In some of the most shocking news to ever have to report, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winner, I'll have another has been officially taken out of consideration for the Belmont and a possible date with history in winning the Triple Crown.
The horse who went out at 5:30 this morning to gallop, apparently came back off and its being stated that he has a tendon injury. Press Conference will be held at 1:00 PM today that will include his owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O'neill.
In all of my years as a horse racing fan, I dont think i've ever felt this much disappointment over news in the industry.
The air has been let out of the Ballon.
AAF
Showing posts with label Triple Crown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Triple Crown. Show all posts
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Simply Put -Opportunity Missed
By: Wesley D. White
Will this continue to be the statement made regarding horse racing? Will the leaders that govern the game of horse racing continue to drop the ball? The spectacle that is The Triple Crown, The Breeders Cup, in America at least seem to be so far removed from the reality of the way that this great sport should be treated. Curlin Vs Big Brown, Rachel Alexandra Vs Zenyatta, and now Havre De Grace vs. Blind Luck. Rivalries that either never materialized on the track or while being contested on the track have gone virtually unheard and ignored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
The decree from the NTRA and its governing body and many others in the industry is that people are not there in the stands to support the sport. People don’t put their money into the product, but what product are we supplying them. What mainstream publicity & marketing is there to hold on to as fans, and non fans of the sport?
Thinking back to 2008 when Big Brown was making his splash on the national scene, the publicity was horrible for his group of owners, they were viewed as crooks. Then to be trained by a conditioner with a laundry list of violations as long as most convicts rap sheets didn’t help the situation. But a budding rivalry was there for the taking. Curlin the defending HOY and top rated horse in the world was going about his business, as consistent as ever, Big Brown going into the Derby and Preakness undefeated stubbed his toe a bit in the Belmont, but lost nothing in defeat, he was a champion race horse. And what did the NTRA and their governing bodies do to put these two competitors on the national stage & on the track. Absolutely nothing, we know there was plenty of banter as Rick Dutrow talked the talk, remember his statement after the Haskell win, "Curlin couldn't win the Derby, we could, Curlin couldn't win [the Haskell], we could. Curlin got beat [by] a filly. We haven't. Our horse is undefeated on the grass. Curlin isn't. I don't know why people think Curlin is such a good horse. We're way better than Curlin."
Jess Jackson principle owner of Curlin came back in a statement and showed his hand when saying: "I don't know that there is any horse his equal right now and I loved to match Big Brown," said Jess Jackson, owner of Curlin. "I never thought he (Big Brown) was as good but I've always wanted to find out? At the wire you find out. That's when you know what you have."
So the setting was there, the table was set everything was in place for the NTRA to communicate with both sets of connections, set up the race, there were plenty of options and ample time before the Breeders Cup for the two warriors to square off a couple of times before the Cup. The Woodward run at Saratoga and the JCGC run at Belmont were both the most logical spots, and that is where champion horses run. But there was no movement by the NTRA or anyone else for that matter; they both went their separate ways. We all know what happened, as BB suffered an injury and Curlin finished out his career at Santa Anita in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
What are we to make of these developments, or the lack there of? Well the industry is suffering, and it seems as if someone is waiting for some miracle to occur that fixes the problem. Instead of being proactive and jumping at the opportunity to put our stars on the front page of the media and engage the general public, those that govern horse racing figure that it should stand on it’s on. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way, and what better way to invigorate the industry than to start with the body that governs horse racing. The game previously was for the older, upper class citizens who would spend their time and money at racetracks across the country. It seems as if this is the demographic of those on the committees making decisions for the ntra. I would see the need for some younger blood or move innovative thinking members to take the reins. Forward thinking, now that’s a concept that we’ve not seen in a very long time, anticipating what might work out much better in the future. Therefore putting a vice grip on the younger audience and those women that have always thought that horse racing was a man’s pastime.
Innovative thinking is what propels great companies to do even greater things in the future. Innovative thinking means making it more attractive to place your horse in a certain race to run against another that would be considered a rival. The NTRA could step in and state that if both Big Brown and Curlin entered the starting gate of the Woodward that: all nomination fees, all shipping fees, all vetting fees and a 50,000 incentive check would go to each set of connections, advertise the race and purchase an hour on a national television station. The buildup would have been amazing. The race would have been something for the ages. More than anything though horse racing would have been center stage on a Saturday night with the two top horses in the world or at least the Unites States running at Saratoga. Is this Missed Opportunity instead of Forward or Innovative thinking?
