Lasix...what about it?

There has been a lot of fuss recently about banning Lasix on Race Day here in America. The question is...should we?

I was honestly all for it, but then you get to reading, and it really can jumble your opinion. Why are we the only ones to use it on race day...are we wrong, or actually right? Should horses have to bleed to be put on it, or is it more humane to just give it to them? What about the rest of the world's horses? Are they seriously not bleeding? Is that because they don't get scoped for it? Because if it happens frequently the horse is forced into retirement? Because they breed "easy" bleeders out of the gene pool? Do they have other methods to prevent it?

There are just so many questions to ask, and no matter how many articles you read, it feels like you never get the straight story. They all seemed to be biased one way or another.

However, like it or not, North America is beginning to change the laws on Lasix. The Breeders' Cup has already stated a plan for a change. They are going to start by banning Lasix for 2 yr olds, and about the time the 2yr olds are in the "older horse" division, all horses running the The Breeders' Cup will be Lasix free on race day. There is talk about trying to pass a law that makes Graded races ban Lasix or risk losing the "graded" status. This is exactly the kind of talk going on in New York. A senator has introduced a bill to ban race day use of Lasix entirely.

I just can't help but think about the great horses of the past. Did they not bleed as much, or just not enough to be visible without scoping? Is that the case, or are our current crop of horses (running, breeding, all of them) truly just that weak in comparison? Did Man O' War have a bleeding problem? Is this like the other problems we are seeing in our horses these days: breakdowns, fewer starts, shorter careers? I just don't know.

Should Lasix be banned? I don't know. But one way or another, the near future holds the answer.Did he need this stuff to win the first Derby?

Delaware Handicap

Wow wow wow!! What a race! The older filly and mare division is definitely the hot group this season. Blind Luck and Harve de Grace squared off again in another thrilling stretch battle! Just watch it!

Slower Fractions, Fewer Fractures.

So many people this Derby season were complaining about how slow the horses ran in each of the jewels. Aside from the speedy opening times in the Preakness, many (novice and professionals alike) thought this to be the slowest and weakest crop of 3 yr old colts ever. I don't know about you, but I feel like we have been hearing this rant (or excuse) for more than a few years. Every time we get through the Triple Crown with no standouts, it's a weak crop of colts. So how many times are we going to say this before we do something about it?

This year has been crazy with the sideline list. While some colts, such as Uncle Mo, were taken out of training for reasons beyond a fracture, many are taking a break because of sustaining one.
Tapizar-Chip in the knee
Nehro-Chip in the ankle
Dialed In-Chip in the knee
Premier Pegasus-Cannon bone fracture
and now...
Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom likely won't race until next March due to a fractured hock.

As mentioned, these are just the horses out for bone fractures, not to mention To Honor and Serve, Boys At Tosconova, and Jaycito who are out with ligament, back, and hoof problems respectively. What is going on? Many of these horses where either 2 yr old stars or thought to be the potential stars of the Triple Crown series. So my next question...what can be done?

We have taken out the steroids, are tinkering with the idea of banning Lasix, we've tried introducing polytrack and other softer surfaces (which leads to lots of complaints about 'real' horses running on 'real' dirt...need I mention the Zenyatta haters?) but still our horses are breaking down and the industry stands divided.

In a time when we really need a stand out superstar to win the public's hearts in the Triple Crown races and then stay and run a few more season, we can't even achieve the former. It is becoming all to common for us to shrug our shoulders and dismiss injuries as 'part of the sport' but instead, we need to be finding the cause. Perhaps the answer is in allowing or banning various drugs, making tracks that benefit the horses, jockeys, and all running types, or maybe even doing a breeding overhaul. Whatever, just do it already! I don't care if breeding for endurance and stability means we start running the Derby in 2:08+. If I get to see how my Derby fav does in his 4 yr and 5 yr old season, I think I will take that hit in speed. At this point, I just want to enjoy them on the track and have the horses enjoy running again.(Differentiate, Arlington Park-July 17th 2010)

Dangerous Weather and a Close Call

This has been a crazy year for weather with flooding and tornadoes. Until now, there would be no reason for these horrifying storms to make it onto this blog, but yesterday Churchill Downs was hit by a bad storm.

While many barns and backside buildings underwent great damage, luckily (as of tonight) no horses nor humans were hurt in the storms. Due to the destruction, many horses escaped their stalls and were running loose around the grounds, but all have been safely caught. Neighboring tracks are opening their stalls and so far racing has been canceled.

