Posts Tagged ‘Del Mar’

One of California’s top jockeys Joel Rosario fired jockey agent Vic Stauffer whose tenure with Rosario lasted only 16 months.

"I got him at the fall meet of Hollyood in 2008," Stauffer said. "At that time, he was 10th in the standings; he ended up second. The next meet was the main one at Santa Anita, he finished third.  The next meet was Hollywood spring; he was leading rider. Then was Del Mar; he was leading rider. Then came Oak Tree. He had a chance to tie for the title in the last race of the meet and finished second."

"Joel contacted me contacted me yesterday after the races…I was heartbroken."

Read it at Brisnet.com

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

- Bradford Cummings

Betty Mabee, who bred and owned many top horses with her late husband John in the name of Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona, Calif., died Monday  at the age of 88. 

DEL MAR THOROUGHBRED CLUB
PRESS RELEASE
Betty L. Mabee, who with her late husband, John, helped build one of the west’s great Thoroughbred breeding empires and played a key role in the blossoming of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Del Mar racetrack, died Monday (2/15/10) at about 7 p.m. at her home in nearby Rancho Santa Fe. She was 88.

Mrs. Mabee passed "peacefully and quietly," according to her son, Larry, who noted that his mother had finally succumbed to an extended illness.

UPDATE: Santa Anita has cancelled its Saturday racing program due to heavy rain and ongoing drainage problems with its main track Pro-Ride surface.

On Saturday, Santa Anita’s 10-race program will feature five stakes races, including the Grade 1 Las Virgenes and a pair of Grade 2s, the Strub and the Robert B. Lewis. The Las Virgenes has attracted a field of six 3-year-old fillies to go once around the all-weather track. Blind Luck will be heavily favored based on her final three starts in 2009—she won the G1 Oak Leaf before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and ended the year with a seven-length win in G1 Hollywood Starlet. Among those taking on Blind Luck will be Crisp, winner of G3 Santa Ysabel, and Switch, third in G2 Santa Ynez.

Trainer Bob Baffert has his eyes on a couple prizes Saturday. If Misremembered can prove himself in the Strub, he’ll head for the Santa Anita Handicap, more familiarly known as the Big ‘Cap, next month. Misremembered, a ridgling son of Candy Ride last ran second to M One Rifle in the G1 Malibu. The nine-furlong Strub, for 4-year-olds, has also attracted Smart Bid and Rendezvous, second and third, respectively in the G2 San Fernando.

Baffert hopes to have yet another Kentucky Derby prospect with Tiz Chrome. The son of Tiznow comes into the 1 1/16-mile Robert B. Lewis with just two starts, but his debut at Churchill Downs and his winning performance in the Stuka Stakes at Hollywood were eye-catching. Facing him will be Eoin Harty-trained American Lion, also a son of Tiznow, who won the Hollywood Prevue.

Across the country, Gulfstream Park will be hosting three graded stakes, highlighted by G1 Donn Handicap, for older horses going 1 1/8 miles on the main track. Quality Road is high weight at 123 lbs., based on his powerful performance in G3 Hal’s Hope where he drew off in the final furlong defeating You and I Forever by nearly three lengths. Quality Road spots six to nine pounds to his nine rivals which include the first four finishers of the Jan. 10 Ft. Lauderdale (G3), as well as You and I Forever.

Hoping to make his 2010 debut a winning one, Court Vision will face five other older horses in the nine-furlong G1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. Rick Dutrow trains Court Vision, who ran third in this event last year, losing to Kip DeVille by less than a length. From Todd Pletcher’s barn comes Take the Points, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2009.

Also carded at 1 1/8 miles on the turf is the G3 Suwannee River for older fillies and mares. None of the twelve starters in the body of the race have won a graded stakes, making this a very tough spot to find a favorite. One of the strongest contenders may be Lady Shakespeare, winner of four consecutive races at Woodbine in 2009. Christophe Clement has won the Suwannee River four times and has two entered here—Cable and Astrologie.

In deference to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Santa Anita has an early post, with the G2 San Antonio Handicap to be run at approximately 2:00. Carded as the 7th of eight races, the 1 1/8-mile San Antonio is a major prep for the upcoming Big ‘Cap. High-weighted at 120 lbs. is Richard’s Kid, upset winner of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar last September. The Bob Baffert trainee then ended his 2009 campaign with a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Also targeting the Big ‘Cap is Mast Track, winner of the G3 Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park in December.

An editorial in today’s San Diego Union-Tribune lauds Del Mar’s dedication to its synthetic track despite Santa Anita’s likely return to dirt. They touted studies from California’s equine medical director and the Equibase Company that show the benefits of synthetic track in regards to horse fatalities.

