Paul Moran at the races

Steve Asmussen on being Steve Asmussen

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:38:00 +0000

“Crazy good week. Crazy good life.”

Moran at ESPN.com; Click here

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:03:00 +0000

You ought to be in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:42:00 +0000

From: Disney

Come be a part of the movie “SECRETARIAT.”

Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky:

The upcoming Walt Disney Pictures’ movie “Secretariat” is seeking extras for filming in the Lexington and Louisville areas. The approximate two-week filming duration is slated to begin at the end of September. All types and ages are needed!

Those interested must BRING A NON-RETURNABLE CURRENT SNAPSHOT OF THEMSELVES, as no photos will be taken at the casting call. Photos can be a basic snapshot printed from a home computer.

THE FOLLOWING OPEN CASTING CALLS FOR EXTRAS WILL BE HELD:

Louisville, KY

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Anytime between 3 pm – 8 pm

Churchill Downs - 700 Central Ave.

Louisville, KY 40208

(Enter at Gate 10. Parking at Longfield Parking Lot. Report to 4th Floor)

Lexington, KY

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Anytime between 9 am – 2 pm

Griffin Gate Marriott Resort

1800 Newton Pike

Lexington, KY 40511

(North Entrance, Salon H and G)

TRA adopts time-sync protocol

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:07:00 +0000

The Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) Board of Directors has adopted a protocol establishing industry-wide standards pertaining to the display of accurate off time for the start of the race.

There are three facets to the protocol: all video and tote times will be synchronized to an atomic clock on a start-of-day basis; the time on the source video signal will be refreshed a minimum of once every 60 minutes and the time of day will be displayed at the start of the race in the HR:MIN:SEC format.

In those rare instances in which human error, communication interruptions, or other technical reasons prevent the split-second acknowledgement of the stop-betting signal from all network participants (roughly once every 10,000 races), the video will be used to confirm the off time of the race in order to verify wagering was closed prior to off time at any affected locations.

A video record of a “to-the-second” off time is a vital component in identifying any late wagers in the pari-mutuel network and requires synchronized tote and video display clocks. To ensure this technical uniformity among all components of simulcasting, the TRA standard calls for utilization of Network Time Protocol (NTP).

These measures are designed to display the actual time the race started regardless of any lag time in whatever medium – direct feed, rebroadcast or webcast – is being viewed. The TRA standard requires the time to be refreshed from the NTP source a minimum of once every 60 minutes as video graphic computers can lose seconds over the course of a few hours.

In conjunction with the Close Betting Failure Protocol adopted by the TRA in February, the Time Sync Protocol provides critical information to the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB) for its investigations of potential close betting anomalies. Video verification of the start is checked against the close betting acknowledgements the host receives from all wagering outlets.

Verification of off time and close of betting for all races has become increasingly important because the unrelated issue of late odds shifts has led to some public misperception of past posting. The TRA strongly recommends the Time Sync Protocol be used in conjunction with the immediate video display of the quick odds update available 10 seconds after the start of the race, which will usually encompass more than 95 percent of the final win pool.

The establishment of the Time Sync Protocol is another milestone in the TRA’s continuous improvement program for setting operational standards for simulcast networks. -- TRA

Jocks demonstrate support for Straight

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Jockeys throughout the U.S. and Canada will exhibit their unified show of support for apprentice jockey Michael Straight this Saturday.

Straight was critically injured in a race at Arlington Park on August 26.

Jockeys across the nation are being asked to donate one mount fee Saturday to the Don MacBeth Memorial Fund earmarked for Michael Straight to help defray costs of his long-term needs. They will also be riding with two patches on their boots, one in honor of Michael Straight and the other paying tribute to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) which currently aids 60 permanently disabled jockeys.

Straight, a native of East Greenbush, New York, graduated from Chris McCarron’s North American Racing Academy in 2008 and has 39 winners from 372 races.

“We appreciate the generosity of the jockeys, racetracks and fans throughout the country,” said John Velazquez, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jockeys’ Guild. “We think it is important that those who love the sport of racing show support for Michael at this critical time. We are in his corner.

“As jockeys, we want to do our part for those in racing that have been less fortunate,” said jockey Robby Albarado, Member of the Board of Directors of the Jockeys’ Guild.

