Handride

Johannesboom

2011-12-04T21:42:00.000-05:00

A great trip to Delaware today, couldn't be a nicer December

Our New Johannesburg Filly

2011-10-16T22:14:00.000-04:00

Took a drive down to Delaware today to finally get a look at our new filly who is so far unnamed (Johannesburg, Chapena by Fusaichi Pegasus). You can't see it here, but I don't think she was too keen on strangers as she kept her ears pinned most of the time, and stamped her feet in my direction. But, hey she wasn't bought for pony rides so a little anger is fine by me. All in all, knock on wood and whistle, she's in great shape, happy, healthy, and growing. She still has some growing to do, and looks like a pretty nice filly. Maybe even 2 turns, but who knows, right now she's in fine shape and that's all we could hope for.

Jockey Club Report - Be Vague Be Hopeful Do Nothing

2011-08-15T10:14:00.000-04:00

What's one more report to throw on the ol' fridge? I wonder if it will come to fruition.
The 9 points

Increased television coverage.***

A free-to-play website.
Fewer, better races and better scheduling to increase field size and showcase the best product.***
Innovative wagering platforms.
Track-integrated Advance Deposit Wagering.
Racing integrity forms.***
Encouragement of ownership through greater transparency***
Dissemination of best practices from tracks around the country.***

***It was 3 years ago when a group came together and spelled out pretty much the same thing for the marketing representatives and head of the NTRA. In compensation we got a great trip out to Las Vegas and got to rub shoulders with some great people. 3 years later it seems like a missed opportunity.

Read the report here (PDF).

And as Alan notes, it's not like there's ever anything Earth shattering in these reports that others haven't brought up in the past. It happens almost every other year. The industry is in distress - pay some consultants - waltz out a report - get people to say their eyes have been opened - do nothing - repeat. It's infuriating and I refuse to get excited about anything till i see the end results. I want to see something big.

What's the Best We Can Hope For

2011-05-16T10:37:00.000-04:00

I think I forgot to mention in that last post that I made the whole thing up. My bad. But really my point is why not? I loved seeing the hits come in from the Jockey Club, NTRA, and McKenzie themselves. I wonder what they thought. Hopefully they look at the report that they've started work on and try a bit harder, and think a bit bigger. I loved seeing how it was picked up in forums and people showed some excitement. The coolest part was that it was all very plausible.

- Take-out is too high and needs a coalition of tracks to do something substantial and coordinated.
- Horse retirement is everyone's issues and needs a coalition of tracks to do something substantial and coordinated.
- Some casual fans are turned off by the hard sell of gambling and need a sport. To do this it needs a coalition of tracks to do something substantial and coordinated.

- Every market gauge is low and getting lower, to lift the industry the industry needs a coalition of tracks to do something substantial and coordinated.

The goal of any consultant should be to create a mechanism where most tracks are brought together and will work in each other's best interest, and that means revenue. I just came up with a way to structure that joint revenue, hopefully the consultants can figure out a few more ways.

Otherwise, this time next year I'll be faking a letter from Congress putting forth a new structure for racing to avoid an opening of their interstate wagering act. Keep an eye out for that.

Preview of McKinsey Report - Game Changer

2011-05-12T09:00:00.008-04:00

Sounds like I have a bit of scoop here... look at me with the inside track! I have seen a preliminary copy of the McKinsey report, and to say I'm excited is a HUGE understatement. We all knew that the McKinsey group was facing a daunting task: Lower handle, no central governing body, and lack of interest from even our most hard core players. The report, which I imagine could be released, sooner than later, has tackled every issue that has plagued racing in recent times. And with the way the report is written it appears the alphabet soup of racing has already begun to make changes. I was able to have short peek at the preliminary report, including the pre-draft press releases, and was allowed to see some next steps from McKinsey.

A strong national body is good for racing, as it emphasizes legitimacy and McKinsey recognizes this. They note there is currently no reason for cooperation and prior efforts have never had a strong reason to legitimize the cooperation. The reasons that prior joint ventures were put together were for appearance or convenience, and that while smaller coalitions have worked, the life spans are as short as the crisis they deal with. They also note the spectre of forced legislative cooperation; though it is a long way off is a very serious threat.

The next section is spent on legitimizing a national body. Legitimacy will come from large business decisions that will have a beneficial impact on all parties made by a conglomerate of the tracks and owners. Lots of big words like synergy and fruition, but it boils down to horse racing needs a money-making idea where everyone has a stake in success and growing the business. And, McKinsey has one. Not only does McKinsey have one this section reads like it's in place and just needs a signoff from a few tracks. There is a press release ready to go, and I'm going to do my best to paraphrase (I will use quotes as it's my best memory). I wonder if they leaked this to put some pressure on some slow to agree.

In the report it appears that the Jockey Club has tentative agreements from most of the major tracks and groups to package the graded stakes to TV, and VERSUS will be the buyer. VERSUS network is an up and comer on the sports dial as they've shown commitment to hockey, have had a great relationship with the WEC (now UFC), and they did a great job showing the Derby undercard last week. I think fans are comfortable with VERSUS and the industry seems to be even more so. VERSUS has signed up to show live and taped horse racing 19 weeks next year: the week after the Belmont to the week before the Breeders' Cup (BC). The show will be on Saturday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 (though I'm not sure how they'll handle playoff hockey). The hope is to catch as many graded stakes as possible in that "live" window, show replays from missed events from the week prior, and include in-depth analysis on how every race points toward the Breeders' Cup. VERSUS has signed up to PAY for these TV rights. This is a first for horse racing, as most of the television time horse racing is allotted is paid for by the industry. VERSUS sees a way to monetize this programming thanks to some new things adopted by The Jockey Club we'll get into later. However, the first thing making this possible is the Breeders' Cup changing Win and You're In (WAYI).

Regularly changed; the Breeders' Cup is again changing their WAYI format. VERSUS needs a story line week in and week out and the Breeders' Cup is going to provide that. From the Belmont to Breeders' Cup weekend every US based graded stakes race will carry a point value and that value will be split amongst the top three finishers. The foreign WAYI’s will still be valid; as a win in one race and you're in with costs covered, but now only the top three point earners in every BC category will get that paid treatment in the US. Furthermore, gate choice will now be put into a lottery. The horses that have compiled the most points over the season will be more likely to have their named pulled sooner for gate choice (think NBA lottery format). Matthew Lutz, interim CEO comments, "The Breeders' Cup is about competition, and with this change we not only hope to see more competition in the event itself, but to also show what great competition occurs throughout the year. We also wanted to incorporate some things that work in other sports, and the lottery for gate choice we think will be a hit for every type of race fan. We certainly don't want our best stars chances hurt by being handicapped before the race even starts."

Everyone needs legitimacy, and to get that the Breeders' Cup will rely on TOBA and their American Graded Stakes committee to create the point values of all the races. Dave Metzger from TOBA is quoted as saying "Grade I, II, and III are still going to be the focal point of owners and breeders, but our fans need something more tangible and specific, and we're more than happy that the Breeders' Cup is relying on our methods to put a fine point on the value of all these races. We're happy to do this for the fans who will gain new traction in the sport, and our owners and breeders who will see greater interest in every race."

The smaller tracks are obviously very excited about the possibility of getting national exposure. I expect to see racing directors look at moving some races around both in times and dates to help ensure their graded stake is on the show. With nothing on television set in stone small tracks can position themselves with a better chance to make it on the show by not duplicating another race in the same division. There are only so many turf route races for older horses that need to be held in early August. The bigger tracks were supposedly harder to corral but The Jockey Club has set up a structure for rewarding everyone involved in this change, and the NTRA is very involved in part of this new structure.

Alex Waldrop and the NTRA are central figures in all of these discussions. The NTRA is already set up as a not-for-profit and that status and their involvement in advertising and safety will be crucial in getting the new idea off the ground. The only bad news for the NTRA is that they will fall under the Jockey Club as a subsidary. Alex Waldrop remains and remarks, "The NTRA wants to be at the forefront of the industry returning to the prominence it once held. The only way we can move forward together is if we have a shared revenue source, and the NTRA hopes to help create this." The NTRA is poised to become the broker for advertising. "Horse racing is going to pursue advertising. NASCAR we are not, but there are ways that advertisers and horse racing can help each other. The NTRA has shown continued success in the area of corporate sponsorship, and we will work with those at the Breeders' Cup, to tackle this problem together." The idea is that corporate sponsors will place their advertising on the saddle cloths of the horses running in the races that get shown on VERSUS. The advertising itself will be broken down by owners. For example, all of Ramsey horses will carry “Advertiser X” while all the Stonestreet horses will carry “Advertiser Y.” That isn't to say that advertisers X and Y won't appear on other owned horses. The owners of smaller stables will get the most help from the NTRA to give them the best chance of gaining a sponsorship for at least one race.

The Jockey Club working with the NTRA was the starting point for all this. The initial hurdle was packaging the graded stakes to VERSUS. Ogden Mills Phipps has some pretty forward thinking goals, "The new revenue of this sport must insure that all parties are brought to the table to negotiate in the industry's best interests. This advertising will be on a horse owned by an owner, ridden by a jockey, raced at a track, and shown on television. Everyone one of those represent investors in our new business model and everything will be done to insure a fair revenue split." He went on to say, "This change is only the tip of a much larger, much more necessary change in racing. However, the ball must start rolling, and this is where it will begin." Mr. Phipps goes on to mention that he hoped such a small change to the sport will have far reaching affects. "Our long term goal is to change the way every track does business. Our current model is not sufficient. There are hard decisions to be made, but let's get people agreeing on this before tougher issues are tackled."

The Jockey Club, through the NTRA, wishes to purchase the exclusive signals of most every track in the country, and form a business around selling and buying them back to tracks. The Jockey Club/NTRA hopes to create two benefits with the above model: First, there will be a cut down on contracts, and there will be an industry-wide standard created by the industry for wagering and negotiating.

Second, the industry will be able to deal with offshore wagering, rebates, and defend against the threat of further exchange wagering as a group. The "clearing house" will instantly create a congress for our industry. McKinsey sees carrots and sticks created to get tracks working on the same goals to either increase what they can get for their signal or reduce what they pay.

In the conclusion of the report it's noted that by centralizing the contracts at The Jockey Club there will be an efficiency created and a chance to centralize power in the most democratic way. With the tracks owning this not-for-profit insuring transparency and an even playing field for negotiations. There is some anti-trust worries, but Congressional approval would come swiftly with concessions made for on-track safety for horses and jockey, retirement facilities for thoroughbreds, and a national standard for drug testing and their use. Not an easy task, but not hard either.

McKinsey concludes with where a central governing body can take us. They point to issues of takeout: Where the congress can lower rates together rather than one track trying something short term. Rebates could be created for players across a national scale. ADW's comparative advantage with overhead costs would be challenged.

The only shortcoming I see is that the breeders are left a bit out. However, this report mostly focused on the racing side. Hey, with a good product in racing breeding should take care of itself.

So, what do you all think of the plan? Will pressure be created for tracks to sign up for this because of the good deal?

Is Triple Crown Winner Diminished if the Crop is Weak?

2011-05-07T20:12:00.002-04:00

Animal Kingdom was head a shoulders above the rest here today, and hard to say anyone had a huge excuse ala Lookin At Lucky last year. What happens if he wins it all?

Masters Coverage

2011-04-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

Have you been to the Masters Website? Even if you HATE golf, you will LOVE this website. And then you'll start to think about how they've set this up for a 4 day event.

Golf has money. The sport makes money. Advertisers flock to it. Golf has lost some sponsorships true, but it MAKES money.

If you want change in this sport, the first order of business is to tackle the revenue of this sport.

Horse Racing Is Dead

2011-02-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

$11,420,000,000 wagered divided by 50,600,000 fans means each fan is wagering $226 per year, $18 per month, Let's say $4.50 per weekend. Hooray we're a success! Is there a sport where less is spent on a weekly basis?

Yep, horse racing is alive and well. Nothing to see here, nothing to fix, let's move on to the next problem. Seriously people! I have had enough of this bullshit where nothing needs to change because obviously everything is honky-dory. Is horse racing the best industry it can be?

Listen, VS might lose the hockey rights to ESPN, it sure would be nice to have a 4:30-6pm show every Saturday packed with 8-9 stakes races from around the country, but what the hell do I know.

Just Saying

2011-02-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

The NFL is successful today because... it's based on socialism: Revenue Sharing. Many years ago teams like the Giants, Redskins, big market teams who could have reaped more revenue than other teams went in w/ small market teams and got a better deal for everyone, and today they are the most successful, powerful, rich league in America.

I'm not making it out that socialism is the best form of government or the best at anything. It's far and away not a good system. However sometimes, cooperation, negotiation, and big picture thinking can raise the sea for all boats.

Racing doesn't have this. It will never have this.

Racing needs a model that everyone invests into. We can't have the have's, the have-not's, the have's that don't really have, and the have-not's that are good at accounting. So while it's futile pissing into the ccean or shoveling shit against the tide I'll put it out there one more time. It has now been 2.5 years since our Marketing Report and it's never been more important. (I guess racing could get more bankrupt, but that happens everyday.) :

Racing needs a plan everyone buys into, and that starts with Television. A show on every Saturday 4:30-6 that covers 7 to 8 races from multiple tracks (who share revenue) from multiple categories. The races are meaningful because points are earned that lead to gate choice in the Breeders Cup, and possibly extra money bonuses (if the advertising market comes back, which it's starting to do). The owners are allowed advertising on the saddle cloths also split amongst all the shareholders.

Why doesn't this happen?

Unfortunately, I think I know. No standings because that would put a very fine point on how good a horse is; and how could these farms market a 2 time starter who won their maiden against a horse who turned out to be a world beater. Why no cooperation? Because there is panic. These track owners, horseman, everyone down the line protect their own pay check. They see things getting worse, and they can't take a chance. Recipe for disaster.

Good luck everyone, I'll go back to the sidelines now.

Standings In Horse Racing

2011-01-18T10:30:00.001-05:00

It’s that time of year again where I like to point out that the standings in this sport are possible, and would be helpful. The TBA has been compiling standings for 8 years, and in that time our standings have more often than not had the 3 Eclipse finalists and have had the winner on top. All this while I admit our standings are not perfect.

Our standings are a hypothesis that some form of cumulative points in the sport are possible. Again, I don’t claim them to be perfect; I just claim that they show standings are possible vehicle to frame races in a way a casual fan can easily understand, and that some tweaks made by someone *cough*AGSC*cough would greatly change the perception of our sport.

Blame, Zenyatta, Blind Luck, Gio Ponti, Big Drama, Dubai Majesty, Uncle Mo: It’s not hard to come up with those Eclipse winners after the year they had. And every year there are a handful of horses who are obvious winners, but standings are even more useful during the course of the year, before the Breeders’ Cup. Standings can help shape a race and show a casual fan why a race in July is important and why they should watch. Racing is greatly lacking context for every prep race sans the Road to the Roses, and standings are an obvious solution.

Win & You're In is a joke of a series, and while I once embraced it, I'm now embarrassed by it. Gr II winnners, winners from every continent, yet nothing to help contextualize the races here in America.

Why the hostility to standings? If you ask me it's $$$. By putting an actual number next to all these horses names on the catalogue page it'll become harder to sell studs w/ 5 race careers and 1 big win. But that's just me. Happy New Year everyone.

TBA vs The Eclipse Awards

2011-01-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

That's an unfair title really, because no one is out to win the TBA standings, and there are a lot of other differences, but again the TBA standings this year prove that standings in this sport can and do work. Let's go category by category and see what the TBA missed and more likely what the Eclipse missed.

