Pacific Classic Update
August 18, 2008
Mast Track took the fast track in the Hollywood Gold Cup.
Within the next week some of the most important key races for the Breeders Cup will take place. The Pacific Classic, Travers, Kings Bishops, Personal Ensign, and Ballerina are all Grade 1 events that will run over the weekend. I’m looking forward to the Pacific Classic the most. I believe the race will be key for the Breeders Cup Classic.
Mast Track, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup is one of the leading contenders for the Pacific Classic. Under the care of Robert Frankel, with jockey Rafael Bejarano, Mast Track should be very contentious. On Monday morning he worked an easy 5 furlongs in :59.20 and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:11.40, under the guidance of exercise rider Jose Dominguez. I would also like to note that Frankel not only trains Mast Track, he owns him.
Frankel also has turf star, Out Of Control, in the race. He is coming off of consecutive 2nd place finishes in Grade 1 turf events. In those races he lost to Dancing Forever, and Einstein, both who are top contenders for the Breeders Cup Turf. Edgar Prado will be in the irons. Frankel has an astonishing 6 victories in the Pacific Classic, more than any other trainer.
Leading trainer John Sadler will send out Zappa, who recently claimed victory in the Cougar II Handicap at 1 ½ miles. He toyed with the field, winning by 6 ¾ lengths, and dismissing Big Booster in the process. Others being considered for the race are Well Armed, Student Council, Go Between, Surf Cat, and Barcola.
**I have added a Beginners Guide to wagering, and I have updated the Rankings page. Both of these can be found on the red toolbar below the header. Thanks for reading!
Living Legends Race
August 16, 2008
Gary Stevens
I was very excited to learn that eight retired hall of fame riders will be taking part in a pari-mutual race at Santa Anita Park a week prior to the Breeders Cup. Dubbed the Living Legends Race, it will include some of the greatest jockeys in the history of the sport. The participants will include Jerry Bailey, Angel Cordero Jr, Gary Stevens, Chris McCarron, Julie Crone, Sandy Howley, Pat Day, and Jacinto Vasquez. The race will be an allowance sprint, and all mounts will be determined randomly, and the horses will carry 126 pounds.
Personally, my money will be on Gary Stevens. I had the pleasure of meeting him at last years Kentucky Cup, and he was nice enough to sign a hat for me. I have to admit I was a bit start struck, but that didn’t happen when I met Chris McCarron at River Downs. Chris was also very pleasant and surprisingly friendly. He said he would do an interview but I haven’t taken him up on that offer yet. This race will surely be one to remember.
I’ve been really busy lately and I haven’t had time to post. You can expect to see me back in full force starting next week. Maybe I’ll call McCarron and ask for that interview! Thanks for reading, and make sure to check back.
Handicapping Success & Race of the Week
July 30, 2008
Commentator is timeless.
My picks were right on the money last week. My “Play of the Day” on Saturday was Commentator. He got home for a return of $10.80 for a $2 win bet. I also keyed him first on a trifecta wager which returned $625 for a $2 bet. As if that weren’t enough I gave you the trifecta in the Bing Crosby COLD. While it was certainly no monster, paying $194, it was fairly easy to figure out. I also advertised a win bet on Street Boss in that race who returned a respectable $6.40. I also had the trifecta in the Vanderbilt, which paid a measly $135 or so. Alright, I’m done bragging now. Race of the Week is up, so check it out. This weeks race is the West Virginia Derby. You can find the Race of the Week on the red toolbar at the top of the page. Thanks for reading!
Heatseeker’s Time Comes Too Soon
June 30, 2008
Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker has been retired due to injuring the medial branch of the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg. Heatseeker would require atleast 6 months off if they had decided to keep him in training. This saddening news comes just days after Heatseeker was unexpectedly scratched from the Hollywood Gold Cup. Heatseeker would’ve been one of the top choices in this years Breeders Cup Classic.
“We are extremely disappointed as we had our sights set on the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), where we figured to be one of the favorites based on Heatseeker’s dominance of his division this year,” said owner William de Burgh. “I am very grateful to Jerry and his stable team. We all had a lot of fun with Heatseeker, and I know it is a huge disappointment to them as well. Horses like him do not come around very often.” Courtesy of Blood-Horse.com
Heatseeker showed he was getting better every start by winning the Grade 2 Californian last time out. In a race that lacked pace, he voluntarily placed himself close to the pace, before drawing off in an emphatic victory. His retirement comes as a shock to everyone. In an older male division which already lacked depth, Heatseeker was one of the few bright spots. He was fun to watch, and I’m sure he will be remembered for his accomplishments on the track.
Dirty Deeds
June 28, 2008
Steve Asmussen, Rick Dutrow, and Jeremy Rose have really cast a shadow on horse racing this week. Asmussen, and Dutrow are both facing suspension because of illegal drugs that were present in their horses’ systems. In the defense of Dutrow his offense wasn’t nearly as severe as Asmussens. His filly, Timber Trick, had lidocaine present in her system. Lidocaine is a nerve blocker which prevented the filly from feeling pain. Dutrow’s horse had a legal medication which was applied too close to race day. This happened during “Big Brown Mania” so I believe it wasn’t intentional. Jockey Jeremy Rose has been suspended for 6 months for whipping a horse in the face. He is also required to take anger management classes.
All parties involved should really consider how much they care about horse racing. In a time where our sport is desperate for new fans and craving the attention it once had, incidents like these are turning people the other way. If they really believe that this behavior is acceptable then the game is better off without them. Their actions are acting as a catalyst for racings further decline.
