I know, I know, I’ve said before that Horse of the Year really doesn’t matter – and from an Annales School perspective, that is very much the case. The fact remains that people beyond the core constituency of horse racing insiders and fans will remember Zenyatta – [...]]]>

Annual award or longue durée importance?

I know, I know, I’ve said before that Horse of the Year really doesn’t matter – and from an Annales School perspective, that is very much the case. The fact remains that people beyond the core constituency of horse racing insiders and fans will remember Zenyatta – and wonder who Blame was (if his name come up at all – which it very well could, if he’s a success at stud) – but they are not the ones voting for the annual honor. Neither am I, of course – but I’ve still got an opinion.

On the one hand, we should not overlook Blame’s accomplishments (though overlooked they were indeed as they occurred – good luck finding the Stephen Foster or even the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which Blame was second, on television unless you’re really looking for it); one could argue that by giving more weight to races outside the Triple Crown – particularly ones that once had more resonance – it’s good for the sport as a whole. But the same point could be made about many of Zenyatta’s races – and she’s got a much larger collection of G1 wins to show for her efforts. If one of the goals is to reward owners who keep their horses racing beyond age 3, both Blame and Zenyatta fit the bill (although both were late bloomers) – but it seems a shame to then praise the removal of a horse from the racing scene who had just started to show off his true capabilities. One wonders if he would have been whisked off to stud with a third-place finish – or if Blame would have been burnishing his breeding resume at the track for a little while longer in that instance. After all, the wonderful Gio Ponti is coming back again – and his body of work is considerably more impressive.

As for Zenyatta, a Horse of the Year award might be viewed as something of a lifetime achievement honor – but that’s not a problem in my view. I argued last year that (prior to the Breeders’ Cup), her campaign had been overly cautious, while Rachel Alexandra was taking on all comers (except, perhaps, for one very large mare). I would have been quite happy for them to share the award, but this year, I can’t really see any reason to spend much time considering anyone apart from Zenyatta. It would have been entirely understandable to see her retire after last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, perfect record intact – but the fact that her connections were willing to bring her back again, and to participate in a thoughtful discussion on her place in the sport with the wider media – deserves special recognition. After a particularly difficult few years – the breakdowns of Barbaro and Eight Belles, the general Bridge-and-Tunnelness of the Big Brown crowd that kept the horse largely a footnote - Zenyatta’s return this year gave the sport a positive face once more – both equine and human.

I do wonder if a tougher series of races would have had Zenyatta more tuned up for the Classic this year – but it’s just an idle curiosity. Her place in history was already assured by her brace of G1 wins and, of course, especially by her Breeders’ Cup performances – all of them. She gets my would-be vote for Horse of the Year – and here’s hoping those who can actually exercise the option agree.

Of course, if they do not, it’s of no great importance, as the racing history gods have already spoken – do you see a Blame Breyer?

Road to the Roses kicks off this weekend, and while I have no idea why the Turf Paradise Derby and the El Camino Real Derby are scoring races (although at least the latter is graded),  the rest should be very interesting indeed.

First up is the Hutcheson at [...]]]>

Gaining 100 pounds can be good for some

Road to the Roses kicks off this weekend, and while I have no idea why the Turf Paradise Derby and the El Camino Real Derby are scoring races (although at least the latter is graded),  the rest should be very interesting indeed.

First up is the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park, which includes a little potential owner/trainer/owner drama.  You may recall that Paul Pompa sold most of Big Brown to IEAH, and that his participation in the horse’s career seemed more marginal after that (not surprising, given the amount of cash involved).  He’s back this time with D’Funnybone, trained by Rick Dutrow.  Also trained by Rick Dutrow is British-bred Radiohead – now (mostly) owned by IEAH.  As neither horse excelled in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, it’s hard to separate the two at this point – so I am more interested in A Little Warm and Wildcat Frankie, despite the opportunity Radiohead presents to continually drop in lyrics.  Will the Karma Police be on hand if things go all ‘Jersey Shore?’

Also at Gulfstream, the Fountain of Youth features the hyped Buddy’s Saint as well as Jackson Bend.  Eskendereya and Aikenite are both horses I would enjoy watching much more if they were not trained by Todd Pletcher, which essentially guarantees that one of them will finish last in the Derby.  But despite the jinx, I have a lot of time for Eskendereya and expect to see a good performance from him.