Click here for the rest of the editorial from the San Diego Union-Tribune

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

- Bradford Cummings

By Ray Paulick
Southern California-based trainer Bob Hess crystallized the often toxic debate over synthetic tracks as well as anyone I’ve talked with on the subject: “My horses are happy on it, and they’re lasting a lot longer,” said Hess, a 44-year-old, second generation horseman and a graduate of Stanford University. “My clients are getting more bang for their buck. But without gamblers, we are nothing: there are no purses and no owners. The reality is the gamblers hate this shit. They have no confidence in it. From what they tell me, it’s inconsistent and changes from track to track. Most gamblers tend to play speed, and if you play speed out here, you’re screwed.”

STATISTICS SUGGEST SYNTHETICS ARE SAFER
The criticism of the synthetic tracks by horsemen flies in the face of statistics showing they are safer than the dirt surfaces that preceded them, at least as far as fatalities are concerned. What hasn’t been proven or disproven in statistical research is the common belief by many trainers that horses are sustaining more hind end or soft-tissue injuries on synthetics than they were on dirt.

By Ray Paulick
On an afternoon when heavy rains forced Santa Anita Park management to cancel a special holiday program, track president Ron Charles said the all-weather surface currently in place will be removed at the end of the 2009-’10 and strongly hinted the Arcadia, Calif., racetrack would return to dirt for its main track surface.

Santa Anita and the other major California tracks were required by the California Horse Racing Board to install synthetic surfaces by Jan. 1, 2008, but horseplayers and many trainers have been critical of the various synthetic tracks ever since. Charles, during an interview on Steve Byk’s "At the Races" radio show Monday afternoon, said the synthetic tracks did not deliver as promised by their manufacturers. Santa Anita Park joined Hollywood Park in installing Cushion Track prior to the 2008 deadline and experienced almost immediate problems with the track’s ability to drain and lost several days of racing after rains hit Southern California. Santa Anita replaced the Cushion Track with material from another manufacturer, Pro-Ride, and sued the owners of Cushion Track.  When that new surface was installed in time for the 2008 Breeders’ Cup, Charles indicated it would be a short-term solution. Santa Anita began experiencing further drainage problems again last fall.

Del Mar has gone with Polytrack, which is part owned by Keeneland and in place at Keeneland, Turfway Park, Arlington Park and Woodbine.The Bay Area’s Golden Gate Fields, like Santa Anita owned by bankrupt Magna Entertainment, installed Tapeta Footings, which is also installed at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania and at the new Meydan racetrack in Dubai, which is scheduled for its grand opening in the next couple of weeks.

Charles did not confirm the Pro-Ride surface would be replaced with dirt,, though said a decision will soon be announced and that it would be supported by a majority of the trainers and jockeys he has spoken with. Charles said the synthetic tracks were installed with good intentions–to reduce injuries and make racing safer, especially during wet weather–but became an extremely polarizing issue in racing. The synthetic tracks were cited by Rachel Alexandra’s principal owner, Jess Jackson, as the reason his star filly did not compete in ther 2009 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

Click here to read a Daily Racing Form article on the anticipated change.

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think about synthetic tracks and the possibility of Santa Anita returning to dirt for its main surface.

By Ray Paulick
Rallying eight or nine wide into the stretch under Mike Smith, Richard’s Kid ran down Einstein in the final yards to post a 24-1 upset in the $1-million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday. Favored Rail Trip finished third, Parading fourth and second choice Colonel John was fifth in the Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds and up going 10 furlongs on Polytrack. Bob Baffert trains the winner, a 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid out of the Broad Brush mare Tough Broad. He was purchased earlier this year by Arnold Zetcher after racing in Maryland for Robert Meyerhoff and  trainer Richard Small.

“He loves this track,” Baffert said on TVG after the race. “I bought him for the synthetics, and he likes it.”

Richard’s Kid came into the Pacific Classic as one of the most lightly regarded starters in an 11-horse field that included multiple Grade 1 winners Einstein and Colonel John, along with Hollywood Gold Cup winner Rail Trip, 2008 Gold Cup winner Mast Track, and Global Hunter, winner of this year’s Grade 1 Eddie Read Handicap on the Del Mar Turf.

Tres Borrachos outran Mast Track to get the early lead, setting fractions of :23.16 for the opening quarter mile, :47.42 for the half mile and 1:12.53 for six furlongs. Richard’s Kid lagged second from the back, about 15 lengths off the lead. Approaching the far turn, Garrett Gomez tried to move Colonel John toward the leaders on the inside, but as the field rounded the turn, he was shuffled back, losing valuable position before reaching the stretch. 

