By Ray Paulick
Gulf Coast Farms, the Florida-based operation of veterinarian Jerry Bailey and Utah horseman Lance Robinson, is known more for its pinhooking of yearlings to 2-year-old sales than for breeding. However, 10 weeks into the 2010 racing season, Gulf Coast is one of two breeders in North America to be represented by a pair of American Graded Stakes winners (the other being the Overbrook Farm owned by the family of the late W.T. Young).

Both of Gulf Coast’s AGS winners are on the road to the Triple Crown. The first is Conveyance, a two-time AGS winner in 2010, having captured the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita and the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park—both Grade 3 races. Conveyance, originally purchased by Legends Racing for $240,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale, is now owned by Zabeel Racing, an entity owned by a son of Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai. The Indian Charlie colt was produced from a mare by Holy Bull, who ran the worst race of his life in the Kentucky Derby but went on to be the 1994 3-year-old champion male and Horse of the Year.

The second, of course, is 2009 juvenile champion Lookin At Lucky, who made his season’s debut last week at Oaklawn Park in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes—a race that attracted two other Grade 1 winners, runner-up Noble’s Promise and third-place finisher Dublin. Lookin At Lucky, a son of Smart Strike out of Private Feeling, by Belong to Me, races for the partnership of Mike Pegram, Paul Weitman and Karl Watson. He was purchased by Baffert on their behalf for $475,000 at last year’s Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training. Six months earlier, Bailey and Robinson entered Lookin At Lucky in the Keeneland September sale but bought him back for just $35,000 because the veterinary report on him showed several “minor” physical issues. (Click here <http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/american-graded-stakes-standings-brought-to-you-by-keeneland-lookin-at-a-bargain/> to learn more about those issues, which obviously have not prevented the colt from compiling an outstanding record of six wins in seven starts, including three Grade 1 wins, and earnings of $1,423,000.)

Though they may be known better for their pinhooking acumen, Bailey and Robinson have a large broodmare band in excess of 100, and it’s no surprise they are successful in this end of the business along with getting horses ready for 2-year-old sales. Both are consummate horseman, Bailey having years of experience running his own business along with a stint as farm veterinarian and manager of E.K. Gaylord’s Lazy E. Ranch in Oklahoma, and Robinson plying his trade as a professional rodeo cowboy for more than 15 years.

If you want to call someone an “accidental” breeder of an American Graded Stakes winner, that description might be more fitting for two trainers who have produced AGS winners of 2010: trainers Bob Baffert and Mike Machowsky.

Baffert is the breeder of Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap winner Misremembered, co-owned by his wife Jill and their good friend George Jacobs. Baffert probably didn’t envision winning the Big ‘Cap and more than $1 million with the offspring of the mare, Beyond Perfection (by Quack), when he bid $7,000 to buy her at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale in 2005—but that’s exactly what Misremembered has done. In this business, you can be good, but it also helps to be lucky.

Machowsky is the breeder, co-owner and trainer of Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes winner Caracortado. The 3-year-old gelded son of Cat Dreams was produced by Mons Venus, by Maria’s Mon. Machowsky bought Mons Venus for $45,000 on behalf of some clients at the Keeneland 2002 September yearling sale. After the filly kept having ankle problems, Machowsky told the owners she probably would never race and suggested they breed her. When they said they weren’t interested, the trainer contacted a friend in California who was standing the young Storm Cat stallion Cat Dreams and bred Mons Venus to him. Caracortado went on to win his first five races, including the Lewis, before losing for the first time in last Saturday’s Grade 2 San Felipe.

Mons Venus is the second mare Machowsky ever bred.

This only proves there are many ways to breed a winner of an American Graded Stakes race. You can cultivate the best bloodlines, do all the planning and research in the world, but sometimes the most important ingredient is good fortune.

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By Ray Paulick
 What’s that old expression often repeated in the legal world: He who represents himself has a fool for a client? I think a similar statement can be said of some horse owners: He who makes decisions on where and when his horses should run has a fool for a trainer.

That phrase came to mind, not once, but twice this week when the owners of two of America’s highest-profile Thoroughbreds, Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and early Kentucky Derby favorite Eskendereya, made the type of decisions that are better left to their trainers. And the real trainers of these two horses, Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher, respectively, are anything but fools. Both are locks to someday be inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.

