Horse Racing 2023

[DevilHorse]

The Black Eyed Susan was won by longshot Taxed!
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659678860139716608
Taxed came from behind to easily beat Hoosier Philly. The latter put in her best effort this year, but still seems to not have improved much over last year. This race seems to me to have a small purse ($200k) relative to its' cache; too bad. Compare that to $1.25M for the Kentucky Oaks. Faiza phased out; apparently the move back to the Baffert barn was baffling.

40% chance of rain at Pimlico today.

Larry
DevilHorse

BTW, Taxed is sired by ... Collected!

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

In the Miss Preakness stakes, Maple Leaf Mel was tremendous and remains undefeated (albeit at sprint distances):
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659654409121562624
Notice how the jockey stops race riding with a half a furlong to go; she could have won by a lot more. Key Of Life was not good.
Bonus video of an interview with the lady for whom Maple Leaf Mel is named:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659655699507589120

Rattle N Roll won the Pimlico Special:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659670374060277761
Speed Bias was tremendous in defeat. If you like close stretch battles, this one is for you.
It looked like Rattle N Roll knew where the finish line was and put his nose in front ONLY at that last moment. Smart horse (says the people who bet on him).

The Black Eyed Susan was won by longshot Taxed!
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659678860139716608
Taxed came from behind to easily beat Hoosier Philly. The latter put in her best effort this year, but still seems to not have improved much over last year. This race seems to me to have a small purse ($200k) relative to its' cache; too bad. Compare that to $1.25M for the Kentucky Oaks. Faiza phased out; apparently the move back to the Baffert barn was baffling.

40% chance of rain at Pimlico today.

Larry
DevilHorse

It seems it was a bet on the gray day, Taxed and Maple Leaf Mel. Regarding the Black Eyed Susan, not only a small purse, but also only a G2. I know, Grade 2’s are not easy races, but shouldn’t your signature three year old filly race be a G1?

Baffert’s horse, Faiza, seems to symptomatic of California racing. The fields tend to be small so when the horse wins you really don’t know what they beat. When they come East they seem to underperform. Since he has a highly regarded colt in the Preakness we will see.

The elephant in the room regarding Baffert is whether his current lack of “some” success is due to the heightened scrutiny he is under, meaning his horses have to run completely clean. He is still successful just not blowing everyone else away like he did for a while. He also has deep pocket owners. MyRacehorse just offered shares in a Baffert trainee for the first time since the Ky Derby scandal. I still often think of how long Lance Armstrong evaded detection of his doping.

[brevity]

nationaltreasure2.jpg

[DevilHorse]

Saturday is Preakness Day. All races listed here are at Pimlico:

Race 4 is the Sir Barton Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Saturday May 20, 2023; Pimlico - Race 4; PPs ]
Arabian Lion was just beaten in the Lexington by the horse that is the likely 2nd choice in the Preakness. AND a first time Lasix (betting angle)
Tapit’s Conquest – Good Jockey, competed against very good horses and showed good speed.


Race 6 is the Chick Lang Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Saturday May 20, 2023; Pimlico - Race 6; PPs ]
Havnameltdown is really good. But he is returning from a big race in Saudi Arabia where he was just nosed out after running a courageous race. Sometimes these horses need lots of time to recover. I don’t know how it is going to go, but this is a shorter race than he ran there.
Super Chow is the next best horse, and seems to be far above the remaining horses.
The above 2 are both frontrunners. So if there is a speed duel, I might not take either, but Havnameltdown will last longer.
If you want a come from behind horse, assuming the top 2 have a speed duel pick a come from behind horse like Frosted Departure

Race 10 is the Jim McKay Turf Sprint:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Saturday May 20, 2023; Pimlico - Race 10; PPs ]
I remember Jim McKay – good guy
Coppola – the fastest horse
Nothing Better – Will go to the front; should be helped by previous start, this is his 2nd race. Downgrade in jockey.
That’s Right – also a front runner but not as fast.
Watch out for a speed duel up front. – Uncle Ernie could be a factor in that case.