For more picks, try this link to the Kentucky Derby's Facebook Page.

What a rough spring/summer this has been!


(Picture from Bloodhorse.com)

Jaycito and The Factor Out

Jaycito was taken out of Derby consideration because they want to give the hoof more time to heal. Trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat both feel it is better to give him the time now and not risk ruining him by running him before he is ready. Zayat said he and Bob would never run a horse just for the sake of running. Given the stakes and the prestige of the Derby, I think this really shows a good minded owner and trainer.

The Factor is also out. After his devastating loss in his last start, he was found to have a displaced palate. Baffert feels the colt will not be fully recovered after the corrective surgery to run.

So much talent is missing the Derby. Who will win?

Jess Jackson

Owner of such greats as Rachel Alexandra and Curlin, Jess Jackson died today due to cancer related complications.

Although I honestly don't know much about the man, I do know that he campaigned two great horses to the public that loved them longer than most owners would feel necessary. He brought both horses back to the track to defend their title after their first Horse of the Year win, and luckily for him and Curlin, was rewarded by another title. That's the kind of ownership I like in horse racing. This horse is hot, everyone knows it, everyone likes them...let's bring them back a season before retiring to the shed. If we had more of that it may help the fan base.

So thank you Jess Jackson for giving us your horses time and time again. May you rest peacefully and may that colt next year be a good'n in your memory.

Why?

Why are all of my pre-Derby favorites getting injured?

No joke, the horses I was hoping to see in the gate and make a run for greatness but are injured:
Boys At Tosconova
Jaycito (hope he can recover in time. Fingers still crossed)
Premier Pegasus
Tapizar
To Honor And Serve

I'm afraid to back any other horses lest they be stricken down with some sort of ailment. As serious contenders I really only have a few more left in the race. Hopefully the other horses will remain healthy and we can still salvage some of what looked to be a very promising crop of 3 yr-olds.

My BC pics

A Bit of Irony

For those of you unaware Zenyatta was bred to Bernardini and Rachel Alexandra to Curlin. Although I personally don't care, nor did I want to know, the exact time and how well Z's breeding went, her sight along with ESPN let everyone know, while another article dealt with the potential superstar Curlin and Rachel could produce. And oh dear...

The Z and Rachel ranters are at it again! Not only still talking about how Blame should beat HOY and Z is just a poly no-one, but how Z should still have beaten out Rachel for HOY the previous year. Beyond that, people are already loving or hating to foals! We don't even know if either mare took yet let alone that Z's baby will not run until she is four only to be in restricted races on synthetics or that Rachel's baby will suck the doors of Z's. Someone else said that the Rachel/Curlin pairing was a joke...that Bernardini has absolutely nothing to offer as a stud for he was another nobody. It's ridiculous but a little hilarious at the same time. Some people are happy at the on going rivalry while others simply want to move on! Especially since we have Rick Dutrow on his 64th suspension (64th!) for illegal drugging of horses to the point where NY racing is considering revoking his training liscense and as for horses...it's Triple Crown season people! Let's focus on the horses actually on the track! We could have a history maker this year and people will still be talking about two unborn foals. Really now.

So let's start looking forward to May! I'm getting excited! Of course, I have also already been let down... For whatever reason, I must admit, I cannot root for Uncle Mo. I know he is an amazing horse. I saw him win the Juvenile! There is no denying that he is and should be the Derby fav, but I just...don't like his name! Call me crazy but I like picking horses whom I think run fine and have a good name to boot (obviously personal preference here). That being said, my favorite 3 year old name goes to the colt, Jojo's Mojo. My nickname plus the name of my cat. I pretty much have to be a fan. However, he's not in the same class as these other horses...so my other picks? Boys At Tosconova...oh wait...pulled off the Derby trail because of no seen injury. He was just not working right and they don't want to screw the boy up. I can respect that. Ok, so Tapizar! Again...opps. Poor colt was taken off the road to the roses due to a bone chip. So I don't know whom I'm rooting for. I kind of like To Honor and Serve (we will see how he does in the Fountain of Youth), and Jaycito (again, just like the name). What about you guys? Any early picks?

Shipping News Swims

Shipping News was pulled up early in a race today before shortly collapsing on the track. The horse was suffering from heat exhaustion and was treated accordingly. After being taken care of, he regained enough strength and began running around the course until he finally jumped into the lake in the Tampa Bay Downs infield. Apparently people eventually got pantless to go in after him. Bizarre incident indeed. Hope he recovers quickly and fully.