Jess Jackson struck first when he issued a press release Sunday declaring Rachel Alexandra out of the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park, less than 24 hours after she was defeated in the New Orleans Ladies at Fair Grounds.

“Yesterday’s race while a disappointment, helped us define Rachel Alexandra’s racing condition,” Jackson said. “While she is healthy, just as I had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve and I discussed this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be.”

The key phrase in the above paragraph is “Therefore, I decided…”

Only a few hours earlier, the Fair Grounds media office sent out the following comments from Asmussen, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer: “We don’t have any negative indications yet today. Like anything, you want to be 100% and if you’re not you go from there. We don’t have any negative this morning other than the loss and the hurt feelings of yesterday. Our main concern is how Rachel feels and her well-being and we’re very pleased with her today.”

Two days later, Ahmed Zayat made a decision to pull his Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth winner Eskendereya from an intended start in this Saturday’s Florida Derby and have Pletcher instead send him to Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial on April 3.

“The main issue is timing,” Zayat was quoted in Daily Racing Form as saying. “I’m not really comfortable off the six weeks (the gap between the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby). If I’m genuine about the Kentucky Derby, I need to give the prep I want to make sure he peaks on the right day.”

Zayat, who has been sued by Fifth Third Bank over alleged delinquency on a $34-million loan and has put his racing stable in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, like Jackson has owned racehorses for only a few years. Apparently, he thinks he knows more about training a Thoroughbred than Pletcher, a four-time Eclipse Award winner.

Earlier in the week, Pletcher was quoted in the Miami Herald saying he thought six weeks between starts was just right for Eskendereya. “He won an allowance (at Gulfstream) six weeks out from the Fountain of Youth,” Pletcher said. “So, six weeks seems like good spacing for him.”

Cynics may be thinking Jackson and Zayat–two owners with immodestly sized egos—might be fibbing about their decisions. In the case of Jackson, the real reason to skip the Apple Blossom could be based more on the winning performance by unbeaten champion Zenyatta at Santa Anita the same afternoon Rachel Alexandra lost. He can’t be blamed for wanting no part of Zenyatta at Oaklawn, and for that I say he’s nobody’s fool.

Zayat’s reason could be entirely different. The beleaguered owner has been entertaining offers to sell all or part of Eskendereya to help satisfy his loan obligations, and it’s possible he wants to finalize a deal before the son of Giant’s Causeway makes his next start.

I hope that’s the case. If Zayat thinks he can train a horse better than Pletcher, he really is a fool.

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By Ray Paulick
Damon Thayer, the Kentucky state senator from Scott County and a Thoroughbred industry consultant, reminds me of the fellow with one foot on a dock and the other on a boat that’s ready to set sail.

Standing with both feet firmly planted on dry land is Thayer’s good buddy, fellow Republican David “Blackjack” Williams, the Senate president who seems bent on destroying Kentucky’s signature industry. Aboard the boat are members of that horse industry, people Thayer worked alongside for years during professional stints at Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky and later with the Breeders’ Cup. The boat is starting to pull away from the dock, and Thayer has to decide which side he’s on, or he’ll wind up in deep water with no one willing to throw him a life preserver.

That’s where Thayer finds himself today, having to choose between doing what’s right for the horse industry and standing up to the big, bad Senate president, or turning his back on his old friends and hiding under his mommy’s skirt.

Thayer, whose ill-conceived and poorly timed constitutional amendment calling for slot machines at Kentucky racetracks was always a non-starter, tried to redeem himself by inserting language permitting pari-mutuel Instant Racing machines in a bill being heard by the Senate State and Local Government Committee that he chairs. The committee approved the language, amending House Bill 368, sponsored by Louisville Democrat Larry Clark. That bill was designed to add a 0.5% tax on advance deposit wagers made by Kentucky residents, but the Senate committee amended it with additional language that could make Kentucky’s simulcast export signal weaker and result in even less revenue for Kentucky’s tracks and horsemen.

The Instant Racing language was added with the blessing of the Senate president, and seven Republicans including Thayer voted for the bill. Then, last night, Williams did an about face, saying the Instant Racing provisions would be removed from the bill by Thayer’s committee or it would not pass the full Senate. (So much for even attempting to disguise Thayer as anything but a puppet of the Senate president.)

