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  1. #61
    Swiss Skydiver takes the Fantasy in an exciting stretch duel against a game Venetian Harbor. It was another 10 lengths back to the third place horse. Swiss Skydiver stalked the front running Venetian Harbor, who got away cleanly. Not so for British Idiom who was next to last with a dozen lengths and lots of traffic to make up; those 2YO campaigns just seem to take a lot out of horses (sometimes). At the head of the stretch, Venetian Harbor and Swiss Skydiver took off from the rest of the field as a team, and it looked as though Venetian Harbor did not want the extra distance; but she kept fighting to the end. Nice race.

    As for the second division of the Arkansas Derby tomorrow, all of the front-runners are talking about how their horses are going to rate. I wonder if any of them told the horses. I had a horse once who was a bit of a front-runner, and she almost choked down while being rated. Sometimes, in the words of Penney Chenery, you have to "Let em run!" Nadal will be facing better speed competition and better closers at a bigger distance, and with more weight than ever before. It will be a big test for him. I don't think he is a value bet. Silver Prospector has run well on a fast track; he's a stalker. The race could set up well for him if he is fit and there is an honest pace. He'll be the silver horse.

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  2. #62
    Bob Baffert is loaded and prepares his horses.

    Charlatan showed that he deserved to be odds-on by toying with his rivals in the first division of the Arkansas Derby. The horse went to the lead, maintained a one or two length lead on the backstretch, and slowly pulled away, without being touched. He is a formidable horse. Basin looks to be on the improve, taking the Place spot, with Gouverneur Morris third.

    Nadal showed that he is more than a speed ball in the second division. Wells Bayou had a great break and took the lead in just a few steps, relegating Nadal to third place on the outside. Apparently Baffert has been training Nadal for weeks to sit behind other horses, so this position was just fine for Nadal. It wasn't till the final turn that Nadal was asked for a bit of speed and he slowly pulled away from the field for a 3 length win. Just a tick faster than Charlatan, but Nadal never saw the rail. King Guillermo put in a fine effort to finish within 3 of Nadal. Finnick The Fierce gets his one call of the season, finishing fourth. They kept Farmington Road much closer to the pace this time; within 6 length near the final turn. But this took enough out of him to prevent a final kick; he finished fourth. Nadal showed that he could be rated. The announcers mentioned that Nadal is 1300 lbs; much larger than Charlatan. That's a good sized horse. The type of horse that can take a Triple Crown campaign. Smaller horses tend to wear down with these big (long) races and require more time between the races. Not so much for the larger horses. It will be interesting to see how Charlatan progresses.

    There are no big, usual Derby prep races left since today would have been the Kentucky Derby. The Preakness and Belmont have both been moved (theoretically) to dates after the September Kentucky Derby. Prep races for that KYD will be found throughout the coming months with the Santa Anita Derby (once Santa Anita re-opens.. which is being discussed.. Hello Authentic), I'm sure a 3YO race will be conjured up at Del Mar in August, the Haskell at Monmouth Park, The Jim Dandy and the Travers at Saratoga. I expect that other tracks might pony up some money to get in on the new, one time only, Kentucky Derby Tournament that has erupted for this year (if supported by the Triple Crown people). The people who put on the Triple Crown can still control the process by awarding points through the races that they deem to be worthy. So horses will be funneled into those races. All of the big horses continue to show workouts, including some horses from last year, who were injured and were off of the Derby trail, but will be able to make it back for a September Derby, like Maxfield (working very smartly).

    Hopefully, some of these races will have fans allowed back at the tracks. It isn't the wild, wild west, but it has horses and might feel like it... YAHOO!

    The industry is fortunate to have had internet betting in place for a number of years to help sustain the purses and the people working in the industry. The horses continue to eat, the mares continue to have their foals, the big yearling sales have to happen, the babies need to be trained.

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  3. #63

    Secretariat on the DBR Home Page.. Really

    Did they really put Secretariat's Belmont on the front of DBR? Really?

    Well, Hurley Horse Happenings was banished from the regular board, so this (horse) topic is on the off-topic board, so I don't know where to opine about a DBR cover story. Very confusing. But, if Disney can make a movie about the horse (your area Jason?) I suppose this is a safe place to make comments about one of my (and your) favorite horses.

