The Last Filly

Azeri RNA's at $4.4 million

2009-01-12T16:38:00.001-05:00

The champion mare, in foal to a champion horse, has RNA'd at Keeneland.

“I know Michael Paulson has stated his emotional attachment to Azeri, and it’s an obvious question given what happened with the yearling, but it’s a non-issue,” Sikura said from his barn at Keeneland on Saturday. “Azeri is here to be sold. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be here. The experience of the yearling—that was then and this is now.

“Azeri is going to be sold to the highest bidder. We discussed that prior to bringing her here, candidly. Somebody is going to buy a great, great mare.” [Thoroughbred Times]

It Lives!

2008-12-21T03:55:00.000-05:00

Sometime around January 1, 2009 ...

A new look with content updated regularly.

The (final and firm) decision has been made to revive The Last Filly. Simply allow me a bit of time to gather my thoughts.

In the meantime ... here's to a wonderful holiday season!

Zenyatta to Return?

2008-11-06T14:58:00.002-05:00

While catching up on some reading this morning, I found the following tidbit, buried in a Daily Racing Form article about Square Eddie:

Unbeaten in nine starts, the most recent of which was the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita on Oct. 24, Zenyatta will make her next start at Santa Anita in early 2009. After the Ladies' Classic, Shirreffs said he did not plan to give Zenyatta much to do in November. [drf]

To the best of my knowledge, there has been no formal announcement regarding her future; however, this makes it seem as though a decision has been made. Of course, this could be speculation on the part of the author, or a 'slip' of 'not for public consumption knowledge' on his behalf. However, I certainly hope it's true and they've reached the conclusion that a year of watching her run simply isn't enough for her fans.

It's also entirely possible that this has been all over the news and I've simply missed it. It wouldn't be the first time...

Breeders Cup '07: Where Are They Now?

2008-10-24T05:28:00.004-04:00

With the 2008 edition of the Breeders' Cup now upon us, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back and see where last year's runners are... races are listed in the order that they were run. As far as some of the race results and workouts go, I may be missing information as my paperwork is currently in a box, but I've done my best to collect what I have.

Filly and Mare Sprint
3 running this year (Dream Rush, Jazzy [ARG], Miraculous Miss - all in Filly & Mare Sprint)
3 retired (La Traviata, Maryfield, Oprah Winney)

Baroness Thatcher - 10/11, won allowance
Miss Macy Sue - 10/18, workout
Shaggy Mane - 3/29, 3rd Shirley Jones H.
Wild Gams - 10/04, 2nd Thoroughbred Club of America S.
---
Juvenile Turf
0 running this year
1 retired (The Leopard)

Achill Island (IRE) - 5/09, 3rd Addleshaw Goddard Dee S.
Cannonball - 8/06, 3rd in race at Saratoga (for some reason I didn't write the details down)
Cherokee Triangle - 10/11, 2nd Hawthorn Derby
Domestic Fund (IRE) - 6/18, 7th Nijinsky S.
Gio Ponti - 10/04, 2nd Jamaica H.
Nownownow - 10/19, workout
Preachin Man - 10/17, 4th allowance optional claiming
Prussian - 8/23, 10th allowance optional claiming
Strike the Deal - 9/28, 5th John Guest Diadem S.
Texas Fever - 8/15, workout
Your Round - 8/09, 6th Secretariat S
---
Dirt Mile
1 running this year (Lewis Michael, dirt mile)
4 retired (Corinthian, Discreet Cat, Park Avenue Ball, Xchanger)

Gottcha Gold - 10/18, 2nd Spend a Buck H.
High Finance - 6/28, 6th Donald LeVine Memorial H.
Wanderin Boy - 10/20, workout
---
Juvenile Fillies
0 retired (however it is possible that Proud Spell has been)
1 running this year (Indian Blessing, Filly and Mare Sprint)

A to the Croft - 10/11, 9th allowance
Backseat Rhythm - 10/11, 2nd Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S.
Clearly Foxy - 7/05, 3rd American Oaks Invitational S.
Grace Anatomy - 7/26, 5th San Clemente H.
Irish Smoke - 8/24, 2nd allowance
Izarra - cannon bone fracture March, was expected to return
Phantom Income - 10/12, 5th House Party S.
Set Play - 10/18, 5th Lexus Raven Run S.
Smarty Deb - unraced since BC
Tasha's Miracle - 10/11, won Harold C. Ramser Sr. H.
Zee Zee - 10/13, 10th Pebbles S.
---
Juvenile
1 retired (War Pass)
1 running this year (Pyro, dirt mile)

Globalization - 9/30, workout
Kodiak Kowboy - 10/20, workout
Old Man Buck - 7/19, 6th Virginia Derby
Overextended - 10/19, workout
Salute the Sarge - 9/29, 5th Kentucky Cup Sprint S (will retire to Walmac)
Shore Do - 4/05, 7th Santa Anita Derby
Tale of Ekati - 10/22, workout
Wicked Style - 6/14, 5th Jefferson Cup S.
Z Humor - 10/19, workout
---
Filly and Mare Turf
8 retired (All My Loving [IRE], Argentina [IRE], Arravale, Honey Ryder, Lahudood [GB],
Passage of Time [GB], Simply Perfect [GB], Timarwa [IRE])
1 deceased (Nashoba's Key)
1 running this year (Precious Kitten - Mile)

Danzon - 9/07, 11th Canadian S.
---
Sprint
3 retired (Benny the Bull, Greg's Gold, Smokey Stover)
2 running this year (Idiot Proof - turf sprint, Midnight Lute - sprint)

