Disappointment in Virginia

Well, I had planned to go on at length this week about the Virginia Derby to be run on Saturday at Colonial Downs. However, Nicanor, the 3-year old full-brother to the ill-fated Barbaro apparently suffered an undisclosed leg injury sometime this week and will no longer compete in the race. Favoritism will now most likely fall upon Battle of Hastings, the winner of the Colonial Turf Cup earlier in the Colonial Downs meet. Nicanor was actually the morning-line favorite for this race and I certainly hope that his injury is a minor one that will allow him to heal quickly and return to the races in top form. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his last two races and horse racing as a whole could certainly use a healthy and talented Nicanor in the spotlight.

My whopping two-week streak of picking winners came to a screeching halt last weekend with the second place finish of Benny the Bull at 1-2 in the Smile Sprint Handicap at Calder Race Course in Florida. This week I am going to go with Unbridled Belle in the Grade 2, $1,000,000 Delaware Handicap. She won the Obeah Stakes here on June 20 by 11 lengths and appears to be in top form coming into this race. On paper, her only serious challenger appears to be Acoma, who has won five of her last six starts while competing on both dirt and turf. Personally, I think Acoma is a better runner on the turf than on the dirt, but with a purse of one-million dollars, the Del Cap is a hard race to pass up. She definitely looms as a threat to the favorite, but Unbridled Belle seems to absolutely love the surface at Delaware Park, as she is five for seven lifetime over the strip. 

Horse racing has had serious problems over the last year or two getting it's big races televised on a national level. The Triple Crown and it's prep-races receive coverage on ESPN, and the Breeder's Cup and a select few of it's preps also make their way onto ESPN. However, almost every weekend, there is top-class racing somewhere in the country that those outside of a simulcast facility have very little chance of seeing. Horse-racing-only stations like TVG and HRTV are excellent for those who prefer to bet from home, but for a more mainstream audience, they provide very little exposure. I wonder if a station like Versus (Vs.) would be willing to give a thirty minute or one hour slot on Saturdays to showcase the top races of the day. The viewership level on Vs. is almost certainly higher than HRTV or TVG, and horse racing would seem to fit into the category of the type of sport that they would be interested in broadcasting. Just a thought. Anyhoo, get well soon Nicanor and let's go Unbridled Belle!

"Lock of the Week" and Weekend Preview

Belmont Park will feature the $500,000, Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes on Saturday, and the favorite in the 1 and 3/8 miles turf contest will most likely be Gio Ponti, who is coming off a score in the Manhattan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard. He will line up in the gate against a very strong field which features a slew of graded stakes winners. Grand Couturier, Quijano, Marsh Side, Midships and Dancing Forever all have an excellent chance of crossing the wire first in what should be an excellent betting affair. Grand Couturier and Dancing Forever were both major players in the turf division last year, and their efforts here could determine the path either takes for the rest of the year. The former likes a softer turf whereas the latter prefers to have a firmer going. Obviously, they both will not get ground to their liking, but however the course turns up on Saturday could have serious influence on the finish. My choice to win is the European shipper Quijano. He is 14 for 27 lifetime and may have an edge since he has been competing against the top horses from across the Atlantic. 

Hollywood Park will feature it's flagship race, the $700,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, on Saturday. The 1 and 1/4 miles Cushion Track affair features a very intriguing field of thirteen, of whom creating the most fervor is the 4-year old filly, Life is Sweet. She is coming off a second place finish to super-lady Zenyatta and was pointed towards this race so she could avoid the undefeated mare. Parading is the morning-line favorite at 4-1 as a result if his victory in the Dixie Stakes, with Life is Sweet coming in next odds-wise at 9-2. Rail Trip, Mast Track, Dakota Phone and Song of Navorone all have a more-than-realistic chance of winning here, and even Big Booster, Bullsbay  or Magnum wouldn't be a surprise. My selection is Rail trip. He has flashed brilliance during his short career, and I feel he is a horse who is vastly improving from race to race. He will either set the pace or set himself up in a stalking position and hopefully get first jump on his competition. 