“The racing industry needs to come together to take care of our own, be they jockeys, exercise riders, grooms or hotwalkers. All those involved in racing,” jockey Mike Smith, a member of the Jockeys’ Guild Senate, added.

“These charities are critical to the industry and the Jockeys’ Guild is donating $7,000 to the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance to help make the sport safer for all involved, both human and equine,” said Terry Meyocks, National Manager of the Jockeys’ Guild. “The industry will never be strong if we can’t provide for those in the industry that need help as a result of life-changing events. Racing seems to be facing this problem now more than ever before and we need to continue on that path.”--JG

Moran on the Woodward (click here)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Get real

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:14:00 +0000

It's been a long time without an annotated press release, but this one just begs. This, without doubt, is a crock. What would be more interesting: How many races that were in condition book were actually run? How many "extras"? Does anyone really want another 13-race Saturday? Who thinks that these numbers would be any better without the garbage?

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Attendance and handle turned fractionally down for the first time during the 2009 Saratoga Race Course meet after two inches of rain Friday night and Saturday lowered attendance on Shadwell Travers Day and forced seven of the weekend’s 11 carded turf races off the turf. Attendance is down 1.6 percent, on-track handle down 1.6 percent, and all-sources handle down 2.8 percent from 2008 totals through Week Five.

We're talking about a little rain. If someone at NYRA was here before June, they may have remembered a dozen more rainy Travers. This turned the numbers for the meeting? It rained for three weeks last year. Please.

Saturday’s inclement conditions created a 19.2 percent reduction in betting interests compared to Shadwell Travers Saturday in 2008, resulting in declines of 17.3 percent in on-track and 18.0 percent in all-sources handle.

Similar year-over-year declines were the norm during the week before tha Travers.

Attendance for the first 30 days of the 2009 meet is 704,423, down from 715,793 in 2008, for a daily average of 23,481 compared to 23,860

On-track handle at Saratoga is $94,468,368, down from $95,977,544 in 2008, for a daily average of $3,148,946 compared to $3,199,251.

All-sources handle (which includes money bet on Saratoga races from simulcast outlets nationwide) is $415,187,788, down from $426,958,703 in 2008, for a daily average of $13,839,593 compared to $14,231,957.

So, was it raining everywhere on Saturday? Or, is the nation just tired of too many bad races?

Average betting interests per race through Week Five increased 3.8 percent (8.3 vs. 8.0) and total betting interests increased 5.1 percent (2,501 vs. 2,379) from 2008, with five more races run so far in 2009 (302 vs. 297). Turf races totaled 126 with 29 taken off the turf, compared to 106 on and 38 off in 2008.

Better weather, more races, less attendance, less betting. What's wrong with this picture?

Home at last

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird breezed an easy half-mile in 51.16 to stretch his legs as he prepares for a cross-country trip that will take him back to New Mexico, where he will lead the post parade for Monday’s $2 million All-American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs.

The 3-year-old gelding is scheduled to depart Saratoga Race Course at 3 a.m. Tuesday on a van to Newark International Airport, where he will board a FedEx cargo plane bound for El Paso, Texas. After spending the night in Texas, he will be vanned to his home track at Sunland Park.

It will mark the first time Mine That Bird and trainer Chip Woolley have been home since they departed for the 1,200-mile journey to Kentucky Derby back in April.

“I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed,” said Woolley. -- NYRA

Sounds like October on Long Island

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Trainer Tim Ice has options in selecting a next engagement for Belmont Stakes and
Traers winner Summer Bird, based upon his morning-after deliberation,it appears as though the Jockey Club Gold Cup would the best bet even at the expense of a race over the toxic waste at Santa Anita on which the Breeders' Cup will be decided.

“[Louisiana Downs] has the Louisiana Super Derby in three weeks (Grade 2, $750,000, Sept. 19) which is a little close, that’s the long shot,” Ice said. “[Belmont Park] has the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1, $750,000 1¼-miles) October 3, then on October 10 Santa Anita has the Goodwood (Grade 1, $350,000 1 1/8-miles).”

Looking ahead to an anticipated start in the Grade 1, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on November 7, Ice said he wasn’t sure Summer Bird would need a race over a synthetic track to get there.