    No doubt, the Secretariat Belmont was one of the great feats by a Thoroughbred that anyone alive can recount. Just dominating. Only Dr. Fager's mile win in 1:32 1/5 under the crushing weight of 134 lbs, by 10 lengths, has been likened to this racing feet. (remember, Handicap races set weights so every horse is supposed to finish on the wire together - which of course never happens). But the Triple Crown is America's crucible to determine the best of the best for each generation of horses. And the Belmont is the last of a grueling series of races. These horses rarely if ever run races at 1 1/4 miles or 1 3/16 miles. They are being asked to run 3 of these races within 5 weeks, and the last one at 1 1/2 miles (which they will never run again) after a long compressed campaign, with adolescent bodies. These campaigns usually are littered (terrible word) with dozens of 2YO and young 3YOs who could not stand up to the rigors that these campaigns put them through before their bodies have matured.

    It wasn't so much that Secretariat set a record in each of the Triple Crown races (they had to retime the Preakness because of a clock error).
    It wasn't so much that Secretariat ran each quarter faster than the previous quarter (when usually thoroughbreds run the early parts of races faster than the end)
    It wasn't so much that Secretariat went against his bias of starting slowly and rushing up in the middle/late part of a race.
    It was that he so visually crushed the field with a 31 length win.

    The 2:24 for 1 1/2 was really fast and is still the Belmont dirt track record, but I'll put it in perspective.
    On the grass course, there has been faster times.
    Secretariat ran a 2:24 4/5 later that year (did I say never ran 1 1/2 miles again?) against older horses (and won by 5) in the Man O War stakes on the turf, under 5 lbs less.
    The dirt course at Belmont, the week of Secretariat's great race, was lightning fast; one third of the dirt track records were set that week. That is outrageous! Secretariat was running on bricks.
    Of the top 4 Belmont Stakes times, there is Secretariat, Easy Goer, A. P. Indy (grandson of Sec'y), Risen Star (son of Sec'y). That is .. influence.

    Secretariat's huge heart is often attributed to a pseudo-science theory known as the X-Factor, written about in a book by Marianna Haun. the idea is that a large heart (better blood pumping) is a sex linked trait on the X Chromosome. This goes back to Eclipse and a mare named Pocahontas. This explanation also is used to support why Secretariat is a superior broodmare sire (he passes his big X to all of his kids and his grand-daughters always have at least a big-heart X chromosome). But Secretariat also had perfect conformation, and the way he struck the ground with his feet was beautiful and in great synchrony. He was well tuned an athlete as could have been constructed.

    Bonus Trivia TidBit:
    the Kentucky Derby that year, Secretariat also defeated soon to be sires Our Native and Shecky Greene (not the comedian) and soon to be 3 times Horse of the Year Forego; probably the only horse race to have 5 straight horses of the year in it (Secretariat '1972, 1973, Forego 1974, 1975, 1976) [other than any race that had Kelso who himself was a 5 times horse of the year].

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  4. #64
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilHorse View Post
    Did they really put Secretariat's Belmont on the front of DBR? Really?

    Well, Hurley Horse Happenings was banished from the regular board, so this (horse) topic is on the off-topic board, so I don't know where to opine about a DBR cover story. Very confusing. But, if Disney can make a movie about the horse (your area Jason?) I suppose this is a safe place to make comments about one of my (and your) favorite horses.

    No doubt, the Secretariat Belmont was one of the great feats by a Thoroughbred that anyone alive can recount. Just dominating. Only Dr. Fager's mile win in 1:32 1/5 under the crushing weight of 134 lbs, by 10 lengths, has been likened to this racing feet. (remember, Handicap races set weights so every horse is supposed to finish on the wire together - which of course never happens). But the Triple Crown is America's crucible to determine the best of the best for each generation of horses. And the Belmont is the last of a grueling series of races. These horses rarely if ever run races at 1 1/4 miles or 1 3/16 miles. They are being asked to run 3 of these races within 5 weeks, and the last one at 1 1/2 miles (which they will never run again) after a long compressed campaign, with adolescent bodies. These campaigns usually are littered (terrible word) with dozens of 2YO and young 3YOs who could not stand up to the rigors that these campaigns put them through before their bodies have matured.

    It wasn't so much that Secretariat set a record in each of the Triple Crown races (they had to retime the Preakness because of a clock error).
    It wasn't so much that Secretariat ran each quarter faster than the previous quarter (when usually thoroughbreds run the early parts of races faster than the end)
    It wasn't so much that Secretariat went against his bias of starting slowly and rushing up in the middle/late part of a race.
    It was that he so visually crushed the field with a 31 length win.

