Anything's possible when beating the horses

ARCADIA, Calif. – No one hits the pick six on a ticket that costs only $20.

The pick six is won by big bettors that play big tickets. For the rest of us, the pick six is too steep, with too many combinations to cover. It costs too much. The losing streaks last too long.

The pick six is not a good bet, for most of us.

But horseplayers are dreamers. So occasionally, we take a stab. Who knows? Maybe today is the lucky day. Sure, it is.

The pick six Feb. 12 at Santa Anita started tough – a turf-route claimer for nonwinners of two, a filly-mare sprint claimer, and a turf sprint for statebred maidens. Geez, a bettor would need to use lots of horses – spend lots of money – just to stay alive halfway.

The carryover was $135,446; bettors wagered another $831,146. Apparently, many still consider the pick six a good bet. Fools like me say it is not, and then we bet it anyway. This story is about one such guy, a small pick-six bettor taking a $20 shot.

Restricted claiming races are a curse, and in the first leg, race 4, the bettor narrowed the nine-horse field to five contenders. There goes most of the $20. His ticket was five deep and two deep, followed by four singles. Who plays the pick six like that? What an idiot.

Leg one was a “spread,” and whenever a “spread race” includes a Marty Jones trainee, it is a good idea to include that horse. Jones works horses slowly, which inflates the odds they often outrun. Eight of the past 16 years, Jones runners produced a flat-bet profit.

Jones trained the longshot Long Legged Lovely, returning from a one-year layoff with leisurely works. She was a trainer-angle longshot in a difficult race, nothing more. When jockey Hector Berrios guided her to victory at $33.20, the pick six was off to a good start.

The second leg, race 5, was a claiming sprint for fillies and mares, with obvious favorites Classy Attraction and All the Love. The bettor used both; bet-down Classy Attraction paid $6 winning in a romp under Chantal Sutherland.

Two races into the sequence, the bettor’s small pick-six ticket was live. All he needed was to win the remaining four races with four singles. Good luck with that.

The best-bet designation on the Daily Racing Form analysis page can be a misnomer. It should be called most probable winner. “Best bet” is often a favorite at low odds, and not necessarily a reasonable horse on which to wager. But occasionally, the term “best bet” does apply. It did for leg three, race 6. The pick-six bettor noticed.

Abella, 4-1 in the program, was making the second start of her career after a respectable debut. Tom Blincoe trains Abella. Blincoe also trained her siblings Jet Set Girl and Bell Zone. Both won maiden races for Blincoe the second start of their career. Interesting.

Perhaps, Abella would follow the pedigree-trainer pattern and also win her second career start. Best bet, indeed. Abella and jockey Martin Pedroza waltzed home at a big, fat $7. The first of four singles had landed. The pick six was halfway home.

Small-ticket pick-six bettors always face a decision – use logical contenders (favorites) in each leg and hope to merely cash for any amount, or key longshot runners and go for a home run. Who doesn’t like to swing for the fences?

My Brite Caroline was an 8-1 longshot in race 7, up in class following a first-off-the-claim win for trainer Gerard Piccioni. Andy Harrington, clocker for National Turf, noted that her jockey, Corey Nakatani, worked her between starts. Harrington liked what he saw.

Analyzing a Feb. 4 work, Harrington wrote this about My Brite Caroline: “C. Nak up, filly is really going well finishing with purpose.”

My Brite Caroline was “outclassed” by the 2-1 program favorite Melissa Rose. But the odds discrepancy made My Brite Caroline a reasonable gamble. She was a sharp horse up in class, always a potent angle. Nakatani gave My Brite Caroline a fantastic ride. He saved ground, cut the corner, and won by a neck at a bet-down $12. Four down, two to go.

The Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies was next, and anyone who saw Indigo River win her U.S. debut for trainer Jeff Mullins a month earlier on the same downhill course had to be impressed. Indigo River reproduced the win, bursting clear late under Joel Rosario to win by a 1 1/2 lengths at $5.20. Now it was five down, one to go.

