Archives » Miscellany
Updating
Rolling out a new look on Railbird today, just in time to get back to writing about Curlin, opening week at Oak Tree, and the run-up to the Breeders' Cup. Over the next couple days, I'll be refining and tweaking different parts of the site. Pages have been tested in Firefox and Safari on the Mac, in IE7 and Firefox on the PC, but if anything seems terribly wrong or broken, please leave a detailed comment. Otherwise, enjoy, and don't overlook the new footer, which is where all the links etc. are now stashed.
9/27: Thanks for all the feedback on the new site design. A few suggested changes have been made, a few others remain under consideration. Overall I've tried to reduce the clutter and simplify the structure, which is why the footer is the new links location. I still like my old site design. It felt distinct even after three years, but it had also begun to feel inflexible and limiting. More changes are on the way, most to do with content and focus. Racing, of course, will remain my obsession, there'll just be a bit more posted about technology and media issues (especially as those relate to racing), and more graphics and videos. I'll resume blogging on Monday with some thoughts on the Vegas summit and weekend action ...
Posted by JC, Sep 26, 2008 06:00 AM
Everywhere but Here
Nothing to read here? Check out the Raceday 360 Wire, a new site that scours the web looking for freshly posted blog entries, photos, videos, etc. related to thoroughbred horse racing in (almost) real time. A smattering of enhancements are already planned; comments and suggestions for more are welcome. Regular blogging will resume shortly ...
Posted by JC, Sep 10, 2008 11:30 PM
Varieties of Greatness
Yesterday, the Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final that went to the Spaniard after nearly five hours of intense play.
In 2006, the first Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final, which David Foster Wallace limned in words as sublime as the action on court. One example:
We talk so much of greatness, and every now and then, the real thing comes along. In tennis, in writing, in racing ...
Posted by JC, Jul 7, 2008 09:20 AM
Happy Fourth
Twilight card at Belmont this afternoon, Ernie plays the tent. Enjoy the holiday ...
Posted by JC, Jul 4, 2008 02:00 PM
Around the TBA
I have been slacking this weekend, but my colleagues around the TBA have not: Over on Green But Game, Dana covers ladies, drugs, and players; at That's Amore Stable, Frank introduces Irish Colony and ponders how best to provide safe retirements to racehorses; on Left at the Gate, Alan takes a second look at Derby prospects with pedigrees for the distance; and on Thoroughbredblog, Michael reports on the Oaks and Derby from Churchill. For much more good stuff, visit the TBA feed.
Posted by JC, Apr 27, 2008 08:45 PM
Headlines - April 1 Special
Hoofblog rounds up headlines you might have missed:
And here's another headline, courtesy of reader EJXD2:
Big Brown sold, to be entered for Epsom Derby.
Not a joke: Trainer Rick Dutrow's comments after Big Brown won the Florida Derby. "I haven't seen one 3-year-old anywhere in the world that can beat Brown," said Dutrow. "And I've watched 'em all run" (Miami Herald). Hm ... in a match race, I might give a fit War Pass the edge.
Posted by JC, Apr 1, 2008 08:45 AM
Gone, Baby, Gone
Items lost at Roosevelt Raceway, 1977-1981:
Roosevelt Raceway was once the site of the Messenger Stakes, one of the races that make up the Triple Crown of harness racing for pacers. The track was closed in 1988 and torn down in 2000, to the grief of many fans.
Posted by JC, Feb 14, 2008 05:45 PM
Sunday Evening Notes
- Teresa has a great post up on Brooklyn Backstretch about our Saturday trip to Laurel Park. While the day was a bust for me at the windows, the visit was more than redeemed by the pleasures of watching a race from the backstretch, hanging out in Laurel's comfortable clubhouse box seats with fellow horseplayers, and meeting Washington Post turf writer John Scheinman, who had some excellent tips on the local card (if only I had listened).
- First round Triple Crown nominations are out (PDF).
