Phar Lap Mystery Solved
June 19, 2008
Phar Lap is undoubtedly the greatest race horse in the history of Australia. I recently found an article on Yahoo.com detailing the cause of his death. For years it has been a great mystery, but scientists determined on June 19 that Arsenic poisioning was the cause. You can find the article here.
Some of Phar Lap’s most notable wins came in the Melbourne Cup, which he won twice. Perhaps his greatest victory was in the long forgotten Agua Caliente Handicap. At the time it was the richest race in North America. Click here to read more about Phar Lap. The above is rare footage of Phar Lap winning the Agua Caliente Handicap!
All Along Stakes
June 19, 2008
All Along Stakes
#1 Palmilla- Rosemary Homeister Jr will be in the irons for this one. She is a stalker/closer type runner who just doesn’t seem to have enough left in the tank at the end of the race. She is going to have a hard time in this race. The entry patterns of the owner have her on the outside looking in.
#1A Royal Pleasure- The entry captured an allowance event at Keeneland last out in October of 2007. Her last work was a bullet 5 furlong move in 59 2/5 B. With the layoff to deal with, there is no telling how she will run. I would watch this race, and catch her next time out.
#2 Lady Digby- The white hot Jeremy Rose will be riding this one. He has had this filly for her past two races and in those two races she won a minor stakes and finished second in a grade 3. I don’t like her chances for the win, but at 6-1 I would include her underneath in my exotics.
#3 Indescribable- Ran a monster race last time out to capture a grade 3 event at Arlington Park. The quicker the pace, the better for this filly. She is not without a chance here, I would include her second, and third on my exotic wagers.
#4 Eclisse- A smart man once told me this; never discount lone speed. This filly at 20-1 looks like she could be just that. She has been running against top class fillies such as Mauralakana, and the rollback in distance should help her ration that speed better. Deadly at 20-1; use in all three spots in your exotics.
#5 Dancing Band- This filly has serious class questions to answer. She will also need some fractions to run at, so I will not be using her.
#6 J’Ray- The connections are probably happy to know that Mauralakana is not in this race, as J’Ray has lost to her three consecutive times. I think this distance suits J’Ray better than her previous two attempts at 1 3/8. Coa is going to have to tend to the early pace, and make sure he stays within striking distance. I’m not sure how she will run, but I would use her second and third, and if your feeling feisty I’d throw her in on top.
#7 High Moment- Throw this one out.
#8 Valbenny- The connections on this horse are the exact same as for Barbaro; just thought I’d point that out. She will have a hard time due to the lack of pace. However, she is too classy to not use. I’d use her second and third.
#9 Rutherienne- Christophe Clemente, the king of the turf is the trainer for this filly. Garrett Gomez, arguably the best in the land as far as jockeys go, will be in the irons. She is my choice for the win based on the classy fillies she has been running against, along with her game win in the Jenny Wiley two races back. She showed that she can chase slow fractions and still close strong. Look for her in the winners circle.
1st- Rutherienne (5/2)
2nd- Eclisse (20-1)
3rd- Lady Digby (6-1)
Plays:
$2 Exacta 4,9/2,3,4,6,8,9
$1 Trifecta 4,9/4,6,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9
$1 Superfecta 4,9/4,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9/2,3,4,6,8,9