Moving to the Fair Grounds, the Risen Star has also attracted an interesting lineup.  I’m not sold on Ron the Greek yet; it will curious to see how he takes on Tempted to Tapit and Drosselmeyer.  If nothing else, Tempted to Tapit will be carrying the banner for the Jockey Club’s inability to identify modern slang. One presumes they at least recognized Drosselmeyer’s name from their ballet season tickets.

While it won’t ‘count’ for Road to the Roses, the Southwest is back on at Oaklawn Park for this Saturday with the same field – post positions are a bit different, but it should still be a good test for Dublin, Dryfly, Conveyance and, of course, Cardiff Giant.

Oaklawn is to be commended not only for pulling the Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta Apple Blossom together, but also for actually marketing the event with a decent website and Twitter account.  The news that they’ll be opening the infield for the sold-out race is equally encouraging – it’s nice that someone in this industry actually gets how to do this.   Here’s hoping for an announcement about a traditional media partner in the very near future.  And given that both mares had great workouts yesterday (Rachel Alexandra looks pretty fabulous in today’s picture), it seems that we’re all systems go – for now.

But there’s another top older horse at work, too – although in this case he’s flying somewhat under the radar.  Gio Ponti is making his 2010 debut on turf in the Tampa Bay Stakes with a view toward the Dubai World Cup.  He’s the overwhelming standout in the field, so it should be an easy return to racing for the 5-year-old.

Remember to update your active horses (I find it too shameful to call them Power Horses this year)!

Finally, in parting, please enjoy this link to a photo of Zarkava and her Dalakhani filly.  It’s like an adorable basket of kittens, only better – no need to feed them!

Sometimes, however, it’s a trickier business. Giacomo? Where [...]]]> More often than not, once the Kentucky Derby result is in the books, it seems obvious in retrospect. Who was going to beat Big Brown? Street Sense was naturally going to win that day, and Barbaro was most assuredly the class of the field.

Sometimes, however, it’s a trickier business. Giacomo? Where did he come from? Charismatic went off as a longshot and I have yet to meet anyone who predicted Lil E. Tee would take the roses. This year fell into that more perplexing category with Mine That Bird flying by the rest of the field on the rail. It was vintage Calvin Borel, and while it was not a move he needed to make on the stunning Rachel Alexandra the day before in the Oaks, it was not unimpressive in its own right, nor was the winning time glacially slow (especially given the wet conditions). Mine That Bird’s margin of victory may not have been anything like Rachel Alexandra’s twenty-plus lengths, but it still stands as the second-largest in Derby history.

The difference with the longshot winners is that it’s much harder to place them in the racing firmament the instant they cross the Churchill Downs wire – hindsight may be 20/20, but it’s going to take a little longer this time to know when to start employing it. Will Mine That Bird take his place among previously-unheralded greats like Canonero II or fellow gelding Derby winner Exterminator? Perhaps he will fall into a middle category and be unfairly overlooked, like Charismatic – or there’s always the chance his victory was a fluke and he will be remembered with horses like Gallahadion or Dark Star, neither of whom ever won another major race.

As of now, we don’t know where he fits – and that makes the next few weeks very interesting indeed. Let’s enjoy watching the next chapter in racing history unfold.

The Reigning Champ: Curlin An easy Dubai World Cup win, a turf experiment, a broken earnings record – it was great to see him running at four.

Most Underrated Horse Out There: Einstein Einstein has been forced to carry a [...]]]> Performance of the Year: Zarkava
Simply the best. Imagine what she could have accomplished at 4 – oh well.

The Reigning Champ: Curlin
An easy Dubai World Cup win, a turf experiment, a broken earnings record – it was great to see him running at four.

Most Underrated Horse Out There: Einstein
Einstein has been forced to carry a lot more than most horses for the past few years – his complicated legal situation kept him running in some races for which he was ready to go, he was forced to switch from turf to dirt a few times and he even took on former stablemate Curlin. Each time, he gave it his all and proved a consistent threat – and often a winner. Here’s hoping we see him back as a 7-year-old – but with better owners (although still with trainer Helen Pitts, please).

Breeders’ Cup: Zenyatta and the Euros
Zenyatta’s easy victory only added to her illustrious year; Goldikova showed everyone what she’s capable of when Zarkava isn’t in front of her and the European contenders spanked their American counterparts at almost every opportunity. While the surface was the source of much griping by the defeated American contingent, I think the no-drug policy played nearly as a large a role – and that’s a good thing. I would also suggest that ‘Zenyatta and the Euros’ could be a great name for a Katrina and the Waves cover band.

