Ultimate Selector's Horse Racing Blog!

2010-11-02T23:14:00.022-04:00

Ultimate's "Live" Selections!

All at Ultimate Selector's Horse Racing Community!

Come join in on the Fun & Winners!

http://www.ultimateselector.com/

http://www.ultimateselector.com/bulboard/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=601

Best of Luck Players!
U.S.

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Great Contests at Ultimate Selector.com

2010-06-10T14:11:00.019-04:00

Get Signed Up To Play In Our $50 Nightly Contest!

Ultimate Selector.com

Go to my new site, just a click away .. Thanks!

2010-03-04T21:48:00.048-05:00

http://ultimateselector.com/

or
(Click on Banner)

Check out our "Live" Web Cam Show!

http://ultimateselector.com/bulboard/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=18

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Note to my Readers & Followers!

2010-01-08T02:22:00.033-05:00

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NOTE!

I wish to inform everyone since I now have my New Horse Racing Community forum on-line, I will no longer be updating my Blog site here as I am spending all my time administering my new site. However, I will continue to do the same & more at my community forum. I will have my Free selections & Picks with the latest news of the day as well. I have many sub forums for all you racing needs & up to date info. Please feel free to drop by & register as a member in what is becoming the best experience for horse racing on the net! Look forward to having you & I'll be seeing all of you in the Winners Circle!

Best of Luck!
Ultimate Selector!

http://ultimateselector.com/

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Ultimate is now "Live" with my New Web Site!

2010-01-06T05:18:00.001-05:00

UltimateSelector.com is up & running,
we have gone "Live" on the net as of
early this am!

Please feel free to drop by & register to join our forum community.
Take a look see ride thru all the rooms in the forum.
I hope you enjoy the visit & like what you see!
All feedback is welcome!
I look forward to making available the best horse racing community on the net!
It's where you can meet everyone of your horse racing needs & more.

I Appreciate all my readers & viewers, This is who I have done this all for!
So ... Are you ready for some Horses?
Let's Git R' Dun!

Best of Luck & see ya in the Winners Circle!

Regards,
U.S. & Handiman!

Ultimate Selector.com update!

2010-01-04T00:52:00.000-05:00

I wanted to give everyone an update on my new horse forum site at UlimateSelector.com
Handi & I have been working into the late hours of the morning every nite. At this point we are learning how to do all this thru trial & error. My official intro page is almost done. I have a great programmer working on this. It should be done this week sometime. Then this will be the 1st to go up to announce my site.

I have picked out our new forum & the look & feel of it is nice. I hope you all like it & will enjoy it.
Now that we have our home picked out we have been working on picking the colors to paint our home & the rooms that we will be adding to accommodate all of our information & new video for my show. We have a bit to go as we are learning as we go along. We have made great strides and will be working hard till it's just right. So all of my time is now been towards this big project, so please forgive me for not updating my blogs so we can move into our new home & have everything under 1 roof!

Till then best of Luck & see ya in the Winners Circle!

Ultimate Selector!
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Racing industry looks at cutting off betting early

2010-01-02T02:53:00.002-05:00

The rules are supposed to be that betting stops when the bell sounds and the starting gate opens..
But it isn’t that simple in thoroughbred racing.

At the start of every race, a racing steward closes betting by pushing a button that shuts down the system. But sometimes it doesn’t work that well, like in 2007 a Lexington man at Keeneland Race Course bet on a New Orleans race after the start.

And even legitimate bets placed before the start may not be logged until afterwards, causing the odds to fluctuate during the race and prompting doubts about the system’s integrity.

Changes recommended by a committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission earlier this year include shutting down betting when the toteboard says zero minutes to post — typically a couple minutes before the start of the race. Currently, betting is to close when the horses actually break from the gate.

A vote on the proposed changes was tabled at the commission’s October meeting – after some contentious debating.

Commission chairman Bob Beck, a Lexington equine attorney, said earlier this month that the issue isn’t dead. It will be a focus of the agency’s newly hired supervisor of pari-mutuel wagering, Greg Lamb, who joined Dec. 1, he said.

It’s a thorny problem for the industry at large and Kentucky thoroughbred racing, which saw $1.2 billion bet on its races last year and $251 million wagered from Kentucky tracks on races elsewhere.

Proponents say Kentucky should take a stand for wagering integrity and if it means gamblers put more money on other states’ races, the shift would be temporary.

Opponents – namely racetracks – say it’s too big of a gamble and that the idea would cost Kentucky thousands of dollars in wagering and tax revenue. Many horse players make their bets in the final minutes before a race starts.

But the current system has created – at a minimum a perception problem among bettors, Beck said.

“It is in the best interest of racing generally for the players to be completely comfortable with the system, and if they perceive some shortcomings in the system then I think it is incumbent upon us to do some investigation and address those shortcomings if they’re there,” he said.

Racetrack operators have criticized the proposal, saying it would reduce betting, race purses and state tax revenues, by cutting off the large volume of money that is bet in the final minutes before the start of a race. Bettors might instead,wager on tracks where they can have more time to bet, they said.

Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs, said the racetrack saw on-track betting drop 20 percent in 2002 when wagers were cut off before post time — a move that Churchill and other tracks implemented, and shortly abandoned, following a wagering scandal in that year's Breeders' Cup.

Flanery also said the proposed fix may not address the public perception of a problem, since the technology by which bets are taken wouldn't be changing — meaning odds could still change after the close of wagering because of delayed reporting.

Committee member Mike Maloney, a full-time horseplayer from Lexington, said that gains in integrity — with bettors being able to see odds they could trust before the race’s start — would outweigh what he believed would be short-term downturns in betting. Committee members said they hoped other states would follow suit.

I would have liked to have seen something happen” already, he said. “I’m still hopeful that we’ll get there eventually.”

The Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, a investigative offshoot of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America said Dec. 17 that it has developed a strategy for racetracks and commissions to address perceived issues, but details are not being released for security reasons.

Ned Bonnie, a racing commissioner and member of the Kentucky committee, said he’s glad the protective bureau is working on the problem, but said the wagering integrity issues are still a long way from being solved.

Maloney went public in 2007 with his own experience of being able to make bets at Keeneland Race Course on a race at Fair Grounds in New Orleans well after it had started. A track spokesman at the time said that a shut-off button malfunctioned and that betting was stopped partway through the race by someone in the tote department.

Since then, Maloney has campaigned to improve wagering integrity. Maloney said the solutions proposed by the committee were the best available.

“The perfect solution would be to spend the money to upgrade the tote system,” Maloney said. “There are drawbacks to any fix that you come up with that’s short of having a state-of-the-art tote system. It wasn’t a perfect fix. It was just something that after a lot of discussion and a lot of work we thought was the best alternative at this time.”
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Ultimate Selector.com is now online!!!

2010-01-01T03:15:00.008-05:00

I am pleased to announce that I have my new forum site online.
Handi & I have been working long late hours developing my blueprint.
I have my temporary intro page set up during construction time.

I hope to have the foundation & forum set up within the next week.
We will then be tweaking & debugging & decorating & painting our new Home.
This will be the Mother of all horse forums on the net!

Please feel free to drop by ...

http://ultimateselector.com/

Thank You all for your continued support!

Best of Luck
Ultimate Selector!
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New Handicapping Contest at Santa Anita

2009-12-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

Santa Anita Park has announced the addition of a new on-line handicapping contest, "Winvivor," beginning Jan. 1.

According to a press release from the California track, the contest will "complement" the "Showvivor" handicapping contest, a free contest offered for the past two years. Participation is free and Winvivor contestants will be required to select one horse per day to finish first in a race of their choosing.

"Showvivor has been very popular with our fans and we feel that Winvivor could be a big hit as well," said Santa Anita vice president of marketing, Allen Gutterman, in the release. "By virtue of the fact that you’ll have to pick a winner each day instead of a horse that finishes first, second or third, it’s obviously going to be tougher for people to stay ‘alive’ with Winvivor, but we think it has the potential to create some added interest, which is always good. Showvivor has proven itself to be a great way for our fans from all over the country to stay in touch with our racing product here, and we feel that will be the case with Winvivor as well. "

Both contests will offer $2,500 to the winner. All selections must be registered on-line no later than 10 minutes before first post time at Santa Anita.

Zenyatta, John Henry Honored on Opening Day

2009-12-27T00:28:00.001-05:00

Zenyatta says goodbye to Santa Anita.

Santa Anita’s traditional opening day of Dec. 26 brought out 35,292 to watch a pair of grade I races and to honor Zenyatta and John Henry. The crowd was the largest in the last 10 years of opening days at the “Great Race Place.”

The throng enthusiastically cheered Jerry and Ann Mosses' undefeated Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Zenyatta who was paraded in front of the grandstand and into the winner’s circle by jockey Mike Smith after the day’s sixth race. It marked her last scheduled public appearance before heading for the breeding shed in Kentucky.

Zenyatta climaxed her brilliant career with a 14th consecutive triumph when defeating males in the Nov. 7 $5-million Classic co-hosted by the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita.

Earlier in the afternoon marking Santa Anita’s diamond anniversary, Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally helped to unveil a life-sized bronze statue of John Henry, sculpted by Nina Kaiser. The likeness of the revered gelding, who won 12 stakes at Santa Anita during the 1980s while conditioned by McAnally, will permanently stand near the track paddock.
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Jockey Glenn Corbett Logs 3,000th Win

2009-12-23T16:51:00.001-05:00

Jockey Glenn Corbett

Christmas came a little early for jockey Glenn Corbett, who reached the 3,000-win milestone Dec. 22 aboard the aptly named Souvenir Winner in the fourth race at Turf Paradise.

"It's a milestone, to be sure, and it feels that way," said the 44-year-old Corbett, originally of Atlanta and now a resident of Phoenix.

He guided Souvenir Winner, a 17-10 favorite in the $6,250-$8,000 claiming race at six furlongs, to a front-running 1 1/2-length triumph. The 3-year-old gelding is owned by Jere Brinkerhoff and trained by Val Brinkerhoff.

Corbett started riding in 1985, his first victory coming at Penn National Race Course. He has ridden in 19,120 races.

"In this sport, you take it one win at a time," Corbett said, "so I'll continue to chip away, one win at a time, and see how far I can go."

The leading rider at Turf Paradise in 2007, Corbett ranks second at the Phoenix track's current meet with 43 wins in 181 mounts through Dec. 22. He has won four stakes at the meet and 173 in his career, mostly at Turf Paradise and Prairie Meadows.

He rode Lusty Latin to a 15th-place finish in the 2002 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and has another prospect for next season in Uh Oh Bango, who ran second in the rich Boyd Gaming’s Delta Jackpot Stakes (gr. III) on Dec. 4.

"The first question people ask when they find out you're a jockey is, 'Have you ridden in the Kentucky Derby?' " said Corbett. "As a rider, once you've experienced the thrill of riding in the Derby, you dream of going back. If all goes well, Uh Oh Bango will take me there again."
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NYRA to Hold Belmont, But Money Will Run Out

2009-12-21T23:25:00.002-05:00

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Belmont Park

The head of the New York Racing Association insists he is not threatening cancellation of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) next year if the state does not quickly award an operator for the long-stalled Aqueduct casino project.

But Charles Hayward, NYRA’s president, would like it to be known that the racing entity risks running out of money by next June — and that the Belmont Stakes is set for June 5.

“There’s not a threat there," Hayward said Dec. 21. Still, if his ratcheting up of talk about NYRA having to shut down forces state leaders to end the stalemate over a VLT operator at Aqueduct, Hayward is not objecting.

“Sometimes you need to be a little more direct to help people understand what the circumstances are," Hayward said in an interview.

Gov. David Paterson and state legislative leaders have been stuck for months over who to choose from a list of five bidding groups to run the Aqueduct casino, which was first approved for a gambling facility back in 2001.

The state is losing an estimated $400 million a year. And NYRA, along with horsemen and breeders, is losing at least $60 million a year from the VLT delay.

NYRA’s latest fiscal problem is not a new one. It is facing another cash flow crisis brought about by dwindling handle, the unkept promises of VLT revenue sharing money, and funds owed by other entities, such as $14 million from New York City Off Track Betting Corp.

When NYRA won a new franchise term in 2008 to run Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga racetracks, it gave up its ownership claims to the three tracks in return for another three decades of operating the tracks along with millions from the state. One of those pots was $30 million from the state to help NYRA bridge its finances until a new VLT operator was selected.

But that deal called for a new VLT casino to be up and running by last March. If a VLT operator is selected soon, Hayward said NYRA can negotiate with that company to provide financing to NYRA so it's solvent next year. If there are more delays, the NYRA chief did not rule out having to ask Albany for another bailout.

The problem, though, is that the state is facing another multi-billion-dollar deficit next year and, in an election year, it would be a heavy lift for the governor and lawmakers to provide money to a racetrack operator at a time when they might be cutting funding for public schools and hospitals.

Hayward said NYRA planned on ending the year with $15 million on hand, but — with NYCOTB holding back $4 million in payments — will finish out 2009 with about $11 million. But that black ink will turn red by next June at the latest, Hayward estimated — all of which would have been avoided had the state selected a VLT operator.

“It’s not our fault there’s no VLT operator," Hayward said.

The NYRA boss chose not to blame any current state leaders, but said much blame can be pointed to former Gov. George Pataki. Hayward said the Pataki administration’s dislike for NYRA scuttled a deal NYRA had with MGM Mirage that would have, in the end, brought far more money to NYRA and the state than any deal the state might end up with from the current bids on the table.

Hayward said the “day has passed" when NYRA would jump back in and ask the state to let NYRA handle the VLT process. “It seems to me that the political leaders understand that this has to get done," Hayward said.

There are other concerns, though. The VLT bidding process has been anything but clean. Terms have changed, bidders have been allowed to change offers after supposed deadlines, and there have been stark differences in this bidding process compared to most state contracts. All that has led to much speculation that the state, no matter who it selects, has opened itself up to litigation from a losing bidder. That, then, could further delay the racino opening.

Hayward said NYRA has no favorite among the bidders. “We have some significant reservation about Aqueduct Entertainment Group, but we won’t comment further on that," Hayward said of the entity whose major partners include Navegante Group of Las Vegas.

How serious is NYRA about no Belmont Stakes next year? Hayward said there have been no contingency plans to deal with possibly canceling the race. Asked if any ideas have been floated to hold the event at another location if it had to be scuttled, Hayward said: “I don’t think we’d undertake that. I don’t know how we’d do that to be honest.

“It’s still our plans to run the Belmont stakes," he said.

Hayward said NYRA will try to further cut costs, but he noted NYRA administration went without raises in 2009 and will not have any next year.

But he could not rule out the race not occurring if the financial issues are not resolved. “We’re not putting a gun to anybody’s head. We’re just saying the facts," he said.
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Joel Rosario Named Jockey of the Week

2009-12-20T23:39:00.001-05:00

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Rosario won 12 races overall during the time period, half of them coming on the same card.

The 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic tied Racing Hall of Fame jockeys Bill

Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay Jr., and Kent Desormeaux for most wins on a single card at

Hollywood Park. He won the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth races to share

the record.

“I always like my horses,” Rosario said. “You ride your horses. I don’t care if they are 99-

to-1 or even money, we have a chance to win.” Rosario also won the Ifyoucouldseemenow Stakes aboard She’s Funomenal last week. Rosario has won 279 races this year through Tuesday. His most lucrative win of 2009 came aboard Dancing in Silks in the $2-million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on November 7 at the

Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park. He also captured the 2009 springsummer meet at Hollywood as well as the Del Mar meet this year.

“Some people have compared him to a young Laffit Pincay,” said

Rosario’s agent, Vic Stauffer, “and from the three-sixteenths pole

to the wire, he can make a difference with a horse.”
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Heavy Rain Empties Barns, Dorm at Gulfstream

2009-12-20T23:25:00.001-05:00

Heavy rainfall in South Florida Dec. 18 forced officials at Gulfstream Park to take immediate action to protect horses and people. About 600 horses were relocated to other area stabling facilities and there was an evacuation of one backstretch dormitory.

In addition, track maintenance personnel also worked to seal the track and clear drains.

The horses moved from the 12 barns at the track were sent to other nearby locations, including Palm Meadows, Payson Park, and Calder Race Course.

"Our first concern is the safety of horses and horsemen," said track president Ken Dunn. "Once the water subsides, we can assess all individual needs to provide more specific assistance."

A release from the track said the Florida Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association was assisting the track in providing meals for the displaced backstretch workers. Late Dec. 18, officials were also considering both on-site and off-site housing options for the dormitory residents, the release said.

Dunn said that Gulfstream officials were hopeful training could resume the morning of Dec. 19 and that once the weather front had cleared the area, an evaluation would be made to determine the damage and what needs to be done before the track opens its season Jan. 3.

Final Results of our Delta Downs Contest Sat Nite!

2009-12-19T23:43:00.004-05:00

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Win - Place - Show Contest!

To Joey P!

Winner! 1st Place Prize Money of $25.00

Final standings:

Joey P $72.40__ Max Ruler $70.10__ Ultimate Selector! - $62.30_ No1Loser $42.60__ Handi – $39.40__ Raider Rock $37.60 __ Howling Wolf $33.40__ Cowboy - $33.10__ Irishman - $20.20__ Tod Guy – $17.30_

We had fun & enjoyed participating with you all!

Look to do it all again tomorrow nite!

Till then may the Horse be with you & see ya in the Winners Circle!

Regards,

Ultimate Selector!

Handiman

Delta contest for $25.00 on my "Live"Web Show!

2009-12-19T02:58:00.004-05:00

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Players & Cappers!

Win - Place - Show Contest!

When: Sat Nite 12-19-09 Free to playDelta Downs contest for $25.00

Where: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ultimate-selecotr-s-live-horse-racing-picks

Who can play? .. Anyone

Handiman & I have decided to treat our viewers & readers with a nite of Appreciation & Fun on my "Live" Web Show! Anyone can play. The rules are straight forward & simple ...

1) Player MUST play every race 1-10

2) Player picks 1 horse per race only!

3) Players will post their pick in my Chat box & I will score them.

4) Player Selection must run 1st or 2nd or 3rd to score.
Whatever the mutual payout is we just add them up for all 10 races.

5) Winner is player who scores the highest mutuals for all 10 races.

6) Winner receives $25.00 thru Pay Pal after the races are over.

My "Live" Show starts at 6pm Sat Nite.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ultimate-selecotr-s-live-horse-racing-picks

Hope to see you all there!

Best of Luck & let's see who wants to take our money!

Ultimate Selector! & Handiman

The Coolest Horse Pictures!

2009-12-19T00:18:00.005-05:00

No doubt some people have way too much time on their hands, but it works to our benefit when boredom creates unique digital horse art for all to enjoy.