It's not often that the spotlight falls onto Florida's Calder Race Course, but this weekend's "Summit of Speed" program summons the nation's top sprinters to the Sunshine State to compete for large purses at short distances. The defection of 2008 Eclipse Female Sprinter Award winner Indian Blessing took some of the allure away from the $350,000, Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap, but the six-furlong stakes still features a solid field. Favoritism will most likely fall upon Game Face, even though she is entering off of back-to-back off the board finishes. Dubai Majesty and Keep the Peace are coming off of a first and second respectively in the Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs and they will likely be the biggest threats to the lukewarm favorite. My pick to win is Game Face. She has been off form recently, however she seems to love racing in Florida since she has won three graded stakes at Gulfstream Park in the past. Hopefully it was her love of the weather and not that specific track that triggered those victories, but I have a feeling the very capable hands of Edgar Prado will be able to guide her home.

Benny the Bull will make a second appearance on his comeback tour in the $350,000, Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap. Benny is the defending champion in the six furlong event, and he is also the 2008 Eclipse Award winner for Champion Sprinter. He was last seen finishing an outstanding second to Fabulous Strike in the True North Handicap on Belmont day. It appears as if the nearly one year "vacation" that Benny took did not take him off of his game, and he definitely looms the one to beat. Only five others will be lining up against Benny, with Ikigai, Yesbyjimminy and How's Your Halo the only ones that would seem to pose any threat. Benny has shown in the past an ability to close from well back or be closer to the pace, so the small field should only give him less obstacles on his path to victory. In case you haven't sensed it yet, Benny the Bull is my pick for the "Lock of the Week" which will try and extend it's perfect streak to three. Look out Zenyatta, you're not the only undefeated game in town.

Presious Performance in Jersey

Before I dump accolades upon myself for my correct selection for the second week in a row, I must comment on the performance of Presious Passion in the United Nations Handicap this past weekend. Not only did he set a new course mark with his victory, he destroyed the old record which was set by 2007 Breeder's Cup Turf winner, English Channel. English Channel ran the 1 and 3/8 miles of the 2007 United Nations in a strong 2:12.89. On Saturday, Presious Passion completed the same distance in an outstanding 2:10.97, which is the equivalent of just less than ten lengths better than English Channel's time. The time was only .77 seconds off of the world record, which was set at Belmont Park. What makes his time even more impressive is the fact that a 1 and 3/8 mile race at Monmouth is run around three turns, whereas a 1 and 3/8 mile trek around Belmont is only a two turn affair due to the longer distance of the Belmont oval. Presious Passion's "come and get me" tactic worked perfectly as he opened up a lead of twenty lengths at one point. With his victory, Presious Passion earned his spot on the Breeder's Cup Turf, and he will be a dangerous entrant if he can duplicate his form from this weekend come November.

The weekend's two top sprint races both were oddly taken by 3-year olds with Munnings victorious in the Tom Fool Handicap and Zensational in the Triple Bend Handicap. It is rare at this time of year for 3-year olds to be racing in top stakes against their older colleagues, but each young colt was able to win and win rather convincingly. Munnings was definitely aided by the scratch of Fabulous Strike, but turned in a visually impressive performance nevertheless. Zensational led his foes through testing fractions of 22.20, 45 and 1:08.80, yet was still able to complete the seven furlongs in 1:21.34. I assume Munnings will be pointed towards the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga, and he will almost certainly go off favored. Zensational is a fast-improving colt who could be a major player in the Breeder's Cup Sprint if he stays healthy.

Gozzip Girl traveled all the way from New York to take part in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park in California. She made the trip worthwhile for her owners by capturing first place by 3 and 1/4 lengths in the $700,000 race and placing herself firmly atop the list of the best 3-year old turf fillies in the nation. In addition to defeating ten foes from the States, she also beat two shippers from Europe and another who traveled all the way from New Zealand. Whether or not she sticks to the grass remains to be seen, as there are a wealth of options for her if she can duplicate her form on the dirt or even synthetic.

Two for two, my friends. Informed Decision, my second weekly "Lock", paid a whopping $2.40 for her gate-to-wire victory in the Chicago Handicap. She is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint if she continues on this path. She has shown the ability to sit off of a fast pace or herself set a reasonable pace, and has won her last three races over two different synthetic surfaces and a muddy dirt track. Can you say "versatile"? After two weeks, my hypothetical profit is up to $.50 and my winning % is still at a rock-solid 100. 