Bordonaro - unraced since BC
Commentator - 10/14, workout
Forefathers - 10/20, workout
Kelly's Landing - 10/17, won allowance
Talent Search - 10/04, 2nd Phoenix S.
---
Mile
8 retired (Excellent Art [GB], Host [CHI], Jeremy, My Typhoon [IRE], Nobiz Like Shobiz,
Purim, Remarkable News [VEN], Silent Name [JPN])
2 running this year (Kip Deville - mile, Rebellion [GB] - dirt mile)

Cosmonaut - 7/12, 2nd Arlington H.
Icy Atlantic - 10/10, 5th Cliff Hanger S.
Trippi's Storm - 9/16, workout
---
Distaff
6 retired (Balance, Lady Joanne, Octave, Prop Me Up, Teammate, Tough Tiz's Sis)
3 running this year (Bear Now, Ginger Punch, Hystericalady - all in Distaff)

Indian Vale - unraced since BC
Lear's Princess - injured in May, receiving time off
Unbridled Belle - 10/05 9th Juddmonte Spinster S.
---
Turf
2 retired (Dylan Thomas [IRE], English Channel)
3 running this year (Better Talk Now, Grand Couturier [GB], Red Rocks [IRE] - all in Turf)

Fri Guy - unraced since BC
Shamdinan (FR) - injured, turned out
Transduction Gold - 10/18, 2nd Sycamore S.
---
Classic
4 retired (Any Given Saturday, Hard Spun, Street Sense, Lawyer Ron)
1 deceased (George Washington [IRE])
3 running this year (Curlin, Tiago - Classic; Awesome Gem - Mile)

Diamond Stripes - 10/16, workout

This list is very likely not complete and may in some spots be inaccurate (it's possible that I've missed a more recent race or workout). A number of horses on list may very well be retired, but unless there was some form of annoucement, I have not listed them as having been.

The 2008 Breeders' Cup retirement list will begin once the event is over, and I'm getting a funny feeling that it will be a rather depressing endeavor this year...

TLF Full BC Coverage to Return...

2008-10-08T12:51:00.002-04:00

... in 2010.

Churchill Downs (which has a dirt and turf course) will be hosting the Breeders' Cup that year, which means that I'll be able to focus on all divisions of the event. Unfortunately, it also means that I'll have to wait for over a year, since Santa Anita (artificial and turf courses) has it for another year.

For a while now, I've been wanting to say something about the decision to hold what many consider to be the year's premiere racing event on a foreign surface. And I do mean foreign. If I've read articles correctly, Santa Anita's (too) recently revamped surface is actually only about 95% Pro-Ride. I'm assuming that the rest is a mystery material consisting of leftover Cushion Track and ... well, I'm not sure that I want to know.

I've spent the last half hour or so typing and deleting what I've written over and over again, trying to put my thoughts into words. It may be wiser for me to just say this:

It isn't going to be a level playing field.

Big Brown is training over dirt and turf. Curlin is training over Pro-Ride. Others are training over Polytrack, Tapeta and Cushion Track. Some have raced over the surface before. Others haven't, for one reason or another. You get the idea.

I could be wrong about this, and I would hope I am ... but I don't think that the results are necessarily going to be determined by talent. Instead, I have a funny feeling they'll be determined by whether or not a horse takes to the surface*.

The horse who is truly the best sprinter may break from the gate, realize that this isn't dirt, and go "oh, hell no". The winner of this year's "not-turf Mile" may just prefer Pro-Ride to dirt or Polytrack. Curlin may steal the show simply because he's been able to get used to the surface (okay, I somehow doubt this, but bear with me). I think the Distaff is the only division that will have a "real" result.

Until every horse running in the Breeders' Cup is able to train and race over an all-weather surface, the event should be held on a surface that everyone has access to. Only nine racetracks offer races over the surface - four are in California and two are in Kentucky (Pennsylvania, Ontario and Illinois have the rest).

Unless the stars align properly, I just can't see this turning out honest results. Horses who have been able to race over the surface (training and racing are not the same) and have shown they excel on it hold the advantage. Any number of reasons might prevent a competitor from getting in a race over a synthetic surface (Invasor spiked a fever in 2006 - what if that had been his "test race" over fake dirt?)

Whether we like it or not, America has now become a land of three (actually, seven: dirt, turf, Polytrack, Cushion Track, Tapeta, and Pro-Ride) surfaces, each of which is unique. I can't help but think that to try to force three different surfaces onto two is the best way of going about it. Obviously, the issue will be there when Churchill Downs takes over hosting duties, but the fact is that right now, dirt is everywhere and has been around forever.

Eventually, all-weather surfaces could take over and replace dirt. Right now, however, they're still very much experimental and widespread. Is it right to hold "World Championship races" over them at such an early stage in their evolution?

And I haven't even mentioned the fact that a number of horses who belong in these races( and the world wants to see) are choosing to skip this year and next as a result of the surface. Horses who we will likely never get to see on this great a stage, as many will have hit the breeding shed by 2010.

Farewell, Fine Filly

2008-10-06T21:34:00.003-04:00

My intention had been to write a comprehensive "catching up" post tonight. However, retirement season is upon us yet again. It seems that instead I was destined to write a send-off to one of my favorite fillies, and go to bed dreaming of Anna.

Back in 2006 (my first Breeders' Cup - has it been two years already?!), my pick for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies was Dreaming of Anna, who had impressively beaten males in Woodbine's Summer Stakes on the grass. Unbeaten. On grass, my surface of choice. Against males, always a promising sign. What could go wrong?

I was right. She wired the field, and the most memorable moment of Breeders' Cup day for me may have been watching Frank Calabrese tear up without shame as he watched his filly head into the winner's circle. From the death of his sister came hope ... every now and then, I'm able to forget that I'm supposed to be a hardened horror fan and get a little sentimental.