- The Super Bowl looked over at 14-10. Then -- in a fourth quarter moment so transcendent even a non-football fan like me could appreciate it -- Eli Manning eluded swarming Patriots players to pass the ball 32 yards into David Tyree's sure hands, putting the Giants on the Patriots' 24-yard line and pretty much guaranteeing an upset. My sympathies to New England Patriots followers, who must have been sure their team was on the verge of football immortality. All the pressure on Tom Brady couldn't have helped, but it also looked as though the Patriots -- and especially the offensive line -- were outplayed from start to finish by a scrappier, more determined team. Sort of like 1-2 Great Emperor finishing a nose behind longshot Jed Greeley in the third at Aqueduct this afternoon ...
- Speaking of the Super Bowl, one of the best ads of the night had to be this one from Vitamin Water, featuring Shaq, Santa Anita, and a horse named Chunk of Love:
Posted by JC, Feb 3, 2008 11:00 PM
How to Make Burgoo
You could serve mint juleps and Derby pie on Derby day, or you could make up a big pot of classic Kentucky burgoo:
Too much work? Order burgoo by the gallon online.
Posted by JC, Apr 27, 2006 06:30 PM
A Worthy Cause
If you've ever scrolled down the front page and looked to the right, you've probably noticed the photo of the curious chestnut. That's Ascot Doll, one of my all-time favorite racehorses. His career wasn't exactly illustrious: He started 111 times, earning slightly more than $253,000 in claiming and allowance races at tracks like Woodbine, Delta Downs, and finally, Suffolk, which is where I came to know him, but he always ran with a lot of heart and his sweet, goofy personality made him a favorite around the barn. Retired last year with a minor ankle injury, Ascot Doll is now at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Secretariat Center at Kentucky Horse Park, where he awaits adoption and is well cared for by wonderful people like farm manager Mimi Davis, who was kind enough to update me recently on how well he's doing in retirement.
Mimi also let me know that she is taking part in this year's High Hope Steeplechase, which will be held at the Horse Park on May 21. For more than 40 years the High Hope, a full day of jump and flat racing, has been raising money for equine causes. Hoping to increase awareness of the Center and its many talented wards, Mimi will be riding Sure Sure, another of the Secretariat Center's horses, in the Lexington Derby that day, and she intends to win. You can help her do that, and help support the Secretariat Center, by donating to High Hope. The more money Mimi raises for the event, the farther up the course she gets to start, and all monies donated will go to the Secretariat Center and two other worthy organizations, Riding for Hope and the Bluegrass Farm Chaplaincy.
If you would like to donate, please make out a check to the High Hope Steeplechase, and mail it to:
Mimi Davis
The Secretariat Center
4089 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511
Donations are 100% tax deductible. For more information about High Hope Steeplechase, please visit its web site.
Posted by JC, Mar 23, 2006 09:00 PM
Catching Up
Now that I've returned from my little jaunt to Lexington, Kentucky, it's time to start blogging again. That is, as soon as I catch up on news, emails, mail etc. I was in Lexington to do some work on my book about America's greatest racehorses (due to the publisher August 1, a deadline approaching with angst-inducing speed) at the Keeneland Library, and while I did spend several hours there, I also took time to visit Old Friends (a wonderful organization devoted to caring for retired thoroughbreds), Kentucky Horse Park (which celebrated John Henry's 31st birthday on Thursday), and Turfway (no big wins, but I came away impressed by the excellent customer service and glad to have had the chance to see Polytrack up close). I also stopped at Ramsey's Diner in downtown Lexington to try a bit of Kentucky cuisine, the hot brown, a dish that horrified me when the waitress plunked down a plate that appeared to be filled entirely with melted cheese, but turned out to be quite tasty once I found the turkey and tomato underneath (thanks to Ed for the recommendation).
Posted by JC, Mar 13, 2006 10:00 PM
Odds & Ends
- Jockey, 62, has never broken a bone. "I've had many spills but I've never broken anything," said Nuke Shim. "That's why I keep going." Shim started riding in 1959 and says he may continue until he's 65.
- Forget handicapping. Just sprinkle some race track occult powder over your Form.
- Polytrack moves west. The California Horse Racing Board will require all tracks running meets longer than four weeks to install the surface by the end of 2007.
