Horse Racing archive

The upcoming Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey is making the news for a couple of reasons this week. Firstly, Resorts Casino of Atlantic City and Monmouth Park announced that Resorts would become the main sponsor of the July 31st race. The name of the race will also slightly change to the Resorts Haskell Invitational.

Ultimately there is more to this arrangement than meets the eye as New York mega mogul Morris Bailey owns Resorts Casino and is the new leaseholder at Monmouth Park. Bailey has made it clear that he is committed to racing in New Jersey and the new sponsorship deal puts paid to that. The timing could also not be better as this year will mark the first year that the New Jersey government will not financially subsidize the struggling horse racing industry.

The second item of news concerning the Haskell is that there will be most likely two Triple Crown champions competing for the winner’s share of the 1,000,000 dollar purse. Belmont champion Ruler On Ice has now been confirmed to run in the Haskell along with talented stable mate Pants On Fire. “Fire and Ice” as they now have been dubbed are very comfortable at Monmouth and are training there already.

However it is the strong possibility of Preakness champion Shackleford entering the Haskell that is causing the most excitement. Shackleford, along with third place Preakness finisher Astrology, is expected to take the field at Monmouth on July 31st. A rematch of Triple Crown champions would be a great story and go a long way to highlighting racing in the Garden State.

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Racing is in full swing at the Del Mar racetrack in California as the august facility heads into its 72nd racing season. The track is known as one of prettiest given its location on the edge of the Pacific. With its first Grade 1 race of the season set for Sunday, Del Mar continues to provide some of the best thoroughbred racing in the country.

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The city of Del Mar is located north of San Diego on the Pacific Ocean and has a population of just over 4,000 residents. Long a playground for the rich and famous, the seaside town has a unique and storied history. It is however probably best defined by the Del Mar racetrack, which over the years has become one of the leading meets in the country hosting no less than 20 graded stakes races every year.

The Del Mar racetrack’s beginnings are arguably the stuff of movies as the track was originally founded by Hollywood stars. Jimmy Durante, Pat O’Brien, Oliver Hardy, and Bing ‘bag of oranges” Crosby all were partners in the venture which was a great success from the very start. Built in 1937, Del Mar embodies distinctive West Coast architecture and style.

Now almost three quarters of a century later, the Del Mar meet continues to grow and gain respect. Combined with Saratoga’s meet on the East Coast, Del Mar is the backbone of mid-summer thoroughbred racing and its best races of the season are yet to come. Look out for the Bing Crosby Grade 1 Stakes on July 31st and for the Clement L. Hirsch Grade 1 Stakes on August 9th.

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Well!
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On Saturday, DOMINUS, the 19-10 betting favorite in the Jim Dandy took the lead in the upper stretch, only to be defeated convincingly by second choice STAY THIRSTY and 37-1 shot MOONSHINE MULLIN.

On Sunday, 3-2 favorite SHACKLEFORD, the longshot Preakness winner, took the lead at the top of the stretch in the Haskell, only to be caught in the shadow of the wire by the lightly raced COIL, an improving horse trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

With the defeats of these two latest betting favorites, we are struck by a repeating pattern that has existed all year: In fact, nothing has changed since the Triple Crown concluded with RULER ON ICE’S upset victory in the Belmont Stakes. From January through the end of July, we have seen few betting favorites win any of the prep races that led up to the Derby, Preakness and/or Belmont Stakes. And of course all three of those prestigious spring stakes were won by different horses, all longshots.

The cumulative effect of so many upsets has left the 3 year old division in complete disarray, with no true leader, a division further weakened by the injury that put Kentucky Derby winner ANIMAL KINGDOM on the shelf for the rest of the year. Also, as suggested in this space on Friday, the inconsistency of this year’s glamour division has opened the door for horseplayers to discard the majority of betting favorites while accenting plays on horses at good odds in dozens of situations.

Next up for the group will be the 143rd running of the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Aug,. 27, Most, if not all the horses who made an impact in the Jim Dandy and Haskell are expected to be back for another go round.

With so much evidence in hand, it seems reasonable to expect more favorites going down to defeat. It certainly seems to make better sense to expect the trend of upsets to continue. On the other hand, maybe Stay Thirsty—who was a good second in the Belmont Stakes before the Jim Dandy—might emerge as the best 3 year old of 2011? Or, perhaps Coil is now ready to emerge as that horse, the one who finally can win two or more important stakes in a row.

Should Stay Thirsty, or Coil push their good recent form forward to a higher level in the Travers, the season will take a new turn. But if they fall short as so many before them have failed, we will see more of what we have seen so many times this year: More upsets, more chaos and fewer reasons to believe that there are any special horses in this year’s 3 year old crop.

Added Notes: Speaking of special horses, trainer Todd Pletcher is reporting that the 2010 Juvenile Champion, UNCLE MO is training forwardly for a start in the 7 furlong King’s Bishop Stakes on the Travers card, Aug. 27. Uncle Mo has recovered from an intestinal disorder that forced his connections to scratch him from the Kentucky Derby.

Also, Bob Baffert not only won the Haskell on Sunday, but his top sprinter EUROEARS won the Bing Crosby at Del Mar on Sunday in 1:08.17, setting a new track record for the 6 furlong distance on the Del Mar Polytrack. Get all your online horse racing odds in the Bodog Racebook today.

Before this past weekend three year old colt Coil was an unproven entity at the elite Grade 1 level of thoroughbred racing. That all changed with Coil’s impressive win at the 1,000,000 dollar Resorts Haskell Invitational as he beat out heavy favorite Shackleford by a neck.

Pedigree
Coil comes from winning stock and can now claim to have won the same race as his sire Point Given. Point Given won the Haskell Invitational in 2001 after winning the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in what would be a remarkable season. To top it off Point Given went on to win the Travers Stakes later in the same year which raises the possibility of Coil winning two of the same races that his sire won. Point Given went on to be named three year old Horse of The Year which bodes well for Coil’s potential future success.

Racing History
With his weekend win Coil continues to build an impressive resume of starts. Although the Haskell Invitational was his first Grade 1 race, the colt has had good success at other levels. His last start saw him come in a close second at the Grade 2 Swaps at Hollywood Park, and prior to that he won the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes. However, it is his win at the Haskell Invitational and beating two Triple Crown champions that have cemented this horse’s reputation.