The pick six is not a good bet for most players.

But here was one small bettor on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, holding a $20 pick-six play that was 5 for 5. Daily Racing Form ’s handicapping tool Formulator suggested he was on the right horse in the final race, a starter allowance around two turns.

Mike Mitchell is one of those high-percentage trainers that make one wonder – why bother with Formulator? Mitchell wins often, at all levels, with many angles. You don’t need Formulator to see that.

Mitchell’s recent maiden sprint winner Pulpit’s Express was the speed of the race. On numbers, he was the fastest horse based on a bias-aided sprint win last out. But he faced a double challenge – winners and two turns, both for the first time.

It is a tough combination. Not so tough for Mitchell, according to Formulator.

The past five years, Mitchell was 6 for 12 with maiden sprint winners stretching out against winners.

At the first click of the tote board, Pulpit’s Express opened at even-money. That is always a good sign for a Mitchell runner. The gelding looked terrific in the post parade. He was dry and on his toes. Meanwhile, the pick-six bettor quietly washed out.

Only one of the first five winners in the pick six was a program favorite. A mythical $2 win parlay already exceeded $5,000.

Now, it all came down to one horse. Pulpit’s Express was 4-5 when the gates opened, and Rosario put him on the lead. The pace slowed on the backstretch as Rosario sat still.

At the top of the lane, in the blink of an eye, it was over. Pulpit’s Express opened up. He was in front by two lengths, by three, by four at the eighth pole, 4 1/4 at the wire. It was not even close.

No one hits the pick six on a ticket that costs only $20. But horseplayers are dreamers, and occasionally we take a stab.

That is the true story of what happened Feb. 12, 2012, at Santa Anita.

It was, in fact, my lucky day.

The pick six paid $41,418.40.

Thrilling come from behind

Yes, I know - I don't bet the "chalk" (the favored horse) unless I absolutely have to in my exotic wagers but I love love love it when a gray wins, especially when overcoming traffic and coming from behind. Watch Winter Memories, she is the #4horse (look for the yellow) - she just rocks it when she comes blazing at the end.

I Saw Perfection Today

My comments about the race to come - I'm still digesting them



(Each summer, Del Mar hires a Press Box Steward, the young guy or gal who does the nitty-gritty things to make sure the track's Media contingent has what they need in order to do their jobs. The roster of individuals who have served in that role is long and varied, ranging from racing veterans to first-time starters at the track. This year our guy is Jeff Newton, freshly graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Communications and a writing resume that includes television and on-line. He's a big sports fan, but a rookie at the racing game (though he's picking it up fast). Here's his take on an event that stirred his sporting blood -- Zenyatta's run in Saturday's Clement L. Hirsch.)

Zenyatta, the Champion,Works the Crowd Just Like One
Throngs of exuberant racing fans poured in shortly after 11:30 Saturday morning, almost seven hours before super mare Zenyatta made her way onto the track at Del Mar. The turnstiles finally stopped spinning after she had captured her third consecutive Grade I Clement Hirsch Stakes in front of 32,536 mesmerized onlookers.

Much as gallery members at a PGA event inch and elbow their way to get a good look at Tiger Woods in the flesh, Zenyatta lovers made it their mission to steal more than a quick glance at the undefeated star. On a typical San Diego afternoon, marked by sunny skies and a cool ocean breeze, the massive crowd chose to spend its day on a race that lasted 1:45:03, not even two minutes, about the time it takes to brush your teeth in the morning.

Zenyatta's fans still wouldn't have changed a thing.

The mare enjoys a type of hero worship often reserved for sporting legends like Armstrong, Phelps and Ali at every turn. At Del Mar, her supporters created a buzz similar to what you might feel just before kickoff at an NFL playoff game. Their exuberance lasted throughout the afternoon and well into the early evening, as they soaked in every piece of the scenery.