For the full article check out ESPN.

Calvin to Dubai

Calvin Borel has been selected from American jockeys to take on a group of international jockeys at Dubai.

The spunky jockey was chosen because of his Kentucky Derby win on Super Saver. Calvin seems super happy be have been selected and feels it is a great honor to be respresenting the USA in thie jockey competition.

He will have to face some strong competition but hopefully his talent will shine through and he can ride the rail to victory.

Good Luck Calvin!

The Sport of Kings Bows to the Queen!

Congrats to all who one awards tonight and mega mega congrats to Zenyatta!! 2010 Horse of the Year!

Other Winners:

3 yr old colt- Lookin At Lucky

3 yr old filly- Blind Luck

2 yr old colt- Uncle Mo

2 yr old filly- Awesome Feather

Older Horse- Blame

Older Mare- Zenyatta

Male Sprinter- Big Drama

Female Sprinter- Dubai Majesty

Turf Mare- Goldikova

Turf Horse- Gio Ponti

Steeplechase- Slip Away

Top Jockey- Ramon Dominguez

Top Trainer- Todd Pletcher

Most of these I found to be no brainers, but after all the fuss for HOY I'm so glad it went to Zenyatta! I'm sure there will be many who thought she didn't deserve it but apparently those who decide the top horses thought she was something special! Needless to say many of the fans thought so too! Blame, you ran a good race too, and despite what many say will be remembered throughout time as the horse the beat Queen Z. Congrats Zenyatta and all the other winners! Can't wait to see what will happen this year! Best of health to all those running and riding!

Info from The Eclipse Award's FaceBook Page

Pic From NY Times Slideshow
Title from NTRA's BC Promo. It made me go.

Also Check Out Zenyatta's Online Diary

Mega Happy

I had thought I could only dream of such a thing...but thanks to some awesome parents, I AM GOING TO THE BREEDER'S CUP!
Needless to say, I am a wee bit excited! Not only do I get to see the best of the best competing all in one day, have a chance to see some very famous jockeys both retired and in the irons, but I get to see Zenyatta's last race. Bittersweet indeed but I am glad that I can say I actually saw her! Makes me want her to win that much more! (Even though the ticket that I will get for her will not be cashed in).

But yay! I can't wait for it! Going to be a super day!

Can't wait to share pictures that I don't have to provide citations for! =D
(Unlike the Breeder's Cup Logo used: http://www.colonialdowns.com/grandslam/breederscup.php)

Gio Ponti Does His Thing

I don't know about you guys, but these horses that prefer to have a late charge are starting to give me health issues! Even though this is personally my favorite thing to watch in races (along with, of course, a horse leading by a lot then winning by even more all the way around) it is seriously terrifying when the horse you are rooting for is making that late charge! Oi!

That being said, Gio Ponti did his thing again this weekend and easily won the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keenland park. He put in a performance I would definitely want to see my horse do before the Breeder's Cup races. Gio Ponti looked pretty easy going throughout the race and held off a group of fellow late runners.

With this brilliant run under his belt, Gio Ponti is headed for Churchill to take on the the other potential champions in the Breeder's Cup. However, it is still undecided whether he will run in the Turf Mile against super European Mare Goldikova, or in the Classic against a rather strong dirt field and of course Zenyatta. Interesting choices, I'm sure they have their reasons for debating that choice.

Congrats Gio Ponti! Continue to run strong and healthy!(Pic from: http://www.vtablog.org/ and go them from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/easygoer/3710359307/#/photos/easygoer/3710358847/lightbox/)

She Gone and Done It Again!

Wow Wow Wow! Zenyatta is still undefeated! Simply amazing! Although, I wish she wouldn't scare us like that!

For those of you who watched, didn't you worry for a little bit that maybe Switch had her? Ack! But I should not lack confidence in this mare! She always gets the job done! I loved it when Jerry asked Mike as he passed whether Mike felt he had that race, and Mike just grinned and nodded with enthusiasm! What an amazing team!

Also, Wow! Look a that little filly! Switch is going to be something to watch! Now having taken down Blind Luck and giving Zenyatta a wonderful show of heart and grit, she will surely make a ruckus at the Breeder's Cup! Good luck to you Switch!

As for the Breeder's Cup...Good luck in the Classic Zenyatta! I have absolutely NO doubts that she can win this race! But if it is true that she has never given a full 100%, I think she is going to need to give it that day. It's going to be a tough field after a long travel on the dirt. But again, I don't think it's out of her reach in the slightest!

