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TRAINERS SWING FROM AN EMOTIONAL PENDULUM AT AQUEDUCT
Jamaica, NY—On the year’s last day of significant racing in New York, Larry Jones had a winner that showed early Derby potential and Nick Zito lost a veteran horse in the waning sunlight on Saturday, November 29th. Old Fashioned (Unbridled’s Song—Collect Call) got a rocking chair ride on the front end and lulled the field to sleep in the $200,000, 1 1/8-mile Remsen. Ramon Domingez was allowed to get away with a 24.2 first quarter on his way to a 1:38.1 mile as he drew off to a 7-length win. The running line in the chart read, “Good, under wraps final 1/8.” The $600k purchase by sire Unbridled’s Song didn’t appear to turn a hair. Jones has many options with Old Fashioned. It is a long time and distance and it takes wheelbarrows full of luck and manure to get from a graded stakes win in Ozone Park, Queens in late November to the feature race on the first Saturday in May in Louisville. However, it appeared that Old Fashioned went to the lead on his own courage and could have repelled any serious threats that day. Dominguez barely moved a muscle and even sneaked a peek between his legs in deep stretch looking for competition. Plus, “Old Fashioned” is perhaps the most perfect Derby-sounding name of all time. “I ‘member when Old Fashioned won by daylight back in ’09. That horse closed like Rumbo!” is the kind of sentence that you might imagine hearing an old hardboot say around mid-century while kicking blades of Bluegrass in the Commonwealth. The race after the Remsen was the $300,000 Cigar Mile. Two familiar names from the Triple Crown trail, Tale of Ekati and Harlem Rocker, dueled down the stretch while racing forward and moving back and forth across the track. The result was a nose photo finish, with two added twists: 1) Zito’s Wanderin Boy was pulled up in distress heroically by the jock at the top of the lane, avoiding a possible disaster; and 2) Harlem Rocker appeared to lug in during the stretch run. The “STEWARDS’ INQUIRY” sign went up immediately after the race. It wasn’t clear whether the subject of the inquiry was Wanderin Boy or Harlem Rocker. Possibly, both. Harlem Rocker was disqualified and placed second, with Tale of Ekati declared the winner. From the Cigar, Wanderin Boy was vanned off and later euthanized. Another Derby dream lives for Larry Jones while a 7-year-old gives his life to the track and Nick Zito. One new race that Jones and other trainers of promising three-year-olds have available this year is the first running of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes from Kempton Park Racecourse in England. Churchill has partnered with Kempton to establish a showcase race early in the British racing season that will make the winner of the $150,000 race eligible for a spot in the starting gate in the Derby, plus a $100,000 bonus for simply running in Louisville. The Challenge will be contested over 1 1/8 miles, on Polytrack, under lights at night, run clockwise. If your English thoroughbred can run fast and far on plastic late one March day and turning right, then the Challenge might be perfectly suited. Doesn’t sound as though the race was written with many American horses in mind. There must be a breeding cross that would produce that unusual European nick. The race could provide a springboard for a European-based horse to compete in the Triple Crown series. Historically, the English racing season has few graded stakes early in their year so European-based horses are at a disadvantage when trying to earn a berth in the Derby starting gate which is based on graded stakes earnings. The Challenge clears the path for more international interest in the American racing scene, particularly interest in the form of fans’ attention and betting dollars. There is precedent for an English horse running well in the Derby. In 1986, Bold Arrangement shipped in from Great Britain, prepped in the Blue Grass and was one masterful ride by Bill Shoemaker aboard Ferdinand away from wearing the garland of roses. Trainer Clive Brittain ran Bold Arrangement in the Breeder’s Cup at Aqueduct as a two-year-old and then in the Blue Grass at Keeneland so he was used to racing counter-clockwise on dirt. The winner of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes wouldn’t have the same sort of American experience that Bold Arrangement had in 1986. Still, it is a very positive development for international thoroughbred racing that Churchill and Kempton are willing to give it a go. Pints and crisps, mate?
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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
It’s All About the Horses
New York:On a sad day when the valiant Barbaro has been euthanized, the thoughts and prayers of true racing fans go out to Roy and Gretchen Jackson for their loss. Whatever fans might feel collectively, the pain must be exponential for the Jacksons.
The Jacksons declined to do what many would have done in their position. They turned down an insurance payment for the incapacitated Derby hero and instead reached into their own hearts (and pockets) to give the horse every chance to fulfill his destiny as a sire of champions. The process was wrought with peril, though, and despite Herculean efforts by Dr. Dean Richardson Barbaro lost the battle this morning.