“What if he goes out there and he runs bad in the Goodwood, then we passed up the Jockey Club Gold Cup on a racetrack that he loves?” Ice queried. “I’m not saying that he would or he wouldn’t like the [synthetic], he was out there for three months last year from October to January and he seemed to work well over it. He seems to adapt well everywhere he goes, whether it takes him a week to get used to it, but eventually he handles it. Overall I think that if we get him out there in enough time, he’ll be used to the track and it won’t be an issue.”

Travers-day pick four

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:59:00 +0000

It is just short of certain that the track at Saratoga will be sloppy on Saturday and the first half of the card is grass heavy, making the liklihood of business disaster odds on. Three of four races in the $1-million guaranteed pick four, however, are dirt races with the other likely to become one.

Race 9: The Ballston Spa: On grass: My Princess Jess, Rutherienne, Salve Germania. On dirt: All.

Race 10: The Ballerina: Informed Decision, Music Note, Indian Blessing.

Race 11: The King's Bishop: Munnings.

Race 12: The Travers: Quality Road.

Explaining racing's esoterica

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:17:00 +0000

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP) has developed an On Call Stewards Program so that a designated racing official will be available during telecasts of major racing events to explain the rules of racing if an unusual event occurs in a race.

“The On Call steward will be non-judgmental, meaning he or she is not there to make a determination one way or the other on any incident,” said ROAP Chairman Stan Bowker. “Instead, the On Call steward will explain in layman’s terms the nature of the incident, the applicable rules of racing and the process by which stewards determine a call as it pertains to the incident in question.”

The On Call Stewards Program will make its debut at the 2009 Bank of America® Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos on Oct. 31 and will also be available at the 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Oak Tree at Santa Anita on Nov. 6 and 7.

The initial group of On Call stewards is composed of senior stewards Eddie Arroyo, Stan Bowker, Hugh Gallagher, Frank Lamb, Denny Oelschlager and Kim Sawyer, each of whom has completed media training sessions.

The On Call Stewards Program, sponsored by Breeders’ Cup Ltd. and the American Quarter Horse Association, is modeled on the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ On Call Veterinarian Program. Since 1991, AAEP veterinarians have been available at major races to appear on telecasts and at press conferences in the event of injury and explain in layman’s terms the condition of the injured horse and the medical care it is receiving.

“The AAEP’s On Call Veterinarian Program has been a tremendous asset to the industry by providing clarity on racing telecasts when an injury has occurred,” said Bowker. “ROAP’s On Call Stewards Program can become a similar asset in terms of educating the public of the rules of racing and helping racetracks emphasize the measures in place to protect the integrity of horse racing.”

“We are excited to enlist the services of an On Call steward during the 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships and feel it can only enhance coverage of the event should there be a situation that requires a clear and concise explanation of the rules of racing,” said Pam Blatz-Murff, senior vice president of Breeders’ Cup racing. “It’s reassuring to know an On Call steward will be on site just in case a situation arises that needs clarification, or to provide expert commentary on the regulation of horse racing.”-- TJC

Beware the up-and-coming 3-year-old

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:03:00 +0000

As he heads toward Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers with longshot Our Edge, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito can’t help but reflect back on the 2004 Travers, which he won with Birdstone.

“The interesting thing is, Our Edge is by the Cliff’s Edge, who we trained, and he was second to Birdstone in that race,” said Zito. “So we have a lot of footprints in this race. You have a Birdstone in there (Summer Bird), there were almost two Birdstones (before Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird declared), and a Cliff’s Edge, trained by us. This horse looks a lot like his dad, so I’m kind of happy about that. He’s going to represent his dad as well as he can.”

Even without the Derby winner, Zito feels Saturday’s race features a deep and talented field of 3-year-olds, including Our Edge, whose victory in the Grade 3 Barbaro Stakes was his third straight win.

“Even if you go by what they say on paper, you have the Florida Derby winner (Quality Road), the Jim Dandy winner (Kensei), the Peter Pan winner (Charitable Man), the Barbaro winner, that’s us,” he said. “If you had the Derby winner in there it would have been special, but it’s still a special race.”

