Custard The Dragon, Big Jim, and See You At Peelers, Knocks Em' Out Of The Park!

*  Just when you thought you could count out Big Jim and Phil Hudon, they come back in the Meadowlands Pace elimination and SLAM one out into left field!  Hudon guided the Western Ideal phenom right to the lead after a 27.1 opening quarter, and after that, the remainder of the field seen Jim's "heels" cross the wire in 1:50.0 flat.  "He was awesome," said Hudon, who will be making his Meadowlands Pace debut.  "He paced right to the wire.  It's going to be an interesting final."

*  Custard The Dragon also impressed as he fought off a late challenge from NA Cup entrant, Foreclosure N, as they headed for the wire in 1:50.2.  Dragon's driver, Montrell Teague, will become the youngest driver in a Meadowlands Pace final.  The colt is trained by his father, George Teague Jr., who is no stranger to the Meadowlands Pace, when he won in 2007 with Southwind Lynx.


Custard The Dragon (Left) & Big Jim (Right), winning their Eliminations.  Lisa Photo

Other horses "kicking their heels with joy" over the weekend were:

Dreamfair Eternal (set a new Canadian track record in 1:50.3); Peach Martini (new career best in 1:55); Look Cheap (new career best in 1:51.2); Tamarind; Watermelonwine; Kashs Caviar; See You At Peelers (established a new speed standard for her age, sex and gait, and kept her career record unblemished after 19 starts); Miss Kaylee Em (new career best in 1:56.4) Count Speed; Mach It Paid; Jezzy; Leader Of The Gang; Time To Roll; Pet Rock; I Fought Dalaw; Anthonyskywalker; Junior K; Fantaddy; Outlawpositivcharg and Oakmont.

*  Marc St. Louis Jr. was "back on track" Sunday, winning 5 of the 11 races on the program at Dresden Raceway.  Winning horses were: Lyons Ruby, Aint No Dollatable, Laura Mae, Four Starz Dice, and Late Bloomer.  St. Louis pushed his win totals to 116 for the year and 687 lifetime with his five-win performance.

*  Last week I blogged about racing without shoes or with glue-ons, and posed the question, "Could the harness industry ever adopt this concept?"  On Saturday night, at Georgian Downs, Strand Hanover proved that this concept may indeed be the route that trainers and owners will begin to adopt.  Strand Hanover went wire-to-wire, winning the $119,000 Masters Stakes for older pacers, providing driver J.R. Plante with his biggest thrill yet.  In the winner's circle, trainer Rene Allard commented that Strand Hanover had some problems with his feet a while back (among other problems), so in turn, they pulled his shoes, and gave him, and his hooves, some time off.  Not wanting to re-visit any more hoof issues, they decided that the race on Saturday night would be the perfect time to allow the five-year-old son of Modern Art, to wear GLUE-ONS!


Strand Hanover   Lisa Photo

*  In Thoroughbred action, Bob Baffert stole the show in the Hollywood Gold Cup when both his entrants, First Dude and Game On Dude, battled at the wire to overtake heavy favorite, Twirling Candy.  First Dude was eventually declared the winner and the race was his biggest career victory.  Baffert said, "It's like that line, 'I don't know who won, but I know I did'", paraphrasing Charlie Wittingam.  This is Baffert's third Hollywood Gold Cup win following Real Quiet in 1999, and Congaree in 2003.  As an added note, jockey Chantal Sutherland was the first female to have a mount in the Hollywood Gold Cup -- and she nearly won it while riding Game On Dude!


First Dude (Left) goes by Game On Dude (Right) and Twirling Candy  benoitphoto.com


*  Other headlines:  Making his U.S. debut, European invader, Cape Blanco denied champion Gio Ponti a third straight victory in the $600,000 Man o' War.  The two-time reigning turf champion, Gio Ponti was attempting to become the first horse to win the Man o' War three consecutive times but was compromised by a wide trip.  "He was getting over the ground great," Dominguez said.  "I had a great trip, saving as much ground as possible, and my horse gave me a good turn of foot, but it was not enough."