His passing is all the more discouraging because of the chaotic state of horseracing in New York at the moment. Depressing, really. True fans are diminished by the passing of a noble thoroughbred like Barbaro. At the same time, New York and NYRA have reduced racing here to a laughingstock. Horses and their welfare are the furthest thing from people’s minds here about now.
NYRA is suing the government on shaky legal and logical grounds in a futile attempt to retain the racing franchise beyond 2007, while Excelsior (headed up by Steve Swindal, George Steinbrenner’s son-in-law) has grandiose plans to bring in casinos and slot machines to prop up the ailing industry.
Swindal and his lot speak breathlessly about infusing money into racing by co-opting other forms of gambling, and also by making wagering on horses easier through the use of wireless hand-held devices that will render the anachronistic and unseemly OTB franchise irrelevant.
Golly, that sounds like a swell way to generate cash. But it has nothing to do with horses.
Barbaro’s noble shadow dominates the thoughts of all fans of horses today. New York will sort out this mess by throwing absurd amounts of money at the problem, all the while ensuring that Albany gets their pound of flesh.
Yet fans of racing know that we lost a Derby winner today in the most heart-wrenching fashion imaginable, with the whole world watching. For anyone who has ever held a bridle, mucked out a stall or enjoyed watching a horserace without any money bet, today is a dark day.
All proud Kentuckians died a small death this morning. Gamblers never missed a beat. Therein lies the difference among the crowd at a racetrack. It’s perceptible.
Fans know that Barbaro embodied all the reasons why we love horses. –John Day
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Friday, September 29, 2006
Hoofbeats in Manhattan
by John Day
New York - I am always on the lookout in New York for horses. Having grown up in Kentucky and being cognizant of horses’ special link to humans, I have a working knowledge of the equine breed that would be characterized as “average” at best in the Commonwealth. Here in NYC, people think I really know the horses and the thoroughbred industry. Let’s just rate mine as a healthy respect, mixed with limited experience around the stables. I know, for instance, to stay out of a horse’s path and to keep a steady pressure on the flank when passing behind. Hand me a leadshank and I can pass muster; but, don’t ask me to hot-walk or muck stalls!
There are basically three occasions when one can expect to see a horse in Manhattan.
First, it is a certainty that every day there will be a rangy line of mixed-bred horses gathered on the north side of Central Park South directly across from the Plaza Hotel. Those are the overworked horses that pull the carriages that tourists ride through Central Park. It is a rag-tag group of older mares and geldings that have a listless look in their eyes; but, they still possess the noble bearing that causes one to conjure up the respect that these working horses deserve. When we pass by, I often pick out one particularly alert horse on CPS and rub its muzzle. My Bronx-bred wife enjoys giving a horse a good sniff and cuddle on its very soft muzzle. Drivers smile.
Second, there are the police horses that are used for crowd control. These are thoroughbred geldings that have been reconditioned and retrained to deal with large crowds, loud noises from unexpected places (think about firearms), and rock-hard pavement. It’s a standard police measure that one mounted cop is worth ten cops on foot patrol when crowd control is an issue. Even New Yorkers know to give way to a horse and that horses easily part crowds.
The third time when horses are evident in the city is during parades. Understand that there are frequent parades in Manhattan. A dizzying number of nationalities have parades to celebrate their heritage. Once can usually find some type of parade on every weekend in one of the five boroughs. Horses make an appearance either because they are an integral part of that ethnic group; or, the mounted police are deployed to keep the peace within the large crowd.
Last month, a white mare that belonged to the carriage horse brigade on Central Park South got a mention in a Saturday edition of the New York Times. This particular mare had spent nearly two decades pulling a carriage through Central Park and she suffered a fatal bout of colic. Her name was Juliet.
Juliet was distinguishable by her white plume attached to her white bridle. When I saw Juliet’s story in the Times, I realized that I had seen her before while walking with my wife through Central Park. I remember seeing an old white mare with a white tassel.
Central Park is one of the very few places in Manhattan where the smell of horse manure wafts distinctly in the city air. The other location is Hell’s Kitchen, where those horses are stabled. Smelling Central Park South is like walking near a shed row.