Our Edge, who will carry the colors of Robert V. LaPenta, drew post no. 5 and is listed at 15-1 on the morning line.

“Obviously we have a long shot,” he said. “That’s the way we’ve been trying to win these big races. We’re glad to be in it and more importantly we’re going to try as hard as we can. We have an up-and-coming 3-year-old.” -- NYTA

First challenger to Rachel in Woodward

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Fresh off a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, West Point Thoroughbreds' Macho Again will make his next start in the Grade 1 $750,000 Woodward on September 5th at Saratoga.

"We've decided to run Macho Again in the Woodward. He's a special horse, and the Woodward has always been on our radar,” said Terry Finley, President/CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds. “His trainer, Dallas Stewart, has called me every day since the colt shipped back to Kentucky to tell me how well our colt is doing. We decided yesterday to go ahead and run him.

“I've never been one to play games, so we haven’t spent much time mulling it over or examining our options. We're flying him back to Saratoga on Monday. Facing Rachel Alexandra simply adds to the experience. We'd like to make history or be a part of it. You don't get too many chances like this as a racehorse owner, but we're always going to do the best thing for the horse. The partners are all excited. They know our colt deserves a shot," added Finley.

A four-year-old son of Macho Uno, Macho Again captured the Grade 1 Stephen Foster and Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap earlier this year. He also captured the Grade 2 Jim Dandy stakes at Saratoga last year. He has earned over $1.6 million from 19 career starts. --WPT

Bird works; verdict on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird breezed this morning at Saratoga Race Course for the first time since undergoing minor throat surgery last week and the next 24 hours should determine whether he will run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes.

“Doc (Dr. James Hunt) is happy with the way he looked today,” said trainer Chip Woolley of Mine That Bird, who had an entrapped epiglottis repaired last Tuesday at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center next to Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. “He’ll look at it again in the morning, and we’ll make a final decision in the morning.

“If we irritated his throat today … and it looks bad, we won’t run him,” Woolley added. “If he’s not irritated in the morning, you have to feel like he’s doing OK. It’s just that simple. We’re not going to take chances with him. If we see something in there we don’t like, we’re not going to run.”

With Jamie Theriot aboard and owners Dr. Leonard Blach and Mark Allen looking on, the gelded son of 2004 Travers winner Birdstone worked over the main track after the renovation break.

Clockers for The New York Racing Association, Inc. caught him going a half-mile in 49.76. Woolley had him going five furlongs in 1:01 4/5, galloping out in 1:14 4/5.

“His work was pretty nice, we couldn’t ask for much more right now,” said Woolley. “He looked really strong and the numbers show he’s striding right on out past the wire. That part of it I have no problem with; we just don’t want to do anything with him that might be detrimental down the road, long-term. He’s got to come first.

“He’s galloped strong, but this is the first time we put the hammer down on him and let him stress,” he added. “We have to make sure he’s 100 percent. He’s too important to us and too important to the racing community right now.”

Woolley said a contingency plan had not yet been drafted for Mine That Bird if he skips the 1¼-mile Travers, but ruled out a start in the Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park on September 7. On that day, Mine That Bird is scheduled to lead the post parade for the $2 million All America Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in his home base in New Mexico.

Seven others are pointing to the Shadwell Travers, including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird; Quality Road, the record-setting winner of the Grade 2 Amsterdam; Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Kensei; Charitable Man, Our Edge, Warrior’s Reward, and Hold Me Back. --NYRA

Betfair shows 'em the money

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:15:00 +0000

TVG and Betfair, Ltd – the largest, legal online wagering businesses in the U.S. and around the world, respectively – have pledged an additional $400,000 to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) to invite Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to participate in the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park. With the $400,000 title sponsorship by TVG-Betfair, NYRA will raise the purse of the historic Grade 1 Beldame Stakes to $1 million if the starting gate includes both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, two of the most successful female runners in racing history.

“TVG-Betfair and NYRA are thrilled to offer the owners of these two great horses the chance to participate in a Beldame for the ages,” said Gerard Cunningham, president of Betfair US. “Racing fans have been clamoring for Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to square off all year and the Beldame presents the best opportunity for the two ‘Horse of the Year’ contenders to meet at one of racing’s best venues.”