It was a landmark event for both Del Mar and Thoroughbred racing in general. Outsiders unfamiliar with the regular track scene could still sense the energy and atmosphere behind a unique, momentous occasion.

Zenyatta is loved by all, and even the veteran horsemen and beat reporters who meticulously follow the mare's daily activities are among her biggest supporters.

Want to see a blue collar, grizzled, "all that is man" trainer or clocker go weak at the knees? Ask them to describe Zenyatta's influence and see how many superlatives they can string together. Keep a mental count of the "amazings," "incredibles" and "spectaculars" these lifers toss around without a hint of sarcasm. Better yet, intermittently check your watch to chronicle how their brief statements evolve into 10 minute monologues.

As crazy as it may sound, Zenyatta's superb qualities (see, the hyperboles have a way of catching on) justify all the heartfelt compliments.

She's the type of horse you build a meet around, let alone a day or a week. Whether she's galloping, trotting or posturing in the paddock, Zenyatta carries herself with pitch perfect grace, athleticism and personality. Her "it factor" immediately comes across to race rats and first-time patrons alike. The gazes and whispers aren't lost on Zenyatta. She senses her profound impact and relishes every second as a crowd pleaser.

Her confidence is easily detectable and you quickly grasp that she doesn't accept failure or embarrassment.



That's how I knew the Hirsch was over the moment Zenyatta crossed into the paddock at about 6:15. On a day that essentially became an ode to her remarkable career, what with the posters, T-shirts and pint glass giveaways with her face emblazoned across the surface, the great performer refused to let her audience down.

She went off at 1-9, but the tote board could have easily read 1-100 as she strutted towards the starting gate.

You don't know what this horse means until the show begins and the Zenyatta army kicks into full gear. Spectators go between 15 and 20 deep all the way down the stretch, with at least one small child perched atop their dad's shoulders every five feet or so.

The diva enters to a frenzy of screams and shouts that seem both genuine and spontaneous. You won't find any "Damn Yankees" mentality, where a few bad apples root against a proven winner just to appear edgy.No, Del Mar only had eyes for Zenyatta.

The rest of the pre-race festivities played out like a hall-of-fame induction ceremony, where the infield video monitor revisited some of Zenyatta's greatest performances as track announcer Trevor Denman articulately gushed over the prized animal.



While jockey Mike Smith and his wonderful ride weren't alone on the track, the other five jockeys and horses were little more than background props. Not to worry, though, they were too busy smiling along with everyone else. You almost forgot there was a race after all the hoopla.

Once the gates finally swung open, Zenyatta made winning by a neck look downright simple. (My note - Zenyatta had to go 4 wide in the race so, if you make all things equal when it comes to distance, she actually won by 6 1/2 lengths rather than a neck. This kid who wrote this article still has a lot to learn about horse racing)Although she didn't leave her competition in the dust , Zenyatta skillfully balanced a relaxed attitude with her fiery competitive streak. Smith kept Jerry and Ann Moss' wonder horse in the right spots and, like she always does, the golden girl passed a game Rinterval through the final furlong. Zenyatta wasn't on cruise control; it just appeared she was. Besides, she had to save her energy for the victory lap.

Over the top doesn't begin to describe the mare's salute to the fans, where the smiles, hugs and howls reach a wild crescendo. It's an adrenaline rush you can't even fathom. And that's where Zenyatta's true impact becomes perfectly clear.

Thoroughbred racing needs Zenyatta as an undefeated poster child. Tracks make their mark on big tickets nowadays, and they don't come any bigger than the Mosses' "miracle horse." Her presence brought some much needed romance to the sport of horse racing. Allowance races and maiden claimers have their place, sure, but it takes a winner like Zenyatta to capture the public's attention.

Her supporters, her peers and the game she dominates so consistently are all personally invested in the mare's success. She's a legend in her own right, a special talent worth the cost of admission and a full afternoon at the races.