    The 2:24 for 1 1/2 was really fast and is still the Belmont dirt track record, but I'll put it in perspective.
    On the grass course, there has been faster times.
    Secretariat ran a 2:24 4/5 later that year (did I say never ran 1 1/2 miles again?) against older horses (and won by 5) in the Man O War stakes on the turf, under 5 lbs less.
    The dirt course at Belmont, the week of Secretariat's great race, was lightning fast; one third of the dirt track records were set that week. That is outrageous! Secretariat was running on bricks.
    Of the top 4 Belmont Stakes times, there is Secretariat, Easy Goer, A. P. Indy (grandson of Sec'y), Risen Star (son of Sec'y). That is .. influence.

    Secretariat's huge heart is often attributed to a pseudo-science theory known as the X-Factor, written about in a book by Marianna Haun. the idea is that a large heart (better blood pumping) is a sex linked trait on the X Chromosome. This goes back to Eclipse and a mare named Pocahontas. This explanation also is used to support why Secretariat is a superior broodmare sire (he passes his big X to all of his kids and his grand-daughters always have at least a big-heart X chromosome). But Secretariat also had perfect conformation, and the way he struck the ground with his feet was beautiful and in great synchrony. He was well tuned an athlete as could have been constructed.

    Bonus Trivia TidBit:
    the Kentucky Derby that year, Secretariat also defeated soon to be sires Our Native and Shecky Greene (not the comedian) and soon to be 3 times Horse of the Year Forego; probably the only horse race to have 5 straight horses of the year in it (Secretariat '1972, 1973, Forego 1974, 1975, 1976) [other than any race that had Kelso who himself was a 5 times horse of the year].

    Larry
    DevilHorse
    A great post/report. Thanks D H.

  5. #65
    Quote Originally Posted by Indoor66 View Post
    A great post/report. Thanks D H.
    Very glad you appreciate it. If there are subjects/Questions of interest.. list em.

    Larry
    DH

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    A good piece on Secretariat, Larry. In my opinion, he was the greatest of all time (hear me, Man O' War Fans?) I wish there was a way we could have a fantasy race with Secretariat, Man O'War, Count Fleet, Forego, Dr Fager, Swaps, Citation, Kelso, and just for grins, Native Dancer. Would be interesting..
    Bonus tidbit.
    In his Belmont, Secretariat broke Man o' War's record for a mile and 5/8 slowing down..
    Last edited by Devilwin; 05-05-2020 at 07:41 AM.

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC

  8. #68
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    A good piece on Secretariat, Larry. In my opinion, he was the greatest of all time (hear me, Man O' War Fans?) I wish there was a way we could have a fantasy race with Secretariat, Man O'War, Count Fleet, Forego, Dr Fager, Swaps, Citation, Kelso, and just for grins, Native Dancer. Would be interesting..
    Bonus tidbit.
    In his Belmont, Secretariat broke Man o' War's record for a mile and 5/8 slowing down..
    How timely a question..
    Did you know that ABC did something similar this week by running a race with all of the previous Triple Crown winners?
    https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSt...derby-70475141
    Guess who won? No Beyer Speed Figures were apparently available for Sir Barton though.

    But as to your question, it had me wondering on a few questions:
    1) What distance would you run the race?
    2) Would you run it at equal weights or a handicap?
    3) Any other horses?

    Many of these horses were 'stuck' running classic distances because much of the money was there, and to be honest, horses get a better fighting chance when they have time to overcome a poor start or a bad post position, in a longer race. Some of these horses, you might not even know how good a sprinter they really were since they didn't sprint much after their 2YO season. Secretariat won the Gotham at 1 mile in 1:33.2 .. really fast for a young 3YO (Bay Shore at 7f was won, but was slower on a sloppy track); he never raced under a mile again.
    How would a 4YO Secretariat, who started slowly, do at 6f? That Gotham holds up really well when you consider his running style. Secretariat lost 6 races thought! But when he was on, he was brilliant as any horse ever. Too valuable to run as a 4YO, but it would have been fun to see him against a great Forego.

    Man O War won everything, but you can't compare the times from 100 years ago; track technology has improved greatly. He didn't run under a mile after the age of 2. And the breed is different now; the horses are more refined, run fewer races (get injured more), don't run that often as 2YOs.