Here, some of photoshop’s tricksters show off their finest equestrian work.

Enjoy! ...

Hey you guys, is there something in my hair?

Sometimes it gets old, pulling this cloud around the sky with me

So thirsty…

I’m a broom!

The reality of horsepower.

All I said was I wished I could fly…that Genie had a sick sense of humor.

Yeah, I rode the Elle Mcpherson of the horse world

More horsepower = better tricks

Who says there is hormones in the food?

Psssst…I can’t swim

If I can fly, why am I eating soggy food again?

High fructose horse

Something tells me Edward Scissorhands has been here.

For the last time, quit calling me a horsefly!

Trigger on vactio

So um, do you get sore when you sit like that?

No seriously, I’m a prince and I was cursed…

Riding through the desert on a horse with no name…

The surgeon promised that women love horses, so I went for it

It’s the landing I have problems with…

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McPeek, Baffert Showdown at Hollywood Park

2009-12-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

Beautician could go to post as the favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Starlet.

Ken McPeek and Bob Baffert have a pair of showdowns to look forward to this weekend at Hollywood Park. Not only will the trainers saddle the favorites for the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) on Dec. 19, but they will return the following day with legitimate threats in the $405,200 Hollywood Starlet (gr. I) for 2-year-old fillies.

Beautician could go to post as the favorite for McPeek in the 1 1/16-mile Starlet after finishing runner-up by less than a length in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) last month. Miss Heather Lee, from the barn of Baffert, has won two of her last three starts and was second in the Moccasin Stakes Nov. 22 on the Hollywood Park Cushion Track. Bickersons rebounded nicely from a 10^th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies to win the Moccasin, and is also part of the Starlet, which drew a strong field of seven .

In the highly-anticipated CashCall Futurity, Baffert will send out favorite Lookin at Lucky—the leading 2-year-old in the nation—while McPeek will have Noble's Promise, winner of the Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland. Lookin at Lucky and Noble’s Promise finished second and third, respectively, in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) Nov. 7 at Santa Anita. The Futurity outcome will help decide champion 2-year-old honors and could vault one to the top of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) list heading into next year.

McPeek, based in Kentucky, has a significant stable set up in California for the first time in his career. Of course, Baffert has reigned on the West Coast for many years.

“It’s a compliment to just be compared with Bob,” said McPeek. “I have a staff of 14 (in California) now, which is the most I’ve had, and it’s very exciting to be able to compete in the stakes programs out there. That’s what we’re there for.

“The timing was right for both horses (Noble’s Promise and Beautician) in the Breeders’ Cup and we decided to leave them out there for the stakes program at Hollywood. They both deserve another shot at grade I races.”

Beautician, a maiden winner at Churchill Downs in her first start, finished runner-up in both the Schuylerville (gr. III) and Spinaway (gr. I) at Saratoga this summer, and was fifth in the Darley Alcibiades (gr. I) before heading out West. In the BC Juvenile Fillies, she was beaten only three parts of a length by She Be Wild despite major shoe troubles.

“She lost a shoe at some point in the race, I’m not sure when,” McPeek said. “When you pull a shoe in the hind leg it’s pretty significant. Hopefully she’ll have a little more luck this time.”

Owned by Peter Callahan, Beautician is by Dehere , out of the Rubiano mare Caroni. She was bred in Kentucky by David and Diane Shashura. Garrett Gomez will have the mount.

Also coming back from the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is beaten favorite, Blind Luck, co-owned and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. A daughter of Pollard's Vision , Blind Luck was third, only a head back of Beautician after also enduring a troubled trip. The chestnut filly won the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita by 2 1/2 lengths Oct. 4. Rafael Bejarano will be in the irons for the first time, replacing Tyler Baze.

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Rose Catherine was runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in her last start. The Todd Pletcher trainee broke her maiden by nearly nine lengths on the Belmont Park grass in October.

Arnold Zetcher’s Miss Heather Lee, a daughter of Trippi, will stretch out past a mile for the first time under Victor Espinoza. She won an optional claimer at Santa Anita Oct. 8 before missing by 2 1/2 lengths in the Moccasin.

$405,200 Starlet Stakes (gr. I, Race 9, 4:35 p.m.), 2YO Fillies, 1 1/16 Miles (Cushion Track)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Miss Heather Lee (CA), V Espinoza, 120, B Baffert
2. It Tiz (KY), J Rosario, 120, M Glatt
3. Blind Luck (KY) , R Bejarano, 120, J Hollendorfer
4. Amen Hallelujah (FL) , A O Solis, 120, R E Dutrow, Jr.
5. Bickersons (ON), J Talamo 120, K J Breen
6. Rose Catherine (KY), J Castellano, 120, T A Pletcher
7. Beautician (KY), G K Gomez, 120, K G McPeek
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Remington Park Ends Meet With Declines

2009-12-17T21:36:00.001-05:00

Remington Park

The 2009 Remington Park Thoroughbred season came to a close Dec. 14. With the end of live racing for the year also came the end of a long and successful streak for racing attendance.

For the first time since 2003, Remington Park attendance for the Thoroughbred season showed a decline to the corresponding season the prior year. Attendance for the 67-days of live racing was 403,411 for an average of 6,021 per program. The total was 6.7% lower compared to the 67-day Thoroughbred season of 2008.

In the larger scope of yearly attendance, Remington Park remains a major attraction for horseracing and casino gaming. The total attendance is over the 1.6 million mark for 2009 and with two weeks left in the year is already an all-time record over the 21-year history of Remington Park.

Total pari-mutuel handle for the Thoroughbred season was $45,730,096 for an average per day of $682,539. The total is a decrease of 10.8% compared to 2008.

While the statistics are lower than a year ago, Remington Park remains optimistic for 2009 and the new decade that begins in a few days.

“Remington Park’s Thoroughbred season drew more attention nationally than we’ve ever received due to the quality of the competition,” said Remington Park president & general manager Scott Wells. “We continue to be a major entertainment attraction in our region, which is reflected in our setting an overall attendance record for the year. A schedule change in 2009 to Monday night racing proved unsuccessful and is probably responsible for the slight declines during the fall. However, we have corrected that for 2010 and expect to rebound strongly.”

Support from horsemen has always been a major strength in the Remington Park Thoroughbred season and that continued in 2009 with 5,796 horses competing in 610 races for an average field size of 9.5 per race, down just one-tenth from 2008 when the average field size over 614 races was 9.6 per race.

The total purse distribution for the season was $13,453,928 for a daily average of $200,805. The average was down slightly compared to 2008 by 4.1%.

Remington Park on-track pari-mutuel handle slid 11.8% compared to the 2008 season with the total wagered at $4,363,606. Handle throughout Remington Park’s off-track betting partners in Oklahoma was $603,964, down 16.8% against last year.

The exporting of Remington Park racing to other wagering venues was $31,563,785, a decrease of 8.5% compared to the same total a year ago.

The total pari-mutuel handle for the 67-day season also includes money wagered at Remington Park and its OTB facilities on imported simulcast racing from other tracks. Wagering on the incoming simulcast races by fans at Remington Park was $5,054,844 which was down 15.9% compared to 2008. At the OTBs, the import wagering handle was $4,143,897, a decrease of 18.5% compared to last year’s total in the same category.

The combined handle on Remington Park racing (on-track wagering, that at OTBs in Oklahoma and wagering on the export signal), was $36,531,355. The total reflected a 9.1% decrease compared to the 2008 total wagered on Remington Park racing.

Remington Park live racing is now on hiatus until 2010 when the Quarter Horse & Mixed-breed season begins on March 5 but remains open daily for simulcast racing and casino gaming. Beginning New Year’s Day 2010, the casino floor will expand to 750 electronic gaming machines.
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Super Saturday at Fair Grounds Gets Boost

2009-12-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

Star Guitar is the 3-5 morning line choice in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic.

Santa Super Saturday program at Fair Grounds Dec. 19 – originally scheduled as a five-stakes package – gets more gifts wrapped under its tree when the four stakes postponed from the Dec. 12 Louisiana Champions Day are to be run as originally drawn.

The expanded 13-race program will begin with a first post time of noon CST and will include the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint, and $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint – all of which were postponed after torrential rains forced the abandonment of the Dec. 12 races midway through the afternoon.

Brittlyn Stable’ Star Guitar, 3-5 morning-line choice in the Classic, could become the fourth horse in the 19-year-history of Fair Grounds’ Louisiana Champions Day to win three times on Champions Day should he prove successful in the Classic, and Wachtel Stables, Brous Stable’s and Jerry D. Lee’s Desert Wheat, 2-1 morning-line favorite in the Turf, could return to the winner’s circle in this year’s Turf after winning the 2006 renewal, running fourth in 2007, and missing by a neck when second in last year’s edition of the grass test.

Heading the original five Santa Super Saturday races is the inaugural running of the $100,000 Daily Racing Form Distaff, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares that is headed by 9-5 morning-line choice War Echo. The filly won last winter’s grade III Silverbulletday Stakes before being sidelined by injury.

The other four races originally scheduled for Santa Super Saturday are the 59th running of the $60,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes for 2-year-olds that will be possible Louisiana Derby (gr. II) candidates after the first of the year; the 50th renewal of the $60,000 Letellier Memorial for juvenile fillies that might be pointed for this spring’s Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II); the 17th running of the $60,000 Esplanade Stakes for filly and mare sprinters; and the fourth running of the $60,000 Bonapaw for older grass sprinters.

CHRB Allocates Most Race Dates for 2010

2009-12-17T01:02:00.001-05:00

Race dates for 2010 were approved for California by the state's horse racing board at its meeting Oct. 15, although the panel opted to wait until next month before giving authorization to the Northern California fair circuit, which requested more time to sort out details.

The California Authority of Racing Fairs is requesting an 89-day block of dates from June 16 to Oct. 17, but has not completely decided how it wants to split them up. A major issue is Cal Expo, which is considering changing its state fair run to July from its traditional period ending with Labor Day and wants to schedule its Thoroughbred and mixed breed meet to run concurrently. CARF is also trying to determine whether to give the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton its full 10-day allotment or shorten it to one week.

Elsewhere, though, the CHRB and the state's racing associations are mostly in agreement. The Southern California Thoroughbred schedule begins Dec. 26, 2009 at Santa Anita and runs through April 18, 2010. The Hollywood Park spring/summer meet would run April 21-July 18, followed by Del Mar, which is slated from July 21-Sept. 8. Fairplex is approved for Sept. 9-27, with Oak Tree at Santa Anita to follow from Sept. 29-Oct. 31. Hollywood Park's fall meet would commence Nov. 3 and would end Dec. 19.

Although it has been granted its traditional dates, Hollywood Park is approved for redevelopment by the city of Inglewood and has not committed to racing through 2010.

In Northern California, Golden Gate Fields is approved for its winter meet (Dec. 26, 2009 to Feb. 21, 2010) and its spring stand (Feb. 25-June 13). The tentative fall meet would run Oct. 20-Dec. 19.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding Cal Expo, the board approved 75 racing days for its harness meet, from Dec. 26, 2009 to June 19, 2010. The Los Alamitos Quarter Horse season would run as requested from Dec. 26, 2009 to Dec. 18, 2010.

Board chairman John Harris said adjustments to the schedule could be made at a later date. The CHRB's next meeting is scheduled Nov. 17 at Golden Gate Fields.

Top West Coast 2YOs Duel in CashCall Futurity

2009-12-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

Lookin At Lucky is one of three entrants from the barn of Bob Baffert.

Lookin at Lucky and Noble's Promise, two of the leading sophomores in the nation and separated by just a half-length last time out, will meet again in a highly-anticipated edition of the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) Dec. 19 at Hollywood Park.

A field of eight 2-year-olds was drawn for the 1 1/16-mile Futurity, which will be run on the Cushion Track surface. Lookin at Lucky is one of three entrants from the barn of Bob Baffert, who has won this event four different times, including last year with Pioneerof the Nile . Baffert has been quoted as saying that Lookin at Lucky is the best 2-year-old he’s trained "in the last five years.”

A son of Smart Strike —Private Feeling, by Belong to Me, Lookin at Lucky was beaten a head by longshot Vale of York in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) Nov. 7 at Santa Anita after a wide trip from post 13. It was the only loss in five starts for the bay colt, who broke his maiden at Hollywood in July, and then reeled off stakes wins in the Best Pal (gr. II), Del Mar Futurity (gr. I), and Norfolk (gr. I). The Oct. 4 Norfolk at Santa Anita was his first try at two turns.

A $475,000 Keeneland April 2-year-old in training purchase, Lookin at Lucky has already earned $843,000 for owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. Pegram has won the Futurity twice with Baffert, in 1997 with Real Quiet and 1999 with Captain Steve. Baffert also won the race in 2000 with Point Given.

Though stabled at Santa Anita, Lookin at Lucky turned in his final tune-up at Hollywood Park on Dec. 15, getting four furlongs in :47.20. He worked over the Hollywood oval because of drainage problems at Santa Anita.

Lookin At Lucky could clinch an Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding 2-year-old with a victory.

Garrett Gomez, aboard Pioneerof the Nile for Baffert last year, has the return mount on Lookin at Lucky and they will break from post 1.

Baffert will also saddle Peachtree Stable’s Marcello and Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable’s The Program. Marcello was runner-up in the Generous Stakes (gr. IIIT) Nov. 28 on the Hollywood turf, while The Program was second in a 1 1/16-mile allowance contest one day earlier on the main track. Both horses worked in company Dec. 15 at Hollywood, each clocking a half-mile time of :48-flat.

Owned by Chasing Dreams Racing 2008, Noble’s Promise led in deep stretch in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile before being caught in the final yards to finish third by a half-length. It was a big effort for the son of Cuvee , who broke his maiden on the turf in September at Ellis Park, won the Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes at Presque Isle Downs three weeks later, and pulled a 12-1 upset in the $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland Oct. 1.

Ken McPeek trains Noble’s Promise, who has remained at Santa Anita since the Breeders’ Cup and had a four-furlong work in :49.4 Dec. 15 as a final tune-up. Robby Albarado will take over the riding duties from Willie Martinez and they will break from post 6.

Others in the field are Hollywood Prevue (gr. III) third-place finisher Seattle Ruler, as well as Wildlee Special and Brady Blue Eyes—both maiden winners last out—and Make Music for Me, who is winless in five starts, but ran second in the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I).

$750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I, Race 9, 4:35 p.m.), 2YO, 1 1/16 Miles (Cushion Track)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Lookin At Lucky (KY), G K Gomez, 121, B Baffert
2. Brady Blue Eyes (KY), J Talamo, 121, M Glatt
3. The Program (KY), V Espinoza, 121, B Baffert
4. Marcello (KY), J Valdivia Jr., 121, B Baffert
5. Make Music for Me (KY), M E Smith, 121, A Barba
6. Noble's Promise (KY), R Albarado, 121, K G McPeek
7. Seattle Ruler (KY), M Garcia, 121, M Harrington
8. Wildlee Special (KY), A O Solis, 121, R E Dutrow, Jr
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NY OTBs Ordered to Pay Harness Track Millions

2009-12-15T22:41:00.001-05:00

New York’s Byzantine rules governing racetrack and off-track revenue-sharing took another twist Dec. 15 as state racing regulators ordered four downstate off-track betting corporations to pay millions of dollars to Yonkers Raceway.

The decision, approved 2-1 by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, comes at a time when the various entities have stepped up their internecine battles at the state Capitol over the future shape of racing in the state.

But whether the money to Yonkers can or will ever be paid remains a question, especially for one of this country’s biggest bet handlers—New York City Off-Track Betting Corp., which, after losing tens of millions of dollars in recent years, filed for federal bankruptcy protection earlier in December. The Chapter 9 filing allows for it to reorganize itself as it remains open, rather than liquidate its operations.

In its court filing, NYCOTB, which is now an arm of the state government, already listed Yonkers—with $18 million owed—as one of its two top creditors along with the New York Racing Association. State officials said the racing board’s decision will cost NYCOTB $3.6 million in additional payments to Yonkers had the panel not agreed to the funding.

The matter goes back six years ago when the state permitted tracks and OTBs to accept nighttime wagers on out-of-state Thoroughbred races. As part of that legislation, harness tracks were guaranteed certain “maintenance of effort’’ payments, or MOE, from the OTBs to help the harness tracks cover losses caused by the new nighttime competition.

In the case of Yonkers, though, the track was shut down from June 2005 until June 2006 for construction of its video lottery terminal casino. Yonkers argued that it was still owed the MOE funding during the shutdown period. The OTBs said no money should be paid to Yonkers for the days in which live harness racing was not offered.

A month ago, the racing board invited comments on the matter from the warring parties. On Dec. 15, it ruled the full MOE payments were owed Yonkers.

Besides NYCOTB, the issue affects the Nassau, Suffolk, and Catskill OTB corporations for payments they did not make to Yonkers in 2005 and 2006. The board MOE ruling will cost Nassau an additional $1.8 million in MOE payments to Yonkers for the construction shutdown period, while Suffolk owes $1.2 million and Catskill is on the hook for an additional $940,000, state officials said.

NYCOTB, which has the most at stake given its recent bankruptcy filing, did not comment.

But racing board officials appeared to acknowledge that the matter is not over. “This sets the stage for further negotiations between the parties,” said Joseph Mahoney, a racing board spokesman.

The board also ordered other OTB payments to the state’s harness tracks dating back to 2003 as part of the successful court case by the racing board last year involving dark-day payments to tracks. Exact numbers owed to the tracks were not immediately available.

Bramlage: Resting Rachel Right Thing to Do

2009-12-15T00:26:00.001-05:00

Dr. Larry Bramlage

While many racing fans were hoping Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta would square off in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, prominent equine surgeon Larry Bramlage said recently that Rachel Alexandra’s connections did the right thing when they ended her 2009 campaign following the 3-year-old filly’s Sept. 5 victory by a head over Macho Again in the Woodford Stakes (gr. I).

“After 11 races (in less than a year), I’m glad they gave her a break,” said Dr. Bramlage during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 55th annual convention Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas. “After the race she ran in the Woodward, when she basically ran her guts out, she needed time to recuperate and there was only a limited amount of time before the Breeders’ Cup.

"When horses campaign for more than a year and try to stay at the top level, their skeletons begin to fatigue; the same thing happens in the human athlete. It’s very tough to stay peaked for longer than a year, so I like to see horses after a year’s heavy campaigning getting a break of a couple of months because their skeleton has to catch up. They accumulate a lot of little damage that can then become something major, so I think it was good management of her career (to give Rachel Alexandra time off) even though I would have loved to have seen her running head-and-head with Zenyatta.”