Zenyatta's an easy sell and everything you'd ever want in a world class performer. She came to Del Mar with a sea of fans and left the track with the racing community wrapped around her hoof. She personifies all that is right in the sport.

Zenyatta led us all on a spectacular ride at Del Mar; Mike Smith just had the best seat.

14 Hands of Love on 17 Hands of Power

Jerry Moss, the show business star maker, business executive, member of the California Horse Racing Board, racehorse owner and breeder, and longtime racing fan, has seen his green and pink silks fly for the past four years on one of the most electrifying horses in the history of Thoroughbred sport, the undefeated champion Zenyatta.

This Saturday the massive mare -- who stands better than 17 hands and weighs more than 1,200 pounds -- will try for her 18th consecutive victory when she runs in Del Mar's Grade I, $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, a race she has won the past two years.

Almost two months ago -- on June 9, 2010 to be exact -- Moss sat in his Beverly Hills office and spoke about his once-in-a-lifetime horse and what it means to him and others to have her be part of their lives. He spoke about her 'retirement,' and the subsequent process to return her to racing. The conversation took place just four days before Zenyatta would add a 17th victory to her ledger with a thrilling run through the Hollywood Park stretch to capture the Vanity Handicap.

Q -- You've talked about the "magic" of owning a horse; especially a horse like Zenyatta. You've said you wish you could share that "magic" with others. Can you? Can you speak to what it means to have Zenyatta in your life?

Moss -- "She is perfection in a very important way. She didn't just happen to show up in the barn and then all of a sudden start winning all these races all in a row; it took a tremendous effort by a great group of people headed by (trainer) John Shirreffs. There are 14 different people that touch her every day*. It is quite amazing. And they're all just great to her and they all deserve a large part of this.
(*Stable manager Dottie Ingordo provided the list of 14 people who touch Zenyatta each day and it appears at the end of this piece.)

"I think it's everyone's dream that if people do their part, then you get brilliance from all that. You know, that if people work together something incredible happens and it is magic. It's sort of a harmonic convergence, if you will ... where everyone's working in the same direction and everyone gets a reward for being touched by this magnificent animal. So we're thrilled to be a part of it. I mean I've felt this happen sometimes in the record business where the campaign is just incredible, but yet the music is so touching and people reach out for it and it inspires so many people. So I'm used to having those other forces, if you will, inspire a willing audience. And this is what Zenyatta means to me -- she's been a great symbol for that.

"And to win 16 races is not an easy thing; every different track we ran on -- every different track has its conditions, everybody we ran against has their talent and, as you know, on any given day a horse can not have a great day. But she gets so much room from John -- room to improve, room to not, perhaps, do her best work on a certain day. But nothing is serious around her; everybody is having a good time with her, there's no nervousness, and there's no pressure. And it's up to her to do this performance, as long as she's having fun we'll continue doing this. She is one professional racehorse; she steps up, it seems, whenever she should.

"For me, it's a meaning of life in a way. People working together to make something great happen."

Q -- What was the decision process for you? She ran her magnificent race in the Breeders' Cup; she reached the mountaintop. And you said, 'OK, guys, that's it, we're going to shut it down.' But then, there was a change.

Moss -- "Well, I made an emotional decision because I was so taken by that race. I said, my god, how can I ask her to do anything else? And, of course, I didn't get a chance to talk to my wife about that; I didn't get a chance to talk to my trainer; I didn't talk to my racing manager (Dottie Ingordo, who also is married to John Shirreffs) -- who were a bit grumpy with me at the end of this thing, saying: 'We're Team Zenyatta and you made a decision.' Well, I said I feel strongly about that because what else can we ask her to do? And they all agreed with me on that -- what else can we ask her to do? She won an historic race in an historic fashion. Trevor Denman said it was the greatest race he's ever seen and he's called like 60,000 of them, or seen 60,000 of them.


