Racing Recap

This weekend was filled with exciting racing. The Old Hat Stakes (gr. III) was undoubtedly the best. Elusive Heat was my top choice and went off the favorite. She nearly took them all the way but relented to lose by a nose. There were actually three fillies on the wire, as Frolic’s Dream also rallied for third. She hit the gate at the start of the race likely would’ve won had that not happened. Gemswick Park was the winner for trainer Thomas Albertrani. He was quoted saying that she was a bit anxious in the Frizette and Tempted Stakes, and he liked her chances shortening up.

Notonthesamepage finally lived up to the promise of his maiden win. The son of Catienus won the Spectacular Bid Stakes easily by 8  and 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:08.48 for 6 furlongs. I think the distance did the trick for him. While I didn’t see the form, I’m a bit surprised he paid $11.40 to win. This is a colt who had the highest BSF of any two-year-old for nearly the entire 2008 year. He clearly has a bright future.

The Monrovia Handicap (gr. IIT) was a quirky race. My top pick was Lethal Heat, who was full of run after a troubled trip and ended up finishing third. Alex Solis was in the irons. It seems like he always manages to get his mounts in trouble. I wasn’t surprised by Jibboom who also didn’t have a stellar trip en route to her victory. It’s never a shocker to see Frankel and Gomez win a graded stakes.

Delightful Kiss was improving on his way to the Breeders Cup Marathon was outclassed in that race when finishing fourth. He returned to win the Hals Hope (gr. III) on Sunday.  This was the third graded score for the five-year-old gelding in the past five months. I can’t say for sure, but I believe his best win came in the Ohio Derby (gr. II). If he continues to improve he could have a major impact on the weak older horse division in 2009.

My attempt at the Pick 6 was decent, but I was only able to connect on two races. I finished second in two more, third in another, and off the board in one race. I did have Spinning Yarns who was the biggest price in the sequence at 6-1. She was my top selection in her race. I thought the wager would be a tough one. Hopefully my next try will go more swimmingly.

Blog Updates

As you can see, the design of my blog has changed. I’ve upgraded from the Revolution Sports Theme 2.0, to the 3.0 version. I’m quite impressed with the changes. My favorite change was allowing more room for content on the homepage. All the clutter that was previously there was frustrating. I purchased this Word Press theme earlier this year from designer Brian Gardner. He has does a great job and provides excellent support. Click here to check his blog out!

The featured video has been moved from the bottom of the page to the right sidebar. I thought the Kentucky Derby was the best race of the year, so it will be the featured video until I see something better. The article on the homepage now list a paragraph and a “read more” option. I’ve always wanted to have that, but could never figure out how to do it. I need to get pictures for each section, but that wonderful picture of Barbaro winning the Kentucky Derby will have to do for now.

You can now subscribe to this blog via RSS for posts and comments. I would appreciate it if you would sign up for the RSS feed. You can do so by clicking “News Feed” on the top banner. I’ve updated the Rankings page with my final standings for 2008. Click “Rankings” on the red toolbar to check them out. I hope you like the changes, and thanks for reading.

Bejarano Looms Large on SoCal Sweep

I’ve been saying for a long time that Rafeal Bejarano is the best jockey in the United States. On the verge of sweeping the Southern California jockey titles, he continues to prove me right. The Peruvian wunderkind is currently riding 21% winners, and is finishing in the money a whopping 57% of the time.

Rafeael Bejarano, or “Rafi” as we at the track affectionately call him, is just 26 years old. He is doing something in only his second year on the circuit that has only been done twice in the past, and by legends. Chris McCarron swept the circuit in 1983, and the rambunctious Patrick Valenzuela did it again in 2003.

Undoubtedly, his most remarkable win on the circuit since moving his tack to Southern California came for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in the Santa Anita Handicap. Sent off at odds of 7-1, Bejarano was able to hold off Go Between late, while in the irons of Heatseeker. Unfortunately for the connections and racing fans alike, Heatseeker sustained a career ending injury later in the year and was forced to retire to stallion duty. Check out the video of his bold victory above.

My favorite win of the year for Rafi came in the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeder’s Futurity at Keeneland. Piloting Square Eddie in his first U.S. start, he won easy and at the juicy price of 10-1. I remember the day particularly well, because a friend called and asked who I liked. I told her about this European colt who looked to be coming into his own. Too bad I was broke at the time, or I would’ve bet him as well.

Total earnings for the year currently stand at $15,734,892, which is second only to Garrett Gomez. I’m sure it wont be too many more years before Rafeal Bejarano shatters that record too!