Bramlage, who is based at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, operated on Rachel Alexandra’s left front ankle when she was a 2-year-old and removed a large bone chip and multiple fragments. As a member of the AAEP’s “On Call” program that provides veterinary expertise at major racing events, Bramlage has seen both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta race in person.

“I think it would have been a hard race to handicap,” said Bramlage, a former AAEP president, of the result had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta met on the track. “Orginally, I would have said Zenyatta would have won because she’s older, stronger, and bigger. But if you look at Rachel’s race in the Woodward, she defeated not only the front-runners and the challenge in the middle, but she also beat Macho Uno at the end, so we may not have seen the best of her yet. The nice thing is the debate. It keeps people talking, and that’s good for racing. The two greatest horses this year are females, and that’s another good thing for the sport.”
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Charles Town Classic Now $1M Guaranteed

2009-12-15T00:20:00.002-05:00

Charles Town Races & Slots will offer a guaranteed purse of $1-million for the 2010 edition of the Charles Town Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. It joins a handful of non-Breeders’ Cup stakes offering such a purse in the United States.

In 2009, the inaugural Classic offered up to $1 million if the winner previously had won a grade I stakes. The winner, Researcher, raced for a $600,000 purse having won a grade III event. He defeated grade I winners Commentator and Mast Track.

The Classic, run around three turns, is scheduled for April 17 at the West Virginia track. Also on the program are the $250,000 Sugar Maple Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs (around two turns); the $100,000 Blue and Gold Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs; and the $75,000 Webb Snyder Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 4 1/2 furlongs.

The open stakes schedule at Charles Town includes two other “big event” days.

The Charles Town Races & Slots Sprint Festival is set for June 19. The program is headed by the $400,000 Red Legend Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs. Track officials said the Red Legend, based on 2009 purses, would be the richest event for 3-year-olds at less than one mile in the U.S.

Other stakes on the Sprint Festival card are each worth $100,000: the Charles Town Invitational Dash for 3-year-olds and up at 4 1/2 furlongs; the Lady Charles Town Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and 4 1/2 furlongs; and the Wild and Wonderful Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs.

On Sept. 18, the track will host the Charles Town Race for the Ribbon. The headliner is the $400,000 Charles Town Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs. It would be the richest race for 3-year-old fillies at less than one mile in the U.S.

Other races on the Sept. 18 program, held to raise awareness for breast cancer research, are the $100,000 Charles Town Juvenile for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs; $100,000 Miss Shenandoah Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 4 1/2 furlongs; and the $75,000 Pink Ribbon for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

The date for the West Virginia Breeders Classic for state-bred runners hasn’t been set. This year, the program offered nine stakes worth a total of $2 million.

Winning fans online, at track key to sport’s growth

2009-12-13T22:39:00.001-05:00

Looking at things from the viewpoint of fans and bettors is a winning approach, according to experts on both social networking and sports facilities.

The experts presented their ideas on Thursday in Tucson, Arizona, during the final day of the Symposium on Racing and Gaming, presented by the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program.

In a panel on social networking, Holly Kruse, Ph.D., assistant professor of communications at the University of Tulsa, encouraged tracks to keep social media “social,” as opposed to just a tool for marketing, sales, or information. She said building communities online can help spark actual interest in the sport, noting online groups often form outings to racetracks.

“Let fans and patrons have and use your content,” Kruse said. “Encourage fans' involvement.”

A racing fan, Kruse would like to see more development of online games and media that puts racing fans into the action. She noted a video of Zenyatta on YouTube filmed from the rider’s perspective has proven popular with racing fans, as well as people not familiar with the sport. (For the video, click here)

Kruse said racing has developed interest groups through social media but she rarely sees much crossover and attraction of new fans. She said interactive games and unique content could bridge that gap, noting that when she posted video of Zenyatta’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) win on her Facebook page, her nonracing friends were drawn to it.

Kruse said the playing of various Internet games shows that racing may be losing out on potential bettors if it assumes women are only interested in racing, “for the hats and the pretty horses.”

“Why not cultivate women as gamblers?” Kruse asked. “Do not patronize women as only being interested in what hats to buy.”

Aaron Smith, a research specialist with the Pew Internet and American Life Project, started the panel discussion on social media by outlining the typical users, which he said has become more representative of the overall Internet community, which is slightly more female and slightly younger than society as a whole.

Smith noted that social media users are more likely than most Internet users to actively participate in real-life actions, meaning groups focused on racing would likely organize trips to actual tracks.

Once those patrons take the step of attending the races, it is important to have an inviting facility waiting for them. In a panel on facilities, Russ Simons encouraged racetrack executives to walk into and through their facilities and see things from a patron’s perspective.

“If your facility does not meet the standards the customer has come to expect in their everyday lives, they’re not coming back,” Simons said. “They’re going to go where they feel like they’re appreciated.”

As the director of facility management for global design practice Populous, Simons visits and critiques sports facilities throughout the country and the world. He realizes not every track is in a position to renovate its facility but he provided good news by saying the most important factors for customers are service, concessions, and cleanliness.

Simons said little things such as taking credit cards at concession stands, regularly emptying trash containers, keeping the facility spotless, and improving signs and lighting can have a huge impact. He also said workers who smile and go the extra mile for customers make a big difference.

Other presenters on the facilities panel outlined renovations and new construction at racinos that have made the tracks and casinos destination properties where people spend several days. One approach is to constantly add new features.

“Prairie Meadows continues to build attraction, after attraction, after attraction,” said architect Don Dissinger, a senior vice president at EwingCole Inc. “It’s just like an amusement park. You have to generate excitement in your customer base.”

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino President Gary Palmer said despite the recession, the racino enjoyed its most successful year in 2008, and while it will fall about 3% short of that mark this year, it should set an attendance record.

Since starting with a racetrack, Prairie Meadows added slot machines in 1995, added table games in 2004, renovated the paddock in ’05, added a convention hall and restaurants in ’06, and is building a 200-room hotel.

Rosario's Six Wins Tie Hollywood Park Record

2009-12-12T22:47:00.001-05:00

Joel Rosario celebrates 6 wins at Hollywood Park on December 11

Joel Rosario equaled the Hollywood Park record for most wins in a day when he won with six of his seven rides on a wet Friday, Dec. 11, at the California track.

Rosario, a 24-year-old native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, finsihed second in the first race on the eight-race program and then won with his six remaining mounts. Cadillac, the horse he was scheduled to ride in the seventh race, was scratched.

Rosario won races two through six, sat out the seventh, and then rode eighth-race winner Stockings. Thorugh 21 days of the 27-day meet, Rosario leads the standings with 31 wins, eight more than second-place Rafael Bejarano.

Rosario’s wins and payoffs were Pick To Click ($6.80), Yankee Romance ($2.60), Madeline Ruby ($6.40), A Clever Ten ($5.40), Free Lunch ($3.20) and Stockings ($3.40).

"The first time I do this in my life," Rosario said. "I won five before and was second and third, but now six, so I am very happy. I feel great, not many jockeys do that, so I am very happy for this.

"I always like my horses," he added "You ride your horses, I don’t care if they are 99-1 or even money, we have a chance to win."

Shoemaker set the Hollywood Park record of six wins with eight mounts on June 20, 1953, and scored with six of seven mounts on June 24, 1970. Laffit Pincay Jr. rode six winners from nine mounts on April 27, 1968, and Kent Desormeaux rode six winners with 10 mounts on July 3, 1992.

Winter Weather Cancels Hawthorne Dec. 9-10

2009-12-10T13:08:00.001-05:00

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In response to a severe winter storm advisory for Dec. 9-10, there will be no live racing or training on either day at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Ill. Snowfall is forecast between two and four inches Dec. 9, but heavy winds that may gust to over 50 mph could create dangerous racing conditions. The forecast high for Dec. 10 is only in the teens with wind chills not expected to surpass zero.

Hawthorne will remain open for simulcasting on both days and racing and training is expected to return Dec. 11 with a 1:20 p.m. CST first post.
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Kip Deville in Critical Condition

2009-12-10T13:05:00.002-05:00

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Kip Deville

It seems impossible to think that a little more than four months ago Kip Deville, the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) victor and four-time grade I winner, was in seemingly fine health and competing in a graded stakes race at Saratoga.

Now, the 6-year-old son of Kipling —the horse that put prominent Thoroughbred owners IEAH Stables on the map—is fighting for his life. And unfortunately, at this point, it seems like it is a losing battle.

According to IEAH president Mike Iavarone, Kip Deville’s health struggles surfaced about two months ago, beginning with what was thought to be a routine bout of colic. But over time, the colic progressed into the troublesome foot disease laminitis—which can be loosely described as an inflammation of the hoof that in many cases causes lameness and severe deterioration of the foot. At that point, Kip Deville was moved to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington and is currently being cared for by Dr. Scott Hopper.

In a Dec. 9 interview, Iavarone said Kip Deville’s condition has not improved.

“He is still in extremely guarded condition,” commented Iavarone, who said the laminitis is mainly in the left front foot. “The laminitis has progressed, unfortunately. We’re doing everything humanly possible, but he is in critical condition.

“He is in pain but is not suffering. He is on his feet as much as he is off his feet, but he is smart enough to know when he needs to take weight off it. We are watching him closely every day for signs of improvement, but unfortunately, as we’ve seen in these cases, the odds are against him. We haven’t seen the kinds of improvements we’ve hoped for so far.”

Bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm and out of the Encino mare Klondike Kaytie, Kip Deville was purchased by a group led by IEAH in June 2006 and went on to win three graded stakes over the next 10 months, including the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) at Santa Anita in early 2007. His remarkable season ended in October with an upset victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Monmouth Park.

The gray/roan horse recorded his final win on Feb. 1 of this year in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT). He has earned $3,325,489 from 30 starts, 12 of which were wins (10 in stakes company), making him the leading Oklahoma-bred earner of all time. IEAH announced his retirement on Nov. 12.

“This is excruciating,” Iavarone said. “The whole thing is a nightmare. We can only keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. This horse is like family, and we will bear no expense to see he gets the best treatment available. He means everything to us. But we will not let him suffer. We will do the humane thing for him, one way or another.”

New Handicapping Contest at Santa Anita

2009-12-08T23:38:00.000-05:00

Santa Anita Park has announced the addition of a new on-line handicapping contest, "Winvivor," beginning Jan. 1.

Both contests will offer $2,500 to the winner. All selections must be registered on-line no later than 10 minutes before first post time at Santa Anita.

Champion Benny the Bull Retired

2009-12-07T23:57:00.001-05:00

Benny the Bull

Benny the Bull, the 2008 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter when he won all four starts, has been retired from racing and acquired by Greg James, according to a release from IEAH Stables (Michael Iavarone, president). Breeding plans are being finalized.

“I’m very proud of Benny the Bull’s racing career and have enjoyed it every step,” said James, who raced Benny the Bull with IEAH, Andrew Cohen, Pegasus Holdings Group, and Sanford H. Robbins. “To acquire him as a yearling and watch him develop into such a brilliant and accomplished racehorse was a great thrill, and I really believe his brilliance can translate to success in the breeding shed. He deserves the chance, and we're excited about it.

"I'm appreciative of the Benny the Bull racing partnership and it's encouraging to know that he'll continue to have support on that end in his stud career.”

James raced Benny the Bull through the first nine starts of his career, when his accomplishments included a win in the 2007 Iowa Sprint Handicap in June 2007 while trained by Jeff Talley. Shortly thereafter, James sold controlling interest in Benny the Bull to a partnership headed by IEAH and retained an ownership interest in the deal.

Turned over to trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., Benny the Bull won the 2007 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (gr. I) at Laurel. In 2008, he captured the True North Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park, the Smile Sprint Handicap (gr. II) at Calder Race Course, the Sunshine Millions Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and the Gulf News Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-I) in Dubai, where he was named a champion.

This year, Benny the Bull ran second in the Smile Sprint and the Truth North and fourth in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. II) at Saratoga.

IEAH Stables and partners have retained breeding rights in Benny the Bull and will support the horse in his stud career.

“Benny always came to run and was long one of my favorites at the barn,” Iavarone said. “He gave us plenty of thrills and his ability and heart cannot be questioned."

Benny the Bull, a 6-year-old horse by Lucky Lionel out of stakes winner Comet Cat, by Birdonthewire, won or placed in 14 of 20 starts and earned $2,353,430. He was bred in Florida by Tomoka Farms.
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Horsemen Seek Involvement in Betfair Deals

2009-12-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

Thoroughbred horsemen plan to meet with Betfair officials Dec. 7 to ensure they are party to contracts the Great Britain-based company is signing with United States racetracks for their content.

The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association has hosted Betfair officials multiple times over the last several years, and the officials have told horsemen’s groups they are willing to work with them in expanding the wagering marketplace. The situation took a major turn earlier this year when Betfair purchased the U.S.-based TVG advance deposit wagering platform and racing network.

Betfair and various racetracks have announced content agreements this year. The U.S. product is offered overseas through pari-mutuel systems and also used for exchange wagering, which isn’t available in the U.S. The amount of revenue received by U.S. tracks hasn’t been made public.

Horsemen indicated Dec. 6 they haven’t been party to all the deals.

“We made sure they understood horsemen needed to be a part of the process,” National HBPA president Joe Santanna said during a meeting of the organization’s Wagering and Alternative Gaming Information Committee in Tucson, Ariz. “We were the ones that initiated (the dialogue). We have their commitment that horsemen will be involved.”

Ohio HBPA executive director Dave Basler, substitute chair of the WAGI Committee, called international wagering “a different animal.” Thus, horsemen may have to try a different approach to ensure purses receive a share of revenue.

“I’m still optimistic Betfair’s entry into the U.S. will be a positive for horsemen,” Basler said.

Betfair officials will be on hand in Tucson for the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing & Gaming, which gets underway Dec. 8.

In other business at the WAGI Committee meeting, a company called RaceBookAgent.com introduced a technology application it claims could “recast the financial model” for pari-mutuel wagering. The company, which has been involved in wagering technology since 2000, has created what it calls the “Hive ADW Suite” that features a multi-tote platform, auditing tools, secure e-commerce, and an online interactive wagering interface.

The program isn’t an ADW platform; rather, it acts as a middleman that moves wagers from the host to the processor of wagers. In effect, all wagers would be treated like on-track bets, said Dan Kelliher, a consultant for RaceBookAgent.com.

In general terms, racetracks and horsemen would retain 15%-17% of wagers rather than receiving and splitting the average 4.7% host fee, Kelliher said.

“The technology exists that lends itself to a new relationship in our industry for the online market,” Kelliher said. “We’ve started meeting with tracks and horsemen because we wanted to do some baseline education.”

One horsemen’s representative asked if the system is designed to cut out ADWs so the content providers get more revenue.

“We are trying to say that without saying it,” Kelliher said.

Basler said the National HBPA most likely would schedule meetings to further discuss the application with RaceBookAgent.com, which will have a booth at the symposium the week of Dec. 7.

Horsemen acknowledged the challenges such a plan faces in light of revenue generated for ADW companies and the fact major racetrack owners such as Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp. own ADW platforms.

The National HBPA also said it plans to pursue a model rule governing racetrack settlements—payments for winning wagers. Officials described scenarios in the industry in which such payments aren’t made for months and alleged tracks are using the money to cover operating expenses.

“The system is in very dangerous jeopardy,” said Dick Powell of Racing & Gaming Services, a high-volume rebate shop.

Powell said a customer earlier this year hit a near seven-figure pick six at Santa Anita Park and was paid immediately by RGS. Santa Anita owner MEC was pursuing bankruptcy protection, so the funds were tied up and RGS was treated as an unsecured creditor.

“If the system is going to work, everyone has to get paid,” Powell said. “You can’t tell a customer, ‘You won, but you’ll have to wait to get paid.' There is no integrity. People are literally borrowing against (customers’ winnings). Most tracks have gotten into the habit of being slow payers on purpose.

“It’s almost embarrassing. It’s 2009, and the industry pays like it is 1935.”

Powell said there is some irony given the fact companies such as RGS have been “demonized” for having players that win a lot of money and generate negative settlements for tracks.

“To be a year behind (in payments) is nothing,” Florida HBPA executive director Kent Stirling said. “There is a cavalier attitude. You can’t believe how badly settlements are done.”

Final results of our Pen Nat Contest Sat Nite!

2009-12-05T23:10:00.003-05:00

Win & Place Contest!

To Howling Wolf!

Winner!, 1st Place Prize Money of $50.00

Final standings:

Howling Wolf $84.80__Ultimate Selector! $64.00__Raider Rock $58.60__Cowboy__$25.40__Johnny Phelps $21.40__Aaron $11.80__Roach $11.80__Handi $9.80__Irishman $8.80_Calabres_7.60_ Anderon $2.20

We had fun & enjoyed participating with you all!

Look to do it all again real soon!

Till then may the Horse be with you & see ya in the Winners Circle!

Regards,

Ultimate Selector!

Handiman

Pen Nat contest for $50.00 on my "Live"Web Show!

2009-12-04T21:25:00.005-05:00

Players & Cappers!

Win & Place Contest!

When: Sat Nite 12-5-09 Free to play Pen Nat contest for $50.00.

Who can play? .. Anyone

Handiman & I have decided to treat our viewers & readers with a nite of Appreciation & Fun on my "Live" Web Show! Anyone can play. The rules are straight forward & simple ...

1) Player MUST play every race 1-9

2) Player picks 1 horse per race only!

3) Players will post their pick in my Chat box & I will score them.

4) Player Selection must run 1st or 2nd to score.
Whatever the mutual payout is we just add them up for all 9 races.

5) Winner is player who scores the highest mutual for all 9 races.

6) Winner receives $50.00 thru Pay Pal by Sunday noon.

My "Live" Show starts at 6pm Sat Nite.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ultimate-selecotr-s-live-horse-racing-picks

Hope to see you all there!

Best of Luck & let's see who wants to take our money!

Ultimate Selector! & Handiman
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2009 Horse Racing Leaders!

2009-12-03T14:18:00.001-05:00

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Here are the links for all the Racing Leaders of 2009 so far his year!

Horses http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/thoroughbred-racing/leaders/leading-horses/2009

Jockeys http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/thoroughbred-racing/leaders/leading-jockeys/2009

Trainers http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/thoroughbred-racing/leaders/leading-trainers/2009

Owners http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/thoroughbred-racing/leaders/leading-owners/2009

Breeders http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/thoroughbred-racing/leaders/leading-breeders/2009

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Vodka earns career-defining victory in Japan Cup

2009-12-03T14:14:00.001-05:00

VODKA (inside) HOLDS OFF OKEN BRUCE LEE IN THE JAPAN CUP (Jpn-G1)

With shortening strides in deep stretch on Sunday at Tokyo Racecourse, reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Vodka charged toward an elusive victory in the $5,471,264 Japan Cup (Jpn-G1), the country’s signature race.