We won’t rehash the Rachel Alexandra vs. Zenyatta situation. I believe there was some form of ducking and rightfully so coming from each side. The consensus nationwide though especially after Rachel garnered the attention she did by winning the Oaks by 20 and then wheeling back two weeks and defeating males, was that these two super stars needed to meet a couple of times at the very least. Missed opportunity, absolutely, the only races that would have been appropriate for these two would have been the Personal Ensign and the Beldame. Both of these races could have easily been on the schedule of both superstars. There didn’t need to be much forward thinking with this one, it just needed to be common sense and the will power to make it happen. Instead of doing that the powers that be sat on their hands and allowed both fillies to go their way and missed most likely the greatest opportunity and spectacle in the history of the sport. Incredible Kudos to Charles Cella to try to make the super race happen at Oaklawn, unfortunately both stars were not at full steam by Mid April. Is this missed opportunity instead of forward or innovative thinking?
Moving forward to 2011, and coming out of 2010 two fillies, one on the East coast and another on the West coast had met a few times on the track. This rivalry actually took place on the track in 2010 with Blind Luck having a 3-1 edge over all and a 2-1 edge in races which one of the fillies triumphed. It really wouldn’t have taken a great deal in 2011 to get this rivalry budding and on the thoughts and minds of people. The First matchup at Oaklawn Park went by with very little if any fanfare, as Havre De Grace triumphed by almost 4 lengths in the Azeri Stakes. Opportunity Missed, to the fullest, but there was plenty of time left in the year of racing. Going forward the two fillies went their separate way for the next race, prep for the Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park. One would assume with such a colossal clash of the titans ranked #1 and #2 in the NTRA poll that the industry would show by means of publicity and marketing that they wanted to get behind these two great horses prior to this race. Unfortunately not, nowhere in the main stream media was this race made mention of, and what an opportunity lost here as these two dueled with each other double digit lengths in front of the nearest competitor to the finish line with Blind Luck winning by the length of a nose over her rival. Stuff of legends, easily, unfortunately only, and I repeat only die hard race fans were able to witness such a stirring renewal of the rivalry. What makes it worse is the fact that the race was not guaranteed to go off until the weights had been released by the racing secretary and one set of connections received the two pound allowance that was afforded their filly. The Trainer stating in an interview afterwards: “I thought she should get some weight from Havre de Grace,’’ Hollendorfer said. “I wasn’t going to run if they put me at equal weights or gave me a pound. They gave us two pounds. We’re coming into her backyard.’’ This did not deter either side as they both showed up and gave a performance that will go down in history as one of the great female 1 ¼ races in history. Where was the national media, where was ntra with the marketing and promotions and publicity. They were nowhere to be found.
This article is being written on August 9th of 2011, and as of approximately less than a month ago the NTRA released a website promoting the rivalry. I again give a great deal of credit to Bob Ehalt a writer at NTRA who has kept the rivalry on the front page of that website as much as possible, but in viewing the website created for the rivalry, I wonder if there wasn’t a more professional way to put this together, this showcase of the top two runners in America. Is this missed opportunity instead of forward or innovative thinking?
As a lover of the sport of Kings, myself like many others only want what’s best for the game and for the industry as a whole. The problem we are faced with right now is not an insurmountable one; it’s one that needs fixing by means of some shake up at the core or foundation of the entities that govern the sport. As of right now they are doing so in a very passive manner, the sport should have new blood willing to take chances, yes mistakes might be made, but that is going to be considered better than not doing anything at all. Promote big days of racing, and I am referring to more than just the “Summers’ at Saratoga” campaign, although a wonderful program, there are times when racing dates like this just don’t fit the regular mold of what one would consider a marketing bonanza. These two fillies Havre De Grace and Blind Luck, they are your marketing bonanza, there for the older and more experienced race fans, they are there for the young fans or newbies if you will and they are there for the ladies to latch onto, and be diehard fans of both. I would hope that we see change in the future so that the game can progress by means of innovative, forward planning and thinking, why, so that main stream America can know exactly who these superstars on the race track are and therefore giving the game the chance to not only be known as the “sport of kings” but the “Sport of the people”.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Triple Crown Trail/Train Wreck
Normally the trail to the Triple Crown gives us exciting finishes in the top prep races run throughout the early portion of the winter/spring. This years renewal of the preps for the Triple Crown has done just the opposite. Some say that this is the worst crop of 3 year olds since 2008 when Big Brown won the Derby from the 20 post, I would tend to agree that these colts are at least that mediocre, and one of the worst groups of 3 yr olds we’ve seen in quite some time. Some say run a filly in the Derby, their times are very similar, as a matter of fact R Heat Lightening ran her Oaks Prep a full second faster than Dialed In in the Florida Derby 24 hours later. The banter for a filly to run in the Derby is legitimate, and two that I think would stand a fantastic chance of doing well are Zazu and Joyful Victory. Both are horses that relax and rate and would not find much trouble running past this group of Grade III 3 year olds.