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Zenyatta: A Maker Of Memories To Cherish For All Time

Do you remember where you were when ... ???

It's always been a popular pastime for Americans in recalling momentous occasions, and in Thoroughbred racing where wagering is a major factor, jockey Mike Smith is betting he can place thousands, maybe millions, where they were and what they were doing on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

That's when Zenyatta, who seeks her 18th consecutive victory in Saturday's Clement L. Hirsch Stakes and third straight in the race, wrote history by becoming the first female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. The thousands at Santa Anita that day and, doubtless, the millions watching on television surely would testify to Smith's belief.

Remembering how the Santa Anita crowd responded to the majestic Zenyatta, Smith could only say, "I think people realized that they had just seen something that they will never forget." And he counts himself among them, though he was involved far more than any other fan, being up close and personal as Zenyatta's rider.

"I've never seen a crowd react to a horse like that," Smith continued. "When I rode Holy Bull, the crowds -- especially those in Florida -- were impressed, but I've never seen a whole crowd stand on its feet like that for what seemed like 20 minutes. It just went on and on, and I started looking at the crowd and there were people crying [for joy]."

Looking back over his 14 races as regular jockey of the two-time Eclipse Award champion older female, Smith recalled that she wasn't always the picture of the perfect lady. "When we started," he said, "she was still pretty nervous and she didn't know exactly what was going on. But she was a quick study and it didn't take her long to figure it out.

"Not only did she figure it out," he continued, "she took it to levels I had never seen before. It's become a big show to her. Every time she gets ready to run, she plays, she strikes a pose, she does a dance, and sometimes stands up and towers over the field.

"You can almost imagine her saying, 'This place is mine,'" said the ebullient Smith.

"It's just amazing how she grew into this," he added. "If she was a country music star, she could be Entertainer of the Year."

Her special dance that charms paddock fans began to develop, Smith recalls, shortly after his second time aboard, at the same time Team Zenyatta, headed by trainer John Shirreffs, chose not to put her through normal pre-race warm-ups. Instead, she was allowed to just do what made her feel best, hence the dance -- basically, a strut that features a head bob and legs thrust forward in the manner of a Russian dancer.

"She used to get a little hot when she'd warm up," Smith remembers. "So we just walked her and that's when she decided she'd just do this dance. Then when she realized the people liked it, she just started doing it more. She's really just a ham at heart."

That doesn't mean she's not focused on her job -- to win races. When she reaches the gate, Smith says, she's all business -- but in a laid-back way. "She just settles down and waits for the gate to open. Then she watches them go out and goes out behind them."

As for getting home first, Smith said, "It's like she knows where the wire is anymore. She makes it a little closer than we all like sometimes. But I think we're the only ones that are worried.

"She's definitely a gift from God. She makes you think that if God wanted to get into this game, he would send her. She's not from here."

Zenyatta's presence has reached far and wide, conjuring wonderful visions of her other-worldly being, not the least of which was produced rhapsodically by free-lance writer Ellen Parker following Zenyatta's record-setting 17th consecutive victory in Hollywood Park's Grade I Vanity Handicap.

Here's her take on the majestic mare: "Zenyatta's dramatic charge in the Vanity brought to mind the words of respected journalist Kent Hollingsworth, who once wrote of 1971 European Horse of the Year Mill Reef: 'His races were not marked by sudden acceleration, just with relentless, increasing power.'

"Great horses have much in common. They stir the spirit of crowds ... They energize a sport ..."
=================================

Zenyatta and Sailing - Part Deux

Thoughts to come








Following is her mind blowing 2009 Breeder's Cup Classic

Let's Hope The Lady Comes to Town - I've Already Bought My Tickets Just in Case...

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A decision on whether Zenyatta will start in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 7 will be made before entries are due on Wednesday, and indications are that the undefeated two-time champion will start in that Grade 1 race.