Next Steps
It looks likely that Coil will be sent to the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 27th although that has yet to be confirmed. The other option would be the King’s Bishop on the same day in Saratoga which would then see him compete against the likes of Uncle Mo and The Factor. Either way Coil will have the opportunity to show the horse racing world whether this weekend was a fluke or the sign of things to come.

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In a year with no clear three year old champion it is not too much of a stretch to say that any horse is still a contender for Horse of the Year. With the Travers Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup still to go, Stay Thirsty with a high profile win could lay claim to that coveted end of year award. His win at last weekend’s Jim Dandy Stakes has now put him in a spot where anything is possible.

Pedigree
Stay Thirsty has some illustrious bloodlines to draw upon and they seem to have shown up last weekend. Sired by 2006 Preakness, Jim Dandy, and Travers Stakes winner Bernardini, Stay Thirsty can also boast Seattle Slew and Northern Dancer as great- grand sires. With that amount of proven genes in his make-up Stay Thirsty’s pedigree demands that the horse be taken seriously.

Racing History
Stay Thirsty has had in many ways puzzling results and certainly not the consistency that probably either his owners or trainer would like to see. After his maiden win the colt finished a strong second in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes for two year olds. His first win as a three year old came in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, after which he was far out of the money in the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. It isn’t until his second place in the Belmont and his win last weekend that the horse started to look like he was living up to his promise.

Next Steps
It appears likely that Stay Thirsty’s next race will be the Travers Stakes on the 27th of August. The million dollar race will see a number of strong contenders and will go a long way to making a case for Horse of the Year. Whether Stay Thirsty deserves that honor will remain to be seen.

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He was a well beaten second, running an OK race, but never was a serious threat to outfinish TIZWAY, who went to the post as the actual betting favorite at a lukewarm 4-1.

Fact is, TIZWAY, who had run a 113 Beyer Speed Figure in the Met Mile in May proved that he was three lengths stronger than Flat Out at the latter’s preferred distance even though Flat Out had earned the same 113 Beyer Speed Figure winning the 1-1/8 mile Suburban Handicap last month.

Beyond these two, MORNING LINE and FRIEND OR FOE set the pace together—a seemingly slow 1:13.81 for six furlongs on a surprisingly dead track—but only Friend or Foe stayed around for a fourth place finish, as GIANT OAK rallied belatedly for third, 6-1/2 lengths behind the winner.

The final clocking of 1:52.43 for the nine furlongs was the slowest Whitney clocking since a relatively forgotten horse, PLION covered the same distance in 1:53 flat in 1959!

When the Beyer Figure makers finally adjust upwards the slow clocking posted by Tizway, no doubt it will be a triple digit number, yet most observers would be hard pressed to conclude that the race itself and/or the performances by any horse in it lived up to the pre race hype.

To be sure, Tizway is a good horse with more scope than his Met Mile indicated, but after winning the 1-1/8 mile Whitney, he still will have to prove that he can stretch his talent another furlong if he is going to win the 1-1/4 mile, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.

According to trainer H.James Bond, Tizway’s final practice for that event will occur in the 1-1/4 mile Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Oct. 1.

Charles Dickey, trainer of Flat Out said he might go there too, but first will go in the nine furlong Woodward on Sept. 3 at Saratoga.

Waiting in the wings for Tizway and Flat Out are the western based GAME ON DUDE and TWIRLING CANDY, who finished noses apart in a three way photo behind the retired FIRST DUDE in the 1-1/4 mile Hollywood Gold Cup last month and may meet again in the 1-1/4 mile Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 28.

Pending decisions by their respective connections, there are 2 classy fillies who might try to pull off a ZENYATTA in the BC Classic: the strong finishing 4 year old BLIND LUCK and the equally strong and younger Canadian bred miss, INGLORIOUS, who beat Canadian bred males in the 1-1/4 mile Queen’s Plate at Woodbine in June and is training forwardly for her date in the 1-1/4 mile Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, Aug. 20. She needs to win that race however to be considered a realistic BC Classic possibility.

Beyond that core group of American based BC Classic prospects, this is a year that is beginning to resemble the 2008 season, when Europeans came over to dominate the Classic at a distance many Euros handle with considerable ease.

In two other important Grade 1 stakes on Saturday, the heavily favored TURBULENT DESCENT came in to Saratoga from Del Mar to easily defeat a respectable field of 3 year old fillies in the 7 furlong Test Stakes.

Back at Del Mar, $10.80-1 shot ULTRA BLEND scored a narrow upset win in the Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar over the top flight 3 year old filly ZAZU, with the good 4 yr old filly SWITCH, a length further back in third. With her victory, Ultra Blend earned a fully paid ticket to the $2 million BC Ladies Classic at Churchill, Friday Nov. 4.

On Sunday, at Woodbine, the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, which completed the Canadian Triple Crown, was won by the Prince of Wales winner PENDER HARBOUR by a nose over CELTIC CONVICTION in a hectic stretch run, that saw the latter horse disqualified from second to third behind CROWN’S PATH, for interference with that rival in the stretch.

Jockey Luis Contreras, aboard Pender Harbour was winning his sixth race on the Woodbine card.

The Canadian Triple Crown is strictly for Canadian bred 3 year olds and consists of the 1-1/4 mile Queen’s Plate on the Polytrack at Woodbine won by the aforementioned filly Inglorious; the 1-3/16 miles Prince of Wales on the dirt at Fort Erie and finally the Breeders’ Stakes at 1-1/2 miles on the Woodbine turf course. The three events are spaced about one month apart, compared to the American Triple Crown, which involves familiar classic races on dirt tracks at Churchill Downs, Pimlico Racecourse and Belmont Park, all within five weeks.

Also on Sunday—at Saratoga— a pair of sharp front runners won the two Graded stakes at 6 furlongs.

In the Grade 2, $150,000 Honorable Miss, TAR HEEL MOM scored her 11th career victory in 28 starts with a 6 length romp over BEAT THE BLUES. One race later, 17 -1 shot SEAN AVERY took the lead at the start and outlasted hard charging 3-5 betting favorite TRAPPE SHOT by a long nose in the G-1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at 6 furlongs. While the Monmouth Park based Sean Avery was winning his sixth race in 10 career outings, this was his first Graded Stakes victory.

The respective clockings for the pair of 6 furlong races on a Saratoga main track that played faster than the very slow Saturday track were: 1:10.42 for Tar Heel Mom and 1:09.71 for Sean Avery.