Williams indicated that he wants the governor or Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to approve Instant Racing, but what he really wants is for the issue to wind up losing in a court battle, similar to what has happened with Instant Racing in Wyoming and Maryland. The legislative language proposed by Thayer would likely have allowed Instant Racing to overcome a court challenge.

Plain and simple, Williams is trying to set Instant Racing up to fail.

On Wednesday, the Senate State and Local Government Committee declined to take action on the Instant Racing provisions of HB368 because of a lack of consensus.

Where we go from here is up to Thayer and his fellow Republicans. Does the Senator from Scott County have the fortitude to stand up to Williams’ bullying tactics and tell him he is wrong? Instant Racing could be very beneficial to an industry that has been put at an extreme disadvantage by the presence of casino gambling on nearly every border of the state. The efforts that have brought the bill this far represent rare bipartisan cooperation in the Kentucky legislature.

Thayer could emerge a hero to the horse industry by telling Williams he is wrong, and by keeping the coalition together that supported the Instant Racing language in the committee vote.

Or he could end up all wet. It’s his choice.

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Only a few days after his Senate committee approved a KY horse industry aid bill including Instant Racing, Damon Thayer has withdrawn his bill from consideration. He now prefers that Governor Steve Beshear sign an executive order to bring the popular alternative to slot machines to Kentucky’s racetracks after opposition from anti-gaming groups.

It appears that Senate President David Williams has put the pressure on Thayer to withdraw the bill even after expressing the sentiment that it had bipartisan support.

"There’s still a chance (at passage)," Thayer said. "I just didn’t feel comfortable moving forward in its current form."

It begs the question, what has happened between six days ago when it came out of your committee and today Damon?

Read it at the Blood-Horse

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

By Ray Paulick
One of the most interesting and encouraging developments of the young 2010 racing season was the recent announcement in New Jersey that Monmouth Park will slash the number of racing days but increase daily average purses to $1 million—the highest ever in the United States for a regularly scheduled race meeting. A daily average of $1 million is roughly triple the daily purses offered in previous years at Monmouth Park.

Most weeks, Monmouth will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, offering 12 races per day, rather than a more traditional Wednesday-Sunday schedule. A weekends only fall meeting at Monmouth will replace the previous Meadowlands Thoroughbred meeting.

Click here to learn more about the 2010 Monmouth Park schedule and here for the stakes schedule.

How to pay for this? A large chunk of the money, $20 million, comes in the way of a subsidy from the New Jersey casino association, a deal that expires this year. The hope of New Jersey Sports and Exposition and Monmouth Park officials is that higher quality racing with bigger fields will substantially increase handle. Average daily handle in New Jersey has dropped from $5 million to $3.2 million over the last five years.

Longtime Monmouth Park executive Robert J. Kulina, the track’s vice president and general manager, talked with the Paulick Report about how he is planning to put Monmouth Park back on the map of major league racetracks.

This is a pretty dramatic step. Reminds me of the lyrics to Neil Young’s “My My Hey Hey”—“it’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Is that that the scenario you felt as though you were facing with New Jersey racing?
You’re the second one to mention that great song. It’s true. First of all I don’t think any other state would have had the horsemen that allowed us to entertain this concept. It’s almost been two years we’ve been working on this.

It boils down to a couple of things. Everybody in the industry understands what we are doing is not working. I liken our industry to Detroit, where the auto industry is almost gone. They had a monopoly, we had a monopoly and it’s not working. This is the last year of our purse supplement (from New Jersey casinos). We needed to come up with a model to show the racing can be successful and give us a vehicle to ask for future funding for purses. If we went with the same day-in and day-out cards, the reality for additional funding would be more doubtful. It’s a big picture thing. Dennis Drazen (former New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association president), myself and John Forbes (current NJ THA president), we talked about any number of dates scenarios. Finally we decided we wanted to cut it to the point where there would be were no excuses left; it’s  the least common denominator, with the hope being that in the future we can add. I am very appreciative of the horsemen. There was a lot of hard work on their part.

Did you look outside of the United States? This looks an awful like what Japan or Hong Kong is doing.
There are no geniuses here.  Less is better. We looked at foreign models. We added the fall dates to see if there would be any life at Monmouth that time of year. It’s been 30 years or more since we raced that late at Monmouth. For one year, it’s something we had to do, but there are a lot of negotiations, a lot of issues that still need to be resolved.