Friday at Hollywood Park, Zenyatta worked six furlongs in 1:13.60 under jockey Mike Smith, a workout designed to have her ready for the Clement Hirsch, which is run over 1 1/16 miles. Furthermore, trainer John Shirreffs said there are few other races in the near future that are suitable for Zenyatta’s 18th career start.



“My only influence is that we want to run her a couple of times in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup,” Shirreffs said after the workout. “The options aren’t that many.”



Shirreffs said the decision on whether Zenyatta will start will be made in consultation with owners Jerry and Ann Moss. Jerry Moss attended Friday’s workout at Hollywood Park.



Shirreffs said that how his horses perform on the Del Mar Polytrack in the next few days will influence whether Zenyatta runs in the Hirsch. On Sunday, Shirreffs starts Breakmark in a maiden claimer and Scenic Blast in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes.



“Everybody has to feel good about it,” Shirreffs said of running Zenyatta in the Hirsch.



Shirreffs said the Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29 is not being considered for Zenyatta, but that the $350,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 2 is a “possibility.” Zenyatta has not started since she won the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 13.



If Zenyatta starts in the Clement Hirsch, she will spend the first half of the week training at Hollywood Park, where she is based year-round, and be sent to Del Mar most likely on Wednesday. “I’ll take her down as late as I possibly can,” Shirreffs said. “I would want to school her one day.”




Zenyatta has won the last two runnings of the Clement Hirsch and appears to be approaching the race this year in peak form. Friday, she worked in company with Galayo, a 4-year-old maiden half-brother to 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo and the 2007 Santa Anita Derby winner Tiago. Galayo has not started since December 2008.



When the workout began, Zenyatta was in front for a few strides, but was quickly passed by Galayo, who led by four lengths on the turn. Zenyatta caught her stablemate in early stretch, drawing off to finish about six lengths in front. Sherriffs timed Zenyatta galloping out seven furlongs in 1:27.19. Galayo was timed in 1:15.40.



“I thought that was a really good work,” Shirreffs said. “She does it so easily. She was really relaxed today.”



-steve anderson-

Yea and Hurray!!! The Turf is Meeting the Surf - Del Mar Live Meet Started Yesterday and Will Continue Through September 8th

The lady is still perfect - 17 for 17

17 for 17. - the Queen is still undefeated in her career.

The Mighty "Z" has now passed the likes of the legendary Cigar in terms of consecutive wins. And some are still stupid enough to think that Rachel Alexandra should be mentioned in the same breath as Zenyatta. RA is not a champion - Zenyatta is the epitome of a champion. Watching this beautiful thoroughbred run reduces me to tears. She is truly an artist, as much as any painting hanging in a museum or gallery. She is soul, beauty and elegance personified. I have tickets to Del Mar to watch her this summer should she come to defend her title in the Hirsch Stakes which she's won the last two years.

For those of you watching this clip please note that "Z" is a come-from-behinder. She always starts at the back - that's her running style. Then when Mike Smith starts to manuever her into place and aske her for that amazing kick she has Miss "Z" turns it on and all that's left to do is celebrate yet another victory from this magnificent and beautiful athlete.

Below is another view of her Breeder's Cup Classic race last year when she bested the boys. The Breeder's Cup is the World Championship of Thoroughbred racing and the best horses in the world come to compete for 2 days in a variety of races (notice I said "the best in the world" - another reason Rachel Alexandria didn't participate - Jess Jackson knew his horse couldn't compete and win and that the world would see her for what she truly is so he ducked yet another race). The Classic is the "Big Kahuna" of the Breeder's Cup Championships - the "main event" and centerpiece - the most prestigious race to win in the Breeder's cup and the Zen Master is the first female to EVER win this race.



There's also some fun videos of her that show her prancing and dancing. The pre-race moves she does would be disconcerting when watching most horses as those moves might indicate something is amis. But that's not the case with Z - she's just strutting, prancing and dancing. Same with her post race moves - she's a ham :-). While you're watching the videos also remember just what a big girl she is - she's 17 hands high

When I get the time I think I'll enter a blog with video of all 17 of her wins - that will truly be a treat to watch.

