Weekend Picks/TBA Challenge

I've got my picks in for the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Saratoga/Monmouth challenge.  Some really tough stakes races this weekend.  Thank goodness it's play money.  Here's a link to the picks.  Read more selections at the TBA site.

Here goes my stab:

Diana (G1 1 1/8 Turf Saratoga):  A salty bunch this is!  Maybe Forever Together finally puts it back together here, but I can't take 2-1 or less on her after five straight defeats. Anyone else in this field could win, given the right setup.  I like the stretch out from a mile to 1 1/8 for Phola.  She's shown a pretty nasty kick into some slow paces.  And if she doesn't break slow like in her last race, I like her to run 'em down.  Pick:  Phola.

Jim Dandy (G2 1 1/8 Saratoga):  My first inclination was to back Fly Down in this race. I thought for sure he'd win the Belmont, and with a bit better trip, he probably would have.  But I imagine he'll be the favorite, and I'm not that sold on him yet.  A Little Warm has run five bang-up races in a row, from 6 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, a distance many thought he wouldn't like.  He's versatile, gritty and has a race under his belt (the field's top Beyer at 105).  Pick:  A Little Warm.

Majestic Light (1 1/16 Monmouth):  I don't have a strong opinion about this race, except that I'll try to beat the favorite, Cool Coal Man.  Arson Squad, Omniscient, Indian Dance and Manteca all seem logical alternatives.  I'll give Arson Squad the edge on back class.  Pick:  Arson Squad.

Jersey Derby (1 1/16 Turf Monmouth):  There may be enough speed in here to bother Two Notch Road in his gate-to-wire bid.  But he gets the rail, he's the speed of the speed, he cuts back in distance after getting gassed going longer and he's 3 for his last 3 on the Monmouth Turf.  I'll take him at a decent price and hope he holds on.  Pick: Two Notch Road.

Regret (6f Monmouth):  I hated handicapping this race.  I have no idea who's going to win it.  Nobody stands out as being in top form.  Maybe Lady Alexander takes them gate to wire, but I doubt she gets an easy lead here.  Mistical Plan hasn't raced in 18 months.  Everyone else doesn't seem to mind 2nd or 3rd.  I'll take a swing with the Woodbine shipper who's never tasted dirt.  She's by Distorted Humor and has the field's best distance Tomlinson.  8-1 morning line.  Pick:  Carem Crescent.

Matchmaker (G3 1 1/8 Turf Monmouth):  Tough field.  I think the front end might be a little crowded, which left me wanting a horse with a nice closing kick.  Came down to Tottie and Cherokee Queen for me.  Both seem in top form.  Cherokee Queen faced half the Diana field two races back, got a little boxed and was still close on the wire in G1 company.  Pick:  Cherokee Queen.

Teddy Drone (6f Monmouth):  Another tough race to handicap.  I went back and forth on this one.  Charitable Man has the class, but he's never run 6 furlongs and hasn't raced in a year.  Riley Tucker has never run at Monmouth.  So, I'm tossing the two favorites.  I settled on the horses with good recent form on the track.  Wildcat Brief lost a little momentum in his last race and might've nipped Roaring Lion otherwise.  I'll take him.  Pick:  Wildcat Brief.

Oceanport (G3 1 1/16 Turf Monmouth):  Get Serious is one serious Monmouth turf runner.  In the United Nations, he had three other speed burners to deal with.  This time, he doesn't have much competition for the lead, and he's cutting back to a more preferable distance.  I don't think they'll catch him.  Pick:  Get Serious.

Haskell (G1 1 1/8 Monmouth):  First Dude probably gets the lead here, but he'll have company on the front end. I think there will be enough speed to set it up for a stalker or closer. I don't trust Ice Box to close from Philadelphia or wherever he'll be early on. You gotta respect Lookin' at Lucky's "winstinct," but I'll try to beat him with a non-Derby Trail entry.  Trappe Shot takes a big step up in class but his last two races are ultra-impressive.  He's won his last four by a combined 29 1/2 lengths, and he had plenty left in the tank on the stretchout to 1 1/16.  Those paired-up 105 Beyers stand out to me.  Pick:  Trappe Shot.