As Colonel John was forced to retreat behind a wall of horses,, Einstein and Julien Leparoux were making a four wide move around the turn, then surged to the lead down the stretch, looking like a winner until Smith and Richard’s Kid came flying on the outside. It was a tough loss for Einstein, the Brazilian-bred by Spend a Buck who was racing for the first time in the colors of Frank Stronach’s Stronach Stable, which purchased the 7-year-old a week before the race.

The margin of victory for Richard’s Kid was a neck. He completed the 10 furlongs on Polytrack in 2:02.39 after a mile clocking in 1:37.37.

The win was the sixth from 19 starts for Richard’s Kid, who was bred in Maryland by Meyerhoff’s Fitzhugh LLC. His lone stakes victory before the Pacific Classic came in the ungraded John B. Campbell Handicap at Laurel in February, when he defeated eventual Grade 1 Whitney winner Bullsbay. He ran twice for Baffert and Zetcher, finishing seventh in the Eddie Read and second, beaten a nose by Unusual Suspect, in the Cougar II Handicap going 1 1/2 miles on Polytrack Aug. 5. Two bullet works since that race had him on edge for the Pacific Classic.

Baffert was asked on TVG if the Breeders’ Cup Classic would be in order for Richard’s Kid. “Of course,” he said. “Win and you’re in, right?”

Click here for video of the Pacific Classic and here to see the official chart.

What’s that old expression: When the cat’s away the mice will play? Well, while Ray Paulick is en route to Cape Town, South Africa, for an international Thoroughbred breeders conference, Patrick Patten was asked to put his keyboard and mouse to good use and look back at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s 2008 marketing summit, during which a group of bloggers and racing fans presented a marketing proposal they were solicited to create and submit to the organization.

Patten has been writing Handride for five years and is an original member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. He does have a real job in the natural gas industry, and, contrary to the stereotype given many bloggers, does not live in his mother’s basement. He in fact lives in Monmouth County, N.J.,  20 minutes north of beautiful Monmouth Park where he has spent many summer weekends over the last 25 years.—Ray Paulick

——-

By Patrick Patten
One year ago I was part of a group given the task to create and propose a new marketing plan for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. It was about six weeks of hard negotiating, yelling, and writing with a group of other bloggers and passionate fans.  In the end I think we produced a professional document many consultants would be proud of, and the price for the financially-challenged NTRA was right: free. I think this guy charged $500,000 for pretty much the same thing. The document we created is still online (pdf warning) and more importantly still waiting for someone to implement it.

Getting up on stage at the NTRA’s marketing summit in Las Vegas was a dream come true. I had started my blog in hopes that someone, anyone, would say, “Hey, that’s not a bad idea” and that’s exactly what happened. It was the culmination of four years of writing and thinking. And, while it would be easy to label any blogger as a tinfoil-hat-wearing-mama’s-basement-living-crazy-person who thought after one presentation the world of racing would bow down at his or her feet… I knew change wouldn’t come fast, my expectations were decidedly low. However, a year later I thought there would be somewhere that the group could claim “That’s our idea.” This has not been the case.

I won’t rehash the ideas, I can’t really blame anyone directly, but I sure can be disappointed with everything involved. First, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Race-day medication laws in this country are a mess and give the sport a black eye; the work here (NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance and the new Breeders’ Cup race day rules) should be commended. However, you have to think, what horse has to die in order to get the overall house of ours in order? And, you have to wonder why banning drugs and getting tracks to adhere to common sense practices are MARKETING successes in the first place. How screwed are we?

The largest complaint I have is with the lack of cooperation at the highest level; this was one of the main points of the report. The NTRA and the Breeders’ Cup share the common goal of expanding the brand of our sport, and yet they compete with each other. Our marketing report was about sharing information, and putting in place ideas where common ground could lead to growth. Allow me to cite the perfect example of how this is NOT happening. It should also be noted that I was part of a BC advisory committee recently convened to talk about and have ideas bounced off of about the BC, and I definitely advised on this glaring problem.

On July 25 the Eddie Read Handicap was held at Del Mar. The race was shown on ESPN2. It is a Grade 1 race and has major implications when it comes to the Breeders Cup Mile. Its field included Artiste Royale and Thorn Song and was won with an upset by Global Hunter; all well known horses to regular players; a great race to put on TV to say the least. However, to the casual fan it’s a bit confusing. The week before, two races were held, the Greenwood Cup Handicap and the Delaware Handicap, and neither was shown on TV.  However, their winners were guaranteed a spot in the Breeders Cup. So, are the races not shown on TV more important? Why is this race on TV if it doesn’t lead to anything important? This was a Grade 1 race, but the previous week’s Grade 2 was more important to get into the Breeders’ Cup. I think I’ll go back to watching Dancing With The Stars.