    Forego, believe it or not, was a sprinter who came from behind. Wicked at 7f; he won the Vosburgh. But he won at all distances. Big long horse. Great fun.

    Citation was a marvelous 2 and 3 year old, but not so much as a 4 and 5 year old; got checks, but not a high win percentage.

    Count Fleet was an immense talent. Only ran at 2 and 3. Won his last race (in the slop) as a 2 YO by 30 lengths. Won his last race (the Belmont) as a 3YO by 25 lengths. Didn't break his maiden till his 4th race. Just takes a little time for some.

    Swaps was a really good horse, who lost very few races. He won the Kentucky Derby his year, but was not entered in the Preakness or the Belmont because it was too expensive for his connections.

    Kelso, the great gelding, was perhaps the greatest handicap horse ever. Took on all comers.

    I would vote for a 1 1/8 mile race at Belmont (1 turn); perhaps with Handicap Weights. Of course, that would depend a bit on what age the horse was when the weight was picked. Is it a 3YO Secretariat vs. a 4YO Forego and a 5YO Kelso?

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    All three year olds. Carrying 126 pounds. 1 1/8 miles. Loved the race, that was awesome. Had to click on 4 sites to find it.

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilHorse View Post
    How timely a question..
    Did you know that ABC did something similar this week by running a race with all of the previous Triple Crown winners?
    https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSt...derby-70475141
    Guess who won? No Beyer Speed Figures were apparently available for Sir Barton though.

    But as to your question, it had me wondering on a few questions:
    1) What distance would you run the race?
    2) Would you run it at equal weights or a handicap?
    3) Any other horses?

    Many of these horses were 'stuck' running classic distances because much of the money was there, and to be honest, horses get a better fighting chance when they have time to overcome a poor start or a bad post position, in a longer race. Some of these horses, you might not even know how good a sprinter they really were since they didn't sprint much after their 2YO season. Secretariat won the Gotham at 1 mile in 1:33.2 .. really fast for a young 3YO (Bay Shore at 7f was won, but was slower on a sloppy track); he never raced under a mile again.
    How would a 4YO Secretariat, who started slowly, do at 6f? That Gotham holds up really well when you consider his running style. Secretariat lost 6 races thought! But when he was on, he was brilliant as any horse ever. Too valuable to run as a 4YO, but it would have been fun to see him against a great Forego.

    Man O War won everything, but you can't compare the times from 100 years ago; track technology has improved greatly. He didn't run under a mile after the age of 2. And the breed is different now; the horses are more refined, run fewer races (get injured more), don't run that often as 2YOs.

    Forego, believe it or not, was a sprinter who came from behind. Wicked at 7f; he won the Vosburgh. But he won at all distances. Big long horse. Great fun.

    Citation was a marvelous 2 and 3 year old, but not so much as a 4 and 5 year old; got checks, but not a high win percentage.

    Count Fleet was an immense talent. Only ran at 2 and 3. Won his last race (in the slop) as a 2 YO by 30 lengths. Won his last race (the Belmont) as a 3YO by 25 lengths. Didn't break his maiden till his 4th race. Just takes a little time for some.

    Swaps was a really good horse, who lost very few races. He won the Kentucky Derby his year, but was not entered in the Preakness or the Belmont because it was too expensive for his connections.

    Kelso, the great gelding, was perhaps the greatest handicap horse ever. Took on all comers.

    I would vote for a 1 1/8 mile race at Belmont (1 turn); perhaps with Handicap Weights. Of course, that would depend a bit on what age the horse was when the weight was picked. Is it a 3YO Secretariat vs. a 4YO Forego and a 5YO Kelso?

    Larry
    DevilHorse
    Larry
    Secretariat lost 3, dq'ed once. Won 16. He had a stomach illness twice, and an infected hay brier in his upper lip just before the Wood.