Older Horse
Richard's Kid vs Dakota Phone = Eclipse got it right w/ Richard's Kid. The TBA has Dakota Phone eligible w/ his Gr I win in the BC Dirt Mile. But really we're arguing over nothing here. Best of the rest, who cares.

3yo Colt
Eskendereya vs Super Saver = Hard to say really, it's hard not seeing the Derby winner on the Eclipse ballot who did have a decent first half of the year. Eskendereya 2 big wins came over Jackson Bend, I'm just sayin.

3yo Filly
Harve De Grace vs Switch = I like Switch here. Especially since she didn't get a look in the F&M Sprinter category. A game second to Zenyatta and a LaBrea score vs one win over Blind Luck. The West Coasters have a right to complain about this one.

Turf
Dangerous Midge vs Court Vision = Hard to say, I'm not a fan of rewarding a horse who ran 1 time here, and only 2 times this season, is that right?

Sprint
Majesticperfection vs EZ's gentleman = The Sprint division was god awful this year.
F&M Sprint = See Above. I won't even say who has it "wrong" just give the award to the horse that wins the BC, there's no rhyme or reason to the category other than that. Switch does deserve a bit of a look here though.
What is up with American Sprinters these last few years?

2yo Colt
Jaycito vs To Honor and Serve = TBA has this one right, give me a Gr I winner over a two time Gr II winner any time.

2yo Filly
Turbulent Descent vs Wickedly Perfect = All about what have you done for me lately I guess

Again the fact remains with a standings system in place the Graded Stakes could become the "professional league" of our sport and easier niche to market. It would allow flexibility for a TV product. The entry barrier for understanding what is on the line for a race is lower. Any idea that is "super" Gr I, or a selection of specific races is just a non-starter for everyone. The Graded Stakes have been in place forever, everyone is "ok" with them, trainers & owners understand the season; the list goes on.

The Tragedy Of Zenyatta

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

In the last sixteenth of a mile I became a Zenyatta fan. I admit I was not a fan going in, and while I am, now, a fan going out, I can finally say why Zenyatta never appealed to me.

I knew she was that good, and I knew I was being short changed. I had seen the workouts, and I had seen flashes of her best in other races, but it was never displayed in full until Saturday. And for the fans of Zenyatta what they were given was enough I guess, but for me I did not like the game.

I imagine that at some point the perfect record became a burden for the owners and trainer. Because watching Zenyatta run on Saturday it was obvious the burden was not hers. The challenges: of tougher company and travel, would never have been a burden to her with the final gear she showed us all on Saturday. The gear Mike Smith had always talked about being there, and the reason why we all can’t stop talking about a second place horse (for probably another 3 months). I’m furious, upset, saddened, that we racing fans only ever saw that gear once. Out of twenty events to only see Zenyatta’s best one time is a waste of epic proportions.

This is the fault of horse racing. There is a game that owners feel responsible to play, and HOTY voters feel the need to reward. Only in college football (and everyone loves the BCS) does a sport decide championships in such an absurd way. On the track Blame beat Zenyatta. It was close, there are excuses for Zenyatta, but by rewarding her Horse of the Year voters are saying…. Well I don’t know what. Are they saying that given 10 races Zenyatta would be Blame at least 6 times? Because I wouldn’t disagree; but that didn’t happen. Are they saying she had a better career? Again can’t disagree, but the title is Horse of the Year. Are they rewarding what could have been: Are people picturing her running down Haynesfield, closing faster than Blame in the Whitney, or even taking this year’s Pacific Classic? It doesn’t matter the reason, in any light voters are deciding with their heads, not with results. Hopefully at some point results will matter, and challenges will be taken head on. Do people not realize how much there is to gain in a loss?

Don't Piss on Sanan and Tell Him It's Raining

2010-09-14T11:37:00.001-04:00

“But if we didn’t allow the bullies to play, they’d find our spot about 20 minutes beforehand and piss in the holes,” Sanan said. “To some degree, that’s the kind of crap that goes on in this business.”

Who doesn't like this guy now? Satish Sanan, my new favorite guy in racing. It appears the plan is dead for trying to do too much, that's code for saying the plan is dead for trying to fix everything at once whereas these asshats in charge would rather continue to take their cut and go home and screw everyone else.

So, it sounds like it was too much of a takeover for the group at large and no one would really take the first step, understandable, but not excusable. My advice for Mr Sanan would be to back up and try and get everyone on the same page up to the point of contention: owning an ADW.

My solution would be to create a clearing house for signals. An LLC would own the exclusive rights of all the racing: betting and televising. And, from there you could increase revenue and affect structure. Think of it as TVG on steroids, but w/o the wagering platform. Think of it as all the good stuff that Mr Sanan had done without the thing that held it all back. Instead of competing and creating ADW's the LLC would control the price of the signal. We all know that the ADW's get it for too cheap and that the racetracks charge to high a price. So, as fans I think we could assume takeout to be lowered (and that would be a good start for any process to get the fans on your side).

The new hang up would be to convince Twinspires or Youbet to pay for the Churchill signal more than they are currently paying, however, that extra money would come back to them because they'd be part owner of what they were selling to.

Thoughts?

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Not A Good Year to be a Horseracing Fan

2010-08-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

Take a look at the TBA standings, not much you can really quibble about I think. The #1-5 seem about right to me (for horses not trying to win the TBA standings), but overall count me nonplussed. Is there any division you're looking forward to a showdown in now? I can't say I am. Maybe I'm just bored on a Tuesday morning. Let me know what you think.

Older Horse - One of the few divisions where you have horses with multiple Gr I wins. Quality Road and Blame both with 2 Gr I's, this one will come down to the Classic I'm sure; and I'm on Blame's bandwagon. The rest of the division? Pretty thin. Other Gr I winners: Richard's Kid, Awesome Gem, Misremembered, no one is even stringing Gr II wins together. It's not that great.

Older Mare - Zenyatta. She hasn't travelled, but with no one else stepping up, where should she go? With no one else stepping up who cares? Give me the 3yo's.

3 yo Colt - Lookin at Lucky is the ONLY 2 time Gr I winner and they give out Gr I's for 3yo colts like candy. Is that a standout? I'm not so sure.

3 yo Filly - This is the category to be excited about, this is the exception that proves the rule. Blind Luck, Evening Jewel, Champagne D'Oro, Devil May Care. That's what I'm talking about.

Turf - B- minus horses from Europe are eating our lunch.

F&M Turf - Real sad about Tuscan Evening. Proviso is exciting, but again, from the top 2 down it's thin.

Sprint & F&M Sprint - Can you name a horse in this division? Pretty good if you can.

Am I wrong for being so down right now?

You Have to Be F'ing Kidding Me

2010-08-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not a rocket scientist but I do consider myself intelligent (i'll wait for the laughing to die down), and I think it's fair, as a person with a functioning brain, to second guess professionals with 20/20 hindsight as professionals should have known better with foresight. They are paid to know these types of things in advance, no? The situation at Santa Anita has left me gob-smacked that a project worth millions of dollars was basically done on the cheap, by people no smarter than trained monkeys. (FYI...Trained monkeys CAN lay a bunch of shredded spandex on a flat surface)

Peterson also, in a slide presentation, showed a picture of a dozen or so small rocks he found in a 30-foot area on the track. It is believed the rocks came to the surface through a protective membrane that covers the base.

It's called a granularity ~~stupid~~, I read about it a while ago, basically it's a different state of matter and explains why large objects will "float" to the top in a mixture of different sizes. So, if you're in charge of a project that costs millions of dollars, that involves these sort of engineering/science questions; you should know that in a place prone to small tremors, that people can't even feel, that the granularity will be affected. And, that the membrane should be able to withstand that sort of movement and pressure.

I believe synthetic tracks are still a step in the right direction. I think hiring cheap idiots to figure out the engineering process is criminal. Everyone is slapping ol' Frank on the back for ripping it up and going with dirt, but where's the blame for short changing this whole thing in the first place.

Social Interaction

2010-08-17T11:57:00.001-04:00

I have been mulling this over in my head for months now, but with Ed DeRosa's recent post I figured I'd add my .02 cents into what I'm looking for with social interaction from any horse racing website. What started my thinking this was the obnoxious sign-ins I still have to do on some websites. I sign-in, but I have no idea what I'm getting in return for providing that information. I think it is about time these sites put some resources behind this sign-in and make it worth our while.

My thinking..... On Saturday I wake up to find my wonderful wife has taken my 3 wonderful kids away for the day, and Daddy has the day for himself. There's even that day's DRF on the table cause she figured that what's I would do, but it's crappy outside and my friends aren't going to Monmouth, so I'm left to watching it on TV, and I'll be betting online.

I log on to a the website (or maybe an app). I have a little interface like I do on most sites, I have friends, i have signed up for specific track news, or people posting messages about a few tracks: I also have what my friends are talking about in general on my feed. However, my focus is at Monmouth Park. So, I check-in to Monmouth Park, I'm not quite the mayor there, but I've earned the badge "degenerate" and a couple more weeks I'm sure I'll be mayor. Other users are here talking about that day of racing, bets, conditions, just talking on this private feed. Some information right at my fingertips: MTP, PP's (I can purchase), basic info like runner's name, trainer, jockey, odds, race info. Furthermore, there are links to ADW's handling that track so I can go make a bet, but I can also place my bet w/ this website (fake money of course). I have options when doing this. I can keep it all private which I might want to do if I just want to track my personal bets; because if I track them with this website, this website will slice and dice my cumulative wagering 1000 ways, and track all the tracks I wager on. However, I'm going to go public w/ my wagering (Why? I'll get to that shortly). I place a bet, and it comes up in the group,"Handride: $5 W/S on #5 in race 2 (stats)" What is that "Stats" well the site will use my prior history (real or fake whatever the user wants) to publish how i do on these type of wagers, think about the trainer line at the bottom of PP's, but now think about it for gamblers. Cool right? So i can watch other players make wagers and if I see something I like from someone who has a good record I'll probably jump on his bandwagon, maybe if I don't like the bet I can "back" it. It's fake money of course so this type of exchange is no big deal. The first thought is "Why would a good gambler put their picks out there" and I answer, "why do people tell the world they are going on vacation for a week and their house will be empty?" I don't think everyone will do it, but there are some people who like to open w/ their bets and they like to gain popularity and credibility, so people will do it. Popularity and credibility isn't all a public wager will get you. A gambler earns "points" by all manners of things: Obviously with money earned, but also hitting the biggest exacta of the day, or hitting a super, backing the most of other's peoples bets and coming out on top... you can take your points and gift them to other users who helped you score, or you could turn in your points for something from the site, like an upgrade on your next purchase of PP's or other types of discounts, we're talking A LOT of points, most social sites just have points/karma/likes that get you nothing. While I'm betting at Monmouth I can check into Saratoga and have the same experience and now I'm getting the feeds of both tracks and placing wagers and interacting w/ other people from both places. It's as close to being on the rail with friends as you can imagine, and possibly you make new friends.

Why would a site do it? Maybe they sell PP's, or other wagering information. Maybe they are an ADW and do this for their fake money site. Either way they will end up with a captive audience for a day to show their advertisements to and hook into.

2010-08-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

Nothing To See Here

2010-07-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

These are just the headlines from today's DRF, but I'm tired, I can't keep waking up every morning and perusing the news only to be inundated with this crap. Horseracing is and has always been dying since the 70's, but I gotta admit these last 5 years have felt like it's been dying a bit faster, and the last 6 months feel like a flat line. Maybe I'm paying more attention, but it seems like every track is making do or die decisions. I also have to say I'm tired of all the "fixes". Everyone means well, we all want to see our sport returned to some sort of glory, but it's not going to happen through fan opinion. If change was going to come through customer concern it would have happened by now. Although there is one final idea I have....

I was the big optimist, I was the customer with ideas, but I think the window for optimism and ideas coming from a good place is now over and the window on forced, painful change is now open. So, here's my final idea... if you are in charge of a race track looking for "ideas" QUIT. You are part of the problem, everyone knows what the fixes are stop coming to your fans w/ outstretched arms like you don't know what the problem is. If you're part of a board that has some bullshit function in the industry and hasn't done anything to fix the big problems of racing QUIT, and in the process try and take the whole board with you, stop putting out press releases about irrelevant crap and realize you're not doing anything and your board isn't doing anything and go down in a blaze of glory. If you're a state politician and you don't know what to do don't listen to the asshats from either side, let's go federal with this monstrosity of a sport, and see how they cry and complain and change real fast.

Do you think if horse racing was invented today it would be structured like it is today? It wouldn't. So change needs to occur. The longer they wait the more painful it is for everyone.

“Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.”

2010-07-16T08:42:00.001-04:00

The subject of this post was suggested by the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance, and other posts like it will be found at the TBA homepage throughout the day for Wild hot Topic Friday.

The subject this week: State Of Racing: Will the current hard economic times and state ineptitude lead to a brighter racing future? Will failures in any big racing state like California, Kentucky, or New York lead to a brighter future?

I agree w/ the title of this post, which is a Lily Tomlin quotation, that things have to get a lot worse before they can get better. How long has horse racing been on life support? 10, 20 years? A long time, and things are still getting worse: Turfway cutting Kentucky Cup races, California has issues filling races and has cut days, New York has picked what seems to be 5 VLT operators all of whom operate out of the back of vans over the last 3 years, and Illinois, well it might not be as big as the other 3, but it ain't pretty there either. Is this the bottom, are we ready for our intervention moment? I was hoping we were close at the end of 2008 but here we are mid 2010, I wrote about it in March of 2009, but here we are mid 2010.

And just like the swallows return to Capistrano we have everyone with their way to fix racing, like it's something new. It's not. There are plenty of great ideas out there (mostly mine, I kid), but we don't need a good idea, we need pain. I'm sorry to write that, but after following this sport closely for a decade now I realize that it's not a lack of good ideas, but a lack of motivation. Good ideas are never a good motivator, going out of business is.

Solution Under Our Noses

2010-07-09T08:42:00.001-04:00

The subject of this post was suggested by the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance, and other posts like it will be found at the TBA homepage throughout the day for Wild hot Topic Friday.

When you sit back it's kind of funny really. Ask any horse racing fan what their favorite track is and you'll probably get 1 of 3 answers: Keeneland, Del Mar, or Saratoga. It's funny because if you wanted to say what's successful about horse racing you'd point to those 3 tracks. It's sad because you'd think it wouldn't take economic Armageddon to force tracks to adopt the boutique racing model. It's even sadder that Saratoga keeps growing in days and you hear more and more people complain about their midweek cards, or their weekend cards with no graded stakes, and I get the feeling that the smart guys over at NYRA are thinking about running year round at Saratoga w/ a 2 week boutique meet at Aqueduct in December. (I kid)[at least I hope I'm kidding].

So what happens next? Are boutique meets the future? I certainly hope so. The downsides are well known, less racing dates, means less horses, means less jobs, but if it also means a self sustaining viable industry with a good image then there is no choice.

My home is Monmouth Park, and I can't tell you how much of a difference it has made. I'm talking beyond dollars; walking into that track on the weekend, it just seems like a nicer place. Bigger crowds, more noise as the horses come to the wire, more people in the paddock, more people talking to each other; just adds to a great day out, the image of the place changed overnight. I want to see Monmouth get leaner and meaner in the next few seasons, we'll see how it pans out.

A Regal Ransom

2010-07-02T08:42:00.000-04:00

The subject of this post was suggested by the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance, and other posts like it will be found at the TBA homepage throughout the day.

Being a Monmouth homer you can bet I'm excited that Rachel Alexandra will be making her next stop in the Garden State. But, I have to admit that in prior instances the extra money that Mr Jackson pulls out of the tracks makes me feel a little uneasy inside. Listen, (or read), when Rachel is on the track there is going to be more people in the seats, at home, and wagering, but $250k more? I don't know. I'm not begrudging or second guessing what Mr Jackson or Monmouth is doing. But I guess I'm just nervous mostly. It's not like racetracks have a great record of making responsible money decisions.

