We’ll save Friday for Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, so let’s take a look at this weekend’s 3-year-old races today.  The Tampa Bay Derby may be one of the most exciting Derby preps so far this season – it features the highly-hyped Super Saver, Uptowncharlybrown and wise-guy horse Odysseus.  [...]]]>

Is another Bickersons triumph in the making?

We’ll save Friday for Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, so let’s take a look at this weekend’s 3-year-old races today.  The Tampa Bay Derby may be one of the most exciting Derby preps so far this season – it features the highly-hyped Super Saver, Uptowncharlybrown and wise-guy horse Odysseus.  I admit a keen interest in Odysseus and am looking forward to see how he steps up to this level of competition, but it’s a tough group all around.

Meanwhile, at Santa Anita, the San Felipe has also drawn an interesting field, including American Lion, Caracortado, Sidney’s Candy and Interactif, who makes the switch from turf to synthetics.  Caracortado is unbeaten as is shaping up to be the feel-good story of the Derby trail, with trainer Mike Machowsky eschewing big-name jockeys to keep regular rider Paul Atkinson aboard the chestnut gelding.  It should be a very interesting race.

Lookin At Lucky will leave California to make his 2010 debut at Oaklawn in the Rebel – and this time, he gets blinkers. He should be tested by Dublin, Noble’s Promise and Cardiff Giant – and if he’s not, one imagines that his burgeoning bandwagon will swell even further.  Here’s hoping for good weather.

The 3-year-old fillies also have a good weekend on tap – Bickersons looks very strong in the Cicada at Aqueduct, while She Be Wild is aiming to improve on her last start (in which she finished well behind Bickersons) in the Florida Oaks.  Local favorite Diva Delite may be tough to beat – or She Be Wild could bounce back, erasing fears of The Halfbridled Effect.

Of course, as useful as these will be for Derby and Oaks trail handicappers, these races are all something of a taster – the real excitement is reserved for later Saturday afternoon…

Here’s a conspiracy theory for you – while Crisp certainly looked fine in her upset victory in the Santa Anita Oaks, it was a race Blind Luck ‘had to lose’ to stave off Derby fever – hence the change to her usual running style (and the troubled trip overall). An easy victory [...]]]>

Game on

Here’s a conspiracy theory for you – while Crisp certainly looked fine in her upset victory in the Santa Anita Oaks, it was a race Blind Luck ‘had to lose’ to stave off Derby fever – hence the change to her usual running style (and the troubled trip overall). An easy victory would have made it harder to argue that she should stick with her own sex (for now), and this keeps her on the road to the Kentucky Oaks, rather than the Derby. In all seriousness, the top three finishers all looked good – and Blind Luck, in particular, looked like she’d relish some extra distance. There’s always the Belmont…

I’m not entirely sold on the colts who ran last weekend (yet) – I liked Awesome Act’s performance in the Gotham, but I’m not quite ready to add him to my top list at present (although I have no good reason for that – I like a versatile horse who can perform on different surfaces); however, he definitely merits further consideration. The same goes for Sham winner Alphie’s Bet, the subject (along with his trainer, Alexis Barba) of a fine article by Joe Drape – I want to see how both horses look in their next starts.

The fact is that the Derby trail is simply not as compelling as what’s happening next Saturday – Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are both making their yearly debuts. Zenyatta (pictured) has been assigned 127 pounds in the Santa Margarita at Santa Anita; while she’s carrying the high weight, she’s won with more, and the field should not offer her any trouble – she worked another bullet on Friday in preparation, and on paper, it’s another paid workout for her on Saturday.

As for Rachel Alexandra, not many have elected to take her on in the New Orleans Ladies; although she won’t be 100% fit, the field of four other mares should (in theory) still be easy pickings, even with the addition of John Sheriffs’ talented Brazilian trainee Zardana. Still, as this race is really a prep for the Apple Blossom (and it looks as though Rachel Alexandra has been bored with her layoff and needs a race), we’ll wait to see how things pan out – her last work was impressive. We’ll have more on both races as well as Lookin At Lucky’s 3-year-old debut later in the week.