The Times reported that Juliet suffered a bout of colic while pulling a tourist couple through the park. In agonizing pain, she collapsed on the road and refused to get up. Frantic, the driver called his veterinarian using a cell phone and asked for advice. The vet advised him to whip the mare in order to make her stand and try to walk out the colic.
A crowd gathered to heckle the driver for his apparent cruel treatment of the fallen horse. In fact, the commotion even attracted the attention of jaded cops. Amazingly, one of the NYPD officers unholstered his revolver in an attempt to dissuade the driver from beating the mare prone on the ground. The driver put the cop on the cell phone to speak with the vet, who confirmed that the mare’s only chance to live was to get up and walk.
Juliet did manage to get back on her hoofs, but then crashed again and stayed there. Her life was over on a pitiful patch of grass in an urban oasis. The driver had beaten her in order to try to sustain her life and his livelihood…a drastic measure.
But Juliet had spent two decades earning her keep as an icon to tourists. When eulogized in the press, this particular animal caused a glimmer of recognition within this casual observer. Short of a career as a famous thoroughbred racehorse, what horse gets an obit in the Times? Juliet seemed to live a good life. Only her death was ignoble. And sad.
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Monday, September 25, 2006
Life-Defining Moments
by John Day
New York - The litmus test of a true Louisvillian is his ability to recall past Kentucky Derby scenarios. Give me a year, and I can most likely recite the winning horse, jockey and trainer (perhaps even the owner!). For many races, I can recall the special circumstances surrounding that year’s Derby. Some stand out more than others, usually for personal reasons.
For example, this year’s Derby was memorable in our household for two reasons: 1) it was the first time in my life I actually had money on the winner, and 2) my nephew called immediately after the race and he and I had come to the same conclusion, albeit separated by 853 miles: we might have seen a Triple Crown winner.
As everyone knows, Barbaro never won or raced again. Racing can be cruel. Each Derby offers the chance to experience a life-defining moment. Other sporting events evoke isolated memories; but, the Derby consistently supplies 120+ seconds of adrenaline.
I vividly recall watching Spend A Buck go directly to the front and continue to improve his position throughout the 1 1/4 miles in 1985. My instincts told me that it took a superior horse to win the Derby on the front; and, he proved his mettle that day.
Bill Shoemaker wheeling Ferdinand toward the rail and racing toward immortality in 1986 will forever define the confluence of skill and bravado, in my opinion.
The following year, when Alysheba clipped heels with Bet Twice and still managed to win the race, I was awestruck by the sheer athleticism of the animal - and crestfallen by the fact that my trifecta box had finished 1-2-4.
This month marked the five year anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It was a somber day in New York history. For those of us who live here, it could be the ultimate life-defining moment that we will ever experience both individually and collectively. New York City was very subdued all day, which is rare here. Most of the local broadcasts had man-in-the street interviews with people recalling the exact moment when they heard the news that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.
My saga involves an Aer Lingus flight returning from Dublin. My wife and I learned somewhere over the north Atlantic that our flight was being diverted to Canada. At first, the pilot announced that our flight would land in Montreal or Toronto. He then came back on and informed us that we would be putting down immediately.
The plane banked severely to the right and circled back out over the water. The distinct sound and smell of fuel being dumped into the ocean filled the cabin. Jet airplanes carry most of their fuel in the wings, which will snap off upon landing if not depleted. We ultimately landed in Gander, Newfoundland, and then spent four days sleeping on the floor of a local Elks Club. Our hosts could not have been more generous.
By Friday, September 14th, we learned that we had to fly back to Dublin since no aircraft that had been aloft on September 11th would be allowed into United States airspace for fear of bombs onboard. We arrived in Dublin late Friday night, only to turn around on Saturday morning and fly back to New York.
The worst experience of all was taking an express bus on Monday morning into Manhattan. As we crossed the bridge that leads from the Long Island Expressway to the Midtown Tunnel, we could see smoldering smoke where two enormous towers formerly stood. My wife, a fiercely proud New Yorker, swallowed hard and teared up. To have a beacon of your skyline stripped away, not to mention the memory of thousands of bodies still buried in the rubble, is to have a part of yourself laid bare.
Not all life-defining moments result in a garland of roses.