However, I need to confess something. My affection for her deepened a little bit when I saw the ad that Three Chimneys ran for her sire, Rahy - a sepia-toned photo of her blanketed with flowers. I know that I'm not supposed to think like this, but dammit, that filly was pretty! For two more years, she kept me occupied as I followed her career. After a lackluster sixth place finish in the Kentucky Oaks, her connections switched her to turf, much to my pleasure.

She didn't always string together wins. Generally she started out a bit sluggish, and it was one of those situations where you held on and kept the faith. And with a bit of patience, she always rewarded, always showed her class and sturdiness. In fact, only three times (the last being her final race) did she manage to find herself off the board. Out of seventeen starts.

I knew that the end was coming ... my heart sank a little bit when I read over the summer that the Breeders' Cup would be her final race. It sank a little bit more tonight when I saw the headline, which I'd guessed upon seeing the result of the First Lady Stakes (six of seven). So now both of my favorite fillies (Citronnade and Dreaming of Anna) have been retired.

But, you know what? I'm okay with it. Her connections let me enjoy her for three years, and I have my pick for an upcoming Breeders' Cup Juvenile or Juvenile Fillies' Turf ...

??? - Dreaming of Anna, by Rahy

I'm going to suggest my other favorite stallion at the moment, Rock Hard Ten.

Also worth noting is that another filly I've enjoyed watching over the past few years, Romance Is Diane (who captured my attention around the same time as Dreaming of Anna), very likely ran her last race on Sunday ... a heartbreakingly impressive head loss to Mr. Chairman in the California Cup Classic (against the boys, no less). She is catalogued as hip number 163 in the Keeneland November sale, and while she's listed as a racing or broodmare prospect, my guess is that her new owners will choose to breed her.

File Under 'Oops'

2008-09-10T10:30:00.007-04:00

Breaking news ... Storm Cat has finally been retired from racing. The poor horse - he shouldn't have been forced to run for 23 years.

I'm serious. I don't make things up.

[FOX Sports on MSN]

I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry.

I'm anal-retentive, I admit it. Mistakes pop out at me (the Blood-Horse website has been quite an offender lately). But generally those are spelling errors or a misplaced comma. If you're rushing to get your page and the news live, I can excuse that every now and then. But this one just blows my mind.

Maybe society has become so cautious that they don't want to just say the old boy isn't getting any anymore? Considering that I'm generally shocked / mildly offended by what I see on basic cable, I somehow doubt that.

Rather, I refer you to the post over at Railbird highlighting the issue that many newspapers have today: general sports writers who don't understand or particularly care about racing. The turf writer is becoming an endangered species.

While reading the article she refers to (for a different reason), I actually snorted the Diet Dr. Pepper I had been drinking at the time. This does a good job of clearing the sinuses, but isn't a method I'd recommend. The offending sentence is one that, even reading it today, I can't quite believe I'm reading correctly (emphasis is mine):

"the track's push for more speed resulted in "not more, but different" injuries, with more tenderness being found this year around the feet, hind-leg, back and bottom." [Los Angeles Times]

Hind-quarters would be good. Bottom just doesn't read right to me at all. It sounds unprofessional, I suppose. And distinctively human. We do have a bottom to our axial skeleton. Horses do only while rearing or 'sitting' in the "you just try to make me move!" position. They have an ... end? The caudal region. Hind-quarters. I don't know... I give up.

Duck! Dodge! Dive! [Pet Peeves 1]

2008-08-22T06:22:00.006-04:00

"I felt it was the sporting thing to do to announce Curlin's schedule to give fair notice to anyone looking to compete against the reigning Horse of the Year this fall."
-Jess Jackson [Thoroughbred Times]

Close your eyes, and imagine the following for a moment:

A racetrack. It's packed. The air is pulsating with anticipation. People are talking rapidly, discussing the coming race. Signs are posted everywhere, supplementing spots on the radio and TV. (I'm about to give two horses currently running a gender change, but bear with me for a moment. Bonus points if you can tell me why I chose these two horses!) "Black Mamba (NZ) vs. Beatrix Kiddo (FR)". Let's make it all neat and put little tick marks under each horse's name, identifying how many times one has beaten the other.

The two horses are four years old and met in the Triple Crown races - once more the world was forced to wait, as these two took one each before a newcomer grabbed the Belmont from them. Since then, they've been at each other's throats, both trying to claim the distinction of 'the best'. So far, they're about even - sometimes one will have a streak of wins, but that only makes the loser more determined to nip them at the wire next time out. Sometimes it's a 3rd vs. 5th decision, when other horses show up to try to split the two foes and steal the spotlight from them.

Now, open your eyes and face the cold reality. It ain't gonna happen, babe.

This would be a good way to hook casual fans. They get to pick a side, revel in "their" horse's wins, trash-talk the opponent. Suddenly there's a reason to tune in; they know who's running and wants to see what the outcome will be. It will continue for as long as the horses are able to run, and eventually two or more others will hook up and replace them. It might be older vs. younger, brother vs. brother, Derby vs. Preakness vs. Belmont, horse vs. mare. Rivalries could be a useful thing (provided they don't get out of control and turn unpleasant). They provide familiar faces, thrills, and something to talk about and advertise.

It won't happen, though, unless more owners like Jackson enter the game at the highest levels. Owners who aren't afraid to see their horse lose, who understand that tomorrow is another day. Who want their horse to be named Horse of the Year because they're worthy ... not because their schedule was strategically planned so that there would be little to no conflict until the Breeders' Cup.

Unfortunately, I feel the Breeders' Cup defying my attempt to keep interests separate. It's taken on a life of its own and is beginning to resemble my other passion: horror. Vampires, specifically. One race at the end of the year has managed to suck dry the other 364 (now 363) days of racing. The days leading up to the event are composed of horses finding the softest spots possible and avoiding the risk of a loss until they have to. The rest of the days (at least for many of the older horses) are a total loss - it's become customary for horses to retire that evening, even if they're only three.