Finally, while things did not pan out for St Trinians in the Big Cap, nicely won by Misremembered, another mare went against the boys and came away with a win – Proviso took home the Kilroe Mile in the final strides, becoming the first filly or mare to win the race. Formerly trained by Bobby Frankel and now in the care of Bill Mott, the British-bred bay has a starry pedigree (by Dansili, so she’s a grand-daughter of Hasili) and has finished within striking distance of Goldikova in France – perhaps she’ll prove a bigger threat in the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year…

We’re rather overcommitted here at Superfecta HQ this week, so updates are short and snappy (in theory).

The Breeders’ Cup is still toying with the asinine idea of holding the event at Santa Anita (or perhaps somewhere else, but they really want Santa Anita) forever and ever, amen. I would probably be [...]]]>

Come get some.

We’re rather overcommitted here at Superfecta HQ this week, so updates are short and snappy (in theory).

The Breeders’ Cup is still toying with the asinine idea of holding the event at Santa Anita (or perhaps somewhere else, but they really want Santa Anita) forever and ever, amen. I would probably be excited about this if I still lived on the left coast, but as I don’t and certainly cannot afford to travel that far to said event, I hate the concept from both a business perspective as well as from a person convenience one.

Flanders, who famously beat Serena’s Song despite a broken leg, was put down as the result of a paddock accident. Oddly, it seems to have happened a few weeks ago, but the news only got out a few days ago. As ever, it’s hard to keep track of great racemares once they head to the farm (can’t someone in Kentucky make a sweep every few weeks, taking photos of Miesque, Personal Ensign and the like, so that we know what they are up to – even those who have been pensioned?), but it’s unfortunate that no one thought to let her fans know about her fate until several weeks later.

Bill Finley would like Blind Luck to follow the Winning Colors path to the Santa Anita Derby, and perhaps the one in Kentucky. So would I. She’s third on the graded earnings list – take the shot!

One distaffer definitely going against the boys will be Life Is Sweet – she will get to take a step out of stablemate Zenyatta’s shadow by running in the Dubai World Cup. You may recall she has run well in mixed company before, finishing a creditable third (especially given the traffic trouble) in the Hollywood Gold Cup last year. The last horse she finished second to, St Trinians, is also still aiming to take on the boys, but without the long trip to Dubai – she’s on track for the Santa Anita Handicap, despite ‘her curious, crab-like action‘ and uncommercial bloodlines. Both mares are set for good storylines – and, of course, Japanese star Vodka does that sort of thing all the time.

But back to the 3-year-olds – it’s hard to see how Christine Daae will pick up any graded earnings by winning allowance races, but she could meet up with Amen Hallelujah, the impressive winner of the Davona Dale, in the Bonnie Miss. It’s certainly an interesting possibility.

The 3-year-old colt picture did not get much less murkier last weekend; Radiohead proved he can run on real dirt (feel free to insert a joke about ‘fake plastic trees’ here), but beyond that, things are still a mystery. And, quite frankly, they are not (yet) as exciting to watch as the preparations for the Apple Blossom – Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both continue to work toward their seasonal debuts on March 13th. Let’s hope Santa Anita does not have to cancel another card for rain – we’re going to have enough drama leading up to the race in April as it is…

Sure, the Sham is this weekend, but the real race of interest as far as 3-year-olds are concerned is the Davona Dale – who needs colts? Christine Daae, she of the recent bullet-work and considerable buzz (I’m still waiting to [...]]]>

Bickersons: because sometimes you don't have time to find an image of Christine Daae

Sure, the Sham is this weekend, but the real race of interest as far as 3-year-olds are concerned is the Davona Dale – who needs colts? Christine Daae, she of the recent bullet-work and considerable buzz (I’m still waiting to see her ‘distinctive markings‘ in a still), will face off against some formidable foes at Gulfstream Park, including champion She Be Wild and speedy Bickersons. Amen Hallelujah and Sassy Image are also strong competitors – it has the makings of a great race, and we can decide whether it’s an Oaks or Derby prep at some point in the future.