"Turn of foot" - This is a common term, used in British racing.  A horse with a good "turn of foot" has prompt acceleration; the ability to quicken its pace at a moments notice.


Gio Ponti won the Man o' War in 2009 and 2010 (Shown)   Coglianese photos

*  View From The Racetrack Grandstand blogs, "Theres Too Much Damn Racing"  A topic that needs much discussion! 



Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire!

Elimination Nation

Friday Notes

*  View From The Racetrack Grandstand gives us a good look at the eliminations for The Meadowlands Pace on Saturday, as well as The Yonkers Trot and The Hudson Filly Trot.  The Masters Stakes from Georgian Downs is also this weekend and it allows the 4-Year-Olds to compete for some good coin!

*  Pull The Pocket introduced me to Bob Baffert's Twitter account a couple days ago, and outside of the fact that his user name is Midnight Lute (Thought for sure it would have been Silver Charm), AND that his photo is an egg...*scratches head*...One tweet that he posted really caught my attention:

*  A couple of days ago I blogged about trying to use "Personal Synchronicity" as a way to pick horses that will end up ITM in a race.  Personal Synchronicity occurs when an external concept ties up with something that is only relevant to you or your close circle at that time.  So while I was typing the blog, the Stompin' Tom song came on, "The Good Old Hockey Game".  I pulled up the entries of my local racetrack and decided to bet on the 7 horse, Heshoots Hescores......well, when it came to post time, I come to find out that Heshoots Hescores decided to SCRATCH -- (VET-SICK)..!!!  Ok, did I do that with my stupid Synchronicity??  Geesh I hope not!  Anyways, I think I'll stick to making my picks based on other concepts, unless I win a $16,000 $1 superfecta using Synchronicity, then we'll talk! 

*  Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, had a successful surgery repairing a hairline slab fracture and is expected to be back on the track in 90 days.

*  Leading Trotters:

*  Leading Pacers:

Good luck to all this weekend!


Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire!

Time For A Bit O' Humor!!

Below are a list of phrases or words that one should be on the lookout for when perusing the classified ads:

Big Trot:  (Can't canter within a two mile straight-away)

Nicely Started:  (Lunges, but we don't have enough insurance to ride him yet)

Top Show Horse:  (Won a Reserve Champion 5 years ago at a show with unusually low entries due to tornado warning)

Homebred:  (Knows nothing despite being raised on the back porch)

Big Boned:  (Good thing he has a mane and tail or he would be mistaken for a cow)

No Vices:  (Especially when he wears his muzzle)

Bold:  (Runaway)

Good Mover:  (Runaway)

Athletic:  (Runaway)

Needs Intermediate Rider:  (Runaway)

Should Mature Over 16 Hands:  (Currently 14 hands, dam is 14.2, sire is 15.3 hands, every horse in pedigree back 18 generations is under 16 hands, but "this" horse will defy his DNA and grow)

Well Mannered:  (Hasn't stepped on, run over, bit, or kicked anyone for a week)

Professionally Trained:  (Hasn't stepped on, run over, bit, or kicked anyone for a month)

Excellent Disposition:  (Never been out of the stall)

Clips, Hauls, Loads:  (Clippity Clippity is the sound that his hooves make as he hauls butt across the parking lot when you try to load him)

For Sale Due To Lack Of Time:  (Rider cannot afford to spend any more time in the hospital)

Spirited:  (Psychotic)

Well Bred:  (Mother and father are also brother and sister)

Color is Black:  (Brown and/or dirty)

Suits Eventing:  (No brakes)

Suits Dressage:  (No accelerator)

Dispersing Stock:  (Qualified in 5:10.2)

Lightly Raced:  (Won't Load - Scratched - Transportation)

Free Legged Pacer:  (Kicks like a mad man when you try to put the hobbles on)



Top 10 Exercises To Become A Better Equestrian

10.  Drop a heavy steel object on your foot.  Don't pick it up right away.  Shout, "Get off, stupid, GET OFF!!"

9.  Leap out of a moving vehicle and practice "relaxing into the fall".  Roll lithely into a ball and spring to your feet.