I guess though Monmouth knows what they are doing. They did this 2 years ago with Big Brown and his first try on Turf. It was a wonderful experience, and I'd have to imagine Rachel is just the same draw as he was maybe even more so. We got a practice walk out in the paddock w/ Big Brown, I wonder if Rachel will ship in a few days early, that'd be nice. Ok back to retirement.

Derby 20/20

2010-04-29T12:40:00.002-04:00

Here's the FULL PAGE

Derby Picks & Pans

2010-04-29T10:56:00.000-04:00

Just really quickly you can keep up w/ many bloggers top picks here:
and don't forget to check the site for blogs, news, & videos (and all the free pp's you can find)

Good luck everyone, factor in some rain on Saturday.

A Small Wager on a Non Derby Race

2010-04-28T14:58:00.001-04:00

While many will focus on Kentucky Derby BettingI think a really good race to make a wager might come the day before in the American Turf Stakes. A mile and a 16th on the Turf with a ton of horses that all look the same at first glance. We know Setsuko who it seems had a soft spot in many people's hearts for the Derby will get some wagering love, but count me as one not too enamored. So what do we have?

I think the speed of the speed of the will be Strike the Tiger with John Velazquez aboard. His last race was a total speed and fade as he lumbered home and still only lost by a neck. This will be his third start off the layoff and count me intrigued w/ a trainer who gets 50% ITM with 3rd off the layoff. Pushing him early I think will be the 7 Asphalt who I'm hoping has learned to rate a bit better than his last effort. Funny how you can like the 3rd start for one horse and the layoff for another, but I do. And the 3rd horse I'm using is Doubles Parter. This is an easy explanation = Pletcher + Gomez + Winstar + 10/1 + breeding to Serena's Song = My money on the nose.

So with the cacophony of the Derby now gaining to its fevered pitch don't forget the other races.

$1 Ex and Tri box = 5,6,7
$8 Win Doubles Partner

Derby Pick

2010-04-20T10:13:00.003-04:00

You know you're going to read about 100,000 words over the next 10 days all about the Derby: Who's taking to the surface, who washed out, whose jockey fought who, where did Wayne Lukas get his teeth, etc. So allow me a few small paragraphs to talk about the key to my Derby wagering.

I love Eskendereya, I'll be rocking the Eskendereya t-shirt, he's locked up my top spot no matter what gate, he could start in the stands for all I'm concerned. The bigger question is who completes the exacta, now why would you want to listen to me? Well I bet the wrong Bird horse last year, but did do nicely w/ Eight Belles and Denis of Cork. I have a knack of screwing up the top horse while nailing the underneath. So there's your words of warning. So if you're looking to do some Kentucky Derby Betting allow me to help you underneath.

Dublin - His mother was a graded stakes winner at 3, 4, & 5, and I am a big Afleet Alex fan. Like his father he's had both an impressive 2yo and 3yo campaign, (#5 TBA 2yo last year, and tied for 12th so far this year). Let's go to the video tape. In the Southwest he blows the start, he's slow and then bobbles at like the 3rd jump, but the key I take away from this race is his move on the far turn. About 4-5 wide he's motoring, once he hits the lane he doesn't shorten up, he looks strong. Next, in the Rebel a much better start but again he's about 6 wide on the turn, he causes some trouble for Lookin At Lucky on the backstretch, is 4-5 wide on the far turn but again comes home nicely and doesn't look leg weary at all. His best start is in the Arkansas Derby and there is no excuse throughout the whole race. I just want to note that I think the Oaklawn surface this year has been said to be slow and tiring, I think that's a positive for horses who have trained and run over it. The relief that Dublin feels from a faster strip at Churchill just might do the trick.

So you heard it here first: Use Dublin, maybe not to win, but for sure include him underneath. He might be close to 20-1 according to the TBA morning line, I think that's very fair. I like him because of his improving starts, his training at Oaklawn, and Lukas you know has 1 more in him.

Standings vs Graded Earnings

2010-04-15T11:23:00.005-04:00

The rules governing who gets in to the 20 gates for the Derby work. BUT, they are not optimal. There are years when horse #24, #26 is more deserving than horse #18. Yes, it's a small argument, but at some point it will bite us all on the ass as a horse left out will win the Preakness, Belmont, Haskell Triple Crown and then maybe something will be done. The thing is, back in the day the value of the purse matched the value of the Grade, but w/ races like the Gr III Delta Jackpot, and the large purses they put up for 2yo races in the Summer horses are having their ticket punched to the Derby earlier and earlier, and that is a disservice to fans who like the build up, who like the road to the roses. Again, the industry does itself a disservice by allowing tracks to buy a horse of "theirs" entry in the Derby. Not a good situation.

If something like the TBA standings were in place horses like Pleasant Prince, Caracortado, Jackson Bend, Northern Giant, Pulsion, First Dude, Setsuko, & A Little Warm would be in at the expense of Mission Impazible, Endorsement, Conveyance, American Lion, Discreetly Mine, Dean's Kitten, Awesome Act, & Homeboy Kris.

Now that's not perfect either, but that's more because of the fact that there aren't standings in place, otherwise trainers would change their way of placing horses. However, what I think would be ideal would be top 2 in a Gr I, winners in Gr II next, then Gr III's plus the BC Juvenile Winner. If you went w/ that your field would be:

1 ESKENDEREYA (Gr 1, 1st)

2 JACKSON BEND (Gr 1, 2nd)

3 SIDNEY'S CANDY (Gr 1, 1st)

4 SETSUKO (Gr 1, 2nd)

5 STATELY VICTOR(Gr 1, 1st)
6 PADDY O'PRADO(Gr 1, 2nd)
7 LINE OF DAVID(Gr 1, 1st)
8 SUPER SAVER(Gr 1, 2nd)
9 ICE BOX (Gr 1, 1st)

10 PLEASANT PRINCE (Gr 1, 2nd)

11 D' FUNNYBONE (Gr 2, 1st)
12 MISSION IMPAZIBLE (Gr 2, 1st)
13 DEAN'S KITTEN (Gr 2, 1st)
14 LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Gr 2, 1st)
15 DISCREETLY MINE (Gr 2, 1st)

16 CARACORTADO (Gr 2, 1st)

17 Coolmore Lexington Winner

Gr III Winners get in on Graded Stakes Earnings
(3 current money standings) RULE (Gr 3)
(10) ENDORSEMENT (Gr 3)
(11) CONVEYANCE (Gr 3)

The below horses would be on the outside looking in......(red highlights currently in real Derby, wouldn't be included this way)

(12) AMERICAN LION (Gr 3)

(18) AWESOME ACT (Gr 3)

(26) ODYSSEUS (Gr 3)
(33) CONNEMARA (Gr 3)
(36) EIGHTYFIVEINAFIFTY (Gr 3)
(38) ALPHIE'S BET (Gr 3)

Noble's Promise doesn't qualify

Dublin doesn't qualify

You want to only include 3 yo races at 8 furlongs or more, ok D'Funnybone out American Lion in.

And that's a perfect field if you ask me.

Kentucky Derby 20/20

2010-04-14T11:25:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry this post isn't coming from the originator, but Kennedy of the now retired Kennedy's Corridor was kind enough to allow me to post this. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have in prior years. I think it's a great tool for narrowing the field, and has done well picking out some longer shots finishing in the frame.

#1 The entrant must earn a Beyer Speed Figure around two turns as a three year old that is equal to or superior to the average two turn prep winning figure
#2 Last two Beyer figures achieved must total the average two turn prep winning figures times two minus five.
#3 The entrant must have been first or second at the 1/8th pole in one of their final two prep races.
#4 The entrants last two prep races must have been run around two turns.
#5 The entrants finishing position must be no worse than their position at the 1/8th pole in both final preps
#6 The entrant must have run the final 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8th’s faster than or equal to the fields average closing fractions in their last prep.
#7 The entrant must have finished in the money in their last prep.
#8 The entrant must either win or finish within three lengths of the winner in their last prep.
#9 The entrant must have finished in the money in at least two races as a three year old.
#10 The entrants last Beyer Speed Figure cannot be worse than his previous two.
#11 The entrant must be a stakes winner.
#12 The entrant must have either won or finished within three lengths of the winner in a Graded Main Track route race as a three year old
#13 The entrant must have at least one prep race at nine furlongs.
#14 The entrant must have faced a field size of 10 or more as a three year old, or the entrant must have done so at least twice as a two year old
#15 Highest Lifetime Beyer must be achieved in a two turn race.
#16 The entrants sire or broodmare sire must show a progeny average stakes winning distance of 8.00f or more

The whole sheet can be found here

Questions Maybe You Want Answered

2010-03-22T14:31:00.001-04:00

So the TTimes interview was a bit of a puff for me. I don't fault them, it's a good interview, but not sure it appeases the fans or tells us anything we didn't know. So I did a little email myself. The below conversation occurred. Do you think these questions are over the line? Why can't these questions be answered? By doing this the BC shorts the fans. They know we're not happy with the thought of 1 site, they know we're not happy with the utter darkness most fans are kept in, and yet they stone wall some simple questions where w/ some specific honest answers they could look good. This is why retirement was easier.

I wrote

___________________

Mr. Field, hope you don't mind just a few extra questions from this fan. I'm part of a group of horse racing bloggers that have had contact with the people at BC and just wanted to get into a few more specifics. Feel free to just stick your answers in anywhere to questions you feel comfortable answering.
Thanks!

You said that the Breeders' Cup "is already a world-class sporting event in many ways," but they are not strong enough to have a moving last day of championships.

What % increase to revenue do you think local sponsorships can bring?

Do you think seeing local sponsorships on the grounds and possibly in TV shots might cheapen the brand? [I'm thinking I know when I'm watching minor league baseball because of all the local advertisement they need to stay afloat.]

How would a rotation of 3 or 5 tracks be disruptive, how are the benefits outweighed by the negative of a small rotation? Benefits being: no home track advantage, staying away from the dirt/synth debate, appeasing multiple factions of breeders, bringing the race to the fans.

Do you think that the Breeders' Cup at location X could grow to be like the Master's at Augusta or do you think it will eventually have to move to grow?

Making sure the BC highest the 2 days in purses seems key to keeping the luster on the brand, and luckily Dubai has other things to worry about, but is there a point where it doesn't have a marginal return and how far away from that are we?

About the Racing Series

Are you aware of the American Graded Stakes calendar?

The horses that perform well through out the Graded Stakes seem to also do well when it comes to the Eclipse awards, how is this not a good structure to start from?

The AGSC have been in place for quite some time and do have an international structure, do you believe a new schedule that includes/excludes some of these races will sit well with longer-term fans and international fans?

How is the AGSC wrong in their assessment of important races?

Why wouldn't A NASCAR type points system (or a simpler one) based on the American Graded Stakes not work in leading up to the Breeders' Cup? [There are a lot of Graded stakes, but a focus on I's and II's would nicely fit into a weekly schedule]

Thanks
Patrick

_____________

This is what I got back, silence would have been better

_____________

Hi Patrick, thanks for your email. Would you mind directing any such questions through Jim Gluckson at the Breeders' Cup PR team?

(Mr Gluckson's Email)

Regards, William

______________

So I emailed Mr Gluckson

______________

Mr Gluckson I'm forwarding you on a few questions I'd like Mr Field to field. They are a bit more pointed than those in the Q&A from TTimes and they would certainly clear up a couple things for the longer term fan. This isn't a set up, I'm for change, I just want to get into a bit more of the specifics, and you can see that by the questions below. Would you allow Mr Field to answer or maybe you can answer them?

Mr Field,

Thanks, I am forwarding it on as we speak, but I am a bit disappointed, you are the key outside idea man on this and I was hoping some specific questions after the TTimes piece would really clear things up for some of the hard core fans like myself. You know we're the ones that do all the leg recruiting new fans when it comes down to it.

Thanks
Patrick

______________
And finally I got this

______________

Patrick:

We are standing behind Mr. Field's answers in his Thoroughbred Times interview on the main issues about our current options in our stratgic planning, and respectfully decline further comment.

-Jim

______________

Not sure what they are actually standing behind; a bunch of amorphous answers to questions that contradict one another. I wouldn't expect anything better from the BC.

The Most Dangerous Word in Our Sport: Consultants

2010-03-18T09:32:00.006-04:00

I wrote this back in January with a little input from other people, and I just came across the recent interview w/ William Field on Thoroughbred Times (part I part II). I'm still well into retirement, but something about consultants really pisses me off, and I seem to do my best writing angry so here's an old post w/ some new curse words.

In the recent article by Bloodhorse the pillars of the future of racing have been described:

--Explore the feasibility of a single permanent host site location for the Breeders' Cup World Championships;
--Establish a new Breeders' Cup Racing Series in partnership with North American and European racetracks to better define and market the road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships;
--Expand brand marketing and commercial development programs, with an emphasis on digital marketing and social media;
--Take a new approach to nominations to significantly expand the number of Breeders' Cup eligible horses.

Pillars is such a great word, I wonder what it cost? I wonder about the cost, because I wonder about what exactly we got. I wonder about what exactly we got because the above pillars have been discussed for the past 20 years, and no one in the industry wants to do much about them. If the people on the BC board needed consultants to point this out to them, why are they on the board in the first place?

Have you seen William Field's answers? Please take a moment to go read the Thoroughbred Times piece if you haven't. Ok? You're back? You feel good about what he's said right? Of course, I did too. Right now you think he deserves every penny he gets.

The feasibility of a permanent home. It sounds nice, but how feasible is it when the money from the BC comes from breeders across the country and settling on one permanent site favors one state over the others. Add in that only college football has quasi-permanent homes for end of season games, and I wonder why it's a good idea in the first place. Finally, didn't two years at Santa Anita nearly create a revolt from the fan base (Thank God that Zenyatta was as good as billed, and Sea The Stars didn't come). Even a rotation plan of several select tracks makes more sense than this. Seeing that Jim Gluckson has said that this is already "likely" makes me wonder how much exploring has been done, and whether this whole thing is a charade to pay consultants and make it appear as if thought is going into these type of decisions. My follow up question to Mr. Feild is if there is "strong support for the Championships being an international championships" why are we regionalizing the Championships by holding it in one place every year? If we want to have a global brand what damage is done by local advertisers appearing in what should be major brand placements? Finally, does the small revenue generated by local advertisers by being consistent make that much of a difference to the BC purses? Does the BC really need the best purses to attract the best fields? If the Kentucky Derby was only a $500k race I think they'd still get the best field.

The best part is that in part II he contradicts himself (somewhat) "{The BC] is already a world-class sporting event in many ways. The single most important reason why it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with other great events is that it brings together so many of the world’s best horses. The quality of any sporting event is a product of the caliber of the competitors. That is why maintaining and building on the quality of the fields is essential." This sentence alone probably cost 6 figures.

Maybe cementing the BC as a championship day not in name alone would be a good angle, which brings me to the next pillar.

Establish a new Breeders' Cup Racing Series. The Thoroughbred Bloggers' Alliance is a believer that this is a possibility, but it's the American Graded Stakes, not something that a group will create in one year and tell us that it's important. No fans, whether new or old, have bought into the "Win and You're In" angle. Why must consultants always mess with something that's actually working? Hours billed. Sorry that question was rhetorical. Seriously, these bullshit answers hurt my head the most. If you're a consultant, sorry, if you're a good consultant the "lack of a centralized authority with the ability to mandate the necessary schedule changes and participation by the top horses and tracks" should NOT slow you down. You work with what you've got and you make the best of it. Seriously, this guy at the end of the day has some of my money in his pocket, and I want it back. Supposedly "the Breeders’ Cup will have more to say about that in the coming weeks." If it's an expansion of Win and You're In and picking and choosing what races count for what, I'm out. I'm just going to play Monmouth Park and be done with the rest of the country.

