Archive for the ‘Triple Crown preps’ Category

Do you know an individual or organization who you think we should consider for an upcoming “Good News Friday” feature? Then please e-mail info@paulickreport.com with the name of the individual or organization and a brief description of why you think they should be featured. Additionally, we’d like to thank Rob Whiteley and Liberation Farm for encouraging us to bring to light some of the industry’s positive stories and for sponsoring this exclusive Paulick Report feature.

By Bradford Cummings
Oftentimes, the racing industry loses sight of what is important when trying to market its product. Talk of increased handle, while necessary for the bottom line of racetracks, does not change the public perception and momentum of a sport that has continued a slow and steady slide over the last 20 years. In order to grow this sport, racing needs new fans, not old fans making more bets.
 
So when the ratings came out for the Kentucky Derby and most recently the Preakness Stakes, it was a breath of fresh air and a much-needed shot in the arm for the psyche of racing. The first two legs of the Triple Crown brought in an average of 13.4 million viewers, the most since 1989 when Sunday Silence won both Classics over Easy Goer in a spirited East vs. West rivalry.
 
Individually, the Kentucky Derby brought in 16.3 million viewers with a 9.8 rating and 23 share, up 2.1 million viewers from last year. The Preakness came in at a strong 10.9 million viewers, pulling a 6.8 rating and 16 share. This number was up 3 million viewers from last year’s version with Big Brown easily pulling away from the field.
 
For those not familiar with the television ratings system, the Derby’s 9.8 rating means that 9.8% of all households with televisions were tuned into NBC’s telecast on the first Saturday of May while the 23 share means 23% of all televisions in use watched Mine That Bird pull an unprecedented upset. That means nearly a quarter of all Americans watching television showed an interest in racing’s biggest event.
 
Perhaps most significant was the true lack of a compelling storyline going into the race. Most of the favorites had been sidelined before the Derby, and morning line favorite I Want Revenge was scratched the morning of the race with an injury, leaving what has been proved to be an overrated colt from the Louisiana circuit in Friesan Fire as the betting choice. And while other sports have the ability to build audience throughout the course of a 3 hour game, the fact that a 50-1 shot won the race would have had virtually no effect on the ratings because of how quickly the telecast ends.
 
Much credit must go to NBC, which did an admirable job selling the event throughout the week prior with promos on mainstream mainstays like the Today Show and investing in a solid marketing campaign. The fact a long shot won only added to the mystique of the Derby they so effectively sold.
 
That momentum allowed for the male vs. female storyline to be created with Rachel Alexandra and the unintended positive consequences of media coverage from Mark Allen and Ahmed Zayat’s conspiring to keep her on the sidelines. Proving the old adage there’s no such thing as bad press, the Preakness well out performed every other running this decade except for Smarty Jones in 2004, which brought a 7.7 rating and 23 share.
 
Of course, all of these numbers are irrelevant without some perspective and comparison to other top events in high profile professional U.S. sports. While the Kentucky Derby will not be in the same league as the Super Bowl anytime soon with its 42 rating, racing’s biggest day in 2009 stands incredibly strong with other major championship equivalents.
 
The final game of the NBA Championship from last year, in a matchup of the two most storied franchises in the league, drew only 12.6 million viewers.  The Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins never saw more than 6.8 million folks tune in to a game. The Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR, was down this year to a modest 15.95 million television fans. Even America’s Pastime peaked with just 15.49 million at home spectators during last year’s final World Series game.

Something the ratings do not take into account is the large number of racing fans who watch and wager on events like the Triple Crown races and Breeders’ Cup at a local track or simulcast site. Kentucky Derby Day is the biggest day of the year at some tracks, and those in attendance are not counted as television viewers.

This ranks the Kentucky Derby as the second most watched professional sporting championship of the last year, a fact few in the industry would have assumed. And the news is actually better than it looks. Wedged in at around 6 p.m. EST and potentially distracted by the dinner bell or an eventful Saturday, a viewer more likely schedules their day around the Derby coverage whereas a typical championship game appears during the primetime hours of 8-11 pm. That coupled with the lack of build up for the average racing fan as evidenced by the paltry ratings of preps like the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby, means racing has a legitimate opportunity to capture the imagination of the public if marketed correctly.
 
With drug issues and safety concerns being taken seriously, there will be an opening for racing to breeze through. Will we take the opening and shoot through like Mine That Bird’s last to first rally on May 2nd? Will we look at what we have and figure out how to sell this beautiful sport to the masses beyond the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes? Can we turn the Breeders’ Cup into a legitimate championship that builds from January on?
 
The good news is we can.

Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

Previous Good News Friday subjects: Father Chris Clay, The Race for Education, Military Appreciation Day at Keeneland, Kentucky Oaks Pink Out for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Mary Lee-Butte and the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy, Mary Jo Pons and the Radio Reading Network

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

Visit the Paulick Report for all the latest news throughout the racing world.

Sign up for our Email Flashes to get the latest news, analysis and commentary from Ray Paulick

This is the fifth in a series of articles written by Edwin Anthony examining the pedigrees of leading contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby. Previously, he looked at Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire, Florida Derby winner Quality Road, Santa Anita Derby winner Pioneerof the Nile and the talented Dunkirk.