I am also concerned with the spotty national media coverage which racing has received. I have seen several headlines on each of the people that I previously mentioned, along with stories on Big Brown’s quarter cracks and accusatory articles concerning Gabriel Saez’s role in the Eight Belles tragedy. What I have not seen is any coverage about Curlin winning the Foster Handicap, or Zenyetta’s rise to the top. Doing this, they are presenting the public with a deceiving image of what horse racing is all about. With the good comes the bad, and all sides of the story must be told.
I’d love to hear what everyone has to say about this.
P Val Is Back!
June 23, 2008
Racing legend Patrick Valenzuela is finally back, after overcoming a substance abuse problem. Patrick Valenzuela is possibly the best gate rider in the country, and one of the best of all time for that matter. He has been riding at a small track called SunRay in New Mexico, but should be back to the big time in no time! P Val rode 5 winners, 2 seconds, and a fourth from 8 mounts today. I’m glad to see he is back, he is one of my favorite riders.
P Val is known for his fiery temperament and aggressive riding tactics. He commonly gets into fights with other jockeys. Click here read a story of one of his tangles with Corey Nakatani in 2005.
Valenzueala’s list of accomplishments are endless. He has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness one time, aboard Sunday Silence for both victories. P Val has 6 Breeders Cup victories. He also has wins in the Pacific Classic, Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup, Metropolitan Mile, and the Queen’s Plate. He is quickly approaching 4,000 careers wins. I’m sure he will have many more epic victories to come.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
June 22, 2008
I heard someone earlier today say that jockeys from small tracks weren’t as good as jockeys from the bigger tracks. I happen to take exception to that statement. Hearing that quickly reminded me of a horse named Old Man Buck, and a jockey named Perry Wayne Ouzts. Last fall Ouzt’s was the regular rider for Ken McPeek’s 2 year old colt, Old Man Buck. Ouzts successfully won the Cradle Stakes aboard Old Man Buck at his local track, River Downs. Trainer Ken McPeek decided to head to the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeders Futurity next out. I can’t remember the exact odds, but Old Man Buck was sent off around 30-1. Ouzts got the horse home third, just missing for second. He proved once again, its not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’d like to take a moment to discuss Saturday’s races. Eclisse finished second in the All Along Stakes at the morning line odds of 20-1. I didn’t happen to see what she went off at, but she did end up paying 8.80 to place, so my guess would be around 9-1. I had a feeling she could get loose on the lead. I still haven’t got to watch the video, but I am pretty sure that’s how it went down. You could’ve boxed my top 3 choices in that race for a return of $197. Not a bad return huh?!
The Colonial Turf Cup didn’t go exactly the way I had anticipated. You could probably attribute that to the downpour that hit the track prior to the race. Sailor’s Cap ended up winning the race. In retrospect I should’ve given him more respect. He was improving, but I didn’t think he was good enough. Fabulous Strike won his comeback with the utmost ease. He will add more depth to an already tough sprint division. Keep an eye out for him. I’ll wrap up this post with a selection in tomorrow’s Queen Plate. I’m going to go with the filly, Ginger Brew at 4-1. She has been winning easily, and the fact that they have her in this spot tells me they are for real. Drop me a comment, and let me know what you think!
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!
Rankings
May 21, 2008
I’ve released my version of the “Watchmaker Watch”! You can find it by clicking on “Rankings” which is located on the red strip below the logo. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the list.
Here are my rankings of the Older Male Division:
- Curlin- This colt is in a class of his own. Connections are pointing to the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
- Divine Park- Amazing colt is coming into his own. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin says the Metropolitan Mile is likely his next start.
- Go Between- Big win in the SunShine Millions Classic earlier this year. Followed that up with a second in the Santa Anita Handicap, and the Ben Ali Stakes.
- Commentator- Lightly raced 7 year old gelding is still rolling. The Nick Zito trainee is 2 for 2 this year including a monstrous romp in an allowance company at Gulfstream Park, and a Grade II win.
- Diamond Stripes
- AP Arrow
- Tiago
- Student Council
- Heatseeker
- Well Armed
Make sure to check the rest out!
The Future
May 19, 2008
You may have noticed I have changed the theme of Gradedstakes.com since last week. I believe the new theme is better looking, and more flexible. However, I’m still figuring things out and it isn’t easy. I’ve got a friend helping me work it out, so expect a more full experience by next week.
I’ve got many things planned for this summer that most of you are going to like. I’m going to try and do more interviews with trainers, jockeys, and other relevant industry insiders. I’m also looking to create more history type articles such as “Almost Immortal I+II”. You can also look out for more ranking articles like “Top 5 Jockeys”. I’m also improving my handicapping skills by reading books such as “Bet with the Best” which is written by several of the nations top handicappers. Expect selections that are even better then the ones you are already getting! I’m also thinking of recording myself giving the picks, and uploading the video.
As far as Gradedstakes.com as a community goes, I am thinking about added a message board. I encourage everyone to comment, but this would allow for a better discussion between everyone. You can also expect a “poll” in the near future. The last addition I would like to mention would be handicapping contests. In the near future, I would like to begin have handicapping contests for small prizes, and small amounts of cash. Make you sure you check back so you test your skills against mine!
That’s about all I have to say for now. As always I thank you for reading. Make sure to keep checking back, and if you have any suggestions, or comments please email them to me at loyaluntildeath@yahoo.com. I’ll close with the following. Curlin forever, Big Brown never!