8.  Learn to grab your checkbook at lightning speed and write out a $400 check without looking down.

7.  Jog long distances carrying a halter and a carrot.  Go ahead and tell the neighbors what you're doing - they might as well know now.

6.  Affix a pair of reins to a moving freight train and practice pulling to a halt.  Smile as if you are having fun.

5.  Hone your fibbing skills:  "See hon, moving hay bales is FUN!" and "No, really, I'm glad your lucky performance and multi-million dollar horse won that race.  I am just thankful that my hard work and actual ability got me second!"

4.  Practice dialing your chiropractor's number with both arms paralyzed to the shoulder, and one foot anchoring the lead rope of a frisky horse.

3.  Lie face down in a puddle of mud in your most expensive clothes and repeat to yourself, "This is a learning experience, this is a learning experience, this is..."

2.  Borrow the U.S. Army's slogan, "Be All That You Can Be", -- bitten, thrown, kicked, slimed, trampled, frozen...

1.  And the number one exercise to become a better equestrian?  Marry Money!!


Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire.

If The Shoe Fits...

Back in 2008, headlines were made regarding Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown's quarter crack issues, and people began to ask themselves, "Why not let these race horses run without shoes?"  Surely it's achievable in todays day and age?  We focus on track surfaces, whether the synthetic surfaces are easier on the horse than the dirt surfaces, but is it time to look at their shoes as a solution in strengthening their disposition?  First, what are quarter cracks?  Hoof cracks [general term] typically begin at either the coronary band and extend downward, or at the weight-bearing surface of the hoof extending upward, and their location and severity directly affect their impact on a horse's performance.  The most common cracks are quarter cracks, which occur at the quarter, the thinnest most delicate part of the hoof wall.  Quarter cracks are caused by a variety of factors, including genetic predisposition, time of year, improperly trimmed feet, and traumatic injury.  Injury to the site may be a result of common things such as hard racetracks, misplaced shoeing nails, and stones.



A crack starting at the coronary (Left) - A crack starting at the sole (Right)



Cracks may also develop when horses are exercised on uneven surfaces.  According to Veterinarian Tomas G. Teskey, he and others firmly believe that to apply steel (or aluminum) to horse's feet causes harm, and what follows is a synopsis of just a few of the damaging effects of nailing shoes onto horse's hooves: 

"The horse's hoof as evolved as a conical structure, with domes and triangles arranged into one of the strongest and most dynamic constructions in nature.  When a farrier prepares the hoof for shoeing, he flattens the bottom, which destroys the hoof's ability to perform vital functions, and nailing a rigid steel ring around its lower edge further ensures its steady deterioration and deformation.  The nails driven through the hoof walls allows all manner of bacteria and fungus to enter the foot, and the efficient, physical barrier to these invaders is breached when the hoof wall is pierced.  The damage caused to the horse due to decreased shock absorption within the shod foot is well documented.  The horse's hoof is designed to handle most of the shock absorption required for traveling over any terrain.  This is accomplished when the hoof capsule moves and expands upon contact with the earth.  When steel is fixed to the hoof capsule, the hoof cannot adequately expand and the built-in shock absorbing structures within the hoof cannot do their job.  As a result, the joints, cartilages, and ligaments higher in the horse's leg, back, and entire body, must now dissipate concussive forces they are not designed to handle, resulting in extra wear and tear which produces measurable damage to these areas.  In a properly functioning hoof, the sole slightly flattens as hundreds of pounds of weight come to bear on the hoof capsule.  Shoes prevent this action, instead holding the sole in a non-weightbearing, vaulted position and the rest of the hoof capsule in a contracted state.  The sole is now unable to escape the now-punishing blows of the coffin bone above, and the forces coming down into the foot are now compromising the sole and the coffin bone together, causing bruising with every step.  The circulation factor in the horse's hoof also becomes compromised because the natural hoof moves blood with each step as it expands and contracts.  If this sounds familiar, like the blood-pumping mechanism of a heart, that's because it is.  Natural hooves perform a critical function as supplementary "hearts".  This vital heart-like mechanism is greatly restricted by immobilizing the hoof with shoes.  Reduced circulation through the feet and legs of the shod horse results in reduced circulation to the entire body."