This week, Anthony examines the bloodlines of I Want Revenge, who made a miraculous worst to first finish in the Wood Memorial after severely stumbling out of the gate. Anthony, who spent six years as the staff pedigree consultant for Three Chimneys Farm and has contributed to numerous publications, is the author of a newly published book, “The American Thoroughbred (Volume I).” Click here to learn more about the book. – Brad Cummings

I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even—Meguial, by Roy)
By all indications, Stephen Got Even was a quality racehorse (G2 winner at 3, G1 winner at 4—on dirt) and has a pretty darn good pedigree (by A.P. Indy from a G1 placed Cox’s Ridge mare, next dam is a G3 winner by Blushing Groom).  But it seems that demand for his services in the breeding shed have waned somewhat in recent years, gauging by his unbelievably low $7,500 stud fee for 2009.  This is somewhat difficult to process, given that we are talking about a horse that had the champion 2YO colt a few years ago (Stevie Wonderboy) and has also sired useful campaigners like Don’t Get Mad (G2, $793,000 in earnings), For All We Know (G2, $292,000), Sweet Vendetta (G2, $224,000), and Steve’s Double (G3, $479,000).

With this kind of capability, it should surprise no one that Stephen Got Even has come up with another tough and genuine racehorse in I Want Revenge, who proved capable of delivering an astonishingly brave effort in winning the Wood Memorial (G1) over the weekend.  I’ve never made a complete list of ways that a horse can get into trouble during the running of a race, but I Want Revenge certainly tested the boundaries of what a horse can overcome and still win.  Mind you, this wasn’t the 3rd race at River Downs we’re talking about (no offense to my friends in Cincinnati), this was the Wood Memorial—one of the most prestigious races on the racing calendar, against quality horses being forced to the limit in an effort to make it into the Kentucky Derby.

While he displayed speed and an explosive bit of acceleration during the stretch run of the Gotham (G3)—his first race on dirt—I Want Revenge was absolutely left at the start of the Wood Memorial.  Only a patient ride by the young but skilled Joe Talamo allowed them to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat and enable the colt to gain valuable traffic experience in the process.  One can guess that what transpired Saturday wasn’t exactly what I Want Revenge’s connections had planned, and a disastrous beginning seldom translates into such a rosy outcome.  Thus, his ability to overcome such adversity bodes well for his chances in the Kentucky Derby (G1), where a troubled trip is not only probable; it is expected.
I have a bit of personal experience to glean from Stephen Got Even and his damsire, Cox’s Ridge.  My family raced Cox’s Ridge, and he was undoubtedly the most sound and consistent racehorse that we have owned during 30+ years of racing.  He was an excellent stallion for us (and others), siring forward extraordinary soundness in his progeny.  I personally raced an allowance winner named Bullion from Stephen Got Even’s first crop of runners, and he was both sound and a genuinely hard-trying racehorse.

I certainly endorse Stephen Got Even, and all that he seems to need to get a really nice campaigner (or even a G1 winner) is the willingness of a breeder to send him a quality mare.  I Want Revenge is certainly a good example of this, given that his dam by Roy placed 2nd in both the Argentine 1000 Guineas (Arg-I) and Argentine Oaks (Arg-I).

It’s not difficult to fall in love with I Want Revenge’s chances of winning a classic race, going by his form line.  He broke his maiden at 2 in California, and then lost a photo to subsequent Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Pioneerof the Nile in the CashCall Futurity (G1).  He certainly has the jump on his competition prepping on synthetic surfaces, as he has logged two impressive victories on dirt and has already displayed the ability to overcome trouble.  What does his pedigree tell us about his chances in the Triple Crown series?

While Stevie Wonderboy did not have the opportunity to run in the classics, he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) impressively and most of Stephen Got Even’s progeny seem to prosper at a distance.  His sire, A.P. Indy, is most definitely a classic influence, and Stephen Got Even himself won 2 notable races over 9 furlongs (1 1/8 miles).  Cox’s Ridge was capable of racing as far as the classic distance of 1 π miles and sired champions that could win G1 events going as far as 1 ∏ miles.  I Want Revenge’s damsire Roy was primarily a sprinter, being a son of Fappiano from a mare by Never Bend.  Roy has a high concentration of the Frizette family in his pedigree, carrying 6 crosses, including tracing to her directly in tail-female line.  This mixes well with Seattle Slew (sire of A.P.Indy), as he carries Frizette’s daughter Frizeur (dam of Myrtlewood) 2x—neither of these sources being found in the pedigree of Roy.  This Seattle Slew / Roy combination (and Frizette concentration) has already been seen in the pedigree of Great Hunter (G1), and now I Want Revenge makes 2 G1 winners bred that way.

We also see the Blushing Groom / Fappiano combination in I Want Revenge’s lineage, which can also be found in the pedigrees of top performers like Awesome Gem (millionaire), Candy Ride (G1, undefeated), First Samurai (G1), Heatseeker (G1), Intangaroo (G1), Lady Joanne (Alabama), 2009 Lane’s End (G2) winner Hold Me Back, 2009 G3 winner The Pamplemousse, and Broken Vow (G2, sire of G1 winners).

Beyond American-bred Roy, the dam side of I Want Revenge’s pedigree has a very South American influence.  Fitzcarraldo, the sire of his 2nd dam, was bred in Argentina and raced there, winning a G2 event and finishing among the top 4 in all 3 races that comprise the Triple Crown events in that country.  Vervain, the sire of his 3rd dam, was 1st or 2nd in 7 of 8 starts in Europe, and was exported to Argentina to stand at stud.