- Imagine the embarrassment. Given a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of calling a race, reporter Roger Clark badly bungled the call of the third at Aqueduct on Thursday. Listen to the debacle on NYRA's RaceReplays site.
Posted by JC, Feb 17, 2006 10:00 PM
A Year to Forget
Barely a week into the new year and already 2005 seems so long ago. I guess that speaks to what an abysmal year in racing it was: 2005 opened with indictments against 17 people for race fixing, fraud, and conspiracy; it closed with the retirement of Afleet Alex. In the months between, the Jockeys' Guild collapsed into scandal and insolvency, three jockeys died, and NYRA barely escaped bankruptcy. In Massachusetts, Suffolk Downs cancelled the Massachusetts Handicap and Northampton Fair cancelled thoroughbred racing permanently. No, it wasn't a very good year. Bill Finley, Jay Privman, and Jennie Rees catalog the woes and say goodbye to 12 months they'd all rather forget.
---
Of course, it wasn't all bad ...
On the track: Afleet Alex amazed in the Preakness and then triumphed in the Belmont, Rock Hard Ten showed his true talent in the Strub and Goodwood, Ghostzapper dazzled in the Met Mile, Lost in the Fog wowed crowds in every race he ran before the Breeders' Cup Sprint, and Megahertz proved again and again what a dynamo she was on the turf, winning four out of six starts with her patented late kick.
In the press: This was John Scheinman's year. Whether writing about a stakes race or the last start of a local favorite, the Washington Post racing correspondent delivered consistently fantastic coverage of the Maryland-Virginia circuit.
Posted by JC, Jan 7, 2006 12:00 PM
Odds & Ends
In his Lowell Sun column this week, Paul Daley interviews Gary Donahue, a jockey paralyzed in 1986. Until dismissed from the position in 2003, Donahue was co-chairperson of the Jockeys' Guild Disabled Jockeys Fund. His questions about the fund's depletion helped set in motion the changes in Jockeys' Guild management made last Tuesday.
---
There's an interesting Letter to the Editor in last Friday's Daily Racing Form from one Lenny Moon of Maryland, who writes to suggest that the public be given information about how horses behave in NYRA's detention barn. "It is unfair to everyone who wagers to have such critical information withheld," he says, referring specifically to the poor performances of Lost in the Fog and Joey P. on Breeders' Cup Day after both were supposedly rattled in the detention barn. This isn't a bad idea: Most horses that I saw in the Saratoga detention barn last summer took to the quarantine without problem, but a few freaked out (sometimes violently) at the change in routine or at the barn area itself and only a small number of those were scratched before a race because of their distress. The rest were sent to the track nervous or already spent. There must be a way this information could be codified and disseminated, much like shoe changes and overweights are, before races.
---
The December issue of the Atlantic Monthly has a great short article about the business of slot machines (no link because the article is available online only to subscribers). I never play the things -- I find chasing after dumb luck dull and most casino/racino environments depressing -- but I'm obviously in the minority. Among the surprising statistics cited in the article: "America now has twice as many publicly available gambling devices that take money -- slot and video poker machines and electronic lottery outlets -- as it does ATMs that dispense it ... This year a record 73 million Americans will visit one of 1,200 gambling joints now stretching from coast to coast ... More than a quarter of American adults now list gambling as their No. 1 entertainment choice." More than a quarter of adults? Who are these people? More importantly, how can racing find them?
Posted by JC, Nov 21, 2005 11:00 AM
Et Tu, DRF?
The Daily Racing Form starts a poker column.
Posted by JC, Nov 17, 2005 11:00 PM
Catching Up
Well, I returned home to Boston from Saratoga more than a week ago, but it's only the past couple of days that I've finally begun to get out of vacation mode, back to work and old routines -- like posting to Railbird. And just in time too, since the Breeders' Cup is only six weeks away.