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Bluegrass Ambassadors
by John Day
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you are a resident of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, have spent time there, or, have a keen interest in warmbloods. As a proud Bluegrass Ambassador, you must have the following three vital pieces of information about horses:
First, horses have compound eyes rather than complex eyes like humans. When we look at things, we see color, depth and composition. When horses see things, they are more two-dimensional in a rather colorless environment. And, as an object enters their field of vision there is actually a point at which the horse switches from binocular to monocular vision, thus creating a momentary “blind spot:” that often spooks the animal. Horses do not rely on vision for a great deal of the information about their world. In fact, their evolutionary “flight” defense mechanism allows them to outrun the prey and analyze the details later.
Second, horses have small brains. However, it annoys me immensly when folks who wouldn’t know a fetlock from a pastern make the ignorant observation that “horses are stupid.” No, they aren’t stupid…they are instinctual. The term “stupid” implies that they have greater mental capacity than they are utilizing. Horses are hitting on all brain cylinders when they back away from what they perceive as dangerous. To us, a pitchfork is no threat; however, to them, it could be a potentially harmful snake or other adversary until it is determined otherwise.
Third, if you are ever presented with the honor of leading a racehorse ANYWHERE there is a very specific and correct way to handle the animal. Take the leadshank, make a loop with the end of the leather strap, and put your left hand through the loop. Then, take your right hand and grab control of the horse on the leather strap near his lip. That way, if the horse balks, and the rein is pulled from your right hand, you can still have control with the left hand. Loose horses are a danger to themselves and everyone in their path. D. Wayne Lukas’ son, Jeff, was horrifically injured as he courageously and nobly tried to stop a runaway. And, just recently at Churchill Downs, a young filly with a very bright future got loose on the track as she was preparing to breeze, attempted to “flee” back to her stall, and impaled herself on the rail beside the gate. Got your attention? Okay….reins in hand, press your right shoulder against the horse briefly and let him know that you are in control. Horses respond to authority and a chain of command. And, if you are not at the top of that chain, you are in a world of trouble. Give the leadshank a slight tug and let the horse know that you won’t tolerate any foolishness. And, finally, if you are uncomfortable, decline the invitation to lead the valuable animal. Better to have never known that to have known and erred in this case.
My dearest friend in the world gave me a Tony Leonard photograph of Secretariat many years ago. My friend graduated from MIT and lives in a neighboring state. When I lived on Ormsby Street in Old Louisville near the University of Louisville campus, he happened by me as I was sitting on my front porch reading The Daily Racing Form. “What’s that?” he asked innocently. My reply, “This ol’ thing? Why, it’s The Form.‘ Many dollars both won and lost later, he has his own teller at the OTB who knows to punch the tickets exactly as called out. My giving an MIT grad something like The Form like giving crack to an addict. Data be him!! He sees things in the dancing numbers that others would never comprehend.
This same friend called me one Friday evening when I was on the way to a New York Yankees game and said I might want to look at the Claiborne horse, Clash, in the ninth race at Churchill Downs. Putting said horse on top and bottom in the exacta would be prudent, in his opinion. I didn’t bother to visit an OTB, but a $14.20 win mutuel later, I think my friend made some coin that day! Then again, trips are usually worth exactly what they cost.
His spot on gift two decades ago of the Tony Leonard photo of Secretariat greets visitors to my wife’s and my New York home. However, there is a slight problem, as Secretariat’s left rein is perceptibly lower than the right. Clearly, the groom has been airbrushed out of the photo. Nobody who handles horses would allow any thoroughbred to walk unattended while reined. And, that fact is exponentially true of a horse like Secretariat. Weird things happen. The horse could get his leg tangled in the dangling reins. Remember how Alydar died? His leg was broken inside his stall…under somewhat mystifying circumstances. I still can’t believe the insurance company paid that claim.
I happen to be employed in the newspaper business. All media outlets are transmogrifying (with a nod toward the “Calvin and Hobbs” cartoon strip) from television stations, newspapers and magazines into information-delivery properties. That is a huge distinction because it used to be that readers/consumers/customers would go to a trusted source for information. Now? Not so much. Trusted brands are losing ground.
The massive internet search engines have dramatically changed the landscape. A user who is curious can access Google or Yahoo! for information. The media person who is way ahead of the game in terms of comprehending this huge change is Rupert Murdoch. His empire includes BskyB in the UK, Star in China, Fox in America and many newspapers, including my favorite…The New York Post. Page Six alone is worth bookmarking in your browser.