Race 13 is the Preakness:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Saturday May 20, 2023; Pimlico - Race 13; PPs ]
Wow, 2 top horses and the rest are way below..
First Mission – might be just as fast as Mage but couldn’t get into the Kentucky Derby. You'll get a better Return On Investment (ROI) with this one.
Mage – your KY Derby winner. Probably odds are too low to bet
Red Route One – could outkick Mage

Good luck to the DevilPony who will be in attendance (again).

Larry
DevilHorse

In the Sir Barton Stakes, I gave you the cold exacta that probably wasn't worth betting:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659957986045861888
Arabian Lion over Tapit's Conquest. Arabian Lion received a 103 Beyer; the highest of the day.

In the Chick Lang, the thoughts are dominated by the break down of Havnameltdown:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659981269365661698
Jockey Luis Saez is in the hospital. Ryvit won but who's counting? Ryvit received a 93 Beyer.


The Jim McKay was won by Beer Can Man:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1660017513902784512
Beer Can Man received a 96 Beyer.

And the Preakness was won by National Treasure:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1660064751836176384
Mage did not have the oompf that he displayed the KYD. In my view, the pace was a bit slow making it hard to close when the front runners are still fresh (in several ways). National Treasure received a 98 Beyer.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

In the Sir Barton Stakes, I gave you the cold exacta that probably wasn't worth betting:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659957986045861888
Arabian Lion over Tapit's Conquest. Arabian Lion received a 103 Beyer; the highest of the day.

In the Chick Lang, the thoughts are dominated by the break down of Havnameltdown:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1659981269365661698
Jockey Luis Saez is in the hospital. Ryvit won but who's counting? Ryvit received a 93 Beyer.


The Jim McKay was won by Beer Can Man:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1660017513902784512
Beer Can Man received a 96 Beyer.

And the Preakness was won by National Treasure:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1660064751836176384
Mage did not have the oompf that he displayed the KYD. In my view, the pace was a bit slow making it hard to close when the front runners are still fresh (in several ways). National Treasure received a 98 Beyer.

Larry
DevilHorse

My exacta of the day was Nagirroc/FuntasticAgain. Nagirroc went off at even money while Funtastic was second choice at about 4/1. The exacta paid 8/1 or $18.00 on a $2 bet. I bet it twice my normal bet, kept watching the probable pays, and kept repeating the bet 3 more times when it never came down. For insurance I reluctantly bet the even money horse to win. All paid off and I felt smart. This was my first bet of the day as other things were going on in my life. I then bet Mage to win and returned to earth but still pocketed winnings for the day.

I actually felt sorry for Baffert. I was elated for Johnny V to win the Preakness. After a half in almost 49 seconds you knew National Treasure would probably win.

Reading articles about the sad state of Maryland racing was depressing. It appeared to me there were lots of empty seats. DevilHorse what did your son have to say about that? It was also noteworthy that the stakes on the undercard were $100,000 purses, when Churchill Downs was running maiden races with purses of $120,000.

I liked the NBC crew suggestion of spacing each Triple Crown Race to the first Saturday of May, June and July. In all likelihood Forte, Two Phil’s and others from the Derby would have run and the race would have set up differently. On the whole that was a really weak field.

I often do random searches of pedigrees. Looking at Native Dancer who was 21 wins and 1 second lifetime was revealing. His second was in the Ky. Derby. Two weeks later he won the Withers. A week later he won the Preakness. How did today’s thoroughbreds become such woosies? While humans are much faster today than 50 years ago, Secretariat holds the fastest times in all three Triple Crown races. The horses today supposedly have better nutrition, health care and yet can’t beat Secretariat’s time. DevilHorse, I believe you have touched on this before. Does the thoroughbred line need a genetic infusion from a different horse breed?

[DevilHorse]

My exacta of the day was Nagirroc/FuntasticAgain. Nagirroc went off at even money while Funtastic was second choice at about 4/1. The exacta paid 8/1 or $18.00 on a $2 bet. I bet it twice my normal bet, kept watching the probable pays, and kept repeating the bet 3 more times when it never came down. For insurance I reluctantly bet the even money horse to win. All paid off and I felt smart. This was my first bet of the day as other things were going on in my life. I then bet Mage to win and returned to earth but still pocketed winnings for the day.