William Field only spoke on two of the pillars I guess, but I wanted to chime in on the others.

Digital Marketing and Social Media. I'm a user and a believer of both, but again, it took consultants to point this out? How many panels in how many states must we have before, as an industry, they make a joint effort? Furthermore, it's the content, stupid: Race videos, past performances, workouts, and entries, all behind either a pay wall or behind a wall where the user can't manipulate the information. Please stop f'ing your customers.

New Nominations procedure. Ok, that sounds like a good idea, but only because I don't know much about the current procedure, is it really broken? I guess so if the consultants say so, right?

Here are my 4 pillars:

--Explore the feasibility (internally, not by consultants) of a mass review of contracts that govern this sport.

--Establish a link between the Breeders' Cup and the graded stakes, here and abroad.

--Expand the usefulness of information. Create API's for any and all information produced by the industry. Review contracts that govern past performances.

--Take a fresh approach to nominations

I'm Doubling Down

2010-03-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

Just want to stick my head out here from retirement and cheer on a cause I believe in, and support 110%. I'm doubling down at Monmouth Park. I've heard that Monmouth needs to double its handle to turn a profit this upcoming Summer, and while that number is even being debated, I'm here ready to do just that.

What caused this Favre-esque post is the post by the ever dour Pricci. With an opening paragraph close of, "Monmouth Park has created a template by which racing will not only survive but even thrive in the future, the smart money is betting against." I mean why bother even having the meet? Let's cancel it and just run $2,000 claimers 7 days a week 12 races a day, and when the AC money dries up just bulldoze the whole place and put up Xanadu South. (I should point out I'm being facetious, as someone in Jersey government might just take me seriously, [f'ing Xanadu]) Also, Pricci only commends the effort in his comments, I was already putting the hose in my car window by the time I got down there though.

Listen, I'm a cheap gambler. But, I support Monmouth Park and this experiment. I mean it's what I've always wanted. I think horse racing will only survive with fewer race days, higher purses, and horses competing head to head. Monmouth is doing that, and for us (writers, fans, gamblers, sourpusses) to poo-poo that 10 weeks before opening day is just... well... racing being racing, but I'm not standing for this shit anymore.

I support Monmouth Park not only because it's my home track, but because what they are doing is right. They've updated their homepage, they've been approved by the NTRA health and safety, they embrace a family atmosphere at the track, they've gone all in on the social networking, the facility always looks top notch. I'll be there opening day (May 22nd) and Monmouth will be the only track that gets my money this summer, and it will mostly be live and in person. I'm Doubling Down! Will you?

The Last Post (at least for a while)

2009-12-01T12:42:00.021-05:00

Thanks for reading Handride for the last 5 years. I'm going to "disconnect" from the internet blogging world for a while. I think I've done all I've set out to do, and whether those things catch-on or stick doesn't really matter as I had a pretty prominent perch to chirp from and I appreciate anyone who listened.

For the record this is my final thesis in as few words as possible.

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Single Entity is the way to go as it would afford the following to occur and give the sport a federal framework over the fragmented state issues. Many tracks form an LLC to purchase exclusive rights to their signals (television & wagering). The LLC purchases and sells signals (television & wagering seperate) based on qualities they want to see in racing (Give some bite to the NTRA's/BC's/TOBA's initiatives), levying rebates and taxes on the price that is either paid for or accepted for a signal. The LLC also comes together to produce a calendar of racing that makes sense: Gr III's lead to Gr II's lead to Gr I's, where tracks cooperate to get their best races on between 3:30-5:30 every Saturday so that they can receive more money from the LLC... because they set up an advertising arm that helps match up owners w/ national advertisers. Ads would appear on the saddle cloths and NO where else. The LLC takes the money from advertisers and splits it between host track, jockey, owner, retirement funds, and a % is saved to go to year end rewards based on standings. This creates a central regulating body in racing, increases cooperation, revenue, and profile.

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Takeout should be run like Itunes: You know out $.99 cents the recording industry gets like $.65, the artist about $.10. So following that logic on a bet, 25% should go to the bet taker, 65% to the host track, 10% to the horsemen.

Takeout is a complex issue to say the least, but I would like to hear more lip service given to the totes to MAKE money. Their margins are razor thin and until that is fixed you won't see real time quotes and/or any other upgrades.

-------

Market the sport to the broad audience. Show them the photo finishes, the close-up angles, and the thrill of being there in HD over internet and TV channels. Once those new fans are there (either on the track or signed up for newsletters, ADW's etc) then let them know about gambling. Standings would be a key component positioning horse racing as a sport. I'd like to see accumulated points add up through the Graded Stakes and lead to gate choice in the Breeders' Cup (a little home field advantage per se). I'd like Win and You're In to be races that are only in September and October, and brand the Breeders Cup Challenge series as all Graded Stakes. I see this use of standings as a bridge to something more robust as mentioned above.

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I'd like to see:
Entries for big races made a full week in advance.
Owners stop sacrificing horses in the Kentucky Derby.
Equibase enter, at least, 2004 when it comes to technology and be a powerful content generator for other websites.
The BC and the NTRA get back together as their are more synergies together than apart.
Tote's get paid for performing a service and update their technology.
Someone define subsidy in horse racing, and get that it's a short term thing.
More poker/sports books than granma's and one armed bandits.
Less racing with more quality
Horseman's groups, track owners, and jockeys see the bigger picture.
A permanent home of the BC somewhere warm on dirt.
Something done about past performances: their cost, their buy-in, their structure.

-------

The internet is a great communication tool & time waster. I'm afraid that they both go hand in hand w/ each other. I think I've grown out of the internet and I'm looking for more eye contact w/ real people. I think I've made my point and I no longer wish to harp on the point or continue to pick out my "proof." Like most bloggers I know I'm right ;-D, but now I'm comfortable enough to walk away and not worry about the outcome. The internet, this blog, tweeting, was proof that I somehow existed outside my mind. Now I'm confident I don't need to prove that anymore. I'm still a real person and I still plan on going to the track, and I still plan on getting more people to come with me. I just won't be using the blog as much. So, if you're ever in Monmouth County and you see a guy w/ a goofy t-shirt or shirt that looks like jockey silks you might have found me. Say hi in the real world.

-------

I'm bored with it all.

Buzzing Around the Breeders' Cup

2009-11-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

I wrote an editorial piece that appears today in the Thoroughbred Times. It came about after some Twitter discussion with long time standings curmudgeon Ed Derosa. See, he's finally starting to come around to standings, and if he is... well maybe some other people will too.

The crux of the article is about creating buzz around the Breeders Cup ala the Derby. It's a tall task, I know, but I'm afraid that the Breeders' Cup next year will be changing, and I'm afraid it will only change through some sort of subtraction: less days, less money, less racing. When things are bad it creates an opportunity for change, and some of that changing usually is subtraction, but true change is through addition.

My thesis: Focus on the graded stakes that play apart in the field choice mechanism, rebrand that the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, and create standings that lead to gate choice.

Make the graded stakes relevant in a manner that doesn't really upset the apple cart [Is anyone against the best horses getting the best draws], draws in casual fans [the top 20 list for the Derby is the bridge that connects hardcore and casual fans], and has a hook for hardcore fans [it will be fun to talk about who will draw where in races like the Classic at Belmont, or with speed horses]

So, what do you think? And really, I'm not looking for only comments on this, (though feel free to leave them) I'm looking for others to pick up the blogging torch and write what you think. I think this is the time to get some change in this sport, and I think we have to speak up for something fresh, new, and fun.

Why Standings Work

2009-11-11T10:42:00.001-05:00

The season of horse racing is for the most part over so let's see how the standings fared this year.

2yo Filly - She Be Wild (320) Beautician (275) Blind Luck (200)
I think we've nailed the winner of the Eclipse, the hard part is the 2nd and 3rd place horses. The other Gr I fillies didn't do anything else, so while their name will be on the ballot She Be Wild is a mortal lock for the Eclipse.

2yo Male - Lookin At Lucky (335) Vale Of York (240) Noble's Promise (240)
Again, we've nailed the winner but finishing out the rest is a little difficult due to the synth/dirt thing with some horses running and not running.

3yo Filly - Rachel (905) Gozzip Girl (350) Stardom Bound (300)
Very happy with this outcome, everyone forgets how close Stardom Bound was to being the big 3yo filly everyone was following. She had 2 Gr I Wins earlier in the year, just wonder if time is the big discounter.

3yo Male - Summer Bird (595) Zensational (450) Quality Road (405)
I think we've got the first 2, but we left off Mine That Bird who was 4th with 385 points. The difference of 20 points is mostly due to the extra race QR ran, and honestly, other than the Derby Mine That Bird had a middling type year. Quality Road had 3 wins. It's not perfect, but close enough to not throw the baby out w/ the bath water.

F&M Sprint - Informed Decision (625) Ventura (610) Game Face (245)
Nailed it. The top two were razor thin, and who really knows or cares about #3. Had Ventura pulled off the upset and won one of the races in the open company Turf division it would have gone the other way.

Sprint - Zensational (450) Kodiak Kowboy (360) Fabulous Strike (310)
This division was weak this year, but Zensational, though he flattened in the BC, was ultra consistent and a star. He is a 3yo after all. The race for this is probably not quite over, but not enough races to make a huge difference.

F&M Turf - Forever Together (475) Magical Fantasy (415) Pure Clan (365)
I'm not sure where the Eclipse will go. MF did all her work on the West Coast and won, but Forever Together went places and took chances and did ok. The standings favor FT because of the amount of races she won, and if you want to build the sport w/ new fans you want them to get behind that kind of horse, no? Does it go to Goldikova? The TBA needs 3 starts in NA to count points (the whole fan base argument), but if that wasn't an issue she amassed: 508.75 and seems right.

Turf - Gio Ponti (720) Presious Passion (500) Just As Well (430)
Again, if you have a problem with 3rd I think for the most part if standings were in place you'd see different outcomes as horses would point for challenging races, less ducking, more racing. I think we nailed the top 2.

F&M - Zenyatta (715) Life is Sweet (655) Seventh Street (440)
Scary part is that had Zenyatta finished 2nd she wouldn't have won the TBA F&M division, and that's a real problem. Not sure what to do as Life is Sweet ran 8 times this year to Zenyatta's 5. I think a perfect solution would be have standings create the top 5 horses voters can then vote on, and/or have standings determine gate choice in the BC.

Older Horse - Gio Ponti (720) Einstein (475) Cowboy Cal (350)
The top dirt horse ( a horse who has a Gr I win on dirt/synth) was Einstein, but Turf horses also are eligible for this award. What a weak division this year.

Jockey - Gomez (4310) Leparoux (4070) Velazquez (2545)
Those top 2 put on a show this year. Leparoux even had the lead after some weekends, and it's probably not over yet.

HOTY - Rachel Alexandra (905) Gio Ponti (720) Zenyatta (715) Life is Sweet (655) Informed Decision (625)

Only 1 male horse in the top 5. Why not? Summer Bird will probably get a look, but I'd say the above 5 were all more dominating in their divisions than Summer Bird, and to me that's what the Eclipse is about. Oh, and why do standings work cause Ed DeRosa said so. As for HOTY and the TBA, in a perfect world you'd weight the different categories accordingly and you'd probably get Summer Bird on the list.

A Level Playing Field

2009-11-09T09:38:00.002-05:00

Joe Drape just wrote

Here is one vote to make Santa Anita Park the permanent home of the Breeders’ Cup...
The European success, however, can largely be attributed to a more level playing field

He said the same thing last year with the "level playing field" thing. I heartily disagree. Synthetic does not seem to be a fair surface, and I think the folks at the BC are just lucky that Zenyatta (an American hero now) is masterful on it. What would the print be saying today had a European again won our greatest race?

Someone once said, and now I'm stealing it (and can't remember who), "that the essence of American racing is dirt."

And yet I don't see one "dirt" name in the winner's circle and barely in any frame.

For the record, my feelings on Synthetic surfaces is that I'm pro them for facilities with huge biases (Kee, California) and weather issues, just not for championships, at least not often.

Oh Woes Me

2009-11-08T10:12:00.002-05:00

I'm looking at a scrap of paper:
R7 - 7/11/1,2,3,5

That is a $4 pick three that would have returned $1700, I didn't bet it, I was too busy pissing my money away on some other lousy bets.

I was flat on the day after Friday, but Saturday I just couldn't find the rhythm and wasn't happy w/ my betting. I didn't like California Flag, and that was a mistake, but I loved Dancing In Silks and Crown of Thorns, but thought Zensational would hold for first or second, I liked Vale of York, but thought the post would do in Lookin at Lucky so bet a crazy exacta and came 1st and 3rd (and worse), Tried to key Goldi on top, but didn't like Courageous Cat, loved Justenuff. Loved Furthest Land, didn't hit the exacta (didnt' come close). Singled Conduit in some things but didn't freakin nail the easiest Tri ever.

I didn't like Zenyatta, and was proven wrong, though I was 2nd in the late pick 3.

I did some GREAT handicapping, but like usual when it comes to actual betting I SUCK!

If you had given me $6,000 and forced me to play the pick 6, I'm very confident I could have hit it. And yes this is all whining and red boarding and being a big baby, but whatever a blog is a selfish endeavour. ;-D

There's always next year.

A #BC09 conspiracy theory

2009-11-05T11:51:00.001-05:00

There is no way the grounds crew at Santa Anita will set the track up like last year. If the Euro's walk out w/ everything that isn't nailed down heads will roll at the BC ltd. I've skewed my handicapping to pressers and front runners, I think you all should do the same unless proven otherwise on Friday.

My picks are up at http://bit.ly/2GqfpQ

My Changes to the Breeders' Cup

2009-10-29T10:25:00.000-04:00

You don't need to be Greg Avioli to know that something will change next year. Less races, less days, less of something for sure. So, you all already know how I feel about W&YI (Graded stakes = standings = gate choice). Here's what I'd do w/ the schedule.

I'd stay with 2 days. The argument of making it a long weekend and creating some sort of lead up to the big day is a sound one. And, one I obviously agree with.

The BC is "LIKE" our year end championships, so maybe it's time to move some awards to the day.

Day 1:
Ladies' Day - Focus on BC, NTRA, and local charities. Give out an annual service award to someone in racing who's given back (Is there already an award? Just move it to this day). Jockey competition for the day. Any way to move the Woolf award to here as well? It would be even better to give out the Jockey Eclipse but it's hard to make people vote once yet alone twice.
Juvenile Fillies, Marathon, Dirt Mile, Turf Sprint, F&M Turf, Ladies' Classic

Day 2:
Juvenile Turf, Juvenile, Turf Mile, Sprint, Turf, Classic

I'm axing the Juvenile Fillies Turf, F&M Sprint. Because of this I'd guarantee 5 spots to Fillies and Mares in the Sprint and Juvenile Turf. I'm not cutting more races because I like the idea of a rolling pick-6 bet.

Zenyatta Cynicism

2009-10-28T12:46:00.000-04:00

I just think Zenyatta has no chance in the BC Classic and is really only there to lose gracefully. I just get the feeling, call me crazy. But the win streak was SOOOO important that Zenyatta went out of her way to keep it going, and yes she's the champ and someone should come to her to beat her, but... I don't know... It just seems like maybe the connections knew that either BC race would be tough, and a loss is possible when you have a closer (whose winning margins are shrinking), and that losing in the Classic is better than losing in the Ladies' Classic. Am I way off base here?