Big Brown undergoing special hoof care for quarter cracks.

 

So, which trainers and owners are running their horses barefoot?  Are there any?  Sara and Brian Minsk, owners of Nine Maple Farm in Mendon, Mass. race barefoot only.  Sara writes, "I believe we were the first ones in the U.S. to breed, train and race barefoot, as we started in 2003 with Thoroughbreds.  We created a particular environment for our horses to allow their hooves to develop to their fullest potential.  At the time, barefoot was NOT in fashion, and we were quite the outcasts."  Their homebred Arabian racehorse, NMF Benraz Halim, a.k.a. Benny, trained by Leslie Bickel, has raced barefoot with zero training-related physical setbacks.  "He has never worn shoes and trains and races on concrete-hard American dirt tracks.  He was stakes placed as a Juvenile and just placed second in the Michigan Derby Stakes Race on July 28, 2007.  He has 10 starts, with 1 win, 4 place (two of those being stakes races) and 1 show."  Sara and Brian have had racing success with both Arabians and Thoroughbreds.

Another equine to bring attention to racing barefoot, is the English Thoroughbred, Saucy Night (owned by Eamonn Wilmott) when he entered the record books on January 3, 2005, by winning the 2-1/2 mile steeplechase at Folkstone, in the U.K., WITHOUT shoes.  As Saucy cantered past the winning post, yet again, the commentator shouted out, "Message to all trainers out there  -  Get your horse's shoes off!!"  Kavi, also owned by Eamonn Wilmott, is a five-year-old gelding who races on the flat barefoot.  On February 14, 2005, he was entered in a race at Lingfield Park over 1M, 4 furlongs, on the all-weather surface, and at post-time he was rated 16th of 16 runners.  Three furlongs from home, Kavi cruised up to take the win easily by 3 lengths.  Racing Post thinks it may be the first ever win on the flat for a horse without shoes.  He paid 64-1 on the tote.

Similarily, the 2006 Kentucky Derby starter, Brother Derek, trained without shoes.  As per the Associated Press 2/9/06:  "San Rafael winner, Brother Derek, galloped 1-1/2 miles without shoes for trainer Dan Hendricks.  Dan notes,  'He trains without shoes and he's worn glue-on shoes since Del-Mar to allow his feet to air out and expand naturally.'  The colt's next start was in the Santa Catalina on March 4, 2006, a Grade 2, which he won. 



Brother Derek training with his glue-on shoes.



The question still remains though, how many trainers and owners will race their horses barefoot?  Has their been enough research done to satisfy questions of safety, traction, and comfort or discomfort to the horse?  Would it ever be possible for Standardbreds to race barefoot given that they are raced more frequently, with a tougher track surface than Thoroughbreds?  Will glue-ons eventually take the place of steel or aluminum shoes?  I guess we will have to ponder this, one step-at-a-time...shoeless of course...ahem!

excerpts from Novita, Tomas G. Teskey, Barefoot Performance: Horse Racing, Thoroughbred Times

Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire. 





You Know What Really Grinds My Gears??

Today's blog post is basically a b#$ch fest because I cannot believe how much money is being spent on trying to detect illegal drugs in the racing industry.  STOP CHEATING, damnit!  My blog friend at View From The Racetrack Grandstand posted about how the industry now has to come up with at least $100,000 to try and detect ONE drug, yes, you heard me right, ONE FREAKIN' DRUG!  Go on, read his blog post, I'll wait.