I actually felt sorry for Baffert. I was elated for Johnny V to win the Preakness. After a half in almost 49 seconds you knew National Treasure would probably win.

Reading articles about the sad state of Maryland racing was depressing. It appeared to me there were lots of empty seats. DevilHorse what did your son have to say about that? It was also noteworthy that the stakes on the undercard were $100,000 purses, when Churchill Downs was running maiden races with purses of $120,000.

I liked the NBC crew suggestion of spacing each Triple Crown Race to the first Saturday of May, June and July. In all likelihood Forte, Two Phil’s and others from the Derby would have run and the race would have set up differently. On the whole that was a really weak field.

I often do random searches of pedigrees. Looking at Native Dancer who was 21 wins and 1 second lifetime was revealing. His second was in the Ky. Derby. Two weeks later he won the Withers. A week later he won the Preakness. How did today’s thoroughbreds become such woosies? While humans are much faster today than 50 years ago, Secretariat holds the fastest times in all three Triple Crown races. The horses today supposedly have better nutrition, health care and yet can’t beat Secretariat’s time. DevilHorse, I believe you have touched on this before. Does the thoroughbred line need a genetic infusion from a different horse breed?

Greetings all. Sorry for the late response, but I was at a family wedding. Great time.

I talked to the DevilPony about his time at Pimlico on Saturday. He said that the crowd (he spent time in the infield and the grandstand) grew with time and was fairly full (and happy) by mid-afternoon. So I would suggest that your impression of the attendance might have depended on when you saw the stands/infield. BTW, DevilPony had a great time, and won. He's going back again next year.
He obviously was under the influence when he made that decision

Ah, Native Dancer, the Gray Ghost. Here is the story of his only loss:
https://pastthewire.com/the-1953-ken...-only-blemish/
Great horse and sire. He can be found in the pedigrees of many thoroughbreds including Alydar and Affirmed, and Essential Quality. He also happens to be the broodmare sire of Northern Dancer, who has absolutely dominated the breeding of turf horses around the world!!

I had a talk at the wedding about the time between races. This was a casual fan. So there are a lot of opinions supporting the spreading out of the Triple Crown series.

Maiden race purses at the bigger tracks are bloated. Possibly because after buying a yearling, or raising a foal, you have considerable costs. A big maiden purse helps owners once they FINALLY get a horse to the track. This is attractive for expensive yearling owners. The only caution here, as a bettor, is to try to know any trainer who gets a case of 'second-itis' because running for a check in a big purse (small talent) race, has been known to happen. Knowing your trainer's tendencies necessarily become a factor. I am more apt to bet a trainer whose trainees win often at first asking. This behavior follows the trainer, not the jockey.

I'm not sure how you will get an infusion of horse blood from elsewhere without reducing the speed of this set of thoroughbreds. It is rare that you don't give up some speed to get soundness. I'm reminded of Reviewer whose progeny were very apt to have ankle/fetlock problems. Ruffian was a daughter of Reviewer; she had multiple sesamoid (bones in the fetlock) injuries before they finally broke.
But I digress a little; I've seen some very stout horses, in the standardbreds, that were healthier and provided some speed. Inbreeding to these types of horses can improve the health of the breed, possibly without losing speed. For standardbreds, Good Time and Albatross are these types of stout horses who raced often, fast, and healthily. Flightline would not seem to be one of these horses; he was super fast, but also seemed to have nagging health issues (perhaps lingering owner issues). Essential Quality ran many races without a hitch; he might the type. Breeding experts are supposed to balance the mare's deficiency with a good choice of sire; but how many breeders will choose health over speed (or owners would buy it)? Certainly there are Australian, Japanese, Argentinian, and European horses with a somewhat different gene pool, but they suffer from similar issues. However, if hybrid vigor is given a chance to improve the health of horses, I have a suggestion to make to the TBreds. Allow artificial insemination!! This would allow horses to be sired by any horse in the world, without greatly increasing the risk to health by moving a mare to where a sire is (live cover is the rule now). The mare could stay at home and still get the benefit of a far off stallion that fits their profile.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Greetings all. Sorry for the late response, but I was at a family wedding. Great time.