I see on the Daily Racing Form site that trainer Tim Ritchey isn't ruling Afleet Alex out of the Classic. Ritchey says the colt could be training as soon as Friday, depending on Dr. Larry Bramlage's assessment of recent x-rays taken of the hairline fracture he's been recovering from this summer. Should Dr. Bramlage give the ok, Alex will gallop a couple of times, breeze, and then, says Ritchey, "I want to get a prep into him, either a sprint at six or seven furlongs on dirt, or even a mile on grass, to get him to the Classic. I could wait until as close as two weeks out." It sounds a bit crazy, but then, recall the spring and Afleet Alex's comeback from the lung infection that caused his last place Rebel Stakes finish and how he actually seemed to improve race to race during the Triple Crown season. Maybe he could run in the Classic ...
---
If you look at the list of blog links to the right, you'll notice two additions: Triple Crown Racing and Turf Luck. Both are still fairly new, but off to fantastic starts. Do visit.
---
For the first week home, I went nearly cold turkey on racing -- no TVG, no visits to Suffolk Downs, only the briefest of glances at the Daily Racing Form's front page -- and so missed two milestones for Suffolk jockeys. Rider Winston Thompson, who has led Suffolk's jockey standings for most of the meet, won his 2,500th race on Tuesday (Blood-Horse). Dyn Panell, another of Suffolk's leading riders, earned his 1,000th win (Lowell Sun). [This post initially reported that Panell's 1,000th win came early in September, but that was an error. Panell actually earned his 1,000th win in October. For details, follow the link.]
More: "Winston forgot about one thing. When his career is over, he will also have the respect of every racing fan in New England. Come to think about it, he has that already." Paul Daley profiles Winston Thompson in the Lowell Sun.
Posted by JC, Sep 15, 2005 04:00 PM
One Year On ...
Today marks the first anniversary of Railbird, which started with this post:
I'm a little embarrassed. Juvenilia, you know.
Thanks to everyone for visiting, and a special thank you to those who have taken time to send stories, photos, links, compliments, and suggestions. I can't tell you how much fun I've had hearing from so many other racing fans. This has been a great year, and I'm looking forward to celebrating a second anniversary.
Posted by JC, Jun 17, 2005 04:05 PM
Catching Up
The cable installer arrived an hour late yesterday afternoon, but my annoyance disappeared with the realization that this was the man who was going to restore the Internet to me. Sweet, sweet Internet! It's been an excruciating week without the web. The only way I've been able to get online is to visit my new local public library, which actually has a good wireless network, but less-than-ideal space for working long stretches, and as a result I've missed much news, such as the entire lead up to the Belmont Stakes. Although, through old media, I've been able to keep up with the basics -- no Oratory, no Scrappy T; Nick Zito is entering three; Afleet Alex is the 6-5 favorite. Unfortunately, yesterday's cable installation didn't go smoothly, and it'll be a few more days before everything is set right. By next week, I should have reliable web once more, and TVG.
---
I'll be in New York on Saturday afternoon, and couldn't be more excited about the Belmont Stakes or the Belmont undercard. Afleet Alex is the deserving favorite in the Belmont, but there's a lot of other talent entered -- Andromeda's Hero, Reverberate, Giacomo -- and there's sure to be a surprise or two in this, the last leg of a surprise-filled Triple Crown series. As for the undercard, Lost in the Fog will try to extend his unbeaten streak to seven in the Riva Ridge Stakes, and Funny Cide will start in the Brooklyn Handicap along with Evening Attire and Gygistar. That'll be some good racing.
---
A couple of Suffolk notes: Saturday is Rudy Baez Day at Suffolk Downs. The former jockey, one of New England's best, was paralyzed in 1999 at Rockingham Park. He'll be honored with the Rudy Baez Stakes and with the presentation of an award from Challenge Unlimited, an organization dedicated to using horses to help children with disabilities. The $50,000 Rudy Baez Stakes is the first of four reinstated open stakes races this year. The others are the Old Ironsides on June 18, the My Fair Lady on August 13, and the Topsider on August 27 ... The turf course finally opened with the fifth race on Tuesday, an uneventful claiming $8000 race for fillies and mares, which was won by Shehaz Pazzaz, a 10-year-old mare who won over the Suffolk turf course twice last year.