At Del Mar on Sunday, the feature race ostensibly was the G-2, $150,000 Best Pal for 2 year olds at 6-1/2 furlongs. While this race was won easily by CREATIVE CAUSE as if he is the best 2 year old in the west, the race that attracted more attention was the ‘Battle of the Exes’ a promotional match race with a $31,000 purse with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith against his ex girlfriend Chantal Sutherland aboard a pair of $40,000 maiden claimers at one mile around two turns.

The promotion attracted a large bump in attendance, especially among women who came out to cheer Sutherland before the race aboard PARABLE and to console her after her 2-1/4 lengths defeat by Smith who rode JOKER FACE to a wire to wire score as the $3.20 betting favorite in the unique event. Get all your online horse betting in the [url="www-ixgames-com

The Arlington Million is the main attraction, while both the Beverly D and Secretariat Stakes would be prime feature races at most tracks any other day.

Together, the three races will offer $2.1 million in purses and there are 31 very good horses entered. Almot all have won Graded stakes in America, Europe, South Africa and Asia through productive careers.

With such international support, the significance of the Arlington Million, the $750,000 Beverly D and the $400,000 Secretariat are self evident. And yes, there are good story lines in the background, some of which will be further detailed in the TV broadcasts on HRTV and superstation WGN.

But without further ado, here are my profiles of every horse in each event, along with my bottom line analysis.

EIGHTH RACE. . .POST TIME 3:52 PM, CDT, broadcast via HRTV.

The $400,000 Secretariat Stakes, a Grade-1 for 3 year olds at 1-1/4 miles on rain softened turf.

#1 NEWSDAD . . Has finished third or better in 3 of 4 turf starts. Also finished well from far back and very wide, getting his last quarter 23 and change in the rich Va. Derby at Colonial last month. Improvement likely with Joel Rosario for Hall of Fame traioner Billy Mott. but he may lack the needed hot pace to get the job done.

#2 ZIYARID. . . Improving, lightly raced Irish bred import may be the one to catch in a paceless race.

#3 TREASURE BEACH. . .Multiple Group 1 winner in Europe is the clear cut betting favorite. If he is ready to run his best after showing a noticeable decline in his latest outing in France, will be tough to handle. Gets first time Lasix which often helps Euros.

#4 CRIMSON CHINA (Scratched)

#5 CASINO HOST. . .Chad Brown trainee made premature move in the Virginia Derby that might have cost him the race, but still finished third. Has legit chance to upset this international field, but he may not get the hotly contested pace he probably needs and his form on wet turf courses is suspect.

#6 SUNTRACER. . .Consistent sort with respectable form over the course might be an exotics threat.

# 7 BANNED. . .Strong and consistent turf specialist with versatile running style was much the best in a pair of Churchill turf stakes before he finished a sharp second in the 1-1/4 mile Virginia Derby. . .Hard to dismiss, hard to love at modest odds, but he has not thrown in a bad race to date.

# 8 DERBY KITTEN. . .Was handily defeated by WILLCOX INN, while finishing third behind #6 Suntracer in the 1-3/16 mile American Derby over the course July 9. Likes soft turf and may sneak into the exotics with Julien Leparoux.

#9 WILLCOX INN. . .Was impressive winner of two Graded stakes on this course and is very good on wet turf courses. Has tactical speed in a race that lacks much early pace. Deserves legit upset chance on his hime course.

#10 LAIGLON. . .Moves out of win over $25,000 claiming types with low speed figures. Two things in his favor: He loves wet turf and is bred to handle any route distance. One big thing against his chances: Has never faced anything close to the quality he meets here.

At the bottom line: #9 WILCOX INN may offer some inherent value as the locally proven turf course winner who still is on the improve. . .The two Euros–#3 TREASURE BEACH and #2 ZYARID are both proven at this level and distance, must respect. . .#1 NEWSDAD, #5 CASINO HOST, #7 BANNED all figure close enough to upset, while #8 DERBY KITTEN has a look in at the Trifecta.

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NINTH RACE. . .POST TIME 4:33 PM, CDT.

$750,000 Beverly D, a Grade-1 for fillies and mares at 1-3/16 miles on the turf.

#1 STACELITA. . .Top class Euro has strong form in France and was good third against solid male rivals in the United Nations Handicap at Monmouth in recent American debut. Has trained well for this; gets Lasix and Ramon Dominguez. Looms the omne to beat at deflated odds.

#2 CHECK THE LABEL. . .Has some decent form but needs to improve on her three races so far this year to be competitive against the best in here.

#3 FANTASIA. . .Won a local Grade-3 stakes last month and is very good on rain softened turf courses. Consider in exotics.

# 4 UPPERLINE. . . Is better on the Polytrack, but does have OK wet course turf form and jockey James Graham fits her very well. Longshot threat.

#5 DUBAWI HEIGHTS. . .Won four straight in So Cal earlier in the year including a Grade-1 at nine furlongs and has been working strongly for her comeback. The likely front runner in a field that lacks much early speed.

# 6 RIVER JETEZ. . .South African is a prolific international winner trained by world renown Michael de Kock. Has many good performances that would win this including her strong second from a stalking position in the 1-1/4 mile $2.4 million Singapore International on May 22. One OK race at Newmarket since; looked terrific on the track as reported by www-GradeOneRacing’s Arlington observer, Peter Rinato and gets first time Lasix.

# 7 CHEETAH. . .Former Euro, trained now by Christophe Clement in NY, has won on the Keeneland and Delaware grass courses as if she might belong at this level and the price for a positive guess will be generous.

#8 PACHATTACK. . .Won the Grade-3 Arlington Matron on the Polytrack rather easily with big speed figure and does have some natural speed for the turf to consider, but seems stronger on synthetic tracks.

#9 ÉCLAIR DE LUNE. . .Last year’s Beverly D winner owned by Arlington’s owner Richard Duchossois has run below that form in her five starts since, including the G-1 Gamely at Hollywood. Freshened since, training much better now, but can she surprise a stronger field this year? Seems unlikely, but nothing is impossible.

#10 ROMIN ROBIN. . .Ran well for second despite a rough trip in the G-3 Modesty behind #3 FANTASIA over the course and at the same distance as the Beverly D. Stepping up sharply in class here.

#11 NEVER RETREAT. . .Front running winn

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O’Brien sent two horses to Arlington—CAPE BLANCO for the Grade-1 Arlington Million and TREASURE BEACH for the Grade-1 Secretariat stakes. Not only did both horses win, but they proved they can carry their best form to America after difficult campaigns and considerable travel,

Fact is, travel can negatively impact the form of many top horses, even under ideal conditions.