As my poll shows, I think Zenyatta should and will be Horse of the Year regardless. And I don't want to hear it from haters about how you can't be Horse of the Year just by beating a bunch of mares and 'weak' horses on synthetics. She is beating the best that is out there right now. What was the number they said yesterday? 60 some horses have been beaten by Zenyatta at least once? That's quite a few. If she could just add a few more to her list, she's got HOY locked in, but I think she should anyway.

Well Zenyatta, make this next race bittersweet! Bitter because it will be your last, but oh so sweet because you wipe the dirt with those boys! Good luck! Hope she forever stays healthy and strong!

(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/12/zenyatta-rachel-alexandra-serena-williams.html)

Real Quiet

1998 Three year-old Champion and closest almost winner of the Triple Crown, Real Quiet, passed this previous Monday after a fall in his paddock.

Winner of 6 races. Five of which included the Hollywood Futurity in '97, The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in '98 (losing the Belmont by barely a nose) and the Hollywood Gold Cup and Pimlico Special in '99.

He was an amazing horse and good stallion.

RIP Real Quiet, the racing world will miss your power.

(Picture from the picture tribute of this amazing horse: http://community.tvg.com/t5/The-Grandstand/real-quiet-picture-tribute/td-p/111039)

Oh Dear, Rachel's Retired

Well, it happened. Reining horse of the year Rachel Alexandra has been retired.
That's the bad news. The GOOD news is it wasn't injury related. When I saw the head line...I was "Oh dear, what happened to the poor gal?" But luckily (as lucky as one can get when retired) she's still as healthy as ever. Her racing form, however, simply never returned to the bang up filly she was last year.For the record, I don't like her trainer...I don't think he quite knows how to keep horses in their prime, because once he gets them it seems that they drop from fame fast. But, I'm sure he knows more than me on the subject! It's just something to chew over. At least he was patient with her and gave her the chance to be the best she could be!

So now Rachel leaves the track to a "less stressful" life of breeding (other than the pregnancy, birthing, and pain the the a** colts, it's pretty easy =P ) and her first match.....*drum roll* Two time HOY Curlin. Yea, that's right. I don't know about you, but I think this could be an interesting match. I hope all goes well with RA and her colts will forever make a ruckus on the tracks!

Cheers Rachel Alexandra, if nothing else, you gave us a few amazing performances to remember!

(Thank you Google for having a good collection and these sites for having good pictures)

In order of their appearance:
http://www.racingpost.com/
http://rachelalexandrafan.blogspot.com/
http://www.nydailynews.com/
http://www.nydailynews.com/
http://www.nj.com/sports/
http://rachelalexandrafan.com/

Races Worth a Million!

WOW! That was an incredible race! Just when you thought Gio Ponti had it won, here comes little Debussy on the rail, with his jock pulling a "Calvin Borel" as the announcer called it by flying up the rail!
Gio Ponti and his jockey ran a great race! Coming in a close second, and even though he thought he had it won, the jockey kept urging Gio Ponti on. However, Debussy just "sprouted wings" and ran down the turf champion! I was super excited, because, although I like Gio Ponti (and General Quarters who was regretably way out of the money) I randomly picked Debussy before the post parade because I thought he was pretty and it was odd he wasn't being ponied. (And if you watched after the race, he was trying to bite that his pony horse the entire way back the winner's circle!) When I saw a horse come flying up the rail, I was "come on Gio Ponti! Hold it!" then I saw it was my colt and was "COME ON!!!! CATCH HIM!!! GO BABY GO!!" Funny how things change!

Simply amazing!

Paddy O'Prado was 1st in the Secretariat Stakes, Dean's Kitten coming in 5th.
Eclair de Lune was the winner of the Beverly D. there as well.
Elsewhere at Saratoga, Blind Luck took the win against Devil May Care! Wow! Congrats! If betting I would have been safe here too! Seeing as I would have placed both to win! So, lost one won one! But wow that was a neat race! Blind Luck came zoomin from behind to get into a stretch battle with Harve De Grace. Amazing!


And just an odd tidbit, Debussy the person was a composer of a song called Clair de Lune. Neat!

Congrats to all the winning connections! I hope all the horses come back healthy!

Synthetics Are Out

Santa Anita announced that the track will no longer be synthetic as of the first week of December. After encountering problems with rocks from the base making their way to the surface of the rack, as well as facing endless drainage problems, the dirt surface will be making a comeback.