In attempting to gauge the quality of the Fitzcarraldo / Vervain portion of I Want Revenge’s pedigree, it is interesting to compare it to the family tree of Horse of the Year Invasor.  In crossing these 2 pedigrees, we see a daughter of the stallion Cipayo in Invasor’s pedigree, while Fitzcarraldo is a son of Cipayo.  A mare named Twins is the 4th dam of Invasor, while a full-sister to Twins named Sigma Septima produced the stallion Stallwood, damsire of Fitzcarraldo.  Needless to say, Invasor is closely related to Fitzcarraldo.

The European stamina influence Wild Risk sired the dam of Blushing Groom (grandsire of Invasor), while Wild Risk appears prominently in the pedigree of Vervain.  Thus, the 2nd dam of I Want Revenge (a mare named Starry Night) has a pedigree that is very similar to that of Invasor.  And given that Invasor was an entirely legitimate racehorse going 1 π miles (Breeders’ Cup Classic, Suburban, Dubai World Cup), this would seem to bode well for I Want Revenge’s chances of getting the Derby distance and possibly winning a classic.  At the very least, one has to admire the horse’s toughness.  Personally, I hope that breeders will take note of Stephen Got Even’s admirable habit of siring sound campaigners.  The industry needs more good mares to visit stallions like him.

–Edwin Anthony

Edwin Anthony was the staff pedigree consultant at Three Chimneys Farm for six years and has penned dozens of articles on pedigree research.  He recently published a reference book, The American Thoroughbred (Volume I), which can be ordered via the banner ad link on this this web page.

By Ray Paulick
With four big Kentucky Derby preps on the card today, I just had to get off the couch and go where the horses are and do a real live blog of those races. The big question was where: Tampa Bay Downs to see if General Quarters is for real; Fair Grounds, where Rick Dutrow will try to work his magic on Patena and pull the upset of Friesan Fire; Santa Anita Park, where my No. 1 horse on the Paulick Derby Index, Pioneerof the Nile, should dominate his foes in the San Felipe; or Oaklawn Park, where Old Fashioned looks like a cinch to win the Rebel Stakes?

I chose Oaklawn Park, in part because I haven’t  been to the Hot Springs racetrack since Arkansas Derby day in 1998, when Victory Gallop upset Favorite Trick. Oaklawn Park is also within relaxing driving distance of Lexington. But the real reason is that I got to thinking about how good the corned beef sandwiches are that are served in the Arkansas Sports Tavern inside the Oaklawn grandstand.

So you can imagine my disappointment when — after getting stuck in traffic on Central Avenue on the way to the track (when’s the last time that happened?) and having to park in a homeowner’s front lawn for $15 because the paid lots were full —  the lines were 50 deep for that corned beef sandwich.

I’m sure traffic, parking and food lines would have been easier at Fair Grounds or Santa Anita (I’ll bet Tampa Bay’s doing big business though), but I’ll take a racetrack full of people anytime.

Check back for more on my day at the Oaklawn races, as well as the fastest reports on the web on the San Felipe, Tampa Bay Derby, Louisiana Derby and Rebel Stakes.
 
5:08 p.m. (Eastern) … Pioneerof the Nile wins the San Felipe after a hard drive through the stretch, holding off Feisty Suances by a length and a quarter and not looking like the top pick on my personal Derby list. It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win, and there’s a chance that trainer Bob Baffert didn’t want this lemon to be squeezed too tight for a mid-March prep. ("I don’t use that phrase," said Baffert, who said later that Pioneerof the Nile got to waiting on horses after getting in front and prefers a faster face. "We don’t wear our good shoes until Sunday.")  Jeranimo is third and He’s Really Big fourth in a race where the fans made Pioneerof the Nile the 3-10 favorite.

Joe Talamo sent New Bay to the front, tracked by Feisty Suances and Jeranimo in the early going, with Pioneerof the Nile allowed to settle into fifth by Garrett Gomez. Fractions were slow…23:96 for the opening quarter, :48.60 for the half and 1:12.82 for six furlongs. Pioneerof the Nile commenced his rally on the turn, but it wasn’t a walk in the park for the son of Empire Maker, who had to be asked pretty severely down the stretch. Final time on the Pro-Ride synthetic surface was 1:43.35 for the 1 1/16 miles, after a mile clocking of 1:37.09.

It was not a visually impressive race by the winner, who paid $2.60 in what was his third conecutive win. He’s not a horse that wins by open lengths, however,  his Robert B. Lewis margin of victory a half length and his Cash Call Hollywood Futurity victory just a nose.  Pioneerof the Nile now has four wins in seven lifetime starts.

The runner-up, trained by Darrell Vienna, was coming off a fourth-place finish behind Chocolate Candy in the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields Jan. 17.

San Felipe chart.

5:30 p.m. … Oaklawn owner Charles Cella (pictured on Rebel day, left) made a sweep through the press box to shake a few hands and say hello to the out-of-towners, primarily me and Joe Drape of the New York Times. Good old Southern hospitality never hurts. He recognizes my necktie, a souvenir from 1998 Arkansas Derby.

5:37 p.m. … Musket Man gets up in the final strides to win the Tampa Bay Derby by about a head over Join in the Dance. Justdontcallmejeri was third, with Nowhere to Hide Fourth. It was an eventful trip for the winner, who was fourth early as Perfect Bull and Join in the Dance carved out the early fractions. Approaching the far turn, Tampa Bay’s leading rider, Daniel Centeno, shifted Musket Man off the rail and was forced to check, then was shuffled back to eighth or ninth. The Yonaguska colt fought through horses around the turn and put in a strong rally to just get up for the win. He paid $13.80 for his fourth career win in five starts and first in a graded stakes. Musket Man, coming off a third to General Quarters in the Sam F. Davis, was not an early nominee to the Triple Crown.