Las year’s Davona Dale winner, Justwhistledixie, returns to the scene of her former triumph for a shot at the Sabin Stakes. A good effort here could snag her an invitation to the Apple Blossom – she’s one of ten runners nominated so far, eight of whom will get the call to take on Rachel Alexandra and Zenaytta (and a big check for third, if both come – or perhaps fourth, if Bambera stays true to her Latin American form).

And as for the older guys, Presious Passion is at work in the Mac Diarmida stakes, also at Gulfstream. His goal is a start in the Dubai Sheema Classic next month. There is some potential competition from Winchester and Imawildandcrazyguy (remember him from the ‘07 Triple Crown trail? I believe he has yet to win a race), but I have a soft spot for the Jimmy Jerkins-trained Thou Swell – who doesn’t like a horse named after a Rogers and Hart song?

We finally had a weekend of real Derby preps!  Eskendereya put in the fine performance we expected to see last week – and then some.  His runaway win in the Fountain of Youth earned a 106 Beyer – the highest by a 3-year-old so far this season, and his [...]]]>

Eskendereya gets a paycheck for someone

We finally had a weekend of real Derby preps!  Eskendereya put in the fine performance we expected to see last week – and then some.  His runaway win in the Fountain of Youth earned a 106 Beyer – the highest by a 3-year-old so far this season, and his bandwagon seems to have picked up at least a few passengers.  Buddy’s Saint has no real chance to show off – he was bumped around considerably before the first turn, and essentially taken out of the race.  Meanwhile, the ongoing legal tussle between Fifth Third Bank and Eskendereya’s owner, Ahmed Zayat, continues apace – but it would seem that Eskendereya’s win was good for somebody, somewhere in that tangle.

While not as visually impressive, Bob Baffert’s second-stringer, Conveyance, took the Southwest in style; Lookin At Lucky is still a few weeks off from his 3-year-old debut, but Baffert should feel quite confident that, barring injury, he’s got at least one Derby horse in the barn.  Dublin was a close second in the Southwest, with blog favorite Cardiff Giant in third.  Conveyance and Cardiff Giant have finished in the top three in two Derby preps, now, and Dublin seems to be moving forward – the California contingent looks strong (at least from this late February vantage point).

Discreetly Mine also marked himself as one to watch in the Risen Star, while D’Funnybone and A Little Warm went one-two in the Hutcheson.  Like Eskendereya, Discreetly Mine is trained by Todd Pletcher, who also had a win over the weekend in the El Camino Real derby with Connemara – that’s one way to kick off a ten-day suspension!

But the 3-year-old fillies are at work as well – Christine Daae worked a bullet at Gulfstream today, and Bickersons and Amen Hallelujah are aiming to take her on in the Davona Dale on Saturday.  There is much to look forward to in their division.

Things did not go as expected in Older Horse Land – Friesan Fire and Gio Ponti both missed out on the winner’s circle.  Friesan Fire battled with General Quarters in the stretch of the Mineshaft, but both were outrun by Stonehouse, a little-heralded 6-year-old with 10 wins out of 38 starts (and another 11 finishes in the money).  General Quarters managed to hang on for second (which seems to have become his preferred finish), but Friesan Fire ended up fourth behind Giant Oak.  Things did not go as expected for Gio Ponti either – he acted up in the gate and ended up second (by a nose) to Karelian at Tampa Bay Downs.  However, as it’s his first race after a bit of a layoff, the fact that he still managed to pick up a check is encouraging – this race was more of a prep than a ‘must win’ for him.

Finally, there’s some entirely awesome news – yes, there will be Apple Blossom trading cards.  I can see some quality eBay time in my future as a result of this announcement.  For all Apple Blossom news, continue to check out the official website, but also visit the coolest horse racing tumblr site (well, OK, the only horse racing tumblr site) I’ve ever seen: RA-Zen hell blog.  It’s all good.

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!