I talked to the DevilPony about his time at Pimlico on Saturday. He said that the crowd (he spent time in the infield and the grandstand) grew with time and was fairly full (and happy) by mid-afternoon. So I would suggest that your impression of the attendance might have depended on when you saw the stands/infield. BTW, DevilPony had a great time, and won. He's going back again next year.
He obviously was under the influence when he made that decision

Ah, Native Dancer, the Gray Ghost. Here is the story of his only loss:
https://pastthewire.com/the-1953-ken...-only-blemish/
Great horse and sire. He can be found in the pedigrees of many thoroughbreds including Alydar and Affirmed, and Essential Quality. He also happens to be the broodmare sire of Northern Dancer, who has absolutely dominated the breeding of turf horses around the world!!

I had a talk at the wedding about the time between races. This was a casual fan. So there are a lot of opinions supporting the spreading out of the Triple Crown series.

Maiden race purses at the bigger tracks are bloated. Possibly because after buying a yearling, or raising a foal, you have considerable costs. A big maiden purse helps owners once they FINALLY get a horse to the track. This is attractive for expensive yearling owners. The only caution here, as a bettor, is to try to know any trainer who gets a case of 'second-itis' because running for a check in a big purse (small talent) race, has been known to happen. Knowing your trainer's tendencies necessarily become a factor. I am more apt to bet a trainer whose trainees win often at first asking. This behavior follows the trainer, not the jockey.

I'm not sure how you will get an infusion of horse blood from elsewhere without reducing the speed of this set of thoroughbreds. It is rare that you don't give up some speed to get soundness. I'm reminded of Reviewer whose progeny were very apt to have ankle/fetlock problems. Ruffian was a daughter of Reviewer; she had multiple sesamoid (bones in the fetlock) injuries before they finally broke.
But I digress a little; I've seen some very stout horses, in the standardbreds, that were healthier and provided some speed. Inbreeding to these types of horses can improve the health of the breed, possibly without losing speed. For standardbreds, Good Time and Albatross are these types of stout horses who raced often, fast, and healthily. Flightline would not seem to be one of these horses; he was super fast, but also seemed to have nagging health issues (perhaps lingering owner issues). Essential Quality ran many races without a hitch; he might the type. Breeding experts are supposed to balance the mare's deficiency with a good choice of sire; but how many breeders will choose health over speed (or owners would buy it)? Certainly there are Australian, Japanese, Argentinian, and European horses with a somewhat different gene pool, but they suffer from similar issues. However, if hybrid vigor is given a chance to improve the health of horses, I have a suggestion to make to the TBreds. Allow artificial insemination!! This would allow horses to be sired by any horse in the world, without greatly increasing the risk to health by moving a mare to where a sire is (live cover is the rule now). The mare could stay at home and still get the benefit of a far off stallion that fits their profile.

Larry
DevilHorse

Thanks for the link to the article on Native Dancer. Interesting that he was beaten by a horse who had just won the Derby Trial a few days before the Derby. Which gets back to the question why do today’s thoroughbreds run so sparingly. I’m not advocating to run horses more often, just wondering what caused the change in training methods. Having watched thoroughbred races for over fifty years I have seen it with my own eyes, but don’t necessarily understand why the change. When I read the book on Seabisquit it had a list of all his races. I was shocked with how many times he ran. I understand that high priced colts are potentially so valuable as stud horses the owners and trainers don’t want to risk injury. But it seems even cheap horses don’t run nearly as often as they used to.

DevilHorse, I noticed Churchill’s newest track, Oak Grove, which is a harness track located right outside the gates of Fort Campbell, KY. is racing with several $50,000 purses. Are those considered good purses for harness horses? This casino, track and hotel is second closest from Nashville. The Mint gaming Hall aka Ky. Downs is the closest. So Churchill wanted in on that territory. Both are literally almost on the Tennessee/Kentucky state line. Tennessee only allows sports betting and then only online. So the slots players have to travel to Kentucky, or travel two hours further to Illinois or Indiana to go to an actual casino with board games.