We CANNOT and SHOULD NOT have to keep dumping this type of negative cash flow into our industry.  I know, I know, I get the fact that someone has to be the watchdog, and the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium are doing their best, but they're pulling their hair out trying to detect the next best ILLEGAL wonderdrug.  Seriously, they're shoving crap into horses that unless you were a chemistry major from MIT, you wouldn't know what the hell it was.  I can't even pronounce half the stuff on the recent ruling list.  Honestly though, that money could be spent elsewhere in order to create positive changes!  Hey, I know a toteboard at a local racetrack that's still made out of freakin' plywood, wheel some cash over there!  Similarily, ensure that the drivers, trainers, and grooms make a bit more dough, they have to make a living too you know!  Toss some funding to rescue facilities, hell, the majority of those horses that are lucky enough to make it there have been dragged through the chemistry lab as it is.  It's no wonder they end up going for meat!

Ok, off the soapbox.  Ahem.

For those that are interested, you can view the Recent Rulings on the RMTC website here.  Talk about jaw dropping.


Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire.

Can We Use Astrology to Pick Winners?

I'll admit, I love astrology, but I'm not quite sure that knowing a horse's "sign" is going to put you in the money, let alone the winner's circle.  While perusing the internet, I decided to google it, (what the hell), and amazingly their are websites out there that do believe you can win using the "stars".  There's even software to help you out!  I know, weird eh??  Anyways, I began reading an article that wasn't so much about using astrology, but about basing your picks on a concept called, "Synchronicity".  No, that doesn't mean you listen to the band, The Police, and then pick, but it's based on the concept that YOU WILL ONLY WIN MONEY WHEN YOUR PROGRESSIONS AND TRANSITS ALLOW IT.  Huh?  Well, that's what this guy says.  He also says to find any possible reason to bet against the public.  Well, I've done that once or twice, only to end up getting my a## kicked at the wire.  Didn't work.

So here's a clip from his blog - let's read what his crystal ball says:

"Anyone can spot a horse with form! It really does not benefit you to bank a horse with a good form line unless you absolutely have to. These favorites don't come in 25 percent of the time, and that is where the big money lies. I studied the discarded tickets of thousands of other punters, noticing the ‘pipes’, legs in which up to 99 percent of punters went ‘thin’ on a favorite, and the large payouts that occurred when these 'pipes' burst. Many factors can cause this to happen. Jockeys can ride a horse incorrectly, choose the wrong lines, read the pace incorrectly, front-run a non front-running horse, get 'boxed in' or purposefully lean on the horse’s neck at the 200 to slow it up. Lots of things can go wrong.

At the age of 28, I was introduced to a punter known in several cities as the ‘Master’. He showed me how to take ‘consolation bets’ (betting against yourself in case your own ‘pipe' bursts: a small 'consolation' ticket can sometimes pay huge dividends). He taught me how to follow breeding (of the horses' parents and grandparents) versus distance, and focus on betting, which was similar to receiving the best tips from the best stables simultaneously, since nobody likes to lose money. If a horse was previously punted heavily for no apparent reason, and came nowhere, then it is almost a sure-fire thing for the next meeting or two, and the odds will be better. Horses, like humans, also have bad days.

The ‘Master’ has made hundreds of thousands of rands from horse-racing, all with reasonably small bets. I keep records of my small wagers, and am also well ahead. (By the way, I only know a handful of successful punters, and they all bet against favorites whenever possible). Racing is truly a challenging game of skill, allowing players to excercise far more control than with other more sterile odds-based methods of gambling.

The best advice I can give is: You can save yourself a lot of time by avoiding the time-consuming study-path mentioned above. The rules always boil down to the same basic paradigm: YOU WILL ONLY WIN MONEY WHEN YOUR PROGRESSIONS AND TRANSITS ALLOW. I cannot stress this point enough. At the times permitted for you to win money, whatever method you employ to make your bets will work. Therefore, why choose a more difficult path of calculation? After studying factors influencing horse-races for many years, I can report that a method that offers equally good results is based on the concept of synchronicity.