A recent Page Six mentioned Pat Riley, who wass also extensively profiled in the sports section that day. Anytime an NBA coach from another city is mentioned multiple times in different sections, that coach is absolutely big pimpin’. Riley is from upstate New York (so there is something of a local angle here) and he played college basketball under Adolph Rupp. He led the Los Angeles “Showtime” Lakers to multiple NBA titles, took the New York Knicks to the seventh game of the finals in search of the Larry O’Brien trophy, and then, won another title with the Miami Heat last week.
Riley’s beaming smile was broadcast one weekend at the pep rally in South Beach after the Heat championship. His dance moves on the podium were amazing. My Latina wife from the Bronx (who could dance credibly to the rhythm from an electric can opener) blurted out “Check him out! That man can MOVE!” when she saw the clip. That, my friends, is noteworthy praise.
My four older sisters taught me growing up in Kentucky always to dance when the chance presents itself and to dance like nobody’s watching. Pat Riley took that one a step further and learned to dance well. He looked like a man with more Lexington, Kentucky in his blood than Schenectady, New York.
I’d be willing to bet that Pat Riley also knows how to properly lead a racehorse. It is apparent to those of us who take pride in our state and our heritage that Pat Riley was “raised right.” Hats off to a true Bluegrass Ambassador.
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Monday, June 12, 2006
Jazil Deserving of Accolades on the “Big Stage”
by John Day
John Day was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He lives in New York and works on Wall Street.
Congratulations to Jazil and his connections, teenage sensation jockey Fernando Jara, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, and Shadwell Stable. As often happens in a momentous race, Jazil, in retrospect, looks to be an “If/Then” horse…if you liked either Bluegrass Cat or Steppenwolfer (and clearly many bettors did, judging from the toteboard), then you should have liked Jazil, since he ran a very credible fourth in the Kentucky Derby.
Pat Day’s sole Derby winner, Lil E. Tee, was just such an animal. If you liked Demons Begone in that race (the worst beaten favorite in Derby history, although the dismal performance can be attributed - in part - to hemorrahaging), then Lil E. Tee made sense.
Jazil, a Kentucky bred $725K auction purchase, rewarded his supporters in Elmont yesterday. He is an example of a horse that could have been overlooked for a more engaging story. He broke his maiden on Pearl Harbor day in his third start, then placed in a $33K allowance race on Groundhog day. After that, he stepped up to race numbly in stakes company for the first time in the Fountain of Youth, followed by an excellent effort in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct before his Derby race and redemption in his Belmont Stakes triumph. Jazil is a well-managed horse that fired on the biggest stages of all.
When I wrote in this space last week, “When connections skip the Preakness, Mommy needs a new pair of shoes to look pretty in the Belmont picture!,” I tabbed the wrong horse. It was Jazil’s handlers who needed to be sartorially splendid in Elmont yesterday. Jazil skipped Baltimore to prepare for Long Island. Sage move by McLaughlin and the owners.
My selection for the Belmont was High Finance. Although he only beat a couple of horses under the wire yesterday, his syndicate should be very proud. It was a great dream; and, that’s what horse racing partnerships provide.
To have a horse race on any level is a sublime experience. To have a horse race in a Triple Crown classic must be euphoria. And, so long as the horse comes back sound and cleans up the feed bucket, all is right with the world. If he earns a few dollars, that’s a bonus!
West Point Thoroughbreds participated in an innovative program this year. In each leg of the Triple Crown they offered 10% of a race horse in a drawing for New York Post readers. Syndicates (like Lisa’s Media Thoroughbred Group) appear to be the future of horse racing.
Kentuckians will find this hard to believe, but there are two events in Manhattan this weekend that will draw far more people than yesterday’s third jewel of the Triple Crown. The reported attendance at Belmont yesterday was in excess of 65,000 (I think they were counting eyeballs rather than people, but we’ll go with the NYRA’s figures). In Union Square today, the fourth annual New York barbeque festival will bring over 200,000. We’re hurting for barbeque in these parts. The fare is expensive and the wait on lines is grueling. In New York, we wait “on” lines rather than “in” them. Go figure….whatchagonnadoaboutit?
Larger still will be the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Police anticipate 1,000,000 plus to line Fifth Avenue! Onlookers will see more derrieres at this parade than a resident proctologist on rounds! Remember the classis Seinfeld episode in which Kramer stomped on a burning Puerto Rican flag? The wacky ensemble cast spend the rest of the episode evading a rather upset group of Puerto Rican descent. True humor usually has a kernel of truth at its’ core. Word - don’t be stomping anybody’s flag!!