Posted by JC, Jun 9, 2005 09:50 AM
Not the Bloggers
I like Jay Hovdey. He writes about racing with style and feeling. But I feel compelled to correct this one little thing in his latest column, in which he writes about Jeff Mullins and the Santa Anita Derby:
It wasn't bloggers who stomped Mullins' name in the mud. There are maybe 10 blogs that touch on horseracing regularly, and I'd say we were all pretty reasonable. Oh, sure, we had our fun. But I know I limited coverage of Mullins' "idiots" comments, thinking the affair overblown, and even said "enough" at one point. It was good old mainstream media who made Mullins' name mud: T.J. Simers, Bill Finley, Jeremy Plonk in one particularly overwrought column....
Posted by JC, Apr 12, 2005 09:10 AM
April Fools News
Paul Daley of the Lowell Sun reports breaking racing news:
Posted by JC, Apr 2, 2005 12:20 PM
The Birds
In a bizarre incident at an Australian track, a flock of seagulls disrupted a race. Five jockeys were thrown from their startled horses as the birds swarmed. (Link via Equidaily)
Posted by JC, Mar 31, 2005 02:50 PM
An Evening at the Track
Alan Mann at Left at the Gate has a lovely story up about an evening at the defunct Brandywine harness track with his brother, in which he scores big on a favorite horse:
Go here to read the whole thing.
Posted by JC, Mar 26, 2005 10:50 AM
Two Unrelated Things
An article by Paul Daley in today's Lowell Sun on Mom's Command, one of this year's Hall of Fame nominees in the contemporary female category, has sparked remembrances of the mare over on the Derby List, including this funny story from Sal Carcia:
---
Terry Teachout, on his excellent arts blog About Last Night, posted a great quote from Walter Matthau on the subject of gambling:
I'm going to be thinking of this the next time I'm at Suffolk Downs.
Posted by JC, Mar 25, 2005 12:50 PM
Keeping Customers Happy
Ok, but I want a boy in hot pants bringing me lunch then the next time I'm at the track.
Posted by JC, Mar 12, 2005 10:20 AM
Seabiscuit's Fishy Finish
Vic Ziegel revisits Seabiscuit's 1940 Santa Anita Handicap win:
"One of sports' greatest what-ifs took place 65 years ago today in the $100,000 Santa Anita Handicap, which was then racing's richest prize. What if -- and why didn't -- the jockey on Kayak II use his whip when he seemed ready to pass the leader near the finish line?
"Kayak finished second and, the chart notes tell us, 'might have been closer to the winner had he been vigorously ridden in the last sixteenth.' Which is racing's dignified way of saying, 'You can smell it from here.'
"Kayak's owner didn't complain, was thrilled in fact. He happened to own the winner as well. A 7-year-old, racing for the last time, named Seabiscuit."
Ziegel says owner Charles A. Howard was rooting for the win because it "would make Seabiscuit the game's leading money-winner, and enhance his reputation when he went to stud." I'd guess the former reason is possibly true, but the latter is most definitely not: Seabiscuit was a gelding. Sorry -- Seabiscuit did go to stud. Reader Andrew Young wrote in to correct my embarrassing mistake; a quick check of "The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America" and Laura Hillenbrand's book where she writes of "Little Biscuits" in the epilogue proves him right. Apologies, readers -- I wrote too quickly.
Posted by JC, Mar 2, 2005 03:35 PM
Sunday Evening Notes
I thought that for the next couple of years my goal was to get a PhD in political science, but after watching ESPN's sensational show on the 2005 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship this afternoon, I have a new goal: To make it to the 2006 NHC.
---
Rockport Harbor hits a bump on the Derby trail: The colt has a bruised foot. "Despite the setback, Servis said Rockport Harbor remains on course to make his seasonal debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Rebel Stakes on March 19," reports the Daily Racing Form. The Thoroughbred Times has a slightly more pessimistic take: "Fox Hill Farm's Rockport Harbor missed a scheduled workout on Sunday and could be forced to miss his seasonal debut in the Rebel Stakes ..." If he misses the Rebel, Servis does have the option of finding Rockport another race in late March, as he wasn't scheduled to run after the Rebel until the Arkansas Derby on April 16. But this two-race prep schedule really doesn't give horse and trainer much wiggle room.