Rachel Alexandra, owned by Jess Jackson of Jackson Family Wines, has won her last eight races, including the Preakness Stakes where she became the first filly to win the race since 1924. Record executive and co-founder of A&M Records Jerry Moss owns Zenyatta, named after the album Zenyatta Mondatta by “The Police”, who remains undefeated in 12 career starts and won last year’s Eclipse Award as champion older filly or mare. The Beldame will be run on October 3 at 1 1/8 miles, a distance over which Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta have each captured three Grade 1 events.

“We are very excited to partner with TVG-Betfair and provide the venue and opportunity for fans to see the race of a lifetime,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are two of the most talented females that thoroughbred racing has ever witnessed, and Belmont Park would be the perfect setting for this dream match-up. We would expect the race to draw a stellar field to be part of racing history.”

Belmont Park and the Beldame Stakes have long, prestigious histories of showcasing the most sensational horses in championship-caliber performances.

Two of the most accomplished distaffers of all time each won back-to-back runnings of the Beldame, with history-making undefeated champion Personal Ensign victorious in 1987 and ’88 and Lady’s Secret capturing the race in 1985 and ’86, with the latter victory part of her Horse of the Year season. Lady’s Secret is one of only three fillies or mares to win the gold Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year, along with Azeri in 2002 and All Along in 1983, but both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra will be vying for that title this year. Champion Serena’s Song won the Beldame in 1995 following her victories in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont and the Haskell, both races won this year by Rachel Alexandra.-- NYRA

Fix the damned tote board already!

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:31:00 +0000

Nice to know that business at Saratoga is just swell. Money is rolling in. So here's the question: It has been about four days since it was last possible to determine the odds on the 10 horse from reading the infield tote board. WILL THIS BE FIXED BEFORE LABOR DAY?

First U.S. Steeplechase Championship set

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:16:00 +0000

The National Steeplechase Association (NSA) today announced the inaugural running of the U.S. Steeplechase Championships on Saturday, October 17, 2009. The event will consist of 12 races contested for $700,000 in purse money at two different race meets on the steeplechase schedule: the Far Hills Race Meet in Far Hills, New Jersey and the International Gold Cup at Great Meadows in The Plains, Virginia.

To add to the excitement and glamour of the U.S. Steeplechase Championships, the NSA has entered into a 3-year multimedia deal with NBC Universal Sports to televise five hours of live coverage of the event, as well as to provide online and broadband coverage, beginning at noon (Eastern). The agreement also includes coverage of additional NSA events in 2010.

“We’re very excited to add this great new event to the Universal Sports stable, and to promote U.S. Steeplechase competition to our wide audience,” said Carlos Silva, President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Sports. “We look forward to having a long-term relationship with the NSA for years to come.”

Far Hills will conduct a six-race program headlined by the $250,000 Grand National. The six races from the International Gold Cup will be highlighted by the 3 1/2 mile Gold Cup. The races will be run on an alternating basis at 20-25 minute intervals from meet to meet with the first race at Far Hills scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. The 89th annual Far Hills Race Meeting draws more than 50,000 spectators to Moorland Farms in central New Jersey. The 72nd International Gold Cup Race Meet is expected to bring more than 35,000 fans to the northern Virginia countryside.

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to showcase the glamour and excitement of steeplechase racing on Universal Sports,” said Lou Raffetto, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of the National Steeplechase Association. “The beauty and grace of a thoroughbred running and jumping will be brought to a new level as our partnership enables us to take center stage before a national audience."

The Far Hills race card will include five other stakes races in addition to the Grade I Grand National. The premier novices, three-year-olds, and fillies and mares will all compete along with the best open hurdlers in the sport. Two-time defending champion, Good Night Shirt, is slated to run, as well as Pierrot Lunaire, who upset the champ at Nashville this past spring.

Two of the sport's premier race callers known throughout North America and Europe will be on hand to call the races for Universal Sports. Mark Johnson, the renowned announcer from Europe, who now handles those duties at Churchill Downs, will be at Far Hills to call all the action. Dave Johnson, famous for his "And down the stretch they come!" call will handle the mike at the Gold Cup. Dave Johnson called the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes on ABC Sports from 1987-2000.