Derek Ryan trains Musket Man for Eric Fein and Vic Carlson. Big disappointments in the race were Barclay Tagg-trained Hello Broadway, who was made the 2-1 but finished seventh after a wide trip, and General Quarters, the San F. Davis winner who was fifth as the second choice.

Tampa Bay Derby chart.

5:52 p.m. … Whoa! That was one impressive victory by Friesan Fire in the Louisiana Derby. The son of A.P. Indy got a confident ride from Gabriel Saez, coming from just off the pace to blow away the field by 7  1/4 lengths. Saez was doing more celebrating than riding in the final sixteenth, or the margin might have been even bigger. Of course, on sloppy racetracks, the conditions on which the Fair Grounds races were staged, you are more likely to see a horse draw off to a big winning margin. Nonetheless, that was a huge race. Final time was 1:43.46, with fractions of :24.12, :48.75, and 1:13.34 for the first six furlongs.

Papa Clem won the race for second, with early leader Terrain third and Giant Oak making a late run to pass tiring horses to get up for fourth. Patena, after making a four-wide rally on the turn, tired in the stretch and beat just one horse as the 4-1 second betting choice behind Friesan Fire, who paid $6.40 for the win.

Friesan Fire swept the three big races for 3-year-olds at Fair Grounds, the LeComte, Risen Star and Louisiana Derby, after being stakes placed twice at two. Cindy Jones, wife of trainer Larry Jones, filled in for her husband in saddling the horse who races for Vinery Stables and the Fox Hill Farms of Rick Porter, who also decided to go to Oaklawn and watch Old Fashioned in the Rebel. Of course, she did more than saddle the horse; she’s a big part of an operation that has been extremely successful the last three years. Larry Jones is at Oaklawn to put the tack on unbeaten Old Fahioned in the Rebel Stakes.

Louisiana Derby chart.

7:05 p.m. … Had to get out of the press box for a while, check out the lines for the corned beef sandwiches, take a walk through the packed grandstand, and get a closer look at the horses in today’s Rebel Stakes. Old Fashioned, the 1-5 favorite, looked a picture of composure in the infield saddling area. I’m not sure how composed the bridge jumpers are who pounded the show pools ($480,000 or so of the $550,000).

7:12 p.m. … Well, that’s why they run the race. Old Fashioned just got pipped by a 56-1 outsider named Win Willy. The roar of the crowd at the top of the stretch disappeared as Win Willy roared to the lead nearing the finish of the 1 1/16-mile Rebel to win by 2 1/4 lengths for Jer-Mar Stables and trainer McLean Robertson. Old Fashioned finished second, with Poltergeist third and Captain Cherokee fourth.

The winning mutuel was $115.60. But the bridge jumpers got their ten cents on the dollar, with Old Fashioned paying $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show.

Was Old Fashioned suckered into chasing too fast a pace in the race? Silver City set off on fast fractions: 22.54 for the quarter, :46.07 for the half and 1:11.67 for six furlongs. Ramon Dominguez moved Old Fashioned to the lead midway around the far turn, and applied several left-handed strokes when the field turned for home and the gray son of Unbridled’s Song appearing to be in clear control.

But Win Willy, who was last early, came flying down the stretch under Cliff Berry to complete the 1 1/16 miles on a good track (still wet from overnight rains) in 1:44.41 (after a mile split of 1:38.09). Old Fashioned held second by eight lengths. Silver City, who was a stubborn second to Old Fashioned in the Southwest Stakes, paid the price for his fast early fractions, finishing a well beaten eighth in the field of nine.

The winner, a son of Monarchos  bred by Overbrook Farm, was a $25,000 Keeneland September purchase. He won his career debut at Canterbury in Minnesota last August, then finished sixth on the turf at Remington Park in October. He took a liking to the Oaklawn Park surface, winning an optional claimer Feb. 22 going six furlongs, Earlier this meet it looked like he was no more than the second-best 3-year-old in Robertson’s barn behind a Salt Lake colt named Hamazing Destiny, who won his career debut at Oaklawn by 10 1/2 lengths. But when some clients of trainer D. Wayne Lukas wanted a potential Derby horse, they made a bid that Robertson’s clients couldn’t turn down, and Hamazing Destiny was led over to the Lukas barn. Robertson, who said after the Rebel the price for Hamazing Destiny was $1.5 million,had the last laugh on that deal, at least for now.

Rick Porter (pictured, left, with jockey Ramon Dominguez before the Rebel), who owns Old Fashioned and co-owns Friesan Fire, was a little on the nervous side before the Rebel. "Friesan Fire took a little of the pressure off," he said, while admitting that the pressure of having two viable contenders sure beats having a barn of slowpokes. Porter has to be disappointed that  Old Fashioned lost, but it’s hard to chase sprint fractions and stick around for a mile and sixteenth. On the other hand, maybe it’s the only way this horse can go, and the way things look right now, the Kentucky Derby field is going to be packed with early speed.