I'm sure many people are going to be happy about this switch, and hopefully "PolyZen" as some people call the mighty mare, will be just as formidable on her home track after the change.

If the maintenance of these synthetic surfaces is as hard as they seem to be, perhaps this change is for the better. I know the jockeys have had issues with these new surfaces, saying they don't provide the "bounce" that a dirt track does, meaning, if the jockey falls off it's like hitting cement. So, for track maintenance workers as well as the jockeys, this is a good change. Hopefully, the horses will continue to run well on dirt and the number of breakdowns will stay down.
For more details on the track change, check out: Santa Anita Track to go to Dirt

Zenyatta yatta yatta

She went and did it again! Super Mare Zenyatta won her 18th race Saturday in the Hirsch Stakes. In her same attitude she started picking off horses around the last turn and pulled away in the stretch, holding off a desperate and impressive chase by Rinterval, who would lose by a head. I love watching this mare go. The track announcer makes comments about how easily she loads into the gate, how wonderfully she breaks, the easy pace she runs at, and ears...that's mare never runs with her ears back! I am beyond happy that they continued her career, it is obvious this girl just loves to run!
I do not care what anyone else thinks (primarily commenters on ESPN's online coverage), this mare can be and is a Champion! No matter the surface she runs on or the horses she beats. I don't care what happens in Churchill this fall, if she loses, she loses, but you cannot tell me that revokes her power in her previous 18 races! But whatever, I think she has the potential to win the BC Classic this year. She can handle the distance, I do believe she has handled dirt a few times, and she can and has handled top males. Yes, this one will be difficult for her! She has to beat Quality Road, Lookin At Lucky, and hopefully Rachel Alexandra! That is one heck of a field! She will have to work for it, but I think it is possible!

Other news this weekend, the arguable best older colt, Quality Road, lost out to Blame this weekend in the Whitney Handicap. With this win, Blame automatically secured a spot in the Breeder's Cup Classic through the win and your in program. Blame put on one heck of a performance, with a strong late charge. It was really impressive. In that same race my favorite racing gelding, Mine That Bird, came in fifth...out of six...still love you dude!
Concord Point was also the victor in Saturday's West Virginian Derby. After having some gate issues, he broke well and took the lead early. After that, the grey simply never let it go! Another awesome race!
Congrats to all the winning connections this weekend! It was a weekend full of big races and bigger racers! Hope all the horses come up healthy and work clean to their next start!

Fantastic Fillies!

Congrats to a couple of incredible girls for two first places victories today!

Devil May Care pulled off a GI victory in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga and won by a respectable 4 lengths. This is her second GI win (the other being the Mother Goose) since the Derby, showing the world she still has what it takes to be one heck of a filly!
And the other win of the weekend goes to Super Filly Rachel Alexandra. She took down the crowd at Monmouth Park in the Lady's Secret Stakes. After stalking Queen Marth throughout the race, Rachel took to the lead to win by 3 lengths.
Love these ladies! Continue to stick it to 'em girls!

Fun Racing in the Sun!

Ok, again I want to say how much I LOVESS Equibase's Virtual Stable! Because of their service, I was aware that Dean's Kitten (a Derby pick of mine) and General Quarters were running at Arlington Park on the 17th......so...after some begging for rides...I GOT TO GO!

It has been way way way too long since I've seen racing at the actual track, and boy was it fun! (Even if it did get into the upper 90s). The TV simply does NOT do the speed of those magnificent animals speed! I loved it!
Most of my day was running back and forth from paddock to trackside getting pictures! It was so much fun, despite the massive draining affect it had.
And Goodness! General Quarters! Can there be a prettier grey out there? Wow, he is simply stunning in the flesh! I was way too excited to see him walk past me, a mere few feet away. AWESOME!!



Dean's Kitten is a pretty boy! He ran well too! He ended up getting 4th in his race, after actually getting 3rd but being DQ'd to 4th after running into another horse in the stretch, due to a left handed whip. Oh well...He was still pretty!

My handicapping, well that needs some work. >.< All the horses I bet on were out of the money (or DQ'd...Dean's Kitten, sadness) The last race we saw I didn't bet, but picked a horse just for fun...and well, of course that horse won. -_-'

Mam Bird (The horse that I should have bet on)

Anyway...it was totally amazing to see horses I actually knew. It was beyond exciting!!

Plonk's Got a Point

So, in case you don't know, I read a lot of ESPN horse articles, and Jeremy Plonk is definitely one of my favorite journalist.

