Racehorses in History February: Pan Zareta
1910-1918
Why: Texas-bred mare of 'questionable' breeding won 76 races and set 11 track records throughout North America, often while carrying enormous weights. She died in training of pneumonia at 8, and is buried in the infield of the Fair Grounds.
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 Quality Road While discussion continues apace over the possibility of a Zenyatta-Rachel Alexandra matchup at Oaklawn, some of their potential competitors in the older horse division are looking to burnish their credentials this weekend. Musket Man, who finished a reasonably creditable third behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, will return in the Super Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. The competition won’t be quite of the same caliber, but as it’s his first race since the Preakness, it’s a good way to ease back in. The seven-furlong distance may be more his cup of tea as well – despite good finishes in both the Derby and Preakness, he looks like he might excel as a sprinter/miler.
And while the race is flying a bit under the radar, the Strub could have some eventual Santa Anita Handicap implications. Misremembered is looking like the likely favorite, but there it also features a few talented horses aiming to get back into the big leagues, notably Square Eddie. The race goes off after the Robert B. Lewis for 3-year-olds, and is being somewhat eclipsed by it – but we’ll look at that shortly.
Also on Saturday, Quality Road is taking on a slightly tougher field in the Donn Handicap. And while I still think Quality Road’s best distance is one mile, he should have no difficulty with the 1 1/8 mile distance here – nor should he have too much trouble with the field. That’s not to say there are not some nice horses in it – Dry Martini can step up on occasion, and the same is true of Delightful Kiss. I’m curious to see if Duke of Mischief comes into his own to trouble the favorite; it should be an interesting race. One hopes that Quality Road will continue with his recent good gate behavior.
On Sunday, Richard’s Kid is looking to return to winning form in the San Antonio; he did not show much last time out, but neither did Gabby’s Golden Gal before her last win – clearly, she just needed a race, and the same is likely true of Richard’s Kid. It’s also got an interesting field, with Mast Track (now trained by John Sheriffs), Nownownow and American-bred, British-trained Giganticus, who is trying his luck at US racing for the first time.
Moving to the turf, Court Vision headlines the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Sunday; while he has proven very effective indeed on the grass, he may be tested by Never On Sunday. The French-bred son of Sunday Break has not won since last May (nor run at all since October), but he’s been taking on very serious competition in the form of Vision d’Etat and Goldikova overseas; this may prove comparatively easy for him. But Take the Points also looks strong, and Yate’s Black Cat has to win a race sometime, right? Granted, he never has, but…
And so to the 3-year-olds – both the boys and girls are in action this weekend. Blind Luck seems to have scared off much of the competition in the Las Virgenes; trainer Michael Talla, who sends out the interesting Crisp, noted that:
“Racing against Blind Luck is challenging in the sense that she’s the second-best three-year-old on the West Coast. The first one is Lookin At Lucky,” Sadler said. “We’re up against it, but you’ve got to get them started.”
I also like La Nez in this race (although she is likely to scratch if it rains), but I hope to see Blind Luck continue her winning ways; it would be pleasant indeed to see her turn up in a Triple Crown race, given that she’s been nominated, just in case the filly division looks too weak for her.
The rain and a slight temperature have kept the aforementioned Lookin At Lucky in the barn, but his rivals (including his stablemate, Tiz Chrome) are getting things going in the Robert B. Lewis. American Lion also contests this race, and it should start to clear up the 3-year-old male picture a bit – at least for California.
On Sunday, Derby preps shift to the turf as Interactif starts his year in the Hallendale Beach at Gulfstream. My chief interest in Interactif is that he’s out of a Broad Brush mare – it would be nice to see that line continue. I also like the notion of turf horses successfully switching to dirt – the more versatility, the better.
Finally, let’s return to the Apple Blossom possibility for a moment; by the seeming lack of involvement by the racing Powers That Be, we have avoided the embarrassment of seeing them proclaim ‘Girl Power!’ (thusly) – at least for the time being.
 Rachel Alexandra, at work last weekend - will she go to Arkansas? The rumored purse-bump for the Apple Blossom was announced today, and by all accounts, it seems to have come about the right way. Should Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both appear at Oaklawn Park in the April 3rd race, there will be $5 million dollars on the line. And if both do appear, the other slots in the field will be by invitation only – we’ll address that point shortly.
As is so often the case in racing, it takes individual effort, rather than any sort of central planning, to attempt to put together a marquee event – and Oaklawn president Charles J. Cella has ample experience in this regard. Back before it became a trendy place to prep for the Derby, Cella offered a bonus for any 3-year-old who could capture the Southwest, the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby – in theory, the $5 million on offer on that occasion was a notional effort to celebrate the track’s centennial – in practice, the bonus (at the time, the largest bonus in North American racing) was paid out to a colt named Smarty Jones, and Hot Springs became one of the destinations on the road to Louisville.
It would be interesting to hear what sort of bargaining went on behind the scenes with this particular $5 million bonus; Cella noted that he spoke with the connections of both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta (as one might expect), although of course that does not commit either one to the race. But the fact that all the key (human) players have been involved to some level is an encouraging sign; while no single race is going to ’save racing,’ it’s something every fan wants to see, and even this initial move toward making it happen is a refreshing change.
And while Oaklawn is, indeed, an ideal site for the two to meet (as both have wins over the track), no single race will determine how the two truly compare – the ideal would be if this were the beginning of a five-race series (at different tracks, in different regions, allowing the maximum number of fans to see them in person) leading up to the Breeders’ Cup – I’d even be curious to see the two on turf, although presumably Zenyatta would have an edge in that instance. Perhaps it’s all the Guinness she drinks, not just her skill on Polytrack – and I see a sponsorship opportunity there. Let Guinness sponsor Zenyatta, and O’Hara’s could be in Rachel’s corner – but I digress.
Should both stars deign to appear, the question then turns to who would receive an invitation to run for third place – Gabby’s Golden Gal? Pretty Unusual? Proviso? Would Stardom Bound get another shot at the big time? Will Life Is Sweet have to finish behind Zenyatta again? How about some foreign competition? And will ESPN (or even, dare I suggest, a major network) actually televise the event?
In any event, let’s hope it happens and it’s the start of a number of matchups – after all, I can’t get to Hot Springs, but I’m ready to see a rematch anywhere on the Northeast Corridor. C’mon, Delaware Park – use that slot money!
 Gabby's Golden Gal Perhaps the most exciting race of the previous weekend was the Santa Monica – somehow, Gabby’s Golden Gal went off at 11-1 odds. Granted, she did not show much in her final effort as a 3-year-old (and first race since a disappointing effort in July), finishing a distant seventh behind Evita Argentina in the La Brea, but the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro easily turned the tables – this time, Evita Argentina was the far-off seventh, and Gabby’s Golden Gal was
back in the winner’s circle. Runner-up Proviso, who has finished respectably behind the likes of Goldikova and Zarkava, is still looking for her first US win, but she certainly bears watching this year – as does this entire division.
Of course, Medaglia d’Oro had another filly in action this past weekend – just not in a race. On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra had her first workout since winning the Woodward. It was just a gallop, and she’s still some way off from entering a race, but it was still very encouraging to see her back on the official worktab.
Neither Rachel Alexandra nor Zenyatta appears in the current list of Dubai World Cup nominations (PDF) – but either one could be added later this month. Gio Ponti looms large as the very early favorite, but other notable names among the nominations include Zenyatta’s stablemate, Life Is Sweet, Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Weekend Hussler, Dar Re Mi and second-most-expensive-horse ever, Jalil (to name just a few).
The Sunshine Millions ended with a media-friendly storyline (largely ignored, unsurprisingly, except by the LA Daily
News) – hard-knocking older horse and tough older jockey steal win in big-money race. The older horse in question, Bold Chieftain, keeps making money the hard way – finishing in the money often, and managing some nice wins along the way. The same is true of his jockey, Russell Baze; we may not see him in the headlines very frequently, but he holds the world record for career victories. Both achievements would be worth highlighting.
Over to the 3-year-olds for a moment – we’re pleased to once again be included in the Paulick Derby Index – although please note that this first installment is based on very little data!
Finally, next weekend, Quality Road headlines the Donn Handicap – check back later in the week for more…
 FAIL. Remember when the Sunshine Millions was such a big deal that the series was shown on ESPN, and Magna could produce a working website for it? No? It was only a few short years ago, but in case you missed it, it was a fun idea: horses in California and Florida take turns racing for state pride – and for some not insignificant purses. Given the lack of coverage, you may be surprised to know this event still takes place – yea, that it will be held this Saturday.
Gulfstream is the host for the Florida races, which include the Sunshine Millions Sprint, Distaff and Turf. Alternating post times at Santa Anita are the Filly & Mare Sprint, Filly & Mare Turf and the Classic. Some years feature more prominent names than others, but there are at least a few horses worth watching in each race.
First, we’ll examine the Florida races, where the biggest name is running in the first Sunshine Millions race on the card, the Sprint. This Ones for Phil did well here last year in the 3-year-old restricted Sunshine Millions Dash – a race we’ve apparently discarded this year. He’s returning from a long layoff and will be taking on the well-traveled but unlucky Machismo as well as mid-Atlantic shipper Pashito the Che.
While in real life, the action would switch to California and back, we’ll stick with Florida for the time being and look at the Distaff. Sweet Repent is the lone 4-year-old in a field of older mares, and while 6-year-old Jessica Is Back has lost to Sweet Repent before, she is indeed back in winning form of late, and now has Julien Leparoux aboard – those two should be able to continue their rivalry, if nothing else.
And so to the Sunshine Millions Turf; hard-knocking Soldier’s Dancer headlines here. Jet Propulsion is also in with a chance, and those who seek out the veteran in the field may want to keep an eye on Ballonenostrikes, a 10-year-old gelding who gets the services of Jeremy Rose, who just broke the 2000-win mark.
The California races could at least have been marketed to fans of ‘Jockeys’ – Chantal Sutherland, Joe Talamo, Garrett Gomez, Mike Smith and Alex Solis each have Sunshine Millions mounts – but that would be a level of marketing outreach generally beyond the sport. That perpetual gripe aside, let’s take a look at what’s on tap at Santa Anita.
First, the Filly & Mare Sprint; this race garnered thirteen entries, including last year’s one-two finishers, High Resolve and Dubai Majesty. But Quisisana, already proven over the Santa Anita surface, may have a bit of an edge.
For the Filly & Mare Turf, Pretty Unusual is back with Chantal Sutherland, her jockey for her upset win two weeks ago in the El Encino. However, she has been less effective on turf, so it may be a lot to ask, given the quick turnaround. Former claimer Bootleg Annie is looking for another win here as well.
Finally, the Classic; while it’s a long way from the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it’s got some decent runners. For those looking to continue to bet on horses with some variation of ‘usual’ in their names, Unusual Suspect returns from a layoff, and The Usual Q.T. will likely be a favorite; Unusual Smoke is entered as well. While synthetic specialist Palladio could be a factor, it would be quite entertaining to see a ‘Usual’ trifecta.
But perhaps the finest racing in California is reserved for Sunday; the Santa Monica is absolutely loaded. Evita Argentina, Diamondrella, Gabby’s Golden Gal and Proviso are just a few quality fillies and mares in the race – and I like Captain’s Lover getting a weight break. It almost makes one wonder why we bother with the boys.
And finally, a note to Magna: a website that only works in IE for Windows (especially one that has no particularly unusual interactive features) is not a working website – it is a website made of fail. Keeping the main photo that of a horse who was retired on Wednesday just adds to the depth (weight?) of said fail. Really, this is not hard.
For something made entirely of win, check out Foaltrack.com. Good stuff. Racing, take note.
 Here at Superfecta HQ, we’ve been busily working away on our redesign; things are finally (more or less) done – we hope you enjoy the new look and feel. If you had any individual posts bookmarked, many will forward to the new site, but a few will get stuck partway through – just hit the search box to track the errant ones down (and I’ll spare you my talk on the effect moving from Blogger to WordPress has on linking and SEO). And please check to ensure that ‘blogspot’ is absent from any links you may have – we’re just superfectablog.com.
With that out of the way, we can review the weekend’s events: most notably, Winslow Homer went from a slightly-under-the-radar buzz horse to an official buzz horse in his Holy Bull victory. Favored Jackson Bend certainly did not harm his reputation in a second-place finish, however, and the two will likely meet again in the Fountain of Youth. I remain a bit hesitant about Winslow Homer, however, since both his sire and dam seemed to peak early – he may yet prove to be one of those precocious colts we don’t hear from again after March of his 3-year-old year – but I’m willing to wait to see how things pan out. If you are not already keeping track of Derby preps with Raceday 360’s handy spreadsheet, it’s time to start – for those who like numbers at this time of year, it’s worth noting that A Little Warm is the only colt to post a triple-digit Beyer in a Derby prep so far – but we’re a long way from May.
Things went well on the comeback front: Friesan Fire and General Quarters finished one-two in the Louisiana Handicap – both 2009 Derby trail graduates proved their quality this time, finishing a long way in front of third-place finisher Good and Lucky. It’s encouraging to see both of them back in professional style, since we just lost Papa Clem to retirement (via an ankle injury) after his own comeback win. While I cannot see either one offering a serious challenge to Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta at this point, both should continue to mature into grownup racehorses of quality – and they could be quite exciting to watch by the time summer rolls around. In the meantime, we should see Quality Road in the Donn – we’ll have more on that as the race approaches.
On the ownership side of the game, there are a few odd stories kicking around – make of them what you will!
There’s local interest in this weekend’s Derby preps (and yes, we’re officially at that point where just about any race for 3-year-olds can be called a Derby prep) thanks to a horse owned by Rick Porter and trained by Tony Dutrow (aka ‘the Dutrow we like’). Winslow Homer is running in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream on Saturday, although Dutrow suggests that the one-mile distance will be a little short for him; he told Dick Jerardi:
“The Holy Bull is not a big deal for me, Mr. Porter or Winslow Homer,” Dutrow said. “A one-turn mile is not what Homer wants.”
The goal, he is saying, is much bigger than tomorrow. Dutrow feels confident the colt will excel at two-turn racing.
“He is going to come back in the Fountain of Youth at a mile-and-an-eighth in his next start regardless of how he runs in the Holy Bull,” Dutrow said.
While I’m not enthralled with the top half of the horse’s pedigree (he’s by Unbridled’s Song), I like that he’s out of a Summer Squall mare, and I’m always in favor of naming horses after landscape painters. However, he will have plenty to deal with in the form of likely favorite Jackson Bend, who picks up the services of Jeremy Rose. Jackson Bend was thoroughly professional as a 2-year-old, winning all but one of his six starts. What remains to be seen is whether his fine form at Calder translates to Gulfstream – and whether he’s still ‘hot’ as a 3-year-old. Rick Dutrow also has a horse in the race, the Maryland-bred Homeboykris; Todd Pletcher (currently suspended in California, but that’s an entire coast away) trainee Aikenite has also shown talent.
With son of Azeri/A.P. Indy Take Control off the Derby trail (yes, already), those looking for a new horse to back may want to keep an eye on the LeComte at the Fair Grounds. It does not have quite the talent profile of the Holy Bull, but there are a few horses who could demonstrate they deserve a shot at the next level. Maximus Ruler and Turf Melody are those mostly likely to succeed.
But it will also be a weekend of comebacks – Friesan Fire (pictured) is looking to return to the winner’s circle in the Louisiana Handicap, and so is General Quarters. Both had disappointing races in December, but for each horse, it was the first time back after layoffs for injuries. For Friesan Fire, it will be his second time facing Good and Lucky, who beat him last time out; whether that was, indeed, luck, may be demonstrated on Saturday.
There’s also a Breeders’ Cup champion in action this weekend – inaugural Marathon winner Muhannak is attempting to rebound from a terrible year last year in the rescheduled San Marcos at Santa Anita. Coming off a more promising year is Loup Breton; he’s an Irish-bred who has faced some serious competition in Europe with varying degrees of success. His first start in the US late last year was a close second to Proudinsky in the San Gabriel (the somewhat infamous race in which Lava Man finished last). Also worth keeping an eye on is Zappa, although he’s also been very inconsistent of late – he finished last in his most recent start, back in August – but perhaps the light has gone back on. He did beat Well Armed two years ago, so there’s talent in there somewhere. Of course, the weather will need to improve…
 First, the good news; little brother Lentenor broke his maiden impressively at Gulfstream Park yesterday in a 1 1/16 turf race. Granted, he was only facing fellow maidens, but his finish was very nice indeed, noting especially how he pulled away on turf. While it’s hardly time to start penciling him in for the Derby, he seems to be improving with each race and we may well be seeing more of him down the line.
Now for the bad news – if you’ve spent any time around broodmares, you know things can go wrong at any time – two years ago, a friend bred six mares, got confirmation most of them were in foal, but ended up with only two foals born – and one of them died shortly after birth. Happily, the situation resolved itself last year, with each mare delivering a healthy foal – but the same cannot be said for Barbaro’s dam, La Ville Rouge, this time around. She lost the Dynaformer filly she was carrying just as we are approaching peak foaling season. Full details are forthcoming, but more often than not, it’s one of those things that just ‘happens’ – I’ve seen a mare lose a foal near her expected due date simply because she had a mild infection, and I’ve also known a polo pony mare who lost a late-term foal because she got a little too fractious with a handler and ended up damaging the placenta.
For small breeders, it can be a huge financial loss (although it’s cheaper than losing a foal that did manage to ’stand and nurse’) in addition to an emotional one. But as in the case above, things tend to resolve themselves the following year; with a bit of luck (provided all is well with the mare), the hoped-for full sister could appear in 2011.
In the meantime, it’s certainly encouraging that Lentenor looks promising – but could he beat Christine Daae?
 Last night, they handed out a few awards for horse racing – you may have heard a bit about it.
2-year-old male: Lookin at Lucky
As per usual with the juvenile awards, there was no surprise here. His three G1 wins sealed the deal, and he looks to improve this year. We’ll soon find out if he likes real dirt, but trainer Bob Baffert seems quite happy with things thus far.
2-year-old filly: She Be Wild
While this category had a little more competition, She Be Wild has a good backstory – former claimer, unwanted at auction wins four out of five, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Both dirt and turf could be in her future – versatility FTW!
Turf Male: Gio Ponti
A well-deserved bit of recognition for a horse who showed up just about everywhere – but who truly excelled on the grass. And the night was just beginning for him…
Turf Female: Goldikova
While I respect the notion that the Eclipse Award winner should have more than one start in the US, I am quite happy to toss that guideline out when the horse in question is as overwhelmingly superior as Goldikova is. Her repeat of Miesque’s back-to-back Mile victories, under the tutelage of Miesque’s former jockey, Freddie Head, completes an undeniably satisfying circuit – and the news that she’s aiming to capture a third Breeders’ Cup victory this year should certainly be rewarded. Given the excitement over Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, it may be difficult to recall that the opportunity to see a horse of Goldikova’s caliber is rare indeed – and it should be celebrated.
Steeplechaser: Mixed Up
How often does a 10-year-old PA-bred win an Eclipse Award? And hey, he doesn’t even take Lasix. These are Good Things.
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
These awards tend to follow the money, and it’s certainly hard to argue with Juddmonte’s success in producing top-level horses. There were a few stray votes for Dolphus Morrison for breeding Rachel Alexandra – even if he did not want to truly unleash her talents.
Female Sprinter: Informed Decision
The overwhelming pick of her division (although one has to assume that Ventura’s positioning in both this category and the Turf Female category may have hurt her chances), Informed Decision won at nearly every track she visited, under a variety of conditions – and the best news is that she’ll be back later this spring to extend her winning streak.
Male Sprinter: Kodiak Kowboy
Although he had a respectable career as a 2 and 3-year-old, Kodiak Kowboy truly had the chance to prove himself as a 4-year-old, winning as a sprinter and miler. He goes to stud with a solid record of achievement.
3-year-old Male: Summer Bird
This was a no-brainer – but I am quite curious to know who cast the single vote for I Want Revenge. Trainer Tim Ice reiterated that we should be seeing him back on the track later this year; let’s hope his recovery continues in such an encouraging fashion.
3-year-old Female: Rachel Alexandra
The great filly took home the least-suspenseful award of the night – it was also the sole unanimous award (but more on that in a moment). Owner Jess Jackson’s acceptance speech was thoughtful, but at something approaching seven minutes, it could have used some judicious editing. But given that the award winners can’t speak for themselves, we can allow a little indulgence.
Owner: Godolphin Racing
This was one of the most competitive awards, with only five votes separating the winner from Jerry and Ann Moss. But as in the case of the Breeder category, the Eclipse voters tend to recognize revenue – but the narrow margin of victory demonstrates that there is also a desire to reward owners with a more personal touch.
Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Once again, you cannot argue with the numbers – or his great good fortune in having Rachel Alexandra drop into his lap (although her original trainer, Hal Wiggins, also received a few votes). While I may not be a fan of his record of medication violations, his staff clearly loves the horses they work with, so the award is as much an acknowledgement of their hard work.
Older Male: Gio Ponti
A double on the night for the versatile 4-year-old was clearly in the offing; as much as I love Einstein, based on this year’s wins, it had to go to Gio Ponti. He’s still flying under the radar in the eyes of the general public, and even the racing press sometimes overlooks his accomplishments, so it was entirely justified that he be doubly rewarded. The Blood-Horse points out that he is the first horse to win this award without a win on traditional dirt – so it’s particularly interesting. His future plans may involve the Dubai World Cup – that could end up a very competitive race indeed.
Older Female: Zenyatta
While this was another foregone conclusion, there was a single (protest?) vote from someone at the Daily Racing Form for Icon Project – presumably the backstory there will be revealed at some point. While I still believe she should have been crowned Horse of the Year last year, the news that she will return to the track this year means she may finally get to take home that honor; in any case, winning two consecutive Eclipse Awards and making history in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is certainly enough to consider without worrying about Horse of the Year – yet.
Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes
Further proof that Puerto Rico knows what it’s doing when it trains jockeys, this 19-year-old has a bright future – he would be wise to study the next winner.
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
It’s hard to imagine he won the Eclipse for Apprentice only four years ago – it seems he’s had nothing but success since arriving in the US. Clearly, the title of his Facebook fan group is on the right track.
Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra
In the end, it wasn’t even close: the votes were 130 to 99. That in no way reflects poorly on Zenyatta’s accomplishments – it simply honors the fact that during the past racing season, Rachel Alexandra had more opportunities to show off her immense talent, in a wider variety of venues – she won for her efforts throughout the year, not for a single race (regardless of how impressive that race may have been). But as I have said before, while Horse of the Year honors are important to some, a firm place in history means more in the long run. If we are lucky enough to see Rachel Alexandra take on Zenyatta, that would be tremendous – I’d like to see a Best of Five race series at a variety of different tracks. The difficulty will be getting other horses (male or female) into the gate to fill a race – but someone should certainly be working to set that up. Any takers?