Here are a few topics that really matter this time of year when it comes to dealing with those who should be considered as Contenders compared to Pretenders.
“Consider the times” – some people want to throw out times, especially when their favorite horse wins a race in a mediocre time or is just simply a slow horse, Dialed In falls into this category, the fact that Nick Zito is able to sell a dime store horse for a million dollar price to some on these blogs and horse racing fans in general gives indication that more and more are thinking with their hearts and not their heads. Closing the final 1/8th of a mile in almost 14 seconds took me off this horses band wagon, and well actually it should have knocked the wheels off the band wagon. Going forward some thought that Zito would crank the horse to get him ready for the Derby, if the 4f breeze in and uninspiring :49 gives you indication of being cranked, please feel free to lower his odds to 2-1 come post time. The objective handicapper would not take that chance.
“Consider the Conditioning”- humans make mistakes, but underestimating the movement forward of 3 year olds this time of year by Todd Pletcher (oh yeah an eclipse award winning trainer) and running his horse short in the Wood Memorial off a series of slow works that gave no indication of building a foundation, and then the quirky prep schedule that put Uncle MO on target to contest another 8.5f race impressively, well words can’t describe the disappointment of watching this horse struggle home the final ¼ mile in the Wood. The horse was short, that is all there was to it, when breaking the gates did he break like a horse with a GI issue, excuses of that nature don’t fly with me when dealing with horses that are raked with a fine tooth comb almost every day of their lives, can he bounce back, maybe, is that likely, absolutely not, his best bet is to look for 9f races down the line to try to garner 3 year old honors. Right now ArchArchArch leads in that category with at least 2 Graded stakes win.
“Consider the pedigree” The factor ran to his pedigree on Saturday at Oaklawn Park, breaking sharp but being out footed to the lead by a couple of horses that were better out of the gate, he was in trouble early, and he didn’t like taking dirt and he didn’t like have to rate with a hold on him, these things show up when a sprinter with the need to lead type running style has to take back for the first time, he resented other horses being beside and in front of him, when they hit the stretch he ranged up and then he spit the bit, not sure if that signals good things to come for this horse at a route of ground but I would tend to say no. What does he have, he does possess amazing speed that he can carry about a mile or so, and so leave him at that, let him take on Goldikova in the BC Mile, or maybe look at the Met Mile and other prestigious races. Be smart and take care of your horse, take a page from the connections of Turbulent Descent, they recognized that 9f was asking too much of their filly and took her back to sprints, there is nothing at all wrong with that. Some just have the Derby Fever and can’t leave well enough alone.
Lastly “Consider the Excuse or Excuses” There are plenty of them out there, what will you do when your horse loses. Find a vet that will validate (1) a small health concern, don’t step up to the plate and say in all honesty “I had him short today”, (2) he’s not cranked, that was the excuse for Dialed In running so slow in the Fl Derby, (3) Equipment Change, anyone ever heard of “If it aint broke don’t fix it” adding blinkers, removing blinkers, figure Eight, I mean what else would we need to do to see if we can’t get the horse to run faster. Resorting to these measures says that something isn’t right, but then when the horse resents it and throws in a clunker you want to go back to square 1, for what reason, I guess because you want a result like the one you received in the Gotham when a horse like Stay Thirsty wins by 4 lengths. “Displaced Palate” – probably legitimate, but you never know, saving face with that one in terms of The Factor is certainly not needed, he’s respected and always will be so hopefully they will get that fixed and Garcia will not be “Grabbing a hold of the horse” in the future so he can run his race. (4) Injuries have taken their toll on the Graded Earnings list. Tapizar, Clubhouse Ride, Permier Pegasus, Author’s Tale, boys of Tosconova , there are others I may be missing but these things happen, for some reason over half mentioned on this list come from California, why is that, why can’t they get their track right to stop the injuries. Hopefully there will be a fix soon, but the Derby Trail is affected by defections like this and its sad to see for these connections.