Lock of the Week

There is a veritable plethora of stakes races occurring over the next three days, many of which could have a significant impact on top-class horses who are planning to compete for divisional championships towards the end of the year. 

Presious Passion (yes, that is spelled correctly) faces off against Court Vision, Better Talk Now, Brass Hat and five others in the Grade 1, $750,00 United Nations Handicap to be raced over 1 and 3/8 miles of Monmouth Park's turf course. Presious Passion is coming off a win in the Monmouth Stakes and, in my opinion, looms the one to beat with his brilliant combination of speed and stamina. He is a very stubborn horse to pass in the stretch, and that is only if you are able to catch up to him after he posts very strong fractions for a race of this distance. 

Arguably the nation's top male sprinter, Fabulous Strike will try and follow up his extraordinary win in the True North Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard with a victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Tom Fool Handicap to be run at 7 furlongs on the Belmont Park dirt. Fabulous Strike's performance in the True North was the most impressive sprint performance of the year so far, which featured him running 6 furlongs in an outstanding 1:07.85. Add to that the fact that finishing second that day was last year's Eclipse award winner for top Male Sprinter, Benny the Bull, and the win was all the more amazing. His top competition will probably be in the form of Munnings, a 3-year old who also posted a victory on the Belmont undercard, his coming in the Woody Stephens Stakes. Fabulous Strike is definitely a better horse at the 6 furlong distance, as he tends to be a bit tired out for the final furlong when he stretches out to 7. However, his dangerous speed out of the gate and ability to run other speed horses into the ground make him the horse to beat, despite the presence of Munnings.

Asiatic Boy and It's a Bird will line up in the gate against eight others in the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban Handicap, to be run at 1 and 1/4 miles on the Belmont Park dirt. Asiatic Boy finished just one length off of the lead last time out in the Stephen Foster Handicap despite encountering trouble through the stretch while trying to squeeze through the same opening as another horse. It's a Bird is coming off of a win the Lone Star Park Handicap and is currently on a two race win streak, both being graded stakes. These two will vie for favoritism in what should be an excellent race.

Informed Decision drops down to the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington Handicap despite reeling off two consecutive victories in Grade 1 stakes. She simply towers over her five rivals on paper, and is undefeated at the races seven furlong distance. She has won on dirt at Churchill Downs and on the polytrack at Keeneland in her last two contests, so the artificial surface at Arlington should not prove to be an issue. These factors combine to make Informed Decision the choice for my "Lock of the Week".

Keep an eye out as well for stakes action across the country this weekend. Hollywood Park features the American Oaks, American Handicap and Triple Bend Handicap. Monmouth Park's Salvatore Mile precedes the aforementioned United Nations Handicap, and there will also be other graded stakes action present at Belmont and Churchill. Let's all root for Informed Decision, who will hopefully not go off at 1-20, a la my previous "Lock". My guess is somewhere in the range of 1-5 to 3-5. Bet the house again, ladies and gentlemen. She is a Lock.

The Reason I Am a Fan of Horse Racing

I did not become an avid follower of horse racing until the beginning of 2007. The only exposure I had to the sport was the Kentucky Derby, and even then I usually did not know it was "Derby Day" until I turned on the television and happened to stumble across the all-day programming. "Prep-races" was a foreign term to me, and I had no idea that the horses even competed in other races prior to and after the Triple Crown series. Preakness day would come and go unbeknownst to myself, and I would tune in for the Belmont Stakes only if there was a Triple Crown on the line.

