Archive for August, 2008
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin edged past a stubborn pacesetter, Past the Point, to win the Grade 1 Woodward by a length and a quarter at Saratoga Saturday and move closer to Cigar’s earnings record of $9,999,815 for a North America-based Thoroughbred.
(VIDEO, Equibase charts for Saratoga)
Under regular rider Robby Albarado, Curlin broke well, but was jostled and carried out a bit wide into the first turn of the nine-furlong Woodward, then settled into fourth position as Edgar Prado guided Past the Point through quick early fractions of :22.89, :46.20 and 1:09.61. Wanderin Boy prompted the early pace.
Albarado asked Curlin for more run approaching the far turn, passed Wanderin Boy at the head of the stretch and set his sights on Past the Point, who came into the Woodward with just one graded stakes appearance (a third in last year’s Grade 2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs) in nine starts. But the Eoin Harty-trained son of Indian Charlie racing for Darley Stable made Curlin work for the win. Albarado went to the whip a half-dozen times, getting up in the final furlong to grind out a hard-earned victory. Past the Point was second, with Wanderin Boy third. Final time of the race on a fast track was 1:49.34 after a mile split of 1:35.33. All starters carried 126 pounds.
It was Curlin’s first race at Saratoga and his 10th win in 14 lifetime starts. The 4-year-old son of Smart Strike races for Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables and is trained by Steve Asmussen. The win in the $500,000 Woodward moved his career earnings to $9,796,800, putting him just over $200,000 shy of Cigar’s record.
The Woodward was Curlin’s fourth win in five starts this year, his only defeat coming last time out in the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont Park when Jackson wanted to try the horse on grass before a possible trip to France for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. That idea was scrapped when Curlin finished second to Red Rocks and now Jackson is thought to be considering the Japan Cup Dirt the first week of December. He has indicated that Curlin will not defend his title in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, won last year on a very sloppy track at Monmouth Park but scheduled on Santa Anita Park’s untested Pro-Ride synthetic track this year.
Curlin paid $2.70 as the heavy betting favorite.
FIRST DEFENCE went wire to wire to win the Grade 1 Forego after heavy favorite Lucky Island stumbled badly and was pinched back at the start. Under jockey Channing HIll, the 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song fought off an early duel with Eternal Star, setting fractions of :22.53, :44.61, and 1:08.49, then drawing off to win by 6 3/4 lengths, completing seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.55. Greeley’s Conquest finished second, with Ferocious Fires third. Lucky Island, who came into the Forego off four straight victories, moved into contention at the top of the stretch after falling back to last, but was unable to sustain his rally and wound up sixth.
The Forego winner runs for his breeder, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, and is trained by Robert Frankel. He was winning for the sixth time in 12 starts, but his only previous graded stakes victory came in the Grade 3 Jaipur. First Defence paid $17.60.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: channing hill, cigar, Curlin, first defence, jess jackson, juddmonte, past the point, saratoga, steve asmussen, stonestreet stables, woodward
Posted in Curlin | 6 Comments »
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The Keeneland Association cuts no corners when it comes to construction. The many additions that have been made to the racetrack over the years are almost undetectable, as they are done in the same style and quality as the original grandstand/clubhouse structure. It’s no surprise, then, that Keeneland has contracted with the world leader in sports stadiums, HOK Sport, to, in Keeneland’s words, “develop a master plan for the current and future use of the facility.”
Conventional wisdom holds that Keeneland is gearing up for a run at becoming an annual, semi-annual or frequent host of the Breeders’ Cup world championships. That may not be what Keeneland CEO Nick Nicholson is saying, but let’s be pragmatic about the Breeders’ Cup for a minute.
There have been 24 Breeders’ Cup championships. Churchill Downs has hosted six; Belmont Park four; Santa Anita Park, Hollywood Park, and Gulfstream Park three apiece; and one each at Aqueduct, Arlington Park, Lone Star Park, Monmouth Park, and Woodbine.
Gulfstream Park and Woodbine have since been turned into casino racetracks that probably do not have enough seats to host a future Breeders’ Cup. Hollywood Park is destined to be bulldozed and developed in the next few years. Aqueduct is in no condition to host another major event. Churchill Downs Inc. is playing hardball with Breeders’ Cup officials on the division of revenue from the championships, and that could eliminate Churchill Downs and Arlington Park from consideration. Magna is teetering on financial collapse, which puts Santa Anita Park (host track for 2008 and 2009) and Lone Star in question (as well as the aforementioned Gulfstream).
That leaves us with Belmont Park, whose operator, the New York Racing Association, has yet to emerge from bankruptcy protection, though it does appear to be turning the corner financially after getting its franchise renewed for 25 more years. The remaining prior host, Monmouth Park, which did an admirable job hosting the 2007 Breeders’ Cup, isn’t really in the right location or of the right size to be on a frequent rotation.