  11. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Larry
    Secretariat lost 3, dq'ed once. Won 16. He had a stomach illness twice, and an infected hay brier in his upper lip just before the Wood.
    Whoops, 6 from memory was wrong, it was 5.
    1 DQ (bore in and won by 2), and 4 not firsts.
    Maiden loss, and maybe he had 2 stomach illnesses and a hay brier in the other 3, but really, 3 of 24 excuses is a lot.
    4-Maiden
    DQ in Champagne
    3rd in Wood
    2nd in Whitney to the immortal Onion
    2nd in Woodward in the slop to Prove Out
    Secretariat never got a "W" in every stakes race that he started with a "W"!!! (Useless Secretariat fact of the Week)

    Lauren should have known his horse was off and scratched that valuable animal.
    I scratched a horse out of a stakes race because she coughed once; and she wasn't worth 1/100 of Secretariat.
    I just think Secretariat was a little flakier than other horses that can overcome anything. Just my view.
    Hey, he had 3 white socks. He did overcome that.

    Old horse adage about white feet.
    One white foot, keep him not a day,
    Two white feet, send him far away,
    Three white feet, sell him to a friend,
    Four white feet, keep him to the end.


    Larry
    DevilHorse
    Last edited by DevilHorse; 05-07-2020 at 09:47 PM.

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Bill Nack wrote the horse had runny bowels in two of the races he lost. Excuses? More like bad luck. Maybe Lucien should have scratched him. He lost one race in slop deputizing for Riva Ridge, who was horrible in mud, a race he barely trained for.

  13. #73
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Bill Nack wrote the horse had runny bowels in two of the races he lost. Excuses? More like bad luck. Maybe Lucien should have scratched him. He lost one race in slop deputizing for Riva Ridge, who was horrible in mud, a race he barely trained for.
    Although I did not read any books on Secretariat, the movie suggested that Penney Tweety was very much involved with decisions. Although her (from the gut) decisions I'm sure were much more reasoned, she certainly loved the horse, and having been there from foaling, would have had the horse's health at heart in decisions. Other than the Triple Crown races, there is always another race.

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Bill Nack spent the better part of two years following the horse and his people. I had forgotten his troubles in his maiden race. Nack's book, "Secretariat, The Making Of A Champion," is a great read.
    Frankly, I was not a fan of the movie. They left out too much. They showed Secretariat saving Meadow Stable, when in fact it was Riva Ridge the year before with victories in the Derby and Belmont that saved them from ruin. And, although Penny loved Secretariat, Riva was her favorite. She felt Secretariat had all the advantages, while Riva wasn't the Adonis Big Red was. The Malkovic version of Lauren made him look like a crack pot,,nothing could have been more untrue.
    Last edited by Devilwin; 05-08-2020 at 11:33 AM.

  15. #75
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Bill Nack spent the better part of two years following the horse and his people. I had forgotten his troubles in his maiden race. Nack's book, "Secretariat, The Making Of A Champion," is a great read.
    Frankly, I was not a fan of the movie. They left out too much. They showed Secretariat saving Meadow Stable, when in fact it was Riva Ridge the year before with victories in the Derby and Belmont that saved them from ruin. And, although Penny loved Secretariat, Riva was her favorite. She felt Secretariat had all the advantages, while Riva wasn't the Adonis Big Red was. The Malkovic version of Lauren made him look like a crack pot,,nothing could have been more untrue.
    Yes, I know of Riva Ridge. He would have won the Triple Crown in 1972 if not for a sloppy track in the Preakness (he hated the slop). But then, you can't pick the conditions or the track; that makes champions.

    I would have attended Seattle Slew's coronation in 1977, but it was given the same day as the GREs (morning regular, afternoon advanced), so I couldn't attend. I recall that it was quite the sloppy track; it didn't bother him.

    Temperance Hill paid boxcars on a sloppy track. It was just his day.

    If only Gone West had a sloppy track. Oh my. That horse had water wings.

    Larry

  16. #76
    Some resumption of major tracks will begin this coming weekend 5/15/2020, with Santa Anita (Fri) and Chuchill Downs (Sat).
    There are full fields, as you can imagine, and some top horses in allowance races (Monomoy Girl and Four Wheel Drive, both Breeder's Cup Winners in Allowance Races on Sunday at CD).

    A rescheduling of races with Derby implications has not yet been announced, while the race course landscape continues to unfold. Certainly known races like the Santa Anita Derby, Lexington Stakes, Derby Trial, Wood Memorial that have Derby points associated with them, can be rescheduled and perhaps re-located. Other races like the Jim Dandy, Travers, Haskell, which are nominated or invitational races for 3YOs might be given Derby point significance. Still other races could be conjured up, depending on need.