The Sweet Siren of Saratoga

The first time I set foot on Saratoga's hallowed grounds, the place was eerily empty. As soon as I landed in Albany, I hopped in the rental car, made a beeline up Highway 87 and drove straight to the track.  What else do you do when you've flown across the country to visit Saratoga Springs?  I certainly wasn't going to wait until tomorrow.

The race day was long over.  Once inside, I encountered no one.  I'm sure somebody was there, but I couldn't see them.  It was as if the track had closed years ago, and I had snuck in through a hole in the fence to see the old place.  Tomorrow, I would have to share Saratoga with everyone else, but for now, it was just me and a track as old as the Civil War.  I walked among the discarded copies of the Daily Racing Form, the picnic remnants, the empty beer cups, the chairs on top of tables and took it all in.  

It felt right that we should meet this way, without all the distractions and the buzz.  A rainbow appeared on the horizon, as if the track were telling me:  All those stories you've heard about the magic of this place are true.  I'm no ordinary racetrack.

The next morning, I awoke at 6 a.m. and headed back, lured by Saratoga's siren.  That, and the smell of bacon.  I knew breakfast at the track was an essential part of the Saratoga experience, and I wasn't going to miss it just because I had jet lag. Horseman Humphrey S. Finney once said, "Mornings at Saratoga are the best that nature has to offer.  If there is anything better than having melon, scrambled eggs and coffee on the clubhouse porch while watching horses work, I haven't found it."

Me either, Mr. Finney.  I couldn't believe how many people were there so early.  The races were six hours away.  The moon was still out.  But the Saratoga sky was so perfectly blue and clear, I couldn't imagine being any place else. 

After breakfast, I took the tram to the other side of the track and got my first look at life on the backside.  Part of the beauty of Saratoga is that you don't need a press pass or a badge or an inside source to see areas that are off limits to the public at most tracks.  

It makes you feel more a participant than a spectator.  It makes you feel welcome.

From the backside, I watched two-year-olds learning how to break from the gate.  I soaked up every detail of horses taking flight.  I studied the trainers studying their equine athletes.  I walked over to Siro's and listened to Steven Crist and others handicap the races.  Saratoga had grabbed a hold of me already, and it wasn't even noon.

I strolled through paddock area, stepping between the families picnicking on the grass. I chatted up the locals and listened to their stories. Before I knew it, it was post time. I had gotten so swept up in the Saratoga morning, I had forgotten to do my own handicapping.  No matter.  I didn't come here just to play the races.  I can play the races anywhere.  I can play them from home.  I flew 3,000 miles because I wanted to know why this place called to me like no other.  I wanted to know this town and its people, its farms and its charms.  Over the course of a week, I experienced it all, concluding with (what else?) The Travers.  I left the next day, begrudgingly.  But I knew Saratoga would one day invite me back.

It's late July.  Thankfully, her siren calls again.

A tough sell. Or is it?

This week's poll at the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance got me thinking about how I became a diehard horse racing fan.  You can answer the poll and see the results below.  The question is:  Who is most responsible for educating first time racetrack visitors and turning them into regular patrons?

My story might be similar to yours.  I went to the track on my own.  I accidentally hit a $400 trifecta, and I was hooked.  What a pastime!  Of course, when I couldn't duplicate that feat, I realized this was actually work, and I needed to study.  So I read every handicapping book I could get my hands on.  I spent hours pouring over charts and past performances.  I was obsessed with figuring out the game.  I've spent the years since then chasing that horse, and I will likely spend the rest of my days in pursuit of that unreachable goal.  The fun, for me, is in learning from my mistakes, improving my eye and my methods and my discipline.

But not everyone has that perseverance (insanity?) gene.  Playing the horses at a dedicated level requires other qualities not everyone possesses -- a certain disdain for one's own money, a willingness to accept losing as a regular occurrence in your life, a proclivity toward solitary pursuits involving numbers.