While we’re not normally in the Behind the Name business, the news that St Trinians is aiming to take on the boys in the Santa Anita Handicap (rather than face Zenyatta in the Santa Margarita – which does seem a wise move) was too compelling to ignore – and [...]]]>

Alastair Sim and a pink horse

While we’re not normally in the Behind the Name business, the news that St Trinians is aiming to take on the boys in the Santa Anita Handicap (rather than face Zenyatta in the Santa Margarita – which does seem a wise move) was too compelling to ignore – and this move fits what might be called the ‘St. Trinian’s ethos’ perfectly.

For those who have not spent enough time living in the UK to know that the same thirty or so films are on television throughout the year, the name may sound like a harmless parish church or quaint village – but it’s nothing of the sort.  St. Trinian’s began life as a cartoon by Ronald Searle in 1942; the subject was an all-girl boarding school whose pupils have an amusing penchant for pranks, a little violence and some crime.  St. Trinian’s-themed books continued to be released during the 1940s and 1950s, and in 1954, the first film, The Belles of St. Trinian’s, was released, featuring Alastair Sim in a classic dual-role performance as headmistress Miss Fritton and her bookie brother, Clarence.  More interestingly, from our perspective, the plot revolves around horse racing – and not unlike modern racing, the horse in question is owned by a sheik – in this case, the father of one of the students.  Hijinks ensue when groups of students bet on (and against) the horse, with the usual fighting and kidnapping elements swirling around.

While the modern remaking of the franchise puts the girls (naturally, in particularly short ‘naughty schoolgirl’ uniforms – although those were also a staple of the original series) front and center, the original films revolved around Sim and the other adults, with the girls appearing onscreen to cause mayhem (or to sell Flash Harry their homemade gin) every so often. Despite his prominent role in the films, Sim might best be known to some for a role he did not play – Alec Guinness essentially ‘did‘ Alastair Sim when he played Marcus in The Ladykillers.

But back to the girls of St. Trinian’s – their school song seems appropriate enough for a filly looking to stomp on a few colts:

Maidens of St Trinian’s, gird your armour on.
Grab the nearest weapon; never mind which one.
The battle’s to the strongest; might is always right.
Trample on the weakest; glory in their plight.

St Trinian’s! St Trinian’s! Our battle cry.
St Trinian’s! St Trinian’s! Will never die.

Stride towards your fortune boldly on your way,
Never once forgetting there’s one born every day.
Let our motto be broadcast: “get your blow in first!”
She who draws the sword last always comes off worst.

I’m hoping for a horse named after a character in The Wicker Man next.

It’s been a difficult Derby prep season so far, thanks to the weather gods; rain postponed racing in California, snow did the job in the Northeast, and finally Arkansas also fell victim to their wrath.  The Southwest Stakes, scheduled for Presidents’ Day, will now be run next Saturday; whether the same field [...]]]>

Not the horse

It’s been a difficult Derby prep season so far, thanks to the weather gods; rain postponed racing in California, snow did the job in the Northeast, and finally Arkansas also fell victim to their wrath.  The Southwest Stakes, scheduled for Presidents’ Day, will now be run next Saturday; whether the same field turns up will be determined later in the week when the race is redrawn.  Of particular note were the top three finishers from the San Rafael: Conveyance, Cardiff Giant and Domonation [sic – but he's by Maria's Mon, it all makes sense].  While a chief objective for most will be getting a chance to see how these horses perform on traditional dirt, I am intrigued simply because Cardiff Giant is running.

And no, it’s not because I used to live in Wales – the Cardiff in question in this case is in upstate New York – it’s because I have an unhealthy interest in the history of scientific hoaxes.  Let’s rewind to the 1860s: Gorillas had only been ‘discovered‘ (by white European men, that is) in the late 1840s; Darwin’s On the Origin of Species had been published in 1859, and the hunt was on for ‘missing links.’  In the Pacific Northwest, reports of something not unlike Bigfoot appeared in local newspapers during this same period – in short, it was an ideal time for someone to mix these ingredients together into a moneymaking soufleé.