You’ve said you need to double handle to sustain these purses of a million a day. What are the realistic chances of that?
That’s not what I said. My projections were soft, 20% to 25% increases. What I tried to allude to is that Saratoga is still the best in the country. We looked at the model–$13 million in daily handle at Saratoga). We are at $3.2 million. Somewhere I said can I grow toward that Saratoga number. Can I double my number this year? I don’t know. We made very soft projections just to maintain where we were: 20% increases on live handle, 20% on transmission of races, and that’s adding two or three races per day, ans assuming our field size will increase from under 7.5 horses per race to 8.75 or maybe nine. We think we’ll sell more races to California. Philadelphia Park won’t be running on Sundays, so how much can we pick up there? It’s a big gamble.

In 1970s when I was racing secretary here and New York was dark on Tuesdays, I’d put an overnight stakes on Tuesdays and we were doing $3 million a day in handle just in that building.

One thing that’s important to understand is that I want the other guys to have a good product, because I’m selling bets on it. I want racing across the country to be strong and good and competitive. I think one of our problems is that we are trying to become a slot machine in our wagering mentality.

Have you put more into the marketing budget?
We’re doing a lot of new things. We’ve had success adding events the last few years. We’ve had a crab cake event, we’re adding a jazz and blues festival, adding a burger event with the Newark Star-Ledger on Memorial Day weekend. We are doing more food events, adding a second music event. We’ve reintroduced the Monmouth County Hunt meet and believe that can become a big event. These things take two or three years to build. There are 16 weekends during this time and we’re trying to create an event every weekend. There is a lot of excitement among people who are lapsed fans. The upside can be big; I remember what it’s like to have 17,000 here every Saturday.

In addition we are real close to getting the Haskell televised on ABC, a one-hour show. You know we have a record of trying to be aggressive with our 3-year-olds.

What’s the impact on the stakes program?
Mostly minor things. Our graded stakes are right at $5 million, pretty much the same as before. We’re bringing the Meadowlands Cup to Monmouth and running the Pegasus as a Haskell prep. Our overnight stakes, something I created a long time ago, will start at $100,000. We are really focusing on the high end.

I have a great relationship with the horsemen, and they bought into the concept. We’re now trying to work on the purse schedule. Part of the plan is to put meaningful money back to last place. Right now we are talking about $2,000 for the last-place horse. That’s a lot of money. Too many small owners can’t make it, and just because you’re small doesn’t mean you’re not good.  If you can run a horse, and you perform, the $2,000 helps pay some of the training and offsets part of your losses. We’ll try to stop people from abusing the system by running just for $2,000.

You can’t finalize your purses until you write the condition books. We’re still working on it, but the purses are going to be very good at all levels. The first condition book is almost finished. It’ll be on our website soon.

What’s been the immediate reaction?
The stall applications look like when I started in 1977 as racing secretary, and it’s a who’s who of American racing. There are a lot of interesting things going on.
 
The comments on blogs from different people have been very encouraging. The game needs to do something different, and a lot of people are wishing us good luck. Hopefully, we can find something that works. There’s a lot of hope and enthusiasm out there.

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PRESS RELEASE

HASKELL INVITATIONAL TO ANCHOR RECORD $12.1 MILLION IN STAKES PURSES FOR 2010 MONMOUTH PARK MEET

Oceanport, N.J. – With the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 1, leading the way, Monmouth Park will offer a record $12.1 million in stakes purses for the 2010 racing season, which gets underway on Saturday, May 22. A total of 90 stakes races are on the calendar, 16 graded and 74 overnight events.

In addition to the record stakes schedule, Monmouth Park will offer record purses in 2010. In what’s being called the “Million Dollar Meet”, Monmouth will race primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day - a calendar that spans 50 live racing days. Overnight purses, when coupled with stakes events, are expected to be $1 million for those live programs, with stakes races starting at $100,000. By comparison, stakes at Monmouth Park in 2009 started at $60,000 with a total of $9,170,000 paid in stakes purses.

“What we’re offering this year is a new approach to racing,” said Bob Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. “This stakes schedule, along with our new race meet, is certainly attracting the interest of new horsemen from across the country.

“Our goal is to deliver the public what they’ve asked for - quality, competitive racing with big fields. We believe this new schedule should help us achieve that goal.”