His latest article "All the Ducks are in Line" outlines the ideas behind what could revive the horse racing industry for the public. Many people say "you need a superstar horse" but Plonk argues, how many more do you need?

We have a lot of strong horses out there right now, making this years Breeder's Cup Classic a must see race this year. But Plonk argues that the public is still not that interested. Everything is there, good horses, good people, and even a (hopefully) good movie coming. So if it doesn't happen now, what will it take? Much more than a good horse probably.

It's a really good article. Totally worth the read, check it out!

And also, Mine That Bird is making his debut this Sunday in the Firecracker at Churchill! Go Baby Go!

Silly Video Games

All right, this shouldn't come as a huge surprise to anyone, but I am a frequent player of horse racing games. Of course you go through some of these games and go, "Hey! That looks like...(some horse)" but of course, the do simply look like the real thing. In fact, these games come with a disclaimer:

Any resemblance to any human or animal, living or dead, is simply coincidental and unintentional.

Or something like that. You get the picture, they don't mean to have the horses be another horse. (Except in the NTRA published game, in which point you can race the legend, it's fun and an exception) But general game play horses are not meant to be anything but fictional.

However, I am currently playing GI Jockey 3...and they are doing a bad job of hiding these real life horse replicas. For example...so far I have come across:

Pint Given
Lemon Syrup Kid
Peripheral Ensign
Azel
The Min Man
Winning Honors
Street Ply
Go For Band
Sunday Science
DC Indy
Easy Grower

These horses are the same coat color, gender, and run under the same colors they did on the track. Yea, totally a coincidence. I'm just hoping I come across a super awesome bay named Cigarette or maybe a chestnut named Man O' Peace....War Sergeant vs SeaMuffin?

Don't get me wrong, I totally love this game! I just find it really find it funny that this is supposed to be merely a coincidence and totally unintentional. If you play this game, let me know what other horses are out there!

Nicanor!

First off, I am totally happy I finally got around to creating a virtual stable on Equibase! Updates on all my favorites e-mailed to me, such as Mine That Bird breezing 5 furlongs in 55 seconds at Churchill. Heck yea, run little dude.

But on another note, it has also allowed me to track Barbaro's littler brothers. Nicanor especially has been left out of much media attention due to his lack of a Derby bid, but I am glad to report that the little guy won one today at Delaware Park. Awesome Awesome!

Congrats Nicanor! Keep it going!

(Pic from the Blog CatsWorking)

Love These Girls!

What a weekend!

Just wanted to send my congrats to Rachel Alexandra for making one hell of a comeback! We knew you would make it back to the top! And also to Zenyatta! Way to be girl! Congrats on yet another win and a record at that!

Keep it up girls! Show the nation what you got!

Belmont 142

And yet again, I am thinking wow! I do like it when a horse wins that got little attention from the press. I thought that stretch run was pretty fierce! But Drosselmeyer showed the most heart and determination and crossed the wire first!

Congrats to Drosslmeyer and double congrats to Mike Smith (I really do like him) and Bill Mott for their first Belmont wins!! And to WinStar Farm, winning two of the three Triple Crown Races. This Triple Crown season was filled with a lot of first, and wow it was fun!

And more good news, this is the first gem that I actually had a horse finish in the money!! Thanks to First Dude, I actually came away feeling almost ok about my handicapping skills. And for the record, I was also rooting for Game On Dude (Love Baffert and I Love geldings) as well as Stay Put (Like the name) who finished 4th and 6th respectively. Sorry Ice Box! Waiting to see what they think happened there, hope you're ok.

What fun! I hope all the horses come up healthy! Can;t wait to see what these colts will do for us in the future!

Changing the Triple Crown...Should They?

Should they change the format of the Triple Crown? People have been asking this for years, as after each season we go longer and longer without seeing a triple victory. So what to do?

Many people feel that with modern day race horses, it is simply not right to ask them to run that many races in that short of a time frame. And they make a point. Most of these modern-day, top level racehorses touch the track once every month or so, if you really have something special, you may be able to pop out a monthly race. But with so much invested in breeding, and the scary relaity that horses break down frequently, people run them less. And I feel it is true, these horses are not made the same as the older ones especially since we entered the new milenia. It's all about speed, so the horses require more time to recover after a race than their ancestors. What should be changed, if anything?

People argue to change the distance of the races...personally...erm why? That would definitely be changing too much, and I don't think the distances are THAT varying to affect a great horse.Yes, the Belmont is the longest race these horses may ever run, but it's the Triple Crown! Something has to distinguish greatness.