Quotes from winning trainer Mac Robertson: "After he won his last race I thought the distance would be okay. This race came at the right time frame. I was fairly impressed by his last race, and he did act that the distance would be no problem. This was a home run for us and the horse. If he comes out of this race well, we will keep him here and run in the Arkansas Derby."

Larry Jones, trainer of Old Fashioned, said: "It is hard to say what happened, the track was heavy, and with those kind of fractions it was found to catch up with him. He ran well, and we are proud of what he did."

D. Wayne Lukas said to Robertson: "You sold us the wrong horse! What about that horse that won today?"

Ramon Dominguez said about Old Fashioned: "The drying-out track and those fractions really hurt my colt’s chances. He really felt good under me during the early running, and then I felt him start to tire, when I asked him in the early stretch. Afterwards he galloped out well. Don’t count him out. He still has something to learn."

8:30 p.m. … Of the four Derby preps today, the obvious standout was the Louisiana Derby, where Friesan Fire absolutely toyed with what was a pretty good field of horses. He’ll move up on a lof of Derby lists, and Pioneerof the Nile and Old Fashioned are mostly likely going to lose some support. It’s hard to knock a horse who wins, but Pioneerof the Nile was really under pressure to beat a field that he really should have handled much easier. Add that to the question about whether or not he is going to make a successful transition to dirt, and I can’t see his stock doing anything but falling a couple of notches. But he’ll have a chance to run again before the first Saturday in May and prove me wrong.

Old Fashioned ran what I think was a better than looked race. Funny things can happen in a horse race — especially one where the fractions are so fast — but Terry Wallace, who’s called the races at Oaklawn for 35 years, said he hasn’t seen a more shocking Rebel upset since a maiden, Riverside Sam, beat eventual Preakness winner Elocutionist in 1976. "Sometimes when you call a race you say to yourself, ‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing,’ and today was one of those days," said Wallace.

Chart of the Rebel Stakes.

9:00 p.m. … Some random closing thoughts. If you think horse racing is dead, come to Oaklawn Park on a weekend. Despite damp weather and temperatures in the high 40s or low 50s, the turnstiles clicked 28,240 times, the second-biggest Rebel day crowd in the track’s long history. Handle was also second-best for the Rebel: a total of $6.5 million was wagered on the program on-track and at simulcast sites throughout the country.

There were some familiar faces in the crowd, including John Ed Anthony and his son Edwin (pictured, right), who just began contributing pedigree profiles of some leading Kentucky Derby contenders to the Paulick Report. John Ed raced horses for years in the name of Loblolly Stables with a great deal of success. He now races as Shortleaf Stable, and uses D. Wayne Lukas as trainer. "I’ll tell you one thing," he said. "It’s a lot easier to get a good horse when you’ve 50 or 60 than when you’ve got a dozen." Anthony is an Arkansas native and lumberman who knows as much about the Razorback State as anyone I know. "There’s a lot of wealthy people in Arkansas," he said, "and I think almost all of them want to race horses."

But no one I ran across (other than Charles Cella perhaps) has seen more Oaklawn Park meetings come and go than Don Grisham (pictured, left), the retired Daily Racing Form writer who at 78 years of age still loves coming to the track and assists the media department. Grisham grew up in Hot Springs and started sneaking into Oaklawn Park to watch the races behind some bushes (you had to be 16 to get into the track through the gates), beginning in 1943. Around that time, Grisham said, Triple Crown winner Whirlaway was his hero. "My friends’ heroes were people like Stan Musial (the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer)," Grisham said, "but Whirlaway was it for me." Grisham said he heard that Whirlaway was stabled at Oaklawn one meeting during World War II, (though he never raced at Oaklawn) and he built up the courage to track down trainer Ben Jones in hopes of getting a look at the horse nicknamed Mr. Longtail. 

"He couldn’t have been nicer when I told him I was Whirlaway’s No.1 fan," Grisham said. "He pulled him out and let me get a look at  him, then gave me three pieces of advice: ‘Listen to your parents. Get a good education. Don’t ever lose your enthusiasm for the game.’ I don’t know where I’d be today if Ben Jones wasn’t nice to me."

Grisham hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for racing, and neither have the Oaklawn Park faithful.

One final note: the wait in the Arkansas Sports Tavern was worth it. I decided to upgrade on the corned beef sandwich and went for the corned beef reuben. Let me tell you…it was mighty tasty — and well worth the trip.

And that’s a wrap from Oaklawn Park. 

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

Visit the Paulick Report for all the latest news throughout the racing world

Sign up for our Email flashes to get the latest news, analysis and commentary from Ray Paulick

By Ray Paulick
Spring is in the air, with temperatures topping 70 in Kentucky, and visions of Roses in the minds of many horse owners around the country. Today’s Triple Crown preps start in New York with Aqueduct’s Gotham Stakes and continue in California with last year’s 2-year-old champion, Stardom Bound, the heavy favorite in the Santa Anita Oaks. But the capper for today’s outstanding racing is the Santa Anita Handicap — the Big ‘Cap — the race the great Seabiscuit won in 1940, the fixture that attracted an all-time record crowd to the Great Race Place in 1985 when Lord At War won in front of 85,527 fans.

Perhaps the Big ‘Cap hasn’t been quite as prominent since the Dubai World Cup took the spotlight away from winter racing for the handicap horses when it was inaugurated in 1996. It still carries a $1-million purse and carries Grade 1 status, along with a whole lot of prestige.