    Some of the leading horses are still registering workouts on the dockit, while others are getting a little R&R. It is not unusual to give several weeks to a month off and bring a horse back slowly if you anticipate a summer campaign before a late summer Kentucky Derby. There is still a fog as to whether the Preakness and Belmont will be run before or after the Kentucky Derby, although I think most people will come to their senses and run it after. But then they run the risk of coming close to the Breeders Cup season after the Belmont. If the Kentucky Derby is Early September, followed by the Preakness in 2 weeks and the Belmont 3 weeks later, that is early October. The Breeders Cup is the end of October. That is all the racing that horse will do, and that will be a tired 3YO. They could of course push the Breeders Cup to November, but it is at Keeneland this year; it could get a bit nippy in KY in late November.

    Fun Fact: Did anyone notice that they used Keeneland as the background for the Belmont scenes for the Secretariat movie? Really! Just not the same.

    Perhaps the opening of the tracks portends well for Sporting Events in general, as I hear that Professional Leagues are making plans to open, without fans. (piping in fan noise).

    Does anyone remember the Durham Bulls away games where they had a 1 or 2 minutes background tape that they looped? You could hear the same yelling, on cue. They replicated this in the movie Bull Durham, but of course, the real experience was quite different (as Rose said in Titanic).

    Of course, spikes in the coronavirus may cause a pullback in racing, now and then, but hopefully our governments have better monitoring and control of the situation while we wait for better medication and a vaccine to end this global mess/nightmare.

    Larry
    Devilhorse
    Last edited by DevilHorse; 05-14-2020 at 08:30 AM.

  17. #77

    Rescheduling Is Happening - More Races Starting Memorial Day Weekend

    Quote Originally Posted by DevilHorse View Post

    A rescheduling of races with Derby implications has not yet been announced, while the race course landscape continues to unfold. Certainly known races like the Santa Anita Derby, Lexington Stakes, Derby Trial, Wood Memorial that have Derby points associated with them, can be rescheduled and perhaps re-located. Other races like the Jim Dandy, Travers, Haskell, which are nominated or invitational races for 3YOs might be given Derby point significance. Still other races could be conjured up, depending on need.
    Well, it is a good thing some 3YOs have kept tuned up because the Kentucky Derby crew was torquing up new races as I was writing that entry. There are several articles out on the internet, or your local newspaper, identifying a number of races that have been designated as Kentucky Derby prep races. Here is one such article:
    https://sports.nbcsports.com/2020/05...by-qualifying/

    I'll borrow some text here:

    The schedule is:

    – East: Haskell (100-40-20-10) and
    Pegasus (20-8-4-2) at Monmouth Park in New Jersey

    – Midwest: Matt Winn (50-20-10-5); # Churchill Downs back in the Derby game - Scheduled 5/23
    Indiana Derby (20-8-4-2); # Indiana gets props if it opens - tentatively scheduled 7/11 Is that a date for a Racino or what????
    Blue Grass (100-40-20-10); and # Keeneland? or perhaps Churchill Downs if Keeneland is closed
    Ellis Park Derby (50-20-10-5) # Ellis Park is in Kentucky - tentatively scheduled for August 8 or 9

    – West: Santa Anita Derby (100-40-20-10); # This one will be on time and will be the Baffert Invitational
    Los Alamitos Derby (20-8-4-2); and # Would they still run this anywhere else but Los Alamitos?
    Shared Belief (50-20-10-5) at Del Mar # any Jim Rome fans out there?

    The dates for most of these races are not solid.
    The first of these races will be the Matt Winn stakes on May 23 (that is next Saturday for those of you in a cave).
    There are tentative plans for New Jersey to open up racing at Monmouth in a week, so the Haskell could go off July 18. This year the Haskell is not an Invitational since it is a lead-in to the derby.
    The Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth is August 15.
    All of the dates, except the Matt Winn at this point, could change.

    A few minor racing notes:
    + Not all horses are made for the Derby trail. Baffert had an interesting horse break its maiden, at first asking, last August at Delmar, by 8 lengths as a 3YO. Then the horse reappears today as a 4YO in the 3rd on the opening day at Santa Anita. Put in an outrageous 4f work in December, and has worked modestly since. Obviously has health issues. Good Luck to the the owners of Tale of the Union today in the 3rd race at Santa Anita. These owners have stuck with this animal, no doubt for 3 years, paying big bills with Baffert.
    http://www.brisnet.com/php/bw_pdf_vi...975&param3=975


    + Green Light Go appears Saturday in Race 6 at Gulfstream Park in the Roar Stakes (minor). He picked up minor laurels most recently in the Swale Stakes and stays sprinting.
    http://www.brisnet.com/php/bw_pdf_vi...&param3=860520

    + Toledo, a nice 3YO who finished a 3rd behind Tiz The Law and Ete Indian in the Holy Bull, races in the 9th at Churchill Downs on Sunday vs. Wrecking Crew in an Optional Claimer.
    http://www.brisnet.com/php/bw_pdf_vi...param3=1218060


    Hope you find this note interesting enough to follow these horses.

