I had a wonderful time at Turfway Park this Saturday watching the Kentucky Cup races. The only way it could’ve been better is if Garrett Gomez hadn’t won all three races, causing the horse I bet to run second in each of his wins. That is racing though; I should’ve realized Gomez wasn’t going to waste a Saturday if those horses weren’t live. Perhaps his best ride of the day came in the Kentucky Cup Classic. He had to shake up the reigns and get at Furthest Land, but was able to get the victory over Dubious Miss. Unfortunately, I don’t think we will see anyone from Turfway at the Breeders Cup later this year.

I wrote several hundred words about the Kentucky Cup Classic on my new blog located at http://www.ntra.com/blog.aspx?blogid=32. I will be blogging there about things pertaining to the Breeders Cup Classic from now until the race takes place. My top pick was the heavy favorite Hold Me Back, but I also gave a big look to runner up Dubious Miss and also ran Your Round. I believe that Hold Me Back and Your Round were victims of the track bias. It has been very to close at Turfway of late. I was surprised that the trifecta and superfecta payouts were so low with 4-5 Hold Me Back out of the money.

I was fortunate enough to meet David Schneck of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Assocation while I was enjoying the races. The KTA was running a program in conjunction with Turfway Park to give scholarships away to local students. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Assocation also provided free food and drinks for college students. They also provided two large TVs so we could keep up with the college football world while betting the horses. While I didn’t win a scholarship, I’m highly appreciative of their efforts. It’s not often that an organization goes out of its way to help people while getting nothing in return.

The KTA is a trade organization dedicated to its members, according to their website located at http://www.kta-ktob.com/.They are responsible for creating a purse development fund that has offered over $134 in purses since 1995. They do excellent work to represent the industry and to improve the sport. To learn more about them, click here. I’m hopeful that they will continue to thrive, and I salute them for all the good work that they do!