Working Around Technology

2009-10-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

I just heard Twinspires now has the ability to cancel wagers once you've placed them. I know when I first got on 4njbets.com that was my first complaint. I guess all ADW's are the same, but not Twinspires anymore. It's a big difference, and hopefully other ADW's take note (and copy the code).

In other Tech news, the TBA has updated their Free past performance search engine. Go check it out (read the instx), and let me know what you all think.

thanks!

A Silver Lining

2009-10-07T16:50:00.003-04:00

Official Word has come down, I'm a horse owner again, and I'm excited with what went down.

At first I thought we owned hip number 24 because Ferris Allen our trainer bought that filly. I was wrong, and in my haste and happiness might have sent out a few wrong signals, but now I'm 110% sure who we own, and it's blowing my mind!

I'm now part owner of hip #410 (dam is Greta's Joy) A filly that RNA'd in July at $35,000 and in November at $37,000 for $6,500. This filly has a ton of upside (love that word)

She's by first year sire Silver Train who won the Stallion making Met Mile, but the dam is where it gets interesting. Greta's Joy is a direct female descendent of Turn To Talent: Half-sister to blue hen mare Too Bald and Granddam of Broad Brush. You're saying, "Yeah that was 4 generations ago." But this family recently got hot again. Greta's Joy half brother is Surf Cat. Yes, that Surf Cat. So, this filly is the 2nd filly from an extraordinary family. I have a dream filly, and all we paid was $6500 at the sale.

Wow. I've experienced the lows of horse ownership. I'm counting on this being anything but.
Check out That's Amore, who runs the show.

Sea The Stars

2009-10-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

Everyone would love to have Sea The Stars line up in the BC, but what would come of it from a marketing perspective? I understand, and you who are reading this blog understand, it's not everyday a horse puts together a year like StS just had and watching him race would be compelling, but outside of us.... who cares?

The Breeders' Cup are trying their darnedest to introduce us to possible starters through Win and You're In, and trying to make it easy for novice fans to get a grip of the sport. You all know I'm a quasi-fan of the idea of W&YI, but again it won't have a chance to succeed if StS comes to America.

The NTRA just finished its annual marketing meeting and the next stop is the Eclipse. If StS wins the BC Classic he would be a strong candidate for HOTY. How do you market a horse who made 1 start Stateside as our champion? Does that help the sport grow in America?

Some interesting questions, that I honestly don't know how to answer (or at least not change my mind 10 minutes from now).

Safety And Itegrity Alliance

2009-10-01T14:01:00.002-04:00

I'm a supporter, I believe in the idea, but..... the reason this was started was to create some good coverage of racing, that there are tracks doing the right thing, and to show that we do care for the animals and people in this business, and to get everyone on the same footing when it comes to these issues. The Alliance does this but.... Keeneland, Saratoga, Monmouth, Del Mar were never the tracks giving the industry a black eye in the first place, and I would bet would have passed the test years ago.

Wake me when they get around to looking at Mountaineer. When that track doesn't get approved the thought is players (us gamblers) shouldn't bet there. The trick is.... Mountaineer is one of the cheaper venues to bet as a player.... and seeing that not a lot of discussion has gone on around take out .... good luck getting people not to bet it.

When something like this happens and tests the Alliance I'll be on the edge of my seat.

An Offer I Couldn't Refuse

2009-09-28T10:42:00.003-04:00

It's easy to compliment businesses and people when things are going well, but the true test of any business is when things out of their control go wrong. Are things swept under the rug? Are those phone calls you used to get weekly now monthly or nothing? Like I said; good times = good communication, bad times = test of the business.

I bring this up, because I'm super excited to get back into the business of horse ownership with That's Amore Stable. Our last horse, Higher Authority, was euthanized after complications arose from an ankle surgery. You'd think I'd want nothing to do with horse ownership or That's Amore. It's a 180 from the truth. I could be bitter and pissed off, but I'm not for 1 important reason. I was well informed.

Frank at That's Amore on every phone call and email from the start is always more than cautious about talking about future prospects. After Higher Authority got ill i was even better informed. His calls were honest, up front, and to the point. I hoped HA would get better, but I knew what she was up against. Because of that I want another chance. And I want one with That's Amore.

That's Amore is possibly starting a new syndicate, and the way it's going to be done could be very interesting for you pedigree fans. The plan is to take X dollars to the yearling sale at Timonium (Afleet Alex was bought here for 75k), buy a horse and have some fun. That's the plan as Frank would lay out, but there are a few extras I'd like to share with you.

Shares will be between $3,000 and $6,000 for 5 or 10% of the horse. That price will most likely include all the costs for getting our filly to a race track this summer, so you don't get a bill during the months where not too much is happening, all you'll get is photos and updates. Frank also told me there will be no markup on the horse, that he will only take a $1,000/month for a management fee, which is a steal, and shows how much joy he gets out of owning horses.

The Timonium sale is Oct 4-5th so if you're interested in this partnership you have the ability to get your voice heard on what filly is bought. Obviously Frank will make the final decision on what horse and what to bid, but the guy listens to opinions. And is open to all good info out there.

This is where it gets fun for you pedigree buffs. I've taken the sale and put the excel sheet onlin e so that anyone can edit it. I've also added a column for the truenick grade, and added a few notes myself. You can edit this sheet as you see fit, don't delete any info, just add to it please, and please be kind to others opinions and the horses themselves, someone loves them.

What That's Amore is looking for: A filly whose parents RAN well or whose siblings have started more than a few times. Don't expect to find Ghostzapper at this sale, look for what you think could be a hard knocker.

So, if you're interested in helping pick out a horse at Timonium give That's Amore a call or drop them an email as they need to know interest for this venture, then head over to the sheet and start looking. (In my head we get a lot of people interested and can buy a sales topper who goes on to have a career like Rachel Alexandra, but Frank wouldn't want me to say that).

Email That's Amore and tell them you're interested:

You can call them at 202-253-1048.
Or email them : info [at] thatsamorestable.net

Who wouldn't want to own a horse with me?

A little update: The shares will be priced at $2500 & $5000, it's correct to think you won't know you're exact share until all the collections have been made, but you will be treated like a 100% owner, I can assure you that.

Update 2 No management fee and no markup. It'll be a $5000 one-time commission/fee that will be billed over four months, and then a 5 percent income interest.

Would You Let A High School Band Close for U2?

2009-09-21T15:27:00.002-04:00

The schedules have been released for the BC , and I'm excited. The closer it gets the more I have I confidence I can take down both Pick 6's on $20 worth of tickets. However, c'mon why card those last races?
Friday:
4:25 p.m., $200,000 Las Palmas Handicap, (gr. II), 1 mile (Turf)
Saturday:
4:25 p.m., $125,000 Oak Tree Derby (gr. II), 1 1/8 miles (Turf)

There's no good rational reason for it. An argument I've heard is that whoever lost in the big race will try and make it back, but if they lost the big race doesn't that mean they're a bad bettor? What are the chances they hit this final race? More likely they lose their huge bet in either classic then lose AGAIN in the final race. So, the taste in their mouth is doubly sour. They lost two big bets and they're talking about a useless Grade II race. If you lose on the big race, at least you leave talking about the big race, no?

Regal Ransom Collects

2009-09-19T20:22:00.002-04:00

This will be pointed out ad-naseum as we get closer to the Breeders' Cup, but if last year was the Breeders' Cup Europe edition this year very may well be the Breeders' Cup Arabic edition.

Regal Ransom, NO LOOKIN BACK!

Forever Together

2009-09-17T21:07:00.001-04:00

Forever Together was last year's TBA F&M Turf horse of the year, and she's probably flying just slightly below the radar again this year, as she's only raced 3 times. She'll be running this weekend, look for a post over at the NTRA tomorrow for a pre-cap of the race.

How Cool Is That

2009-09-17T20:34:00.002-04:00

It's not everyday you get thanked by a CEO of a large national organization, but that's what happened today. I'll be writing about the F&M Turf, my favorite race over at NTRA blogs, so don't look for too many updates here follow me over there for the next few weeks. And as always you can follow EVERYONE over at TBAblogs.com

Let's pick some winners!

Sacrilege Against Zenyatta

2009-09-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

She's not clearly the best Older Filly and Mare on dirt THIS YEAR. If you just look at THIS year, had she not raced last year no one would be forcing a matchup of her vs Rachel Alexandra they'd be talking about a possibly terrifically deep field for the F&M Classic.

Zenyatta has won the Vanity, Hirsch and Milady. A great record. I'm not arguing she's the worst F&M this year, I'm just saying she isn't the clear cut best this year.

I'll first mention Seventh Street who finished 2nd this past weekend in the Gr I Ruffian over a sloppy track. She's won the Apple Blossom & Go For Wand (gr I's) and finished second in Ogden Phipps and the aforementioned Ruffian. Zenyatta scratched due to a wet track this year, Seventh Street hasn't. Seventh Street also finished 2nd in the Gr II Barbara Fritchie after spotting the field 10 lengths due to a poor start. So, yeah she's pretty accomplished at a few different distances.

Life Is Sweet has been a Zenyatta runner up so often, but it's not like she's always getting her doors blown off and when it comes to the BC her family has had success. She's a full sister to Sweet Catomine.

Swift Temper has wins from 8.5 furlongs up to 10 and just won the Gr I Ruffian. She's also raced 7 times this year at 6 different tracks. It's been an up and down year, but it's mostly up, and I'm curious about her plans leading up to the BC.

So, I'd say it's pretty close at the top right now. Zenyatta is undefeated at her home track in 3 races she won last year... good for her. Meanwhile there are horses having very good years, pushing themselves and racing all under the radar, all with what I'd imagine to be a large chip on their shoulder (if they realized things like this).

The F&M Classic will be a great year this year and I hope Zenyatta is odds on, for me she'll be a bet against.

Higher Authority - Gone

2009-09-01T13:18:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry to say that Higher Authority was euthanized last night after a battle with some infection after surgery for a non-displaced condylar fracture. I'm glad I met her, and I'm not giving up on ownership (she was the first real horse I felt I owned), I'm just pretty bummed out right now. I would easily trade this for a horse on a farm who can't run a lick in competition. This is horse racing I know, but it sucks when it happens to you. I feel bad to the people really involved with HA, I'm sure they feel terrible plus I'm sure they feel responsible, they shouldn't. I know HA was in good hands from the groom to the ownership structure, I met them all, I don't have any less faith in them today than yesterday. She really was a sweet filly, her nickname was peanut around the barn. Today is a low, hopefully I'll get a high in the future.

Win and You're In

2009-08-31T10:06:00.001-04:00

Thanks for the link Mr Paulick, the TBA follows you and another 140 blogs.

Did you know I'm no fan of W&YI? Ok, so you knew that, but what I really hate is this whining about how it's not REALLY W&YI (for those that don't pay the original fee or for those that don't supplement.)

What those that are whining are suggesting is that no one should really pay into the BC, just go out an win one W&YI race (which are expanding every year) and compete to win a purse that is no longer funded by what they need to be funded by.

The chances of a foal ending up in the BC are miniscule, that's why the fee is nominal at birth. A person is already spending 10s of thousands, what's another couple of hundred for a dream? This is where the BC gets most of its funding. Supplements are so high after the fact because people would stop nominating at birth all together if a person be allowed to wait to see if the horse is a "BC" type horse and then nominating for a couple hundred. Everyone would wait, so it makes sense that the supplement fees are as large as they are.

For those whiners please suggest how the BC should make money if/when people stop nominating their horses at birth and wait to win a W&YI race (which should prove you have a BC horse).

Track Ratings

2009-08-27T13:42:00.000-04:00

HANA finally put out the raw data of it's track rating system. And, I've gone in and put them on a bell curve and weighted everything the same. If a track didn't offer a bet w/ a takeout I put the max in from the group. I gave a 1 to tracks that had things like .10 supers and 0 if not. I guess you could weight it, but it seems pretty close to reality to me.

So do you think the bell curve makes more sense?

I'm happy to see Monmouth make the biggest jump from 44th to 14th
Full Sheet Here

If You Blog Read Me

2009-08-26T09:25:00.002-04:00

This is important. Go get a feedburner feed now. There's a new thing out called pubsubhub that is making RSS as close to real time as possible, by getting a feedburner feed you're doing all the work you have to do on your end (which is next to nothing)

http://feedburner.google.com/

Put your RSS feed into the box that says burn a feed right this instant
Give it a name and an address
Keep clicking next; at some point across the top you'll see analyze, optimize, publicize, monetize,troubleshootize.

Click on the Publicize Tab, Ping shot is choice down the left hand side. Activate it.

Right now it won't help on the TBA homepage but I'm trying to find a programmer who can update the site in this way. Once I get the homepage fixed it will make your posts appear on the homepage almost instantaneous, and right now your readers will get notifications instantly if they are using things like google reader or other services once you update your ping shot.

If you already have a feedburner feed the Ping Shot might not be activated, it's isn't turned on automatically, so go double check, and email me at handrideclothing [at] yahoo.com if you have a feedburner feed.

This is the next big thing in publishing, want to make sure we're all out in front of it.

Reminds Me Of Ghostzapper - Not A Good Thing

2009-08-26T09:05:00.000-04:00

Could there be any more buzz around Quality Road? I think they already painted the canoe. But, for me I'm not that excited about him. I won't take anything away from him: He's impressive with track records and blazing fast speed, but, for me, to be "great" you have to do it more often.

I never really was a Ghostzapper fan, and Quality Road reminds me of him from the win streak, to the +110 Beyers, to the anointing him the best 3yo in the country, to me not being that impressed. Some are saying Rachel Alexandra is ducking him by going to the Wood. That's like saying Steven Strasburg dodged Matt Alexander (who hit .383 in the Mountain West last year) by going pro. The buzz literally hurts my head. Ghostzapper ran all of 4 races (3 120+ Beyers) in 2004, and of all the gaudy numbers Ghostzapper put up no one questioned that one. I think number of starts is just as important as best Beyer if not more important.

This will be Quality Road's 5th Graded Stakes start of the year, so he's already ahead of Ghostzapper, but I'm just terrified that ol' Todd will take a win in the Travers (which I'm betting against) and train him up to the BC, and the buzz will just continue to build while he doesn't race.

No One Gives Credit

2009-08-25T08:08:00.003-04:00

I've seen a lot of people say that Jess Jackson is being greedy for asking the NYRA to up the Woodward purse. Really?

The Travers is $1,000,000 Rachel would be the favorite.
The Woodward was HALF that, and Jess Jackson asked if NYRA could do something about that discrepancy I'm sure. They made it $750k, still 25% less than the Travers, and nowhere close to being greedy in my book. The connections are running for 25% less than where they could be running, and in a more difficult race (always depends on who shows up, but no filly has ever won the Woodward... anyways...)

It's a vicious cycle. The Road to the Triple Crown makes 3yo colts mainstream famous, tracks want to be mainstream important so they'll do everything to lure those 3yo's to their tracks, meanwhile the open races (the more difficult races) get smaller purses because the older horses (and F&M Turf, Sprint, Turf) aren't as mainstream famous. If you want horses staying around longer you need a way to make your older horses more mainstream important, and the money will follow them. Standings that lead to gate choice.

2yo Bandwagon Alert

2009-08-20T11:34:00.001-04:00

I want to get this out there before the race is run, and won. I like Thiskyhasnolimit. In June at Churchill downs in a race he finished 2nd all 3 top finishers came back and won. The winner Backtalk is the most decorated of the 2yo crop so far. One month later, over the slop, he got on the lead and opened up. 10 days later he was in Saratoga. This race must have been the target, and since coming to Saratoga he hasn't missed a work and seems pretty consistent in the morning.

His second dam is Cara Rafaela, this name might be somewhat familiar as she was the dam of Bernardini. Thiskyhasnolimit is bred on the same sort of cross: Bernardini was by AP Indy, Sky Mesa is an AP Indy line stallion.