It may be difficult to resolve the problem of disappearing stars, but the rest may be manageable. How? One idea, something I've thought about for a while now:

In order to qualify for a spot in the starting gate, a horse must have raced in one of three qualifying races (winners would automatically be guaranteed a spot) within their division.

Simple as that. This way there will be a bit of dodging, but it would wind up more along the lines of 'well, I don't want to face so-and-so, so we'll take on this horse instead'. No more 'I'm going to race in the most obscure races I can find so that my horse will only have seen one of two of this year's starters'.

It certainly isn't a perfect idea and would need to be tweaked quite a bit in order to work (international horses would be at a disadvantage, so there would need to be some sort of work around), but it might alleviate the problem a bit.

As far as the biggest example of this phenomena this year goes...

In starting his career, Curlin showed us that he can handle a quick turnaround in races. Taking this into consideration, there's a race at Monmouth with his name on it. Asmussen has always said that he runs his best race the second time on a given track, so it's entirely possible that the same applies to surfaces.

Oh, wait. That would mean Big Brown won't have a prep race ... unless another track will write a race for him with a week's notice.

Real Quiet

2008-08-19T01:20:00.002-04:00

Yep, that would be me. I won't be melodramatic and say that I've lost interest in racing ... I haven't. Not even close. However, I am extraordinarily frustrated with the current 'state of the art'. Let me try to explain briefly, before I gather my thoughts for a deeper analysis later in the week.

In my daily life, I make an attempt to keep my two main interests - horse racing and anatomy/skeletal analysis separate. For the most part, I doubt that racing people want to hear about epiphyseal fusion (wait - that might be a bad example, as this is what trainers refer to when they talk about "closed knees" ... still, you probably don't want a detailed explanation). And I somehow doubt that my anthropology friends care about my racing-related rants. So I try to be respectful and not force one on the other (however, if you give me a slight hint of interest, I'll jump on it!).

Still, there's a bit of overlap. Someone will notice the book or article I've been reading and express interest, so I'll explain a bit. With the anthropology related material, it's pretty easy. I'm usually able to break complicated concepts down into layman's terms. Racing is an entirely different story. I can explain the who, what, where, and when ... but the why - which is something that almost always comes up - creates a problem. How do you explain why something is done when you can't figure it out yourself?

Unfortunately, I don't think there is an answer ... but the number of areas in which I feel this way are steadily increasing.

Aftermath & Reflections

2008-06-08T05:06:00.000-04:00

... and another year has come and gone without a Triple Crown winner. No suprises there, at least for me. I was never fully on the Big Brown bandwagon - I believe that he's an impressive looking and even talented horse, but nothing I saw truly convinced me (I know, I know, he defied history, etc). I don't feel that he was actually tested, and I can't help but wonder if that happened early in the Belmont today as he was bumped around and had dirt thrown in his face. Or was it his hooves? The fact that he didn't receive his monthly Winstrol injection (how long does that stay in a horse's system? could it be that it was still having an influence up until just recently)? A really crappy day (they did mention that he seemed unusually worked up in the detention barn)?

The truth is, we may never know for certain.

But that's why I love this game. Every day you go in never knowing quite what to expect. Tables are turned. Horses have bad days. A lowly claimer rises through the ranks to stardom. You follow a horse from it's first workout for one reason or another and feel a small burst of pride when they break their maiden. It's an incredible emotional rush, and that, for me, is more addictive than the gambling aspect could ever be.

Did tonight's outcome surprise me? Not in the sense that Big Brown lost - I saw that coming, if only based on history. Da' Tara winning? Oh yeah. But it was a pleasant surprise ... for him to go wire-to-wire and manage to be pulling away at the end, that impresses me. It looks as though we may have a talented horse on our hands who just hadn't found the right spot up to this point. Or he could wind up a one-hit-wonder like some other Belmont winners. Whatever the case, I look forward to following his career.

Confession: I haven't actually seen the race. At the moment, I have exactly two TV channels (NBC and PBS) and no reliable internet connection, so I won't be able to actually watch it until about Tuesday (I'll drag my laptop out of the apartment when I go out for a scheduled appointment - as much as I'd like to see the race, I'm not wild about going out in 90+ degree weather with a heavy laptop on my shoulder!).

Instead, I listened to the race on ESPN radio, which was quite possibly more gratifying than seeing it ... there was nervous anticipation as I awaited Durkin's next words and I attempted to visualize the race in my mind. I actually prefer listening to races ... one of my favorite things to do is pull up a video on my computer, shut my eyes, and just listen. With exciting calls, it doesn't matter that I already know the outcome. A talented racecaller can really bring it alive, and I love hearing them momentarily lose their cool in the heat of the moment (for a good example of this, listen to Lava Man's 2007 Hollywood Gold Cup).

In light of these circumstances, I'll refrain from commenting on the race directly, but I will make one observation ... I had a very strong flashback to 2005 and one of my favorite parts of that call - 'Afleet Alex! Jeremy Rose has yet to make a move on him!' and moments later 'And Afleet Alex just ran right by Giacomo like he was standing still!' For a moment, I fully anticipated the switch to be flipped and hear a reprise of Afleet Alex's performance.

So, what now? I'll confess that one of the reasons that I haven't posted much is that the whole 'Triple Crown Trail' thing just doesn't do it for me. For the general public, this is where their racing attention begins and ends. For many racefans, this is the height of the year. For me, the year is now just beginning. The grass is lush, the snow has cleared, and the turf season is underway.

One bright side to this year's very weak crop is that we may have a very strong older horse division next year. What I see is a lot of untapped talent that may just be starting to show itself. I'll be interested to see how Da' Tara fares in his future exploits, and I can't wait to see if Pyro regains his form. Crown of Thorns will hopefully be back soon. Mushka returned to the worktab the other day. I see a lot of hope, just not quite yet.