Returning for the third time to the stakes calendar is the $250,000 Monmouth Stakes, which will carry a Grade 3 status for the first time when it’s renewed on June 12. The turf test, which serves as a prep for the Grade 1 $750,000 United Nations on July 3, was captured by champion Big Brown in it’s inaugural running and last year saw fan-favorite Presious Passion go wire-to-wire.

Other notable changes include the addition of the Grade 3 $200,000 Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds. Set for June 19, the mile and a sixteenth Pegasus will be run six weeks before the mile and an eighth Haskell. Also added to the schedule is the $300,000, Grade 2, Monmouth Cup (formerly the Meadowlands Cup), to be run on Oct. 9, for 3-year-olds and up.

The 2010 racing meet spans 71 days, beginning with the May 22nd-23rd weekend. The racetrack will then offer live programs on May 29, May 30 and Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day). Following the Memorial Day card Monmouth will be open for live racing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6. In addition, the track will host live racing on Monday, July 5 (4th of July Holiday). A fall meet will get underway on Saturday, Sept. 11, and run through Sunday, Nov. 21. Racing in the fall will take place on Saturdays and Sundays.

What are the odds that there would be a tie at the top of any poll with 28 participating voters (unfortunately one of our voters was unable to weigh in this week)? Pretty good, it appears. Unlike other polls out there, the Paulick Derby Index shows a dead lock for first with Rebel Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky and Fountain of Youth victor and likely Florida Derby favorite Eskendereya sharing the top line. And it’s probably pretty appropriate as both horses fought off impressive fields to win their respective prep races.

Speaking of the Rebel Stakes, it was a tale of two finishers in place and show positions. Noble’s Promise’s performance, despite being nosed at the end, shot the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile third-place colt to the number four position this week while wise guy favorite Dublin dropped to nine in our poll. But with the tendency for third-place finishers to be forgotten in polls like these, it is a strong sign of the continued belief in this early favorite as a true Derby contender.

San Felipe wire-to-wire winner Sidney’s Candy rocketed from nineteenth to fifth after an eye-opening outing with second place finisher Interactif getting back on the big board at number twelve. And Tampa Bay Derby winner Odysseus became the new number six while previously unheralded Schoolyard Dreams went from zero votes to fifteenth after being narrowly beaten.

Sadly, early favorite Buddy’s Saint leads the list of those who dropped off our rankings after being pulled from the Derby Trail. The list includes American Lion, Dave in Dixie, A Little Warm and Uptowncharlybrown.

Ray Paulick’s Analysis

I don’t think there has been a stronger race for 3-year-olds in 2010 than Saturday’s Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park and I am convinced that the three finishers—winner Lookin At Lucky, runner-up Noble’s Promise and third-place finisher Dublin—will be serious contenders in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby come May 1.

I know the Beyer Speed Figures came up much lower for Lookin At Lucky (97) than they did for last month’s Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth winner Eskendereya (106), but if the “best” Beyers determined the Derby winner, wouldn’t Andy Beyer, the creator of those figures, have a much better record of picking winners in the Kentucky Derby than he has over the years? I’m not putting the knock on Andy or his figures, because I believe they are a great handicapping tool in day-to-day races. But the Kentucky Derby is unlike any other race on the calendar, and there are a multitude of other factors that have to be considered beyond a simple numeric figure.

The top three Rebel finishers were all Grade 1 winners, and they all ran to their form. Lookin At Lucky had a lot of trouble midway down the backstretch when Robby Albarado aboard Noble’s Promise did some race riding to keep Garrett Gomez and Lucky boxed in and the latter had to jump over his heels to avoid possible disaster. That move displayed Lookin At Lucky’s great athleticism, and his recovery from the incident showed how determined he was to get back into the race and wear Noble’s Promise down at the wear. Dublin was wide most of the way. And Noble’s Promise never stopped running, though for the third consecutive start he finished just behind Lookin At Lucky.

The victory by Odysseus in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby was not visually impressive. The Malibu Moon colt got a good trip but started to fade around the final turn, only to re-rally in deep stretch to snatch the victory from Sam F. Davis runner-up Schoolyard Dreams and front-runner Super Saver, winner of last year’s Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and the only graded stakes winner in the field. I think the front-runners tired more than Odysseus came again. I want to see him face tougher competition before jumping on his bandwagon.

Finally, there was the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, where a strategic decision to take American Lion off the pace virtually gave the race to the front-running Sidney’s Candy, who got away to an uncontested lead and easy fractions throughout. It’s hard to learn much from that kind of a race, but I’ve decided to take Dave in Dixie out of my top 10 after he failed to show any late kick.