It’s no wonder, then, that some Keeneland directors and trustees see not just the opportunity, but perhaps a responsibility to be prepared to host the Breeders’ Cup world championships. There is a very common thread between the two organizations: both were built by breeders, mostly from Central Kentucky.
Seed money for the Keeneland Association came from breeders and members of the Lexington community, who bought shares of Keeneland stock to construct the track in 1935. But Keeneland didn’t build up its massive cash reserves until after it took over the auction business from a breeders’ co-op in 1962 and benefited from a rapid escalation in worldwide interest in American Thoroughbreds and prices beginning in the 1970s.
The Breeders’ Cup got its start from stallion and foal nominators from throughout the country, but the bulk of its funding came from Kentucky breeders. Thus, Keeneland would be a natural “home” for the Breeders’ Cup.
But there could be a danger in overbuilding Keeneland to accommodate crowds in excess of 50,000 when an average weekday crowd is only fraction of that number. Part of Keeneland’s popularity among some racegoers is the bustling activity that can be felt throughout the crowded plant on many racing days during its brief spring and fall meetings. The feeling one gets rattling around a huge plant like Belmont Park or Churchill Downs with a few thousand other souls can be a sad one. Keeneland doesn’t want to lose the buzz that people feel on a busy day.
Having said that, I have no doubt that HOK Sport can expand Keeneland without losing the “soul,” as Nicholson described it, that the track now has. Additions can be made at both ends of the current building. At the top of the stretch, for example, behind the clubhouse lawn is a large parking area that occupies some very good sight lines. On the other end, past the finish line, is a racing office that can easily be relocated, as well as a barn or two that may have to give way for additional seating.
Keeneland has a way of changing without really changing. It certainly has the resources to expand tastefully and without altering the rural or rustic image that the track has conveyed for nearly 75 years. The Breeders’ Cup may have a need for future host sites, and Keeneland can be ready to step up and fill it.
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Tags: aqueduct, Arlington Park, belmont park, Breeders' Cup, churchill downs, gulfstream park, hok sports, Hollywood Park, Keeneland, lone star park, monmouth park, New York Racing Association, nick nicholson, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, santa anita
Posted in Breeders' Cup, Keeneland | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
WinStar Farm’s Colonel John may have had an advantage over his 11 rival 3-year-olds in last Saturday’s $1-million Travers Stakes when it was learned that jockey Garrett Gomez was carrying an angel on his shoulders.
Gomez, who miraculously put Colonel John’s nose on the wire millimeters in front of Mambo in Seattle (who was in front a jump before and a jump after the finish), was wearing WinStar’s green and white silks that were bearing the initials “KC,” in memory of Karri Casner — the daughter of WinStar co-owners Bill and Susan Casner — who was among the 202 people killed in the Oct. 12, 2002, terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The WinStar silks designed in memory of Karri Casner are not technically permitted at New York Racing Association tracks, the only ones in the United States that follow the strict guidelines established by the Jockey Club for racing colors. No lettering or asymmetrical designs are permitted on silks at NYRA tracks, according to the guidelines. Somehow, the “wrong” silks ended up on Gomez before the Travers, a race that resulted in the closest finish of a New York stakes since 1991, according to NYRA’s photo finish camera operator.
Karri, the younger of two daughters of Bill and Susan Casner, was just 23 years old when she was killed during a visit to Bali. A day doesn’t go by when her parents and her older sister, Kayce, don’t think of her. The Casners designed the silks with the “KC” on the left shoulder as a memorial to Karri. The idea came from Kenny Troutt, who with wife Lisa are partners in WinStar with the Casners.
Colonel John was named after Army Reserve Lt. Col John Geider, a longtime family friend of the Casners and Troutts. Geider assisted the Casners in the aftermath of the bombing when they flew to Bali in search of their missing daughter.
Kathy Harty, wife of Colonel John’s trainer Eoin Harty, produced a short video documentary of Travers day that can be viewed at Youtube.com. The video, set to the sound of Green Day’s “Time of Your Life,” concludes with two photographs of Karri Casner.
"I feel like she’s with us all the time," Susan Casner told a reporter for Daily Racing form earlier this year as Colonel John was preparing for the Kentucky Derby. "Karri loved horses, and she loved horse racing."
And she would love to have been at Saratoga last Saturday to witness Colonel John’s tenacious victory in the Travers.
Perhaps she was.
Tags: bali, Bill Casner, colonel john, eoin harty, garrett gomez, green day, Horse Racing, john geider, karri casner, kathy harty, kayce casner, mambo in seattle, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, susan casner, time of your life, travers
Posted in Horse Racing, People | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
(Note to readers: To quote funnyman Dave Barry, I swear I am not making this up. The following press release from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announces that the TOBA is giving itself an Industry Service Award for the work of the Sales Integrity Task Force that it formed in 2004. We sincerely hope no one at TOBA is injured patting him or herself on the back! — Ray Paulick)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
TOBA Honors the Sales Integrity Task Force with Industry Service Award
Contact: Erin Halliwell
Director of Marketing and Communications
(859) 276-2291
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) announced today that the Sales Integrity Task Force is the recipient of the 2008 Industry Service Award. The award will be presented at the TOBA National Awards Dinner, Saturday, September 6 at the Lexington Center, in Lexington, Ky.
