 75% on every single one-of-a-kind handmade oriental rug at Bloomies. Fur Consolidation Sale and Clearance 50%-70% off plus an extra 20% off (sounds almost free) at Macy's. All Stores, All Floors, up to 75% off original prices at ABC Carpet & Home. It's pretty grim out there. The only shopping bags I notice on the streets these days are from Century 21 (happily opening a new store right here in Rego Park, and check out that groovy music on their website).

While the flea market at the Big A is closed until spring, shoppers can certainly find deep discounts at the races there. We continue to see a plethora of claiming horses dropping drastically in price, as owners seek to make a quick score of the generous purse money and/or rid themselves of unwanted and, perhaps, damaged goods. That leaves us horseplayers in the dark as to the real motives behind the markdowns, and we're just guessing, really. One reader has been advocating mandatory examinations and X-rays for horses dropping at least two claiming levels, meant both as a deterrent toward cruelty and as a consumer confidence builder for punters.

The tote board on occasion will provide a clear clue. Take Friday's 4th - Larrys Revenge, the 2-1 favorite dropping to cheap claimers for Zito - was stone cold dead on the board at 4-1. Steve in nc wrote: "Looking at the tote, Larry's Revenge is suddenly playable," but man, I throw those horses out faster than the president is discarding the remnants of the prior administration. The horse showed little and ran 6th. However, at least one bargain shopper wasn't deterred, as Jacobson took him for 20K on a lively day at the claim box. Volos paid $4.30, another winner for Asmussen; I knew the 3-1 ML was too good to be true. But nothing doing for Baroness in the 6th, and the barn had "only" that one winner out of four starters.

In the first, owner Mike Repole dropped two horses recently claimed for 30K down to 14K. One of the Best ($7.10) proved best, for trainer Greg DiPrima, who has also scored with dropdowns Kamboo Bay and True Rebel at this meet. But Sea of Trees, claimed by Scott Lake from Contessa last month, took an immediate 53% drop in price and ran over 20 lengths behind. Both were claimed, the winner by Chip Dutrow, the other by Joe Imperio.

In the 5th, Incanzaldo ($7.50), claimed for 80K last January at Gulfstream by owner Paul Pompa (nostalgic perhaps for a horse who ran in the only race in which he ever owned Big Brown), was in for 25K here in his first race since March. Transferred to the care of Kasey K's trainer Bruce Brown, slumming it here I see, he won off by more than six. Similar scenario to Larrys Revenge, but this one was bet down to 5-2 from his 5-1 morning line; though while the bettors were trusting, Incanzaldo went unsold. I think we'll see him marked up next time.

And in the 9th, Kiaran McLaughlin completed a sweep of the late double with Eldaafer ($7.70). This Shadwell homebred son of AP Indy was fairly impressive in his maiden win at Belmont in September. But after floundering in two dead-on-the-board allowance races, he was put on sale here for a mere $20,000. John Toscano was happy to oblige, claiming him for himself. McLaughlin now has 13 winners out of 39 starters (33%) on the inner track.

Good Riddance

Joaquin Memphis ($13.40) was a winner off the drop in class for Kasey K in the 9th yesterday, quite a surprise after his non-performing 66 length loss in his last. I didn't write about the race beforehand, partly because I didn't really know what to say. Certainly didn't want anyone to think I was touting him (didn't have a penny on him myself); but on the other hand, didn't, and couldn't, write anything that may have dissuaded anyone who might want to take him off our hands, as unlikely as that seemed at the time.

As it turned out, he was indeed claimed, and we couldn't be more pleased. Not that there's a thing wrong with the horse physically. But he's an extremely difficult animal with a mind and will of his own, and Bruce Brown struggled mightily to try and figure him out. He couldn't even get him to complete a timed workout in the A.M. Richard Violette, who we claimed him from for 30K, claimed him back for 16K, and maybe he knows the key and was chuckling to himself while he floundered for us, awaiting the chance to take him back on the cheap. I'll be looking for Violette to move him back up in class, and perhaps he's worth following.

The feeling is that we can chalk up yesterday's win to jockey Ramon Dominguez, who had to ride and prod him every step of the way after a halting start which appeared to spell doom. Joaquin Memphis earned $12,000 for the win; add in the claim proceeds, and not a bad day for a horse which I feared might have to be written off.

Where I Get to Brag About Something

Haven't had much to do so as far as my race handicapping goes lately, and I'm off to a miserable start today. So you know I'm going to point out that I predicted that Governor Paterson would select Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand as Hillary Clinton's replacement in the Senate way back on December 2 (scroll down please). And I defended it against mocking criticism here, stood my ground at the height of Caroline-mania here and here, and started to smell the finish line when Ms. Kennedy was a late scratch here.

Of course, I don't mean to ride too high on the horse because, after all, politics in New York is all about self-interest, and I find that far easier to decipher than the Daily Racing Form. But I think I'm due a fair amount of props here, don't you?

Aqueduct Friday

In the second at the Big A on Friday, Supervision (3-1) drops in class for Levine, who missed sweeping the late double on Thursday by a head and nose. Not much to say here; just looks like a standout on class. Charming Mandate (2-1) beat several of these last out.

In the third, Gold for the Queen (6-1) moves up from the maiden ranks for trainer Charlton Baker. But she's faced winners before, in state-bred stakes races at the Finger Lakes. Those were her first two career starts, so her connections must have thought highly of this daughter of Gold Token, who brought only $2000 as a yearling. She's improved her Beyers in all three races since then, and defeated Rightly So, a very well-meant first-timer from Zayat and Anthony Dutrow who finished ten lengths ahead of the rest of the field. My Anguilla (8-5) was beaten at 2-5 in her first start against winners, as she ran into a bit of a buzzsaw in Yo Karakorum. Big fig when she graduated two back, so she'll a) be a short price again, and b) be tough if she gets loose. Here's hoping that the two inside horses can prevent the latter; Our Special Effort (8-1) needs a better start in her first start for trainer Randi Persaud, 11-3-2-2 off the claim.

In the 4th, Volos drops for Asmussen, 28-11-6-4 on the inner track. Just 3/4's back of the hard hitting Charging Hero in his last; and the 5th and 6th place horses came back to win. Looks too easy here at 3-1 morning line. Larrys Revenge (2-1) is a $250,000 Vindication colt who was third in the Gotham last spring. Been away since May, and drops drastically for Zito, sound familiar?

In the 6th, here's Asmussen again, this time with Baroness (4-1), stretching out after running second far behind the impressive Lights Off Annie. Excellent two turn form in her prior races, at Woodbine, with a mark of 9-4-0-2 in routes on the Poly there.