1. Eskendereya. If Lookin At Lucky’s Rebel win was so impressive, why have I left Eskendereya on the top of my list? Because I believe the Giant’s Causeway colt is on the way up for trainer Todd Pletcher, while Lookin At Lucky has achieved close to his full potential. We’ll see if he can back that claim up with another strong performance this week in the Florida Derby.

2. Lookin At Lucky. Trainer Bob Baffert said the Smart Strike colt reminds him a lot of Silver Charm—he gives everything he’s got in every start. He proved that in winning the Rebel after the scary incident at the half-mile pole. Baffert hasn’t fully wound up Lookin At Lucky, as the Rebel was his 2010 debut.

3. Noble’s Promise. Cuvee colt proved he’s not just a turf or synthetic track horse, running his eyeballs out in his first try on dirt and in his 2010 debut. I don’t see a lot of stamina in that pedigree (out of a Clever Trick mare), but this is a hard-trying horse in the hands of the very capable Ken McPeek.

4. Dublin. I doubt that trainer Wayne Lukas was discouraged by the Afleet Alex colt’s third-place finish in the Rebel. He was wide all the way and I’m sure Lukas has not brought him to his peak physically in mid-March. Look for further improvement as May 1 approaches.

5. Rule. Roman Ruler colt getting the kid gloves treatment from Pletcher after getting all the graded stakes money he needed as a 2-year-old to crack the Derby line-up.  Possible for Florida Derby but more likely in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

6. Discreetly Mine. Another Pletcher Derby contender, this one pointing for the Louisiana Derby a week from Saturday. Comes off an easy win there in the Risen Star Stakes and will be favored to repeat.

7. Conveyance. Heading to New Mexico for the rich Sunland Park Derby, where Mine That Bird prepped last year. Trainer Baffert has had some success in New Mexico, having sent Real Quiet there en route to his Kentucky Derby victory.

8. Awesome Act. Moved up on my list by virtue of some of the disappointing performances in the San Felipe Stakes. If he can do in the Wood Memorial what he showed in the Gotham Stakes he’ll be a legit contender for British-based trainer Jeremy Noseda.

9. Sidney’s Candy. Tough to gauge how good he is because of the way the San Felipe was run, getting an easy lead and setting soft fractions in his first try around two turns, winning over turf horse Interactif. Candy Ride colt out of a Storm Cat mare is trained by John Sadler, a dominant trainer in California who is little known on the national stage.

10.  Odysseus. Showed determination in deep stretch, getting up to win Tampa Bay Derby after looking like a sure loser at the top of the stretch. Were those front-runners backing up or did Malibu Moon colt find a second wind?

As the Paulick Report continues to grow, we will be bringing on more turf writers and industry insiders to share their opinions and perspective on the racing industry across the country and internationally. Longtime turf writer Martha Claussen, currently with SureBet Racing News, will be writing a piece for the Paulick Report once a month opening our readers to the South/Southwest region of the American racing industry.

- Ray Paulick
 

By Martha Claussen
There are few names in the Thoroughbred industry as well known as Bob Bork.

I met up with Bob for lunch this week in Houston. My intent was to interview him for a Paulick Report story on the difficulty of smaller tracks getting a graded stake. We discussed his hard-fought battle to get a grade for Sam Houston Race Park’s Connally Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2005, but soon branched out into so many topics, that I felt compelled to revise my story angle.

Bob came to Texas in 1995 to serve as general manager of Sam Houston Race Park and was  promoted to president in 2002. He brought a solid knowledge of racetrack management, having served as vice president, general manager and chief operating officer of Arlington International in Chicago; vice president and general manager of Philadelphia Park and general manager of Garden State Park in New Jersey. Bork made some major changes to save the Houston Class 1 track, which opened to much fanfare in 1994, and two years later filed for bankruptcy. Houstonians didn’t quite "get" horseracing. They liked their football, basketball, baseball, rodeo and even supported the Houston Dynamo, a MLS team that made its Houston debut in 2008. 

Bork, loved the challenge. He switched the post times from afternoons to evenings and increased the number of simulcast track offerings. He was the mastermind behind the 12% takeout on Pick 3 wagers, and even more daring, the ten-cent superfecta, which Sam Houston began offering in 2005. Many tracks across the country, including the most venerable in Kentucky and California, followed suit.