Enter George Hull: after arguing with a fundamentalist minister over the literal truth of a particularly obscure Bible passage (Genesis 6:4 – ‘There were giants in the earth in those days’), he decided that not only could this notion be amusing to parody, but that it might just be a nice little earner.  He set about hiring stonecutters to carve a ten-foot ‘giant’ and had the resulting sculpture shipped to his cousin’s farm, where it was subsequently buried.  After letting the giant ‘age’ for nearly a year, Hull’s cousin, William Newell, hired some local men to ‘dig a well‘ – and lo, they uncovered a giant ‘petrified man.’  Immediately, crowds poured in to see this marvel – first for 25 cents a head, then double that.

While scientists immediately pronounced the Cardiff Giant a fake, a number of the fundamentalist preachers Hull had originally set out to poke fun at defended it as legitimate – and the public did not seem to care either way, and kept coming. Hull sold his share of the Giant for $37,500 – not a bad return on a $2,600 investment, especially in 1869 – to a group of businessmen who moved it to Syracuse.  Upon getting wind of the sensation, P.T. Barnum got into the act and offered $60,000 to exhibit the Giant for three months; when he was turned down, he simply made his own and displayed it in Manhattan.  Hull was forced to confess his scheme when the owners of ‘his’ Giant sued Barnum for claiming that their fake was a fake – but public interest continued nonetheless, and the Cardiff Giant spawned several similar offspring before fading into obscurity early in the 20th century.

In any event it’s a fantastic name for a racehorse – if he does, indeed, become very successful this year, I hope we can look forward to his offspring with names like Feejee Mermaid, Oak Island and Piltdown Man. If only someone would name a racehorse for Kaspar Hauser, I could continue to be distracted from things like Sidney’s Candy’s fine win in the San Vincente, or Blind Luck’s determination to win despite a terrible ride or the successful return of Munnings…

After a little sniping in the press (and a lot of sniping from fans online), the Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta throwdown in the Apple Blossom is back on – but a week later than originally advertised.  April 9th is now the big day, and while I would also prefer to see it on a [...]]]>

Charles Cella, puppetmaster

After a little sniping in the press (and a lot of sniping from fans online), the Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta throwdown in the Apple Blossom is back on – but a week later than originally advertised.  April 9th is now the big day, and while I would also prefer to see it on a Saturday so that it obtains the widest possible audience, the fact that it could happen at all is enough for me – it’s an excuse to break out our Rachel Alexandra Ale, which turned out considerably stronger, darker and hoppier than anticipated.   I believe

the timing makes sense – with Rachel Alexandra making her 4-year-old debut in the New Orleans Ladies on March 13th, and Zenyatta starting her racing year off on the same day in the Santa Margarita, nothing could be more even – although seeing who else is extended an invitation should make things quite interesting.

The first question, then, is what sort of media coverage and promotion we will see – will this race be on ESPN (in HD, please)?  Could it end up on a national network – or will it be consigned to a horse racing channel?  As for the promotional angle, we are all well aware that the sport has an appalling track record when it comes to getting the word out – so what’s the plan?  The big positive is that Oaklawn Park owner Charles Cella is the driving force in this effort – and he clearly has considerably more business sense than, say, the NTRA – so fair play to him for stepping up and taking charge.  If he can get this race to happen, he should be able to pull some other strings to get appropriate coverage – or at least he can get the right people talking to each other to get the ball rolling.

The new date should be an easier sell in terms of of media coverage – it’s something of a black hole and it’s a handy cross-promotion opportunity for the Arkansas Derby, run the next day.  That should make it simple to slot into whatever Road to the Kentucky Derby series is already planned.

Of course, if either mare has a legitimate illness or injury that knocks them out of the race, no one is ever going to believe the connections – so let’s hope both stay fit and healthy.  We know Rachel Alexandra loves the slop (and just worked out over it again today), but no one wants to see Zenyatta scratched if things look too wet. The weather gods (who really owe us something, after this week) will need to get the memo as well.

So, fingers crossed, this will actually happen – but as I’ve said before, ideally it will be the first race in a series of races throughout the year that would allow fans all over the country to see both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta face each other, live and in person.  Generating interest for one race isn’t so hard – look at the Kentucky Derby – keeping the momentum going is the real challenge.