The Derby being wide open is an understatement, never before have we seen it like this, with such a group of inconsistent, sometimes slow horses, hopefully someone will emerge, and I see that horse being Nehro. Sleep on him if you want. He wants 10f and will get it on May 7. You heard it here.
Here are a few topics that really matter this time of year when it comes to dealing with those who should be considered as Contenders compared to Pretenders.
“Consider the times” – some people want to throw out times, especially when their favorite horse wins a race in a mediocre time or is just simply a slow horse, Dialed In falls into this category, the fact that Nick Zito is able to sell a dime store horse for a million dollar price to some on these blogs and horse racing fans in general gives indication that more and more are thinking with their hearts and not their heads. Closing the final 1/8th of a mile in almost 14 seconds took me off this horses band wagon, and well actually it should have knocked the wheels off the band wagon. Going forward some thought that Zito would crank the horse to get him ready for the Derby, if the 4f breeze in and uninspiring :49 gives you indication of being cranked, please feel free to lower his odds to 2-1 come post time. The objective handicapper would not take that chance.
“Consider the Conditioning”- humans make mistakes, but underestimating the movement forward of 3 year olds this time of year by Todd Pletcher (oh yeah an eclipse award winning trainer) and running his horse short in the Wood Memorial off a series of slow works that gave no indication of building a foundation, and then the quirky prep schedule that put Uncle MO on target to contest another 8.5f race impressively, well words can’t describe the disappointment of watching this horse struggle home the final ¼ mile in the Wood. The horse was short, that is all there was to it, when breaking the gates did he break like a horse with a GI issue, excuses of that nature don’t fly with me when dealing with horses that are raked with a fine tooth comb almost every day of their lives, can he bounce back, maybe, is that likely, absolutely not, his best bet is to look for 9f races down the line to try to garner 3 year old honors. Right now ArchArchArch leads in that category with at least 2 Graded stakes win.
“Consider the pedigree” The factor ran to his pedigree on Saturday at Oaklawn Park, breaking sharp but being out footed to the lead by a couple of horses that were better out of the gate, he was in trouble early, and he didn’t like taking dirt and he didn’t like have to rate with a hold on him, these things show up when a sprinter with the need to lead type running style has to take back for the first time, he resented other horses being beside and in front of him, when they hit the stretch he ranged up and then he spit the bit, not sure if that signals good things to come for this horse at a route of ground but I would tend to say no. What does he have, he does possess amazing speed that he can carry about a mile or so, and so leave him at that, let him take on Goldikova in the BC Mile, or maybe look at the Met Mile and other prestigious races. Be smart and take care of your horse, take a page from the connections of Turbulent Descent, they recognized that 9f was asking too much of their filly and took her back to sprints, there is nothing at all wrong with that. Some just have the Derby Fever and can’t leave well enough alone.
Lastly “Consider the Excuse or Excuses” There are plenty of them out there, what will you do when your horse loses. Find a vet that will validate (1) a small health concern, don’t step up to the plate and say in all honesty “I had him short today”, (2) he’s not cranked, that was the excuse for Dialed In running so slow in the Fl Derby, (3) Equipment Change, anyone ever heard of “If it aint broke don’t fix it” adding blinkers, removing blinkers, figure Eight, I mean what else would we need to do to see if we can’t get the horse to run faster. Resorting to these measures says that something isn’t right, but then when the horse resents it and throws in a clunker you want to go back to square 1, for what reason, I guess because you want a result like the one you received in the Gotham when a horse like Stay Thirsty wins by 4 lengths. “Displaced Palate” – probably legitimate, but you never know, saving face with that one in terms of The Factor is certainly not needed, he’s respected and always will be so hopefully they will get that fixed and Garcia will not be “Grabbing a hold of the horse” in the future so he can run his race. (4) Injuries have taken their toll on the Graded Earnings list. Tapizar, Clubhouse Ride, Permier Pegasus, Author’s Tale, boys of Tosconova , there are others I may be missing but these things happen, for some reason over half mentioned on this list come from California, why is that, why can’t they get their track right to stop the injuries. Hopefully there will be a fix soon, but the Derby Trail is affected by defections like this and its sad to see for these connections.
The Derby being wide open is an understatement, never before have we seen it like this, with such a group of inconsistent, sometimes slow horses, hopefully someone will emerge, and I see that horse being Nehro. Sleep on him if you want. He wants 10f and will get it on May 7. You heard it here.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Rachel Alexandra - The Preakness Conspiracy
This is absolutely the most ridiculous situation I've ever come across during my time of being a horse racing fan. Here is the summation from thoroughbred.com:
"The owners of Mine That Bird and Pioneerof the Nile began the day on Sunday by revealing that they were going to do what they could to keep Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra out of the Preakness Stakes (G1). By the end of the day, after hours of controversy and hand-wringing by Thoroughbred racing officials and fans alike, both parties decided they would do no such thing and would not try to prevent the Kentucky Oaks winner from taking on the boys in the middle leg of the Triple Crown.