[DevilHorse]

Thanks for the link to the article on Native Dancer. Interesting that he was beaten by a horse who had just won the Derby Trial a few days before the Derby. Which gets back to the question why do today’s thoroughbreds run so sparingly. I’m not advocating to run horses more often, just wondering what caused the change in training methods. Having watched thoroughbred races for over fifty years I have seen it with my own eyes, but don’t necessarily understand why the change. When I read the book on Seabisquit it had a list of all his races. I was shocked with how many times he ran. I understand that high priced colts are potentially so valuable as stud horses the owners and trainers don’t want to risk injury. But it seems even cheap horses don’t run nearly as often as they used to.

DevilHorse, I noticed Churchill’s newest track, Oak Grove, which is a harness track located right outside the gates of Fort Campbell, KY. is racing with several $50,000 purses. Are those considered good purses for harness horses? This casino, track and hotel is second closest from Nashville. The Mint gaming Hall aka Ky. Downs is the closest. So Churchill wanted in on that territory. Both are literally almost on the Tennessee/Kentucky state line. Tennessee only allows sports betting and then only online. So the slots players have to travel to Kentucky, or travel two hours further to Illinois or Indiana to go to an actual casino with board games.

I've been following some of the horses that race at Oak Grove. For this time of year, $50k is pretty good for stakes horses. The top standardbreds DO NOT race until the end of May or June. Much bigger purses start then through November when we have our Breeder's Crown (inspired by the Breeder's Cup). Standardbreds have to qualify in a minimum time, so I can track activity based on that. Many good horses are ready to start racing and have appeared at overnight races at some big tracks.

Greater minds than mine will have to figure out how to breed a more robust racehorse. But in breeding, like other things, follow the money.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Folks,

https://twitter.com/DRFLivingston/st...99297190146050

6 wins out of 9 starts against top competition is pretty good.
He was 26 years old which is a good run for a horse.
He was by Mr. Prospector out of a Danzig mare; classic stuff.

Had one of the more notable names for a Kentucky Derby winner.
Did not do a lot in the breeding shed.

One of his breeders was Arthur Hancock of Claiborne Farm. One enigmatic aspect is that Arthur Hancock comes from a long line of Arthur Hancocks. One of them, Arthur 'Bull' Hancock is the guy who tossed the coin for the Secretariat foal choice. OK, so I'll give them all credit.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Not many races this weekend, but there are a few familiar older horse names running.

In the Triple Bend Handicap on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Saturday May 27, 2023; Santa Anita Park - Race 8, PPs ]
Forbidden Kingdom reappears. This mercurial and Mercury like quick colt will try to hold his speed against the likes of C Z Rocket. Also, an up and coming colt named Spirit of Makena will move up in company to test the top two.

On Monday, a couple of races at Lone Star Park:

The Texas Derby will be run:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 10, PPs ]
These 3 YOs will be vying for a decent purse. Curly Jack was someone I was following on the KYD trail, but I'm not sure he is as good as some others here. Harlocap and Hayes Strike look to be a bit better. Perhaps the winner will think they are King Of The World and will try tougher company. But the money is pretty good for this level.

The Steve Sexton Mile has familiar also ran and KYD trail (from 3 years ago) refugee Silver Prospector:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 12, PPs ]
Kupuna, Endorsed, and Touchuponastar will be competing too.

In news, Texas horse racing is in a tough spot. If you recall, it was the Texas Racing Association that brought the HISA folks to court over unconstitutional provisions. As a result, since HISA is moving forward, Texas is opting out of greater participation in the horse world by not allowing simulcasting of races (or that's what I read); this means that 95% of the money that these tracks get, they will not get until this is resolved. The bureaucrats should be horse whipped (without HISA protection); in a non-violent way of course (we don't endorse violent whipping of anybody).

Bob Baffert lost his final appeal on the Churchill Downs lawsuit. TheDevilMadeMeDoIt will be starting a gofundme.com account on BB's behalf no doubt.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Not many races this weekend, but there are a few familiar older horse names running.

In the Triple Bend Handicap on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Saturday May 27, 2023; Santa Anita Park - Race 8, PPs ]
Forbidden Kingdom reappears. This mercurial and Mercury like quick colt will try to hold his speed against the likes of C Z Rocket. Also, an up and coming colt named Spirit of Makena will move up in company to test the top two.