Posted by JC, Feb 20, 2005 06:40 PM
She's Not Part of the Act
Pussycat Doll ...why is that name so familiar? Oh yeah ...
Posted by JC, Feb 11, 2005 09:30 AM
Here's Something Nice
To send your sweetie, a friend, or a favorite horseplayer, while helping out a good cause: Our Mims Retirement Haven, an organization that cares for retired thoroughbred broodmares, is holding a special Valentine's Day fundraiser. For a minimum donation of $10.00, OMRH will send out a lovely, personalized card to anyone within the United States.
Posted by JC, Feb 3, 2005 10:55 AM
A True Story
Sure it is, which is why no people or horses are named. (Fauquier Times-Democrat)
Posted by JC, Jan 13, 2005 05:00 PM
Sports Museum Adds Racing Exhibit
I had heard that the Sports Museum of New England opened a Thoroughbred racing exhibit last month, but I didn't hurry over to see it because I feared it would be nothing more than a small glass case with a tiny collection of memorabilia dominated by the photo of Seabiscuit winning the 1937 Massachusetts Handicap that appeared on Suffolk's program cover all last year. Turns out I was right about the photo's presence, but wrong about the depth of the display. (Lowell Sun)
Posted by JC, Jan 7, 2005 12:50 PM
Awards You Won't See
"I Forgot My Parachute Before I Jumped Award: To Tim Smith, who resigned as commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association ostensibly to take the top job at the New York Racing Association, only to back out of consideration for that post before ever taking it.
"The Bald -- And We Do Mean Bald -- Faced Lie Award: To Pat Valenzuela, who shaved off all the hair from his head, chest, armpits, and pubic area, and therefore could not supply hair-follicle samples as required for his mandatory drug testing, while maintaining his innocence because he had not been given any notice on the required length of hair needed for the test.
"If This Is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I Must Be In the Winner's Circle Award: To Steve Asmussen, who set a single-season record for winners for a trainer, with 536 and counting through December 14, surpassing the previous record of 496 set by Jack Van Berg in 1976." (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Dec 23, 2004 04:30 PM
Osama's Racehorse
"Her name is Swift Like the Wind, but a more appropriate one might be Victim of Circumstance. At 12, she's too old to race. Last year she almost starved to death. Now she spends her days in a small caged area, next to a grimy pool of water turtles.
"There was a time when the spirited white mare, dusted with gray spots, was one of a dozen prized horses that galloped in glory along the dusty stretch of track. In bin Laden's heyday here, as a wealthy exile in the mid-1990s, Swift ran in Sudan's most prestigious races. Her tail was combed, her hoofs oiled.
"But in May 1996, bin Laden, a Saudi, was driven out of Sudan by pressure from the Clinton administration, and the horse was left behind, abandoned property of the fugitive now wanted for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." Swift is now being cared for by Issam Turabi, "a flamboyant character ... known as Sudan's first cowboy." (Washington Post)
Posted by JC, Dec 12, 2004 05:55 AM
Today's Oddity
Thoroughbreds, known for their keen design sense and barn decor savoir faire, "prefer True Value paint" above all other paints. (Inside Paint)
Posted by JC, Dec 3, 2004 11:55 AM
The Age of Racing
Jay Cronley notices that the grandstand of a typical track resembles a retirement home: "No offense, but I wouldn't mind seeing a defibrillator next to the fire extinguisher at the horse races. The age of the average patron at the horse race simulcast venue seems to be going up markedly right before our eyes." (ESPN)
Posted by JC, Nov 20, 2004 10:25 AM
Make Way for Wal-Mart
"A Home Depot and Super Wal-Mart could soon rest in the same spot where 18 famous racehorses now rest in peace on Hamburg Place Farm." (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Posted by JC, Nov 18, 2004 08:20 PM
A Cautionary Tale
Of sorts: "A husband and wife, alleged to have stolen £1.48 million to finance a love of horse racing, held hands and walked in front of a 100mph train after agreeing a suicide pact, an inquest was told yesterday." Henry and Eleanor Yearley decided to take their lives rather than face trial for theft and other charges. Despite living in a modest home, the couple was spending up to £25,000 a month to keep Mrs. Yearley's horses in training at Newmarket and elsewhere. "Although she had little success and was told that several of her horses would never be winners, she refused to sell them, the inquest heard." (Telegraph)
Posted by JC, Nov 17, 2004 06:15 AM
An Irish Tradition
"Horse racing on the strand is an old practice in Ireland, and the Omey Races go back farther than anyone can recall ... In the old days, locals brought their Connemara ponies, the hardy native breed, and even a few donkeys for a day of racing on the beach. Present-day races have an equally old-fashioned flavor, but with the addition of thoroughbreds, semiprofessional jockeys and bookmakers." (New York Times)
Posted by JC, Nov 15, 2004 08:00 AM
Just In Time
For Christmas: A custom Daily Racing Form front cover for the horseplayer in your life.