All the prime players aim for Travers

Imagine a race with all three Triple Crown race winners -- Super Saver, Lookin At Lucky, and Drosselmeyer. Throw in the second-place finishers from the Kentucky Derby (Ice Box), Preakness (First Dude), and Belmont (Fly Down), and add a late-developing horse such as Trappe Shot, too. What do you have? Quite possibly the Travers Stakes.

This year's Triple Crown series ended on Saturday with no clear-cut leader among the nation's 3-year-old males, a position that was abdicated when Eskendereya, the winner of the Wood Memorial and Fountain of Youth Stakes, was injured prior to the Kentucky Derby and subsequently retired. No one has stepped into fill the void. As of now, though, all the remaining prominent horses in the division are pointing for the Travers on Aug. 28 at Saratoga, making that race, long known as the Mid-Summer Derby, the next best chance for a leader to emerge.

Drosselmeyer, the Belmont winner, and Super Saver, who won the Derby, will both point for the Travers, according to Elliott Walden, the racing manager for Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm, which owns both colts. Each horse will have one prep before then.

"We hope one of them ends up being the 3-year-old champion," Walden said. "We've put ourselves in that position going into the second half of the year. We will probably split them for their next race, then get them back together for the Travers and see what happens."

Walden said the obvious Travers preps for both are the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 31, and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 1. Both of those races are at 1 1/8 miles. The Travers is 1 1/4 miles.

Walden called the win by Drosselmeyer, who is trained by Bill Mott, "very satisfying."

"We've had a lot of hopes for him," Walden said. "You get tired of making excuses. He had a great four weeks after the Dwyer. It was the perfect set-up race. He had a big work on Monday. We were hopefully optimistic. We felt like he had it in him. It was nice to see him do it. And it was nice for Billy."

Mott, a Hall of Famer, got his first Triple Crown race win with Drosselmeyer, who gave jockey Mike Smith his first win in the Belmont.

Super Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher, has resumed regular training at Belmont Park. He was kept out of the Belmont after running poorly in the Preakness.

"He's putting weight back on," Walden said. "I think the three races in five weeks got him."

Super Saver was second in the Arkansas Derby in his final prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Walden said that if Super Saver had won the Preakness and been shooting for the Triple Crown in the Belmont, he would have lobbied for WinStar to run Drosselmeyer, too.

"It would have been an interesting debate," Walden said.

WinStar's feat of winning two-thirds of the Triple Crown with different horses was last achieved by W.T. Young's Overbrook Farm in 1996, when Grindstone won the Derby and Editor's Note the Belmont.

As for Lookin At Lucky, he returned to Southern California following the Preakness. His trainer, Bob Baffert, has said that the Haskell is his most likely next start.

As with WinStar, trainer Nick Zito is desirous of splitting up his two colts -- Fly Down and Ice Box -- for their preps for the Travers. Zito on Monday said he believes Ice Box is better suited to the track layout at Monmouth, which is a one-mile oval, like Churchill Downs.

"With him, the Haskell is a good spot. I know Bob," Zito said, referring to owner Robert La Penta, "would like to win the Travers. And our main goal at the end of the year is the Breeders' Cup Classic."

Zito said he would prefer to run Fly Down in the Jim Dandy, but first needed to consult with owner Richard Pell.

"I'd like to go that way," Zito said. "We'll find races. You're not going to run out of good races for good horses."

Zito said Ice Box, who ran poorly as the favorite in the Belmont, displaced his palate while not adjusting to the warm, humid conditions.

"The heat got to him," Zito said. "It was all anxiety. If you can't breathe completely going a mile and a half, you're not going to run. He came back sound."

Zito had a frustrating Triple Crown. In addition to finishing second in the Derby and Belmont, he was third in the Preakness with Jackson Bend.