The five-year-old Tanino Gimlet mare surged to a commanding lead in deep stretch and appeared destined to nail down a career-defining win, but such victories rarely are that easy, especially in a race that was a few hundred meters longer than Vodka’s best distance.

Oken Bruce Lee uncoiled an explosive rally from the outside and steadily inhaled Vodka’s advantage with ground-devouring strides as 98,811 fans roared in anticipation of a thrilling finish. Jockey Christophe Lemaire, riding Vodka for the first time, went to left-handed urging to make sure she saw her late-closing challenger and with one desperate, final surge she held on to win by the slimmest of margins.

“I knew that the last 100 meters was going to be the toughest and also acknowledged a strong charge coming from behind, so I gave her the whip and prayed her to hold on and she did—which proves what a fantastic mare she is,” Lemaire said.

Vodka, who in 2007 became the first filly in 64 years to win the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), completed the 2,400-meter (11.93-furlong) race in 2:22.40 on firm turf to become the first Japanese-bred female to win the Japan Cup and stake her claim as the greatest racemare in Japanese history. Trained by Katsuhiko Sumii for owner Yuzo Tanimizu, she finished fourth in the 2007 Japan Cup at three and third last year, beaten by less than two lengths on both occasions.

“Though Vodka has won many Group 1 titles, the Japan Cup was special to me in that after having finished third and fourth in this truly international and prestigious race, somewhere in the back of my mind there was always this unfinished job we had to finish,” said Tanimizu, who will wait to determine if Vodka will remain in training. “Credit goes to my trainer and especially the stable staff that have put such hard work into making this happen.”

Classic winner Oken Bruce Lee deserved a better outcome after a visually impressive late charge, finishing 1 1/2 lengths clear of classic-winning three-year-old filly Red Desire. Two-time Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) winner Conduit (Ire), purchased to stand the 2010 breeding season at Big Red Farm in Japan, broke slowly and encountered traffic in the stretch of a fourth-place finish.

“He broke poorly; he didn’t respond as he usually does,” jockey Ryan Moore said of Conduit, who scored a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on November 7. “He may have been tired not having enough time from his last start.”

Augustin Stable’s Grade 1 winner Just as Well finished a respectable seventh in the 18-horse field, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (G1) winner Interpatation finished in a dead heat for 14th, and Grade 1 winner Marsh Side finished 17th. Screen Hero, winner of the 2008 Japan Cup, flattened out in the stretch and faded to 13th, but the day belonged to fan favorite Vodka.

Vodka earned $2,886,609 to boost her career bankroll to $13,102,306, passing Admire Moon, Zenno Rob Roy, Curlin, Makybe Diva, and Deep Impact to move to second on the list of the world’s all-time leading earners. She trails only T.M.Opera O ($16,200,337). Bred by Country Bokujo, Vodka is out of the Rousillon mare Tanino Sister. She has amassed ten wins in 25 starts, including a victory in the 2008 Tenno Sho (Autumn) (Jpn-G1) and back-to-back editions of the Yasuda Kinen (Jpn-G1) in ’08 and ‘09.

“It was a close race and I was left in suspense,” Sumii said of the long delay the stewards needed to confirm the winner in a close photo finish. “It was very moving for me, as well as the stable staff, to be able to share the glorious outcome in this race.”

Lezcano Named Jockey of the Week

2009-12-03T14:11:00.000-05:00

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Jose Lezcano won a pair of graded stakes over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and led all North American jockeys by purse earnings for the week ended December 2.

Lezcano amassed $406,830 during the time period, boosted by victories in the Remsen Stakes (G2) and Fall Highweight Handicap (G3).

Lezcano rode Cherokee Country to victory in the Fall Highweight on November 26 at Aqueduct then followed with a 4¾-length romp aboard Buddy’s Saint in the Remsen two days later at the Jamaica, New York, track.

Lezcano and Buddy’s Saint partnered to win the Nashua Stakes (G2) by a visually impressive 12 lengths earlier in November.

The 24-year-old rider is enjoying one of his best seasons to date. Through Monday, Lezcano has won 27 stakes, including 11 graded stakes.

Born in Panama and now living in Plantation, Florida, Lezcano started his U.S. riding career at Gulfstream Park before becoming a mainstay at the Meadowlands. Lezcano won the 2006 riding title at the Meadowlands and Tampa Bay Downs.

In 2008, Lescano won riding titles at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands. He also captured the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf aboard Maram.
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Air Forbes Won Euthanized at 30

2009-12-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

Air Forbes Won, the 1982 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) favorite who sired 49 stakes winners, was euthanized Nov. 19 at age 30 because of complications from the infirmities of old age. He resided at John J. Greely III’s Wintergreen Farm near Midway, Ky., where he had stood at stud.

Campaigned by Edward Anchel, Air Forbes Won was a hot item going into the Run for the Roses, a race won by his sire, Bold Forbes, in 1976. Air Forbes Won had captured all four starts, including the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Gotham (gr. II) Stakes, and was attempting to became the fifth Wood Memorial winner since 1975 to win the Derby and the second Ohio-bred to win the historic event (the first was Wintergreen in 1909). Bold Forbes won the 1976 Wood.

Sent off at 5-2, Air Forbes Won shared the lead with the filly Cupecoy’s Joy and El Baba near the quarter pole but weakened and finished ninth behind winner Gato Del Sol. Air Forbes Won missed the Preakness (gr. I) and Belmont (gr. I) Stakes, then finished second in the Pennsylvania (gr. III) and Ohio (gr. II) Derbys. He came out of the last race with a tendon injury and was retired shortly after. Trained by Frank LaBoccetta, he exited with four wins from seven starts and earnings of $237,700. He was syndicated for $60,000 a share.

Air Forbes Won’s stakes winners include grade I winners Mercedes Won and Yanks Music. A millionaire, Mercedes Won was Canada’s champion 2-year-old male of 1988 and was a leading juvenile in the United States. He won the Hopeful (gr. I) and Sanford (gr. II) Stakes at Saratoga. At 3, he captured the Florida Derby (gr. I).

Yanks Music was voted champion 3-year-old filly of 1996 after exhibiting a show of force in New York. She won the Alabama, Beldame, and Mother Goose Stakes and the Ruffian Handicap, all grade I events.

Air Forbes Won sired a career total of 100 stakes horses and the earners of $29.4 million.

Bred by Howard B. Noonan, Air Forbes Won was produced from the Tobin Bronze mare Bronze Point.
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Hollywood Derby: More of Same From Usual Q.T.

2009-11-29T23:27:00.000-05:00

The Usual Q.T. gets his fifth consecutive win in the Hollywood Derby.

Since trainer James Cassidy switched The Usual Q. T. to the turf to break his maiden in August, all the California-bred son of standout sire Unusual Heat has done is win. He ran his streak to five races against a powerful field Nov. 29 in the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) (VIDEO).

Always looking like the winner, Victor Espinoza guided the Usual Q.T. past 75-1 shot Acclamation inside the eighth pole and he was not challenged. The gelding won by 1 1/2 lengths while completing the 1 1/4-mile event for 3-year-olds in a time of 1:59.69 over firm ground. That was a couple of ticks off the stakes record of 1:59.35 established by Showing Up in 2006.

"Everything went my way,” Espinoza said. “At the half-mile, he was just cruising, I mean really, really strong. In the middle of the turn, I looked back and nobody was coming. I had so much horse, I was just waiting for somebody to come up behind me, but there wasn't anybody. Turning for home I let him go and he just cut. The way he ran today was unbelievable.”

Being a Cal-bred, the Usual Q.T., who went off at odds of 9-2 in spite of his gutty victory in the Nov. 7 Oak Tree Derby (gr. IIT) in his last start, is usually overlooked, Cassidy readily acknowledged.

"He had a perfect trip,” Cassidy said. “He was loaded down the backside. Coming down the stretch, I think if he gets beat, he has to fall down because I know what he can do down the stretch. He’s an absolute amazing horse. It’s a shame he’s a Cal-bred because they kind of look down their nose at Cal-breds. But he beat an awful good field today.”

The Usual Q.T. is owned by Don Van Kempen with partners Michael Nentwig, George Saadeh, and Thomas Braden.

Race favorite Battle of Hastings closed much ground to be second but was no threat to the winner. Acclamation finished third, with New York invader Al Khali fourth.

The Usual Q.T. lost the first five races of his career -- including four runner-up finishes -- and is unbeaten since. He defeated state breds three times at Del Mar and Santa Anita, capped by a win in the Cal Cup Mile Handicap, before his victory over open company in the nine-furlong Oak Tree Derby.

In that race, the Usual Q.T. battled to get the lead mid-stretch and managed to hang on by a head over the late-running Battle of Hastings. With the added furlong in the Hollywood Derby, fans favored Battle of Hastings, who went off at 5-2.

In a 12-horse field, Straight Story took the early lead over Acclamation and dual grade I winner Take the Points and was in control after a half-mile in :48.35. Mike Smith, aboard Straight Story, attempted to slow the pace on backstretch but David Flores aboard Acclamation would have none of it, pushing the leader into the final turn and emerging with the lead approaching the stretch. The six-furlong split was 1:12.82. The Usual Q.T., stalking along the inside in third with Take the Points, moved out three wide for the drive, sweeping past the tiring Straight Story and taking aim at Acclamation.

The Usual Q.T. was soon in charge and was not to be denied while edging clear under urging from Espinoza. Battle of Hastings, ninth with a quarter-mile to run for Garrett Gomez, launched his powerful late bid to get second by a half-length over the tiring Acclamation, who nonetheless nosed Al Khali for third.

The winner earned $180,000 for his fifth victory in 10 starts and boosted his career earnings to $456,670. Carlee Van Kempen bred the Usual Q.T., who is out of the Western Fame mare Lunge.

Racing at equal weight of 122 pounds, the Usual Q.T. paid $11.40, $5, and $4 as the co-second choice. He topped a $42.40 exacta. Two-time grade II winner Battle of Hastings returned $4 and $2.80 and has now finished second in three of his past four starts for trainer Jeff Mullins. Acclamation, turning in a game effort for trainer Donald Warren, was $18.60 to show.
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Vodka Scores Popular Victory in Japan Cup

2009-11-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

Vodka, Japan's reigning Horse of the Year,
barely held on to win the Japan Cup at Tokyo Race Course.

In a scene that has been played out on four continents over the past four years, Vodka, Japan’s reigning Horse of the Year, had most of the 98,811 the fans at Tokyo Race Course cheering wildly as she barely held on to win the Nov. 29 Japan Cup (Jpn-I). She ranks among other recent femme fatales Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, and Rags to Riches, Zarkava, Goldikova, and Makybe Diva.

Ridden for the first time by Christophe Lemaire, favored Vodka, who had finished fourth and third, respectively, in the last two runnings of the 2,400-meter Japan Cup (about 1 1/2 miles), finally found the winner’s circle, but only by a nose, defeating second choice Oken Bruce Lee by the narrowest of margins.

The 5-year-old Vodka raced forwardly about four or five lengths off the pace and launched her bid shortly after turning into the three-furlong straight. She charged to the front from between horses with 300 meters to run and quickly opened a clear lead. The huge crowd erupted when it became apparent Vodka was on her way to a comfortable victory. But Oken Bruce Lee, who had to go some 10-wide at the head of stretch after rallying rom third last in the 18-horse field, was closing even more powerfully for jockey Hiroyuki Uchida.

Oken Bruce Lee came flying down the center of the course, chopping into Vodka’s lead with every stride. Most thought he had gotten the nod, but, after several minutes to examine the photo, it was Vodka whose number went up, much to the delight of the crowd.

With her victory, Vodka, trained by Katsuhiko Sumii, has now won seven grade or grade I races. After two defeats this fall in the Mainichi Okan (Jpn-II) and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) (Jpn-I), Sumii made the call to put Lemaire in the irons, replacing the mare's longtime rider, Yutaka Take.

“Stretching her out has always been the issue with her,” he said. “The change in jockeys definitely had something to do with it, but Lemaire happened to be free and it was my decision.”

Another Japanese-trained filly, 3-year-old Red Desire, ran on well to finish third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. British-trained Conduit, winner of back-to-back runnings of the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT) and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-I), finished fourth, but was never a threat in the final race of his career. Conduit is set to stand stud at the Big Red Farm in Hokkaido next year.

That was the best finish among the five foreign horses. Just as Well ran seventh, Scintillo was 11th, Interpatation came in 14th, and Marsh Side was 17th.

Commenting on the close finish, Lemaire said, “At the post I thought we had won, but just after the post I wasn't so sure. Those last 100 meters were so long. I know she has a lot of fans and a lot of support; she is a fantastic horse and deserves to win this race. I am very happy for all of her fans. She has courage.”

It was reported that Vodka returned after the race bleeding from the nostrils. She was ruled out for the next month, meaning she will not run in the 2,500-meter Arima Kinen (Jpn-I) at Nakayama, the year’s grand finale. It could also mean that the Japan Cup was Vodka's final race.

The victory had Vodka's connections hanging in suspense.

“It's not good for your heart," owner Yuzo Tanimizu said. "I had complete faith in the horse, but I was nervous. Winning the Japan Cup means a lot to me, because we finished third last year and fourth the years before. We came back this year to pick up what we feel like we left behind. But I knew this year was different from the moment she set foot on the course. When the result finally came out, I was relieved."

Commenting on Vodka's future, he said: “I think we’re nearing the time where we have to make some kind of decision. I’ll talk to the people at the stable about it first because they know her better than anyone. It’s all up to the horse, but we just always try to take it one race at a time.”

As for Conduit, jockey Ryan Moore Moore said: “He broke poorly and he didn't respond as he usually does. He may have been tired, not having enough time from his last start.”

Vodka is 10-for-25 for her career. The victory, worth nearly $2.8 million, boosted her earnings to about $13 million.

Overflow Crowd Ushers in Hialeah Park Meet

2009-11-29T01:53:00.001-05:00

Opening ceremonies at Hialeah; left: John Bernetti Sr, right: Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina

Hialeah Park opened its Quarter Horse meet on Nov. 28 before an overflow crowd that track officials estimated at 26,874, based on turnstile counts at one of the entrances and the number of cars in parking lots.

"Ir waa everything that we hoped for," Hialeah Park president and owner John J. Brunetti said following the end of the eight-race card.

Before the start of the day’s races, he estimated the crowd was between 15,000 and 20,000. Earlier in the week, Brunetti had projected an attendance of more than 10,000 for the Hialeah, Fla., track’s first racing since its last Thoroughbred meet in 2001.

With its opening day in the books, Hialeah Park will hold a 40-day Quarter Horse meet through next Feb. 2 while hoping that Florida politicians will allow it to return to Thoroughbred racing, on a limited basis, and add a casino with Las Vegas-style slot machines.

"Today proves that there is an interest in racing being held here in Hialeah," Brunetti said. "This points out that Hialeah Park has an important place in the racing industry in Florida."

Racing industry officials joined racing fans and those out for an "event" on a clear day with temperatures in the low 70s.

Several complimented Brunetti on the work done since late summer to restore a large portion of Hialeah’s grounds and building.

"It looks beautiful," said Sam Gordon, president of the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.

"It was amazing walking in here," said Thoroughbred trainer Tim Ritvo. "It was like a blast from the past."

Racing officials and fans watched and roared as Hialeah’s starting gate sprung open at 1:09 p.m. for the first race.

Definatly Maybe took the lead midway through the 300 yard race and beat London Express by three-quarters of a length.

Definatly Maybe paid $10.00, $4.40 and $3.80. The 2-year-old gelding is trained by Manuel Mata and was ridden by Jose Ranilla.

This Flights for You won the day’s feature $25,000 Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes. The 4-year-old colt ran 300 yards in 15:32 seconds under jockey Thomas Byrd. He is trained by Donnie Strickland.

For opening day and all of its 40-day quarter horse meet, Hialeah has opened the clubhouse portion of its building but not the grandstand.

It was standing room only in the 6,500 seat clubhouse. Fans also were elbow to elbow in the apron area, and crowds milled inside on the first two floors.

A large crowd also was in the paddock area, many wearing souvenir tee-shirts. The supply of 10,000 shirts was gone prior to the first race.

Some observers said Hialeah’s building looked more modern and spruced-up than in 2001.

Hialeah had about 75 betting windows open -- with long lines for windows staffed by pari-mutuel clerks but shorter ones at self-service terminals.

Starting early in the day, there were reports of some fans being shut out from betting. Otherwise, there appeared to be no major glitches.

"We had a few wrinkles with the betting lines and some long lines for valet parking," Brunetti said. "But you have to expect a few things on a day like this. People understood that this was our first day back in eight years."

Many fans apparently were there for the event, and not for wagering. Most kept their seats and standing spots through the early races, soaking up the atmosphere on a day where Brunetti could not have asked for a better script.

But the festive day still left questions of how much wagering can be expected on Hialeah Quarter Horse races--on-site and at the more than 100 racetracks and OTB sites around the country that are taking its simulcast signal.

Data from Equibase show wagering of $31,400 on the opening day’s first race and of $32,500 on its feature. Wagering per race was from the $20,000 to $35,000 range. On-site and simulcast breakdowns were not available.

Brunetti said many of the opening day attendees are long-time racing fans, who will be back on a regular basis during the meet.

"There is pent-up demand for gaming" in Hialeah and neighboring parts of Miami-Dade County, he said.

Under its agreement with the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, Hialeah will pay total purses of $4 million--averaging about $100,000 per day.

Combining purses with costs of renovations, Brunetti has said he expects to lose $15 million or more preparing for and running the 40-day meet.

Last March 16, Hialeah received a Quarter Horse permit from the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. It is a holding a 40-day meet, through next Feb. 2, with a hope that it will lead to a return of Thoroughbred racing and to a casino.

A pending state law would allow Hialeah to have up to half its races as thoroughbred races with the other half as quarter horse races in future meets. Under that law, Hialeah’s holding of Quarter Horse races also would permit it to build a casino with Las Vegas style slot machines.

Enactment of the law is being held up amid a dispute between Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida legislature over terms of a gaming compact for the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Kodiak Kowboy KO's Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile

2009-11-29T01:51:00.000-05:00

Kodiak Kowboy closes late to win the Cigar Mile

Ridden patiently by Shaun Bridgmohan, Kodiak Kowboy swept past Bribon and Vineyard Haven in deep stretch to win the $300,000 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) (VIDEO) by three-quarters of a length at Aqueduct Nov. 28.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, a freshened Kodiak Kowboy made it consecutive grade I victories for owners Fox Hill Farm and Vinery Stables. The 4-year-old son of Posse --Kokadrie (by Coronado's Quest) captured the Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I) over a sloppy Belmont Park strip Oct. 3.