Kip Deville Headed To Hong Kong

Exercise rider Michelle Nevin says that Kip Deville isn’t too happy that he lost to a girl in the Breeders Cup Mile. She even said he is “ticked off”. It’s good to know the son of Kipling still has some fire in his belly, because he is headed to Hong Kong to compete in the prestigious Hong Kong Mile.

I bet Kip Deville in the Breeders Cup, and unfortunately I was a year late. I still think he is a great horse and should compete in Hong Kong. Rick Dutrow said he simply got beat by a better horse and he has no qualms with that. He also stated that Kip has been training well since the Breeders Cup. Kip Deville will arrive in Hong Kong on Monday along with Michelle Nevin. The biggest problem for him may be running the “wrong way”, and he will be training as such leading up to the race.

I always root for the American horse overseas regardless of who it is. I’ll be cheering hard for Kip Deville and I hope he wins this one. Whether you like Rick Dutrow or not, there is no denying his ability as a trainer. I think he will do a great job getting Kip ready for this one.

The Hong Kong Mile takes place at Sha Tin race horse in Hong Kong (Who would’ve guessed?!). It was contested at seven furlong until 1999 when it took its current name and distance. To the best of my knowledge, Eishin Preston is the last U.S. bred horse to win the race. He took the race in 2001, and went on to win back to back editions of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

I’m not sure what time the race will take place back here in the States, but I hope to be able to watch this event live. Regardless of who wins, its great to see that international racing is thriving.

HorsePlayer Magazine Update

I got my copy of HorsePlayer Magazine in the mail yesterday. Their coverage of the Breeders Cup was very impressive, and I really enjoyed helping out. Nick Hines and I covered the Breeders Cup Sprint. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit on our selection, Fatal Bullet. I can’t remember his post time odds, but he was a fairly decent price and ended up finishing second to Midnight Lute who ran a monster race. The Sarge liked Fatal Bullet a lot, and for a moment I thought he was going to win the race. I’m sure we will see him at next years Breeders Cup, and with much more support from the betting public.

You’ve got to love the cover art on this magazine. It has the logo’s of many of the past Breeders Cup behind what I would say is a trophy. I recognize the twin spires in the bottom right corner. That logo is from the 2006 Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs. I had the good fortune to be present that day, and the most memorable race for me was the Juvenile Fillies. Watching Dreaming of Anna win was something else, and she became one of my favorite horses after that victory.

The horse pictured above is Street Boss along with his regular pilot, David Flores. I liked his chances, but he was unable to power his way to a win and finished third. He looked amazing when he won the Los Angeles Handicap. He stumbled badly and clipped heels in that race and STILL won. Not only did he win, but he broke the track record! Street Boss has been retired and will join Darley’s roster of studs. His fee will be $25,000.

You can probably recognize Midnight Lute and the triumphant looking Garrett  Gomez in the picture above. That picture was taken just after he romped home at Monmouth, similar to how he ran away at Santa Anita this year. Bob Baffert called Midnight Lute the “perfect thoroughbred” and the best horse he has ever trained. That in itself speaks volumes about how good the son of Real Quiet is. He has since been retired and will stand for $25,000. Thats quite a deal if you ask me.

As you can see in the picture above, the URL of this website was included in the article. I’d like to thank my good friend Nick Hines for allowing me to help him with this article, and I hope to do it again in the future. I’ve picked up a few unrelated writing assignments since then, but if you have any horse racing related writing jobs, don’t hesitate to email me at ryanthethird [at] gmail.com. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on this years Breeders Cup Sprint, or any other Breeeders Cup races for that matter!

Auction Thoughts

The sale at Keeneland has been quite eventful. I’ve seen more than a few bargains slip through the auction ring, along with some horses who sold for massive prices. Stardom Bound, winner of the 2008 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies, was the best buy at $5.7 million. IEAH purchased her and she will evidently be trained by Richard Dutrow who wouldn’t let them stop bidding. I don’t think they are going to regret their purchase of the filly that Mike Smith has called “Baby Zenyatta”.

The first progeny of several star racehorses also passed through the sale. Among them are sons and daughters of Bernardini, Aragorn, Bluegrass Cat, First Samurai, and Flower Alley. I’m really interested to know how the Bluegrass Cat foals pan out. He was magnificent at 2 and 3 and is royally bred. He is a son of Storm Cat, and his broodmare sire is AP Indy. I don’t think it gets much better than that!

Better Than Honour, the broodmare of Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches sold for a record price of $14 million to Southern Equine Stables. She is also the broodmare of Japanese sensation Casino Drive. Mike Moreno described her as “priceless”. That’s hard to argue with.

Hystericalady went for $3 million. She had a great 2008 campaign but she met her match in Zenyatta just like many fillies and mares before her. Hystericalady will probably be remembered most for her second place finish in the 2007 Breeders Cup Distaff. Her racing career is most likely over.