I’ll be providing commentary for the next few hours, beginning with the Gotham Stakes, won with a huge performance by California invader  I Want Revenge, who pressed Mr. Fantasy on the lead for the opening seven furlongs, then kicked away at the top of the stretch to score by a wide margin–my guess in nine lengths. Imperial Council got up for second, just edging Mr. Fantasy at the wire, with  Masala fourth. Final time on a fast track was 1:42.65 for the 1 1/16 miles after fractions of :23.76, :48.45, 1:12.69 and 1:36.46. 

This was the first "off synthetic" race for the Jeff Mullins-trained  son of Stephen Got Even, who was coming off a third-place finish behind Pioneerof the Nile in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface. Joe Talamo has been in the saddle for the last five starts of I Want Revenge (pictured, left), who races for David Lanzman.  It was I Want Revenge’s second win in seven starts, but he’s never been worse than third, after beginning his career at Hollywood Park last July and breaking his maiden in his fourth start in October at Hollywood Park, his first race around two turns.

Back to the Big ‘Cap for a second. If you haven’t seen the YouTube video of Seabiscuit’s victory, check this out by clicking here.

4:46 p.m. (Eastern) …. Jeff Mullins is hot. His first-timer Leavenworth just aired in the fourth race at Santa Anita, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden event for 3-year-olds. Son of Forest Wildcast was ridden by Tyler Baze and drew down the stretch impressively. On to Nicarnor’s second race…

4:51 p.m. … Well, that was more like it. Nicanor (Barbaro’s full brother if you didn’t know) finished a game second at 8-1 behind 4-5 favorite Custom for Carlos in a seven-furlong maiden race at Gulfstream Park. Under Jose Lezcano, Nicanor broke well from the nine post, took the lead while setting fractions of :22.83 and :46.57 for the half, then yielded at the top of the stretch to Custon for Carlos , who was just off Nicanor’s outside flank from the beginning. It looked as though Nicanor might fade back as he did in his Jan. 31 debut (when he grabbed a quarter coming out of the gate) but he kept to his task, and was actually cutting back into Custom for Carlos’ lead when they hit the wire. Custom for Carlos (a More Than Ready colt trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Kent Desormeaux) won by about a length, getting the distance in 1:23.55 after a six-furlong split of 1:10.55. 

All in all, a good race for Nicanor. I’d like to see him stretch out next time, though I’m certainly not going to second guess trainer Michael Matz. Chart.

4:58 p.m. … Here are the quotes from the New York Racing Association from the connections of Gotham Stakes runners. I particularly enjoyed Kiaran McLaughlin’s comments wondering why Jeff Mullins and I Want Revenge didn’t stay on the West Coast.

5:30 p.m. … A lot of early money on another Brian Koriner runner, Hannahs Classy Boy, in the sixth race, a downhill turf allowance. He is 15-1 on morning line and 9-2 early. 

5:35 p.m.  …. Regarding Edgar Prado not riding Nicanor at Gulfstream. As much as I’m sure he’d like to have been on the colt, when any jockey has a chance to win a $1-million race, money trumps maiden races. Prado is at Santa Anita riding that terrific card, including Monba for Todd Pletcher in the Big ‘Cap.

5:40 p.m. … Here’s the answer about why HRTV and TVG both showed the Gotham Stakes on tape delay. Fran LaBelle of the New York Racing Association tells us that "the rights to the Gotham are part of the Belmont Stakes agreement with ESPN/ABC. Although they chose not to broadcast the race, we did not get their OK for anyone else to show it live, so we asked both HRTV and TVG to show the race on a delay." How’s that for arrogance — not on the part of NYRA but by ESPN/ABC? They have the rights to televise a race live, but elect not to show it and don’t want anyone else to, either. Who gets the shaft? You tell me.

5:42 p.m. … Jeannie, you are correct  in your comment about Gomez picking up those mounts. My mistake. Prado was named to ride. Will have to see what happened.

5:45 p.m. … How’s this for back-to-back Big ‘Cap winners? Affirmed in 1979 (the first Santa Anita Handicap I saw in person), followed by Spectacular Bid, the best horse I’ve seen in my lifetime. Video of 1979 and 1980.

5:50 p.m. … From Gulfstream Park publicity department, here are comments on Nicanor’s second-place finish from connections of the winner and Nicanor.

6:30 p.m. .. The much-awaited interview with Michael Iavarone of IEAH, who has backed off a little bit on his ambition of running Stardom Bound against colts in the Kentucky, "My exuberance after the Las Virgenes might have been a little accelerated," he says during an interview on HRTV. After that victory, Iavarone said the Kentucky Derby was the absolute goal. A good win will probably get her a chance against colts in the Santa Anita Derby, Iavarone says, but he’s taking it one race at a time. Gary Stevens says the daughter of Tapit has been tough to gallop all week, and he hopes jockey Mike Smith can get her off the rail and relaxed in the race.

They are approaching the gate, with Stardom Bound 1-5 and no one else in single digits. Miss Silver Brook is second choice at 10-1.

6:38 p.m. … Wow….what a wild stretch run, with four noses on the line. Not sure if Stardom Bound got her nose up. Stardom Bound was last early and rallied about eight wide into the stretch. 

Stardom Bound gets the head-bob photo. Third Dawn, a longshot by Sky Mesa who had just broken her maiden last out for John Sadler, was narrowly beaten…probably by a nose.  There’s a good chance Third Dawn would have been taken down, however, as she shifted out into the path of Stardom Bound with about a sixteenth of a mile to run. Also in the photo was Hooh Why, another nose back, with Nan about a head behind her on the rail in fourth.