With his fourth win in eight starts this year, Kodiak Kowboy is a leading contender for an Eclipse Award as the nation's top sprinter. Kodiak Kowboy won the Carter Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct in April.

Kodiak Kowboy completed the one-turn mile in 1:35.57 over a main track labeled "fast" but not playing that way. Bribon finished second by a head, with Vineyard Haven, part of Godolphin's 11-10 coupled entry with Pyro, running third.

“That’s three grade I’s this year, we couldn’t be happier," said Tom Ludt, president of Vinery Stables. "He was a little closer to the pace than normal, but he was just sitting there so comfortably. Shaun rode a great race. This horse has been so good for us. Now, he’s going home to be a dad.”

Fourth after a half-mile, Kodiak Kowboy was held on the inside by Bribon and jockey Rajiv Maragh as Vineyard Haven dueled with Driven by Success through quarter-mile fractions of :23.69 and :46.80. The outlook began to change when Driven by Success tired at the rail and Bribon moved up three wide to challenge Vineyard Haven after six furlongs in 1:11.54.

That created an opportunity for Kodiak Kowboy, who was switched to the outside by Bridgmohan for room in upper stretch. As Bribon surged to the front over the battling Vineyard Haven at the furlong pole, Kodiak Kowboy ranged up on the outside, getting a head in front less than 100 yards from the wire. He inched away in determined fashion under right-handed urging.

"I had such a great trip," Bridgmohan said. "I was just very patient with him, and when I asked him, he responded like the professional he’s always been. What a nice horse.”

Met Mile Handicap (gr. I) victor Bribon yielded grudgingly to finish second after looking like a winner in the stretch. A game Vineyard Haven was followed by Vacation, Pyro and Driven by Success.

“He ran great," said Bribon's trainer Robert Ribaudo, who added that the 6-year-old would return to training after a break in 2010. "We were a little concerned because the track seemed to be putting up some slow times, but the track didn’t seem to bother him."

“He ran hard all the way to the wire, and it’s unfortunate he didn’t win,” said Maragh. “He ran too good to lose, but there can only be one winner.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hartwell Farm, Kodiak Kowboy scored his 11th lifetime triumph in 23 starts while banking $1,663,363. The Cigar Mile win was worth $180,000. The bay colt sold for $70,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sale in August 2006.

Sent off as the third choice among five betting interests, Kodiak Kowboy carried high weight of 120 pounds and paid $8.70, $4.10 and $2.10 while heading a $22.60 exacta. The French-bred Bribon, rebounding from a fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) in his last start Sept. 20, returned $3.40 and $2.10. The 3-year-old Vineyard Haven, who came into the race off back-to-back grade I wins for Godolphin, was $2.10 to show.

Summer Bird Hurt; Out of Japan Cup Dirt

2009-11-29T01:49:00.000-05:00

Summer Bird

Summer Bird, winner of the grade I Belmont Stakes, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, was withdrawn from the Dec. 6 Japan Cup Dirt after suffering an injury in a workout. at Hanshin Race Course.

According to owner Dr. K.K. Jayaraman, the son of Birdstone came back from his work Nov. 29 showing signs of lameness.

“Tim (trainer Ice) called me and told me what happened and that X-rays had revealed a small chip in the right carpal fetlock joint,” Jayaraman said. “It’s only the size of a pea, but he’s obviously out of the race.

“We will bring him back home in a couple of days and send him to one of the farms in Lexington, Ky. where we board our horses. After we find out more, we will make a decision after we remove the chip whether to bring him back or retire him.”

Summer Bird’s most recent effort was a solid fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), in which he was beaten three lengths by Zenyatta.

Blame Points the Way in Huge Clark Verdict

2009-11-28T01:37:00.001-05:00

Blame powers home to triumph in the Clark.

Three-year-old Blame ensconced himself as a leading player in next year's national handicap picture when he seized the lead from fellow sophomore Misremembered at the eighth pole and held on for a neck victory in the $460,600 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (gr. II) (VIDEO) at Churchill Downs Nov. 27.

Trained by Albert Stall Jr. and owners/breeders Adele Dilschneider and Claiborne Farm, Blame closed his 2008 campaign with back-to-back grade II victories at nine furlongs after also capturing Keeneland's Fayette Stakes (gr. II) on Polytrack Oct. 31. The son of Arch --Liable, by Seeking the Gold, has won four of six starts this year with one second and one third.

"He just continues to get better and better," Stall said. "He’s a wonderful looking horse with a tremendous pedigree. We’ve just spaced his races and taken our time with him and pointed to the end of the year and a 4-year-old type of campaign. He’s shown up every time.”

Breaking from post 5 in a 14-horse field with Jamie Theriot aboard, Blame was stuck wide in eighth on the clubhouse turn but was able to get a position four wide on the backstretch. Bidding five wide on the final turn, Blame maneuvered between horses in upper stretch to challenge Misrembered and 41-1 Anak Nakal approaching the eighth pole.

After putting his head in front, Blame took control but had to dig in over the final sixteenth against Misremembered. The latter surged past Etched to get the lead at the quarter pole and battled Anak Nakal through the lane, fighting back along the inside for jockey Victor Espinoza after Blame took over. Blame held on under strong urging from Theriot.

“He took me to the lead well within himself,"Theriot said. "Once he gets in front he starts to look around and loses a little bit of interest. I felt the horse on the inside start coming to me, and my horse started to dig in when he felt the pressure. He kept giving me more. We could have went around again and the outcome wouldn’t have changed. That’s how he does it. This was a very good field of horses he beat today. You will probably be seeing a lot of him as a 4-year-old.”

Multiple grade I winner Einstein, who had to overcome the far outside post in the big field and top weight of 123 pounds, rallied for third under Rajiv Maragh, finishing a half-length behind the winner. Giant Oak overcame a slow break to run fourth.

The winning time for the 1 1/8-mile late season test was 1:49.39.

Macho Again, the 7-2 choice, raced at the back of the pack in 13th for six furlongs, made a mild move while wide on the final turn and finished ninth with no late kick.

The 112-1 outsider Anarko established the lead while posting sensible fractions of :23.69 and :47.60 before giving way to Etched, who completed six furlongs in 1:12.60 but could not handle the pressure from Misremembered, who was always close to the pace. The Southern California-based colt, coming off a victory in the Indiana Derby (gr. II) for trainer Bob Baffert in his only prior start on dirt Oct. 3, took a narrow lead into the stretch.

"He was there – he just came up short and got beat by a nice horse," Baffert said. "We’re just mad that we didn’t bet that good 3-year-old exacta there.”

Baffert said Misremembered would be freshened up for the Santa Anita series for 4-year-olds this winter.

Blame broke his maiden in his second start as a 2-year-old. Never worse than third in eight lifetime races, Blame ran his career mark to 5-1-2 while boosting his earnings to $616,747. The Clark victory was worth $259,872. Prior to his Fayette win, the bay colt ran second in the Super Derby (gr. II) at Louisiana Downs. He has won two of three starts at Churchill for Stall.

Stall said Blame would spend the winter at Fair Grounds and noted that the Breeders’ Cup is at Churchill next year. "He could do a number of things. He’s done everything; he’s won on [synthetic surfaces] and he’s run well on the dirt. It’ll be fun talking about it.”

Sent off as the second choice, Blame carried 118 pounds and paid $10.80, $6, and $4.20. Misremembered, winner of the Swaps Stakes (gr. II) at Hollywood Park this summer, returned $10.20 and $6.40 and rounded out a $129 exacta. The 7-year-old Einstein, ridden by Maragh for the first time, rebounded from his 11th-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) Nov. 7 with a big effort. He paid $4.60 to show.

Fluke Wins Poignant Citation for Frankel Barn

2009-11-28T01:35:00.001-05:00

Fluke and Joe Talamo get up late to win the Citation.

In an emotional win for the barn of the late trainer Bobby Frankel, the Brazilian import Fluke charged between horses in deep stretch to capture his first American stakes race in the $300,000 Citation Handicap (gr. IT) (VIDEO) at Hollywood Park Nov. 27.

Sent off at odds of 9-1, Fluke enjoyed a dream trip under jockey Joe Talamo, saving ground to mid-stretch before angling out to find room between the tiring pacesetter Enriched and the rallying Ever a Friend. After striking the front, Fluke drew off in the final strides for a 1 1/4-length win in the 1 1/16-mile Citation. Trainer Humberton Ascanio, Frankel's assistant for more than three decades, scored the grade I victory for owner Patricia Bozano.

"I'm so happy," Ascanio told TVG while fighting back tears. "I don't want to get mushy (about Frankel), but I'm sure he gave a little push."

In the winner's circle later, he added, "Bobby told me to get him ready. Be positive, he is training good. He was right. The horse was doing good. My job was to continue training. I’m just happy to win for him."

Ascanio held his 15-month old grandson, Jonathan, in the winner’s circle and was joined by his wife, Maureen, and other family members.

"This is very emotional for me," Talamo said. "Bobby's the one who brought me out here (from Louisiana). If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here."

Frankel won a record 17 stakes during the Hollywood Park Turf Festival. The Hall of Fame conditioner died of leukemia Nov. 16.

Ever a Friend finished second in the Citation, with Cowboy Cal running third. Favored Blue Chagall made a strong bid on the final turn while four wide but faded in the homestretch, finishing last of eight. The final time was 1:40.48 over firm going.

Fluke scored his first American stakes victory in the Citation. A grade III winner in his native Brazil in 2008, the 4-year-old son of Wild Event began the year with Frankel at Santa Anita, winning one of two starts before shipping east. In his only other U.S. stakes try Fluke finished a well-beaten fifth in Keeneland's Maker's Mark Mile (gr. IT) in April before relocating to New York.

"Early in the year I saw he won that race and I thought he would be a nice horse at the end of the year," Ascanio said. “He was more rank (early in the year). He is tough to ride in the morning and hard to settle. He (Talamo) did a good job.”

After posting a pair of close runner-up finishes in optional-claiming allowance events at Belmont Park and Saratoga over the summer, Fluke sparkled in his most recent start, a one-mile optional claimer at Belmont Sept. 18 that he won by 3 1/4 lengths. He returned to Southern California in late October and put in four solid timed workouts over Hollywood's Cushion Track prior to his break-out victory in the Citation.

"I watched the replay of his last race and man, he came home in :22," Talamo noted. "I'm not going to say that we knew he was going to win, but we came in with a lot of confidence. He's a real nice horse and I think he's going to go on to do some big things. They weren't really going all that fast, but into the turn I could see some of them were making early moves. In the stretch it was just a matter of finding a seam, and when he found one he really took off."

Ever a Friend and Enriched vied for the early lead with Cowboy Cal tugging his way along in third before Enriched, a 4-year-old half-brother to California star Lava Man, took control and dictated the pace through quarter-mile splits of :23.71, :48.42, and 1:12.14. Enriched continued to show the way into the stretch as Ever a Friend, a three-wide Cowboy Cal and a four-wide Blue Chagall progressed.

Fluke, who broke from the rail, stalked along the inside in fifth and needed room. He found it when Talamo switched out slightly for the drive. The sharp-looking dark bay took control efficiently after exploiting the opening between horses.

Ever a Friend stayed on well for second with Joel Rosario aboard, edging Cowboy Cal and Rafael Bejarano by three-quarters of a length. Proudinsky, a second horse in the field from the former Frankel barn, made a mild move in the stretch and was a neck back in fourth. He was followed by Enriched, Skyrush, Monzante, and the favorite.

Both Rosario and Bejarano said that the early bid from Blue Chagall on the turn forced them to move as well or risk being shut off in the lane.

Winning for the fifth time in 11 tries in his career with three seconds, Fluke earned $180,000 for the victory. That boosts his career total to $308,348.

Bred by Haras Doce Vale, Fluke is out of the Brazilian mare Uff-Uff, by De Quest.

Sent off as the sixth favorite, Fluke carried 113 pounds and paid $20, $7.80, and $4.40, keying a $2 exacta worth $119. The grade I winner Ever a Friend, making his second start off a layoff of more than 17 months for trainer Mike Mitchell, returned $6 and $3.80. Second choice Cowboy Cal, the 120-pound top weight, was $3.20 to show.
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Oak Tree Honors Zenyatta With Grade I Race

2009-11-27T00:19:00.001-05:00

Zenyatta

The Oak Tree Racing Association has announced that the undefeated superstar mare Zenyatta, last-to-first winner of the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) at Santa Anita, will be honored by having the name of the race she won in both 2008 and 2009, the Lady’s Secret (gr. I) renamed The Zenyatta, effective next year.

“When the history books are written, we feel that what Zenyatta accomplished here Nov. 7 will go down as one of the all-time great achievements in American racing,” said Sherwood Chillingworth, Oak Tree’s director and executive vice president, in a release.

“Lady’s Secret was a great mare herself. She won the (Breeders’ Cup) Distaff (gr. I) here in 1986 and went on to be named Horse of the Year, but what Zenyatta did here against the best horses in the world is something none of us who witnessed it will ever forget.

“It is particularly appropriate, in that she won the Lady’s Secret two years in a row, and like Lady’s Secret, we feel strongly that Zenyatta should be Horse of the Year. Her brilliance is undeniable and we are proud to rename this prestigious race in her honor.”

Lady’s Secret was owned by the late Eugene Klein and his wife Joyce, and she was trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Zenyatta, who has been retired, is owned by Jerry and Ann Moss and was trained by John Shirreffs.

“At first, Jerry was reluctant to accept our offer of renaming the race, because he was a personal friend of Gene Klein,” said Chillingworth. “But after he and Ann thought about it for a couple of days, he called back and said they thought Zenyatta would be flattered by the comparison and to know that she was held in such high esteem.”

After winning the 2008 Lady’s Secret, Zenyatta went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr. I), and was subsequently voted that year’s champion older female.

The Lady’s Secret, which was inaugurated in 1993, is for fillies and mares 3-years-old and-up, at 1 1/16 miles.

Oak Tree’s 42^nd fall race meeting begins in September, 2010.
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Hialeah Readies to Break from Gate Nov. 28

2009-11-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

Preparations continue to resume racing at Hialeah on November 28.

Driving into the south parking lot at Hialeah Park Nov. 23, one could see a large satellite dish that was not there several weeks ago and a Teleview Racing Patrol truck. There were several dozen cars in the lot, compared with the handful you usually would find in recent years.

Those were the first clear signs that racing will indeed resume Nov. 28 at the historic Hialeah, Fla., track.

Hialeah’s first meet since 2001 will be solely for Quarter Horses - on 40 race days through Feb. 2, 2010.

Track owner and president John J. Brunetti is still waiting for Florida’s politicians to determine whether Hialeah will be able to return to Thoroughbred racing, with up to half its races in future meets, and build a casino with Las Vegas style slot machines. A state law that passed this year would allow that expansion for Hialeah. Enactment of that law is being held up amid a dispute between Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida legislature over terms of a gaming compact for the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Brunetti has told The Blood-Horse he considers the first Quarter Horse meet “a mean to an end.” He expects to lose $15 million or more preparing the property for and running the 2009-2010 meet.

But Hialeah is making its new horsemen feel they are a main immediate and future attraction.

“Sam Abbey (racing secretary) and everyone else at Hialeah have all been great and are treating me better than I have ever been treated at a racetrack,” said Larry Devereaux, who has trained numerous Quarter Horse graded stakes winners.

To get ready for Quarter Horse racing, workers on were still painting some portions of Hialeah’s clubhouse Nov. 23. Most of that section of the building will be open, but the grandstand will be closed during the meet.

Other workers were putting in wiring around the building and up to restaurants on the third floor. Others were getting escalators ready or were installing self-service betting machines. Bunting was already hung over the balconies facing the paddock. The tropical trees have been trimmed in the paddock area, where testing was being done on the electronic tote board near the life-size statue of Citation.

Quarter Horses have already begun training on the dirt track and their trainers were giving the same praise for its consistency and apparent safety for horses that Thoroughbred trainers often talked about, Abbey said.

“The level of excitement keeps rising every day, here and around the country,” said Randy Soth, Hialeah’s vice president and general manager. “I’ve had people call from several states, saying they are coming here and want to know where they can find hotels.”

Fans will find that Hialeah has done an impressive partial reconstruction over two months. But expectedly, it has not yet returned to its grand appearance from the 1990s and earlier.

Details of Hialeah’s meet are on its Web site http://www.hialeahparkracing.com/.

Here are some highlights of what to expect:

Schedule:

First post time is 1:05 p.m. for the Nov. 28 eight-race card. On other days, first post will be at 2:05 p.m.-with racing Saturdays through Tuesdays. Each card will have eight races, Soth said.

Hialeah officials expect an opening day crowd of 10,000 or more-with many there for the event and not especially for racing. Hialeah will hold weekend concerts and other promotions to attract fans later in the meet.

The opening day card has drawn 63 entries. That includes a maximum 10 in the featured $25,000 Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes. The race is 300 yards, for 3-year-olds and up.

Hialeah’s races will be at distances from 220 yards to 1,000 yards. Races on the straightaway will be as long as 660 yards. The only one-turn races will be at 1,000 yards.

Horses and Trainers:

Hialeah has put up 800 temporary stalls. Almost 300 horses were on site as of Nov. 23.

About 150 were en route from other states, Abbey said. He expects to have 800 horses on site by early December.

“It appears it will be very representative of a top-tier meet,” Soth said.

The attractions are racing at Hialeah and the fact that several major Quarter Horse tracks have ended their seasons, he said.

Lone Star Park’s Quarter Horse meet ends Nov. 28.

Devereaux races at Lone Star and other tracks on the Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico circuit. He arrived at Hialeah during the week of Nov. 16 and plans to have some of his top horses among his approximately 20 at the track.

Paul Jones, a six-time winner of the American Quarter Horse Association’s award as champion trainer, plans to have 26 horses at Hialeah. But he said he will keep his top horses at his base at Los Alamitos in Los Alamitos, Calif.

The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association expects there will be 30 or fewer Florida-breds racing at Hialeah.

Florida’s last Quarter Horse meet was in 1991 at Pompano Park, the harness track in Pompano Beach.

The Florida Quarter Horse industry hopes Hialeah’s meet will provide it incentives for breeding, said Dr. Steve Fisch, a veterinarian who is president of the Florida QHRA.

Four organizations that have Quarter Horse permits from the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering and are considering new construction. Thus, owners from Florida and other states hope Hialeah could be the start of a Quarter Horse circuit in Florida, Soth said.