Posted by JC, Nov 12, 2004 01:00 PM
Bubbly vs. Brewskis
"And finally, horseracing may be the sport of kings, but it's the vice of the common man. The best barometer of that is the alcohol breakdown. On Breeders' Cup day, Lone Star sold five cases of Dom Perignon champagne. They sold 60,000 beers." (Dallas Morning News)
Posted by JC, Nov 6, 2004 09:05 AM
Inspiring Names
"The Red Sox have inspired a number of thoroughbred names in the past couple of weeks, according to The Jockey Clubs Registry of Lexington, Ky., the organization that approves and registers thoroughbred names in North America. In addition to Curse Reversed, Red Sox Parade, Sweep the Series, Bambino's Curse and Walkoff Homer have been registered." Sure to be registered soon: We Believe and Who's Your Papi? (Boston Globe)
Posted by JC, Nov 5, 2004 02:50 PM
Racing Back Where It Belongs
"We still love our horses. Some of us still cherish our horse racing memories.
"To the owners and breeders, welcome home." (Star-Telegram)
Posted by JC, Oct 30, 2004 12:25 PM
Ticket to Travel
Major races give mutuel clerks an excuse to travel. (Dallas Morning News)
Posted by JC, Oct 28, 2004 03:35 PM
Shocking Practice
"For the bargain online price of $8,700, any trainer or owner in the horse racing industry can buy something shocking -- an electric cord and zapper that can effectively shock a horse's leg injury into numbness." (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Posted by JC, Oct 14, 2004 07:30 AM
For a Good Cause
Moneigh by Distorted Humor
The Kentucky-based horse adoption organization ReRun is hosting its second online auction of Moneighs -- artwork created by famous horses -- on eBay. The auction runs through December 1, and will feature paintings by Silver Charm, Funny Cide, and Tiznow. (Blood-Horse)
Posted by JC, Oct 12, 2004 10:50 AM
Profiles Galore
Trainer Patrick Biacone: "Biancone, born into a famous French racing family, operates a relatively small stable of just under 25 horses, but in the four years since he moved to the United States, he has moved into the racing elite." (Daily Racing Form)
Retired jockey Patricia Cooksey: "For the longest time, Patti Cooksey wondered what she would do with all her time when she finally decided to hang up her tack. Now, nearly four months since finishing third on her final mount at Churchill Downs, Thoroughbred racing's second all-time leading female jockey by victories has found she is on the run more than ever." (Thoroughbred Times)
Trainer Sir Mark Prescot: "How the establishment toff and Tory landowner became the ordinary punter's favourite racehorse trainer." (Guardian)
Up-and-comer Rafael Bejarano: "Bejarano's ability with a horse was noticeable to horse trainers almost as soon as he began riding in the United States, at Cincinnati in 2002." (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Posted by JC, Oct 6, 2004 07:17 AM
NY Fall Racing Has Changed
"A meeting that for decades before the Breeders' Cup served as the season-ending stage on which division championships were determined has become the principal Eastern staging area for the sport's movable feast. Although the races here during autumn remain important in their own right, they are no longer the principal objectives of the best horses." Ghostzapper, Azeri -- all the best horses are prepping the Breeders' Cup elsewhere, writes Paul Moran, and the result is a lackluster Belmont autumn meet. (Newsday)
Posted by JC, Sep 24, 2004 08:17 PM
For All Those
Who have stumbled across this site looking for information on the Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jeffords Sotheby's auction, here's a link to the online sale catalog.