Most Column Inches Generated: Big Brown
Way back in early 2008, when newspapers still covered racing, they knew they had a story. You may recall the heartwarming tale of a horse with sore feet from the wrong side of the tracks who was discovered by some Wall Street errand boys; after turning him over to am unknown trainer desperately trying to overcome his inglorious, drug-filled past, they won the Triple Crown. Or something like that. I can’t quite remember at this far remove.

So, there you have it – I recommend breaking out an Avery Ale to the Chief or Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (if you can snag one) for your New Year’s celebration – here’s to a great racing year in 2009!

Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys, said he’s saddened by the news and isn’t sure when Big Brown would arrive at the farm.

“We’re just going to let the horse kind of dictate that, let him heal from his foot injury and whenever he’s healed [...]]]> Finally, someone is asking the important questions about Big Brown’s retirement!

Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys, said he’s saddened by the news and isn’t sure when Big Brown would arrive at the farm.

“We’re just going to let the horse kind of dictate that, let him heal from his foot injury and whenever he’s healed and ready, he’ll come,” Clay said.

The injury could also affect Big Brown’s stud fee. The farm negotiated a breeding deal reportedly worth $50 million. A win in the BC Classic could have upped the asking price, though Clay is sure Big Brown will still command a high-dollar fee.

“He’s the best of his generation,” Clay said. “I think his stud fee will be different if he won the Classic, what that’ll be, I’m not sure.”

But hey, he’s the ‘best of his generation’ – at least in what little North America had to show for his birth year (among colts). I would imagine Case Clay is sad about having negotiated such a crappy deal for his farm (and I wonder if his father is having second thoughts about having handed over the reins in this particular instance). It seems to fit in with our current economic situation, though — too much money invested for ever-diminishing returns. Truly, a horse for our times!

Let’s not forget his sire, Boundary, in all of this:

Big Brown’s sire, Boundary, had eight races before injuries, including chronic quarter cracks, ended his career. Bill Mott, Boundary’s trainer, told the Louisville Courier-Journal he had “a lot of soundness issues,” particularly with his feet.

Even if quarter cracks aren’t heritable, as [Dr. Dan] Dreyfuss said, there could be a connection with other foot problems.

“I have experience with several stallions who had foot problems,” said Dr. Tom Bowman, a veterinarian and partner of Northview Stallion Station. “And those foot problems very often are reflected in offspring, although not quarter cracks per se.”

I’m reversing my previously-held opinion about keeping Zenyatta out of this year’s Classic — without the Big Brown/Curlin showdown to create a media circus, let her run!

“Big Brown has been retired,” said Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH Stables. “He not only tore the bulb off his foot, but half the foot was torn off. We did everything we could to get to the Breeders’ Cup. It’s devastating. And what [...]]]> Here’s one you really knew was coming: Big Brown. From the Blood-Horse:

“Big Brown has been retired,” said Michael Iavarone, co-owner of IEAH Stables. “He not only tore the bulb off his foot, but half the foot was torn off. We did everything we could to get to the Breeders’ Cup. It’s devastating. And what makes it even worse is that he worked great.”

Big Brown will enter stud at Robert Clay’s Three Chimneys farm for the 2009 breeding season.

Now who would not rush to reproduce those feet?

I may be irked that Zarkava is off to retirement, but at least she’s sound and will be passing on good genes…

Bye bye, Big Brown. Sorry we didn’t really get to know you instead of your human associates.

Minor Ironic Update: I received his workout notification about 2 hours after the news of his retirement. I’m sure that says something, somehow.

Slightly Larger WTF Update: Here are some choice quotes from the longer AP story:

Trainer Rick Dutrow said the 3-year-old colt, who was preparing for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 25, appeared to kick himself while working on the turf course at Aqueduct with stablemate Kip Deville. Big Brown was able to complete the six-furlong work when Dutrow noticed blood coming out of the foot.

“It looks like he grabbed himself in a bad spot,” Dutrow said.

Though the extent of the injury is unknown, Michael Iavarone of IEAH Stables, co-owners of Big Brown, said the horse who captivated the racing world during his Triple Crown bid will not race again.

“It’s in the best interest of the horse to let him recover and move on to his breeding career,” Iavarone said.

Yes, it’s in the best interest of the horse to breed him. Of course.