On Monday, a couple of races at Lone Star Park:

The Texas Derby will be run:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 10, PPs ]
These 3 YOs will be vying for a decent purse. Curly Jack was someone I was following on the KYD trail, but I'm not sure he is as good as some others here. Harlocap and Hayes Strike look to be a bit better. Perhaps the winner will think they are King Of The World and will try tougher company. But the money is pretty good for this level.

The Steve Sexton Mile has familiar also ran and KYD trail (from 3 years ago) refugee Silver Prospector:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 12, PPs ]
Kupuna, Endorsed, and Touchuponastar will be competing too.

In news, Texas horse racing is in a tough spot. If you recall, it was the Texas Racing Association that brought the HISA folks to court over unconstitutional provisions. As a result, since HISA is moving forward, Texas is opting out of greater participation in the horse world by not allowing simulcasting of races (or that's what I read); this means that 95% of the money that these tracks get, they will not get until this is resolved. The bureaucrats should be horse whipped (without HISA protection); in a non-violent way of course (we don't endorse violent whipping of anybody).

Bob Baffert lost his final appeal on the Churchill Downs lawsuit. TheDevilMadeMeDoIt will be starting a gofundme.com account on BB's behalf no doubt.

Larry
DevilHorse

I would love to know how much Bob spent fighting Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Racing Commission on their turf. Didn’t his lawyers explain that politics plays a big role in Court decisions. For proof look no further than our U.S. Supreme Court.

On another note, is the Texas Racing Association trying to close the state’s horse tracks? If you don’t live in the South you really can’t appreciate the utter stupidity of some of our state politicians. I wonder how some of them can even find their way to the State Capitol.

[DevilHorse]

I would love to know how much Bob spent fighting Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Racing Commission on their turf. Didn’t his lawyers explain that politics plays a big role in Court decisions. For proof look no further than our U.S. Supreme Court.

On another note, is the Texas Racing Association trying to close the state’s horse tracks? If you don’t live in the South you really can’t appreciate the utter stupidity of some of our state politicians. I wonder how some of them can even find their way to the State Capitol.

My impression is that they don't care. These politicians are looking for something to do and their in-state racing infrastructure will be collateral damage.

On another note, Bill Mott will be the new trainer of Rich Strike; this will be interesting.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

My impression is that they don't care. These politicians are looking for something to do and their in-state racing infrastructure will be collateral damage.

On another note, Bill Mott will be the new trainer of Rich Strike; this will be interesting.

Larry
DevilHorse

I looked back at Rich Strike’s races after the Ky. Derby. He should have won a $500,000 stakes at Churchill Downs last October. His jockey, Sonny Leon, tried to interfere with Tyler Gafflione on Hot Rod Charlie. Instead of riding his horse who had momentum Leon spent his effort on grabbing Tyler and his horse. Leon lost and I believe was suspended for his actions. In other races he was beaten mainly by superior horses. One would think with Epicenter deceased and Flightline in the breeding shed Rich Strike might win some important races this year. If you look at Rich Strike’s pedigree he may be just like his dad, Keen Ice. Keen Ice only won 3 times out of 24 races, but he won the Travers and almost $3.5 million, not bad monetarily. That makes him a hard horse to bet but doesn’t diminish the fact he from time to time could run a hell of a race.

I feel bad for small time trainers who lose good horses but the switch may work out. Eric Reed despite losing the horse will never lose the glorious feeling of winning the Kentucky Derby.

[DevilHorse]

Not many races this weekend, but there are a few familiar older horse names running.

In the Triple Bend Handicap on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Saturday May 27, 2023; Santa Anita Park - Race 8, PPs ]
Forbidden Kingdom reappears. This mercurial and Mercury like quick colt will try to hold his speed against the likes of C Z Rocket. Also, an up and coming colt named Spirit of Makena will move up in company to test the top two.

On Monday, a couple of races at Lone Star Park:

The Texas Derby will be run:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 10, PPs ]
These 3 YOs will be vying for a decent purse. Curly Jack was someone I was following on the KYD trail, but I'm not sure he is as good as some others here. Harlocap and Hayes Strike look to be a bit better. Perhaps the winner will think they are King Of The World and will try tougher company. But the money is pretty good for this level.

