Haskell Questions

Which way to go in the Haskell? This is the type of situation where you wish you could camp out for a few days at the track to actually see how these horses look and act, coming up to what looks like a very important race with implications towards the  Breeder’s Cup and year end honors. How does the Derby winner look? Todd says he’s bigger and stronger. How did the Preakness winner ship? They say he shipped well and he handled his first gallop over the track with ease. How is the Dude doing? As good as he was doing before the Belmont, says his trainer. And Trappe Shot. Is Kiaran still brimming with confidence since his eye-catching win over the track last month, despite a clumsy start? Did Lezcano have his choice of Ice Box over Our Dark Knight? Is the latter, simply a rabbit? Could home track advantage make the difference with Afleet Express? Will angels carry Charlie over the Holy Ground where his trainer sleeps? A lot of questions, but, you still have to take a stand. So with that in mind, and at the time of this posting, I’m going to narrow it down to my final four : First Dude ( His performances are strong, even when he loses, and he should enjoy the turnback, he’s game no matter what), Trappe Shot ( we really don’t know just how good this colt is) Looking at Lucky ( whatever happens, he will run his race) and well, I can’t leave out a stronger, more focused, Super Saver, the Derby winner, can I ?
We can look in our crystal balls, we can handicap till we can’t see straight , we can study numbers, sheets, and replays, but till the Haskell is run and it’s in the books, we really don’t know which of these colts will take a step forward , lay it down, and come up a winner.
Good luck and a safe trip to all! It’s a hard race to handicap but it’s going to be a great race to watch.

Always a "play"... You Go West Girl...

We all have them. Horses we back, no matter what. Maybe we saw them break their maidens, early on, saw something that caught the eye. Not a “buzz” horse, not an expensive yearling, not an ultra special pedigree, but just something that made us say …hmmm… gotta follow this one. Well I’ve had many of those horses over the years, ones that I will almost always play, no matter what. I’m loyal that way, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not. There have been several high profile horses for me lately, Zenyatta for one, mainly because I look at anything out of a Kris S mare. Yes I watched that first race focused only on her, (It was easy, she was so far back) And couldn’t stop talking about her after that. Then there was Kelly’s Landing. I watched his maiden breaker, and got right on the bandwagon, and then there’s You Go West Girl. I was at Keeneland the day she broke her maiden, noticed she was a NY bred, running wide open, and that was it. I think that was 3 years ago, or was it 4? Anyway, she is back in the first race at Saratoga on Saturday, a stakes on the turf , and at age 6, with 24 starts,18 of those starts in the money, she has earnings of over a cool half million.

The William B. Fasig Stakes is small but contentious field. Chestoria appears to be the ML favorite, though You Go West Girl has beaten her before. They are very similar horses, really, career wise and they both have similar running styles. You Go West Girl has had a little freshening after her uninspiring try in the Mt. Vernon, but her nice turf work last Saturday, signals that she could be ready to run a big one. The other one in here that I like is Akilina. Just a four year old, she is another very consistent filly and perhaps will sit a little closer to the pace, and could upset the top two. But I will be rooting for You Go West Girl. Can’t stop now.

Horse For Course, QUICK CALL

 Then and Now


Thursday’s feature at Saratoga is the Quick Call Stakes, a mile on the inner turf for 3 year olds. In the late 80’s, if you were at Saratoga, and Quick Call was in the entries, well, betting on him was as close to a sure thing as you could get. Between 1986 and 1992 Quick Call won 16 out of 86 starts. Eight of those wins and two seconds came at Saratoga. The most prestigious of his wins was The Forego Handicap, which he won in ’88 and ’89 and nearly won in 1990, getting beat a nose.


Quick Call is living the good life at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Walkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York. If you are at the track on Thursday, the TRF will be there with information about what they do. For more info on the TRF, click here.


Now 26 years old, Quick Call is one of the lucky ones. Though awareness for the health and welfare of retired Thoroughbreds has grown tremendously over the years, it is an ongoing concern. So many horses slip through the cracks. Owners and breeders have a responsibility to be aware and pro-active concerning just where their horses end up after their racing careers are over. As an owner and a breeder, believe me,I know firsthand this is not always an easy task. But there is no excuse for doing anything less than the right thing by the horse, whatever it takes.


"Horses for Courses" are always special. They find a track they love and they “move up” when they run there. Quick Call was special on the track, and in his retirement, he represents all the other retired racehorses that could use our help. There are many equine charities out there. Find one that means something to you, and when you win a little, maybe that’s a good time to give a little.

Saturday's Re-Cap With Breeder's Cup Goals?