Wagering:

Hialeah will have 10 cent superfectas on every race and a daily 50 cent Pick Four. It will have $1 minimums on all other bets. Those are win, place, show along with exactas and trifectas on each race, one Pick Three and late and early Daily Doubles.

Takeouts will be lower than in Hialeah’s final Thoroughbred years, when even some of its most loyal fans complained about high takeouts and a deteriorating property. Takeout will be 18% on WPS, 21% on exactas and daily doubles, and 27% on other bets.

Working with Teleview, Hialeah will send its signal to more than 100 outlets--a combination of race tracks, off-track betting companies and advance deposit wagering services. Hialeah was preparing a final list as of Nov. 23.

Under a state law, Hialeah cannot take in simulcast signals during its first meet.

Soth is not predicting Hialeah’s handle for opening day. But he expects that on some other days, especially weekends, Hialeah could have off-track handle of up to $300,000 and on-track handle up to $100,000.

Hialeah is renovating its Paddock Pavilion building, where it hopes to open a poker room before the end of its first meet.
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Short But Strong Field to Contest Cigar Mile

2009-11-27T00:04:00.001-05:00

Grade I winner Pyro is scheduled to make his final start in the Cigar Mile.

The defection of both Quality Road and Munnings has left the $300,000 Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile (gr. I) with a field of just six—and only five betting interests—but the Nov. 28 race at Aqueduct still packs plenty of star power.

Of the entrants, four are grade I winners, and another—Driven by Success—is twice grade I-placed, including a close third in last year’s Cigar Mile, and enters off a dominant stakes win at Belmont.

Included in the field for the one-turn mile are Met Mile (gr. I) winner Bribon, Vosburgh (gr. I) winner Kodiak Kowboy , Forego (gr. I) winner Pyro, and Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (gr. I) winner Vineyard Haven, the last two running as a coupled entry for Godolphin.

Pyro, who shares the 120-pound high weight with Kodiak Kowboy, will be making the final start of his career. The 4-year-old son of Pulpit is coming off a last-place finish in the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) on the Pro-Ride at Santa Anita, but it is clear that he is not a horse that enjoys synthetic surfaces. Pyro has finished off the board in all three of his synthetic efforts, the only time in his 16-start career aside from the 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) that he has not been in the money.

This season, Pyro has raced three times, winning the Sept. 5 Forego by a half-length over Kodiak Kowboy at Saratoga. This will be his first start at Aqueduct. An earner of more than $1.6 million, Pyro will be ridden by Richard Migliore for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

“It’s a question of whether he’ll get the pace, plus he’s got to get past some pretty good horses in Bribon and Kodiak Kowboy,” said Godolphin assistant trainer Rick Mettee. “A one-turn mile is a good race – it takes a good horse to win it.”

Vinery Stables’ and Fox Hill Farm’s Kodiak Kowboy will also likely be retired after the Cigar Mile. The 4-year-old Posse colt has had an ambitious campaign, producing a 3-2-1 from seven starts in 2009, his wins coming in the Carter Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct back in April, the Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap at Philadelphia Park in June, and the Vosburgh last month at Belmont. Kodiak Kowboy was fifth in last year’s Cigar Mile.

Now trained by Steve Asmussen, Kodiak Kowboy will stand at Dr. Tom Simon’s Vinery upon his retirement. Shaun Bridgmohan will have the mount.

Vineyard Haven has run two winning races since returning from Dubai earlier this year. He crossed the wire first in the Aug. 29 King’s Bishop (gr. I) at Saratoga, but was disqualified and placed second after interfering with Capt. Candyman Can in deep stretch. The 3-year-old son of Lido Palace rebounded to score theOct. 24 De Francis Dash over the sloppy going at Laurel Park for his third grade I victory. As a 2-year-old, the gray/roan colt won the Hopeful (gr. I) and Champagne (gr. I) before being sold privately for a reported $12 million and being placed in the barn of bin Suroor.

Also making his first start at Aqueduct, Vineyard Haven will be ridden by Alan Garcia.

“He’s still a lightly raced 3-year-old,” said Mettee. “That’s what makes this race interesting – it brings together a diverse field.”

Marc Keller’s Bribon has really come into his own this season, winning four of seven starts including the May 25 Met Mile, which was the second of three straight victories for the 6-year-old gelding. His last two starts came on turf, one a win in allowance company at Saratoga, the other a fifth-place finish Sept. 20 in the Woodbine Mile (gr. IT). Bribon has worked steadily at Belmont for Bobby Ribaudo since that effort, including a bullet five-furlong move in :59.09 Nov. 18. With his regular rider Garcia on Vineyard Haven, Bribon will have the services of Rajiv Maragh.

“It's been a long year,” said Ribaudo, whose charge is 5-2 on the morning line. “I remember getting ready for this race last year – it was his first big attempt – and it seems like we haven't stopped since. He's doing good, though. I know what he's capable of.”

Rounding out the field is Phipps Stable's Vacation, an optional claiming winner last month at Keeneland.

The Cigar Mile is last of four graded stakes on the Aqueduct card and is slated for a 3:38 p.m. EST post.

$300,000 Cigar Mile (gr. I, Race 9, 3:38), 3YO and up, 1 Mile (Dirt)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Driven by Success (NY), R A Dominguez, 114, B N Levine
2. Kodiak Kowboy (KY), S Bridgmohan, 120, S M Asmussen
3. Pyro (KY), R Migliore, 120, S bin Suroor
4. Bribon (FR), R Maragh, 119, R Ribaudo
5. Vineyard Haven (FL), A Garcia, 118, S bin Suroor
6. Vacation (KY), 114, J Velazquez, C R McGaughey III

Deep Field Lines Up For Hollywood Derby

2009-11-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

Take the Points won the Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park in October.

Take the Points, winner of a pair of grade I stakes in his last two starts, will renew acquaintances with Virginia Derby (gr. IIT) winner Battle of Hastings and five other graded winners in the $300,000 Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) Nov. 29 at Hollywood Park.

The 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Derby, which drew a field of 12 for its 68th running, has attracted Oak Tree Derby (gr. IIT) winner The Usual Q. T.,Calder Derby (gr. IIIT) winner Sal the Barber, Saranac (gr. IIIT) winner Al Khali, La Jolla Handicap (gr. IIT) winner Meteore, and Black Bear Island, a group II winner in England.

Take the Points, trained by Todd Pletcher, was shifted to the turf following a 13th-place finish in the Preakness (gr. I). He finished behind Battle of Hastings in the Colonial Turf Cup (gr. IIT) and Virginia Derby, then won the Secretariat (gr. IT) at Arlington Park in August and the Jamaica Handicap (gr. IT) at Belmont Park in October. He enters the Hollywood Derby with $614,590 in earnings.

Battle of Hastings, from trainer Jeff Mullins’ Hollywood Park contingent, traveled East to win the Colonial Turf Cup and Virginia Derby. He was beaten a nose by Rendezvous in the Del Mar Derby (gr. IIT), finished fourth against older horses including 2008 Hollywood Derby champion Court Vision in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland, then finished second as the favorite in the Oak Tree Derby. The Great Britain-bred has four wins and three seconds in eight 2009 starts, earning more than $1 million for owner Mike House.

California-bred The Usual Q.T. has won four straight starts on turf since breaking his maiden in August at Del Mar. He won the Cal Cup Mile Handicap in October before posting a 10-1 upset in the nine-furlong Oak Tree Derby, beating Battle of Hastings by a head. The James Cassidy-trained gelding has won four of nine starts overall for earnings of $276,670.

Black Bear Island, an Irish-bred owned by former Hollywood Park chairman R.D. Hubbard and Dr. Ed Allred, won a group II race at York in England at 1 5/16 miles before finishing 10th in the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I). He finished second in the Secretariat—a head back of Take the Points—in his North American debut, then was sixth in a one-mile allowance race at Santa Anita in October while making his first start for trainer Julio Canani.

Jockey Ramon Dominguez will be aiming for his second consecutive Hollywood Derby win on Sal the Barber. He flew in a year ago to sweep the Matriarch (gr. IT) on Cocoa Beach and the Derby on Court Vision when both were run on closing day of the three-day Turf Festival.

Sal the Barber, trained by Christophe Clement, has won three of seven starts while only missing the money once. Second in the Hall of Fame (gr. IIT) at Saratoga in August, he set the pace before finishing fifth behind Al Khali in the Saranac, then came from slightly off the pace to win the Calder Derby (gr. IIIT) in mid-October.

Meteore, trained by Richard Mandella, won the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla Handicap at odds of 6-1 in August. He was fourth in the Del Mar Derby and fifth in the Oak Tree Derby.

Al Khali was shifted to the Bill Mott stable three starts back and finished third in the Hall of Fame before wining the Saranac. Most recently, he finished fifth on a soft course against older horses in the 1 1/2-mile Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Belmont Park. Mott, the trainer of Court Vision, will be aiming for his second straight Hollywood Derby victory and his third overall. He also saddled Paradise Creek to win in 1992.

Straight Story, trained by Alan Goldberg, is just three heads away from behind a multiple graded winner. He finished second in the Colonial Turf Cup and Virginia Derby behind Battle of Hastings, and second to Take the Points in the Jamaica Handicap. Each time the margin was a head. The son of Giant's Causeway has two wins and four seconds in nine starts for earnings of $379,590.

Rescue Squad is trained by Shug McGaughey, who sent Good Reward west five years ago to score a 16-1 upset victory in the Derby. Rescue Squad, a son of Dynaformer , finished second in the Berry Station Stakes on a soft course at Keeneland in his last start.

The closing day of the Turf Festival, which will feature an appearance by Zenyatta following the seventh race, also includes the $100,000 Miesque Stakes (gr. IIIT) for 2-year-old fillies. The Miesque will run as the fifth race and the Derby as the ninth on the 10-race program. First post time is at 12:30 p.m. PST.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T23:47:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you & your Families!

Enjoy it! ...

- Ultimate Selector!

I have my Newest Picks site set up!

2009-11-23T04:06:00.003-05:00

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I am pleased to announce that I have my newest Pick site set up for us all!
I have embedded my Web TV, my Chatbox & my Twitter update box as well.
I have kept it plain, simple & to the point. This way re-freshing the page will be much quicker.
http://ultimateslivepicks.blogspot.com/
I will use my other Ultimate Selector's "Live" Selections site as my record keeping & stats site from now on. (http://ulitmateselectorslivedailyselections.blogspot.com/)
Now I will be able to provide the quickest way to post & hand out my selections via my Web TV. I look forward to having my latest update to my software program by this weekend. I have a copy now but it's not all done yet but I can use it as all the calcs I use are correct. It's all the quick at a glance highlighting & shading that needs to be finished. I have been very happy with the results! With that being said, please feel free to stop by & say hello & check it out! I look forward to seeing you in the Winners Circle!

The Best is yet to come!

Best of Luck!
Ultimate Selector!

http://ultimateslivepicks.blogspot.com/

http://ulitmateselectorslivedailyselections.blogspot.com/

http://ultimateselector.blogspot.com/

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ultimate-selecotr-s-live-horse-racing-picks

http://ultimatesmusiccafe.blogspot.com/

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E-Ponies forum Owner Liam Durbin is Ban Happy!

2009-11-22T02:45:00.015-05:00

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Liam Durbin - Owner of E-Ponies

Owner of E-Ponies Liam Durbin has Banned me
(Ultimate Selector!) from his site for 3 months early this AM! & for what??
He says it's for posting links on his site. I have not posted any links since he ask me not to.
I did however post a link to my Webcam for the Breeders Cup! I noted this in my thread as I posted my Breeders Cup Selections at E-Ponies that day because the E-Ponies site wont allow embedding of the TV. I also gave many shoutouts & scroll rolled across the screen many names of players at E-Ponies. Anyone who saw my show knows this! Now I ask why was I not banned at that time for the link? Why Now?? weeks after the BC ...
I have a couple of reasons why! There are some Cry Baby's there in the forum that can't pick winners & I get all the attention & views cause I can & do Pick Winners! It's jealousy!
I am also in direct competition with the Owner Liam Durbin on his new Tip Tweets service that he puts out. I am tellin ya consistent Winners are not welcome in selection forums. When you Win like I do they just get rid of you for some Stupid Weak reason like this.
I sent this to Mr. Durbin in response to him banning me. He banned me after I already set up my thread for tomorrow Sun 11-22-09, he just did it so I can't respond to anyone there about it. I can't even see the pages on the site. It's like I shot somebody or something. Just who or what is he protecting? Geez ..
Keep in mind I am the #2 poster of all time there with well over 27,250 posts.
Here is what I sent to him, this was my response on 11-22-09 ...

Liam,

Why are you really banning me?

I am very disappointed at all this. I bring players to your site & promote it well. If your banning me for this weak excuse the you need to ban others that I have seen post links as well. At least my links promote your site. I even promote you on my Twitter everyday that I post here as well as on my sites & my "Live" Webcam shows. Just ask any of your members that saw my show how much I promoted you. It seems you are either trying to find a reason to ban me or your listening to some Jealous ass cry baby's that cant post a winner if there was only 1 horse in the race! There is so much political BS that goes on in this forum it's just crazy that you would ban a Winning poster who brings his Winning Selections, entertainment & posted results of his plays all the time. Now whats wrong with this picture? I am just a player who posts his picks on your site who causes no problems. It's just those few Cry Baby's you have here & obviously cater to by doing this to me for some weak excuse reason! If it is for what you say it is, the links then why did you not ban me after Breeders Cup? Why now?? ...

I would really like to see some dates of these link offenses you say I did as well.

I enjoy some of the good guys there that are true players & know how to behave as players not immature kids. This makes no sense & I will speak my mind & do my thing without your site to do it at! I will let it be known that I think this is just Bull Shit!!

Your just too Ban Happy IMHO! This is really a Weak move!

Regards,

Ultimate Selector!

With all this being said I will be setting up elswehere, maybe right here at my own site & get away from this ridiculous B.S.

I will also do my "Live" webcam shows as well!
It's time for a change for the Ultimate Selector! & just take more control of his own ways & post my Winning Selections where I can't be censored or banned by immature jealous losers!

I am so fed up with all the political BS that goes on in these forums. I have been working with a major company for the last 2 weeks & I may have a very nice Gig with them as we are working out the details & negotiate ideas. So stay tuned for some announcement unveiling just when & who it is.

I remain confident & encouraged as I keep my readers & followers informed to take this ride with me on the Profit Train! Allll Aboarrrd!

Respectfully - Professionally,

Ultimate Selector!

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Liam's Response back to me!

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You need to face up to some harsh realities.

1. Your post endorsed another site and had a live link in it. A site which probably has an affiliate program. I don't care to check it but I'm assuming it does. Regardless, shilling for other sites is not allowed on my site without my permission. And I've told you before you don't have it.

2. Your picks are not profitable. That has been proven over and over again. I don't like the fact that you promote them as profitable when they are not. It is misleading. That behavior runs counter to the sort of business I'm running - an honest one.

3. You are not just another member of my site. You are encroaching on my site with the volume and nature of your posts. You are over the top. It makes new visitors think that you are in some way affiliated with my site, which you are not.

4. It is irrelevant how much you promote me in other locations. I don't need it. On the other hand, you badly need my site and are probably making a killing off of my "hosting" you for free. If you want to pay me for the service, we can discuss it. But my doing it for free for you is over.

Politics has nothing to do with it. I have an issue with you. I get asked to ban you almost once a week from various people on the site - people who I actually think bring value to my forum. If it were politics you would have been gone years ago.
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My Response back to Liam!

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Liam, 11-22-09

My response to your realities!

1) If your talking about my 2nd post in where I have listed where I may suggest they have an account. I have been posting that same post for well over a year or so. Why have you never said anything b4.? I am not schilling as you call it cause I make nothing & they are both an ADW's. This is just a free suggestion of where to go do that. That's all, it's harmless!

2) I post my results everyday! How can I be as you say promote them as profitable when the facts are posted. Do the math. How can that be misleading? Maybe I should be like all other posters & NOT post my results! How would that be?
A winning selection is different from a Profitable one. I would expect you to know the difference! I post a winning selection result regardless of profitability. Profits & losses are Re-Capped at the end of the day in my stats! I have always been honest at what I do & post. I take pride in that! Prove me otherwise.

3) I am over the Top? & as you say members think we are affiliated. That would be just an opinion of whoever wants to think such. Not a very valid issue! Then the nature & volume of my posts? Just where do you have some fantasy hidden rules that states how much or how little you can post? How about Gelded, _____ or _____? Just to name a few These guys are not over the Top as well? . Are they Profitable in their picks? I am way more Profitable than any of those guys! Prove me otherwise.

4) I don't need your site either! I was just enjoying posting there. How do I make a killing off you hosting me? I have never asked anyone for money for any posting I have ever done. I don't sell anything. I do it all for free cause I just have a great passion for the game! It is nice to have some camaraderie with other players as well. However you would be happy to do this for me if I were to pay you tho as you say in your e-mail. Ha what a contradictory remark. So your the one who is commercializing this. Do any other of your posters pay you to post there like say Gelded with his Non Profitable high volume of posts? So you see it IS politics cause you are singling me out. You do not have a level playing filed & treat & enforce your rules differently depending on who it is!

Bottom line is This is just totally weak ass Bullshit that stinks. It's your site & you can run it how you like. I have never treated anyone with disrespect unless they arrogantly attacked me! I never meant any of this to happen but you certainly have a bad way of hosting your site. Maybe you should have thought about a type of "Live" poster like myself that posts at a horse forum picks site that you then go & make or change posting rules.
It also is a blame on your software & how it handles posts. Just a thought there.

You did me a favor by doing this so I can now move forward with much bigger plans!

Regards,
Ultimate Selector!
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Juddmonte Adjusts to Life Without Frankel

2009-11-20T20:09:00.001-05:00

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Bobby Frankel

The 15 Juddmonte Farms horses still in training at Hollywood Park will remain in Bobby Frankel’s barn under the care of longtime assistant Humberto Ascanio until a course of action is decided upon by Prince Khalid Abdullah and racing manager Garrett O’Rourke.

“We’ve had discussions, but there has been no concrete decision yet,” O’Rourke said Nov 20. “Humberto has control of everything, and Ventura will run in his name in the Matriarch (gr. IT) as will any other runners we have the next few weeks. Discussions are ongoing and we are aware that we have to make a decision. But it was the Prince’s express wishes that we didn’t even have a conversation about it while Bobby was still alive.

“On a few occasions, Bobby said, ‘Look, why don’t you give them to somebody else,’ but he was aware of the Prince’s wishes. Sometimes, I felt maybe it was too much of a burden on him, but I do think he enjoyed at least being part of Breeders’ Cup day, even though we were all sad Ventura couldn’t pull it off.”