The Sales Integrity Task Force reconvened in 2007 to develop industry consensus on licensing of bloodstock agents and consignors, transparency in ownership in the sales arena and transparency in medication in the sales arena. The task force recommended a bloodstock agent code of conduct be added to the conditions of sale, voluntary ownership disclosure in an ownership registry, updated prohibited practices and exogenous anabolic steroid testing at the buyer’s discretion. All of these recommendations have been adopted by sales companies Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton. .jpg) Members of the 2007 Task Force receiving the special honor include: John Adger (Stonerside Stables); Mike Akers (Dapple Bloodstock); Headley Bell (Nicoma Bloodstock); Jimmy Bell (Darley USA); Reynolds Bell, Jr. (Reynolds Bell Thoroughbred Services); Wayne Boyd (Western Kentucky Horse Sales); Bill Casner (WinStar Farm); Robert Clay (Three Chimneys); Joe Costa (Tattersalls Sales); Charles “Redd” Crabtree (Crabtree Farms); Bruce Crowe (United Mountain Horse Association); Bill Farish (Lane’s End); Bill Heiligbrodt (Heiligbrodt Racing Stable); Jess Jackson (Stonestreet Farm); Ken Jackson (Kentuckiana Farms); Bill Landes (Hermitage Farm); Norman Luba (Kentucky Quarter Horse Association); Tom Ludt (Vinery); Reiley McDonald (Eaton Sales); Martha Jane Mulholland (Mulholland Springs Farm); Nick Nicholson (Keeneland Association); Denny Nunnelley (Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association); Frank Penn (Pennbrook Farm); Walt Robertson (Fasig-Tipton); Earl Rogers (Kentucky Walking Horse Association); Geoffrey Russell (Keeneland Association); Dermot Ryan (Ashford Stud); Satish Sanan (Padua Stables); Fred Sarver (American Saddlebred Horse Association); Fred Seitz (Thoroughbred trainer/Brookdale Farm); John Sikura (Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms); Mark Taylor (Taylor Made Farm); D.G. Van Clief (Fasig-Tipton); John Ward (Thoroughbred trainer); Jack Wolf (Starlight Stables); and Bayne Welker (Mill Ridge Farm). Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, was the moderator for the task force.
“The individual and collective contributions from all members of the Sales Integrity Task Force must be recognized for their selfless giving of time as well as their expertise,” said Dan Metzger, president of TOBA. “Our industry was facing a daunting challenge and we responded with an unwavering commitment to integrity. The united and overwhelming support
for the task force’s recommendations demonstrated that we can improve our industry by working together.”
TOBA manages the Sales Integrity Program which implements the task force’s findings, provides public education to sales participants and manages programmatic communications. More information is available at www.salesintegrity.org. TOBA, based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of Thoroughbred horse breeders and owners. TOBA’s mission is to “improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders.” Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, The Racing Game, Sales Integrity Program and Claiming Crown. TOBA is the owner of The Blood-Horse Inc., and is represented on the Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as a founding member. For more information on TOBA and the National Awards Dinner, call 859.276.2291.
Tags: TOBA
Posted in TOBA | 17 Comments »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
These really must be the dog days of summer! Why else would the Paulick Report decide to “live blog” tonight’s public forum at Keeneland, which will give regular folk in the community a chance to sound off on expansion plans the auction company and racetrack is planning?
Keeneland recently announced that it may dip into its deep pool of cash reserves (estimated by some to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars) to dramatically expand its existing facility. It has contracted with HOK Sport, which calls itself the world’s leading sports architectural firm, to draft a master plan for the sprawling facility located across from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky.
HOK Sport certainly has an impressive project resume, having designed stadiums for a variety of sports around the world. But HOK Sport goes beyond architecture, according to its Web site, which says: “HOK Sport’s tradition of innovation has transformed the way people have experienced sporting events for nearly 25 years.
“We conceived the design vocabulary used in today’s ballparks, stadiums and arenas,” its promotional material says, “and we continue to chart an inventive course for tomorrow’s venues. Our global client list is diverse and comprehensive, and it includes 24 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 NFL franchises, 80 professional and civic arena clients, 40 soccer and rugby teams and 120 colleges and universities. Our reach is worldwide. Our passion is undeniable, and we approach the architecture of sport unlike anyone else.”
Did I say they were modest, too?
Nick Nicholson, Keeneland’s president and CEO, will emcee the event. Russ Simons, a senior principal for HOK Sport, will also be on hand to make some comments.
“We have charged HOK with two goals,” Nicholson said in a press release. “First and foremost, anything we do must be in the best interest of the horse and its safety. The welfare of horse and rider is our top priority. Another will be to preserve the sight lines of the racetrack, and our ability to offer guests the clearest views of the saddling paddock and races.