Posted by JC, Sep 24, 2004 08:15 PM
Can't Resist
A man's car stalls on a country road. When he gets out to fix it, a horse in the nearby field comes alongside the fence and leans over.
"Your trouble is probably in the carburetor," says the horse.
Startled, the man jumps back and runs down the road until he meets a farmer, and excitedly tells him the story of the talking horse.
"Was it a large white horse with a black mark over the right eye?" asks the farmer.
"Yes, yes, that's the one!" the man replies.
"Oh, I wouldn't listen to him," says the farmer. "He doesn't know anything about cars."
There's more.... (Daily Racing Form)
Posted by JC, Sep 22, 2004 07:45 AM
Today's Oddity
On eBay: "Smarty Jones straw from his Three Chimneys stall." Not too surprising -- the auction closed bidless. (Link via Oregon Racing News)
Posted by JC, Sep 10, 2004 07:55 AM
The One Sure Thing In Racing
Pierre Bellocq's cartoons have provoked and delighted racing fans for 50 years. (ESPN)
Posted by JC, Aug 17, 2004 08:50 PM
Garage Sale Treasure
"In his years of treasure hunting at various garage sales, Bill Steele always hoped he would stumble across the ultimate bargain find. Last summer, the Toronto resident found himself in possession of not only his greatest yard-sale deal to date but a piece of racing history as well ... Northern Dancer's 1964 Canadian Horse of the Year award presented by Daily Racing Form of Canada." Steele is now selling the silver plaque, which he bought for $300, on eBay with a reserve bid price of $20,000. (Thoroughbred Times)
Posted by JC, Aug 13, 2004 08:20 PM
Reunited
From today's New York Times, a story that'll make you say aah : "When Tyler looked at me there was that certain look in his eye, a gentle look," Wriston said. "I said, 'My God, that's him.' I knew by the way he looked at me. He had his head and his big long neck stuck out. I put my forehead against his neck and said, 'Tyler, Tyler, Tyler.' He curled around my shoulder as if to say, where have you been? When that happened, I wept tears of joy."
Posted by JC, Jul 20, 2004 05:15 PM
"One Thing After Another"
It's like the New York Times Magazine's Diagnosis column, only written by a veterinarian (Thoroughbred Times).
Posted by JC, Jul 19, 2004 04:40 PM
Happy Horse Stories
Calder's Summit of Speed Rocket Man stakes winner, Pembroke Hall, is a horse with one asset -- "raw, unadulterated speed, the reason why he's the king of the 440-yard dash" (ESPN).
The filly America America wins and wins -- with walks in the woods, no medication, and the care of a loving trainer and owner. "Mourier may be considered unconventional by other trainers, but he believes in racing a happy horse naturally, with grass and fresh air" (Daily Racing Form).
"Through his adventures as a handicapper and a horse owner, Dan Lynch learned that certain racehorses have a way of making people suspend their better judgment. Even so, he figured, no one would be foolish enough to claim Rough Draft when the horse returned to the track last year." Oh, but they did. And Mr. Lynch bought him right back for $7500 (Star Tribune).
Posted by JC, Jul 16, 2004 02:40 PM
Letters to Smarty
A month after Belmont, and the fan mail keeps coming....
Dear Smarty Jones, I am thrilled to know you are training for your next challenge in life.... It amazes me how you run and reminded me of Secretariat and Seabiscuit. And some other famous horses who run so fast.
---
Their grace, beauty soar
Their hoofs thunder down the track
Crowds cheer: Smarty Jones
Posted by JC, Jul 8, 2004 10:25 AM
Not Such a Surprise
"Smarty Jones inspires names for horses" (Boston Globe).
Posted by JC, Jul 1, 2004 05:50 PM