Realistically, it can be argued that the only reason O’Brien did not win the third of the Arlington’s trio of Grade 1 stakes on Saturday is that he did not have a horse entered in the $750,000 Beverly D. That 1-3/16 mile race was , won by STACELITA, a former Euro now trained by Chad Brown, a former disciple of Todd Pletcher who in his own right is rapidly gaining ground as one of America’s best trainers.

Cape Blanco, a narrow 2-1 betting favorite in the Arlington Million over America’s three time turf champion GIO PONTI, handled that rival with considerable ease, winning by 2-1/2 lengths. True, the margin might have been closer had Gio Ponti not encountered some traffic problems racing behind the leaders along the inside rail. But, that said, there was no doubt about Cape Blanco’s inherent superiority, as he moved sharply to challenge front running MISSION APPROVED at the top of the stretch and opened up a daylight lead on the field before he reached the final furlong in complete command.

When Cape Blanco completed his 1-1/4 miles in 2:05.39—over the rain softened Arlington turf course— he was firing a final quarter mile in a strong 23.89. Frankly, Gio Ponti would have needed wings to catch him.

Going beyond the actual performance, it is a tribute to O’Brien and his staff that Cape Blanco was in such terrific form after an ambitious world traveling itinerary.

Cape Blanco started the year with a good fourth in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in March, continued with an April trip to France, a June trip to England a, July trip to America to win the Man o’ War at Belmont and a trip back to O’Brien’s Irish based training yard for a very brief respite. Then, of course he made his latest trip to Chicago to win America’s most important turf race this side of the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.

At the bottom line, should O’Brien send Cape Blanco to Churchill Downs for the 1-1/2 mile, BC Turf on Saturday Nov 5, two things should be expected: The 4 year old son of Gallileo probably will be in top form and will likely be the betting favorite, unless another extremely talented Euro also makes the trip. One of those talented Euro’s might even be Cape Blanco’s stablemate, Treasure Beach, who won the Secretariat.

While Treasure Beach had to work quite hard for his narrow victory over fellow Euro shipper ZIYARID, the final clocking for this 1-1/4 mile race was 2:03.91, considerably faster than the Arlington Million and it included a good final quarter in 23.99.

Ziyarid ran strongly throughout and certainly earned a return trip to America if his connections are willing, having won his three previous outings in France this year. Finishing third, about 1-1/2 lengths behind the top two, was BANNED, a multiple Graded stakes winner at Churchill Downs this season. Fourth was WILCOX INN, who seemed slightly outclassed even though he had won two Graded stakes races on the Arlington turf course this year.

In the Beverly D., the consistently good Stacelita rallied strongly along the inside rail to catch front running DUBAWI HEIGHTS to win the 1-3/16 miles event by 1-1/4 lengths, while the South African RIVER JETEZ turned in a good performance finishing third, about 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner.

Stacelita, a winner of more than $1.6 million, was the 9-5 betting favorite amd completed the 1-3/16 miles in 1:57.57 respectable time for the evenly paced contest on the yielding course.

In one other Grade1- turf race that was run on Saturday—the 1-1/2 mile $500,000 Sword Dancer at Saratoga—trainer Christophe Clement improved upon Gio Porti’s second place finish in the Arlington Million, with a sharp win by his 5 year old WINCHESTER who came from last place down the center of the course to score over RAHY’S ATTORNEY and AL KAHLI in 2:26.74.

No doubt, Winchester is surging forward in his form while Gio Ponti is holding relatively well after four good years at or near the top of the American turf scene. The Bodog Racebook has all your online horse betting. Get your odds today.

Thoroughbred horse racing is in mortal danger unless it makes significant changes in the coming years. This was the sobering take away from the annual meeting of the Jockey Club this week in Saratoga. Although the Jockey Club sounds like a cool place full of fascinating little people it isn’t. It is in fact the de facto governing body for thoroughbred breeding in the U.S. and it is not in a partying mood.

The conference highlighted some disturbing facts that are currently affecting North American thoroughbred horse racing. An industry wide report found that only 22% of the public has a positive impression about horse racing, and that only 48% of horse racing fans would recommend the sport to others.

Further, horse racing is facing stiff competition for the public’s gambling dollars with the increase in states permitting casinos. Track attendance is down 30% in the last decade along with a corresponding 37% drop in horserace wagering.

Ultimately the issue has been characterized as a brand issue and the Jockey Club knows that it is facing an uphill climb in getting the general public back to racing. As bad as the news may seem now, there is hope as the report also included a number of recommendations that the sport can act on to turn the tide.

Top level recommendations cited the need for more television coverage of key races, and the need for racing organizers to stop running so many events on the same days and often at the same times. The whimsically named Jockey Club Chairman Ogden Mills Phipps however remains bullish on the future of horse racing. He stated that if the report’s recommendations were followed then the future of horse racing in North America could only improve.

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A lot of attention gets paid to the Travers Stakes and rightfully so. It usually hosts most or all of the premiere three year old thoroughbreds and often features rematches between Triple Crown winners. However, there is another elite race for 3 year old colts and geldings that is held the same day at Saratoga and that is the Grade One King’s Bishop Stakes.

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The race, which is run just before the Travers Stakes, has a 250,000 dollar purse and attracts some excellent horses. The race has been run since 1984 and is run over seven furlongs. It is considered the best sprint race for three year olds and has produced some remarkable winners such as the prodigious champion sire Forestry.

This year’s contest promises to be no different and in addition features the return of the much heralded Uncle Mo. Uncle Mo, who was the champion two year old, was a Kentucky Derby favorite this year until he was sidelined just days before the race with a rare liver infection. The King’s Bishop will be his chance for redemption and possibly restart a campaign for Horse of the Year.

Other entrants include some serious speedsters who will be looking for strong finishes to send them on to the Breeders' Cup in November. Potential other winners include Flashpoint, J.J.’s Lucky Train, Caleb’s Posse, and Dominus.

It will be hard to imagine a healthy Uncle Mo losing on Saturday but that assumes he is in top form. If not, then it could be a thrilling finish.

The Todd Pletcher trained son of Bernardini outdueled front running Preakness winner SHACKLEFORD and Belmont Stakes winner RULER ON ICE for the lead through a fast opening half mile clocked in 47.63 and took control of the 1-1/4 mile classic on the final turn. Once in the clear turning for home, Stay Thirsty easily held stretch running longshot RATTLESNAKE BRIDGE safe to the wire.