So, where does that leave us in terms of attracting new fans and turning them into regular patrons?  As a self-taught, self-motivated player, I'm fine with putting some of the onus on the fan himself.  But are there enough people like you and me to reinvigorate the sport?

Maybe not.  But that's where the racing business comes into play.  The market will force racing to operate on a smaller scale -- contraction, as Jeremy Plonk puts it.  The racetracks that survive will likely be the ones that can make regular patrons out of people who aren't going to bury their heads in past performance charts or might not even sign up for an online wagering account.

Being open to ideas such as betting exchanges, shorter meets and rewards for playing will help lure the  casual fan into more participation.  But racing also needs to sell the personalities of the game -- there are so many colorful characters, human and equine. Racing isn't going to get a swell of new fans playing Belmont on a Wednesday, no matter the incentives.  It needs to focus on those aspects of the sport that are irresistible to just about any human being.

And that's where I come in.  As a fan, I accept a responsibility in sharing the game with others, and not just teaching them how to bet.  In that respect, I keep it simple.  No tris and supers.  I know that a winning ticket, no matter the odds, is the ultimate racing aphrodisiac.  But even that isn't likely to get most people to play the game at my dedicated level.  If they do, it's because they naturally have those qualities that create the died-in-the-wool horseplayer.

So, I always take my friends to the far turn to watch a race, where there are no betting windows.  There, it's just about the grace and beauty of the horses and their innate sense of competition.  

I tell them stories of arrogant trainers and quirky owners, about Brice Blanc's turf riding ability or Mike Smith and Chantal Sutherland's fiery relationship or Zenyatta posing for pictures in the paddock.  These aren't gimmicks, and as much as we might cringe at melodramatic NBC vignettes during the Derby, this is the stuff that helps turn the casual fan into a follower.  

My mom -- who never followed racing until recently -- eats that stuff up.  Now, she calls me and tells me who she wants to bet in the exacta at Belmont.  Not because she's studying PPs by candlelight, but because she's pulled in by the stories of rehabilitated jockeys and scrappy owners and by her awe of the horses, and their talents and personalities.

Playing the horses regularly is hard work.  Selling the game to new fans doesn't have to be.

I'm a Cardinal!

I just received my admissions letter from the University of Louisville.

For the next year, I'll be pursuing a Certificate in Equine Administration from the U of L.

It feels a little strange going back to college at age 40, but as I've explained previously on the blog, I'm trying to follow my passion for racing and build a career in the industry.  I believe there are opportunities to help the sport grow again, and I want to be part of that.

For those who might be interested, here's a list of the courses I'll likely be taking this fall:

Equine Management:  An introduction to the nature of the horse, and to those challenges unique to the management of equine enterprises... Emphasis on live-animal management practices that can dramatically affect profit and loss in equine-related enterprises.

Industry Speaker Series:  Prominent individuals from a broad spectrum across the equine industry serve as weekly guest lecturers with student reports and instructor-led in-depth discussions of each speaker's presentation.

Organization and Administration of Equine Operations:  Introduction to the organizational structure and human resources required for enterprises including breeding farms, race tracks and horsemen's organizations.

Equine Economics:  Pretty self-explanatory.

Equine Regulatory Law:  An introduction and review of regulatory law in racing jurisdictions throughout the US.

Equine Financial Management:  Applications of analytical techniques to financial decision making in the equine industry.

If you'd like to read more about the program, click here.

In addition to the coursework, I'll be networking and looking for opportunities to get real-world experience - like say, at the Breeders' Cup, which just happens to be at Churchill Downs this year :)

Best quotations about racing

Here's a collection of some of my favorite quotes about horses and racing.  Enjoy and feel free to add your own!