Sam Houston has two well-regarded track surfaces. The main dirt track has a Brazos sand base that has been popular with horsemen and boasts one of the lowest fatality records in the nation. It’s turf oval is named after the late John B. Connally, the governor whose support of pari-mutuel racing lead to the opening of Sam Houston and other Texas tracks. The Connally Breeders’ Cup Turf Stakes had been run at Sam Houston since 1996. Many noted trainers including Hal Wiggins, Bill Mott, Bobby Frankel, Steve Asmussen and Graham Motion, shipped horses in for the mile and one-eighth handicap.  Beginning in 2000, Bork and Sam Houston racing secretary Eric Johnston annually approached the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association for consideration on the Connally Turf. Their best shot came after the 2004 edition of the stakes which attracted a nationally prominent field of turf specialists, most notably Better Talk Now. The heralded Graham Motion trainee did not win the Connally (heavy rain that evening rendered the course yielding and the front running Warleigh led gate to wire), but captured the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf later than year.

Bork, who was also serving as president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA), attended the graded stakes session in December, 2005, and was thrilled when the committee gave the Connally its Grade 3 status for the 2006 calendar year.

When asked if that was one of his proudest moments, Bork reflected for a moment, and said no. He went on to discuss the challenge of getting OTBs in Pennsylvania and the uphill battle with legislators. In 1989, it was finally passed in the house and senate, but vetoed by the Governor. Bork and other industry officials  had a three-day window to get a reversal and worked 24-7 to get the word through media sources that tax-payers would benefit greatly from the revenue spawned by off track betting. Just hours before the deadline, OTBs passed in the state. Exhausted, but elated, Bob got in his car to return to his office. On the way, he decided to stop in a local watering hole and have a beer. The place was empty, except for the bartender and a regular, who was already three sheets to the wind at noon. No sooner than Bob had pulled up a barstool, the patron stared at him and yelled out "I know you; you’re the guy on tv."  Wino aside, that was a highly memorable career moment for Bork.
 
Some industry veterans can be aptly described in a few words. Smart, dedicated, focused, passionate, driven. There are few words to sum up the total essence of Bob Bork. He is all those, but irreverent irascible, unconventional and sometimes, hilariously funny as well.

I worked for Bob for ten years at Sam Houston Race Park. He was a tough task master, but in retrospect, we had a lot more fun than many people in the workplace. Bob balanced his authority with a challenge to each one of his department heads to be innovative and creative. Of course, that did  not mean that every idea or suggestion was taken into account. On more than one occasion, I researched, prepared and walked into his office with an elaborate plan. Minutes later, I was dismissed with words including "don’t let the door hit you on your ass on your way out". At first I was offended, but over time, I came to understand that Bob only kidded certain people. If he didn’t respect you, you received the silent treatment. Despite the quirks, Bork had no trouble pitching in when someone was shorthanded, even taking on concession stand duties when the hot dog line for the “Quarter Night" promotion got too long.

The marketing department, under the savvy leadership of Bryan Pettigrew, produced a video spoof on Bob. Our goal was to incorporate as many "Bobisms" as possible. There were lots, including “everyone’s a marketer”, “prove to me that if I let you spend $100,000, you will bring in over $100 K in revenue”, “mopes” and our personal favorite, if you tried to sneak out before the evening races were over, even if you had been there 14 hours since 8:00 am, he would ask you if you were working “half day”?

Bryan portrayed Bob and the rest of us took our turn at getting shot down.  We unveiled the video to Bob and his wife, Judy on Derby Day and held our collective breath as he watched. First a smile, then a chuckle followed by an ear to ear grin. He knew we had captured his true spirit. Judy loved it more than Bob; she asked for extra copies for the Bork Christmas gathering.
 
Running a racetrack is a tough job. The general manager attempts to balance the needs of the horsemen, simulcast patrons, live racing fans and employees, all the while trying to make a profit in these challenging economic times. Bob was pretty good with the horsemen and empathized with their frustrations over lower purses than the surrounding states (Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico) with VLTs. He did get into it with a Texas owner who preferred to run his mare against state-bred company instead of facing Take Charge Lady in the 2002 NTRA Great State Challenge. Bob asked nicely, implored and came marginally close to begging. The owner would not change his mind. A heated encounter took place in the winner’s circle when the owner simply told Bob "you can’t tell me where to run my horse" and Bob, without missing a beat replied "I can tell you not to run at my racetrack."
Three years ago, Maxxam, the parent company of Sam Houston, selected a new management team focused on making the track more of an entertainment destination. Bork retained a position as chairman and worked on legislative affairs as well as his national role as president of the TRA. His contract with Maxxam expired eight months ago.