I'm very interested in seeing how the horses from the Triple Crown fare in their future exploits, and I have an obsession with statistics (canary junior legal pads. 'nuff said). To this end, starting tomorrow, I'll be tracking the workouts and entries for these horses. My hope is to have it up (look for a link on the sidebar) sometime this week, and I'll update as regularly as possible, although there will be a delay - and if I miss anything, please let me know! We'll see if my prediction of untapped talent holds true.

Just a couple more notes...

Since Presque Isle Downs in Erie opened this year, I haven't been. I did spend close to a week visiting my parents a couple of weeks ago, but the desire simply wasn't there. If I'm honest, that experience last year pretty much killed the yearning for live racing. The vibes that I got from PID were 'this is only here because it's the only way we could get a casino'. I could hardly see the races themselves (apart from the one race I watched from the 'exclusive' dining room) - I had a choice of watching the horses turn for home or watching a stampeding blur to the finish line. The few times that I tried, by the time that I managed to shift my focus, the last horses in the field were at the wire! While I understand that this improved towards the end of the meet, I could hardly hear the call... and perhaps most annoying was having my age under a microscope so much. On a bad day, I can pass for 16, but when the security guards see the yellow wristband that indicates that I'm over twenty-one and still insist that I pull out my ID (then scrutinize it as though it's fake) over and over, it gets old. I can understand and respect the efforts to prevent underage gambling, but it grated on my nerves and was a bit offensive (relatively rude security guards didn't help, either).

To the point. That all changed. On a trip into Cleveland over Memorial Day weekend to visit my grandparents' graves, I innocently asked my father over lunch how close we were to Thistledown. Much to my surprise, he responded that it wasn't that far, and when I asked if we could just drive by so I could see what it looks like, the answer was yes.

Amazing. We only stayed for the first race (which Glitter Canyon won rather impressively), but I loved every minute. Here was a place that just oozed racing. Retirees were hunched over their racing forms scribbling away. I could overhear gossip about racing. Programs were a cinch to find, and screens showing races from around the country were everywhere. There weren't that many people there, but they were there for the races. And amazingly enough, I could see the race (it looked like there was an infield video screen that was undergoing maintenance). Hear it. And the winner's circle presentation was facing us and I could see it all. One of the things I love is seeing the excitement and joy of the winning connections, and I could here.

But it made me sad. Shortly before my grandmother's death (who was more a best friend to me than a relative), we often discussed my coming to visit for a few days, and every now and then she'd raise the issue of spending a day at the races. It's doubtful that it would have actually happened, but it meant a lot to me that she recognized my interest. She knew nothing about racing, but sometimes she'd ask questions ... and I can't help but think how fun it would have been to go with her, explain everything, and share what I love so much with her.

One night last year, my mother went with me to Presque Isle, and I genuinely enjoyed sitting down with her before each race, going over the past performances and trying to explain things, then heading over to the paddock and evaluating the horses. I'm embarrassed to admit that a couple of times, her perception was better than mine! And it was extremely gratifying when the race was over to have her rush me over to a bench saying "okay, now let's handicap the next one!!". We share our differences and difficulties, but while she may not have seen it as such, for me it was a sort of bonding experience. I know that my father and I drive her up a wall talking about racing when we're all together, but she tries, and that's what matters.

Whew. I went on way longer than intended, and my usage of run-on sentences was horrendous. But it's nice to be back posting, and I'll be slowly doing site maintanance over the next few weeks and will update links and such once I'm on a better connection.

racing hits prime time

2008-02-10T01:52:00.000-05:00

Well, sort of. It's a dreary night here, complete with some rather disconcerting thunder, so I decided to catch up on some TV viewing. I caught the following at the end of last week's House episode:

"I'll sacrifice 200 on a mudder at Monmouth Park"

This is not the first reference I've seen in the show. The season two episode "Deception" opens in an OTB where (naturally) someone collapses. If I recall correctly, there were some errors (ie. the tracks he was betting on weren't running at the time), but I still got a kick out of it.

A Sobering Reminder...

2008-01-31T01:44:00.001-05:00

...for those of you soon to embark on the Trail:

A year ago, if I'd typed "Curlin", you likely would have reminded me
that this was a blog about -horse racing-, and not men with brooms.

I Knew This Would Happen...

2007-12-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

The Thoroughbred Times has reported tonight that Citronnade has been retired. To say that I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

This is a rough sport to love with retirements and breakdowns (a 3 year old grandson of Mugatea, Remittance Man, broke down at Calder this weekend) ... but somehow, as disappointed as I may be right now, it doesn't change how I feel about racing.

I'll find another LDK turfer to fall in love with, fear not.

What Makes It Worthwhile...

2007-12-16T20:37:00.001-05:00

... is being dead-tired and wanting sleep, yet still furiously clicking refresh on the results page because your favorite filly is running that day (on the opposite coast, of course ... damn time zones!)

... and being rewarded when you see the name "Citronnade" on top (G2 Dahlia at Hollywood). I might be her biggest fan, and this is what keeps me going when it all seems like a bad soap opera - to follow a horse and get that little shiver of a thrill upon learning of their win. Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but for me, that's what it's all about in the end.

PID Dates ... Two Recoveries and a Loss

2007-12-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

Along with Mountaineer, Presque Isle Downs has set their dates for the 2008 season, according to this Blood-Horse article. While Mountaineer will run from January 19 - December 30 (nearly year round), Presque Isle will have a shortened season, from May 9 - September 27 (Wednesday - Sunday) for a total of 100 days.