Since Rachel Alexandra was not nominated to the Triple Crown, she would have to be supplemented to the Preakness for $100,000 by new owner Jess Jackson, and she could not take the place of a nominated horse if the race draws more than the maximum of 14 starters. Mark Allen, the co-owner of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird, said early on Sunday that he planned to enter a nominated maiden named Indy Express in the Preakness. Ahmed Zayat, the owner and breeder of Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, also said on Sunday morning that he planned to enter at least one additional horse. Zayat led all owners with 22 nominees to the Triple Crown.
Both Allen and Zayat acknowledged that they wanted Rachel Alexandra to be excluded. “I just want my rider back,” said Allen, referring to jockey Calvin Borel’s decision to ride Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness rather than Mine That Bird. Borel piloted the Medaglia d’Oro filly to a dominant 20 ¼ victory in the Oaks (video).
Zayat originally said he had both business and personal reasons for wanting to avoid Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.
“I want my chance for revenge with Mine That Bird,” Zayat said. “It’s also a business decision.”
Zayat said he had received numerous calls from owners and breeders encouraging him to use the power that he has to bump Rachel Alexandra. “People are concerned that it would not be for the good of the sport,” Zayat said. “Nobody wants a situation like we had last year with Eight Belles.” Zayat also received a call on Sunday morning from Allen, urging him to help push the filly out. Allen said he did not think fillies should race against colts at this stage of their careers. He also said entering the maiden, who is winless in nine starts, was a business decision. Allen said the colt would not be scratched and would run in the Preakness.
“He’s a good colt; I can tell you one thing, he won’t be last,” Allen said of the A.P. Indy colt trained by Joe Merrick. Zayat also indicated that he would scratch any horses he entered other than Pioneerof the Nile.
As the drama continued throughout the afternoon, industry professionals and racing fans made their feelings known.
"If that’s what we’ve come to, it’s a sad state of affairs," Maryland Racing Commisision Chairman John Franzone said. "If you’re doing it to prohibit this horse from being in, it’s just not good. The point is, if you truly think you have the best horse, you take on all comers, you don’t try to manipulate it so there’s an advantage."
Franzone did, however, admit that there was not much Maryland Jockey Club officials could do in the event that Zayat and Allen did try to keep Rachel Alexandra from the field.
"What if the Maryland Jockey Club just said, no, this is bad for our event? They’d be sued," he said. "Somebody would probably come to the racing commission and ask for an immediate decision. I can’t sit here and quote all the regulations, but I don’t think we have the wherewithal to stop someone from entering an open race."
Several hours later, both Zayat and Allen had backpedaled and dramatically changed their tunes.
Late Sunday afternoon, Zayat—who said he received a call from The Jockey Club—told Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas that he intended to enter only Pioneerof the Nile.
In an interview later in the afternoon on Television Games Network (TVG), Zayat said he would do what was best for the fans of the sport.
“Her former owner’s original plan was not to run in the Preakness. He said he had respect for the industry, and that the Triple Crown was to showcase the three-year-old colts and future stallions. I have never heard of a jockey moving from a Kentucky Derby winner to ride another horse. I find it disrespectful for America’s most coveted race. Considering all these factors, along with what I heard from other owners and breeders, I decided I would do what was in the best interest for all of us. To be honest with you, I’m not playing saint and am not above everything else. I have a vested interest; it was a business decision.
“One other criteria for me, I like playing by the rules. All these colts from the very beginning have had to compete and go through the regimen and tough scheduling and go from one race to another to get graded earnings, and that puts a lot of stress on them. And in all fairness, she did not have to go through all that, and her previous owners did not even bother to nominate her to the Triple Crown, and then someone else comes in and tries to change the name of the game and the rules in the middle of the game and I think that is unfair. I’m not against the filly running against the boys. Who am I to say that? But I am questioning the two-week interval. Why not give her a freshening and run her in the Belmont? Two weeks for a filly. Does our sport need another Eight Belles? We all know what happened to Rags to Riches after her race in the Belmont. We all know what happened to Ruffian. I did not want to have that part of it on my watch.