How he only cost $120k I'll never know, that sounds like a bargain to me. And it'll be a bigger bargain when he gets on the Derby trail today.

Roku Streaming LIve Horse Racing In HD via NTRA.tv

2009-08-11T12:27:00.001-04:00

If only.

No it's not NTRA.tv but MLB.tv who have figured out that the cable company is on its way out the door.

Horse Racing Fans to Look More Foolish

2009-08-11T10:14:00.000-04:00

What you are looking at above is a patent filed by Nintendo for a new game controller: a cushion. And, yes you'll be able to rock back and forth on it and simulate horse racing games. While the above picture looks serene with a young boy enjoying a trail ride the image that comes to mind is more like the gamer on the left pummeling that cushion into submission.

Siliconera via Kotaku via Gizmodo

Darren Rovell up in Saratoga

2009-08-10T09:38:00.001-04:00

Caught this morning. Good to see he knows about Zenyatta, and knows it's been a good year for racing, and it's funny to see how literally shit scared he is of real horses. They're just babies!

Dana White Makes More Sense Than Most People Can Handle

2009-08-05T15:20:00.001-04:00

“One of the great things about MMA is you don’t lose your mystique if you lose a fight,” White said. “Fans show up because they want to see guys go at it. That’s what they pay for. And if you give them what they paid for, they are more than happy."

This is not the case in horse racing where one loss is the end of a campaign toward season end honors.

Why I Like Blogs & Jennie Rees

2009-08-05T08:51:00.000-04:00

It's far easier to point and say, "Hey look at that reporter writing a blog, you're doing it wrong!!!" Then you make fun of their age and wonder aloud if they still use a typewriter to write their stories. In honesty, it's hard to move from reporter to blogger for one simple reason: Opinion. A good reporter reports the news. A reporter should be unbiased. A good news piece is one that is clear, concise, factual, and at the end of reading it you should have a good feel for what's going on in totality. It is VERY difficult after a lifetime of staying "out" of the story to all of sudden, have your editor ask you to "BE" the story.

I think the best reporter who has become a great blogger (and still remains a great reporter) is easily Jennie Rees. Her latest piece about the BC in LA two years in a row is an equivalent to pitching a perfect game. It's factual and fairly opinionated, it reports and editorializes with facts and insider knowledge. It'll take time for reporters to feel comfortable sharing inside information and then editorializing it, but Jennie is leading that charge.

Credit where credit is due.

My Rachel Plans

2009-08-04T11:27:00.001-04:00

Why not? To me the Woodward won't be a challenge: her Beyers, the Older Division (or lack there of), Saratoga's nickname would all make me stay away (from the dirt there) this is what I'd do.

Ballston Spa Aug 29th against older F&M - Dominate

then board a plane for France

Prix De l'Arc de Triomphe Oct 4th

They wanted to bring Curlin there, so you know it's on their radar. Furthermore, a 3yo filly winning the Arc isn't unheard of... it happened last year.

Run for ReRun

2009-08-04T07:50:00.001-04:00

I got my entry in, and I've heard there's only about 20 spots left. $20 and you get to run on the track at Monmouth Park. Doubtful you'll do it in the same time Rachel did it in, you probably wouldn't be able to even stay with Atomic rain for 200 yards, but the longer you stay on the track the more you get for your $20.

The fun run is this Sunday. Registration is still open, though not sure how much longer that will last.

My plan: Speed and fade, look to bet me next time out.

Let's Talk About Eclipse Awards

2009-08-03T10:44:00.001-04:00

Jersey Girl! Rachel Alexandra and Calvin Borel win the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational
Originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses

No, not Horse of the Year or 3yo filly, let's talk about photography. We know how badly they screwed up last year.

I just want to say this is the best photo of the year bar none. I've been keeping my eye on photos all year ever since the TBA ran the photo contest last year, and this is the tops. Perfect setting, great action, even better light (somehow!)

I think we have an Eclipse Winner.

Sarah K Andrew writes a blog here
http://rockandracehorses.wordpress.com/
and her feed is part of the ALL SOURCES section on the TBA
http://tbablogs.com/?rss=blogs

Rachel Alexandra - Let's Think Big

2009-08-03T09:33:00.003-04:00

The great thing about Jess Jackson is that he's prone to think big. He's also prone to hold a grudge too (see no BC), but the goods out weigh the bads. With Curlin there was talk of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It was fun, it was good for racing. Now the talk might turn to Rachel taking on elders. Gary West starts with the Woodward. I'd like to see a grass race, and the F&M Turf division has a great horse named Forever Together in it, Ballston Spa Handicap? or maybe stick with 3yo in the Del Mar Oaks in 3 weeks and take the show West.

This is fun because really there isn't anywhere they couldn't go.

New TBA Blog

2009-08-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to announce 4 new bloggers into the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. The process of adding blogs recently has been a little "broken" and I'm sorry to say we probably let some fall through the cracks. I hope the process is now fixed and if you'd like to be considered for the TBA email contact [at] tbablogs.com and we'll get back on the ball.

The 4 great new additions are:
VTA Blog
The Brock Talk
Perfect Peace Farm
They Are Off.

Don't forget you can access over 130 blogs by clicking on ALL SOURCES.

Will Old Folks Ever Stop Being Cranky?

2009-07-27T14:02:00.003-04:00

When you don't have anything else to write pick on the bloggers. I think this happens every Summer, no?

This time it's Vic Zast and his Track Words blog. I'll try and keep this short and sweet. Here's the source material. Which I found at tbablogs.com (home of 138 blogs, including 2! from Zast, & 137 people on Twitter.)

anyone able to string a noun with a verb considers himself qualified as a writer, and if he’s alone in his opinion, he starts a Web site

True, but having a voice means there's someone listening, and if you string together lies, crap, and pointless drivel you don't have anyone reading you, and you might as well start a website or a looking in the mirror club. The overall effect is the same: nought.

People without the wide view of how one thing impacts another portray themselves as experts.

I'll agree to this point a little, but this industry is in dire need of outside the box thinking. But the better question is how many in the industry portray themselves as experts and don't know which end of the horse to put hay in. I'm looking at the smart people that managed the California synthetic experiment.

The compilation sites can be garbage dumps

TBA blogs is by far NOT a garbage dump. It's a way for fans of racing. You know there are a few left that haven't been turned off by your self serving rant, but I digresss. Fans aren't ignorant, what you're saying is that grown people can't tell the difference between a press release and an investigative article. That attitude is one of, if not the main reason readers left main stream writers. The holier-than-thou attitude is over.

The old system in which news releases were passed along to turf writers who, in turn, asked some questions, checked the facts and gave their own view on their newsworthiness is outdated.

Can I just call bullshit on this? Bloodhorse is OWNED by the industry, and all the others are so dependant upon advertising dollars they don't say BOO when Storm Cat is throwing blanks, and God forbid you say the Sheikh isn't the greatest thing to racing since sliced bread. The blogs do ask questions. We're the only ones. Filly Friday, Take back the Race, 2 years in BC. I'll admit we get run over a bit easier, but we're new to this. The old guard had 30 years to question authority, how'd that work out for y'all?

A complaint with the status quo wasn’t a rant that was dashed off.

I want you to know this is completely a rant and totally dashed off.

Regardless of the wonders of technology, there remains a small body of industry experts practicing the art of communication at the highest level.

Is this a plug for the TBA?

hucksters and grousers

Am I huckster or a grouser? Was this term demeaning in the Civil War? I've been called Dreadful (I told you it always happens in July) is this worse?

What we know, nonetheless, is that digital communications are ineluctably becoming the preferred means of news travel. It would behoove those who deal in the written word to make it a vehicle they’re proud of.

I am proud of the TBA. I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not all blogs are created equal, not all news sites cover with the same amount of depth, but it'll be over my dead body when someone says that they can choose the news better than I can for myself.

Nerd Herd 09 - A Haskell Meet Up

2009-07-27T10:50:00.002-04:00

I will be at the Haskell, a few of my friends are coming to the Haskell, and I'd personally like to see how "social" this media truly is. So, before the race before the Haskell (If Haskell is Race 12, let's meet before race 11) I will be at the fountain on the Grandstand side of the paddock with few blogging friends. I will be wearing a Zayat t-shirt and a look of loneliness (cause that's how all bloggers look) on my face. So, if you're feeling brave say hi!

It's Kind of Embarrassing - No?

2009-07-25T20:06:00.000-04:00

I'm just about ready to sit down and watch tonight's race coverage on ESPN. You really couldn't ask for a better setting to show a race than Del Mar. Good weather, beautiful people, and what should be a well contested race. It will be a success for all racing fans new and old I'm sure. And yet what really catches my attention are the Marx Brothers. Their movie A Night At The Opera is on AMC. It's your basic Marx brothers fare: showing how stupid and self important the rich folks are and having the little guy win in the end.

Why does this remind me of the NTRA on ESPN?

What kind of dissonance does having this race on TV create with no BC berth on the line? Last week 2 winners secured a spot and neither were on TV, and neither were house hold names of even hard core racing fans. This week you have the #4 and #5 Monmouthpark.com Turf horses Artiste Royal (220) and Thorn Song (200) going head to head with I guess NOTHING on the line (well you and me, us racing fans know what's on the line, but...). It will take about 25 minutes of TV time to tell casual fans why this race is important, explaining why Del Mar is important, how the Eddie Read is a Gr I, how it fits into the overall picture. 25 minutes this will take. Or you could just say: This week you have the #4 and #5 Monmouthpark.com Turf horses Artiste Royal (220) and Thorn Song (200) going head to head. And show a couple more live races.

But what really is stupid and back to the Marx point what is the point of having the NTRA on one weekend doing its thing and having the BC doing something completely different. I'm sure there's a great reason why they aren't together, but to me its all about how dumb the rich folk are. How they think their slice of racing is more important than the other guys. Listen, I'm a guy who has talked to both NTRA folks and BC folks, and they have the best intentions, and some great ideas, motivation etc etc etc. I have nothing really bad to say.

I'm just saying tonight's show on ESPN is a logistical nightmare if you're trying to sell the sport of racing because it creates more confusion than context. It looks like everyone is just trying to make themselves look more important.

Monmouth Park

2009-07-24T10:09:00.000-04:00

They are on a roll. 3 things I'd like to mention.

They bumped the purse of the Haskell. That's the easy one, but I'd like to bring up two other great things they are doing. The Haskell Challenge is a must sign up for event. You bet WPS on every race on Haskell day and the winner will be a VIP at Santa Anita. I will be entering this as many times as possible. Finally, the week after the Haskell is an event I've been waiting for now a long time. Or if it's happened prior I missed it. The Monmouth Mile, a charity one mile run for ReRun. Now, in the description is says "Run (or walk) a mile on the racetrack" I'd LOVE to run on the turf and see what that feels like, but I'll double check to see what surface it's on, if it's on one at all (I kind of doubt it, but it would be AWESOME).

So there you have it. Monmouth Park making the case that it is the premiere race track on the East Coast for fans. (No need to point out that I'm a homer).

Every Track with $1500 should buy 5 of these

2009-07-23T20:34:00.000-04:00

I've talked about these cameras before, with great results. Emerald downs got footage on a local radio show, Zenyatta carried one along with her for a workout (shown again below). They give the greatest footage imaginable. For horse racing fans it's crack. I really could watch this type of footage all day long. And imagine if a track could get them approved for wear during a race!

Well, like with all technology there's been an update. The new Hero Wide. $1,500 dollars would get you 5 cameras. The footage would get you on the local news, and probably a lot of blog love. I need to see a state approve these for in race footage. The new version shoots in 1080

Ascot - Something to Behold

2009-07-23T06:55:00.002-04:00

Kenny Mayne's fan feast took a turn to Ascot today.

He does label the BC as racing's 2nd must go to event. I'm sure the Haskell was third.

A Great Use of Twitter

2009-07-22T20:29:00.001-04:00

You don't have to have a Twitter account to join Twitter. You don't even have to go to twitter.com The TBA is keeping track of every important person in racing. I just wanted to use the example of DelMarRacing which today has posted a ton of photos of opening day. It's been fun to scan through them.

Thank Horses for Your Knees (if you need surgery)

2009-07-21T13:53:00.003-04:00

Just found this interesting piece on horses recieving stem cell therapy, and supposedly it's working pretty well. LINK

Single Entity - Most Important Words to Racing

2009-07-20T09:27:00.001-04:00

The NFL won a case in court, but has decided to support the appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. The NFL is doing this because it wants this appeal to be the last one. It faces numerous litigations every year, and a ruling by the Supreme Court would end it. The NFL wants to be a single entity.

The single-entity ownership structure is defined as a for-profit league that owns and controls all member clubs. Investors then purchase shares in the league overall. This means that each investor purchases an equal stake in the performance of each member club.
The business advantages of a single-entity structure include lower operating costs, better risk allocation, and an exemption from Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The Section 1 exemption allows a single-entity league to unilaterally set ticket prices, pool broadcasting and licensing rights, and allocate player contracts among team

Both articles reference the negative side of the equations: Raise in ticket prices, collusion, less free agency, harder on the workers. I understand this, but the reason single entity is allowed is because the Patriots aren't really competing with the Giants (well other than standings & games), those teams are competing against the Yankees, Celtics, casinos, movies, and other forms of entertainment. So, yeah I guess it would be easier to raise ticket prices all over, but you're likely to alienate customers and you're likely to have work stoppages (ask the NHL). I doubt the owners want to do this.

There are 2 reasons an industry can fall into Single Entity and racing could choose both: antitrust efficiencies defense and a failing company defense. The AE defense for horse racing would be that as a group horse racing would be able to address not only drug rules enforcement, but share the cost of testing and R&D, the single entity horse racing could also improve the Tote, and upgrade other technology as it would benefit everyone. The FC defense for horse racing is even more obvious. Slots are not a panacea, the sport should be competing against slots not trying to carve its existence based on them. So take your pick, horse racing would benefit from Single Entity status.

How do we get it? Or what a single entity would look like. The first step is admittedly the hardest part.

Every track would sell their signal to an LLC owned and operated by every track (technically they'd be selling it to themselves, but yes not every track would get their way, everyone would have a seat, but no one would be a dictator). The tracks and ADW's would then go to this LLC to purchase the signal. This mechanism would be the cause for a major overhaul in how racing does business.

First, and foremost Take Out would probably be smoothed out across tracks to help efficiency. It is ludicrous to have every track 1 or 2% from each other, and then add in every different type of wager. Now, yes it would be easier for Take Out to be raised across the board. Now imagine the outcry and the bad press. I'm hopeful it wouldn't happen, and if tracks are serious about it, this would be a great first selling point. If the tracks got together and lowered takeout across the board so that every track was equal you'd get all the players on your side from the start. I'm not saying lowering to take out to 12% (which would be optimal), but a gradual first step.

Selling your signal to an LLC. There is overhead for tracks. Money spent on things like vets, necropsies, on site care, jockey insurance, jockey quarters etc. Every track has different amenities, and those tracks should be commended. The reward would be the LLC would pay higher for your signal. The LLC would determine what things are beneficial to the sport and the tracks doing these things would see higher revenue from this activity. Every track would have a say in what is beneficial. Every track would be encouraged to put in place those amenities to reap the benefits. The NTRA Safety and Integrity fits in here nicely. Small tracks, it's easy to imagine small tracks at a disadvantage where larger tracks might just say they don't need your signal. This would not be good. Allow tracks under a certain amount of handle to combine with other small tracks to pool their signals together if they are able to show that their amenities (horse & jockey safety) are equivalent.