"A racetrack is a place where windows clean people." -- Danny Thomas

"Fortunately my wife is understanding.  When I come home from the races she never asks any questions, if I tell her I just ate a $380 hot dog." -- Tim Conway

"Horse sense is a good judgment that keeps horses from betting on people." -- WC Fields

"No one has ever bet enough on a winning horse." -- Richard Sasuly

"A real racehorse should have a head like a lady and the behind like a cook." -- Jack Leach

"I could cut through the infield and Ruffian would still beat me." -- Braulio Baeza

"I'm lucky because I have an athlete between my legs." -- Jockey Willie Carson

"The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business." -- John Steinbeck

"Money, horse racing and women, three things the boys just can't figure out." -- Will Rogers

"They must get to the end and go, 'We were just here.  What's the point of that?'" -- Jerry Seinfeld on what race horses must think.

"Why, I expect he is one of the dumbest horses I ever saw.  He don't know the difference between 115 and 135 pounds." -- Trainer Henry McDaniel

"That horse isn't fast enough to run past me." -- Owner Willis Sharpe Kilmer

"Citation will win, because he can catch any horse he can see, and there is nothing wrong with his eyesight." -- Trainer Ben Jones

"I admire the Turf writers, because it must be tough to write about something you know nothing about." -- Jockey Bill Hartack

"His legs are barely long enough to keep his tail off the ground.  He probably takes a hundred more strides than anyone else in the race, but he's harder to pass up than a third martini." -- Sports writer Jim Murray on Northern Dancer.

"He's the kind of horse that if he wants to go left and you want to go right, you go left." -- Forego's groom, Don Moore.

"I've never seen perfection before.  Secretariat's only point of reference is himself." -- Turf writer Charles Hatton.

"Secretariat is everything I am not.  He is young, he has lots of hair, he is fast, he has a large bank account and his entire sex life is before him."  -- Cy Burick

"I would sooner train a good horse than be President of the United States." -- John E. Madden

"People have opinions.  Horses have the facts." -- Trainer D. Wayne Lukas

10 things I love about racing

I'm a fan of the Equispace blog, and today, the blog's author, Geno, posted 10 things that don't bug him about racing.  Since racing fans can always use another dose of positive attitude, I got to thinking about some of my own favorite things:

1.  Come catch me.  I'm a sucker for horses that open up 4 or 5, hell, 20 lengths on a field and can still win.  Presious Passion, Acclamation, Get Serious, Mandurah.  These guys run mile and a half marathons like they're in a 300-yard quarter horse race.  They are equine Steve Prefontaines -- none of that drafting, stalking crap.  They tell the racing world, hey, just open the gate, and I'm going to run as fast as I can until you tell me it's time to stop.  I love it.

2.  First-time turf.  Boy, do I enjoy opening the racing form to find a first-time turfer with hidden grass pedigree.  Heck, I'll bet 'em even without the pedigree if they are 3 or 4 years old and have shown more than a hint of speed on dirt.  One of my favorite picks ever was a 90-1 speedball at Indiana Downs trying the grass for the first time.  Gate to wire, baby.  By far, this is my favorite handicapping angle.

3.  Siro's.  I love everything about Saratoga Springs, but handicapping at Siro's before the races and then going straight there afterwards to drink beers and swap stories about the day is pretty close to heaven.

4.  The backside.  If you're not in the racing business, a visit to the backside is rare (with the exception of Saratoga's shuttle trips).  It's a mesmerizing place, where I love to imagine all the secrets being kept back there.

5.  Zenyatta.  I don't care what anyone says, Zenyatta is an amazing horse that beats everything put in front of her.  It's even harder not to love her after you've seen in her person, prancing and posing for pictures in the paddock.  She's a beautiful champion with an A+ personality.

6.  50-cent pick fours.  I'm stealing this one from Geno.  I, too, adore this bet.  It suits my style of playing multi-race wagers.  In a pick four, I usually try to nail down two singles and go as deep as I can in the other races.  All it takes is one bomb in a pick four sequence to make it pay box cars, and I probably won't have the bomb playing 3x3x3x3.  But I can rarely afford to hit the ALL button in a $1 P4.  The 50-cent P4s can pay huge, too.  I saw one at Churchill last fall that paid $180,000.  That's a fat Pick 6 payout!