“Nevertheless, after getting off the phone from the president of The Jockey Club, who told me what he had been hearing, I have decided I don’t want to be viewed as not being a sportsman, so I am happy not to block her for the good of the game. Please understand this is not about me; this is about the industry, and although what is right is not very clear to me, I am happy to reconsider my decision for the fans.”
Later in the day, Mark Allen also retracted his earlier plans to block Rachel Alexandra from the race.
"I was thinking about entering a maiden in the Preakness to get Calvin back and to keep that filly out of the race," Allen told Sports Illustrated. "But that ain't right. I ain't gonna do it. It just ain't the right thing to do.
"I was hanging out with my girlfriend and riding my Harley around and I got to thinking about it. It just ain't right. And when you do things that ain't right, it'll come back on you.
"She might kick our butts, but she deserves a shot. Myself, I wouldn't run her against the boys. I'd go for the filly Triple Crown. But she ain't my filly. She may outrun us and she may not. But I ain't gonna stop her from running."
Jackson, who along with Harold T. McCormick purchased Rachel Alexandra earlier in the week, said through all of the controversy that he still planned to enter the filly in the Preakness.
"Rachel Alexandra had an impressive workout today, and she is ready to run in the Preakness," Jackson said. "Since it's Mother's Day, I wish I could announce to all mothers everywhere that this incredible filly is entered to take on the boys, but Triple Crown rules may prevent us from sending her to Pimlico. I want the fans to know we are prepared to enter her, and I am hopeful that her entry will be accepted. I know we all want the thrill of seeing Rachel Alexandra race next weekend."
Zayat said he also had been encouraged by a representative of Marylou Whitney, the owner of Mine That Bird’s sire, Birdstone. Whitney plans to start Luv Gov, who won a maiden race on Derby undercard (video), in the Preakness.
Luv Gov's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, said the colt's presence would have nothing to do with Rachel Alexandra. “We think he has a legitimate chance,” Lukas said. “It has nothing to do with keeping the filly out. When I called [Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coleman Blind] I asked him how many they had and he said 13. It has nothing to do with Rachel Alexandra. We want to run.”
As a fan of the sport, and a lover of thoroughbreds, let me just chime in and this is outrageous, this is as bad for the game of horse racing as Manny Ramirez's suspension from baseball for doping. Bad sportsmanship is not something that should be tolerated and just the fact that the owners would make a statement of this nature should lead to suspensions and huge fines. I don't like this for the game of horse racing and I hate this for the connections of the filly. I guess we will see what develops.
"The owners of Mine That Bird and Pioneerof the Nile began the day on Sunday by revealing that they were going to do what they could to keep Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra out of the Preakness Stakes (G1). By the end of the day, after hours of controversy and hand-wringing by Thoroughbred racing officials and fans alike, both parties decided they would do no such thing and would not try to prevent the Kentucky Oaks winner from taking on the boys in the middle leg of the Triple Crown.
Since Rachel Alexandra was not nominated to the Triple Crown, she would have to be supplemented to the Preakness for $100,000 by new owner Jess Jackson, and she could not take the place of a nominated horse if the race draws more than the maximum of 14 starters. Mark Allen, the co-owner of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird, said early on Sunday that he planned to enter a nominated maiden named Indy Express in the Preakness. Ahmed Zayat, the owner and breeder of Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, also said on Sunday morning that he planned to enter at least one additional horse. Zayat led all owners with 22 nominees to the Triple Crown.
Both Allen and Zayat acknowledged that they wanted Rachel Alexandra to be excluded. “I just want my rider back,” said Allen, referring to jockey Calvin Borel’s decision to ride Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness rather than Mine That Bird. Borel piloted the Medaglia d’Oro filly to a dominant 20 ¼ victory in the Oaks (video).
Zayat originally said he had both business and personal reasons for wanting to avoid Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.
“I want my chance for revenge with Mine That Bird,” Zayat said. “It’s also a business decision.”
Zayat said he had received numerous calls from owners and breeders encouraging him to use the power that he has to bump Rachel Alexandra. “People are concerned that it would not be for the good of the sport,” Zayat said. “Nobody wants a situation like we had last year with Eight Belles.” Zayat also received a call on Sunday morning from Allen, urging him to help push the filly out. Allen said he did not think fillies should race against colts at this stage of their careers. He also said entering the maiden, who is winless in nine starts, was a business decision. Allen said the colt would not be scratched and would run in the Preakness.
“He’s a good colt; I can tell you one thing, he won’t be last,” Allen said of the A.P. Indy colt trained by Joe Merrick. Zayat also indicated that he would scratch any horses he entered other than Pioneerof the Nile.