The victory was Stay Thirsty’s first Grade-1 score, but it continued the positive pattern of his development that began with a sharp second in the Belmont Stakes on June 11. It also occurred about 30 minutes after his highly regarded stablemate UNCLE MO returned from his four month rehab from a liver ailment with an excellent second place finish to CALEB’S POSSE in a remarkable renewal of the $250,000 King’s Bishop Stakes, probable the most important sprint for 3 year olds on the American racing calendar.

Both Stay Thirsty and Uncle Mo are trained by future Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and owned by Mike Repole, who entered the horse business after selling his vitamin-water company for multiple billions of dollars. Beyond the combined $800,000 Repole paid for these two talented colts, they both have come back from very poor early season campaigns.

Uncle Mo, the undefeated juvenile champion of 2010 entered 2011 as a heavy winter book favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but was derailed by an intestinal infection linked to a liver issue.

Stay Thirsty began the year as a weak second stringer to Uncle Mo on Repole’s Triple Crown depth chart. Fact is, Stay Thirsty, a $500,000 yearling in 2009, was used mostly as a workmate for Uncle Mo in March and April of this year and his dismal performances in the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby suggested that he might have been ruined by the experience.

But, when Uncle Mo went to the sidelines for extended treatments and Pletcher was left to work on Stay Thirsty’s dormant potential, the results were a revelation and a tribute to Pletcher’s horsemanship.

“We had to get his head on racing, “ Pletcher explained. “ And I had to realize that Uncle Mo wasn’t there and this colt had shown some ability last summer when he was second in the (Grade-1) Hopeful Stakes.”

The concentrated work on Stay Thirsty paid off quickly. First came the colt’s strong second place finish in the Belmont Stakes, followed next by a four length win in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga July 30 and now his gritty win Saturday, in the Travers.

“We’ll probably point (Stay Thirsty) for the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont as a bridge to the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Pletcher said. “But you can’t take anything for granted.”

While lightly raced longshot Rattlesnake Bridge finished second in the Travers and may have good days ahead, second choice Shackleford looked like he needs a long vacation after finishing eighth after losing the early battle for the lead. Third choice COIL barely finished at all, beaten more than 40 lengths without showing any hint of the form that helped him win the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, July 31.

Ruler On Ice did hold on to fourth, which was a good sign for him considering the pressure he had to cope with in the pace duel, a duel that made Stay Thirsty’s winning performance even more impressive.

Should Uncle Mo come out of his hard try in the King’s Bishop unscathed, his most likely next start will be in the Kelso Mile, October 3, followed perhaps by the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

Again, kudos must go to Todd Pletcher for his work with these two colts, bringing them both back from issues that have ended the promising careers of many talented Thoroughbreds. Pletcher actually had quite the day at Saratoga on Saturday, as his HILDA’S PASSION rebo8unded from a poor performance in her last outing to a 10- length victory in the Grade-1 Ballerina Stakes before Uncle Mo’s near miss in the King’s Bishop and Stay Thirsty’s convincing win in the Travers. But the news was not so good on Sunday when it was announced that Hilda’s Passion would need surgery to repair a leg fracture incurred while she was pulling up from her 10 length Ballerina win.

Also on Sunday, while Saratoga had to close down due to the impact of Hurricane Irene in the Northeastern United States, 3,000 miles away the 21st running of the $1 Million Pacific Classic was being presented in sunny California at beautiful Del Mar by the Pacific Ocean, along with two other important Graded stakes.

ACCLAMATION, a strong front running type who previously had won three straight Graded Stakes on turf, was beautifully ridden to a well paced front running victory on the Del Mar Polytrack by veteran Pat Valenzuela. While clearly out maneuvering jockey Chantal Sutherland— who was aboard Santa Anita Handicap winner GAME ON DUDE—Valenzuela took advantage of the lack of contending early speed and led every step of the way.

Sutherland has ridden well in So Cal this year, but her performance in the Pacific Classic aboard Game on Dude was reminiscent of her losing ride against former fiance’ Mike Smith in the “Battle of the Exes” two weeks ago,

Simply stated, she let Valenzuela take control of the pace while content to let her mount race slightly behind Acclamation until she began to realize that she had to launch a serious challenge. The move was badly timed if not simply too late. As Acclamation gamely held off Twirling Candy in the late going, Polytrack specialist Stately Victor managed to rally past Game On Dude to take third money.

In the 7 furlong, Grade-1 Pat O’Brien, the 3 year old buzzsaw THE FACTOR, easily put away the accomplished 4 year old sprinter SMILING TIGER in the upper stretch and proved much the best over CAMP VICORY and CROWN OF THORNS. The smooth, fast performance, suggested that The Factor will be a tough horse to beat in the 6 furlong, $1.5 million BC Sprint.

The Del Mar Handicap at 1-3/8 miles on grass also was run on the Pacific Classic card. Heavily fa

I was at Saratoga and Del Mar this summer, just as I have been for many years since the mid 1990’s. Prior to that, I would spend all of August at Saratoga, mostly, because the best 2-year-olds in America would race there rather than Del Mar.

But in 1995, I went out to Del Mar for its last four days of racing and saw CAVONNIER run third in the 7 furlong Del Mar Futurity. He was improving, I thought; so I marked him down as a horse who might become a genuine Derby contender in 1996.

At the time, I also noted that D. Wayne Lukas’ TIMBER COUNTRY had finished third in the 1994 Del Mar Futurity and that colt had gone on from there to win the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 1995 Preakness Stakes.

So, when the Bob Baffert trained Cavonnier went on to finish second by an inch in the 1996 Kentucky Derby to the Lukas trained GRINDSTONE, the evidence compelled a return visit for the 1996 Del Mar Futurity.

That year, I saw what I hoped to see: A Baffert trained 2-year-old named SILVER CHARM . . .Not only did Silver Charm win a contentious DMR Futurity, he looked to me to be the best 2-year-old in America.

The following spring of course, Silver Charm went on to win epic battles in the Derby and Preakness against CAPTAIN BODGIT and FREE HOUSE, only to lose the Belmont Stakes to TOUCH GOLD, a terrific horse who had previously finished fourth in the Preakness despite an incredibly rough trip.