Today at 1:00 - the day following the Belmont Stakes - the gate will spring open in Elmont for a $39K maiden claiming race at a mile on the turf course (that course is not to be confused with the inner turf course at Belmont). Business as usual. By the way, did you notice how massive Belmont Park is during the broadcast yesterday? The first time I visited it took me a while to figure out why it is unlike any other American racetrack. Then, it dawned on me like a thunderbolt: The track is one and a half times the size of most places. The grounds are enormous…just like the stage upon which Jazil etched his place in history yesterday afternoon. Well done all around.
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Friday, June 09, 2006
High Finance a favorite on Wall Street
by John Day
John Day was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He lives in New York and works on Wall Street.
It’s been raining so much in New York this week that Home Depot ran out of ark-quality lumber. The ground is saturated and water is bubbling up from the sewers in places. However, the Belmont grounds crew on Long Island is at peak-performance, as Thursday’s feature race - the Ormsby Stake - a mile for three year olds, was won by Storm Boot Gold and Mike Luzzi in 1:35.70.
Friday is forecast as vastly improved with Saturday dawning pristine; so, the Belmont Stakes should have a “clear and fast” path. Which horses will fire? Tough call.
A savvy horse racing writer, Ed Fountaine of the New York Post, wrote a Tuesday article extolling the virtues of High Finance. The writer makes a valid case for High Finance’s chances, as he possesses the highest Beyer figure in the field (103) and trainer Rick Violette skipped the Preakness to maximize his horse’s chances in the Belmont. The son of Talk is Money has Eibar Coa in the irons and has never failed to earn a check in six starts.
Trainers and owners don’t normally skip the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes for reasons that are self-evident. These races interrupt cocktail parties of the “horse crowd” cognoscenti (Belmont Stakes post time this year is 6:33 p.m…..drink up). When connections skip the Preakness, Mommy needs a new pair of shoes to look pretty in the Belmont picture!
Try to tune-in to the broadcast on Saturday afternoon to determine which colt looks the part. Years ago, I remember seeing Risen Star in the paddock prior to the Belmont Stakes and immediately noticing that the two proud grooms (and there were two busy grooms) had leadshanks criss-crossed under his chin trying to keep him earth-bound. Both grooms looked nervous and were working furiously. Check the DRF chart for Risen Star…only his daddy was faster.
At Churchill, “back in the day,” I vividly remember Wavering Monarch kicking the back wall of his stall so hard that I had to move away. He won easily that day.
My lifetime vision, however, is Easy Goer. He sauntered into the Saratoga paddock prior to the Travers. Each and every person in the paddock turned in unison and gave Easy Goer the brief “golfer’s clap” ovation, as he stole the scene with one ankle the size of a Florida grapefruit and a devastating attitude that would crush the field before the latches opened on the starting gate. Shug deserves props for that one.
I deal with Wall Street every day. High Finance appeals to me on many levels, from handicapping all the way down to polite conversation. Worth a bob or two?
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Monday, June 05, 2006
New York State of Mind
by John Day
John Day was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He lives in New York and works on Wall Street.
The Kentucky-born hardboot trainer Woody Stephens used to cackle “Tell them that those buildings get awful tall once you cross the Hudson River.” He’s right. New Yorkers play for keeps. Until you’ve done it here, it doesn’t really count.
Many good horses have recently captured the Derby and Preakness, only to find the Belmont a race too tough in too short a time span to have the words “The Great” affixed forever before their names are mentioned in perpetuity.
Secretariat’s Belmont still makes grown men lower their voices in reverance.
While the Kentucky Derby is a spectacle and the Preakness is a continuation of the party, the Belmont Stakes is a crescendo. The Derby is hell-bent for leather for two grueling minutes - with a lot of luck by the winner thrown into the mix - and Pimlico’s showcase has the tremendous fortune of falling between the real two Triple Crown jewels; but, undeniably it is the Belmont Stakes that identifies the most talented horse of his crop. “The Test of the Champion” is an apt description.
While Louisville is atwitter in early May, and Baltimore is rightly proud of the Preakness traditions, the Belmont Stakes is simply another sporting event on the crowded Gotham calendar here. Most telling is the fact that they load horses into the gate at one o’clock on the Sunday afternoon following the Belmont Stakes.
Clearly, the Triple Crown is special. Remove the hype and pageantry, the Belmont Stakes is the most special of them all…but only to those who know…because of the enormity of the stage.
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The “Maddest” Bet of All
New York–England and America are two countries divided by a common language.