As the drama continued throughout the afternoon, industry professionals and racing fans made their feelings known.
"If that’s what we’ve come to, it’s a sad state of affairs," Maryland Racing Commisision Chairman John Franzone said. "If you’re doing it to prohibit this horse from being in, it’s just not good. The point is, if you truly think you have the best horse, you take on all comers, you don’t try to manipulate it so there’s an advantage."
Franzone did, however, admit that there was not much Maryland Jockey Club officials could do in the event that Zayat and Allen did try to keep Rachel Alexandra from the field.
"What if the Maryland Jockey Club just said, no, this is bad for our event? They’d be sued," he said. "Somebody would probably come to the racing commission and ask for an immediate decision. I can’t sit here and quote all the regulations, but I don’t think we have the wherewithal to stop someone from entering an open race."
Several hours later, both Zayat and Allen had backpedaled and dramatically changed their tunes.
Late Sunday afternoon, Zayat—who said he received a call from The Jockey Club—told Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas that he intended to enter only Pioneerof the Nile.
In an interview later in the afternoon on Television Games Network (TVG), Zayat said he would do what was best for the fans of the sport.
“Her former owner’s original plan was not to run in the Preakness. He said he had respect for the industry, and that the Triple Crown was to showcase the three-year-old colts and future stallions. I have never heard of a jockey moving from a Kentucky Derby winner to ride another horse. I find it disrespectful for America’s most coveted race. Considering all these factors, along with what I heard from other owners and breeders, I decided I would do what was in the best interest for all of us. To be honest with you, I’m not playing saint and am not above everything else. I have a vested interest; it was a business decision.
“One other criteria for me, I like playing by the rules. All these colts from the very beginning have had to compete and go through the regimen and tough scheduling and go from one race to another to get graded earnings, and that puts a lot of stress on them. And in all fairness, she did not have to go through all that, and her previous owners did not even bother to nominate her to the Triple Crown, and then someone else comes in and tries to change the name of the game and the rules in the middle of the game and I think that is unfair. I’m not against the filly running against the boys. Who am I to say that? But I am questioning the two-week interval. Why not give her a freshening and run her in the Belmont? Two weeks for a filly. Does our sport need another Eight Belles? We all know what happened to Rags to Riches after her race in the Belmont. We all know what happened to Ruffian. I did not want to have that part of it on my watch.
“Nevertheless, after getting off the phone from the president of The Jockey Club, who told me what he had been hearing, I have decided I don’t want to be viewed as not being a sportsman, so I am happy not to block her for the good of the game. Please understand this is not about me; this is about the industry, and although what is right is not very clear to me, I am happy to reconsider my decision for the fans.”
Later in the day, Mark Allen also retracted his earlier plans to block Rachel Alexandra from the race.
"I was thinking about entering a maiden in the Preakness to get Calvin back and to keep that filly out of the race," Allen told Sports Illustrated. "But that ain't right. I ain't gonna do it. It just ain't the right thing to do.
"I was hanging out with my girlfriend and riding my Harley around and I got to thinking about it. It just ain't right. And when you do things that ain't right, it'll come back on you.
"She might kick our butts, but she deserves a shot. Myself, I wouldn't run her against the boys. I'd go for the filly Triple Crown. But she ain't my filly. She may outrun us and she may not. But I ain't gonna stop her from running."
Jackson, who along with Harold T. McCormick purchased Rachel Alexandra earlier in the week, said through all of the controversy that he still planned to enter the filly in the Preakness.
"Rachel Alexandra had an impressive workout today, and she is ready to run in the Preakness," Jackson said. "Since it's Mother's Day, I wish I could announce to all mothers everywhere that this incredible filly is entered to take on the boys, but Triple Crown rules may prevent us from sending her to Pimlico. I want the fans to know we are prepared to enter her, and I am hopeful that her entry will be accepted. I know we all want the thrill of seeing Rachel Alexandra race next weekend."
Zayat said he also had been encouraged by a representative of Marylou Whitney, the owner of Mine That Bird’s sire, Birdstone. Whitney plans to start Luv Gov, who won a maiden race on Derby undercard (video), in the Preakness.
Luv Gov's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, said the colt's presence would have nothing to do with Rachel Alexandra. “We think he has a legitimate chance,” Lukas said. “It has nothing to do with keeping the filly out. When I called [Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coleman Blind] I asked him how many they had and he said 13. It has nothing to do with Rachel Alexandra. We want to run.”