The first step to my becoming a fan was the construction of the Harrah's Casino, Simulcast and Harness track in lovely (.....) Chester, Pennsylvania. During my initial trip, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was betting harness tracks across the country with not a clue as to what the difference between "trot" and "pace" were. After taking one look at a thoroughbred program, I immediately dismissed it because there were far too many numbers that I didn't understand. At least with the harness past performances, all the horses had always run one mile. Whoever had run the fastest miles in the past would win the race today. Right? For anyone who has ever bet harness, the answer is obviously an overwhelming "NO". However, I thoroughly enjoyed the individual betting screens and the overall atmosphere of the place (for those that have never been there, the computers at each seat are eerily similiar to the computers used to order sandwiches at "Wawa". Just touch the screen where it says what you want to do, and bam, you got it.) I purchased a book that explained the nuances of the thoroughbred program and returned to the simulcast facility fully armed with the knowledge needed to make intelligent betting decisions. On approximately my third race, I decided to throw $1 on a 9-8-2-10 superfecta at Calder Race Course. Miraculously, it finished up exactly that way. $700 and change were mine-all-mine. Was I some sort of superfecta expert? Was I just a naturally brilliant handicapper? I won't go into the financially detrimental details, but once again, the answer is another overwhelming "NO". However, I was hooked into the Sport of Kings, but in a much different way than I am today. I was obsessed with the big score and trying to make a small fortune off of the races. At this same time, a handsome, young colt had just kicked off his 3-year old season, and my view of racing would never be the same.

The date was February 19, 2007. I had read an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a promising, Pennsylvania bred 3-year old who was taking his next step toward the Kentucky Derby via the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was undefeated and had been on or within a head of the lead throughout the entire running of all four of his career races. His name was Hard Spun, and he was the 1 to 2 betting favorite at post time. The gates flew open and Hard Spun had perhaps the worst start of his entire career. He only broke a few steps slower than the other speed horses in the field, but for Hard Spun, that made a world of difference. Since he broke slower than usual, he had several horses between him and the rail and therefore had to race much wider than the rest of the field. He made a move up into second place toward the end of the backstretch, but failed to sustain his run and ended up crossing the finish line a very disappointing fourth. For the first time since my debut trip to the track, I felt sorry for a horse who had come out of a race perfectly healthy. In my mind, he was clearly the best horse on paper and I could find no statistical reason for him to have run the way he did. Even if he had been wider, this should only have forced him to win by a smaller margin than usual, right? The only reason I could think of at the time was that the poor guy was simply having a bad day. He was clearly trying to give it his all throughout the race, but for whatever reason on February 19, 2007, he couldn't put together a winning effort. 

I started scouring the internet for all the information I could pertaining to his career and where his next race may be. Would he be able to bounce back and put together another winning streak or had he simply peaked as a 2-year old? Would his "no-name" trainer continue to point him toward the Triple Crown or would he be entered in easier spots? I became absolutely enamored with the little guy. I was now more of a fan of the horses as opposed to the betting. I followed the Triple Crown trail like I would a professional sports team. Despite my obvious bias, I truly thought that Mr. Spun had an excellent chance of taking home the roses in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. When they made the turn for home and he was loping along on the lead while all the other horses that had been near him were fading toward the back, I experienced a rush of absolute euphoria. Of course, I had yet to notice Street Sense blazing along the rail and gaining quickly, so the euphoria was short-lived. For a split second, I thought Hard Spun would be able to tough it out against Street Sense down the stretch, but alas, it was not meant to be. When the race ended, I was obviously a bit upset at the final result, but shortly thereafter, my feelings changed. I was genuinely proud of him. He ran his heart out for the entire 1 and 1/4 miles and had finished ahead of eighteen other horses. He finished second in the most famous race in the world and had done all the dirty work being on the lead for all but the last eighth of a mile. I had gone from excitement to euphoria to disappointment to pride in just over two minutes, and because of this emotional equivalent to a NYC cab ride, I am a Hard Spun fan for life. 

The rest of his career certainly did not let me down. He placed third in the Preakness and fourth in the Belmont. He returned to the races after a short, post-triple-crown break to finish second in the Haskell. He then polished off two wins in a row with victories in the King's Bishop Stakes and the Kentucky Cup Classic. In the latter, he exacted his revenge on Derby winner Street Sense (albeit on a slightly smaller stage) by taking the race gate-to-wire with Street Sense crossing the line second. In the Breeder's Cup Classic, he finished off his career with another valiant second place effort to the future, two time Horse of the Year, Curlin. He finished in the top three in all his races save for two, and he never once threw in a "dud". He never fell far behind and was always in contention turning for home. He would come out of the gate running and give it his all, all the way to the wire, every time.

From what I've read, Hard Spun is thoroughly enjoying his career at stud (who wouldn't?), and I will be one of the biggest fan's of his sons and daughters when they take to the track in a few short years.