I can only imagine spending this kind of money on a racehorse, or anything for that matter. I’m sure many horses slipped through unnoticed in $10-100k range that we will hear about in the future. Lets not forget, Big Brown sold for $60k as a yearling. I could perhaps afford a horse of that price when I’m done with college. Hopefully Big Brown will pale in his comparison. I’m not holding my breath.

Down Time

My laptop is being repaired and I will be out of commission for about two weeks. I encourage you to visit The Paulick Report until I am able to return. Good luck, and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday November 4, 2008!

Thanks

Breeders Cup Pre-Entries & Race Order

Finally, at long last the pre-entries for the 2008 edition of the Breeders Cup World Championships are in! Click here to look at them. Curlin is obviously the top entry, but European heavyweights Duke of Marmalade and Henrythenavigator have also been entered. As always you can expect an in depth analysis of every race. I’m going to start with Friday’s races and cover them in order. Check back later today for my take on the Filly & Mare Sprint.

The race order is also in and is as follows:

Championship Friday - October 24

$1 million Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
$1 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
$2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. 1)
$2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. I)
$2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (gr. I)
Las Palmas Handicap (gr. II)

Championship Saturday - October 25

$500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon
$1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
$1 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
$2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I)
$2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I)
$1 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf
$2 million Sentient Flight Group Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. 1)
$3 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I)
$5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I)
Damascus Stakes
Oak Tree Derby (gr. II)

Random Thoughts

Curlin has signaled “all systemss go” after working at Santa Anita, and will defend his title in this years Breeders Cup Classic. This will inject much needed interest in what is shaping up to be one of the worst Breeders Cup’s in the history of the event.  I liked Curlin in last years event, but I don’t know if he is going to win this time around.

This will be Curlin’s first race on a synthetic surface, but he has been better the second time he does something in the past. He will also have a lack of pace to worry about with the defection of Big Brown.  Something tells me Big Brown’s exit may cause Well Armed and Mast Track to reconsider the Classic. If one or both of them decides to run that should eliminate the pace worries. Curlin is undoubtedly the horse to beat, but I don’t think it will be an easy race for him. 

 

In between studying for exams and trying to earn a few dollars, I also read that Garrett Gomez will get the mount on Midshipman. I’m sure Midshipman’s regular rider, Tyler Baze, isn’t the least bit happy about this. Baze has won and finished second in a Grade 1 in three races with the colt. Trainer Bob Baffert stated that he wants a jockey he has had success with in the Breeders Cup. Baze has been as good as any jockey this year, and I must object with the switch. I think it would be quite funny if Tyler beat Midshipman with another horse.

Better Talk Now looks to be in mint condition for his fifth Breeders Cup start. The winner of the 2004 Breeders Cup Turf is winless this year, but has been very good. He was hit with some bad racing luck in the Grade 1 Manhatten this year, having to check hard in the stretch as he was making a winning move. Trainer Graham Motion says the 9-year-old gelding is working better than ever. If Better Talk Now can make it to this years Breeders Cup he will tie Kona Gold and Perfect Drift for the highest amount of Breeders Cup starts at five. He will be my sentimental pick to win the Turf.

I’ve got a Classical Civilizations exam in a couple of hours, and I still need to do a small amount of studying. Before I go, I want to tell you about a Breeders Cup Pick All contest that the NTRA will be hosting. The Grand Prize will be an entry to the $1 million DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Contest. Click here to check it out!

Big Brown Bows Out

Horse racing saw a devastating loss today as Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown has been retired to stud after injuring himself in a workout. The work came in company against last years Breeders Cup Mile winner, Kip Deville. The injury was to the right front hoof, where he grabbed a quarter. I’m not quite sure what that means, but from what I read a large portion of the hoof was lost.

This news comes at a time when racing desperately needed the showdown between Big Brown and Curlin. The way things are going the race will now probably be a cakewalk for Curlin, the reigning Horse of the Year. While I am far from a training expert, and if I am wrong please correct me, but was it really wise to continually work Big Brown in company? The final time was 1:12 4/5 for six on the turf. Maybe they should’ve taken a page out of Curlin’s book and worked a bit slower.

This of course brings us to the sobering realization that we will never see these two heavyweights, Big Brown and Curlin, on the same track. I think I am probably one of the most disappointed fans out there. I was the first person on the internet to speculate a Big Brown vs. Curlin match up, doing so the day after Big Brown’s win in the Florida Derby.  I don’t know when two truly great horses will rise again at the same time as these two have, but one thing is for sure. It will happen. Perhaps one day we will watch the progeny of these two great horses square off in the Breeders Cup Classic. 

Click here for more information on Big Brown’s injury and subsequent retirement.

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