Frankel died of leukemia Nov. 16 at his California home.

O’Rourke said the Belmont barn has been closed down, with most of the horses being sent to the farm for a rest. Frankel’s other longtime assistant, Ruben Loza, has joined Ascanio at Hollywood Park, while assistant and exercise rider Jose Cuevas likely will head for Florida.

“We’ve thinned everything down,” O’Rourke said. “We obviously were aware of what was happening, and we took a lot of the horses to the farm and didn’t bring as many horses over from Europe as we normally would do around this time of year. Whereas we would have in the range of 40 horses, we now have about 25 until we figure out what we’re going to do.”

Whether Ascanio keeps most of the horses or they are sent to another trainer or trainers, there will be some very big shoes to fill.

“The Prince said he realizes everyone is asking what we are going to do, and that there are a lot of trainers who would love to take over the horses, but he’s not expecting anybody to fill Bobby’s shoes,” O’Rourke said. “He obviously was an exceptional trainer and a unique personality as well. And there was a very strong fondness we developed for him. A lot of us were confused why we became so fond of the cranky old devil; we never could figure that out. I know my wife never quite figured it out, but she never saw him in the same light we saw him in.

“We may not ever achieve the level of success we enjoyed with Bobby all these years, but he’d be the first person to say, ‘Come on, life goes on.’

“I was laughing at the services the other day. There were about four or five us standing around in a circle and some lady came up to us and said, ‘Oh, wouldn’t Bobby have loved this?’ And we all laughed, because we all had the exact same thought: ‘He probably wouldn’t have showed up.’”

O’Rourke recalls those final heart-breaking moments talking to Frankel. As sad and as gut-wrenching as they were, he always will remember fondly how Frankel remained true to himself even in the face of death.

“Last Friday (Nov. 13), Bobby called me while I was at the barn and told me, ‘I’m going home tomorrow. I’m not going to take any more transfusions. I just don’t want to go on like this.’ And he said, ‘I’m scared.’

“There was a silence, and then, Bobby said, ‘Talk to Humberto and just tell him, two easy halfs for Ventura and she’ll be fine for the Matriarch.’

“That was Bobby, still training horses right up to the very end.”

Fewer Racing Dates Sought for Penn National

2009-11-20T20:07:00.001-05:00

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course is poised to become the next track to tighten its racing schedule to conserve purse money and promote larger fields.

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has approved Penn National’s application for a statutory minimum of 227 dates in 2010. But management and the Pennsylvania Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association have proposed a 200-date schedule for next year.

Chris McErlean, vice president of racing for Penn National Gaming Inc., parent company of the track near Harrisburg, said Nov. 20 the PHRC informally accepted the joint request for 200 nights of racing. Action is expected at a December meeting.

Dates can be reduced if a racetrack and its horsemen’s group agree to do so.

The plan, acknowledged by Pennsylvania HBPA executive director Todd Mostoller earlier in November, comes as horse racing’s share of slot machine revenue is being reduced. Under the new Pennsylvania budget, the percentage for purses and breed development programs will fall from 12% to roughly 10% for the next four years.

Penn National opened its slots casino in February 2008, and since that time, the quality of racing has improved dramatically.

For 180 programs so far this year, the track has paid $32.2 million in purses for a daily average of $179,161, according to The Jockey Club Information Systems. Field size has averaged 9.15 horses per race, quite high for a track that races four or five days a week year-round.

“The goal was to try to maintain the current average daily purse number, and the 200 days fit that scenario,” McErlean said. “We think the four days a week works well for maintaining good field sizes. Given we usually have cancellations in the winter, we will make up those days later in the year, so the reality is there will be five-day weeks at some point.

“This year, given our cancellations and adding a race Fridays and Saturdays for a few months, we will end up the equivalent of around 205 racing dates for the year.”

If the schedule is approved, Penn National will open Jan. 1 and race through Dec. 30 with racing four days a week with the exception of a two-week break in September.

Racetracks around the country have trimmed schedules this year because of horse shortages or a need to maintain purse levels; many intend to do so next year. Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Hollywood Park, Santa Anita Park, and Turfway Park are among the tracks that have cut back in 2009.

Soon after the Pennsylvania budget passed, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association said a reduction in revenue for the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund would amount to a loss to breeders of about $2.7 million a year for four years.

Team Zenyatta' Wins Big Sport of Turfdom

2009-11-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

Team Zenyatta (left to right): Trainer John Shirreffs and his wife Dottie,
jockey Mike Smith, and owners Ann and Jerry Moss.

The Turf Publicists of America announced Nov. 19 that “Team Zenyatta,” composed of owners Jerry and Ann Moss, trainer John Shirreffs and his wife Dottie, and jockey Mike Smith, have been chosen as the 2009 winner of the organization's Big Sport of Turfdom award.

The award is presented annually to a person or group of people who enhances coverage of Thoroughbred racing through cooperation with the media and Thoroughbred racing publicists.

“The management, conditioning and picture perfect rides had a synergetic effect that brought this true champion to light before thousands of fans throughout her career,” stated Turf Publicists president John Engelhardt.

“Right up to the final start of Zenyatta's brilliant career, the Moss' and Shirreffs showed great sportsmanship by electing to test her against the greatest male horses in training and Mike Smith followed through with an electrifying ride in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Throughout her undefeated career the entire group associated with this history making mare exuded class and made themselves very available to all members of the media.”

On Nov. 18, Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs was given the news about the Big Sport of Turfdom Award. “We are very happy and honored to accept it," she said. “As a matter of fact, we had a television crew here at our house early this morning. Who would have thought there could be a moment in racing that could be as wonderful as winning the Kentucky Derby?"

Team Zenyatta will receive the 44th annual Big Sport of Turfdom award on Dec. 8 in Tucson during the keynote luncheon of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program Symposium on Racing & Gaming.

This will be the second “Team” presentation of the Big Sport of Turfdom that includes the owner, trainer and jockey. In 1996 the award went to “Team Cigar”, composed of owner/breeder Allen Paulson, trainer Bill Mott, and jockey Jerry Bailey. Other previous winners of the Big Sport of Turfdom include Joe Hirsch, Penny Chenery, Jack Klugman, Jim McKay, Tim Conway, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, Bill Shoemaker, Carl Nafzger, and Larry Jones.

Zenyatta's victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) capped an amazing 2009 Breeders' Cup for trainer John Shirreffs. He also saddled Life Is Sweet to capture the $2 million Ladies' Classic (gr. I) - a race Zenyatta won last season. In doing so, he became the only trainer to ever win those two races in the same year. Shirreff's wife, Dottie, is racing manager for Jerry and Ann Moss. She and her son, bloodstock agent David Ingordo, were instrumental in the purchase of Zenyatta for $60,000 as a yearling.
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Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel Dies at 68

2009-11-17T18:34:00.000-05:00

Bobby Frankel

Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, who had been battling leukemia for most of the year, died peacefully at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. at 5:40 a.m. (EST) Nov. 16. He was 68. Frankel’s ex-wife, Bonita, and his daughter, Bethenny, were at his side. Juddmonte Farms racing manager Garrett O’Rourke said Frankel had recently returned home from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was “very lucid and aware of his fate.”

Frankel requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Old Friends retirement home, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, and CANTER, an organization to find homes for retired horses.

“What a fighter he was,” said Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, wife of trainer John Shirreffs and Frankel’s medical power of attorney. “He fought such a tough fight right to the end. The last race he watched was Zenyatta’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I).

“His final words to John were, ‘What a helluva job you did with that horse, and to do it under that kind of pressure.’ After we left, John said to me, ‘Bobby is at peace with this.’ He could see it.”

Frankel had suffered from lymphoma several years ago, but it turned into leukemia this year, and he was forced to direct the operation of his powerful stable from his home through his longtime assistants Humberto Ascanio in California and Ruben Loza in New York. He had given up the majority of his horses, except for those owned by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, with whom he had tremendous success over the years.

“Our relationship started out as a friendly one,” said O’Rourke. “But my admiration for Bobby and his achievements evolved into quite a close friendship, one that never was forced. Bobby could put on a cold exterior, but there was a softness inside him, especially for animals. He had a genuine love for and connection with animals, mainly horses and dogs. He had a very kind side to him.

“The Prince (Abdullah) recognized Bobby’s brilliance and rewarded him by turning over all his horses in North America to him. I didn’t have much of a hand in what went on in the barn. The Prince believed when you place the horses in the hands of someone that brilliant, you never questioned him, even if you didn’t understand what he was doing. That was the case with Intercontinental in the 2005 (Emirates Airline) Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT), when Bobby decided to stretch her out farther than she’d ever gone before and put her on the lead at all costs, and she led every step of the way. It was one of the great calls he’s made over the years and was part of the brilliance of the man.

“Bobby obviously valued his relationship with Juddmonte. He could get pretty irritated with owners when they forced his hand. Every now and then I’d make a suggestion, but I knew what to bring up and what not to bring up. With Bobby it was like giving Michael Jordan the ball and telling him to go win the game. Bobby was the one in whose hands you wanted the ball. His last request was to run in the Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) with Ventura and we certainly will honor that. I remember having dinner with Bobby a few years ago and was inquiring about running a horse in the Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT). I asked him, ‘Have you ever won that race?’ and he just looked at me and said, ‘Only four times.’ That certainly put me in my place.”

Frankel, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, trained 10 Eclipse champions in his 43-year career—Ghostzapper, Bertrando, Intercontinental, Leroidesanimaux, Possibly Perfect, Ryafan, Squirtle Squirt, Wandesta, Aldebaran, and Ginger Punch. His big moment in the Triple Crown was winning the 2003 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) with Juddmonte’s Empire Maker, who had finished second in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) after missing training the entire week prior to the race with a foot bruise.

Frankel won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer in 1993, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, he set a record by winning 25 grade I stakes, while earning a record $19,143,289, shattering D. Wayne Lukas’ previous mark of $17,842,358. After moving his stable from New York to California in 1972, he was the leading trainer at Hollywood Park nine times, including six consecutive years from 1972-77. He was the leading trainer at Santa Anita five times and at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet six times, and topped the trainers’ list four times at Del Mar, where he won the $1-million Pacific Classic six times, including four consecutive years, 1992-95.

In 2007 he became the second trainer in North America to reach $200 million in career earnings, joining D. Wayne Lukas.

Frankel was born July 9, 1941 in Brooklyn, N.Y., not exactly the spawning ground for Thoroughbred trainers. His first memory of horses was at age 10 when his parents wanted to watch the trotters on TV and he wanted to watch something else. He eventually accompanied his parents to Roosevelt Raceway and was captivated by the gambling aspect of the sport. He was enlightened to Thoroughbred racing when his father took him to Belmont Park, and it didn’t take him long to get hooked. He’d go to a candy store in Far Rockaway every night at around 8 o’clock to get the Daily Racing Form as soon as it came out, so he could get an early start on handicapping the next day’s races.

He attended C.W. Post College on Long Island but lasted only one day. “I got into a fight my first day and knew I didn’t belong there, so I got the hell out,” he recalled several years ago. “I looked for jobs where I could maneuver to go to the track in the afternoon. I worked in construction in the mornings putting up rock lath, and then I’d leave for the track.”

Frankel eventually became a hotwalker for trainers Bill Corbellini and Buddy Bellew in Florida, while gambling in the afternoons. He got started as a trainer by claiming a horse named Pink Rose off Allen Jerkens. After winning his first race with Double Dash at Aqueduct on Nov. 29, 1966, he built up his stable with the help of his main client, Wall Street trader William “Willie” Frankel (no relation). In 1970, Frankel made his first major impact on the sport, winning the prestigious Suburban Handicap with former claimer Barometer and Brighton Beach Handicap with Baitman.

It was William Frankel who was the impetus for Frankel’s move to California. The owner told Frankel he didn’t want to run his horses in Maryland during the winter any longer. It was after Frankel was denied stalls at Hialeah that he decided to head West. In his first year there he won 60 races for an astounding 33% win ratio.

“I was winning three a day like nothing,” he said. “It was unbelievable. Every horse I ran, they tested.”

Frankel built up a powerful client base, with Juddmonte, Edmund Gann, Frank Stronach, Jerry Moss, Bert Firestone, and Stavros Niarchos.

Frankel’s love of animals, especially his dogs, became well known, and he was often seen at the track with his Australian Shepherds, most recently Happy, Ginger, and Punch, the last two named after his champion mare Ginger Punch.

Frankel had a particular affection for any offspring from Juddmonte’s amazing broodmare Hasili, who produced grade I winners Champs Elysees, Banks Hill, Cacique, Intercontinetal, and Heat Haze, and grade I-placed Dansili.

The one dubious statistic Frankel carried around with him for years was his winless record in the Breeders’ Cup, starting out 0-for-38. That streak ended in 2001 when he saddled Squirtle Squirt to win the Penske Auto Center Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I). He would go on to win five more Breeders’ Cup events—the 2002 Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) with his own Starine, the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge (gr. I) with Ghostzapper, 2005 Filly & Mare Turf with Intercontinental, 2007 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff (gr. I) with Ginger Punch, and 2008 Sentient Flight Group Filly & Mare Sprint with Ventura. Frankel did not attend the 2007 Breeders’ Cup, remaining at home, where he was attending to his beloved Happy, who was critically ill.

Frankel always remained optimistic about his winless streak in the Breeders’ Cup, believing it was only a matter of time that it would come to an end. One morning at Saratoga in 2001, Frankel was walking down his shed and stopped in front of one of the stalls. He pointed out the dark bay horse with his head over the webbing. “I just got this horse, and I’m gonna win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with him,” he said. That horse was Squirtle Squirt, whom Frankel had just gotten from owner David Lanzman.

Frankel’s barn at Saratoga was a meeting place every morning for horsemen. Almost every jockey and his agent stopped by, as well as reporters, exercise riders, and backstretch workers, to talk about everything from sports, politics, handicapping, race strategy, and racing in general. Frankel was never lacking an opinion on whatever subject was being discussed.

Among his regular visitors was Louis Lazzinnaro, owner of the popular Saratoga restaurant Sergio’s, with whom Frankel was partners in Vineyard Haven, along with Major League manager Joe Torre. After winning the 2008 Hopeful and Champagne Stakes (both gr. I), Frankel, the majority partner, sold the colt to Sheikh Mohammed for a staggering $12 million.

To demonstrate how well Frankel knew the sport and his own horses, after winning the 2001 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) with Aptitude, who crushed his opponents by 10 lengths, Frankel, instead of being overjoyed by his colt’s impressive victory, was fearful he had won by too big a margin, having to come back in three weeks in the Classic. While most trainers would have gone into the Classic with great optimism, Frankel went in with trepidation. Sure enough, Aptitude made a big move on the turn but came up empty in the stretch.

Frankel loved the competition and loved winning. In fact, he hated losing and would often brood following a loss. Although the racing world was rooting for Funny Cide to win the Belmont Stakes and sweep the Triple Crown in 2003, Frankel was determined to beat him with Empire Maker, a son of one of his favorite fillies, Toussaud. He always felt Empire Maker should have won the Triple Crown.

“All this pre-race bull don’t mean a thing,” he said to jockey Jerry Bailey the day before the race. “If he beats us, he beats us. What are you gonna do? But we’ll see who’s the better horse.”

After Funny Cide had worked five furlongs in a blistering :574⁄5 three days before the Belmont, Frankel was all smiles. “Forget him; he’s done,” he said. “He needed that like he needed a hole in the head.”

Following Empire Maker’s victory, Frankel said, “I wanted this so much for the horse. Redemption—they taught me a new word today.”

Leaving the Trustees Room, he began to reflect on his relationship with Abdullah and how a Jewish kid from Brooklyn could hook up with a Saudi Arabian prince and have the success they've had.

Back at the barn, the softer side of Frankel emerged at the sight of his horse. “You did something important today, boy,” he said while patting Empire Maker on the neck. “Bigger and better things now, right?”

That was Bobby Frankel. Perhaps Ingordo-Shirreffs summed him up best: “He was a winner his whole life, and he was a winner right to the end.”

Churchill: Friday Night Lights

2009-11-17T18:33:00.000-05:00

Churchill Downs has scheduled six night racing programs for 2010

Following the overwhelming popularity of a three-date market test this spring, Churchill Downs will stage six special “Downs After Dark” nighttime racing programs under the lights in 2010.

The announcement was made Nov. 17 during a news conference at the Louisville racetrack that also revealed Musco Lighting as the winning contract bidder to install permanent track lighting at Churchill Downs and a new online platform for patrons to purchase tickets to the track.

Churchill Downs will host its unique Downs After Dark programs on the final four Fridays of the 42-date spring meet and two evening cards during the 20-date fall meet, including opening night which doubles as Halloween.

Here is a complete list of the 2010 Downs After Dark dates (with scheduled first post time), pending final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission:

• Friday, June 11, 2010 (6 p.m. ET)

• Friday, June 18, 2010 (6 p.m. ET)

• Friday, June 25, 2010 (6 p.m. ET)

• Friday, July 2, 2010 (6 p.m. ET)

• Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010 (4:30 p.m. ET)

• Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 (4:30 p.m. ET)

Churchill Downs hosted night racing events earlier this year on June 19, June 26, and July 2. The average attendance was 29,705 and the three-night total was 89,115. A modern day track record of 33,481 attended the finale on July 2 – the largest crowd for a Churchill Downs racing program other than a Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks or Breeders’ Cup. It topped the old mark of 28,396 for a pre-simulcast wagering era million-dollar Pick 6 carryover on Nov. 14, 1987.

The event’s popularity helped signal the go-ahead on a multi-million dollar project to install permanent track lighting at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

“We want to keep Downs After Dark a special and unique experience for our fans,” Churchill Downs President Kevin Flanery said. “For three nights this past spring, Churchill Downs was transformed into Louisville’s ultimate nighttime hot spot. The track was the place to be and offered the biggest party in town. Our distinctive events under the lights helped redefine the on-track racing experience and generated a tremendous buzz in the community and within the horse racing industry.

“It could not have been accomplished without the teamwork and support of our horsemen’s groups, neighborhood associations and employees and the fantastic support and participation we received from the Greater Louisville community. Our goal for the coming year is to deliver that same level of excitement to core customers, casual patrons and entertainment-seekers within these six special Downs After Dark events in 2010.”

Reserved ticket packages to 2010 Downs After Dark events are available for purchase online at tickets.churchilldowns.com – Churchill Downs’ new and convenient online box office platform.

Cover charge (general admission) to all Downs After Dark events will be $10. A special discounted general admission pass for entrance on all six nights is available for $45 (a $15 savings). Customers also have the opportunity to purchase a special $20 package that includes general admission, a box seat in the third-floor clubhouse and an official program. Additionally, Downs After Dark “Date Night” dinner and dancing packages are available for $59.90 and include a reserved seat in Millionaires Row, an official program and buffet dinner.