In several years since, the west has had very few exciting 2-year-old performers stamp themselves as potential champions with promising performances in the DMR Futurity. Only two come to mind: STEVIE WONDERBOY in 2005 and LOOKIN AT LUCKY in 2009.

Nevertheless, I have repeated my western trip from Saratoga to Del Mar for the tail end of their meet, hoping to see another serious 2-year-old who might become a star.

This past Saturday, I saw such a horse win this year’s DMR Futurity—a horse named DRILL, a horse trained by Bob Baffert; (yes him, again!)

While it is true that Wednesday’s race was marred by the proper disqualification of previously unbeaten MAJESTIC CITY, who bore out nearing the wire into heavily favored CREATIVE CAUSE, Drill was so strong, so determined in victory, he reminded me of Silver Charm, just as his Hall of Fame trainer later made the same comparison in an e-mail exchange, reproduced below:

From me to Baffert: Very nice prospect, beautifully prepared with that work (Bruno DeJulio posted on my website–the one with the strong gallop out to 9 furlongs in 1;51 and change!) 'Hope that bumping he got late in the race was nothing to worry about. He is the most promising 2-year-old I've seen so far.

From Baffert to me: “He came out fine. Still very green. I haven't had a two-year- old that was that tough since Silver Charm. He will love two turns. Big horse just learning the game.”

And I strongly suggest you read Baffert comments again just to o let them sink in.

Remember, Drill was just a maiden race winner meeting seasoned 2-year-olds with stakes wins in their resumes. While the Futurity finish was close, there was no doubt that Drill was the best horse in Wednesday’s Grade-1 race. Moreover, with his large and well proportioned body, plus his excellent and versatile breeding—he’s by multiple Grade-1 winner LAWYER RON out of a STORM CAT mare. Baffert has a top flight colt to work with for all the big races from now through next spring.

Nothing I saw at Saratoga this summer, including the horses who posted very fast clockings, has as much promise as Drill. And in case you have not been paying attention, very few trainers in this world know what to do with such a prospect. Drill will be a horse worth following wherever Baffert takes him.

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Today is a day to reflect on what happened in New York City 10 years ago. I reflect on it because I was in NYC when the World Trade Center was attacked and the two tallest buildings in that great American city crashed to the ground.

Some people I knew died that day; others were covered with all the soot from the explosions and some were lucky to escape the devastation.

A woman I know—Linda Henry— not the most mobile human being in America–put her hip injury aside to help several people get down the second tower before it crumbled. But most of all, she remembers those on her floor who did not make it.

Another woman I know was in a private limo heading to her office in the World Trade Center that morning, but got stalled in traffic. She was close enough to see the first plane hit Tower Number One. She never got to her job and that probably saved her life.

Both women and plenty of other WTC workers and tourists who escaped with their lives, have been seared by the memory. They remain haunted by nightmarish dreams about what happened that day and by the people they lost.

A fireman I know who tends bar part time in Rye, NY told me he personally knew 18 of the firefighters who lost their lives trying to save people while the towers were burning. He said his own fire engine company was called in, but was involved only in dealing with issues that occurred after the Twin Towers were down. He is a strong man, but was in tears when he spoke about some of the men and women he knew.

Most of America knows that there were great moments of heroism expressed on that fateful day 10 years ago—-especially on board flight #93. That was the flight when passengers knowingly forced the crash landing of a hijacked jet to avert another catastrophic loss of life in Washington D.C. The rest of us may not remember them name by name, but we all know what they did and are inspired by their sacrifice.

Most of us also know that that the attack initiated a long, somewhat dysfunctional war on Iraq and the on again-off again hunt for Al Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden. The hunt seemed practically forgotten until President Obama authorized a daring mission a few months ago to get bin Laden in his Afghan compound. No one should be surprised that the Afghan military said afterwards that they had no idea the compound existed.

At Del Mar last week, I met a man who had done two tours of duty in the War on Terror. He was from Des Moines Iowa, yet he enlisted a few days after the Twin Towers and the Pentagon buildings were attacked. He said poignantly, that “the Twin Towers attack was our generation’s Pearl Harbor.”

I remember the Major League baseball game that was played between the Mets and Braves 10 days later, the first real sporting event of consequence held in NY after the attack. Although Mike Piazza was a Met—a team not exactly loved by fans outside their realm—the dramatic home run that he hit to win that game was applauded by fans of all teams in all cities, except perhaps by the Braves themselves. To this day the game and Piazza’s home run are jointly regarded as one of the most memorable moments in Mets history, if not by Major League Baseball. It was as if NY was striking back with life as normal and a NYorker hitting the ball in defiance to the outer planets.

I remember of course, the way the New York Racing Association conducted the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Day at Belmont—without flaw, with great performances, including TIZNOW’s second consecutive BC Classic win over the European invader, SAHKEE. And I remember even more clearly, the somber, but respectful tributes given there that day to the fallen.

No matter the misguided reasons that led the fanatic hijackers to launch such an attack against a symbolic building in which so many innocent people died and so many lives changed, I remember most the rescue efforts, the pouring in of cars and trucks of people from every corner of America and Canada too. People in every corner of the free world wanted to help the injured, the fallen and those who needed friends to replace those who were lost.

I usually hate anniversaries that bring back memories of tragedies. But not this time. This time, it feels best to remember what happened and what people did to get things back on keel. Like I said, forgive me for using this space reserved mostly for horseracing to remember that day and what followed. . .with you.

PARX is not the only track that has gone through name changes and maybe I should look at my horoscope because there may be a cosmic reason why I have covered racing full time at three of the best known.

In the early 1970’s, I covered racing for two different Philadelphia newspapers at Keystone racetrack, which changed it’s name to Philadelphia Park, which was renamed several months ago to ‘PARX’ for reasons that are beyond my mortal understanding.

In the 1980’s, I covered racing for the St. Petersburg Times at Tampa Day Downs, just after it changed its name first from Sunshine Park to Florida Downs.

You might be interested to also know that Tampa races recorded on 16 mm film when the track was known as Sunshine Park and/or Florida Downs, later were used by a supermarket chain for a TV show that asked contestants to pick winners with horses that were given fictitious names. Yes, we are talking about imaginary races based on real races with fictitious names.

The same technique is now being employed at Oaklawn Park for a semi-slot machine version of racing called ‘INSTANT RACING’. In this variation, old races are put into these machines and people bet real money based on the notion that nobody will know which races actually are being played out by the software program.