“To be able to secure two high-profile announcers was a priority,” added Raffetto. “Dave Johnson is one of the most recognizable voices in the sport while Mark Johnson calls the world’s most famous race.”

The inaugural championship day will also mark the first time that these two premier steeplechase venues will be simulcast and pari-mutuel wagering offered on their races. Plans are in the works for an international site to establish wagering pools and to offer betting to various outlets around the globe. The details regarding all aspects of the wagering component of the day will be announced in the near future.

As a prelude to the event, NSA will conduct a Fall Steeplechase Festival at Monmouth Park on Saturday, September 26, becoming the first pari-mutuel facility in the U.S. to ever offer a full card of steeplechase races integrated with four races on the flat. The card will act as a preview day for the U.S. Championships, as it will showcase many of the same thoroughbreds that will be racing three weeks later. --NSA

Mine That Bird surgery a success

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:45:00 +0000

Following a brief procedure to correct a breathing problem, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird departed the Ruffian Equine Medical Center shortly after noon Tuesday to return to Saratoga Race Course and continue preparations for the 140th running of the $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes on Aug. 29.

``It was as smooth as silk,'' trainer Chip Woolley said of the procedure performed by Dr. Patricia Hogan to free an entrapped epiglottis. ``We scoped him afterward and you'd never know he'd had an entrapment. The whole go was just perfect.''

The condition was discovered during a routine endoscopic examination following a workout Monday morning at Saratoga Race Course.

The 3-year-old gelding arrived late Monday at the equine center located across the street from Belmont Park, having been personally driven there by Woolley.

The procedure was performed shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday.

``He was a wonderful patient, '' Hogan said. ``The procedure itself took maybe 15 seconds. He got up like a gentleman and everything looks good.''

Woolley said Mine That Bird will resume training in a couple of days and remains optimistic he will be able to run in the Travers. -- NYRA

Spa numbers defy gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Attendance is up 8.4 percent, on-track handle up 12.3 percent, and all-sources handle up 4.8 percent from 2008 totals midway through the 2009 meet at Saratoga Race Course following spectacular summer weather and more of the full, competitive fields seen here since opening day.

Attendance for the first 18 days of the 2009 meet is 439,713, up from 405,616 in 2008, for a daily average of 24,429 compared to 22,534.

On-track handle at Saratoga is $57,813,286, up from $51,486,871 in 2008, for a daily average of $3,211,849 compared to $2,860,382.

All-sources handle (which includes money bet on Saratoga races from simulcast outlets nationwide) is $254,161,729, up from $242,544,415 in 2008, for a daily average of $14,120,096 compared to $13,474,690.

The 4.8 percent increase in all-sources handle on Saratoga races defies industry-wide trends. Earlier this month, Equibase reported a 13.4 percent drop in betting for July and a 10.9 percent decline through the first seven months of 2009 compared to 2008.

Further, on-track handle is trending just 2.8 percent off mid-meet totals from the all-time Saratoga on-track handle record of $123,018,042 set in 2007, which eclipsed the previous record of $117,368,204 set in 2003.

Average betting interests per race through Week Three increased ten percent (8.7 vs. 7.9) and total betting interests increased 11.9 percent (1,558 vs. 1,392) from 2008, with four more races run so far in 2009 (180 vs. 176). Turf races totaled 84 with 10 taken off the turf (all during the first week), compared to 56 on and 27 off in 2008. -- NYRA

Rachel in the morning mist

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Rachel Alexandra completes 1:00.37 training move over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Trainer Steve Asmussen: "There are no races eliminated." Stay tuned. NYRA photo

Throat surgery for Derby winner

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird will undergo throat surgery to free an entrapped epiglottis discovered after he breezed Monday morning at Saratoga Race Course. The 3-year-old gelding should remain on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers on August 29, trainer Chip Woolley said.

“After Mine That Bird’s work this morning, we scoped him, and he’s got an entrapment of the epiglottis,” said Woolley just three hours after the gelding worked five furlongs in 1:03.83 on the main track with Jamie Theriot aboard. “It’s enough that we’re going to take him to the city [Elmont, N.Y.] tonight and do surgery on him in the morning.