7.  The far turn.  I love sneaking down to the far turn to watch a race.  At most tracks, I'm usually the only person there.  The announcer's call and the crowd are so far away, all you can hear are the thundering hooves and the jockeys clicking their horses into gear for the stretch run.  Best place to get race photos, too.

8.  Harses, harses.  One of these days, I'd love to try my hand at race announcing, but I'm not sure what my "thing" would be.  Just about every announcer has a signature. In Louisiana, it's the French Ils Sont Parti instead of And they're off.  The announcer at Fairmount park calls the animals harses instead of horses.  And the harses are rounding the far turn!  I love Tom Durkin's sense of humor and Mark Johnson's polish.  Here in SoCal, I never tire of Trevor Denman's And away they go.

This race call by Frank Mirahmadi at Turf Paradise (where he imitates other announcers) is an all-time classic:

9.  Winning.  I know it's weird, but I'm just not a big fan of losing.  As a handicapper, I don't mind getting beaten.  What bugs me is when I lose a race in which I ignore one of my favorite angles, and that horse wins.  Drives me crazy!  But in keeping with the positive theme of this post, I'll just say that being right and winning money is awesome.  


10.  New fans.  Taking a novice to the track and teaching them about the game is just plain fun.  I've never taken anyone to the races who didn't want to come back again.  The more we can share our passion for the sport with others, the more optimistic we can be about its future.


There.  I feel better now.  Thanks, Geno!

Am I Crazy?

After almost two decades as a radio and TV journalist, I have decided to change careers and get into the horse racing business.

Yes, racing is a struggling industry, but that's part of the reason I feel compelled to take this leap -- I want to do whatever I can to help the sport grow again and find new fans.  Besides, my current profession of journalism isn't exactly a growth industry either!

My plan is to move to Louisville next month and enroll in the one-year Equine Business program at the University of Louisville.  When I visited the school, I was impressed with the staff's knowledge and connections.  I believe it'll make for a good transition into the industry.  And Kentucky's certainly the place to be for racing.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to brainstorm ideas that might eventually take off as their own business or be an asset to an existing racing organization.  Some areas I'm thinking about:

• Racing needs a national governing body.  Every other major sport has one, and until racing unifies, progress will continue to be difficult.  The mish-mash of state initiatives and regulations has stymied racing's potential.
• The drugs need to go.  Europe races without Lasix.  Why can't we?  Drugs have virtually murdered the sport of cycling, and horse racing is headed in the same direction unless the tolerance level reaches zero.
• Diversify.  Racing needs new initiatives to attract owners from different ethnic backgrounds.  Racing is popular in Asia, South America and other places, but that is certainly not reflected in the ownership of horses in the United States.
• Embrace the technology.  Horse racing remains the only legal form of online betting in the US.  That should be a huge advantage, but racing has been slow to capitalize.  Companies like Betfair are making progress, but there's a world of opportunity waiting to be seized.
• Simplify.  The learning curve for people wanting to understand this game is fairly steep.  Are there ways to make it easier for the novice to learn and enjoy racing?  
• Think international.  After watching the passion stoked by the US soccer team at the World Cup, I'm convinced racing needs an international event where the horses truly represent their countries, not just their owners. People who never followed soccer in their lives were watching the World Cup this year.  There is no greater passion in sports than pulling for one's country, and such an event could open new doors for racing.

I realize some of this is blatantly obvious stuff, and some of it may be wishful thinking. But I'm hoping to start a dialogue (with myself and others) to generate concrete ideas that can address these issues.  There are people already in the industry who are doing this as well.  You can even enter your idea into a contest at racingfuture.com.

As frustrating as the industry seems at times, all hope is not lost.  Almost every person I introduce to the sport enjoys themselves and wants to come back again.  

There's a future in that. 

I'm trying to make it my future.  Even if that means I'm crazy.