 “Secondly, as we explore ways to grow we cannot lose sight of Keeneland’s ‘soul,’ or the essence of what makes Keeneland so special. We must protect that ambience while at the same time enhance our guests’ experience by taking full advantage of all modern technologies. With that in mind, we look to HOK to help us marry innovation and tradition in a way that ensures Keeneland remains the place we all know and love.”
While the track is busting at the seams for big events like Blue Grass Stakes Day, the purpose of the expansion seems to be twofold: 1) Keeneland has made so much money over the years through its Thoroughbred auctions, it needs to do something with it; and 2) there is a shrinking pool of racetracks available to host the Breeders’ Cup, and Keeneland would need to expand in order to do so. Some have suggested that Keeneland’s long-range goal is to host the Breeders’ Cup every year or every other year at the very least.
Tonight’s dog and pony show gets under way at 6 p.m. Eastern from the sale pavilion.
6:05 p.m…..A little bit of a late start as Keeneland CEO Nick Nicholson takes the podium to thank the locals for braving the elements (a nasty thunderstorm hit an hour earlier) and coming out. (By the way, no free food that I could find.). Couple of bad jokes, then launches into the Power Point on the Keeneland Master Plan. Hmmmm. I thought we were here to talk about expansion!
This is Keeneland’s mission, Nicholson points out:
–Racing of the highest caliber
–Sales of global importance
–Industry and community leadership.
6:10 p.m….."I’m standing right where the horses sell," Nicholson tells the crowd. It had just occurred to me, too, that he is standing in the sale pavilion ring where Keeneland has made all of its money these past 50 or so years since it convinced local breeders to give up the sales co-op they started.
6:15…History lesson begins. Aerial photographs of the track from 1935 and stories about Jack Keene that have been passed along…and a picture of the water tower! I wonder how much water is in there.
6:18…If I didn’t know better, I’d say Nick is filibustering. He does have lots of political experience, having worked in Washington D.C. for former Sen. Wendell Ford. Opening day photos from 1936. I’m reminded of that comic from the 1960s, Jackie Vernon, whose "vacation slide show," using no slides but a slide clicker and a dead-pan monlogue, was a hoot. Nick’s not quite as funny.
6:20…We’re in the 1960s now. Bigger crowds and we pictures that look like the current Keeneland….What’s next, that 70s show? Yep.
6:23…And now for a brief history of the sale pavilion, and the Polytrack renovations. ….
6:25…The point is…."We are growing faster than our facility….Our lines are too long. It’s hard to get in the track, hard for you to park, hard for you to leave, too long in lines." Not many other racetracks in this country have that problem. Trouble parking?
Nicholson throws in the fact Keeneland only has 8,500 seats.
6:30…Russ Simons from HOK Sports introduced. HOK Sports’ racetrack experience was "not what attracted us to them," says Nicholson. "I’ve been very impressed by their methodology, how systhematic they are at approaching this."
6:35…Brief review of company by Simmons. HOK Sports is 25-year-old company, with 500 employees worldwide. HOK Sports worked on Camden Yards (home of Baltimore Orioles), the first "retro" Major League ballpark, and many other first-class sports facilities. "Camden Yards is a great example of how we changed the baseball industry. We brought the baseball experience from what it was back to a more personal experience. … That type of experience is what we hope to achieve with Keeneland." HOK Sports is also redoing Yankee Stadium. (Personal aside: I hate the Yankees.) HOK Sports is also doing the Mets new "Citi Field." (Another aside: I’m a Cubs fan and remember 1969. I really hate the Mets. But I won’t hold that against Mr. Simons. NFL stadiums, NHL arenas….good God! Is there any stadium these guys haven’t done?
6:40 … HOK Sports’ Knoxville office handles all equestrian and fairgrounds facilities. Now Simmons is going around the world and showing us all the facilities they have designed. If he says they did the original Circus Maximus in Rome, I’ll believe him.
Simons: "We’re not trying to change Keeneland. We’re trying to make Keeneland change to meet your expectations."
6:45 … Question and answer time. Frist question from a racing fan from Louisville who writes books and wants to know how many of HOK Sports’ facilities have been used in movies. Simons doesn’t know. Hey, this isn’t stump the band! Next please!
Someone identifies himself as a "degnerate handicapper." My kind of guy! Please retain the open area under the grandstand, he pleads, so you can get close to the action. And if you go vertical, he suggests, don’t go like they did at Ascot, which is way too high.
Third person loves the Trakkus system (the automatic charting service that shows animated , numbered horses on the board as the race is going), she loves the food, she loves the tote board, she loves the security people, loves the pony people and outriders. Please don’t close the stable area to the fans, she asks. She also wants to have Keeneland open the infield and call it "college land." That draws a few chuckles from the crowd.