You wonder how that lady down the road picked the winner 'In Full Flight' of this year's big race? It's because her daughter caught a plane that morning! They are all over the place, a huge, unrepresented number of mainly women who consistently pick winners based on events happening to themselves or the world at the time. Believe it or not, synchronicity really works. Women are intrinsically more intuitive than men. They have had to evolve that way to safeguard the homes and emotional centres of our communities. When it comes to intuition, they beat men hands-down. That is the reason why so many more women follow Astrology, they are able to see the truth that lies beyond the scientific reasons as to why it should not work.

It is hard for me to teach you to spot synchronicity in your own lives. Perhaps a few examples that happened to me will help.

A while back, I was lying in hospital in pain with a stuck kidney-stone and read that a horse, 'Flaming Rock', was running in the Rothman's July Handicap, our biggest race. During that same week, comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed into Jupiter. I banked the horse and it won the July.

A while later, a horse called 'Lethal Attack' was running in the same week that there had been a nerve-gas attack in a Tokyo subway. It won.

These are examples of what I call 'Global' synchronicity. There is also another form that works very well, and let's just call that 'Personal' synchronicity for now. It occurs when an external concept ties up with something that is only relevant to you or your close circle at that time. For instance, suppose yesterday you read an article about, say, Eagles. Today there is a horse running called 'Eagle Rising'. The chances of that horse of being in the money today, placing or even winning, are excellent. You have to learn how to spot a synchronous tie-up, and to know when it is too vague to be of relevance.

A final form of synchronicity (that I am aware of) is synchronicity that occurs within the names of the horses in each race. I have had hundreds of examples of this, and it seems to work about three-quarters of the time. It needs you to be relaxed, alert and requires some delicate handling of your intuition. For example, if there are horses running called 'Royal King' and 'Royal Ruler' in the same race, it is very likely that at least one of these horses will win or place. Often both come in. Study of this has convinced me that it occurs more than the average amount of times, had it been caused by 'chance'. Note, I say 'place', they do not necessarily win, they are just in the money. You will have to experiment with this concept to find whether it works for you."

So there you have it, get yourself synchronized and get out there and bet your socks off.  Ok, this is extremely odd because as I'm typing this blog post, "Stompin Tom", is playing his infamous song, "The Good Old Hockey Game" on my radio!  Hang on...going to quickly look at a few entries for this week at my local track...

(insert elevator music here)

Guess who I'm betting in the 10th race at Hiawatha this Thursday?  The 7 horse, Heshoots Hescores!!  Let's see if this "sync" stuff really works!!!   

Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire.

Happy Canada Day!!

What's On Tap This Weekend For The Racing World?

Clinton Raceway - Kin Pace - Sunday, July 3, 2011 - $70,000 Purse - View Card Here

Dresden Raceway - OSS Grassroots - Sunday, July 3, 2011 - View Card Here

Mohawk Raceway - Beat The Heat Pacing Series - Saturday, July 2, 2011 -  Appearances by Betterthancheddar, Bunny In The Bank, Grumpy Jake, and Ok Boromir - 2011 NA Cup Contenders, Foreclosure N, Rockabillie, Eighteen, and Bestofbest Hanover also make appearances during the night - View Card Here

Flamboro Raceway - Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final - Sunday, July 3, 2011 - $130,000 Purse - View Card Here

The Meadowlands - Titan Cup Final - Saturday, July 2, 2011 - $220,750 Purse - Special appearances by Lucky Jim, Buck I St Pat, and Arch Madness - View Card Here

Tioga Downs - Historic - Saturday, July 2, 2011 - $76,200 Purse - View Card Here

Harrahs Chester - The Ben Franklin Final - Sunday, July 3, 2011 - $500,000 Purse - Foiled Again, Won The West, We Will See, and Bettor Sweet all go head to head - View Card Here

Thoroughbred Stakes Races This Weekend

View Schedule Here

Good Luck To All And Have A Great Holiday!!

Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire.