Posts Tagged ‘Hollywood Park’
Friday, March 12th, 2010
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
Tags: bradford cummings, Brisnet.com, Del Mar, Hollywood Park, joel rosario, oak tree, Paulick Report, santa anita, vic stauffer
Posted in Jockeys | 24 Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
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.”
Maybe that’s why Sheikh Mohammed has installed a Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at the lavish Meydan racecourse that is due to open in Dubai later this month and will host the Dubai World Cup program in March. He apparently believes, after extensive testing, that it’s safer for his and other people’s horses. And, since gambling isn’t permitted in Dubai, the sheikh won’t be bombarded with emails and phone calls from unhappy horseplayers who may have had to reinvent how they handicap a race.
SYNTHETIC TEST TUBE
That certainly hasn’t been the case in California, which, for better or worse, has been the test tube for synthetic racetracks, even though the surfaces also are installed at Keeneland and Turfway Park in Kentucky, Woodbine in Canada, Arlington Park in Illinois, and Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania.
Ron Charles, the Santa Anita Park president who on Monday strongly hinted that the beleaguered synthetic track will be ripped out and replaced with conventional dirt at the end of the current meeting, called synthetics one of the most polarizing issues he’s ever seen in racing. The tracks have created a great divide among trainers, owners, track executives and regulators, and critics in the press and in online forums and blogs have made synthetics their perpetual punching bag and a principal reason for the industry’s troubles.
Santa Anita, along with Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Golden Gate Fields, was required by a California Horse Racing Board mandate to install synthetic surfaces by Jan. 1, 2008. However, recently elected CHRB chairman Keith Brackpool was quoted in published reports as saying the CHRB would no longer hold any track to the synthetic mandate, one that was championed by former board chairman Richard Shapiro in reaction to reports of an unacceptably high rate of injuries and fatalities occurring on dirt.
One thing the CHRB didn’t do was require all California tracks to install the same surface, a move supported at the time by Jerry Moss, a member of the CHRB and co-owner with wife Ann of unbeaten champion mare Zenyatta. John Shirreffs, Zenyatta’s trainer, is one of the most vocal critics of the synthetic tracks.
When the mandate was approved by Shapiro and the other CHRB members (Jerry Moss abstained in the voting; in the original version of this article, the Paulick Report incorrectly stated that Moss voted in support of the mandate), Hollywood Park and Santa Anita opted to install Cushion Track, manufactured by an Australian company. Del Mar went with Polytrack, a company owned in part by the Keeneland Association, and Golden Gate Fields opted for Tapeta Footings, a surface created by synthetic track pioneer and former trainer Michael Dickinson.
Santa Anita has experienced the most problems—not with safety of the horses—but with drainage. The all-weather aspects of the surfaces were hampered by drainage problems almost immediately during the winter of 2007-08, during the winter of 2009, again last fall, and most recently this week when the track was closed to training and racing on Monday after heavy rains hit California. (Golden Gate Fields, meanwhile, with its Tapeta surface, didn’t miss a beat during the recent storms that hit both Northern and Southern California.) The surface was altered in 2009 with polymers from another Australian surface known as Pro-Ride. It since has played host to two Breeders’ Cups in 2008 and 2009 without incident.
Sources said Ron Charles had his hands tied when he went shopping for synthetic surfaces for Santa Anita. Track owner Frank Stronach is said to have told him not to go with Polytrack because it was owned by the “old boy’s club” at Keeneland. Others confided to the Paulick Report that corners were cut in the installation process, especially in the selection of the sand that was used in the all-weather surface.
Santa Anita isn’t the only track that’s had problems. Hollywood Park and Del Mar’s synthetic tracks have been criticized by horsemen and jockeys, but adjustments in maintenance alleviated some of the concerns. Some trainers who were early critics took a c’est la vie approach, figuring that criticizing the synthetic surfaces was akin to complaining about the weather: that it wasn’t going to change anything.
However, late last year, the California Thoroughbred Trainers board of directors came under fire from a rival group of trainers who formed an organization called California Horsemen for Change, which wanted, among other things, to have the synthetic tracks replaced with dirt. CTT, under president Jim Cassidy, has been supportive of synthetics. The California Horsemen for Change threatened to petition to become the representative organization for trainers, a move that convinced the current CTT board to resign en masse, paving the way for new elections (which have just been completed). According to a source, the newly formed CTT board will be dominated by a slate of candidates backed by California Horsemen for Change, though the CTT has not yet made the election results public.
Supporters of the surfaces say many of the critics have short memories, reminding them that their protests over track conditions in part led to the CHRB’s mandate for synthetics. A return to exactly the same thing in place before synthetics is not going to make anyone happy. There needs to be serious work on a track’s base, cushion and drainage, no matter what type of material lays on top.
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.
In addition, a growing number of jockeys are saying that synthetic surfaces are more dangerous than dirt if they are involved in spills. Two jockeys, Rene Douglas and Michael Straight, suffered severe spinal injuries on Arlington’s Polytrack this summer, and Julia Brimo suffered a spinal injury in a spill at Keeneland in this fall.
According to statistics compiled by the CHRB’s equine medical director, Dr. Rick Arthur, the number of equine fatalities per 1,000 starts has declined significantly at every track in California. Santa Anita Park, for example, had 2.81 fatalities per 1,000 starts in the four years prior to the synthetic installation; that number has fallen to 1.64 per 1,000 since the conversion. (Hollywood Park has gone from 2.87 to 1.57/1,000; Del Mar from 2.47 to 1.65/1,000; Golden Gate Fields from 3.90 to 1.84/1,000). Click here to see the complete set of statistics.
One Southern California trainer who supports the synthetic tracks said it’s his understanding Santa Anita has had 30,000 recorded workouts without an ambulance run. He said in the days of a sealed dirt track and the aftermath of sealing the track, it was difficult to even plan workouts because there were so many breakdowns during morning training hours.
Del Mar, which has studied results over its Polytrack surface extensively, has statistics showing an overall reduction in the number of post-race injuries, in addition to a reduction in fatalities. Click here to see Del Mar’s statistical report.
“We think we have achieved a measurable increase in safety,” said Craig Fravel, Del Mar’s executive vice president. “Has it done everything we had hoped it would do from the beginning? It probably has not lived up to that. Would we do it again? Yes. I don’t think we’ve done as good a job as we should have done in making the case for the tracks in this tradition-bound industry. But we are confident we did the right thing.”
Many horseplayers insist they are betting less on California tracks since the synthetics were installed. Craig Dado, Del Mar’s director of marketing, isn’t convinced. “There’s nothing we can point to that says the fans are betting less,” said Dado.
In fact, when synthetics were installed, they almost resulted in increased handle at some tracks, due to larger field size. But then came an economic crisis and a recession that saw wagering volume falling at most tracks around the country and fewer owners to fill races with horses.
“There has been criticism that the synthetic tracks are unpredictable,” said Fravel. “But winning favorites at Del Mar have been at 30-31%. There are a lot of differences: they are not as speed favoring as the old California tracks and some people have had to throw out their traditional handicapping methods. It creates issues for people. If they were winning money before and they aren’t now, I consider their angst. There are a lot of people who don’t like these tracks because they are different. But empirical analysis, an intelligent, thoughtful approach, has been lacking. I know handicappers who love the synthetics, partly because they are contrarians. Gamblers all over the world have been betting on that kind of racing for many years and doing so happily. Asking for people to do something different isn’t easy.”
Back to Hess’s belief, that synthetics are better for the horses but not as good for the handicappers, Fravel stood his ground. “We are going to make that choice in favor of what’s best for the horses,” he insisted. “At the same time, it’s incumbent on us to put out better information to make the handicapping issues less significant. I don’t think these are mutually exclusive. “
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Tags: bob hess, California Horse Racing Board, CHRB, craig dado, craig fravel, Del Mar, Frank Stronach, golden gate fields, Hollywood Park, Horse Racing, injuries, jerry moss, keith brackpool, Magna Entertainment, Paulick Report, polytrack, pro ride cushion track, Ray Paulick, richard shapiro, rick arthur, ron charles, santa anita, Synthetic surfaces, tapeta, tapeta footings, zenyatta
Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Synthetic surfaces | 75 Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
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.
Tags: California Horse Racing Board, CHRB, cushion track, Del Mar, golden gate fields, Hollywood Park, Keeneland, polytrack, pro-ride, ron charles, santa anita park, steve byk, Synthetic surfaces, tapeta footings
Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Synthetic surfaces | 37 Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
By Bradford Cummings
It is amazing what a difference a year makes at the Paulick Report. Traffic has more than doubled, debate is livelier than ever and Ray has pledged to stop talking about jet lag. (I’ll believe it when I see it…or don’t see it) We made a cross-country trip to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita and raised $75,000 for two great causes in the process. Ray flew to South Africa on the premise that some horse people actually wanted to hear what he had to say, then later to Japan (where apparently he and David Hasselhoff are quite well known), where he took in some very exciting racing. And we have been blessed to have such a strong stable of supportive advertisers who believe in the mission we set off to accomplish in June of 2008. Perhaps most remarkably, we started a business two months before the largest recession since FDR and we are still kicking.
In what is turning into a tradition (if you can call twice a tradition) we are looking back at the year that was and rehashing the top ten stories based on reader interest. Basically, the more you clicked on these stories, the higher up the list they traveled. So take a trip down memory lane with us and let us know which stories still resonate with you today. Or let us know about a story that touched you we don’t have here. Because sometimes even 1.5 million user sessions can be wrong.
10. McLaughlin Horses Allegedly Test for Banned Substance in KY
In a year where horse racing started to admit it has a drug problem, it was disheartening to learn that Kiaran McLaughlin was a new member on the list of medication violators. A trainer that featured prominently on our American Graded Stakes Standings brought to you by Keeneland, McLaughlin had become a bit of a Paulick Report favorite as a successful trainer who found himself a bit under the national radar. Unfortunately for him, if his standing in Graded Stakes wins didn’t do it, our tenth most popular story of the year did.
9. Equibase Strikes Out
Perhaps no organization has had the upward trend on the Paulick Report that Equibase has experienced. In what was the most popular story on the Thoroughbred Racing Associations/Jockey Club-owned statistics company, we compared what Equibase provides versus what other major sports give their fans in the way of data. Unfortunately, the comparisons were not favorable as this industry seems content to charge its loyal customers for everything from parking to the very data Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA make readily available for its fans.
But whether it was the Paulick Report or an internal struggle that finally made its way to the light of day, Equibase started to get it right and quickly saw their headlines become more favorable. Equibase Takes Step in Right Direction and Equibase Gets It Right is more along the lines of what we’d like to write about. Keep up the momentum.
8. When It Comes to Douglas, Racing Stewards Share the Blame
Any time a jockey is paralyzed, it is an unspeakable tragedy. We saw it first hand on several occasions during our Breeders’ Cup or Bust fundraising tour when we had the opportunity to spend time with several permanently disabled riders. In a precursor to our decision to take on such a trip, Rene Douglas, the top rider at Arlington Park, was severely injured in a spill at the Chicago track when a horse ridden by Jamie Theriot brushed his mount in a move that stewards rarely penalize a rider for. Ray’s point was that stewards should keep a tighter rein on the race riding that goes on and far too often can lead to clipped heels and spills. By doing the best job they can do, stewards can help protect jockeys from serious injury.
7. Ziadie Blames Drug Violations on ‘Chaos’
What do you get when you combine a 60-day suspension for your 13th medication violation in Florida since 2004 with a rich stakes program at Calder? An opportunity to start four horses if you are legacy trainer Kirk Ziadie. One of several stories this year that were out there for the picking but ignored by the mainstream Thoroughbred media, people seemed to be drawn to the laundry list of infractions by this trainer who piles up the wins and medication violations in uncommon numbers.
6. Cullen: Sales Ban Only the Beginning
Know and Trust. That’s the ironic mantra of this Kentucky-based journalist turned bloodstock agent (hey, he’s giving journalism a bad name, if that’s possible!). It’s also the name of one of the horses that Jim Cullen consigned for his overflowing book of clients who have felt taken advantage of over the last several years. The evidence is too large to encapsulate in this brief recap but judging from the amount of people who read this story, you don’t really need a point-by-point description.
The only thing more disturbing than his previous actions was his personal defense, a convoluted web of seemingly nonsensical explanations that never really came close to exonerating him.
We aren’t saying he is the Bernard Madoff the horse industry, but there are some folks plenty mad at him. Oh, and Jim, the fact that Know and Trust ran a good race after this story came out is not newsworthy. It only proves that even a blind squirrel can find an acorn from time to time.
5. Indian Charlie: Racing’s Court Jester
It was a rough year for racing’s court jester, the sometimes funny and consistently offensive Indian Charlie aka Eddie Musselman. While his legal troubles were probably the most noteworthy news to come out of his newsletter in years, the readers of the Paulick Report really enjoyed reading the Indian Charlie parody being distributed on the grounds of the Keeneland September sale.
Who did the parody? We honestly have no idea. But at least it helped give what was a torturous sale a bit of levity.
4. Live Blogging: Kentucky Senate Committee Slots Hearing
The biggest news in Kentucky racing this year was by far the unsuccessful push for slots at racetracks through the state House and Senate. While it got narrow approval in the House, Gov. Steve Beshear’s slots bill stalled in the Senate’s Appropriations and Revenue Committee, stonewalled by David "Blackjack" Williams and his crew of Republican merry men.
Of course, Ray was there to watch the whole thing happen and reported live from Frankfort. Real time blogging, it’s the greatest thing since slots at the racetra…er…never mind.
3. Van Driver: Paraneck Horses Were ‘Walking Skeletons’
Not the way any website wants to experience a spike in traffic, but Ray was the first to uncover the absolute travesty that was the lice-infested and under-nourished stable of horses at Paraneck Stables in upstate New York. The pictures are gruesome and the effects of this tragedy are still being felt as horse welfare groups from around the country are trying to find homes for these truly victimized animals.
2. Live Blog: Mr. Paulick Goes to the Eclipse Awards
A man of many talents, Ray Paulick pulled off a feat of unprecedented magnitude…he live blogged the Eclipse Awards without a computer! Transmitting his thoughts and some appetizing pictures (we’re all still craving that dessert with the chocolate sticks on top) via his cell phone, Ray was able to give moment by moment updates to all of those people on the "tubes" who weren’t able to watch the TVG telecast. And looking at the number of comments and readers, that was no trivial number.
For those of you wondering, Barbara and I have since made up after she took offense to my comment about the shininess of Steve Asmussen. Love it or hate it, we call them like we see them here at the Paulick Report.
1. Hollywood Park Past-Posting Incident Under Investigation
At first blush, we were a little shocked that this story was number one. A past-posting incident, while surely problematic, is not the sexiest of topics. But when you consider it potentially hurt the pocketbooks of thousands of horseplayers across the country and the fact that we were first out of the gate with the story, it makes a whole lot more sense. Wouldn’t it be nice if the propeller heads at the tote companies were able to figure out how to stop betting when a race begins?
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: American Graded Stakes Standings, Arlington Park, bernard madoff, bradford cummings, Breeders' Cup, breeders' cup or bust, David Hasselhoff, david williams, eclipse awards, Eddie Musselman, equibase, ernie paragallo, Hollywood Park, indian charlie, jamie theriot, Japan, Jockey Club, Keeneland, kiaran mclaughlin, know and trust, major league baseball, NBA, nfl, paraneck stables, past-posting, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, Republican Party of Kentucky, santa anita, South Africa, steve beshear, thoroughbred racing associations
Posted in Paulick Report, Year In Review | 16 Comments »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
This weekend’s stakes schedule is as light as last but certainly more consequential to next year’s Derby trail. The American racing world will be focused on the synthetic track of Hollywood Park as the CashCall Futurity and the Hollywood Starlet are run for late-season California 2-year-old supremacy.
The CashCall Futurity features a slew of Baffert colts but none have the legendary trainer’s eye quite like Lookin At Lucky who was barely edged out by long shot Vale of York in Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. Mentioned as an early Derby favorite, Lookin At Lucky will have high expectations thrust upon him for the 8 ½ furlong trip this Saturday under Garrett Gomez. Expected to compete with Lucky is Noble’s Promise, a Ken McPeek trained colt. Having won the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland this October, he showed great promise during a third place finish at the same Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. This should prove to be an exciting rematch.
The Hollywood Starlet features Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies favorite Blind Luck who was edged out of second place by a head by Beautician and soundly beaten by She Be Wild. This Jerry Hollendorfer filly looks to rebound with a strong performance against the same Beautician, another McPeek horse, along with other notables Bickersons and Rose Catherine.
Tags: Beautician, Bickersons, blind luck, Bob Baffert, breeders' cup juvenile, breeders' cup juvenile fillies, Breeders' Futurity, CashCall Futurity, garrett gomez, Hollywood Park, Hollywood Starlet, jerry hollendorfer, KBC Horse Supplies, Keeneland, ken mcpeek, lookin at lucky, Noble's Promise, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Rose Catherine, She Be Wild, Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch
Posted in Hollywood Park, Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Thomas Gamel may be best remembered by members of the Thoroughbred community in Southern California as the man who more than 10 years ago wanted to consolidate Santa Anita Park and Hollywood Park. He was a major investor in Santa Anita Park, served on the company’s board of director and took on onetime Hollywood Park owner Marje Everett in a proxy battle for control of the track (Note: the original version of this article erroneously said the proxy fight failed; in fact, it succeeded).
Today, Gamel has a small investment in Thoroughbred racing and breeding stock and is working on producing a DVD collection featuring great Thoroughbreds of the 20th Century.
But in the Denver, Colo., area, specifically in the Cole Arts and Sciences Academy school district, Gamel is known as Santa’s helper. He recently made a major financial pledge to the school, the one where his mother attended, and brought Christmas presents to every one of the children who attend the school, Please click here to read about Gamel’s generosity and involvement in the lives of needy children in his home town and then consider what you can do in your community.
A big thanks to Jack Werk for bringing this article to our attention. — Paulick Report
Tags: cole arts and sciences academy, denver, Hollywood Park, jack werk, Paulick Report, santa anita park, thomas gamel, tom gamel
Posted in People | Comments Off
Friday, December 11th, 2009
As we find ourselves in the dog days of Thoroughbred racing, there are only two graded stakes races in the country this weekend, both of them Grade III. The most anticipated of the two is unquestionably the Native Diver Handicap, a nine furlong race on Hollywood Park’s synthetic main track. The star attraction, of course, is Lava Man coming back from retirement to race at eight-years-old. He will be challenged by 2009 Derby hopeful Square Eddie and 2008 Hollywood Gold Cup winner Mast Track.
The other graded stakes race, also a Grade III, is the Queens County Handicap running at Aqueduct. Morning line favorite Researcher will face a field of four-year-old-and-up horses and geldings. Look for Todd Pletcher’s Storm Play (ML 3/1) to possibly increase his trainer’s lead in the American Graded Stakes Standings brought to you by Keeneland.
Tags: aqueduct, fair grounds, Hollywood Park, Lava Man, Louisiana Champions Classic, mast track, Native Diver Handicap, Queens County Handicap, square eddie, Storm Play, todd pletcher
Posted in Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch | 2 Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
I always felt as though Marje Everett unnecessarily shoe-horned in the Hollywood Park fall meeting when it was added to the Southern California racing schedule in 1981. Until then, there had been a break in the action at the area’s major tracks from the end of the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in early November until the traditional Dec. 26 opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meet. That break gave horses, horsemen and fans a brief reprieve from the daily grind.
It may have been good business at the time for the former Hollywood Park owner to add the autumn meeting, especially since it helped her land the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984. And there have been many outstanding and exiting races offered during that meeting over the last 28 years.
Lately, however, the Hollywood Park fall meeting merely serves as a reminder of how tired and old horse racing has become in Southern California as it limps to the end of the racing year.
Perhaps we should count our blessings that Hollywood Park is still in business, given its present ownership by a land development company that has a wrecking ball at the ready as soon as it can obtain financing. Its caretaker management team, led by Jack Liebau, who turned Bay Meadows in Northern California into a useless pile of rubble, is doing little more than going through the motions, knowing the end is near. Can they really be blamed? The track is on life support, with Liebau playing the role of assisted suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian, aka Dr. Death.
But when some look at what’s going on during the fall meeting at the “track of the lakes and flowers,” they might wonder if it would be better to put Hollywood Park out of its misery and move on…to wherever that is. California horse racing’s “leaders” have no plan for the future.
Field size is abysmal, and the quality of racing, even on weekends, may be at an all-time low. Saturday’s nine-race program has just 58 horses entered. There are six claiming races, three five-horse fields and three six-horse fields. The average field size before scratches is 6.44.
That follows a Wednesday card with an average field size of 6.375, a Thursday program with 7.375 and a Friday card that has 6.625 horses entered per race.
The falling economy and real estate crisis has hit California especially hard, affecting horseplayers and horse owners. There aren’t enough horse owners with ready-to-run Thoroughbreds to fill the cards adequately for a year-round circuit anymore in Southern California. The daily diet of bad betting races is only discouraging to horseplayers.
The California Horse Racing Board won’t make any significant changes because it is rudderless. Is anyone willing to step up and save California racing?
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Tags: Breeders' Cup, California Horse Racing Board, Hollywood Park, jack liebau, marje everett, oak tree racing association, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, santa anita park
Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Hollywood Park, santa anita park | 63 Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
December brings the American graded stakes racing schedule into the homestretch. This weekend there will be a pair of graded stakes for juveniles at Delta Downs, in Vinton, Louisiana, and a pair at Hollywood Park.
Friday night racing at Delta Downs offers $1.6 million in purse money and is capped off by the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot, the final leg (race 9) of a $100,000-guaranteed pick four, which includes the G3 Delta Princess (race 7) and two other stakes races.
The Jackpot’s generous $750,000 purse has attracted runners from such high-profile barns as Steve Asmussen (Grand Slam Andre), Rick Violette (Litigation Risk) and Todd Pletcher. Pletcher has one of the top contenders in this race with Rule, who will be ridden by John Velazquez. Rule, a son of Roman Ruler, broke his maiden at Belmont and scored by a handy nine lengths over the Delta Downs strip in the Jean Lafitte. Shipping in from Southern California is Gallant Gent, whose 7th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile merits him consideration here, especially with Kent Desormeaux aboard. Also entered in the 1 1/16-mile affair is Uh Oh Bango, a close second in the G3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in his last out.
The counterpart to the Jackpot is the one-mile Delta Princess for fillies. Installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite is Truth and Justice, a winner in her last three starts. The daughter of Is It True won the Sorority at Monmouth and the Presque Isle Downs Debutante, both in September, and most recently, the My Trusty Cat at Delta Downs. Second- and third-place finishers in the My Trusty Cat are also entered here—Bella Diamante and Best Reward, respectively. At 3-1 is Joanie’s Catch, who posted a win and two runner-up finishes in her last three starts, all stakes races at Calder. Another possibility is Quiet Temper; though a maiden, she’s finished second in her three outings, all in open company in New York.
Saturday’s Hollywood Park feature is the G2 Bayakoa Handicap, for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the Cushion Track surface. Life is Sweet, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, was slated to run here, but her connections have decided to rest her in anticipation of a 2010 campaign. Instead, John Shirreffs, who knows a little about training horses, has entered Zardana, who last ran in the G2 Las Palmas, the race that immediately followed that electrifying run of the Ladies’ Classic. Zardana was never a factor in that race and now returns to a synthetic surface after ten turf starts. Briecat won the Bayakoa last year in a 13-1 upset. Since then, the only win she has posted was in the Adoration at Del Mar. In her last out, the G1 Lady’s Secret, she was crushed by Horse of the Year candidate Zenyatta after setting a leisurely pace throughout. Also in the field of 11 are two others coming out of the Las Palmas, Cat by the Tale (3rd) and Teamgeist (6th), a multiple Group 2 winner in her native Argentina.
On Sunday at Hollywood Park, sprinters will be in the spotlight in the G3 Vernon O. Underwood and it may be a John Sadler exacta. He trains both Machismo, who appears to be the dominant speed in this 6-furlong contest, and Noble Court, the probable favorite. Noble Court was last seen in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint where he broke last in the field of 14 but made up ground in the late stages to finish 4 ¼ lengths behind wire-to-wire winner California Flag. Look for Noble Court to be flying in the stretch, dueling with his stablemate to the wire.
Tags: Adoration, Bayakoa Handicap, Bella Diamante, Best Reward, Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, Briecat, California Flag, Cat by the Tale, Del Mar, Delta Downs, Delta Jackpot, Delta Princess, Gallant Gent, Hollywood Park, Iroquois, is it true, john sadler, john shirreffs, john velazquez, KBC Horse Supplies, kent desormeaux, lady's secret, Las Palmas, Life is Sweet, Machismo, Monmouth, My Trusty Cat, Noble Court, Quiet Temper, Rick Violette, Roman Ruler, steve asmussen, todd pletcher, Uh Oh Bango, Vernon O. Underwood, Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch, Zardana, zenyatta
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Thursday, November 26th, 2009
The upcoming long holiday weekend provides an opportunity for three tracks–Hollywood Park, Aqueduct and Churchill Downs—to run a combined total of 16 graded stakes, many with entrants coming out of the Breeders’ Cup Championships held earlier this month at Santa Anita.
Churchill Downs has carded the 1 1/8-mile G2 Falls City as the 11th of 12 races on Thursday. Unbridled Belle hopes to go out a winner before she heads for the breeding shed. The 6-year-old mare has accumulated almost $1.9 million in earnings and will face off against another millionaire, Swift Temper, who has gotten the best of Unbridled Belle in their three previous meetings this year.
Friday’s feature race, the G2 Clark Handicap, has attracted a stellar field of competitors, including Macho Again, Bullsbay, Etched, Blame and Einstein, the highweight in the 1 1/8-mile dirt event. The 7-year-old will start from the far outside post (14) in what will be the 30th and final race of his career. With regular rider Julien Leparoux in Japan, Rajiv Maragh will take over in the irons. The G3 River City Handicap (race 9) at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, is on the undercard.
Churchill’s meet closes on Saturday with the running of twin G2 stakes, the Golden Rod for fillies, and the Kentucky Jockey Club for colts and geldings. Sassy Image, winner of the opening weekend’s Pocahontas Stakes, as well as the runner-up in that race, Decelerator, are expected to start. The upset winner of the Iroquois, Thiskyhasnolimit, is the 2-1 favorite in the field of nine in the Kentucky JC. Both races are 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
Aqueduct hosts the G3 Fall Highweight on Thursday, the G2 Top Flight Handicap on Friday, and a quartet of graded stakes on Saturday, highlighted by the G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile. Pyro, winner of the Forego and Kodiak Kowboy, victor of the Vosburgh, are co-highweights at 120 lbs. They will be facing DeFrancis winner Vineyard Haven, Bribon and Driven By Success. With the coupling of Pyro and Vineyard Haven, there will be only four betting interests.
Also on the Aqueduct’s Saturday card is the running of the 1 1/8-mile G1 Gazelle for 3-year-old fillies. Stardom Bound will be in the spotlight here; she had a string of five consecutive G1 wins to her credit, before finishing third in the Ashland in April. This will be her first start on the dirt. The other two graded stakes will focus on juveniles–the G2 Demoiselle for fillies, and the G2 Remsen for males, both run at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. The winners of these races may be pointing to a race on the first Saturday in May next year.
The G1 Citation kicks off the three-day Hollywood Park Turf Festival on Friday and features a field of ten older horses going 1 1/16 miles. Cowboy Cal, winner of the Oak Tree Mile, will attempt to redeem himself in the Citation after a 10th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Proudinsky and Fluke, also entered in the Citation, will both be saddled by Bobby Frankel’s long-time assistant Humberto Ascanio, who is now the trainer of record for the late Hall of Famer’s starters.
Saturday’s Hollywood stakes are the G1 Matriarch for fillies and mares going a mile on grass, supported by the G3 Generous, for two-year-olds, also at a mile. The Matriarch pits two outstanding mares against each other—Ventura and Diamondrella. Both were last seen at the Breeders’ Cup; Ventura was second in the Filly & Mare Sprint, while Diamondrella ran a disappointing 11th in the Turf Sprint. Following the Breeders’ Cup, Diamondrella changed barns and is now with jockey-turned-trainer Gary Stevens.
Hollywood’s Turf Festival concludes on Sunday with the running of the G1 Hollywood Derby and the G3 Miesque (a mile for 2-year-old fillies). In the 1 ¼-mile Hollywood Derby, we can expect to see Take the Points square off against Battle of Hastings. Another intriguing entry is Black Bear Island. Now with Julio Canani, the son of Sadler’s Wells was previously conditioned by Aiden O’Brien.
Tags: aqueduct, Battle of Hastings, Black Bear Island, Blame, bobby frankel, Breeders' Cup, Bullsbay, churchill downs, Citation, clark handicap, cowboy cal, Decelerator, Demoiselle, Diamondrella, einstein, Etched, Falls City Handicap, Fluke, Gazelle, Generous, Golden Rod, hollywood derby, Hollywood Park, Humberto Ascanio, Iroquois Stakes, julien leparoux, julio canani, KBC Horse Supplies, Kentucky Jockey Club, Macho Again, matriarch, Oak Tree Mile, Pocahontas Stakes, Proudinsky, Rajiv Maragh, remsen, River City Handicap, Sassy Image, stardom bound, Take The Points, Thiskyhasnolimit, unbridled belle, ventura, Weekend Stakes: Where to Watch
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