6:50 …A seasonal employee who works in the clubhouse will call window wants more rest rooms in the clubhouse and an expansion and… "please enlarge our ticket booth. There are six of us who work in there and it gets very, very crowded," she says.
6:55 … Here’s the question we’ve all been waiting for from a woman who admits she’s "always bitching about something." She asks if Keeneland is planning to build a casino when they build the new facility. Nicholson answers so quietly I have no idea what he said. Hmmm.
7:00 … Whale bettor Mike Maloney is up next. Says we need to make sure we have the easy access for horseplayers to see horses in the paddock. Nice to be able jump out onto the balcony and see the horses in the paddock, he says. We need to make sure that as we look to changing the facility that we have comfortable facilities for simulcast bettors. Need more data and replay machines, access to computers. Handicapping horses has become more high tech, and I think that’s where the future is going to lead us. Might as well prepare for that now. Also I think you might draw some new people with a small upscale area…more of an upscale area where you might get businessmen who might not necessarily be horseplayers who might come out for a drink. "If you create that upscale option, you might create some new fans."
Good points by Maloney all around. Why hasn’t he been appointed to the racing commission or made commissioner of the NTRA?
7:05 …Somone asks Smons where HOK Sports is on the project? "What are you planning to do here?" she asks. "We can give you better feedback if we know what you’re planning." Simons says, "I don’t have a preconceived notion" of the changes that may be in store. That’s the point of this forum, he says.
7:10 … Back to back comments about not changing the "rural atmosphere" of Keeneland. "Keep it green," one person says. Fix the inside of the building but don’t change the outside. "Part of our discovery process is that we get it right," Simons says in response to a question about what HOK Sports may have learned in the rebuilding process of Ascot racecourse in England.
7:15..That is all.
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Tags: Breeders' Cup, hok sport, Keeneland, keeneland expansion, nick nicholson, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, russ simons
Posted in Keeneland | 6 Comments »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
While CNET founder Halsey Minor continues his efforts to purchase Hialeah Park from current owner John Brunetti, he also has contacted financially troubled Magna Entertainment about the possible sale of Santa Anita Park near Los Angeles and the company’s two Maryland Jockey Club tracks, Pimlico and Laurel. But after speaking with Magna’s chief financial officer, Blake Tohana, Minor doesn’t think Magna is a serious seller, despite recent comments by company chairman Frank Stronach during a conference call to discuss second quarter financial results.
“I had the most baffling conversation in my life with a CFO, particularly one whose job depends on asset sales,” Minor said in an email to the Paulick Report, which he also copied to Tohana. “Basically, nothing is for sale. Maybe they have some time shares for you. (Tohana) said Frank misspoke when he said he was considering selling a majority interest in Santa Anita. Now it is back to a minority interest.
“You can only buy (the Maryland tracks) if you have a gaming license. (Tohana) did not specify what that meant or why it was important. … This is despite the fact that Magna is not guaranteed any slot franchises in the current legislation, and they would need to post a $50-million bond which they don’t have to get one. At the very least if he had been on his toes he should have asked to borrow the money.
“You need to call him and hear this for yourself,” Minor suggested. “You would think you were talking to the CFO of Microsoft sitting on a pile of cash, given the attitude. Self-effacing, Blake is not. Not a good quality in a salesman. Without an investment bank, nothing sells if my experience is any guide.”
Minor said Tohana had no idea who he was when he called (“which is odd because I am the only person in America acquiring tracks right now and they claim they are selling them”) and eventually hung up on him. “I will go on record as saying these assets are going to be sold by banks,” Minor continued. “Banks don’t necessarily have good bedside manners, either, but they have good prices.”
Tohana responded to Minor with a terse email of his own, which he also copied to the Paulick Report, saying that Minor had “misrepresented” their telephone conversation. “Further, your manner of communicating to me via email and telephone was inconsiderate, rude and misinformed,” Tohana wrote. “In doing my job, I have always carried myself with dignity and professionalism. I think that view would be shared by anyone who has dealt with me during my career.”
Tohana went on to say that MEC has sold more than $400 million in assets “without investment bankers,” adding, “We will continue to pursue other asset sales and joint venture transactions as we have previously publicly disclosed. However, I do not have to take your personal insults just because you purport to have an interest in Santa Anita Park and the Maryland Jockey Club.”
Tohana also seemed irritated that Minor had called him to discuss the possible sale of the tracks during a family vacation, a comment that seemed to heighten Minor’s disdain for Magna’s CFO.
“I find interesting that you are on vacation at all and that you feel so offended I have bothered you on your vacation,” Minor wrote Tohana in a follow-up email. “My company is not imploding and yet I am fully engaged working to clean up some of your mess while here in Hawaii (on a vacation) with my family.
“Blake, you are condescending and that is no way to be with a company whose market value is less than many of our farms, whose massive debt is unserviceable and where you work in the service of the company that has literally blighted our industry.