He refuses to use the word “retirement” and would gladly go back to work full time. But for now, he has plenty of hobbies and past times. He is a great cook, loves to create concoctions with his juicer and enjoys heading to Freeport on the weekends to enjoy his 35′ Viking fishing boat.  He is also working out with a trainer several times a week, not just to stay in shape, but to compete in the 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon, a 26.1 mile run through the city of Houston held in January. The race attracts 22,000 participants each year, including some internationally elite runners. Bob’s goal: to win his age group and best his time of 4.29 he ran in 2001.
 
Gotta love the guy!
 
Martha Claussen has been involved in the racing industry since 1997 as a publicity director and writer for the Houston Chronicle, Texas Thoroughbred Magazine and SureBet Racing News.

According to Gary West of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Steve Asmussen has confirmed that 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra will not run in the April 9th Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Arkansas.

Read it at West Points

UPDATE: The following statement from Jess Jackson was just sent to the Paulick Report

ADDITIONAL QUOTES FROM JACKSON AND JERRY MOSS

JERRY MOSS:  “We’re disappointed that we’re not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom.  Hopefully, we can meet down the line.  We respect both Steve (Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they’re going to do what’s right for their horse.  That’s all anybody could ask for.

JESS JACKSON: “We tried and we really wanted to go (to the Apple Blossom). It’s unfortunate but the timing just wasn’t right. For the health of the horse. It’s obvious she’s not in top shape. The race yesterday was to define how far along she was. I repeatedly told people she was only eighty or eighty-five percent of what I thought was up to her top condition last year. That race proved it.”
 
What will be her major goals for the year now? “It’s up to her. She has to show us that she’s back up to her ’09 form. We had progressively accelerated her conditioning and it didn’t work, so we’re going to gear back, let her develop at her own pace. I can’t give you a prediction as to when but it might take a couple of months.”

By Ray Paulick
There has been a lot of talk since Charles Cella shocked the racing world with his $5 million Apple Blossom gambit comparing the proposed Rachel Alexandra - Zenyatta confrontation at Oaklawn Park with the storied match race between Triple Crown hero War Admiral and the great Seabiscuit. Jess Jackson, the owner of Rachel Alexandra, likes to talk about how he saw Seabiscuit race in California during his youth. But does Jackson remember that Seabiscuit was defeated in his final race before the match with War Admiral, just as Rachel Alexandra lost her 2010 debut Saturday at Fair Grounds?

I went to the source on all things Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend and asked for her thoughts on yesterday’s performances that went from the agony of defeat for Rachel Alexandra’s camp to the thrill of victory for those backing Zenyatta. Here are Laura Hillenbrand’s thoughts comparing the two rivalries:

There are obvious limits to the parallels one can draw between Seabiscuit-War Admiral and Rachel-Zenyatta.  But what came to mind as I watched Rachel lose, and Zenyatta win, is that past is not always precedent in such meetings.  War Admiral’s last start before the match race was the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and he won it much as Zenyatta won her race–under wraps, in smashing style.  In his last start prior to the match, Seabiscuit was soundly beaten by the soon-to-be champion three-year-old filly, Jacola.  He was carrying 24 pounds more than Jacola, and encountered traffic trouble, but she beat him rather impressively, breaking the track record at Laurel.  Seabiscuit’s loss made War Admiral even more of a favorite in the match race, but Seabiscuit’s trainer, Tom Smith, wasn’t the least bit worried.  The losing effort brought Seabiscuit’s fitness to the place he needed it to be, and he trounced War Admiral a little more than two weeks later.

Zenyatta’s connections were surely hoping to preserve her unbeaten record; for Rachel, a loss would be a much smaller deal, so perhaps they could afford to have her a little less fit, in the service of having her peak in the Apple Blossom.

Times have changed and horses are handled far differently today, but am I crazy in suggesting that there could still be an Apple Blossom between these two with Rachel winning, just as Seabiscuit not only went on to face War Admiral but defeated him soundly?

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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