Hooray for the European runners!!! They have put an end to the excessive, ridiculous, over-the-top hyberbole about Curlin at long last. My gods, I thought I was going to puke listening to all the nonsense about Curlin being the greatest horse of all time. Give me a break already! He's a nice horse, but he's not an all time great. I wouldn't even say he was the best of this decade. Give me Point Given, Ghostzapper, Medaglia D'Oro, or Invasor anyday. Oh, and Jess Jackson is so full of it about keeping Curlin in training because he's a sporting kind of guy. BS! No farm will touch Curlin with a 10 foot pole until the lawsuit with his minority owners is over. How dumb do they think we are?
So anyway, here's my BC wrap up. In the Classic, Raven's Pass was superb, coming home in 1:59.27 which I believe is third only to Ghostzapper's 1:59.02 and Skip Away's 1:59.16. Beautifully done. And I'm really glad to see Frankie Dettori win the Classic. How can you not love him? Henrythenavigator roared home to be second, Tiago closed gamely to nab third, and Curlin regressed a bit in the stretch, only getting fourth, having briefly had the lead. The Duke of Marmalade could only manage 9th and Casino Drive finished dead last in 12th. His lack of conditioning destroyed any chance he had, it would seem. I hope he'll be back as a four year-old so we can see him at his best for once.
Conduit was magnificent in the Turf, winning in a stakes record time of 2:23.42. What a good looking horse he is. I hope he'll run at four. It was a bit sad to see Better Talk Now strung out sooooo far behind the field. He managed 8th, but I really think the G1s are several years behind him.
I didn't have ton of interest in the Sprint, but it was interesting to see Midnight Lute make the same move as he did last year, circling the field on the turn and sweeping to the lead. Street Boss managed third, and though it wasn't a win, it still emphasizes how extraordinarily versatile Street Cry's get seem to be---good as juvis, good as older horses, able to handle sprints and routes, dirt and synthetics. Pretty cool.
I don't have anything intelligent to say about the Juvi Turf, but I'm a nerd for horse color genetics, and I do love Donativum's Tetrarch spots. :-)
The Juvenile was a good race. My man Square Eddie ran beautifully to be second, and I wonder if he might have squeezed up for the win if Midshipman hadn't drifted in on him in the stretch. I guess his jockey didn't think so because there was no inquiry. And Street Hero, yet another Street Cry horse, was third. That guy's on fire. I suspect Midshipman will suffer an injury sometime next spring and be whisked off to stud. The Unbridled's Songs don't hold together real well (EightBelles, Buddha, even UBS himself). Square Eddie and Street Hero ought to only impove with age however. I expect they'll be quite interesting to follow next year.
It was nice to see a filly score in the Mile again. The French fillies seem to be predisposed to winning that one. Kip Deville, last year's winner, as a game second, but there was no catching Goldikova today. What a lithe little filly.
The Dirt Mile wasn't one I was watching closely. Albertus Maximus ran his eyeballs out for the win and Well Armed, the favorite, never fired.
I had no picks in the Turf Sprint or the Marathon, but it sure is fun watching those horses roar down the hill. I bet that's a fun ride!
As for yesterday, Ventura was a star in the F&M Sprint. Indian Blessing was just no match for her. Maybe next year. No real thoughts on the Juvi Fillies Turf other than I suspect the best of them will race in Europe next year.
Stardom Bound was of course sensational making her patented last-to-first move on the turn in the Juvi Fillies. She is filly to be reckoned with though I do wonder if she's going to want more than 9 furlongs. Most filly races aren't any longer than that though, so I guess she'll probably be fine.
I was very pleased to see Sealy Hill close from the clouds to get up for second in the F&M Turf. A great way to close out her career, and I'm thrilled that Point Given is having such good success as a sire.
As for the Ladies Classic (F&M Classic sounds better, I think), what's to be said? Zenyatta is a queen among fillies. With Curlin's loss in the Classic, I really hope she'll be Horse of the Year. She deserves it.
And best of all, every horse came home safely today. There wasn't a single incident, and I think that speaks well of the pro-ride synthetic surface and the Santa Anita turf surface. This has been one of the most enjoyable Breeders Cups for me, and I'm pleased it will be back at SA next year. The Euros should come over in droves after all the success they had this year. Should be fantastic!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Witnessing greatness
(Photo by Getty Images)
There is nothing like a truly brilliant filly to cheer one's spirits. At Longchamp today, the undefeated three year-old filly Zarkava raced into the history books, winning the Arc decisively over a tough field including the likes of Duke Of Marmalade (5 time Group 1 winner who was undefeated this season), Youmzain (a G1 winner and usually G1 placed runner who was second in last year's Arc), Soldier of Fortune (winner of the G1 Irish Derby and Coronation Cup), and Meisho Sampson (hero of Japan and supreme distance horse), to name a few.
Going into the race today, Zarkava had scored six wins, 4 of them in G1 events, including the prestigious Prix Marcel Boussac Royal Barriere de Deauville for two year-old fillies, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (the French 1000 Guineas), and the Prix de Diane (the French Oaks). Just three weeks ago, she conquered older mares in the G1 Prix Vermeille. In all of these races, she won as she pleased and no horse finished within 2 lengths of her.