 Like so many promising 2-year-olds before her (Halfbridled, in particular, comes to mind), Stardom Bound (pictured) has had difficulty replicating her early successes; luckily, though, she is being given the opportunity to try her luck at 4. She makes her first start of the year at Santa Anita in the El Encino on Sunday. She and Justwhistledixie will be co-highweights in the race, but they both have a large field to contend with; I’m interested to see how Kenny McPeek’s Dream Empress does here, given that she has a nice weight break. If Stardom Bound does not rebound here, she could end up being bred to Big Brown – so fingers doubly crossed, for her sake!
Also looking for weekend redemption are Papa Clem and Mr. Hot Stuff; they are both back in the San Fernando. While Papa Clem’s case is one of looking to return to his best form, Mr. Hot Stuff’s is a little more complicated – he seems to find ways to lose, despite clearly possessing at least some of his full brother Colonel John’s talent. To that end, trainer Eoin Harty has been working closely with Joe Talamo (the latest in a long line of jockeys to take the reins on the horse) to see if they can get him into the winner’s circle. The 8.5 furlong distance should suit him well – if his team can overcome his mental quirks.
But let’s take a closer look at Papa Clem; Jay Hovdey praises the horse’s tenacity, and I also believe he’s been extremely unlucky, yet he’s always given his all in each race. In that respect, he reminds me a bit of Einstein (who, like Zenyatta, may or may not really be retired) – hopefully he’ll get a chance to demonstrate what he’s really capable of at 4 (or perhaps beyond, if we get lucky). If all goes well, he could be taking the California route to Dubai via the Santa Anita Handicap – and given the new synthetic surface at Meydan, that may prove a wise course to follow.
One imagines that many of this year’s new 4-year-olds may follow a simple strategy – avoid Rachel Alexandra. Summer Bird is coming back as well – now may be the time for everyone else to pick up a few checks.
 Many in the racing community were disheartened to learn of the removal of partymanners‘ well-curated collection of racing videos from YouTube, and there has been some thoughtful commentary from the R2 Collective and Ed DeRosa (among others). Having weighed in on the value partymanners adds to the racing world last year, it only seems right to address the issue again.
While it’s not my place to delve into the full details, rest assured that no track or broadcaster complained or claimed copyright (although they would have been well within their rights to do so – clearly, they realized it was more helpful than anything else to have the videos out there) – the backstory is rather more petty and unfortunate, and you are welcome to follow the links and make your own decisions about that.
The current situation emphasizes the danger of relying solely on fan-created content: while there are a few other racing-related YouTube channels, partymanners’ was by far the most extensive, and its loss is more deeply-felt as a result. In an ideal situation where an online archive were funded by some sort of industry program, there would be backups and alternate servers, along with full legal clearances. High-quality digital video would exist for more recent races, and older films would be restored, digitized and placed on a fully-searchable site using a simple solution like YouTube or Vimeo to deliver the videos.
But we live in the real world; there is no industry body with the will or ability to deliver the kind of professional solution this would actually demand – it would be expensive and very time-consuming to do it the ‘right way’ – and given that there are clearly people out there with the skills and time to do it on the fly, there is no reason to discourage those efforts (even if certain individuals seem keen to try to torpedo them for their own ends).
So, what’s the next step? The immediate answer would be to create redundancy: ensuring that multiple copies of the videos exist somewhere (and can easily be found via a simple web search) would be the first goal. It’s possible that YouTube may re-activate the partymanners account – if, indeed, that happens, a group effort to back up and re-distribute the videos (ideally via a number of different sites) would not be a bad thing.
But to avoid such derailments in future, the videos could at the very least be cleared with their (actual) copyright holders, and that is where it would be nice to get at least a little help from the industry. Editing, hosting and tagging the videos can easily be handled by fans, but if the tracks, broadcasters and the NTRA could come together to craft some sort of blanket fair use statement for racing footage (which should not be necessary, but is a handy thing to have when these roadblocks come up), that would put things on a firmer footing. A suggested Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video is already out there – it’s a quick and easy read – and it’s not as though anyone is going to become rich by offering someone a chance to see allowance races from the 1980s.
Let’s get the party re-started.
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