Downs After Dark combined live Thoroughbred racing with subtle facility changes and abundant ancillary activities that helped create a special and festive atmosphere in an evening setting under the stars. Food, fashion, music, parties and entertainment were showcased elements that added to the merrymaking.
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Horses Arrive For Reopening of Hialeah

2009-11-13T22:48:00.001-05:00

Hialeah

Quarter Horses began arriving at Hialeah Park Nov. 12 and within several days they will begin training for the track’s 40-day meet that will begin Nov. 28.

Meanwhile, city of Hialeah officials said they have issued all building and fire permits that Hialeah Park requested for its meet. That process was completed early in the week of Nov. 9.

The Hialeah, Fla., track will have all three floors of its clubhouse open, including several of its restaurants, beginning Nov. 28, said John J. Brunetti, Hialeah Park’s president and owner. The grandstand portion of Hialeah’s building, well known for its Mediterranean-style architecture, will not be re-opened for the Quarter Horse meet that will run through Feb. 2, 2010.

Hialeah is still working on renovating its Paddock Pavilion Building, where it will have a poker room. Brunetti expects Hialeah’s poker room will be open by mid-December. Florida laws do not allow Hialeah to carry any simulcasting of Thoroughbreds or other pari-mutuel events during its first meet.

On a larger front, Brunetti is still waiting for enactment of a pending Florida law, with provisions that include allowing Hialeah to return to Thoroughbred racing on a limited basis and have a casino with Las Vegas-style slot machines.

“If they resolve that, it will enable us to move forward on our plans for a second phase (rebuilding),“ Brunetti said. “For now, we are excited about how much we have already done. We will be ready (on Nov. 28).”

Hialeah opened in 1925 and for decades was known worldwide for its winter racing.

Hialeah held its last Thoroughbred meet in 2001. Brunetti then stopped holding meets, rather than run head-to-head against Miami-area rivals Gulfstream Park or Calder Race Course. In 2004, the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering revoked Hialeah’s permit because it did not hold races for two consecutive years.

On March 16, 2009, the Florida DPMW issued a Quarter Horse permit for Hialeah.

This year, the Florida legislature passed and Gov. Charlie Crist signed a gaming bill that would allow Hialeah to have a casino with slot machines if it holds two Quarter Horse meets of 20 days or more during two consecutive calendar years.

That pending law, upon enactment, would allow Hialeah to have Thoroughbred races for up to 50% of its overall race cards--without approval from Gulfstream or Calder.

Hialeah will not consider having Thoroughbred races at least until its planned second meet, which would be late in 2010, Brunetti said.

The pending gaming law also includes provisions on operations of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s seven casinos.

Enactment is being delayed because of a dispute between the legislature and the Seminoles, who are seeking more expansion and exclusivity on some casino gaming than the pending law would permit.

Leaders of the legislature are considering a special session for next month, with the now-stalled gaming law among possible issues. But Rep. Esteban Bovo (R-Hialeah), said he does not expect Crist to call a special session unless legislative leaders have reached pre-agreements that would lead to passage of bills.

Bovo, a former Hialeah Park marketing director, and Marc Dunbar, an attorney whose gaming clients include Gulfstream, both said a growing number of Senators and House members are favoring what Bovo calls “bifurcation” on gaming issues.

In that scenario, the legislature would pass a bill on pari-mutuel issues--with most of the provisions from the earlier bill including those that directly impact Hialeah. The legislature then might re-consider the Seminole issues during its two-month regular session that begins next March, Bovo said.

Dunbar, a partner in the Pennington Law Firm near Tallahassee, said he expects the legislature would pass a stand-alone pari-mutuels bill this year or in 2010.

Brunetti has told The Blood-Horse that Hialeah expects to lose $15 million or more preparing for and running its first Quarter Horse meet.

Hialeah has put up almost 1,000 temporary stalls for Quarter Horses. Its first Condition Book, through Dec. 15, shows it running nine races on each of 12 days.

The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association has contract that guarantees that Hialeah will deposit $4 million into its horsemen’s bookkeeper account with an average of $400,000 per week for 10 weeks. Brunetti said he expects he will pay them with funds from Hialeah Park and his real estate business.

A large number of the horses at Hialeah’s meet will be shipped in by owners from Texas, Oklahoma, and several other states, said Dr. Steve Fisch, a veterinarian who is president of the Florida QHRA.

On Nov. 11, Hialeah announced that Paul Jones, perennially one of the leading national Quarter Horse trainers, will have 26 stalls.

The Florida QHRA’s research indicates the meet could include as few as 28 Florida-breds.

“We have not had Quarter Horse racing in Florida, and the meet at Hialeah will provide a big incentive for our breeding industry,” Fisch said.

Florida’s most recent Quarter Horse meet was in 1991 at harness track Pompano Park in Pompano Beach.
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Aqueduct Cancels Stuyvesant Handicap

2009-11-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

Dry Martini won the 2008 Stuyvesant.

The Stuyvesant Handicap (gr. III), which began in 1916 and has been run consecutively since 1963, has been canceled due to a lack of interest, stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes said Nov. 12.

The Stuyvesant, a nine-furlong contest for 3-year-olds and up on the main track, was scheduled to be run Nov. 14 at Aqueduct. It carried a $100,000-added purse. Byrnes said it will not be rescheduled for this year.

“We decided today because we only had five entries and two or three of them said they were not going to run if it rained,” Byrnes said. “The forecast calls for two inches (Nov. 14), so we didn’t want a field of two or three horses.

“We would have considered rescheduling it if more people showed interest, but that wasn’t the case. If we brought it back, there was no guarantee that we would have had any more starters. You have to remember, we have the Queens County (gr. III, Dec. 12) in a few weeks so there was no urgency for people to run (in the Stuyvesant).

Byrnes said the five entrants for the Stuyvesant were going to be Dry Martini, Honour Devil, Naughty New Yorker, Timber Reserve, and Tomcito. The connections of both Naughty New Yorker and Timber Reserve said they would likely scratch if it rained.

“Nobody is more frustrated than me about this,” Byrnes continued. “I don’t want to see graded races not go. But you have to get horsemen to support the races.”

The two most notable horses to win the Stuyvesant were Man o’ War, who triumphed in 1920 in the third running of the event as a 3-year-old, and Seattle Slew, who made the final start of his 17-race career there in 1978. Dry Martini won the 2008 Stuyvesant.
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Gio Ponti to Race in 2010

2009-11-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

Gio Ponti, who finished 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is being pointed to the Dubai World Cup.

Gio Ponti, the leading candidate for champion turf male, will stay in training in 2010. Campaigned by Castleton Lyons, he is being pointed to the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) in early spring.

“We have decided to race Gio Ponti again next year, having completed a stellar campaign with him in 2009, winning four grade I races in a row and beating some of the best colts in the world in the tremendously historic (Breeders’ Cup) Classic (gr. I) last Saturday at Santa Anita,” said Castleton Lyons’ president Shane Ryan in a release. “The leading American colt Gio Ponti will eventually become a very worthy addition to the stallion ranks at Castleton Lyons, but in the meantime for all of his fans out there we are thrilled to declare our intentions for 2010 with the Dubai World Cup as an exciting early season objective.”

Bred in Kentucky by Ryan’s Kilboy Estate, 4-year-old Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat --Chipeta Springs, by Alydar) won in succession the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (gr. IT), the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap (gr. IT), the Man o’ War Stakes (gr. IT), and the Arlington Million Stakes (gr. IT) before finishing a game second to unbeaten Zenyatta in the Classic.

For his career, Gio Ponti has won nine races, run second in four others (all graded stakes), and earned $3,153,800. His sole win on the main track came in the Sir Beaufort Stakes at Santa Anita last December.
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BC Winner Kip Deville Retired

2009-11-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

2007 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Kip Deville

Kip Deville, the 2007 NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) winner and the 2008 runner-up, has been retired from racing because of a series of ailments, according to Michael Iavarone, president of co-owner IEAH Stables.

“He has had multiple colic surgeries the last month and now has laminitis,” Iavarone said. “All we’re worried about is making sure he gets the best treatment and comes through all this.”

Slide Show: 2007 BC Mile
	Kip Deville's Breeders' Cup Mile.

Kip Deville, who hasn’t raced since the beginning of August, is being cared for at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington.

A 6-year-old son of Kipling , Kip Deville is the leading Oklahoma-bred earner of all time. He captured a dozen of 30 races and earned $3,325,489.

In addition to the 2007 Mile, Kip Deville also scored grade I turf wins in the 2007 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap at Santa Anita, the 2008 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland, and this year’s Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. He won a total of 10 stakes and placed in four others,

Bred by Dr. Warren Center’s Center Hills Farm, Kip Deville is out of multiple stakes winner Klondike Kaytie (by Encino) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Gotthard.
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Some more Awesome Pics from the Breeders' Cup!

2009-11-10T23:15:00.003-05:00

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Breeders' Cup photos - Friday

http://www.network54.com/Forum/326106/thread/1257592368/last-1257653401/Photos+from+Friday

Breeders' Cup photos - Saturday

http://www.network54.com/Forum/326106/thread/1257660296/last-1257690290/Photos+from+Saturday

Breeders' Cup Classic photos

http://www.network54.com/Forum/326106/thread/1257672788/last-1257690058/2009+BC+Classic+photos

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Zenyatta's Phenomenol Breeders' Cup Classic Race!

2009-11-09T15:07:00.003-05:00

Go Zenyatta!

2009-11-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Breeders' Cup World Championships!

2009-11-08T00:29:00.019-05:00

VIDEO - Race Replays

Complete Replay Archive - 2009 Breeders Cup Races!

* I just can't watch this Classic Race with Zenyatta enough! WoW! ...

1	Zenyatta				$2,700,000

Zenyatta

$2,700,000

2004, Dark Bay or Brown Mare

Breeder:Maverick Productions, Ltd.
Owner: Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss
Trainer: John A. Shirreffs
Jockey: Mike E. Smith

Sire: Street Cry (IRE) , Dark Bay or Brown, 1998. Raced 3 years. 12 starts, 5 wins, $5,150,837. Lifetime: 281 yearlings sold, median $60,000.

Broodmare Sire: Kris S., Dark Bay or Brown, 1977.

Zenyatta, a mare, beats the boys in $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic; improves to 14-0

Jockey Mike Smith celebrates an exhilarating victory by Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic

BC Classic: Go Zenyatta!

The Breeders' Cup Classic at the start of the race

See Zenyatta trailing the field

And at the end of the race...

When Zenyatta beat the boys in her 14th straight win!

It's All Zenyatta in the BC Classic

2009-11-08T00:27:00.000-05:00

It's Zenyatta in the Classic!

Perhaps the Horse of the Year title is not a foregone conclusion. Zenyatta gave the crowd what they waited for — and the patrons responded by cheering, clapping, and waving — as she ran her unbeaten streak to 14 with a magnificent performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) Nov. 7 at Santa Anita (VIDEO).

Zenyatta looked uncomfortable for the first 200 yards and was last the first time by the stands, but she was flying down the stretch the second time and rolled by Gio Ponti to win the $5-million race. She became the first filly or mare to win the Classic.

Most voters had Rachel Alexandra penciled in as Horse of the Year but Zenyatta’s victory over males has re-opened that argument.

Zenyatta was a bit reluctant to load, but the assistant starters had no problem getting her in the gate once they locked arms behind the big daughter of Street Cryand coaxed her forward.

The same could not be said for Quality Road, who became unruly and started bucking. The assistant starters were unable to load the colt until putting a blindfold on him, but he continued rearing. Jockey John Velazquez jumped off and Quality Road kicked the front of the gate open. An assistant starter grabbed him but he began wheeling and bucking because he still had the blindfold on. Finally he settled down but was scratched. He suffered minor lacerations to his limbs, Dr. Wayne McIlwraith said.

All of the members of the field, except for Richard's Kid and Awesome Gem, were in the gate when Quality Road acted up. The runners were backed out and reloaded with ease.

When Zenyatta broke, she was uncomfortable getting into stride, on her wrong lead, and was throwing her head.

"It started out with a little concern after the mishap at the gate," jockey Mike Smith said. "We had to unload and everyone had to get off. And she started getting a little agitated. We got her back in the gate, and she was standing so still I didn't want to move her. But I was a little worried when the gates opened she wouldn't move period, and she didn't. I thought, ‘Oh, God, no, not today.’ "

Regal Ransom broke like a shot and was throttled over from the 11 post by Richard Migliore. He was followed by Einstein and Rip Van Winkle as the field ran a quarter in :24.16 and a half-mile in :47.88. Zenyatta was about 10 lengths from the lead as the field was heading down the backstretch, with Regal Ransom still on the lead and Rip Van Winkle in second. They ran six furlongs in 1:11.88.

As they began cornering for home, Ramon Dominguez, who had a ground-saving trip on the rail, had Gio Ponti on the move and he found a hole and hit it as Summer Bird moved out a bit. Dominquez then split horses and Gio Ponti hit the front full of run. But Mike Smith had asked Zenyatta to commence her run through the turn as well and she moved off the rail and split horses out in the middle of the track.

While Gio Ponti had opened up a bit of daylight, Zenyatta was simply gobbling up the ground, and as the crowd screamed during the final 100 yards, she moved by to get the historic win by a length.

When the crowd of 58,825 started screaming, "She thought maybe I should stop and pose again," Smith said. "She started pricking her ears and looking at the crowd, and I got after her a little bit, and she went on. And she still went, believe it or not, well within herself. She was pricking her ears and galloped out. She didn't even take a breath after the race was over. It's just incredible."

Zenyatta captured the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr. I) last year for her ninth straight win. In her start prior to the 2009 Breeders’ Cup, she won the Lady’s Secret Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita.

This year, owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs entered Zenyatta in both the Classic and Ladies Classic but opted to meet males for the first time in the Classic.

"There are tears coming to my eyes," Shirreffs said. "I can’t believe it. She is a great, great filly. She is all heart. The way the crowd took to her was just amazing. They cheered for her; they love her. What a wonderful relationship."

Gio Ponti finished second, followed by Twice Over and Summer Bird. Zenyatta paid $7.60, $5.60, and $3.80. Gio Ponti returned $9.20 and $6.60, and Twice Over was worth $7.

Summer Bird was fourth, followed by Colonel John, Richard's Kid, Awesome Gem, Regal Ransom, Mine That Bird, Rip Van Winkle, Einstein, and Girolamo.

Zenyatta was bred in Kentucky by Maverick Production from the Kris S. mare Vertigineux. She is a half-sister to multiple grade I winner Balance (by Thunder Gulch). The mare produced a filly this year by Bernardini and is in foal to Henrythenavigator .

Zenyatta was consigned to the 2005 Keeneland yearling sale by Don Robinson’s Winter Quarter Farm as agent for Maverick Production. She was purchased by the Mosses for $60,000.

Street Cry stands at Sheikh Moihammed's Darley near Lexington, where his fee is $150,000.

Ultimate Selector's "Live" 2009 Breeders Cup Show!

2009-11-05T01:08:00.038-05:00

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2009 Breeders' Cup World Championships!

http://www.e-ponies.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24836

http://www.e-ponies.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24725

Gomez 3-1 Choice to Get Most BC Victories

2009-11-05T01:03:00.002-05:00

Garrett Gomez is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the new Breeders' Cup Jockey Bet Nov. 6-7 at Santa Anita Park.

Garrett Gomez is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the new Breeders’ Cup Jockey Bet Nov. 6-7 at Santa Anita Park. The line was set based on mounts the jockeys have in the 14 World Championships events.

The Jockey Bet allows patrons to place win wagers only. All bets must be placed prior to the first Breeders’ Cup race Nov. 6; the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon is the first Cup race and third on the program.

Breeders’ Cup said if a jockey picks up other mounts in the Cup races, wins in those races will count toward the total. If two or more jockeys finish with the same number of wins, the results will be considered a dead heat, with the pool split accordingly.

No refunds will be permitted after the first race in the sequence. Each jockey will have a betting number, and there will be a field for “all others.”

Here are the jockeys, number of mounts, and morning-line odds:

1 Garrett Gomez (11 mounts) 3-1
2 Javier Castellano (four) 50-1
3 Rafael Bejarano (seven) 40-1
4 Kent Desormeaux (nine) 10-1
5 John Murtagh (six) 6-1
6 Frankie Dettori (seven) 6-1
7 John Velasquez (10) 15-1
8 Ryan Moore (five) 20-1
9 Joel Rosario (seven) 50-1
10 Mike Smith (six) 12-1
11 Julien Leparoux (11) 6-1
12 Alan Garcia (six) 30-1
13 Rajiv Maragh (six) 15-1
14 All other jockeys (all races) 8-1

Get out your Ouija boards & predict the jockey with the most Wins!

Play Breeders' Cup Trivia

2009-11-04T14:33:00.008-05:00

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Breeders' Cup Trivia

Test your Breeders' Cup knowledge
_________________________

1. What year was the first Breeders' Cup held?

a. 1962
b. 1982
c. 1984

2. Where was the first Breeders' Cup held?

a. Pimlico
b. Santa Anita
c. Hollywood
Park

3. When was the Breeders' Cup last held
in Arcadia?

a. 2006
b. 2008
c. 1999

4. Who was the winner of the Breeders' Cup
Classic last year?

a. Raven's Pass
b. Curlin
c. Wild Again

5. How many total races make up the
Breeders' Cup World Championships?

a. 14 races
b. 2 races
c. 10 races

6. How long is the Breeders' Cup Classic race?

a. 1 mile
b. 1 1/4 mile
c. 1 1/8 mile

7. How old do horses have to be to participate
in the Breeders' Cup Classic?

a. 3 years
b. 2 years
c. 1 year

8. How much is the purse for the Breeders' Cup
Classic?

a. $10 million
b. $2 million
c. $5 million

9. Which jockey has had the most wins at
Breeders' Cup?

a. Tie- 5 wins
Chris McCarron and
Jerry Bailey
b. Tie- 4 wins
Pat Day and
Bill Shoemaker
c. Tie- 5 wins
Ed Delahoussaye and
Laffit Pincay Jr.

10. Which trainer has had the most wins in
Breeders' Cup history?

a. Richard W. Small-
3 wins
b. Tie- 2 wins
Charlie Whittingham
and Jay M. Robbins
c. Andre Fabre- 3 wins

*BONUS- What was the biggest surprise upset
in Breeders' Cup history?

a. Concern-1994
b. Cat Thief- 1999
c. Arcangues- 1993

Answers on Friday's "Live" Broadcast!

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