The English use the word “mad” when they mean “crazy,” while we Yanks think of “angry” when we hear “mad.” The famous expression “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun” points out the distinction.
To this bettor, the Kentucky Derby Future Book wager amounts to a “mad” bet. Don’t misconstrue, it is a fun bet that helps hype the race (as if the race needs one iota of additional publicity) and engages casual bettors in the months and weeks prior to the Derby.
In fact, there is a 16-year-old teenager sitting in London right now with a $2 Future Book bet on Colonel John because I wanted to involve her and her father in the Kentucky Derby this year. The act of handing someone a $2 Win bet in snowy February on a “live” longshot (19-1) in the Derby is one of the most elemental and cheapest ways to pique a new fan’s interest. I suspect that a certain British family will gather around the telly at 11:06 p.m. London time on May 3rd to cheer on Colonel John (if he makes the starting gate). At the very least, they will remember Derby 134 for many years to come.
I’ll make sure that the Brits know how to muddle the mint properly for a julep.
However, as a betting strategy the Derby Future Book is mad, daft and loco. I’m not sure about other native Louisvillians, but my record is 1-for47 lifetime picking Derby winners (Barbaro 2006) so for anybody to offer me 9-2 on War Pass or 4-1 on Pyro on Sunday, March 9th seems like awfully poor odds. I should get 25-1 to pick any horse that will actually make the race, get a clean trip and wear the Roses. One could expect to get 3-1 or higher on Pyro and War Pass come Derby Day, so why accept only slightly better odds two months prior to the race? Show me a bettor who hits the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” button in the Future Book and I’ll show you a person who holds a disproportionate number of Muni bonds in their portfolio.
Bragging rights, that’s why you bet the Future Book!
It’s not so much about the money, it’s about crowing to your railbird buddies that you picked the Derby winner months before they drew the post positions. Sorry, months before they had pulled the pills to determine the selection order for the post positions in the “greatest two minutes in sports.” Note to the Triple Crown–please restore the random post position draw.
Bet bold! Remember, when you win, all you get is money. When you lose, you have a story for the rest of your life. “All Other 3-Year-Olds” doesn’t really lend itself to a gambling tale.
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The “Maddest” Bet of All
New York–England and America are two countries divided by a common language.
The English use the word “mad” when they mean “crazy,” while we Yanks think of “angry” when we hear “mad.” The famous expression “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun” points out the distinction.
To this bettor, the Kentucky Derby Future Book wager amounts to a “mad” bet. Don’t misconstrue, it is a fun bet that helps hype the race (as if the race needs one iota of additional publicity) and engages casual bettors in the months and weeks prior to the Derby.
In fact, there is a 16-year-old teenager sitting in London right now with a $2 Future Book bet on Colonel John because I wanted to involve her and her father in the Kentucky Derby this year. The act of handing someone a $2 Win bet in snowy February on a “live” longshot (19-1) in the Derby is one of the most elemental and cheapest ways to pique a new fan’s interest. I suspect that a certain British family will gather around the telly at 11:06 p.m. London time on May 3rd to cheer on Colonel John (if he makes the starting gate). At the very least, they will remember Derby 134 for many years to come.
I’ll make sure that the Brits know how to muddle the mint properly for a julep.
However, as a betting strategy the Derby Future Book is mad, daft and loco. I’m not sure about other native Louisvillians, but my record is 1-for47 lifetime picking Derby winners (Barbaro 2006) so for anybody to offer me 9-2 on War Pass or 4-1 on Pyro on Sunday, March 9th seems like awfully poor odds. I should get 25-1 to pick any horse that will actually make the race, get a clean trip and wear the Roses. One could expect to get 3-1 or higher on Pyro and War Pass come Derby Day, so why accept only slightly better odds two months prior to the race? Show me a bettor who hits the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” button in the Future Book and I’ll show you a person who holds a disproportionate number of Muni bonds in their portfolio.
Bragging rights, that’s why you bet the Future Book!
It’s not so much about the money, it’s about crowing to your railbird buddies that you picked the Derby winner months before they drew the post positions. Sorry, months before they had pulled the pills to determine the selection order for the post positions in the “greatest two minutes in sports.” Note to the Triple Crown–please restore the random post position draw.
Bet bold! Remember, when you win, all you get is money. When you lose, you have a story for the rest of your life. “All Other 3-Year-Olds” doesn’t really lend itself to a gambling tale.
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