Buying signals from the LLC. The LLC buys the exclusive signal and television rights. The two are completely separate. TVG would be able to purchase the exclusive TV rights of a signal and then the signal itself would be cheaper. If you show a race on TV you should pay less for that signal. You're boosting revenue for everyone. TVG would benefit. The LLC could again put levies and subsidies together that would make purchasing signals cheaper or more expensive for those buying depending on benefits they provide to the sport.

The LLC would make money by buying signals at one rate and selling them at another. This wouldn't be taking money away from tracks as the tracks are part owners. The % ownership of the LLC would be based on handle from prior year.

Everyone, ok many, want a commissioner in racing. It's a novel idea and fun to fantasize about, but it's not reality because there is no mechanism that would give that commissioner authority. The above single entity plan would create an LLC, and a congress for racing, and possibly a commissioner. The mechanism is what makes the world go around: $$$. It's a radical idea, I understand, but with this economy, combined with 30 years of things not working, what other choice is there? Does racing sit idly by as tracks go under? There's no debate that we're over supplied, but there is also no debate that the idea of operating for one's individual track while the one down the street burns doesn't work either.

At this point we're all in this together.?.

Why Mine That Bird should Reconsider the Haskell

2009-07-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

There is nothing to gain from winning the West Virginia Derby, everyone expects it.
There is everything to lose by losing the West Virginia Derby, a loss even a scratch would diminish your ranking in Eclipse voters and the general public's eye.

There is nothing to lose from losing a hard fought battle to Rachel at Monmouth. It isn't the Breeders' Cup, and people will appreciate the move. A loss you go onto the Travers, the Breeders' Cup plenty of opportunities to turn the tables or just add to your resume.

There is everything to gain from winning the Haskell. You beat both other jewel winners. You'd take the lead in HOTY voting easily.

Dinner with D C and Jose Velez, Jr. win at Monmouth Park

2009-07-15T13:15:00.001-04:00

Dinner with D C and Jose Velez, Jr. win at Monmouth Park
Originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses

I tracked down Kelly Breen at Monmouth last weekend. He's not hard to spot wearing his, I'm not sure what to call it, it's not fedora, it's short brimmed, anyways, I tracked him down after Atomic Rain went to post and asked him about Dinner with D C. Her next race he said would be on the turf at Penn National. Just checked the calendar and couldn't find it, but that's what he said. Breen noted her mom was a winner on the turf, and I noted Dixie Union is a good sire for any surface. So keep an eye out for her next start.

What Holds Back Racing - It Ain't Marketing - And An Open Letter to Grass Roots

2009-07-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

400 pages. That's the size of a report that was created for the BC members, and I tend to agree 120% with Bill Christine and his Consultants by the Carload, the last thing the industry needs is more consultants. I should know I guess I've been a quasi one for about a year now. I've been lucky enough to go to the NTRA annual meeting, the TPA's meeting, and am part of a group of fans talking about the BC.

And this is what I've learned: It's not the marketing that holds the industry back. It's the industry itself. They hire consultants to come in look over their books but at the end of the day a few deck chairs are moved around but we're still on the Titanic.

I'll tell you the one story that is a great example of all this. Remember, the horse industry wants nothing to do with being for or against legalizing gambling (poker) on the internet. The reason for this is because the Inter-State Horse Racing Act is so poorly worded that at any time Congress could pretty much say, "This doesn't mean what you think it means" and poof there goes the industry.

What holds back this industry is the inability and the reluctance to admit that past contracts and dealings do not make sense in 1989 let alone 2009. Everyone is so scared to try and word a new contract because it might cause the whole house of cards to come tumbling down. The industry doesn't need a new era of marketing it needs a new era of trust and cooperation at the most basic level. The Contract.

-------------

Dear HANA,

You have done a phenomenal job of organizing and you have people within your board ready to make change. I hope this open letter serves as a push, it is by NO means a critique.

The time has come to be more specific. Change is always be coming to this sport, but all we get are 400 page documents full of platitudes and affirmations. If you want change, if you want recognition, you must be specific. A lot more specific than below:

"We want open access to all track signals for all ADWs, takeouts that are competitive with other forms of gambling, the abolishment of breakage, severe penalties for trainers who cheat, and odds updates in real time. But most of all we want those who run racing to recognize us. The player matters. The player is a stakeholder too. Without money bet by us players the game would cease to exist."

Taking the idea that the current contracts in place between tracks on all levels are poorly acclimated to today's world and combining that with your focus on take out, breakage, and signal I ask you come up with a new contract. Most signal agreements between tracks are cumbersome, unwieldy, inefficient, take your pick. What the industry needs is a new starting point.

So what would a signal agreement look like? What should tracks strive to get to? I want to see real numbers, real contractual language, no more change, I want a finished product.

Sincerely,
A Consultant who realizes how dirty a word that can be.

The Argument Against Standings

2009-07-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

These are the common arguments against standings, and as no one came out against standings yesterday on the blog I guess I have to do it myself.

Confusion - How can we count every graded stakes race? That's just too much for a casual fan to handle.

My response - I'm a big Yankee fan, but I certainly don't watch +1400 innings of baseball a year. In standings more races calculated is less confusion for the casual fan. This is because every race does count towards where the horse will might run next. Give fans standings that encompass EVERY race and you give them the opportunity to digest the parts they want to. Give fans standings that encompass EVERY race and you simplify the season as a progression that us hardcore fans already know quite well.

Calculation - Who is going to calculate all these races, it's still too confusing.

My response - Does anyone know what the point value is of winning a NASCAR race or how they earn bonus points? Only the hardcore fans do, but many casual fans know who the top 10 drivers are. The current points and standings don't work because they aren't logical. I won't say the TBA's are either, but they do a far better job, and someone with authority could make a legitimate logical points based approach to graded and non graded stakes.

Past failure (ACRS TCT)-

My response - ACRS & TCT did not fail because they used standings, they failed because they asked for something in return that tracks or owners didn't want to give up, and are fed up giving away: Money. To quote Steven Crist "The problem [for getting attention] is a lack of context and continuity." I agree 120%. Standings do that, greedy bastards screw it up.

A New Website

2009-07-14T08:15:00.000-04:00

Please check out the new tbablogs.com

The site makes it easy to not only follow
123 people on Twitter
132 blogs
38 horse racing news feeds
but interact w/ those posts w/ facebook and twitter.

The site also includes
Video
Free Past Performances search
and a little karma [charity] too

Please go check it out, let me know what you think

A Tactical Plan

2009-07-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

400 pages but none of them include tactical details. Good job. So, here's the plan for strengthening the road to the Breeders' Cup. And, if you follow this blog you might have heard bits and pieces of it before, but I'll try and put a fresh spin on it and I believe the logic is sound. I don't want to say W&YI is bad, because it's a great first step, I do support it, kind of, and I think the below is a logical next step.

Problems
Do you get road to the BC emails from virtual stable? The first ones that come out have horses I've barely heard of, and I follow racing. Furthermore, going to the BC page for the challenge leads one to believe that the below horses are ones to follow (we do want our fans following right?):
Turf Mile: Sight Winner
F&M Turf: Dar Re Mi
Dirt Mile: Coal Play
Turf: Presious Passion
Turf Sprint: Yankee Injunuity
F&M Sprint: Game Face
Sprint: Eaton's Gift

July is a dead month for sports coverage, and the BC has a chance to launch their series of races with very little noise. The above horses are ones you should follow? This is a BIG problem for 3 reasons. First, you'd have a hard time saying any of the above horses are top 5 material in their respective categories. Second, you had Gio Ponti, Benny the Bulll, and Life is Sweet run this past weekend. Finally, why follow a horse that's already in, what else does it have to do?

The same issue is found on the road to the Derby: Casual fans get interested in the Derby not in November but in February, March. By this point in time there already exist horses generating buzz. The hardcore fans know who is wintering where and might share that info with them. They know what races buzz horses are showing up in next. The buzz starts with the hard core fans and moves up the chain, this is how Buzz works. The Buzz horses are created by those following sport. I'd say the horses listed above aren't too buzz worthy. I'd say the above horses create dissonance when a casual fan might try and talk with someone who knows racing, I don't know how I'd react if someone wanted to talk about Dar Ra Mi's chances in the F&M Turf. Basically, you can't force buzz.

Therefore, you can't kick off the road to the BC with a W&YI format. Why should a horse who does well in April, hell even August deserve a bid in November. And it's definitely a bad way to engage casual fans with horses who are less likely to make it to the race yet even win it. The best W&YI races are ones held in Sept & October. Those races have horses peaking at the right time and even a win by a longshot will mean a "fit" horse in the starting gate, think of the longshot that wins in September as a Cinderella.

Let's agree to have W&YI in races be the Gr I's in Sept & October and save a few for the big European & Asian races if you really love them that much. That way they can create legitimate Cinderellas or affirm who has been top horse in the category for the year.

So am I killing W&YI? No, I'm repositioning it where it can have the greatest impact. Now, let's talk about the Breeders' Cup Challenge. They already have a race count in April so nothing is too early, and now the BC is talking about finding tracks willing to cooperate with them. So, BC, you'll need to give something back.

Take every category (yes that's a lot, but so is 162 games and a 12 month football season)(oh and because a buzz horse can be in any category) and create standings. NOT FOR YEAR END AWARDS, but for gate choice. Create a home field advantage. Imagine the BC is at Belmont and you have a horse who has dominated every race leading up to Classic and then you get post 14. Ugh. Yes, you could overcome it, but it doesn't sound too fair to me. You want your stars, who have performed all year long, to have the best chance to culminate a winning season with a championship. This is good business. It's why David Stern fixes the NBA finals to always get 1 big market team in the big game.

The current standings don't work. That is a no brainer. Let's not talk about prior attempts either that centered on taking money from host tracks, tried to pick and choose what was important, or anything else. Nothing like the following has been tried before. Every Graded Stake at any track at any time from Jan 1 to the BC count towards home field advantage. The TBA standings aren't perfect and aren't the same categories, but it'd be a hell of a lot easier to launch a series with your current leaders being:
Einstein, Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra, Life is Sweet, Gio Ponti, Forever Together, Fabulous Strike, and Ventura.

What do you do about the Dirt Mile, Marathon, Juvy grass races? 1 of 2 things: You get that panel together and start looking at all the NG races to add to some divisions like the Juvenile Turf or you say your points travel with you. Sprinting points count towards the Sprint or Mile, Classic points count toward the Mile or Marathon.

What do you do about the Europeans? You count their Graded Stakes as well. I've gone over past BC's and the horses that come over fit nicely in the "home field" advantage theory. It's not a stretch at all.

Now imagine the "sell"

You want cooperation from tracks you now have something to give tracks: A hook. Come see #5 vs #8. Come see a race that means something. You have email addresses? Help those tracks w/ email blasts, pump every graded & sometimes ungraded race on your site, help prime the local media w/ press releases and get in touch w/ trainers owners to add to all that info. You want BC banners hanging around on the grounds, I think you've got a fair trade.

Now imagine the website. We all can't be tbablogs.com but imagine if you could see the standings and click the horses name and end up at a bio of that horse, click the standings and you get a list of the videos in the races he competed in, and finally a bit of info on what that horse is doing today.

So now he have a plan that is organic to racing; a series of accumulation rather than attrition, a way to offer something to the tracks, a way to engage new and old fans alike.

Will they do it? They have to.

fact checked by Kennedy

Self Servicing Idiots - Doing Things For Free

2009-07-13T07:39:00.002-04:00

Let me boil this plan down: The BC wants to know how horse racing can make it more [important, money, relevant]. Take your pick.

Is it good for horse racing if BC only plays nice with a few tracks? To take a quote "in the past, they’ve said here’s our series, would you like to participate,"... and now they'll find out who wants to participate with them first. This is a bad starting point for any plan looking to reform and reinvent the industry. The way horse racing can pull itself onto the national conscience of sports is for groups like the BC, NTRA, TOBA, AGSC to do something for the benefit of horse racing while looking for NOTHING in return. This is because a plan that lifts all ships will only work to make everyone that much stronger. The BC can't pick and choose which ships to lift, nor lift only themselves. And, yet when you get that many titans of industry in a room nothing seems impossible.

Who is willing to step up with a plan where everyone benefits?

A Great Monmouth Park Weekend

2009-07-06T13:07:00.002-04:00

Some crazy times at the Shore's Greatest Stretch this weekend.

As noted by a LATG reader, there were more people at Monmouth Park Saturday (Monmouth Park Attendance: 15210) then Belmont all weekend long (6767 + 7667) and even more than Belmont had on Rachel day (13,352)

The average exacta payoff on Saturday was $162. It seemed like every field was full and well matched with favorites at 5/2 and sometimes greater.

Kelly Breen has something with Dinner with D C. I was standing in the paddock when Breen was talking to jockey Jose Velez. I won't use quotes, but he said Don't shut her down if she's winning by big lengths, if she can win by 10 you win by 11, our next race will be for $500k. I looked at my friend and we both saw Dinner with D C at 4-1, I couldn't put enough money on her, she went off at 2-1 and won by 8 easy. Velez didn't quit on her that's for sure.

I liked Lauro and Spice Route in the UN. I put win money on both and bet a Tri using Presious Passion in 2nd and 3rd. This is what kills me! Why didn't I take that win money and put it on PP OVER Lauro and Spice Route cause I already had it covered had they won. Cost myself about $200 dollars on that one.

Also Monmouth Park has a new website. I challenge you to find a track with a better one.

The Tossers

2009-07-01T20:47:00.001-04:00

Tell me you're not running to Itunes to download this song right now.

RUN YOU BOLLOCKS!!!

And yes this is about Arlington Park.

How Much Does Secrecy Hold Us Back?

2009-07-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

The list is easy to make. Stewards, medication, workouts, but I'd like to add something to it: Entries.

Knowing who is going to show up for a race only 3 days before it's run puts a damper on my calendar. The problem is that, as a trainer or owner you don't want to tip your hand. You don't want to scare off all the competition. And this is again a structural problem in racing where winning is everything and losing by a nose is the same as losing by a street. Who knew Ricky Bobby was right.

What could racing do? Well it'd be nice if some horses were actually rewarded for racing more than 6 times a year.

Any idea who will show up in the UN or the Salvatore?

A Tale of Misunderstanding

2009-06-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

The BC Understands:
The most lucrative property in all of North American horse racing is the Kentucky Derby, and the Breeders' Cup will do everything they can to put the BC on the same level of awareness. They understand the inherent advantages the Derby holds over them, specifically location (which they copy on certain years), historical significance, and place on the racing calendar. Their process so far has been bumpy, but I believe their decision to go to 2 days and the way they achieved that goal was correct (if you want to argue watering down of the product I think you can)

The BC Misunderstands:
"Win and You're In" the Breeders' Cup Challenge is a failure for their regular fans and for the passive fans they try and recruit. This is simple misunderstanding on what the Derby "is" and how it gets there: The road to the Derby is a road of attrition more than a road of automatic bids. The Derby is the culmination of a racing season that starts the prior Fall. Us, regular fans will follow the early Santa Anita races, Gulfstream and help build the momentum of "buzz" to the First Saturday in May. While we all understand the winner of the Delta Jackpot, the SA Derby, or the Bluegrass has their ticket punched we're more intrigued by how the horse progresses. A horse who finishes a fast closing third, then wins his next two races sustains his buzz (keeps us talking). The more buzz, the more excitement, the more succesful a Derby. Think of this way: Who generated more main stream buzz this year? Friesan Fire or Big Drama.

The BC corrupts this process with Win and You're In. Again, the regular fans clearly recognize that the Arlington winner will be in the BC Turf, but what is more important is how that horse progresses from that race. Win and You're In might as well be Win and Wait.