This makes perfect sense, as while West Virginia can get cold and snowy, Erie is an entirely different story... Pittsburgh residents (Pittsburgh-ers? Pittsburgh-ites?) seem to consider 2-3" a major snowfall. I grew up in the Erie area and don't use the phrase "a lot" in conjunction with "of snow" until it hits at least a foot.

Tapeta may be good, but I don't think it's tbat good.

---------

A recent update on The Tin Man helps me to defend my interest in osteology:

"He's sounder and happier every week," Mandella said. "We X-ray him every week and it shows knitting every week." [drf.com - free subscription required]

The amazing ability of bone to heal itself (and also reveal the person behind it - my area of interest is skeletal analysis) will never cease to amaze me. Remember, The Tin Man did not have surgery - they've chosen to merely protect his knee and let nature take its course.

And Teuflesberg, off to stud at Hurricane Hall (where he will stand for $10,000) continues to recover. While I understand there may have been questions regarding his soundness prior to his injury (which I have no opinion on, as I didn't see the work in question), I must say this: to suffer a severe injury requiring surgery and be ready for a test breeding three months later says something to me about his constitution, both physically and mentally.

Sadly, Bobby Frankel's dog, Happy (she deserves the bold face), succumbed to cancer on the 20th of November - from what I've read, she was a very special animal. I'd like to think she's busy playing with a lovely Golden Retriever somewhere right now...

A photo of them can be seen here.

Thanks for the Memories

2007-10-31T23:09:00.000-04:00

That anguished cry you may have heard earlier tonight was me, after reading that The Tin Man has suffered a serious, career-ending injury (free registration required). It seems that on October 25, after exploratory surgery, while coming out of anesthesia, he broke his knee. Six days later, he is at Richard Mandella's stable in "guarded" condition - my hope is that the fact that he's not hospitalized is a good sign.

To be completely honest, I don't have any emotional attachments to most of the horses I follow. Clearly, there are some that I prefer and would consider myself fond of, but not much beyond that. The Tin Man is another story. I could cite the obvious reasons - he's gutsy as can be, he's nine years old and still running, etc, etc.

The truth is much simpler. He's the horse who really got me hooked on turf racing. Last summer, I was just starting to get serious about racing ... I'd gone through the whole "Triple Crown Trail" thing and while I found it exciting, it was just that - exciting, and then over with. That August, I was staying with my parents, and upon arriving home from a day trip, rushed to the TV to watch the Arlington Million, which we had taped. I don't really know what it was about the big bay horse who wired the race, but it gave me this rush that I just hadn't gotten from the dirt races I'd seen. Previously, I'd delighted in Cacique's thrilling Manhattan win on Belmont day, so the spark of interest was there. This race, and this horse, cemented it. Why? I really couldn't tell you - I just know that if there was any defining moment in my life as a racing fan, that was it.

Initially, I was simply impressed by his talent. As time went on and I watched and read more coverage of his races, what struck me was the fact that this was a horse who was loved. Every single article or interview contained some little bit of evidence that it didn't matter whether or not he won or lost - all that mattered was that they were lucky enough to be involved with this particular horse. As someone who has been fortunate enough to have loved a Thoroughbred, this just made me like him (and his connections, who never shied from expressing their delight) even more.

So, get well, old man. While I'm very disappointed that I will never see you run (this had been a hope of mine - to see him in person once before he retired), I know that you're in good hands.

The only other horse I feel any kind of emotional investment in (and I really can't explain this one) is Citronnade. Since this is a one-of-a-kind depressing / weepy sort of post, I'll touch on the fact that her trainer, Bobby Frankel, missed watching Ginger Punch take this year's Distaff in style. Why? Because he chose to stay by the side of his best friend, 8-year-old Happy (an Australian Shepard), who has been very ill. I have massive amounts of respect for him because of this. The following quote, regarding Ginger Punch's win, simply broke my heart, as I know all too well how it feels to lose a best friend at a 'young' age.

Reached by phone after the race, Frankel said the victory did not do much to lift his spirits.
"No, it really didn't," he said. "It's great for the Stronachs. I'm glad they had faith in me to put up the money." [ESPN]

I think that just goes to show how much our animals mean to us. My thoughts are definitely with Frankel. [edit: after a little research, I've learned that the "illness" is cancer, which is what took my dog ... so the situation is pretty dire]

Enough emotion. It's Halloween. I'm obsessed with horror films. Excuse me while I go completely ignore horse racing and put one on!

Looking Back: 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Retirees

2007-10-31T17:41:00.000-04:00

With retirement season under way, I thought it would be interesting to see how last year's juvenile class has managed to fare thus far. I'm working on a comprehensive update of sorts on all of last year's starters - that should be up by the weekend. Hmm... is anyone able to tell that I'm avoiding actually taking the time to write something meaningful? I've been rather busy with school lately, so haven't had the time / wouldn't be able to do a "real" post justice.

Retired
Scat Daddy
Stormello
Street Sense
Teuflesberg

???
Malt Magic
Pegasus Wind (selling at Keeneland November as a "racing/stallion prospect, hip no. 4556)

All of the others I've seen recent workouts / races for. Overall, I wouldn't say this is horrible - of fourteen entries, slightly more than half are still in training (or haven't had announcements made yet). If anyone has any information on Malt Magic, I'd appreciate it - I haven't seen his name in ages.

While Pegasus Wind hasn't been glimpsed since late January, he is listed as a racing prospect, so it's possible that his new owners will choose to put him back in training. I liked him a lot late last year, so I'm hoping that this will be the case.

Discreet Cat Retired

2007-10-30T15:17:00.001-04:00

There hasn't been an official announcement yet (that I've seen), but according to this article (free registration required), Discreet Cat's 2008 stud fee has been set at $30,000.

Street Sense will stand for $75,000 and Hard Spun for $50,000.