    Larry
    DevilHorse




    Adjustments will be made to the Road to the Derby for Europe and Japan in the coming weeks.

  18. #78
    On Friday, Tale Of The Union never saw the rail, stalked the pace, raced a bit greenly, but never showed a rally. He finished second to last. The exacta had two long-shots in it. $1 pays $182 in an 8 horse field.

    Back at Gulfstream Park, a filly mentioned earlier in the year, Tonalist's Shape, came back from her first lifetime defeat to wo-manhandle a field of fillies in a minor stake in the slop. She stalked the pace and circled the field on the far turn to win by 3. It was her first race on the slop.

    Larry
    DevilHorse

  19. #79
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Thomasville, NC
    Used to listen to Rome's "Jungle" every day. Do you think they may do a virtual Preakness and Belmont?

  20. #80
    Quote Originally Posted by Devilwin View Post
    Used to listen to Rome's "Jungle" every day. Do you think they may do a virtual Preakness and Belmont?
    You bring up an interesting situation, which has just become even more interesting today.
    I assume that "Virtual Preakness and Belmont" suggests no crowd.

    Let me update some facts before I get to that answer.

    I saw a more detailed presentation of the new points and race set-up toward the Kentucky Derby, and it looks like this:

    KYD Points: 150-60-30-15:
    Preakness - TBD # Genius: I want to win the Preakness only so I have enough points to be in the KY Derby... Genius
    Belmont - TBD # Like the top one or two horses from the Preakness and Belmont wouldn't rate a start in the KY Derby? Sure, let a horse that finished 3rd in the Rebel in first. Genius move!

    KYD Points: 100-40-30-10:
    Santa Anita Derby - June 6th
    Haskell - July 18th
    Blue Grass - TBD

    KYD Points: 50-20-10-5:
    Matt Winn - May 23rd
    Shared Belief - TBD # Jim Rome was a part owner
    Ellis Park Derby - TBD

    KYD Points: 20-8-4-2:
    Los Alamitos Derby - July 4th
    Pegasus Stakes - August 15th
    Indiana Derby - TBD

    No additional information on International races for points.. who knows, maybe a grass race at Royal Ascot

    So the powers that be are definitely considering the "Preakness/Belmont" before the KY Derby option rather than after.
    With those races scoring points for the Derby.

    Would they be virtual (no spectators)? That will depend on the state of the virus at the time. But I would venture a guess that it will NEVER be a free for all. Owners maybe. Limited, masked covered people, absolutely. But no bacchanal in the center field at Pimlico, you can be sure. Kegasus will be kept in the stable.

    Now, imagine what either the Preakness or Belmont as the first of the Triple Crown races would look like with the KY Derby as the last of them. Does the first race all of sudden turn into the charmed full field that draws in all of the top horses? You know there has always been a pattern where the top horses flock to the KY Derby, then some losers or not top horses take the Preakness off in the hopes of being fresh enough to take on the 'worn down' horses that ran in the Preakness, but stay for the Belmont. Let's say the Preakness is first. How do they manage the entries for that race on the smaller Preakness track with its tighter turns. At least the KY Derby has a formula for entries. The Preakness (I don't believe) had that kind of problem. The Belmont never had a full field. A mile and a half race would be really easy for an owner to skip, even if it were a million dollars in August. They might even space out the Preakness/Belmont/KY Derby not to be in 5 weeks, which would certainly cheapen any Triple Crown (possible) champion. Lots to ponder here.

    BTW, I heard that Saratoga was cancelled for the summer. Also NY Racing announced today it open (no spectators for the moment) starting June 1. Could Saratoga be resurrected? I'm sure they will still have the Saratoga yearling sale. It is the life's blood of many breeders; the reason they are there is the race meet.

    Larry
    DevilHorse

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