“Enjoy your vacation, Blake, because when you get back things will only have gotten worse, not better, and you pissed off a potentially valuable ally royally. And if you haven’t noticed, you didn’t have many to start with.
“I believe results in life speak volumes, and I believe this applies equally to my career as it does to your company. Neither failure or success is an accident. A quick check would reveal that I have created billions in value, even exceeding your leader’s car parts business, while your outfit has not only destroyed massive amounts of shareholder value, but possibly the Thoroughbred business with it.”
When reached by the Paulick Report, Tohana said Minor was not “respectful” during their conversation. Tohana said he was fully aware of who Minor was when he received a call from him. “I had heard of the guy,” Tohana said, “but I wasn’t happy with some of the things he has said about our chairman (Stronach).”
Tohana has been Magna Entertainment’s CFO for more than five years, outlasting many of the executives who have come and gone in a revolving door atmosphere. He joined the company in July 2003 after serving in a number of executive positions at Fireworks Entertainment, a Toronto, Canada-based concern that produces and distributes television programs and movies.
“I’m quite a reasonable person,” Tohana told the Paulick Report. “I’m pretty straight up. Look, it’s not a secret (that we’ve had a great deal of executive turnover). This company hasn’t performed very well.”
Tohana insists Magna is “continuing to sell” some properties but said Stronach’s comments about possibly selling a majority interest in Santa Anita were “misreported.” He also said there remains the possibility that MI Developments, the real estate operating company that holds a controlling interest in Magna Entertainment, could be reorganized to relieve the debt-ridden racetrack company’s financial pressures. MI Developments recently extended by one month a bridge loan in excess of $100-million owed by Magna Entertainment and due at the end of August. Dennis Mills, a former member of Canada’s parliament and one-time vice chairman of Magna Entertainment, was recently named interim CEO of MI Developments following the departure of John Simonetti.
In the meantime, Minor continues to work on a business and operating plan for Hialeah. He has had a second meeting with Brunetti in Del Mar, Calif., and said Brunetti is working with his team on developing a business plan. “That’s a tremendous benefit,” Minor said, “and it shows that John really wants to help get Hialeah reopened.” Minor said the architects he would use to renovate Hialeah Park have inspected the long-shuttered track to get a better estimate of what the price tag would be to return it to its former condition.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blake tohana, cnet, Del Mar, dennis mills, fireworks entertainment, Frank Stronach, Halsey Minor, Hialeah Park, john brunetti, john simonetti, laurel, Magna Entertainment, Maryland Jockey Club, mec, mi developments, Paulick Report, pimlico, Ray Paulick, santa anita
Posted in California, Halsey Minor, Hialeah Park, Magna Entertainment, Maryland Jockey Club | 31 Comments »
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Garrett Gomez capped a huge weekend Sunday at Del Mar, winning the $1-million Pacific Classic aboard Peter Vegso’s Go Between, who wore down Well Armed in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by a neck. Mast Track finished third and Zappa was fourth in the 18th running of the mile and a quarter contest, whose winner gained an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic by taking one of the "Win and You’re In" challenge races.
(VIDEO)
(DEL MAR’S SUNDAY EQUIBASE CHARTS)
Gomez won Saturday’s $1-million Travers Stakes at Saratoga by a nose aboard Colonel John for WinStar Farm, then beat WinStar, the owner of Well Armed, in the Pacific Classic.
Barcola took the early lead in the Pacific Classic under Corey Nakatani, setting fractions of :23.40 for the quarter-mile, :47.36 for the half, and 1:12.20 for six furlongs. Well Armed sat to Barcola’s outside flank for most of the running, with Surf Cat to his inside. Go Between was taken well off the early pace, racing third from last in the field of 10 older horses (after the scratch of McCann’s Mojave due to a minor injury).
When the field straightened for home, the mile clocked in 1:37.06, jockey Aaron Gryder moved Well Armed to the front, but Go Between was in full stride out in the middle of the track, circling the field and steadily cutting into the lead. The 5-year-old Florida-bred son of Point Given caught Well Armed inside the sixteenth pole and began to edge away for the win, his eighth in 26 starts. Time for the 10 furlongs on Polytrack was 2:01.18.
The winner is a well-traveled horse who has excelled on turf and synthetic tracks for Vegso and Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott. He won the Grade 3 Fayette on Keeneland’s Polytrack last October and the Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita on Cushion Track in January. He was narrowly beaten by Heatseeker in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and second to Mast Track in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup June 28 (also on Cushion Track) in his most recent start. Between those two races, Go Between finished second in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Ben Ali.
Go Between trained up to the Pacific Classic at Churchill Downs.
It was the fourth Pacific Classic victory for jockey Gomez and the first for Mott, who is best remembered at Del Mar for bringing Allen Paulson’s Cigar to the 1996 Pacific Classic in search of his record 17th consecutive victory. But Cigar’s streak ended that day when he was upset by the Richard Mandella-trained Dare and Go. This was Mott’s first Pacific Classic runner since 1996.