There was a stewards inquiry but no change was made in the order of finish.

Burg Berg set the slow early fractions of :23.78, :47.54, and 1:12.12 for the first six furlongs, with Hooh Why and Robbie Albarado not far behind. Hooh Why moved to the front at the top of the stretch, but several fillies were on her heels. One of them, Miss Silver Brook, had to check sharply about 70 yards from the wire. Final time was 1:43.62 after a mile split of 1:37.17.

"Extremely wide, jockey error on my part," Mike Smith said after the race when asked  on HRTV how wide he went. "I was anywhere from 15 to 20 at one point," he said. "I’m just so grateful that she’s so talented." 

"I need a defibrillator right now," Iavarone told HRTV a few minutes after the race was declared official. "I think she worked pretty hard today against the girls. She’s going to really have to improve herself to be able to handle horses like Pioneerof the Nile. But I’m going to talk it over with the guys and see what they think. If they think that they want to go forward, then I’m willing to go forward. But she worked pretty hard against the girls today."

This was Stardom Bound’s fifth consecutive victory in a Grade 1 stakes. She lost her career debut sprinting by a nose at Del Mar, then was second in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar. She broke her maiden in the Del Mar Debutante, then reeled off wins in the Oak Leaf Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Las Virgines, the latter her first start of 2009. She raced for Charles Cono and trainer Chris Paasch through the Breeders’ Cup and was sold for $5.7 million to IEAH at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky in November and transferred to Robert Frankel.

Oaks Chart.

7:05 p.m. …. Santa Anita publicity department quotes…

MIKE SMITH, STARDOM BOUND, WINNER: “It seemed like she got lost out there early. We had a terrible trip. When I moved out with her turning for home, everybody else went out at the same time and we got caught really wide. From the sixteenth pole home, I thought we could grind ‘em down, but I was worried. At the wire though, she put her ears up and she was playing with the pony coming back. Maybe this is the kind of race she needed. I guess you could say it was a not-so-heady ride.”   

7:06 p.m. … Line of the day from Jeff Siegel of HRTV. "Not a bad warm-up race," he said of the Oaks.

7:30 p.m. … While I quickly down a dinner before the Kilroe and Big ‘Cap, thought I’d link to one of the best Big ‘Caps I ever attended. Here’s the video.

7:35 p.m. …. To answer an earlier question: Would Stardom Bound have won by more if not forced to alter course late? Yes, I think so, but she wouldn’t have won by more than a neck. As Frankel said, she ran 10 lengths farther than anyone else.

What a nice tribute HRTV has put together in honor of the late Frank E. (Jimmy) Kilroe, the longtime director of racing at Santa Anita. He was from another era, when racing secretaries were opinionated in assigning weights to horses and stuck by their opinions. Times have changed, and with so many other opportunities handicaps are no longer relevant.

7:45 p.m. … Is Ventura really that good? The Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner is even-money in her second try against colts in North America, her first try resulting in a second-place finish behind Rahy’s Attorney in the Woodbine Mile last fall on yielding turf.

7:50 p.m. … Ventura’s trainer, Robert Frankel, said he wants her to be up close to the pace, in the first flight, behind Hewitts, in the Kilroe Mile. He told HRTV he was very proud of Stardom Bound, but I wonder what he might have said if asked about Mike Smith’s ride. Probably something not fit for the family hour on television….which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from a trainer about a jockey. Charlie Whittingham, when he trained Gato del Sol (in his later years), was stunned when jockey Sandy Hawley took the late-running Kentucky Derby winner to the lead early in a mile and one-half turf race. "If I had a rifle, I would have shot him out of the saddle," Whittingham joked.

7:57 p.m. … It just doesn’t get any better. Ventura looked like a sure winner of the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile at the eighth pole, opened what looked like a safe lead, but got nipped right on the money by the fast-finishing Gio Ponti, to lose by a nose…the photo makes it look like about two inches. Ramon Dominguez rode the winner for trainer Christophe Clement. Gio Ponti is a 4-year-old colt by Tale of the Cat whose biggest previous win came in the  Virginia Derby when he beat Court Vision by a nose.

Jockey Garrett Gomez said Ventura "took a couple of steps in (at the sixteenth pole), and I had to straighten her back up." Gomez took Ventura back to fifth off the early pace set by Hewitts, who laid down fractions of :23.26, :46.31 and 1:09.86 on firm turf. Hewitts was under pressure from Wise River down the backstretch. Dixie Chatter made the first run at the lead at the top of the stretch, but Ventura edged passed him inside the eighth pole and appeared to be en route to the win. But Gio Ponti (pictured, left) came flying down the outside to just get up, completing the distance in 1:33.65 after a seven-furlong split of 1:21.69.

Ramon Dominguez said he talked with Clemente earlier in the day for instructions on how to ride Gio Ponti, who was coming off a fifth-place finish in the Strub Stakes behind Cowboy Cal on Feb. 7. "He told me to try and save ground and wait as long as I could," Dominguez said. "I was trying to follow Ventura, who seemed like she was getting a great trip, and from then on it was going to really be a horse race."

The Kilroe was the sixth win in 11 starts for Gio Ponti, who races for Castleton Lyons. Chart.