The rallying cry of our marketing plan was “Take Back Saturday” and to do this the BC and the NTRA have to work together. The solution we proposed was to have all graded stakes (and some non graded races for the newer BC categories) count toward standings with the top horses awarded gate choice. We saw it as a home-field advantage, a small change that would have a large impact. Everything in the report after that was based on this “Take Back Saturday” mantra. A little cooperation would be a small hurdle to jump over, and we’d be on our way to relevancy in the sports world.

We were wrong. There is no cooperation in this sport when it comes to marketing. When a horse dies and millions of people are yelling everyone is on their best behavior: Pumping water out of a sinking ship. When do we fix the ship?

The people in charge are still getting rich, and everyone else is still willing to give them even more money and power, so no changes will occur. What really hammered this home recently was Headless Horsemen, the new book by Jim Squires. If a man that well known can point a finger at everyone and have nothing happen, not even a discussion on whether he’s right or wrong, what could a bunch of bloggers do?

It’s disappointing because of the hard work put into that report. The goal of that project was marketing, and I made sure we stuck to that cause. We didn’t tackle the high level of take-out, or drugs, or security–it was only marketing. And, I think we did a fantastic job at keeping the report realistic. We did this because we knew we were up against the perception of what a blogger is, and we didn’t want to come off as asking for the moon or for being too broad or for being tinfoil hat wearing crazy people. We didn’t.  We hit that report out of the park  Was it too good? I wonder now, after being on an advisory board that supposedly had a hand in the Breeders’ Cup saddle cloth color change, what is expected of these panels and groups. I mean seriously, they need a bunch of outsiders to tell them that saddle cloths were a big issue? Meanwhile all that was talked about last year was the renamed Ladies’ Classic (not the saddle cloths) which I’m sure will take another group to fix next year so they can put out a press release saying, “Look we listen to our fans! Have fun at the Filly & Mare Classic” I digress.

I was told directly to hold Alex Waldrop’s feet to the fire. Here it is:

Alex, the NTRA has done a good job of putting out the fires that seem to come up so frequently for this industry. But, how long can this industry be reactive instead of proactive?  How long can tracks sit idly by protecting their own “turf” at the cost of cooperation and getting real reform? How long can the industry get by on contracts written decades ago because no one has any faith in real negotiation and cooperation? How long will you allow yourself to be pushed and pulled in a myriad of directions when I believe you want to move forward?

The marketing report, for me, was hope that someone was looking forward. Are you?

 

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Nearly three hours later, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, TVG will be showing the 53rd running of the Del Mar Oaks, a 1 1/8-miles on the grass.

For those who can’t get wait for the weekend to get their dose of televised racing, there’s Friday afternoon’s Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga, also for 3-year-old fillies. It was scheduled to go off at 4:56 Eastern time on TVG and HRTV, but NYRA officials have moved up post time because of inclement weather and that race could go off around 4:25 p.m. No word yet on whether or not it is off the turf.

With Rachel Alexandra skipping the Alabama for upcoming races unknown, favoritism is likely to fall on Careless Jewel, a Tapit filly trained byJosie Carroll coming off three consecutive daylight victories. Her last two wins—an allowance race on Polytrack at Woodbine and the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks on dirt at Delaware Park—were nearly identical. Under Robert Landry, Careless Jewel went to the front at the start in both 1 1/16-mile contests, opened up by five lengths at the eighth pole, then cruised to the wire to win by 7 1/4 lengths.

This will be her biggest test, in terms of competition and distance. Funny Moon, Don’t Forget Gil and Wynning Ride, the 1-2-3 finishers in a hotly contested Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park last time out July 25, figure to provide Careless Jewel with her stiffest opposition. Casanova Moon, fourth in the CCA Oaks, and Canadian stakes veteran Milwaukee Appeal also could be in the thick of it in the spa’s biggest race for 3-year-old fillies going a route of ground.

The Del Mar Oaks has attracted 10 fillies, including Well Monied, the daughter of Maria’s Mon who closed well to be second to Gozzip Girl in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park last month. That defeat ended a three-race winning streak for the Howard Zucker-trained miss, who will be ridden by red-hot Joel Rosario.

Lightly raced English-bred Hermione’s Magic, a daughter of Systematic, could be a factor for trainer Kathy Walsh. She won her U.S. debut, only her third career start, in impression fashion, finishing with a rush to beat entry-level allowance horses on the Del Mar turf Aug. 5.

Also, don’t forget that Friday night marks the second-season debut of the popular Animal Planet series, which airs at 10 p.m. Eastern and repeats at midnight and 5 a.m. the following morning. Click here  for more information on the series.