I saw three eye-catching performances Saturday. The first one I caught by accident. It was the King George IV Queen Elizabeth Stakes, at Ascot. Harbinger absolutely ran away and hid from the small but high class field, including Workforce, winner of the English Derby and Cape Blanco, winner of the Irish Derby. Harbinger  romped, by 11, and ran the mile and 1/2 in 2.26 +. He demolished the course record by better than 3+ seconds over a course labeled "good" His next start will likely be the Arc in October. No mention of whether there is a consideration for Breeder's Cup in November, however he is trained by Sir Michael Stoute, who brought us Conduit, ( who won the King George last year.) Enuf said.
Devil May Care did exactly what I thought she would do in winning the CCA Oaks at Saratoga. She is a professional race horse now, her greeness is gone, though there was a moment in the paddock when she got a little anxious. But she looks like a very level headed filly, who has learned a lot and knows what she has to do. She put away a good group of fillies in the Oaks pretty easily. Big and strong and still improving, we haven't seen the best of her yet. 
And in the G1 Eddie Read at Del Mar, the favorite, The Usual Q.T, did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, his race was brilliant. Beating a strong field in this $300,000 turf event, he relaxed early under Victor Espinoza and when he kicked on for home, it was as spectacular, as it was easy. And the Unusual Heats just keep on winning on the turf.
All three of these winners could figure prominently come the first weekend in November.

Zenyatta’s Bandwagon / The Queen's Workout on 7.22 and a Great Website

Zenyatta’s Bandwagon

I know, I know it's Rachel's weekend. And she's finally looking like her old self. Different day, different distance, a whole lot more money and it looks like an easy spot. And her last workout looked sharp. As the connections said, "loose and happy". Loose being the operative word here I think, because there have been times when she's looked "tight and cranky". But Rachel looms large this Saturday and I hope to see a "Rachelesque" performance.
Meanwhile, the Queen worked this morning on the West Coast. Just recently found this website, http://www.focusedfilly.com/, and if you haven't checked it out, it's a must see. Watch the workout from this morning and be sure to click on Zenyatta's gallop from yesterday, July 22,  entitled "California Gurl" and make sure your speakers are ON.

It's Summertime Racing... So Let's Make Some New Fans

I‘ve always loved opening day. And everybody has their own favorite tracks that they look forward to. Whether Del Mar today, or Saratoga on Friday, Opening Day is like a holiday that only racing fans celebrate! I can’t be at Saratoga opening day this year, but, don’t worry, I will still be an active participant! Good horses and more importantly, future stars will be on display. Even for the most serious handicapper, summer time race meets have a vacation feel to them and are very family-friendly. What better way to get the younger crowd interested? My family took a vacation every year to the Spa, and I couldn’t wait for that weekend in August that would be filled with all the sights and smells and sounds of horses. We always went up during Sales week, so we got the full experience day and night. As the years have gone by, I have introduced so many of my friends to racing. This is one of the most important ways for us to increase the fan base. It is also the best way to get people interested in race horse ownership. Every race fan needs to do their part. Invite someone to the track this summer, someone who's never been before. Sure, they’ll ask a lot of questions, and you might be thinking … I need some peace and quiet to read my form…. but I guarantee you, just one day at the track they will be begging to come back. And maybe they will bring a friend, and that’s how we can help our industry to grow. Yes, lots of things need fixing, but while there are a lot of things wrong with racing, a day at Del Mar or Saratoga shows what is right with racing. The spotlight is on, and let’s all do what we can to promote the greatest game on earth.

A Glowing Tribute

Maybe it’s not the first thing you see when you enter the “backyard” at Saratoga, but when your eyes find the paddock, it’s powerful. The beautiful bronze of the 1993 Kentucky Derby/Travers winner, Sea Hero, is a majestic tribute to the horse and his owner/breeder Paul Mellon. Or maybe “glowing tribute”, would be a better description.



Bred in Virginia, by his owner’s Rokeby Stable, Sea Hero was by Polish Navy ( by Danzig) out of Glowing Tribute, (by Graustark). With Sea Hero, winning the Kentucky Derby, Paul Mellon became the only owner to ever win the 3 Classics, the Kentucky Derby, The Epsom Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triumph.


Sea Hero’s dam, Glowing Tribute was a multiple stakes winner on grass ( including The Diana at Saratoga) and the 1993 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year. In addition to Sea Hero, Glowing Tribute had 6 additional stakes winners, including Hero’s Honor, Glowing Honor, ( who won the Diana TWICE) Mackie and Coronation Cup.


Another “tribute” to Mr. Mellon at Saratoga, is the Mellon Turf Course. One of three separate courses at the oval, the “Mellon” is the OUTER turf course and is one mile and 98 feet.


When I see Sea Hero in the paddock this year, I will be reminded of the incredible tribute that this is, and how significant Paul Mellon and his racing dynasty was to our sport. In addition, as important as Mr. Mellon was to horse racing, I think horse racing was very important to Paul Mellon. Click here, to read the entire original poem entitled "Thoroughbreds", by Paul Mellon.


In his own words:

"Though some may think and I'll agree


That only God can make a tree,


Before God thought of trees, it's said,


His mind was on the Thoroughbred."