The other aspect of the Crown people are considering...is the time in between races. Again, seeing as theses horses don't run as often as the greats of the past, should be give them a Triple Crown series which is more realistic for the times? I will admit, if they are going to make a change, this is the one they should make. Perhaps we would get a more constant field, and a larger fan base around the horses, which would be great! It would make more of the top horses come to the tracks more frequently, Great! The best three-year olds would face off more often, Great!! Who knows, if the Crown was ran say, one race a month, perhaps Rachel (or less likely but more amazingly, Mine That Bird, sorry I love him) would have won it! Wouldn't that have been amazing? However, I can't lie, I would go completely crazy whenever they say "so and so won the Triple Crown," because they won the modified Triple Crown. Now, if they could bite their tongue and at the very least, not compare a modified Triple Crown to the current method, I would be ok. But comparing a modified Triple Crown winner to a traditional Triple Crown winner, would just be irritating.

I know people are really talking about making changes this year because this is the first time in a long time, that neither the Derby winner nor the Preakness winner are taking part in the Belmont. But...I don't think that is a huge deal, not this year. I remember very clearly they announcers talking rather lowly of the crop of three year-olds that showed up to the Derby. They were unhappy with the horses in the DERBY! Why would they think they field would be any better in the Belmont?

Personally, I don't think all hope is lost when it comes to a modern day colt winning the current Triple Crown grind. Since just 2000, two horses have shown, that if their Derby trip had gone better, they would have won the Triple. Point Given and Afleet Alex lost the Derby, but came back to win both the Preakness and Belmont. Not to mention Point Given's daddy, Thunder Gulch, who won the Derby and came back to win the Belmont in '95.

So what do you think? Should they change it to accommodate the new type of racehorse? Or should we be patient and wait for that special horse that is going to blow the nation away?

ESPN's poll (with 16,000+ voters so far) currently stands at:

Changing distance=6%

Adding more time in between=25%

Changing distance and adding time=18%

Leave it alone=51%

As much as I would LOVE to see a traditional Triple Crown winner, I am, and always will be what is best for helping the industry gain interest, and of course, what is best for the horses.

(Yes, it's Rock Hard Ten, he ran in the Gems, but well...we know how that turned out. But he is a favorite of mine! That horse was a monster! Anyway, this is from HorseHats.com, is for sale, and is beautiful!)

Quality Road

Ok, so he was always in my picks when he raced, but never really for the top spot. Last I remember him, he was causing quite a fuss at the Breeder's Cup, such a fuss he was forced to scratch. But after three wins already this year, perhaps I should change my betting style!Quality Road is really starting to be a top top contender! After winning the Metropolitan this past weekend, he is right on track with the path Pletcher hopes will take him back to the Breeder's Cup. I can't wait to watch him continue his career! Stay Strong and Healthy! Best luck to you!

I Was Not Looking at Lucky

Dang. I need to take a handicapping class. Super Saver, sorry bud, I think you just lost your hole and found yourself behind a wall of horses with no where to go!

However, Congrats to Lookin' At Lucky! Glad he finally got a clean trip and could again show what a powerful colt he is!

Great race! Congrats to those who did well!

Can't wait to see what happens in the Belmont!

Pre-Preakness Jitters

I just wanted to get it out there, how much I really like the connections of Super Saver. These NBC stories are really getting to me this year. haha.

Calvin is such an awesome guy. Maybe it's just what I see, but I think he really loves his mounts and works like a dog to get the rides he does.

Pletcher, well, I've always liked him. He saddle a lot of great horses, and I think he's got another!
The owners seems like great people. Very proud of the horses they breed and run.

I don't know, I hope they win it all! But at the very least have tons of fun and great rides with this colt.

Ok, that's all! Enjoy the race!

Internet Comment on Rachel

So...maybe I am simply putting off the start of my final paper that's due tomorrow...or maybe I am actually perturbed by what I found while most definitely trying to put off starting that paper...

As I was going through ESPN's site like I usually do when procrastinating, I read a few articles in response to Rachel's efforts in the La Troienne...Obviously people are disappointed...but her trainer is relatively confident that she's not done winning quite yet. The PUBLIC on the other hand seem to think differently.

I was AMAZED by some of the anti-Rachel and anti-Rachel connection comments out there. Sure I agree with some statements of she may just not be the same horse, but I also agree with Asmussen in the fact that she is just a bigger girl now. After rewatching the La Troienne again, she has grown up a bit. Perhaps she is just adjusting to her new self, we know it takes people awhile, so why not a horse?