Having defeated everything her own sex could throw at her, the Aga Khan entered her in the Arc, a race that has not been won by a filly since 1993 (Urban Sea) and that has not been won by a three year-old filly since 1982 (Akiyda, also an Aga Khan filly). Zarkava started as the favorite, and though she broke pretty well, she was still shuffled to the back of the field of 16 for much of the race. As the horses wheeled into the three furlong stretch, Zarkava was trapped on the rail behind a wall of horses and looked doomed. Her jockey pointed her to the narrowest of openings with less than a quarter mile to run, and the filly didn't hesitate to surge through. As soon as she was clear, Zarkava stormed to the lead, much the best and won going away by two lengths. It was breathtaking performance, one for the ages.
Interestingly, Zarkava descends tail-female from the great grey mare Petite Etoile through her only daughter Zahra. Etoile herself descends in the female line from the Flying Filly, Mumtaz Mahal, and it is only fitting therefore that Zarkava takes up her crown as the modern day Flying Filly, as she was dubbed earlier today.
For those who haven't seen it, here it is on Youtube. It's in French, so look for the filly trapped on the rail in the 16 cloth with the jockey in green silks with red stripes on the shoulders.
Exceptional, indeed.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Long overdue update
As John Lennon once sang, "life is just what happens…while you’re busy making other plans." That’s the story of my summer, let me tell you, hence the grievous neglect of this journal. I have at last caught up on most of what needed to be done, and I am back to blogging, so look out world, etc etc etc.
Over the last few months, the racing industry has implemented or at least planned a number of encouraging changes. It's sad and bordering on unforgivable that it took a death at the Kentucky Derby to finally provoke this action. Certainly Go For Wand, Landseer, Pine Island, and George Washington, among many others, deserved more. But at least the probems with the sport are being addressed at last. Eight Belles did not die in vain.
1. Steroids Ban: As of September 28th, 16 states have adopted the rule to ban all steroids. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium hopes it will be adopted in all racing states by January 1, 2009.
2. Drug Testing Continuity: The RMTC is also working on a plan to regulate drug-testing methods and standards around the country. http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/47266/rmtc-has-plan-for-drug-testing-standards.htm
3. Toe Grab Ban: The Jockey Club and graded stakes committee have ruled that toe grabs taller than 2 millimeters are forbidden, and any tracks not adhering to this rule will lose their graded status. Other traction devices have similarly been banned. The reaction from trainers has been mixed, but recent studies have shown compelling evidence that toe grabs contribute to catastrophic skeletal injuries. Both Barbaro and Eight Belles wore toe grabs…
4. Creation of Equine Injury Database: This database implemented by the Jockey Club will track racing injuries, the goal being "identify the frequency, types and outcome of racing injuries using a standardized format that will generate valid statistics; identify markers for horses at increased risk of injury; and serve as a data source for research directed at improving safety and preventing injuries." (BH 7/23/08) Resistance from some trainers and vets is expected, but the Jockey Club hopefully will insist on resposibility and accountability from all involved.
I am really thrilled to see that the racing industry has made such progress in only six months. These are steps in the right direction, and here's hoping the Jockey Club will strongly enforce these new regulations. The only problem that has yet to be addressed is the problem of breeding for speed and precosity rather than stamina and soundness. I'm not really sure that is something that can be legislated, but certainly the JC should think about incentives for breeders and owners who work toward breeding and buying horses from resilient lines. Though I keep putting that discussion off, it really is for another day, but hopefully before the Breeders Cup. Maybe the Arc this Sunday will inspire me to wax poetic on the virtues of stamina-laden horses. Go Zarkava!
Over the last few months, the racing industry has implemented or at least planned a number of encouraging changes. It's sad and bordering on unforgivable that it took a death at the Kentucky Derby to finally provoke this action. Certainly Go For Wand, Landseer, Pine Island, and George Washington, among many others, deserved more. But at least the probems with the sport are being addressed at last. Eight Belles did not die in vain.
1. Steroids Ban: As of September 28th, 16 states have adopted the rule to ban all steroids. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium hopes it will be adopted in all racing states by January 1, 2009.
2. Drug Testing Continuity: The RMTC is also working on a plan to regulate drug-testing methods and standards around the country. http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/47266/rmtc-has-plan-for-drug-testing-standards.htm
3. Toe Grab Ban: The Jockey Club and graded stakes committee have ruled that toe grabs taller than 2 millimeters are forbidden, and any tracks not adhering to this rule will lose their graded status. Other traction devices have similarly been banned. The reaction from trainers has been mixed, but recent studies have shown compelling evidence that toe grabs contribute to catastrophic skeletal injuries. Both Barbaro and Eight Belles wore toe grabs…
4. Creation of Equine Injury Database: This database implemented by the Jockey Club will track racing injuries, the goal being "identify the frequency, types and outcome of racing injuries using a standardized format that will generate valid statistics; identify markers for horses at increased risk of injury; and serve as a data source for research directed at improving safety and preventing injuries." (BH 7/23/08) Resistance from some trainers and vets is expected, but the Jockey Club hopefully will insist on resposibility and accountability from all involved.
I am really thrilled to see that the racing industry has made such progress in only six months. These are steps in the right direction, and here's hoping the Jockey Club will strongly enforce these new regulations. The only problem that has yet to be addressed is the problem of breeding for speed and precosity rather than stamina and soundness. I'm not really sure that is something that can be legislated, but certainly the JC should think about incentives for breeders and owners who work toward breeding and buying horses from resilient lines. Though I keep putting that discussion off, it really is for another day, but hopefully before the Breeders Cup. Maybe the Arc this Sunday will inspire me to wax poetic on the virtues of stamina-laden horses. Go Zarkava!
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