Breeders' Cup 'Aftermath'

2007-10-29T23:05:00.001-04:00

* any additional information is welcome, either via comment or e-mail ... between work and classes / schoolwork, my time is fairly limited, so I will probably miss a lot of announcement that are buried in the last paragraph of an article I choose not to read
** credit goes to Verizon Wireless mobile internet and Google Reader - the majority of this is gathered while standing at the bus stop/on my way home/between classes ... a fantastic boredom eliminator (to be honest, I've gotten so that I prefer using my cell phone whenever possible, strange as that sounds)

under construction

Wow

2007-10-27T17:50:00.001-04:00

(edit number 1 [see edit number 2 at end for explanation]: Make that a conditional wow.

What a shame about George Washington (IRE) ... late last night, I was rewatching last year's Breeders' Cup and couldn't help but laugh when I watched one of the starters grab his ear and twist ... while he (G.W.) just gives the camera this absolutely placid, bored look. Neurotic though he may have been, he was quite a horse in the end. Truly a loss for turf racing...)

There's not much more that I can say. I had an absolutely awful time watching the streaming video through the day - I'd lose the stream as the last horse was loaded and then it would come back in with the horses already approaching the first turn. Or I'd see the horses turning for home with someone simply flying at the wire - and it would start skipping. Unfortunately, since I'm in public, I can't really start swearing at the screen (and since I'm listening by headphones, I'd look like a nut).

But for the classic, I had an absolutely perfect stream and was able to experience a chill down my spine when it was the three Kentucky Derby horses battling it out. Is it just me, or did Trevor Denman totally miss Awesome Gem until just after the finish? Since I can't exactly see the horses on the tiny screen, I was relying on the call, and I thought the order of finish was Curlin - Hard Spun - Street Sense until he briefly mentioned Awesome Gem. I'll have to rewatch it, but my impression was that A.G. was in second for a little while before the wire...

Nonetheless, that's an extremely minor point, and I think I'm going to have to change my position on Curlin - I think I may have overlooked him. But when you think about it:

February - breaks maiden
May - third in Kentucky Derby, wins Preakness (against BC Juvenile / Kentucky Derby winner)
June - loses by about a head to a very talented filly, but he wasn't willing to give up
September - beats Lawyer Ron, who had just posted two very impressive wins
October - dominates the BC Classic in style, on an off track

Let's see ... Feb, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October ... in just shy of nine months, he went from unknown maiden to Breeders' Cup Classic winner. I hate to put a horse on a pedestal, but when I type it out, it looks pretty good to me. I'm not overly fond of his connections, but really, when assessing a horse's talent, they shouldn't matter.

In closing, a couple of quick notes: it was a bit difficult to watch some of the races during the day, knowing that this would be their last race. A good close to the careers of English Channel (winner of the Turf), Corinthian (winner of the Dirt Mile) and Honey Ryder (a respectable second in the F & M Turf). I was pleased to see Kip Deville take the mile - while I would have liked to see Cosmonaut, I've always liked K.D., and when I learned a while back that we "share" a birthday, it made it easier for me to say that I thought he was a hell of a miler (for some reason, the whole Oklahoma / modest breeding things seems to have made people overlook him).

When I get home (the computer lab doesn't allow food or drink, so I'm a bit thirsty / hungry), I'll have to take a look at the names I had circled the other day and see how I did [my system is to pick three and I'm content if they finish in the money - very unscientific and imprecise, and cheating, I realize].

(edit number two: I had no idea about George Washington (IRE) until I got around to checking some of the articles online... all that was said during the webcast was just a quick mention that he'd been pulled up and that he'd likely tired out, probably no big deal - from what I'm reading, it was evident pretty quickly on ESPN that something terrible had actually happened. It's entirely possible that I simply missed their announcement, as I was also catching up on e-mail at the time, but it would have been nice of them to have said a little bit more in the 25 minutes or so before they went off the air ... if it was mentioned that he had been euthanized, it was so brief that it went right by me, and I could swear I was at least halfway paying attention. After posting this, I felt a little bit callous and cold-hearted after I realized that everyone else knew right away - maybe "wow" wasn't the best title, after all)

All Is Not Lost

2007-10-27T12:45:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to TVG, whose sponsorship of the Breeders' Cup live stream has enabled me to watch (somewhat) live. The quality isn't all that great, but that's mainly due to a bad connection. A lot of interruptions, but I suppose that just adds to the suspense, eh? I thought about trying to find a bar where I could hijack the TV, but decided to head to the computer lab when I realized that I live in a town where I'd likely be mauled by a bunch of pissed-off football fans if I tried to watch six hours of horse racing...

No picks here, although I'm certainly pulling for Cosmonaut (a Lemon Drop Kid, of course!). While I love handicapping, I do it purely for fun - so no money is riding on the outcome of these races. For me, it's pure entertainment. Just out of curiosity, for those of you who do bet (and I think I'm the odd one out here), does it take away from the experience any? My guess would be that if I were either going to lose or win any amount of money, it would leave me more stressed and anxious than anything else while watching... certainly, I'm disappointed by some results, but at least I'm secure in the fact that I'll be able to buy lunch the next day! :)

So I'm going to sit back and enjoy the show. When else am I going to get to see some of the best horses in the world in one place, on one day? If you happen to be on-line and have AOL IM, feel free to message me ( tmugatea ), since this is probably the one time that I'll be on for any length of time.

A Legend Gone

2007-10-08T23:21:00.001-04:00

There is nothing that I can say beyond this:

RIP John Henry ... the world will be a much less sunny place tomorrow
as the reality settles in and you are missed.

Presque Isle Post-Mortem

2007-09-16T21:32:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I hate being right. Earlier in the day, I made a comment that "now it was time to wait for the announcement that she came out of the race with an injury" ... and sure enough, Rags to Riches is out until at least 2008, although I somehow doubt we'll actually see her again.