The Steve Sexton Mile has familiar also ran and KYD trail (from 3 years ago) refugee Silver Prospector:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 12, PPs ]
Kupuna, Endorsed, and Touchuponastar will be competing too.


Larry
DevilHorse

In yesterday's Triple Bend Handicap, Spirit Of Makena won:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1662608953262604288
Forbidden Kingdom was doing his old trick of leading the race and fading; he'll have to change tactics if he wants to earn decent money. The race was not that fast.

Forte' is working towards the Belmont Stakes.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1662451397390901250

For those of you who might be interested in something different.. The Elitloppet is being run this morning at Solvalla Racetrack in Sweden. It is one of the well known International trotting races. It will be on Fanduel TVG. It is heat racing; a staple of stakes races for many years in the standardbred world, only a couple of races do that here anymore. Some races, like the Hambletonian, now split the qualifying races into 'week before' races rather than running them on the same day. The standardbreds used to race as many as 4 heats a day to amass ordinals that would win them top prize. Of course, the horses were not as fast as today's standardbreds. Dexter Dunn, a New Zealander, but US based driver, has gone over to race in it.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

On Monday, a couple of races at Lone Star Park:

The Texas Derby will be run:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 10, PPs ]
These 3 YOs will be vying for a decent purse. Curly Jack was someone I was following on the KYD trail, but I'm not sure he is as good as some others here. Harlocap and Hayes Strike look to be a bit better. Perhaps the winner will think they are King Of The World and will try tougher company. But the money is pretty good for this level.

The Steve Sexton Mile has familiar also ran and KYD trail (from 3 years ago) refugee Silver Prospector:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 12, PPs ]
Kupuna, Endorsed, and Touchuponastar will be competing too.



Larry
DevilHorse

I'm adding to the race docket for today/ Monday Memorial Day.

A familiar name popped up for today. The 2YO filly champion from 2 years ago is making an appearance today. That would be Echo Zulu:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Churchill Downs - Race 8; PPs ]
This is the Winning Colors stakes. Oddly, this is the first time Echo Zulu is going at the 6f distance. She is a front running sprinter at heart and should be forwardly placed in the stretch. This is her first time out since a 2nd place finish in the BCFM Sprint; finishing behind old Goodnight Olive is no disgrace. Stellar Wind is a very good horse, but if EZ is ready, she'll win.

The Hollywood Gold Cup will be run on Monday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...B/9999/summary.
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Santa Anita Park - Race 8; PPs ]
The very good Country Grammar should be your race favorite. There should have been enough time to recover from his Middle East trip. Defunded is a top horse, and I always like Senor Buscador, but he is not as good a closer as CG. Other horses in the field are just not fast enough to contend with these 3.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

I would love to know how much Bob spent fighting Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Racing Commission on their turf. Didn’t his lawyers explain that politics plays a big role in Court decisions. For proof look no further than our U.S. Supreme Court.

On another note, is the Texas Racing Association trying to close the state’s horse tracks? If you don’t live in the South you really can’t appreciate the utter stupidity of some of our state politicians. I wonder how some of them can even find their way to the State Capitol.

Update on Churchill vs Baffert. Churchill put out a press release criticizing Baffert for his bogus appeal and threatening to lengthen his suspension. This is behind a pay wall for the Louisville Courier Journal. Churchill will review once the original suspension ends in a few weeks. Seems like Churchill is ticked they had to spend so much money defending a ridiculous appeal. I believe he lost every ruling before the US District Judge. His attorneys did him no favors.

[DevilHorse]

Not many races this weekend, but there are a few familiar older horse names running.



On Monday, a couple of races at Lone Star Park:

The Texas Derby will be run:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 10, PPs ]
These 3 YOs will be vying for a decent purse. Curly Jack was someone I was following on the KYD trail, but I'm not sure he is as good as some others here. Harlocap and Hayes Strike look to be a bit better. Perhaps the winner will think they are King Of The World and will try tougher company. But the money is pretty good for this level.