Go Between earned $600,000 for owner-breeder Vegso, the publisher of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" inspirational book series. It boosted his lifetime earnings to $2,783,880. Go Between paid $7.60 for the win as the 5-2 favorite.
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Tags: bill mott, chicken soup for the soul, cigar, dare and go, Del Mar, garrett gomez, go between, mast track, pacific classic, Paulick Report, peter vegso, Ray Paulick, well armed, winstar farm, zappa
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Sunday, August 24th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Turns out that wasn’t an illusion earlier this year when Colonel John seemed to catch another gear just as the wire was approaching in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby. The rest of the field looked to be in deep water and the muscular bay son of Tiznow was skipping along on the surface as if he had just entered the fray. His margin of victory that day was only a half-length, but it was the way he did it that was so impressive.
That’s why I thought the mile and a quarter of the Kentucky Derby would be right up Colonel John’s alley. There was some skepticism because it didn’t appear to be a very strong group of 3-year-olds in California prepping for the Classics, and the horse he caught in the final sixteenth of a mile, Bob Black Jack, was a stretching-out sprinter. Nevertheless, I thought Colonel John had what it took to become the 134th winner of the Run for the Roses.
Big Brown ran Colonel John and everyone else off the track that first Saturday in May. It was no contest, really, especially when you consider how much ground Big Brown lost. Colonel John had a nightmare trip, getting virtually eliminated right after the start, when he was pinched back and steadied, then raced into a wall of flying dirt down the stretch the first time. Midway down the backstretch, Colonel John put in a strong run from 16th in the 20-horse field to get as close sixth, but he had nothing left for the final quarter mile.
The team of WinStar Farm and trainer Eoin Harty went back to the drawing board after Colonel John’s disappointing sixth-place result in Kentucky, bringing him back two months later in the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park (he finished a close third in a four-horse field) but circling Aug. 23 on the calendar as THE day to seek redemption in the 139th running of the Travers. For despite winning four of his first six races, being a Grade 1 winner, and going into the Kentucky Derby as the second betting choice, Colonel John was still carrying that dreaded new moniker: Synthetic Horse. He had yet to win on a racetrack made of real dirt.
Outside of Churchill Downs, no dirt is more hallowed than that which covers the main track oval at Saratoga racetrack in upstate New York. But Harty kept Colonel John in California almost up to the last minute, working him like clockwork every six or seven days on Del Mar’s Polytrack. Garrett Gomez, racing’s current “go to” big race jockey, would travel east for the mount after replacing Corey Nakatani in the Swaps following the disastrous Kentucky Derby run.
In the crowded, 12-horse Travers field, Gomez didn’t get the smoothest of trips, either. Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara led for the first mile of the mile and a quarter “Midsummer Derby,” with Gomez and Colonel tracking him all the way. At the top of the stretch, Colonel John was ready to take off, but Gomez was in tight and had to angle out sharply to avoid clipping the heels of Tale of Ekati to his inside and Da’ Tara, who was directly in front of him. Once clear, Colonel John took dead aim at Da’ Tara and put that stubborn rival away. But quickly joining the fray after rallying around horses on the turn for home was Mambo in Seattle, a late-developing Kingmambo colt who ran on Derby day at Churchill Downs, finishing second in an entry-level allowance race. He breezed through his allowance conditions after that and won a restricted stakes at Saratoga in late July, his first-added money effort. Trainer Neil Howard, who is always dangerous with a loaded gun, had Mambo in Seattle ready for the race of his life, and the colt did everything but win the Travers.
In fact, jockey Robbie Albarado thought he’d won the race, waving his whip in celebration at the wire, and ESPN commentators took the bait, interviewing him as the apparent winner as he jogged back to have his picture taken. But the bob of the head went to Colonel John, whose margin of victory could be measured in millimeters.
The Travers is the second most coveted race for a 3-year-old colt after the Kentucky Derby – at least among breeders. The victory, though the margin could not have been narrower, was huge for the stallion potential of Colonel John, who threw the synthetic monkey off his powerful shoulders. The result also sets up the potential for a most interesting Breeders’ Cup Classic on Santa Anita’s new Pro-Ride synthetic surface, if (and it’s a big if) Big Brown shows up. Right now, the connections of Big Brown say that’s where they are heading after the son of Boundary preps in a specially created turf race at Monmouth Park next month.
As for Mambo in Seattle, he is a colt of great talent who was unlucky to lose. He’ll have his chance at Grade 1 glory down the road, and will be to a force later this year and in 2009 for co-owners Will Farish and Mrs. William Kilroy. His pedigree (Kingmambo out of Weekend in Seattle, by Seattle Slew) assures that he will have every opportunity at stud when his racing days are over.