8:10 p.m. … A couple more memories of the Santa Anita Handicap. The Bid ‘Cap was always the biggest day of the Santa Anita meeting when I lived in Southern California, and it still attracts crowds of between 40,000 and 50,000 on-track. But I don’t think anyone was prepared for the crowd that showed up in 1985, the year Lord At War won the race for Peter Perkins, trainer Charlie Whittingham and jockey Bill Shoemaker. That day, a total of 85,527 turned out, an all-time Santa Anita record. The atmosphere was incredible.

There were "only" 72,752 at Santa Anita three years earlier when John Henry went for his second consecutive Big "Cap win, and that was another truly exciting day. John Henry won easily the previous year (with good old Flying Paster among those chasing him home), but he was in for the stretch duel of his life (except, perhaps the Arlington Million against The Bart) against the Whittingham trained Perrault in the 1982 Santa Anita Handicap. Laffit Pincay Jr. used all of his strength to get Perrault to the wire first, but his left-handed whipping caused the horse to drift out significantly, impeding John Henry, who got the victory via disqualification. It’s something you hate to see in a Grade 1 race, but the stewards made the only call they could.

Here’s a recap of John Henry’s two wins in the Big ‘Cap, including the head-on of the stretch run between John Henry and Perrault. Video.  Honestly, watching the replays and just thinking about the excitement of Santa Anita that afternoon sends shivers up and down my spine. 

8:25 p.m. …. OK, Christine, because you mentioned Broad Brush’s sire, Ack Ack, here’s the video of his Big ‘Cap win. Another win for Charlie Whittingham, the second of his eight Santa Anita Handicap wins. There was nobody that could train an older horse like the Bald Eagle could, and later in life he showed he could even win the Kentucky Derby a time or two! Video of Ack Ack.

8:30 p.m. … HRTV’s ace handicapper Jeff Siegal picks longshot Monba in the Big ‘Cap. I’m going with Court Vision, who hasn’t been on a synthetic track since breaking his maiden at Keeneland. They are loading into the starting gate….

8:35 p.m. … Einstein wins the Big ‘Cap under Julien Leparoux, getting a perfect trip from just off a very slow pace, winning easily under high weight of 121 pounds. Champs Elysees finished well to get second ahead of Matto Mondo, who set the pace, with Monba fourth. According to HRTV, the Helen Pitts-Blase runner was the first East Coast based horse to win the Santa Anita Handicap since Broad Brush beat Ferdinand. 

Blue Exit was pulled up approaching the far turn with a fractured cannon bone, was vanned off and later euthanized, according to Santa Anita’s publicity department.

"We got a good pace, not too fast, not too slow," said Leparoux. "When you are behind horses like this it is very easy to relax, and he’s a good horse." "It’s an unbelievable feeling," said Pitts-Blase. "He means the world to me and it’s my biggest win."

Matto Mondo, who was co-favored with Court Vision at 9-2, set fractions of :24.52, :48.31, 1:12.93, and 1:35.59 under Rafael Bejarano. Einstein was never far behind and moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, gaining command at the eighth pole and drawing off to win by about a length. Final time was 2:01.93 for the 10 furlongs on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface. Colonel John, the morning line favorite, was scratched by trainer Eoin Harty when he spiked a temperature on Saturday morning.

Einstein was winning for the 10th time in 24 starts (his first time on synthetics). He races for the Midnight Cry Stable, which also owned two-time Horse of the Year Curlin when he broke his maiden and retained a minority interest in the horse for the remainder of his career. Pitts was Curlin’s trainer when he broke his maiden.

Santa Anita Handicap chart. Will try to get an update on Blue Exit. But otherwise, that’s it for Big ‘Cap day.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

Sign up for our Email flashes to get the latest news, analysis and commentary from Ray Paulick

Visit the Paulick Report for all the latest news throughout the racing world.

By Ray Paulick
The Pamplemousse turned in a dominating performance over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface Saturday, winning the Sham Stakes easily by six lengths in a wire-to-wire victory that stamped him as a serious contender for the upcoming Santa Anita Derby and perhaps the Kentucky Derby. Florida shipper Take the Points finished second after chasing the winner throughout, with Mr. Hot Stuff third and Bourbon Bay fourth in the nine-furlong event that attracted a field of 10 3-year-old colts and geldings.

The Pamplemousse, owned by a partnership that includes Alex Solis Jr., son of the winning rider, is trained by Julio Canani. The colt’s name, which means grapefruit in French, comes from a Del Mar, Calif., restaurant whose owners Jeffrey and Bill Strauss are also part of the colt’s ownership team, along with Carol Bienstock and Ann Winner.

The Pamplemousse covered the distance in 1:47.86 after setting fractions of :23.08, :46.51, 1:10.29, and 1:35.09. The son of the Cherokee Run stallion Kafwain out of Comfort Zone, by Rubiano, was bred in Kentucky by Fred and Nancy Mitchell’s Clarkland Farm, which sold him for $80,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale to a pinhooking outfit, Vision Sales. The latter sold him at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training to Alex Solis II Bloodstock for $150,000.

The Sham was The Pamplemousse’s second graded stakes victory following his wire to wire win in the San Rafael Stakes Jan. 17. It was his third win overall from five starts. He began his career with a fourth place effort in a maiden sprint Oct. 4 during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita, then improved to third in another maiden sprint at Hollywood Park Nov. 8. The colt broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles Dec. 14 at Hollywood, then came back one month later to win the San Rafael. Off that impressive victory he was sent off the 1-2 favorite in the Sham and paid $3 for the win.