The Steve Sexton Mile has familiar also ran and KYD trail (from 3 years ago) refugee Silver Prospector:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Lone Star Park - Race 12, PPs ]
Kupuna, Endorsed, and Touchuponastar will be competing too.

In news, Texas horse racing is in a tough spot. If you recall, it was the Texas Racing Association that brought the HISA folks to court over unconstitutional provisions. As a result, since HISA is moving forward, Texas is opting out of greater participation in the horse world by not allowing simulcasting of races (or that's what I read); this means that 95% of the money that these tracks get, they will not get until this is resolved. The bureaucrats should be horse whipped (without HISA protection); in a non-violent way of course (we don't endorse violent whipping of anybody).

I'm adding to the race docket for today/ Monday Memorial Day.

A familiar name popped up for today. The 2YO filly champion from 2 years ago is making an appearance today. That would be Echo Zulu:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Churchill Downs - Race 8; PPs ]
This is the Winning Colors stakes. Oddly, this is the first time Echo Zulu is going at the 6f distance. She is a front running sprinter at heart and should be forwardly placed in the stretch. This is her first time out since a 2nd place finish in the BCFM Sprint; finishing behind old Goodnight Olive is no disgrace. Stellar Wind is a very good horse, but if EZ is ready, she'll win.

The Hollywood Gold Cup will be run on Monday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...B/9999/summary.
[ URL above; Monday May 29, 2023; Santa Anita Park - Race 8; PPs ]
The very good Country Grammar should be your race favorite. There should have been enough time to recover from his Middle East trip. Defunded is a top horse, and I always like Senor Buscador, but he is not as good a closer as CG. Other horses in the field are just not fast enough to contend with these 3.

Larry
DevilHorse

Hayes Strike came out of the clouds to take the Texas Derby:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663329242938068995

Frosted Grace won the Sexton:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://www.drf.com/news/frosted-gra...ve-sexton-mile

There was no simulcast of these events.

Echo Zulu was a monster in dominating the Winning Colors:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663280664597131267
But who did she beat?

Defunded was sharp in the Hollywood Gold Cup:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663340990139363329
Country Grammar was sluggish and Senor Buscador was a bust.

Larry
DevilHorse

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Hayes Strike came out of the clouds to take the Texas Derby:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663329242938068995

Frosted Grace won the Sexton:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://www.drf.com/news/frosted-gra...ve-sexton-mile

There was no simulcast of these events.

Echo Zulu was a monster in dominating the Winning Colors:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663280664597131267
But who did she beat?

Defunded was sharp in the Hollywood Gold Cup:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1663340990139363329
Country Grammar was sluggish and Senor Buscador was a bust.

Larry
DevilHorse

According to the Equibase charts the total handle for the day was $1.2 million. What a sad amount on the biggest day of racing in Texas. So much for the “everything is bigger in Texas.”

[DevilHorse]

According to the Equibase charts the total handle for the day was $1.2 million. What a sad amount on the biggest day of racing in Texas. So much for the “everything is bigger in Texas.”

Here is some discussion on the matter, explaining the root of the problem:
https://paulickreport.com/news/the-b...ities-of-hisa/

Classic case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater IMHO.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Slim pickings again this weekend, preparing us for a big weekend in a week (i.e., the Belmont Stakes and loads of other stakes).

In the meantime, here are a few races with interesting participants:

All of these races are Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Race 6 is the Aristides, named after the first winner of the KYD in 1875:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...5/summary.html
[ URL above; Saturday June 3, 2023; Churchill Downs - Race 6; PPs ]
Some decent sprinters here. Tejano Twist finished 3rd most recently to Cody's Wish. Sibelius looks to be in shape too.

Race 8 is the Shawnee for older mares:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...H/9999/summary.
[ URL above; Saturday June 3, 2023; Churchill Downs - Race 8; PPs ]
Pauline's Pearl has the back class. Frost Point is having a good year so far. Idiomatic has speed.

Race 10 is the Blame stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above; Saturday June 3, 2023; Churchill Downs - Race 10; PPs ]
Rattle N Roll and Pioneer Of Medina are the bigger named horses and have the higher speed. Rattle N Roll seems particularly sharp.


BTW, Saratoga opens July 13th.

Larry
DevilHorse