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Tags: Big Brown, Breeders' Cup, breeders' cup classic, colonel john, da' tara, eoin harty, espn, garrett gomez, kentucky derby, kingmambo, mambo in seattle, neil howard, polytrack, pro-ride, robbie albarado, santa anita, saratoga, Synthetic surfaces, tiznow, travers, winstar
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Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
WinStar Farm homebred Colonel John won Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes by a nose in a head-bobbing finish with William S. Farish and Mrs. William Kilroy’s Mambo in Seattle. Pyro, the 7-2 favorite, finished third, 5 1/4 lengths back, with Harlem Rocker fourth in the 139th running of the $1-million "midsummer classic" for 3-year-olds.. Time of the race on a fast track was 2:03.20 for the mile and a quarter on a fast track.
(VIDEO)
(Today’s Saratoga charts)
Colonel John, breaking from the two post, saved ground as Belmont Stakes winner Da’ Tara set all the fractions under Alan Garcia, the opening quarter-mile in :23.91, the half-mile in :48.06 and six furlongs in 1:12.12. When the field turned for home, Gomez had to alter course sharply behind Da’ Tara, then went to his outside, taking the lead inside the furlong pole. Mambo in Seattle, under Robbie Albarado, was forced to take the overland route, rallying from well off the pace but avoiding a scrum to his inside at the head of the stretch that may have compromised the chances of Harlem Rocker and Pyro. The Kinbmambo colt ranged up alongside Colonel John nearing the sixteenth pole, and the two raced to the wire together. Colonel John appeared to be edging ahead, but Mambo in Seattle made one final, valiant run, losing the victory in a head-bob. The official margin was a nose, but the photo finish showed it to be no more than an inch.
The victory was Colonel John’s first on a traditional dirt track. He had previously won four of eight starts, all on synthetic tracks, including three stakes. He came into the Kentucky Derby off a half-length victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, and was the 9-2 second choice behind Big Brown at Churchill Downs. The son of Tiznow out of the Turkoman mare Sweet Damsel was never a factor that day, finishing sixth, 14 1/4 lengths behind Big Brown. He skipped the rest of the Triple Crown, then returned to action with a third-place finish behind Tres Borrachos July 12 in the Grade 2 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Colonel John did all of his serious preparation work before the Travers on Polytrack at Del Mar for his trainer, Eoin Harty. The win could set up a rematch between Colonel John and Big Brown in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park, which will be contested on that track’s new Pro-Ride synthetic surface.
The winner paid $10.40 and earned $600,000 to increase his earnings to $1,468,830.
IN THE GRADE 1 NETJETS KING’S BISHOP, a race for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs that immediately preceded the Travers, Team Valor International and Vision Racing’s Visionaire, benefited from a hot pace and rallied from last to first to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths under Alan Garcia.
Gentleman James, Golden Spikes and 8-5 favorite J Be K threw down fractions of :22.39 and :44.73 for the opening half mile, with J Be K taking a narrow advantage when the 10-horse field turned for home, and it looked like anyone’s race. Desert Key, had to await room on the inside, then found an opening to gain the lead in the final furlong, but Garcia had Visionaire picking ‘em and mowing ‘em down on in the middle of the track after rallying widest into the stretch.
The son of Grand Slam hit the front in the final 70 yards and drew off, with Desert Key holding second by a nose from I’m So Lucky. The winner, bred in Kentucky by Eaton Sales co-owner Reiley McDonald and trained by Michael Matz, paid $15.60 for the win after covering seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.94.
The win was Visionaire’s fifth from 10 starts and second starts victory, following a win in the Gotham at Aqueduct in March. Visionaire ran fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes and 12th behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby.
SHADWELL STAALE’S IRISH-BRED SHAKIS won the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch by three parts of a length over War Monger, with Operation Red Dawn finishing third. The 8-year-old by Machiavellian was ridden by Alan Garcia and is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. He covered nine furlongs on firm turf in 1:46.78.
Tags: colonel john, eoin harty, garrett gomez, mambo in seattle, Paulick Report, pyro, Ray Paulick, saratoga, shakis, team valor, travers, visionaire, winstar farm
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Friday, August 22nd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Del Mar’s publicity office put out an updated press release Friday afternoon saying that Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella will appear at Del Mar’s "Donut Days" fans forum Saturday morning. There was no mention made of trainer John Sadler, Del Mar’s leading trainer who was originally scheduled to appear at the event that gives fans an opportunity to ask questions of the featured guests.
Sadler has been at the center of a storm involving anabolic steroids since his Del Mar barn was searched Monday by California Horse Racing Board investigators. On Thursday, CHRB executive director Kirk Breed told Thoroughbred Times that Sadler horses came up positive for anabolic steroids on 18 different occasions since testing began July 1. There have been a total of 38 positives for anabolic steroids from the 418 samples tested for steroids.
Also on Thursday, the CHRB said any horses treated with anabolic steroids on or after today (Aug. 22) would be placed on the vet’s list a minimum of 30 days.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: anabolic steroids, California Horse Racing Board, CHRB, Del Mar, john sadler, kirk breed, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, richard mandella
Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Medication, Regulatory Issues | 1 Comment »
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