"With a little bit of luck, we might have won the whole Triple Crown," he said. "But you've got to be happy you have those kinds of horses to run in these types of races."

Another potential starter in the Haskell or Jim Dandy is Trappe Shot, who was an impressive winner of an allowance race on Saturday's undercard. His trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, said Trappe Shot would run in the Long Branch at Monmouth on July 10 "to see if he can go two turns."

If he can, the Travers would be the goal, McLaughlin said. If not, the seven-furlong King's Bishop would be targeted. Both are Grade 1 races on the same day at Saratoga.

"Our ultimate goal is Aug. 28 at Saratoga," McLaughlin said. "He can run in the Travers or the King's Bishop. Backing up from there, he could run in the Jim Dandy or the Haskell, or the Amsterdam. The Long Branch will tell us if he can't go long. If he can't, we'll back up and point for the King's Bishop, maybe by sprinting in the Amsterdam. He's a very talented horse." JPrivman


Image shown: Saratoga Race Course entrance

Sound, Fury, Post Time

In 1955 William Faulkner (and I'm going to assume that anyone reading this blog is educated enough to know this Nobel Prize-winning novelist and has read at least one of his novels or short stories - if not, for God's sake take an English class, read a book) wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated entitled "Kentucky: May: Saturday." Whilst the piece was about the Kentucky Derby it is applicable to not only the Triple Crown (The Kentucky Derby being the first leg, the Preakness being the second leg and the Belmont Stakes, the third leg) but to thoroughbred racing in general. Below is part of Falkner's piece:

"Once the horse moved man's physical body and his household goods and his articles of commerce from one place to another. Nowadays all it moves is a part or the whole of his bank account, either through betting on it or trying to keep owning and feeding it.

So, in a way, unlike the other animals which he has domesticated--cows and sheep and hogs and chickens and dogs (I don't include cats; man has never tamed cats)--the horse is economically obsolete. Yet it still endures and probably will continue to as long as man himself does, long after the cows and sheep and hogs and chickens, and the dogs which control and protect them, are extinct. Because the other beasts and their guardians merely supply man with food, and someday science will feed him by means of synthetic gases and so eliminate the economic need which they fill. While what the horse supplies to man is something deep and profound in his emotional nature and need.

It will endure and survive until man's own nature changes. Because you can almost count on your thumbs the types and classes of human beings in whose lives and memories and experience and glandular discharge the horse has no place. These will be the ones who don't like to bet on anything which involves the element of chance or skill or the unforeseen. They will be the ones who don't like to watch something in motion, either big or going fast, no matter what it is. They will be the ones who don't like to watch something alive and bigger and stronger than man, under the control of puny man's will doing something which man himself is too weak or too inferior in sight or hearing or speed to do

These will have to exclude even the ones who don't like horses--the ones who would not touch a horse or go near it, who have never mounted one nor ever intend to; who can and do and will risk and lose their shirts on a horse they have never seen.

So some people can bet on a horse without ever seeing one outside a Central Park fiacre or a peddler's van. And perhaps nobody can watch horses running forever, with a mutuel window convenient, without making a bet. But it is possible that some people can and do do this.

So it is not just betting, the chance to prove with money your luck or what you call your judgment, that draws people to horse races. It is much deeper than that. It is a sublimination, a transference: man, with his admiration for speed and strength, physical power far beyond what he himself is capable of, projects his own desire for physical supremacy, victory, onto the agent--the baseball or football team, the prize fighter. Only the horse race is more universal because the brutality of the prize fight is absent, as well as the attenuation of football or baseball--the long time needed for the orgasm of victory to occur, where in the horse race it is a matter of minutes, never over two or three, repeated six or eight or 10 times in one afternoon."

If you want to read the entire piece (and it's worth reading) you can find it online.

Horse of the Year, My Ass

Don't worry, ny blog is coming - I've been swamped but I definitely have content to share and will get to it sooner rather than later.