The third track I covered with a name change was/is Canterbury Downs which became Canterbury Park just so new management could separate themselves from the two bankruptcies that afflicted the original Canterbury Downs. The bankruptcies occurred when the Santa Anita management team messed up the most promising new track to come along in 50 years. I know, as I said, I was there.

Perhaps I will tell that story in more detail on another occasion. But do not hold your breath. It makes me mad, literally so, whenever I recall what happened there.

Another track that has gone through a name change—in fact it has gone through a major changeover—is Turfway Park, in Florence Kentucky, just a few miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. On Saturday, Turfway, which used to be called Latonia Racetrack, also is hosting Graded stakes that will feed Breeders’ Cup races—three of them in fact:

The $200,000 Kentucky Cup, a Grade-2 for 3 year olds & up at 1-1/16 miles; the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint, a Grade-3 for 3 year olds at 6 furlongs and the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Distaff, a Grade-3 for fillies and mares, 3 year olds and up at 1-1/16 mi.

These races—as well as a pair of $100,000 ungraded stakes for 2 year olds—will be run over Turfway’s synthetic Polytrack, which is the latest and most significant change that has occurred at Turfway in the 21st Century.

From a handicapping standpoint, these races look extremely wide open from top to bottom, but that means they should provide a wide range of wagering opportunities, especially for players that have an understanding of synthetic track racing. While I personally do not follow Turfway on a regular basis, this track does tend to accent a horse’s stamina as much as its inherent speed and can favor those with strong previous performances on synthetics and/or turf.

Back on the conventional dirt at PARX, the slots fueled $1 million purse has attracted a deep field of 3 year olds for the 32nd running of the Pennsylvania Derby.

For instance, the 5-2 morning line favorite is Belmont stakes winner RULER ON ICE and he will not have a walkover by any means.

Also set to compete are RATTLESNAKE BRIDGE and J W BLUE, who finished second and third respectively to STAY THIRSTY in the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga exactly four weeks ago.

PENDOUR HARBOUR, winner of the Prince of Wales and the Breeders’ Stakes, which comprise the last two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown is scheduled to run here, although he is cross-entered in the $150,000 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park.

A final decision on his starting status will depend upon the fickle weather. On Friday it rained quite a bit throughout the northeast.

ARTHUR’S TALE is at PARX for this race and that is a bit of a surprise, considering that he has not raced since finishing a good second in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in April, a curious race in which the top three finishers TOBYS CORNER, Arthur’s Tale and UNCLE MO were forced to the sidelines due to various injuries and illnesses.

Beyond all of the above horses who have shown talent in Grade 1 stakes this year, the most intriguing horse in the nine horse field is the Billy Mott trained TO HONOR AND SERVE.

Perhaps you remember this horse from last fall, when he won a pair of route stakes by open lengths at Aqueduct and came into the 2011 season as one of the most highly touted prospects for the Kentucky Derby.

After two relatively weak third place finishes— in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby—Mott knew something was amiss and took the colt out of training. In August To Honor and Serve returned with a classic prep at a distance too short for him—the 6-1/2 furlong Amsterdam in which he flashed some speed and tired to finish sixth.

In his next and most recent start however, To Honor and Serve was a most impressive winner over allowance horses in a nine furlong race that earned a solid 102 Beyer Speed Figure. Rain or shine, To Honor and serve will have the opportunity on Saturday to show that he is back, all the way back. If he succeeds, there is every reason to believe that he will go on to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

If he does not, we should expect to see the horse or horses that beat him running next in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, Nov. 5.

That is what the BC prep season is all about and what we will be seeing over the next three weeks when a glut of Graded stakes will be run at several tracks. Each race will be a good target with a lot of money at stake, but each race really is positioned on the calendar to produce live BC contenders. Good luck and good handicapping. [url="www-ixgames-co

Among other things, he has won more than 100 stakes in the new Century and has been among the meet leaders at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, Gulfstream and Saratoga almost every year since. All that notwithstanding, on Saturday at PARX racetrack near Philadelphia, PA, Mott showed us all once more just how talented he is.

The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby appeared to be a relatively wide open nine furlong race, a race that included RULER ON ICE, who just happened to have won the Belmont stakes this year, (the race that the Mott trained DROSSELMEYER won last year). The Penn. Derby also included the second and third place finishers in the $1 million Travers Stakes—RATTLESNAKE BRIDGE and J W BLUE, plus PENDER HARBOUR, winner of two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown as well as ARTHUR’S TALE, second place finisher in the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct earlier this year.

And, oh by the way, as hinted earlier, Billy Mott also had a horse in this race—TO HONOR AND SERVE—a colt who had won two Graded stakes in NY last fall that suggested he would be a formidable Kentucky Derby prospect.

For those who believed in that notion, you have my sympathies. To Honor and Serve was a big Derby bust, finishing a tired third in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park before Mott realized that something was amiss and there was work to be done to get the colt back to top form.

Last month, To Honor and Serve came back to the races and after showing some speed in a 6 furlong race that was designed strictly to sharpen the colt his next start in a nine furlong allowance race against older horses. Winning that 1-1/8 mile race was impressive in its own right, but the performance was merely a prelude to Saturdays’ superb victory in the Pennsylvania Derby.

After breaking well from post seven in the nine horse field, To Honor and Serve moved strongly while wide to pass front running longshot RUSH NOW and went on from there to assume command of the race leaving the final turn while never threatened thereafter by Ruler On Ice’s late bid.

The track was fast, but To Honor and Serve completed the 1-1/8 mile distance in a sparkling 1:47.34, less than 2/5 of a second off the track record!

It was a gratifying performance for a horse of tremendous natural ability, who may go into the BC Classic as a live longshot, or be pointed to an aggressive campaign in 2012 as a mature 4 year old. If we are smart, we will let Billy Mott decide. He is among the half dozen best horse trainers America has produced in the last 50 years.

Added Note: Ruler On Ice’s second place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby was a workmanlike performance that adds to his credentials as a legit BC longshot contender. It should be noted that TIZWAY, the best American older horse in training, incurred a fever last week and will miss his final BC Classic prep race in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont this Saturday. Get all your online horse racing odds in the Bodog Racebook now.

Yes, we are continuing with the heavy concentration of terrific stakes races this weekend that will have implications for the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs, Nov 4 and 5.

While Belmont Park will offer a few Graded Stakes and so will Santa Anita Park, the number one track in America will be beautiful Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky.

