JC / Railbird

I see where Ray Paulick has left the Blood Horse. Has there been any suggestion that he was pushed out due to the strong opinion he raised in this editorial?
I also find it interesting that jockey Terry Houghton can be banned from Arlington on what seems to be very sketchy and circumstantial innuendo, whereas when Patrick Biancone is caught red-handed with cobra venom in his barn, nothing happens.
I seem to recall Arlington taking a hard line with Noel Hickey several years ago. But he only trained for himself — he wasn’t training for anyone named Magnier or Tabor.

Posted by Jersey John on August 29, 2007 @ 12:10 am

Good point, Jersey John.
Though Biancone has not been charged, why then do a bunch of jocks get banned because of an investigation in Florida?
NYRA sent Ralph Nicks packing earlier this decade because he had a needle in his barn. Anyone know what was in it?
Was Bobby Frankel at Saratoga over the weekend? He was no where to be seen when Indian Flare was lying on her side dying.
Sights at the Spa…….Robert LaPenta toasted War Pass’s win the other day in a box. “On to the 2008 Kentucky Derby!” he exclaimed to his family and friends.
Billy Fuccillo, the animated car dealer in upstate NY, hit the $100 window after his Huge City won on Sunday. He apparently wasn’t there when Auto City won the day before. Looks like he paid for a few dozen more commercials by the time it took for him to get paid…..over 10 minutes!
Retired (again) NFL coach, Bill Tuna Parcells, was all smiles before and after Wayne Lukas’s horse won on Saturday. Parcells gestured to the woman in his box as the horse came on to the track for the post parade. About an hour later, dear old future Viagra (and EPO???….and Cobra Venom???) pitchman Wayne Lukas stopped by Parcells box to jabber on how great they (are) used to be.
Anthony Dutrow was cool as a cucumber over the weekend during the running of the race in which his Zayat owned horse won. A guy resembling Dutrow (is there another annoying third brother?) was babbling on and on about his cold exactas. No mention of Rick Dutrow’s suspensions during the Saint Liam year. How many find it rather odd that Richard and Anthony bag a few DDs? Older bro wins first half, younger bro wins second, etc, etc.
Clubhouse chaperon morons continue to pester fans who wear shorts up the stairs, of course, headed to the standing area which has a sign of “No Standing,” but it’s filled by scores of people for each race. Nice to see the NYRA employees who wear cheap straw hats and the NYRA logo blazers walking up and getting in the way of paying fans at the SAMs. Does Charlie Heyward need some cellphone video to see how this goes on?
Do people like John Oxley really need to wager on races in which he doesn’t have True Competitor staggering after a half mile?
Andy Serling was a miserable lout after Robby Albarado won the 11th on Saturday. “This horse should have been 27,000-1,” he bellowed. Yes, Blackthroatedwind, it’s hard for the racing fan to watch as Rick Violette entered the winner’s circle after the race to pat the horse on the back. Yeah, he apparently used to train it, (for one race?), but how much did he have on it?
Burmilla flipped on her way to the track. Bejarano was sent to the crowd, but he did a heckuva job landing on his feet.
Calvin Borel is a cool dude.
Ramon Dominguez helped some Spanish speaking people with the camera they owned after they tried to take a picture of him with one of them. Man, he’s a nice guy.
NYRA security is blind as a bat to the smokers. Nice job in ignoring a blatant violation of the law!
Joe Bruno has had his picture taken more times in the winner’s circle than Billy Mott. Nice to see “I Love Myself” Bruno helping out the taxpayers of NY.
If Contessa wins more than Mott, how many pounds will THAT bobblehead weigh?
Can’t there just be a window at the main gate for those wishing to get invisible ink stamped for the clubhouse?
The profits on bottled water: $3.50 a bottle; 24 bottles cost about $5 at the local Price Chopper. Hmmm, not bad, around $80 a case.
Hundreds of fans waited patiently along the fences for the Travers filed. Um, one problem, NYRA brought them in a different way. NYRA security was too lazy to tell the devoted patrons about this. One NYRA security slob said, “I don’t want to get yelled at.” How about putting away your mutuel tix, bud, and serve the customers.
If there is a $80 profit per case of water, why not bring in some 18-wheelers filled with ice and sell it for $5 a bag? Centerplate staff do a wonderous job of appearing at the SAMs to tap some tix. Do they wash thy hands when returning to the kitchen after touching those machines? Nice job by the NYRA Fire dudes checking their mutuel tix.
Remember, no shorts in the clubhouse.

Posted by Jim on August 29, 2007 @ 3:51 am

There is no way what-so-ever that Paulick was pushed out b/c of an editorial about Biancone. That’s silly talk.

Posted by Michael on August 29, 2007 @ 10:08 am

Frankel usually watches his horses race on the TV in the racing relations office. I read somewhere (NY Daily News?) that he was on his way back to the barn to meet Indian Flare when he got a call that she had died. He had no idea that she’d been stricken.

Posted by Teresa on August 29, 2007 @ 4:12 pm

Good point about the so-called investigation that tarred several jockeys. One thing that’s so troubling about both investigations is that there’s no transparency and little sense of process.
Thanks for the Saratoga vignettes, Jim. Also good to remember, no flip-flops in the paddock.

Posted by Jessica on August 29, 2007 @ 9:27 pm

While we’re on the subject, does anyone remember when Dr. Greg Fox was caught up at Saratoga administering prohibited medication to a Pat Byrne filly that was supposed to race later that day? Sometime in the late 1990s, I think it was. Naturally, the excuse was that a horse in an adjacent stall was supposed to get the dosage and he hit the wrong horse. Uh huh.
I don’t remember Byrne receiving any serious sanction — despite the absolute insurer rule — although things went downhill for him shortly thereafter. I believe this may have been either the year that Awesome Again won the Breeders’ Cup Classic or the next year. Stronach canned him not long after this and his “training skills” haven’t been as apparent.
I also presume that the Dr. Fox in that episode is the same Greg Fox that is now training in the midwest. Can anyone confirm this? Wonder if we’ll see him at a NYRA track anytime in the near future.
And, at the risk of getting too long-winded, let me say that my estimation of Bill Mott as an honest horseman went up considerably after the job he did with Favorite Trick and Countess Diana, once he inherited them from Byrne. Yes, I know they weren’t the same in their 3-year-old seasons . . . but that’s the point. He wasn’t putting the same crap into them that Byrne probably was. The races that Favorite Trick won as a 3-year-old were honestly won by a superior horseman who probably had less to work with than everybody thought during “Trick’s” horse of the year campaign when he was 2.
Does anyone care to differ?

Posted by Jersey John on August 29, 2007 @ 11:45 pm

Paranoia is alive and well and living in Saratoga. You all are endlessly entertaining.

Posted by J.S. on August 31, 2007 @ 11:37 pm