I know that I sound a bit harsh, but I wonder if this would have happened if she'd won. It sounds to me like she wasn't living up to expectations after her brilliant start to the year... or maybe I'm just sick of hearing about premature retirements and watching my favorite horses race only a few times a year. Regardless, I do hope that she'll make a full recovery and we'll be allowed to see her again, even if it isn't at quite the same level as before. Likewise, I hope that if she isn't able to return to the same degree of competitiveness, they will recognize this fact and be okay with it. Although it's worth noting that half-brother Jazil fizzled out after winning the Belmont, also.

My third trip to Presque Isle Downs was yesterday, and I'll be (relatively) brief with my commentary. For a more comprehensive recap, check out Valerie's post (who I thoroughly enjoyed meeting, although I hope that next time I won't be sick and quite so out of it!). To be completely honest, my heart wasn't into it last night, as I hadn't even looked over the entries, and was too busy sniffling/coughing. I managed to catch a cold sometime a week and a half ago, and didn't exactly take care of myself last week... Friday was my first time to relax (I didn't schedule any classes that day), and the lack of sleep caught up with me. So I was completely exhausted and definitely not myself. Taking medicine earlier in the day whose main side effect is drowsiness didn't help, either.

That experience did teach me one thing about PID, though ... there really isn't any place to sit inside, unless you're dining. There are a couple of chairs upstairs, but they were all taken. I headed inside after the fourth race (it was a bit cold outside), and all I wanted to do was sit down for a few minutes, but alas, was unable to. I realize I could have just taken a seat on one of the benches outside, but the point was to keep myself from catching another cold! As a result of the weather and my sickness, my father and I wound up watching races 5-7 from the restaurant upstairs (standing where we obviously weren't supposed to), and actually had a decent view of the track. If they got rid of the restaurant and put in stadium seating, it would make a nice viewing area.

One thing worth mentioning is that if you're planning to visit the simulcast area and want to actually hear the call of the race you're betting on ... don't bother. I went over earlier in the day to watch the Monkey make his debut (wiring the race .... in third) .... for some reason, I had the post time down as 1:33 (I said I was out of it), so was very early ... the first time I went, I was feeling fiesty and got the impression that the people working there were just as confused about the situation as I was, and that other patrons had been complaining. One TV had sound, but it wasn't what I wanted. While I was off complaining, my mother (who was kind enough to take me and patient enough to deal with my [minor] timing error) managed to get the Belmont monitor's volume up loud enough to hear a little bit, but upon our return an hour later, that volume control was mysteriously disabled. Some of the little TVs in the restaurant area (each table/booth has a nice little betting station complete with video) have sound (although, apparently, not all), so at the right time, I casually slid into a chair and watched. This wouldn't have been possible if the restaurant were crowded or there were more vigilant waiters around, though. Is this standard operating procedure, to have a completely silent simulcast area? I was told that the sound wasn't turned on until live racing began.

As for The Green Monkey's performance, it didn't surprise me one bit. He seemed to flatten out midway and just wasn't engaged. On the other hand, it was his first race ... he seems like a nice horse - just nothing very special. In the back of my mind, I can't help but think that this race was designed to give Pletcher & Co. a chance to say "well, unfortunately, he suffered a minor injury, so...". Hopefully that won't happen, though, as it's entirely possible that he's just a late bloomer - everything I've heard implies that there were some maturity issues last year and that he's just now deciding to be a racehorse. Or (the most likely explanation) this is an average horse who just got caught up in a pissing contest. Had it not happened, maybe he'd be quietly earning money somewhere else. The world will never know...

So, my final verdict on the live racing experience, as I probably won't have another one this year (although I'd like to). I enjoy it ... since I'm not a bettor and don't drop a dime on anything other than the program, it isn't as stressful for me as I'm sure it would be if I were watching my wallet get lighter and lighter. I see handicapping as an alternative to the crosswords, and enjoyed actually seeing the horses in the paddock / post parade and tweaking my selections based on that. I'm sure a lot of people see my aversion to betting as a bit odd, but I don't mind - I find it fun, and it's a mite more intellectual than video games (nothing against them, I actually consider myself to be a gamer). And I certainly can't complain about having friends (Turf Luck / Foolish Pleasure) to share the experience with!

One last question, more curiosity than anything else ... what's with Michael Dickinson and the sunglasses? I spent a bit of time watching him, both walking the track after one of the races and in the paddock, and couldn't help but notice this. After saddling his horse (while it was getting dark), I watched him put them on ... as rain was starting to fall. Is it a sort of trademark? A problem with sensitivity to light? Are they really glasses that are simply very tinted? Or should I just keep in mind that he's frequently referred to as a "mad scientist / genius" and leave it at that? From what I could see, he seems like a very nice guy, the men-in-black thing just struck me as a bit odd.

And, while belated, no less sincere ... congratulations to Alan from Left at the Gate. He'll be keeping a blog over at the Breeders' Cup website, which has to be a sort of dream come true. Be sure to visit for some of the best BC coverage you're likely to see (and "official", too!).

Saturday. Belmont. Race 4.

2007-09-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

Jazil

2007-09-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

Belmont winner Jazil retired

A shame, as I know that they were trying to bring him back. A couple of weeks ago it was announced that he'd received a clean bill of health and had been allowed off stall rest. Incidentally, I recall hearing somewhere recently that, unlike his "ferocious" half-sister (Rags to Riches), he was quite the sweetheart.

Does anyone know what happened with Magnificent Honour, R2R's unraced full sister (2002 mare)? I have a notation in my files that she was sold for $575,000 to Edward Daly Bloodstock (?) at the 2006 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, but nothing else.