I say the word “beautiful” honestly, as Keeneland features an old-time setting for horse racing with its tree lined paddock, stone building, bright green grass in the infield and its rolling hills in the background. The single-tiered grandstand also is a throwback to a simpler age and so is what lies next door: Calumet Farm, where the great CITATION was born and stood at stud when his career was over in 1951, as the sport’s first winner of $1 million in purses.

Fact is, Calumet was the reigning champion for Triple Crown victories and major stakes winners during the late 1930’s through the end of the ‘40’s and it had a short rebirth in the late 1960’s for another decade when trainer John Veitch developed several champions and near champs, including Hall of Famer ALYDAR.

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When you are at Keeneland, you can’t help but feel Calumet’s nearby presence and if you wander out the gates on to any road or highway, you will see storied horse farm after storied horse farm in the capital of the Thoroughbred breeding industry.

The racing ain’t bad either.

Consider the stakes and horses that will be competing on the Saturday, Oct. 8 racing card:

The fifth on the card is the $150,000 Grade-3 Woodford at 5-1/2 furlongs on the turf for 3 year olds and up. It’s such a good betting race that seven of the horses entered are listed at 10-1 or under in the official morning line.

The sixth is the $200,000 Grade-2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, at 6 furlongs for fillies and mares. The 9-5 morning line favorite is the California based SWITCH, a multiple Grade-1 Stakes winner this year. A little more than a year ago, Switch gave the great ZENYATTA all she could handle in the Lady’s Secret at Hollywood Park.

The seventh is the $350,000 G-1 First Lady Stakes, at one mile on the turf for fillies and mares. Among the 14 horses named to the race—two must be scratched to pare down to the 12 horse Keeneland turf course limit—is a serious European import TOGETHER; plus G-1 and G-2 winners C.S. SILK, WASTED TEARS, NEVER RETREAT, THEYSKENS’ THEORY, TAPITSFLY, GYPSY’S WARNING, ÉCLAIR DE LUNE and DAVERON. The rest of the field certainly would present a fine Graded stakes all by themselves.

Race eight is the $400,000, G-1, Breeders’ Futurity for 2 year olds at 1-1/16 miles and the race figures to identify a serious contender for the $2 million BC Juvenile on Nov 5 at the same distance. Among the proven stakes performers are the west coast based MAJESTIC CITY, the Calder based MUSICAL FLAIR and the 1-2-3 finishers in the Arlington Washington Futurity—SHARED PROPERTY, TAKE CHARGE INDY and MOTOR CITY. Beyond those five, there also is GUNG HO, a stakes winner from Louisiana Downs AND LUCKY CHAPPER, a two time winner in Italy, plus several impressive maiden winners and stakes placed runners from Delaware Park and Saratoga.

The ninth, and so-called ‘feature race’ will be the $600,000, G-1 Shadwell Turf Mile, that will match the three time US turf champion GIO PONTI against two good sharp Europeans, DANCE AND DANCE and ZOFFANY. Multiple G-1 winner GET STORMY is in this field, as the improving WISE DAN and the extremely quick SIDNEY’S CANDY. Gio Ponti actually won this race in2010 prior to finishing second to the great GOLDIKOVA in the $2 million BC Mile.

And that’s just the Saturday card at Keeneland. On Sunday, there will be several more high quality stakes at varying distances on turf and the Polytrack, just as there will be on the dirt and turf at Belmont and Santa Anita Park on both days. While sometimes it may be difficult to decide which races to play and which ones may be too tough or too easy, I doubt the smorgasbord of great races is going to cause many horseplayers to complain.

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Consider this: There will be 140-170 horses entered Monday in the 15 different BC races as the first step before post positions will be drawn next a few days prior to their scheduled appearances in the Churchill Downs starting gate, on Friday Nov 4 and Saturday Nov. 5.

Consider also that most of these horses will have won or run strongly in Graded stakes competition this season on a variety of racing surfaces, if not different states and/or foreign countries.

The sheer numbers of horses all of us will have to research and the rapid way these BC races will come at us on both days might seem as if we are dealing with 15 different Kentucky Derbies all lumped together. To some, it might feel like WINTER MEMORIES finishing like a blur in the Garden City Stakes a few weeks ago.

For reasons explained last week, Winter Memories isn’t in this Breeders’ Cup and several other BC races have lost some of their most accomplished contenders due to illness or injury—specifically, the filly SASSYS IMAGE, who is out of the Filly and Mare Sprint; BLIND LUCK and ZAZU, out of the BC Ladies Classic; CAPE BLANCO and ACCLAMATION from the BC Turf, etc. But that has not made BC handicapping any easier than usual.

Every year we see longshot bombs winning and/or finishing in key money positions without really shocking us. But should we have been that surprised for instance when DAKOTA PHONE won last year’s BC Dirt Mile at the outrageous price of 37-1? This, even though Dakota Phone had been a consistent performer in Graded Stakes all year for the great trainer Jerry Hollendorfer who finally was inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer after an amazing 35 year career.

Another example?

There certainly was nothing wrong with the past performances of DANCING IN SILKS, winner of the 2009 BC Sprint at 25-1.

What could be wrong with a horse that had won his previous three starts, including a stakes one month earlier over the same Santa Anita racing surface while earning a 106 Beyer Speed Figure. Do I need to point out that Dancing In Silks ran almost the identical race while posting the same Beyer Fig. to win his BC race? Or, that the next two finishers in that BC Sprint, wer4e both experienced Santa Anita stakes sprinters who went to the post in the BC at 15-1, 18-1 respectively?

Every year, longshot BC winners and other near winners come to America’s two richest days in the sport with strong credentials for top performances only to be overlooked by the hundreds of thousands of people who will be playing these races throughout the world.

Fact is, there will be some betting favorites that certainly will be important contenders and possible winners, but the trick to making money on BC races is to accept the fact that good horses will go off at good prices on both days.

And, far be it from me to self promote (don’t laugh too loud), but the GradeOneRacing-com website could prove useful to longshot hunters at this Breeders’ Cup simply because we have had expert clockers monitoring the current physical condition of the majority of horses that have been pointed to these 15 championship style races.

The Bodog Racebook certainly deserves plenty of attention, given the horse betting options here and the fact that Las Vegas based colleague Dave Tuley and I both will be presenting our annual ‘Face Offs’ on the 15 BC races next week. In past years, we somehow have managed to catch a few good ones.

Stay tuned. We’re almost there and the wait will be worth it.