“The doctors think – there’s no guarantees – but the doctors think he’ll be good for Travers; he’ll be here and ready to run in the Travers,” he added. “But, it will be somewhat day to day. We will not run him if he’s not 100 percent, so we’re gonna see how things go with the deal tomorrow.”

Woolley said the brief procedure will be performed at about 8 a.m. Tuesday morning by Dr. Patricia Hogan at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center across the street from Belmont Park, after which Mine That Bird will immediately return to Saratoga.

“We could do it here, that’s not an issue, it’s the fact that the doctor down there has a full-day schedule tomorrow, and there was no way for her to come up here and get back and do her other surgeries,” said Woolley. “This horse transports well. It’s not that big a deal, we’ll just haul him down there, spend the night and do it, haul him back here tomorrow afternoon.”

Woolley said that the condition, in which the thin membrane lying below the epiglottis (the fleshy tissue that covers the windpipe when a horse swallows) moves up and covers the epiglottis, was discovered during a routine endoscopic examination by veterinarian Dr. James Hunt.

“Every time, two weeks out, we always scope him just to make sure we don’t have any problems,” said Woolley. “It’s just standard procedure with me, that’s how I’ve done it in every race. At his two week-out work, we scope him. We had no clue there was any problem. He came off the race track bucking and playing this morning. I never gave a second thought to it. He finishes up in eleven and three the last eighth of a mile. I mean, I would have never dreamed there’s a problem.”

The procedure, similar to the one Alysheba underwent 30 days before he won the 1987 Kentucky Derby, will take a matter of minutes, said Woolley, after which Mine That Bird should be able to resume training with little interruption.

“Basically, they’ve got a little hook with a kind of a sharp [piece] inside of the hook, and they just reach in and they hook the little piece that’s grown up over the top and slice it in two,” he explained. “And that thing will kind of draw back away, and, for the most part, it will be gone.”

Mine That Bird, who was second to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, third to Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes and third in his most recent start, the West Virginia Derby, is scheduled to have his final tuneup for the 1¼-mile Shadwell Travers next week.

“That’s our plan,” said Woolley. “I can miss a couple days of training without any worry about the work. I mean he can still work on Tuesday if he misses a day or two of training, that’s not going to make or break him. But he does need the work and like I said, if he’s not ready, he won’t run.”

Woolley was clearly shaken by the turn of events but expressed optimism that Mine That Bird would be able to keep his engagement in the “Mid-Summer Derby,” in which he is expected to face Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, track-record holder Quality Road and perhaps the Preakness-winning filly, Rachel Alexandra.

“It’s pretty routine – I’ve done a number over the years with great success,” he said. “This horse, in particular, it’s a big deal no matter what you’re doing to him. [The timing] stinks. You’d have loved to have another week, but we don’t have that, this is what we’ve got, and this is what we’ve got to deal with.” -- NYRA

Ouch

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:58:00 +0000

The only terms that fully describes the weekend sale of New York-bred yearlings is … grim.

While the second session on Sunday was appreciably better than the first, 91 yearlings failed to meet their reserve prices over the course of the sale and no-bid offerings were fairly common. A total of 107 were sold, the most expensive a colt by Medaglia d’Oro purchased by Whitehall Stable for $275,000 on Sunday. Eight brought six-figure final bids.

Both the average, $40,687, and median, $27,000, were down appreciably from last year’s figures -- $54,390 and $45,000. – PM

Monday works for Rachel, Kensei

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed Sunday that both Rachel Alexandra and Kensei would work early Monday morning in preparation for their next starts, which are still undetermined.

Stonestreet Stables and Gulf Coast Farms’ Kensei will be sent out to the Oklahoma training track at 5:30 a.m., while Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick’s Rachel Alexandra will follow her stablemate at 5:50 a.m.

“We definitely won’t make a decision until we see how they’re doing on Tuesday,” Asmussen said. “It will be at least until Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.”

Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten in seven starts this year and Asmussen has nominated her to four upcoming Grade 1 contests at Saratoga: the $600,000 Alabama on August 22, the Shadwell Travers, the $400,000 Personal Ensign against older fillies and mares on August 30, and the $500,000 Woodward Stakes against older males on September 5. The other race under consideration is the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on September 7 at Philadelphia Park.