As a fan of the sport, and a lover of thoroughbreds, let me just chime in and this is outrageous, this is as bad for the game of horse racing as Manny Ramirez's suspension from baseball for doping. Bad sportsmanship is not something that should be tolerated and just the fact that the owners would make a statement of this nature should lead to suspensions and huge fines. I don't like this for the game of horse racing and I hate this for the connections of the filly. I guess we will see what develops.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"King of Kings"
I want to take a moment to welcome a Brand New Blogger to the AfleetAlexForever BlogSpot. His name is Marcus Schmidli and he will be sharing a great deal of his Horse Racing knowledge with us. So without further ado, here is the first edition of the
"Marcus in Seattle" Files.
King of Kings
By Marcus Schmidli
"Curlin has proven himself across two continents with 16 starts, the honor of 2007 Horse of the Year and the greatest North American money-earner in racing history."
-Jess Jackson.
His racing career was over in a flash. Passed by two European horses in the final furlongs of the Breeders Cup Classic. His defeat was a polarizing moment in horse racing. For some, it allowed them to cash in on a big pay day. For a few, it allowed them to fist pump at the notion of "their" Zenyatta becoming horse of the year. And for others, namely me, that defeat was the one of the most painful moments of my young life.
You see, I'm 22. I'm immune to fear. I have very little worries aside from the normal day to day inconveniences. And very rarely, if ever, have I been troubled or saddened deeply by the loss of a loved one. But when I saw that Curlin hadn't managed to hit the board in his final race, I wept. That might be an odd way of dealing with the emotion surrounding the race. I could have rejoiced in Curlin's triumphs of the past, I know. But the past wasn't of any significance to me. Only the future. In the moments after the race, it hit me as it hit many for the first time, that the race I had just witnessed was most certainly Curlin's last. There was no future.
And with that powerful knowledge came the horrific feeling I had rarely felt. I felt as if I had lost a family member. Call it silly. Call it crazy. Call me what you will. I've never had a hard time saying goodbye to a horse, simply, because I've never been attached to one before. That very reason is why I was hit so hard and rocked to the core when I saw how all of this would play out. Underneath all of the speculation that Curlin would return for a 5 year old campaign, I secretly knew all that was too good to be true. Why would someone in this day and age allow an animal to do that? Why risk it? Why not go the way of Street Sense and Hard Spun, two horses who dazzled us and then left the sport as quickly as they entered it? Why even get your hopes up? Those lingering questions are rhetorical in some sense. We all know the answers before we ask, sometimes even if we don't want to hear them. Curlin racing at five was a pipe dream. And to be blunt, so was Curlin racing at four.
And so, in 16 starts, I got to witness 11 thrilling victories, one memorable loss to a filly who was out of this world, and many other races against top competition. Of the new decade, I have a hard time finding better statistics to build a colt's legacy. Tiznow winning back to back Classics is right there. But other than him, who really stood out? I saw Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro, Big Brown, Funny Cide and many others just as you have. I saw many horses fail in their attempt to becoming a Triple Crown winner. I saw one horse fail to fight off an infection and I saw a few horses who were wildly overrated in some sense. But what I witnessed these last two years with Curlin, was more than memorable. It was a religious experience to some degree. It brought a collective pool of race fans together to cheer for a horse who wasn't running for a Triple Crown but rather, immortality. And isn't that what the sport is about? Legacies. History. Tradition.
After watching Curlin win the Dubai World Cup this last year, I wrote this about the horse:"...No horse ever instilled more confidence in bettors, owners, trainers, fans and his jockey than Curlin. There hasn't been a race where he looks out matched or out classed. There hasn't been a race where he looked annoyed or rattled. I haven't seen him make a mistake in a race aside from maybe going too wide in the final turn at Belmont. All he does is win. And he wins big. Every time he takes the track he reminds me, with his elegance and superiority, that horse racing might still have a very bright future ahead."
I stand by that quote to this day. Curlin might not have won every race. But anyone who got to see him run felt privileged regardless of the outcome. I'm sure in the future, his records will be surpassed and people won't acknowledge what he gave to the sport these last few years. But I'm 22, I'm young and I haven't been witness to Spectacular Bid or Seattle Slew. I don't know Alysheba or Sunday Silence. All I know is what I'm able to see. What I've always been taught by my father was that horse racing is "The Sport of Kings." Maybe each era of racing has it's own king. THIS era belongs to Curlin. Farewell and thank you for the memories.
Long live the King!
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