But there were tons of comments about how her connections are over running her. Thinking they were crazy to run her in the Preakness (I thought she ran that fairly easily), and then to run her against the males three times after that was simply absurd (but she beat them too). Many other people think she began to decline once she was sold. Many feel Asmussen is also just really good at taking excellent horses, riding the fame, and then ruining them (in which cases they site Curlin). They feel Calvin is suddenly doing a horrible job as a Jockey...holding her too long, whipping her too much, driving to her to the point the commenters feel she is going to kill herself. Is he? Is he really? Is winning the Oaks, Preakness, Woodward, and three Derbies (in four years I feel obligated to ad because I am very happy for him), and the other races with Rachel won last year really because he is a bad Jockey? Maybe this is because I am fan of this hyper and happy guy, but I think he is doing his job all right. And yes, maybe he does 'pat' his horses a little too energetically when he does well...but the horses don't seem to flick an ear or blink...I don't know....

For each of these comments there were at least ten more about how Rachel is overrated and should have been retired a long time ago. Overrated? Really? I mean yea, I still think (and always will) that Zenyatta should have been Horse of the Year, but let's say she wasn't in the running for it, who would have even come CLOSE to beating Rachel for it? She had a fantastic season! But, as the commenters would say, the horses she beat were nobodies...yea...I guess Macho Again is suddenly a nobody...of course they say he's a nobody because he beat a nobody once...so Einstein is also a nobody....? I get confused by this. I thought the crop of three year olds she beat were fairly strong. I know many people scoff at Mine That Bird (we all know by now that I love him) but seriously, being able to hold off his late charge in the Preakness was still something. And she beat most of those horses again and again, not to mention adding in the crop of ol' guys with experience...But still a lot of people feel she is a nothing horses that should be sentenced to the breeding life now.

I wish we could talk to these animals. Really ask them how they are doing, if they still want to run...I think in the La Troienne Rachel showed an immense improvement of heart down the stretch. I think she really wanted it this time, but Unrivaled Belle wanted it a little more.

Rachel, I think you are still doing fine. Although I am beginning to think more and more that a Rachel v. Zenyatta showdown will never happen, I am still rooting for you Rachel.

Stay Strong, kick some ass, drop some jaws!
Found the pic on a random flickr link google led me too...it's getting harder and harder to find pictures of her I haven't used and actually like....BUT I love this one! She has her ears up, which I have problems coming across it seems. She looks so happy and pretty, keep them ears up girl!

Super Win!

Wow wow wow! The Derby did not disappoint! Congrats to Super Saver! That was one heck of a run! Wow, just wow. Borel keeps showing that he is a dangerous contender on the rail! With Street Sense, Mine That Bird, and now Super Saver, that is three Derby wins all running up the rail. I LOVE watching that! No matter where they come from. That was a fun race, and Super Saver seemed really cool and collected afterward. Oh, and kudos to my mom for picking Super Saver!

Speaking of Borel, need to mention that he is the first jockey to win three Derbies in only four years! That is something special! He's going to be a Top Jock. (Totally off topic...how about Talamo? Twenty and had his second Derby mount! Both were serious contenders, even if they did lose or scratch).

Also...Todd Pletcher...they won't be able to spend next year constantly reminding everyone your lack of a Derby win! With twenty-seven horses saddled for the Derby, one finally pulled it off! Enjoy the win!

Last, but certainly not least, congrats to Glenn Fullerton! The man who was lucky enough to win the chance to make a $100,000 bet out of thousands of people...AND lucky enough to pick the winning horse! With Super Saver's odds, Glenn walked away with $900,000! Not bad eh?

What a great day! Congrats to all the winners and their connections (such as General Quarters, I was so happy to see him come back...and to win like that against Court Vision...whew...Loved it!)

For those of you who remember my picks...*sigh*...I was having an off day.
Devil May Care-10
Discreetly Mine-13
Dean's Kitten-14
Maybe I'll do better next year.

Super Saver, stay strong, stay healthy, and hopefully see you at the Preakness!

(Picture 1 is from ESPN's Gallery, Picture 2 is from CullenBloodstock.com)

Opposite Oaks

Wow! Congrats to Blind Luck in winning the Oaks!

In the complete opposite style of the Oaks winning run by Rachel Alexandra, Blind Luck rallied from behind to win the Kentucky Oaks by a nose!

I'm glad she won! I liked her daddy (Polard's Vision) and I like her too! Hope she continues to run strong and healthy!