Kensei, winner of the Grade 1 Jim Dandy on August 1, is also possible for the Travers. -- NYRA

Quality Road logs sharp work

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Quality Road, expected to be among the favorites for the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers, turned in his first work since his record-setting victory in the Amsterdam Stakes this morning at Saratoga Race Course, covering six furlongs in 1:13.19.

Under jockey John Velazquez, the Elusive Quality colt went to the main track shortly after the morning break and breezed in tandem with stablemate Unbridled Belle, a 6-year-old mare also trained by Todd Pletcher.

“I thought it was super,” said Pletcher of the move, Quality Road’s first since setting a Saratoga track record of 1:13.74 for 6½ furlongs in the Amsterdam. “He came out of the race well, and had a good work this morning, a nice, stamina-building breeze. He was into the bridle the whole way and he finished up with something left. Johnny asked him to gallop out, and he responded well. When he came back he was not blowing that hard.”

Quality Road, who was among the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby before being sidelined with foot problems, also set a track record at Gulfstream Park when he won the Grade 1 Florida Derby in 1:47.72 in March while under the care of trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Later in the spring, owner Edward P. Evans moved Quality Road, along with several other horses, from Jerkens’ barn to Pletcher’s, with the 1¼-mile Shadwell Travers on August 29 a primary objective.

“Any time you have a high profile horse like this pointing toward a race like the Travers, you want everything to go exactly right,’ said Pletcher. “I don’t know if there’s more pressure but obviously the stakes are higher.”

Pletcher elected to bring Quality Road back in the shorter Amsterdam rather than in a more traditional prep for the “Mid-Summer Derby” such as the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at nine furlongs. In the Amsterdam, Quality Road broke the 30-year-old mark for the distance by nearly a second in his first start since March.

“After the Amsterdam, the surprising thing to me was not only that he ran so fast, but he came back and wasn’t even blowing that hard,” said Pletcher. “His energy level was good, his appetite was good. He took the race really well. He’s a very special horse that can do brilliant things and sometimes do it easily.”

Asked about the challenges of getting a horse from a 6½-furlong sprint to a 10-furlong Grade 1 race in the space of 26 days, Pletcher said: “He’s got a good foundation from earlier in the year when he ran those races at Gulfstream. In a perfect world, this race would maybe be a mile and an eighth, but it’s not and we’re going to have to call on his class a little bit.

“We’re asking what I think is a special horse to do something you normally wouldn’t ask a lot of them to do. But we’re doing it because of who he is.”

Quality Road, bred in Virginia by Evans, has won four of his five starts, with his only loss a second to Theregoesjojo in a seven-furlong allowance at Gulfstream Park on January 10. He will have his final tuneup for the Shadwell Travers next Sunday, said Pletcher. --NYRA

NY riders get padded whips

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Moran) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:38:00 +0000

New York jockeys will start riding full time with equine friendly riding crops beginning Wednesday, August 19 at Saratoga Race Course.

The new riding crops conform to the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) Model Rules and The Jockey Club Safety Committee’s recommendations.

“This initiative is great for racing in New York,” said jockey John Velazquez, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jockeys’ Guild. “It’s really about what is best for the horse. As a group, the jockeys decided to take this action that will benefit the horses competing on the track as well as the sport of racing. The New York jockeys and the Jockeys’ Guild are pleased to take this step.

“The quality and durability of the new crops has improved significantly, and there are enough suppliers now to meet demand. The first generation of these riding crops, particularly the padded flap, was not sufficiently durable to last a reasonable amount of time. We now feel confident that the quality and the supply are there to implement this change.”

“The padded flap is much kinder to the horse,” said jockey Edgar Prado. “Jockeys across the country have been using the new riding crops on a trial basis for quite a while, and in Kentucky the new riding crop is the standard. In New York, now is the right time to make that change and Saratoga is the proper place.”

“The New York jockeys, like the Del Mar jockeys last week, deserve the credit for being proactive in adopting this measure,” said Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys’ Guild. “This action is an example of the commitment of the jockeys to work with all groups in the industry to help overcome the challenges facing it. In New York, the jockeys want to continue to work with NYRA to strengthen the racing industry in the state.” -- TJG