There is a solution to all this. Standings that lead to gate choice. You can use your W&YI races (though equating Gr I's to Gr III is crazy that's another argument) and just assign cumulative points. Again, this doesn't change anything, winners of these prestigious events will still have the ability to come to the BC, but you're telling your fans that getting to the BC is a process not a lottery.

The HOTY Race Could Be Over in August

2009-06-19T12:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a very simple scenario that echo's the thoughts of Pricci:
No Older Male wins any races of consequence leading up to a win in the BC.
Mine That Bird loses the West Virginia Derby
Zenyatta wins the Ladies Classic
Rachel Alexandra wins the Haskell

That scenario, I believe wins Rachel the HOTY.

Mine That Bird, by going to the West Virginia Derby, can only hurt his credentials. When you take on the toughest competition people realize "undefeated" isn't an option, and losses are chalked up to track surface, a bad start, a lazy jockey, anything but the horse. However, when everyone expects a horse to win, but then doesn't that horse is forever tarnished. I'd even go as far to say that if Mine That Bird loses the West Virginia and wins the Travers people will question the 3yo crop.

Very simply if Rachel wins the Haskell she'll have yet another Gr I win over 3yo open company and will have overtaken Zenyatta in the larger public's perception. Zenyatta can go undefeated, win all her races including the Ladies' Classic, but she will have done what's expected. Rachel will have accomplished the UNexpected. HOTY is an easy decision.

Rachel = Alysheba Zenyatta = Personal Ensign

Perception of Gambling

2009-06-17T12:08:00.003-04:00

I love to hear how the industry should focus on the gambling. At this point it's comical how wrong headed it is. People that make money in sports know you can't sell gambling even though millions do it.

Quote from Joe Browne NFL spokesman:

"If sports betting becomes more prevalent through state-promoted schemes, it will inevitably lead those gambling fans to question whether an erroneous officiating call or a dropped pass late in the game resulted from an honest mistake or an intentional act by a corrupt player or referee."

h/t to Shutdown Corner.

Rachel Alexandra in the Mother Goose

2009-06-17T12:02:00.001-04:00

LEXINGTON, KY—Rachel Alexandra, will race in the 1 1/8
-mile Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, Saturday, June 27. She is
expected to arrive at Belmont Park on Tuesday, June 23. The race will
mark the first competition for the super filly since defeating the colts
in the Preakness Stakes. Her last race against fillies was her
20-length romp at the Kentucky Oaks last month.
“Rachel is rested, healthy and ready to run,” said co-owner
Jess Jackson. “On Monday, she turned in a very strong six furlong work
galloping out seven furlongs around the clubhouse turn in 1:24.80.”
Rachel Alexandra has won eight of 11 career starts. In addition
to the Preakness and Kentucky Oaks wins, Rachel Alexandra’s major
victories include the Golden Rod Stakes (2008), Martha Washington Stakes
(2009), Fair Grounds Oaks (2009), and Fantasy Stakes (2009).
Foaled in 2006, Rachel Alexandra is out of Lotta Kim, a daughter
of Claiborne Farm's multiple stakes winner, Roar. Rachel Alexandra was
sired by Medaglia d'Oro, a multiple Grade I winner who retired with
career earnings in excess of $5.7 million.

Higher Authority Runs Today

2009-06-15T10:46:00.000-04:00

Isn't a shame they don't list who came up w/ the name? I mean that's a thing of beauty right there. Yes, Higher Authority will make her debut today at Delaware a little after 2pm. We're not expecting anything big (we're co 5th choice ML), we just want a good experience and for her and jockey to come home sound. What I'd like to see? A clean break, some speed, and if she isn't on the lead early to pass horses in the stretch. Hopefully she figures it out.

Not really looking for a win as Ferris only has 1 first time winner out of 47 starts, so it's not impossible but pretty darn close to it. And the field is pretty deep: Source of Humor is a full sister to Commentator $235k and Wild Without Win was a beaten favorite last time out at a lower level. Right now I wouldn't swap places with anyone.

Good luck to us!

What Happens to Fans when they become Owners?

2009-06-15T09:12:00.000-04:00

Let me clean up that title: What happens to some fans when they become really successful owners. And I'm looking at you Mr. and Mrs. Moss.

Mr and Mrs Moss may do as they wish with the mighty Zenyatta, there is nothing I nor anyone (outside John Sherriffs) can say that would influence them. I'm just writing a commentary about what I perceive to be a lack of focus on the big picture, while focusing on the small picture.

In actuality I feel some pain for them, managing an undefeated horse has to be the hardest thing in the world (no sarcasm). It's like a no hitter, no one wants to talk to them, no one wants to disagree w/ what they are doing. Just go back out there next inning and see what happens. So, the Moss' focus must be on the undefeated campaign, and the name that must be in the back of their heads is Personal Ensign.

Google greatest filly - you get Ruffian, Silverbulletday, Rachel Alexandra (too early, no?). You see lists compiled and, true, Personal Ensign is always top 10 but you never see people falling over each other to name her #1. Why is that? I don't have a solid answer; but Ruffian and her track records and demise obviously lock her up at #1, but the others on the list share a lot in common: They lost. Maybe it's easier after you lose to take a big swing for the fences and do something truly spectacular.

I would say they'd be better served by keeping another name in their heads Alysheba, cause after Personal Ensign had that great year in 1986 they still didn't give her the top honors. Alysheba had a phenomenal year and lost.

I'd also like to add it's not just fillies taking on open company, it's 3yo's taking on open company. The name that comes to mind there is Lost in the Fog. A spectacular sprinter who wasn't challenged in his 3yo division, and possibly waited too long to take on open company, but he too had a win streak going.

"I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it."
Lou Holtz
"There are some defeats more triumphant than victories."
Michael de Montaigne
"Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat."
Anais Nin
"Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus."
Robert South
"Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday."
Wilma Rudolph

Summer Bird in the Haskell

2009-06-10T11:25:00.001-04:00

Well this news came fast. Summer Bird is a go for the Haskell.

So we have:
Summer Bird
Musket Man
Rachel Alexandra
Lord Justice
Atomic Rain (should have added earlier, he won his first race back after a tiring finish in the Derby at Monmouth last weekend)
Join in the Dance (this is just a personal opinion of mine)

Gambling & Betting

2009-06-09T11:52:00.002-04:00

Gambling is done on random games, the house edge always wins over time. Betting is just another word for investing. You form your best opinion and back it up with cash. The house (clearing houses, vig, mafia, whatever you use) still makes their money, but it feels like you have a better shot.

I'm a BIG fan of making sports gambling legal at racetracks, New Jersey will try and unscrew themselves from the problem they themselves created 30 years ago

What is a Deep Crop

2009-06-09T11:11:00.000-04:00

joedrape: This was among the better crop of 3-year-olds in Triple Crown History. Should be a tremendous second season. http://bit.ly/hFrtC

tbablogs: Yeah, Joe, not sure if I think this is one of the better crops. You have to be able to follow through on big efforts

@tbabogs It's a deep bunch with star power. Let's see how it plays out. They remind me of Street Sense, Curlin, Rags and Hard Spun.

A deep crop is in the eye of the beholder. As of the First Friday in May I thought we had a very deep crop. I based this on the fact that the preps were all being won by the same horses: Pioneerof The Nile out West, I Want Revenge in the East, Friesan Fire & Quality Road in the South. The races were formful, the good horses were winning, and winning somewhat impressively. I a deep field of 3yo's would look like something above, that we'd have a low priced Derby winner who would win the Preakness and who may or may not be upset in the Belmont by one of those formful horses. The Summer would come and the horses would go back to their geographical locations and dominate some more before taking on elders, winning more, only to face off one last time at the Breeders' Cup. This is what deep fields do. Instead we got a rash of untimely injuries and two horses greater than 50-1 that won the 2 legs of the Triple Crown. I'd like to believe that Summer Bird and Mine That Bird are the goods, but when have they done so in the past? Street Sense had a little more on his resume than Mine That Bird (Don't give me the champion 2yo angle). How much was the offer for Curlin after the Rebel?

Is this crop deep?

Haskell Watch

2009-06-08T12:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, on to the real race this Summer, the 2009 Monmouth Park Haskell on Aug 2nd (Yes a Sunday). I'm sure track secretary Mike Dempsey is hard at work working the phones and seeing if there's anything he can do to get a great field set for the Haskell.

I'll try and make short posts if I see anything in the news. As of now we've heard it as a possibility for:

Musket Man - A great horse for the Haskell. A hometown hero. A horse who gets no respect but hasn't finished off the board yet.

Trust the Jersey paper to think both Rachel Alexandra and Mine that Bird are possible. I think the Rachel angle is very possible for everything noted. I'd add to it that Curlin lost the Haskell back in 2007 only to come back and win the BC there, so maybe Mr Jackson has a score to settle with the track. The only other filly winner of the Haskell was Serena's Song in 1995.

Lord Justice won the first step along the way to the Haskell when he won the Spend a Buck.

I think the Dunkirk would also be a good fit for the race and Pletcher has won 2 out of the last 3 and likes the race. Pletcher has been quoted as saying the following about Dunkirk's future to the Travers:

"The question is how we are going to get there. It's going to be either the Jim Dandy or the Haskell (G1). We think it's ideal to give him two months of spacing in between races. The three-year-old picture is still open. We'll have to see if someone steps up and strings a couple of victories together."

I'd also like to throw in another Pletcher worker who I think would be a good fit for the Haskell. Join in the Dance. His sire Sky Mesa looked the perfect picture of a horse when he ran in the Haskell, and the style might fit this horse as well. He was the top finisher for Todd in the Derby. Might be his best horse.

So, That Was Fun

2009-06-08T10:56:00.004-04:00

And again the craziness of Triple Crown season is over. 3 races 3 separate winners. This has now happened 3 out of the last 4 years and I gotta say I was dead wrong about this group of winners. I thought we had a deep crop, but looking back what have we got so far? 2 legs were won by horses that were greater than 50-1 on Derby day. You can talk all you want about injuries, but that's part of the game, that's part of what makes this crop crap.

I look forward to horses getting healthy, but I wouldn't say I'm holding my breath.

Let me be a bit more clear. I'm looking forward to the Haskell. I mean I think we'll see some really competitive racing, but I'd give anything for horse to have the hype of an Afleet Alex or Big Brown to continue to dominate through the Summer and Fall. Point Given comes to mind. Not sure if I fall into the whiners that Drape's says I might be.

Horses Aren't Golfers

2009-06-03T09:42:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of Fred Pope, think the guy is usually within spitting distance of a right answer. His newest rant over on Thoroughbred Times though I think misses a pretty big point.

Golfers get to the PGA after a lifetime of playing, honing their craft, Div I play, international rounds, maybe Q-school. The best golfers take a life time to make and after a lifetime we know who the best ones are.

Horses are entirely different. A great horse can come from pretty much anywhere and take the nation by storm, now what happens when that horses owner isn't part of the collective? Imagine if Mine That Bird's owner wasn't part of the clique, you think Smarty Jones would have qualified?

I know Mr Pope says that the league won't run on BC and KD day, I'm just making the point if you just include the rich owners it'll be the rich getting richer. There has to be a quick fast way a horse qualifies to the big stage. Getting all the owners on board is probably a non-starter.

Belmont Trends

2009-06-02T10:43:00.002-04:00

Da' Tara, Jazil, Sarava. Those 3 names don't really ring the bells even for true racing fans. They were decent horses who caught a favorable race at the right time. The race just so happened to be the Belmont, the final jewel in the crown.

Again this year it seems with the long shot in the Derby having lost in the Preakness everyone again is looking for a bomb. "Zito always has a runner" I've heard more than once.

Don't be fooled. The Belmont has been one by some great horses doing what they do best: running. Afleet Alex, Empire Maker, Point Given. And I'm now of the belief that Mine That Bird was no fluke. He was a 2yo champion who got terrible rides prior to the Derby. He's a good horse. Who knows if he's great, that won't be determined for a couple more races, but he's good enough to win the Belmont.

He's by a Belmont winner, who was by a Derby winner, who was by a Derby Winner. This horse is NOT Giacomo. There are other horses in the races and you can check all the Belmont Odds out if you wish. Just remember Mine That Bird will be more than a 1 hit wonder.

Gary Stevens the Trainer

2009-06-01T16:35:00.002-04:00

This press release is a little confusing, is he an owner or trainer. I'm guessing it's as a trainer, but it never really lays that out. Isn't there a ton of stories about how jockeys always think they know better than the trainer, though invariably when given the chance they prove themselves wrong? We'll see how Gary ends up, but I have a voice in the back of my head saying that I once heard that Gary was like one of those jockeys mentioned, we'll see if that voice has any truth to it.

June 1, 2009 - Sierra Madre, CA - Gary Stevens, the Hall of Fame jockey who hung up his tack in 2005 with over 5,000 wins and earnings exceeding $221 million, is opening a California-based racing stable. The newly-organized Gary Stevens Racing Stable Inc. will have stalls at Santa Anita Race Course in Arcadia, Calif., and runners will ship from there to various locations across the United States.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and things finally fell into place,” said Stevens, who also works as an analyst for NBC sports and HRTV. “We’re starting out with several nice horses and looking forward to slowly building up the stable.”

Stevens will be assisted by his son, T.C. Stevens, who worked for Ashford Stud for two years and also gained experience with other California and Florida-based operations before joining his father’s fledgling team.

“It’s a family business,” Stevens said. “My father Ron is a trainer, my brother Scott is a jockey, and my older brother Craig is a breeder. It was only natural for T.C. to follow in those footsteps as well.”

Stevens, 46, won eight Breeders’ Cup races, a record nine runnings of the Santa Anita Derby, and eight Triple Crown races - including triple editions of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes – in a racing career that spanned 27 years. Since his retirement, he has served as a consultant for IEAH Stables and various other racing operations, in addition to his duties as an analyst.

“We met on the set of Seabiscuit,” said Nick Mestrendrea, owner of 2007 Inaugural Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Maryfield. “Gary brought me into the business shortly thereafter and I haven’t looked back. I am thrilled to be on board with him as an owner in his new racing stable and wish him nothing but the best in his new endeavor.”

Reverse Reverse Jinxing It?

2009-05-29T12:37:00.005-04:00

Have I told you I own a small % of a 2yo filly, the well named Higher Authority? Well she continues to work well, look good, and do everything that's asked of her. It's going so well they are starting to think of where she'll start next.

Holy crap! This is really happening. It's either Colonial or Delaware. I'm voting (no one is counting) Delaware cause it's closer to me, and I could definitely swing an off day.

How great do copper colored horses look in red? Thought the same thing when I saw Afleet Alex. And what perfect timing as she doesn't have a foot on the ground!

The filly is well handled by ThatsAmoreStable. Shares still available. Is it too early to plan her breeding career as I'm sure she'll be a sought after mare!

Photo courtesy of Patricia Derkasch

Who Do The Stewards Work For?

2009-05-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

They work for the state. They make many tracks look bad with their closed door meetings, tight lip responses, and lack of any unifying group thought, but the tracks don't control them. The States do.

The thing I learned the most going around with the racing industry is that because of state influence: rules & regulations, their hands are tied with many issues of change.

James Theriot statement: “This was a very difficult decision for me to make but after consulting with respected members of the racing community and legal counsel I felt that this was the best course of action [ed: appeal the ruling] to take.”

“I am profoundly sorry for the pain that Rene and his family are suffering. Words cannot express my grief. My thoughts and prayers are with them.”

I feel bad for the kid. He did something every other jockey has done, and has been safe in doing so 99 out of 100 times, but it only takes one time. No one deserves what either Rene or James is going through.

However, just like surface didn't cause Barbaro's breakdown, and drugs didn't cause Eight Belles hopefully this will force the states to reexamine the relationship between tracks and stewards, to create a unified response, and game plan for rider safety and conduct going forward.