JC / Railbird

The Travers result — against what my normally reliable eyes saw — stunned me and obliterated a nice, fat Pick 3 I thought I had won. I haven’t seen the photo, but from what I’ve heard it’s a microsliver. Dead heat? I need to see. As for Da Tara, I think he should aim for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt (oops!) Marathon. He can still be controlling speed at 1 1/2 miles. Who in their right mind would want to commit the suicide necessary to bring him down (and still hope to have enough left to beat the other horses in the field)? I say he’s dangerous in that race if the right horses don’t show up and assuming he can handle the ProRide. Sheesh, another “if” having nothing to do with talent heading up into the Breeders’ Cup. Colonel John got lucky to be knocked into clear running position to win. How in the world is a race that roughly run not reviewed by the stewards? I think an inquiry was in order, and speaking of inquiry: What do you have to do in California to get DQ’d these days? Drop a jockey? Lewis Michael slammed into Barbecue Eddie in the stretch of the Pat O’Brien. Lewis Michael was going to win anyway, sure, but the contact almost assuredly cost Barbecue Eddie the place money. You can’t just go ramming into horses like that … except in California, of course. Congratulations to Wayne Catalano on the victory. He’s hitting with about 42 percent of his starters this year. Guess he’s just that damn good.

Posted by John S. on August 25, 2008 @ 2:06 pm

I’ve read that Catalano is a big believer in oxygen therapy. (More details here.) I don’t know (or maybe I should be less the naif and say, I’m doubtful) if that accounts for his wild success, but maybe it’s a starting point …
Missed the Pat O’Brien, but had to watch the replay after your mention. Lewis Michael’s contact with Barbecue Eddie looks bad from the pan and head-on angle. Hard to believe there was no DQ, because that was a hard hit and Lewis Michael surely affected the order of finish by depriving Eddie of place. Also, what happened to Midnight Lute? Out of the gate badly, never involved.
The Travers didn’t seem that roughly run (realizing Dallas Steward might disagree, since Macho Again was caught in pretty tight around the turn), the field just looked bunched going into the stretch, the knocking around unexceptional. Still, very lucky for Colonel John to get shoved into the clear. It was his day, I guess, and since he was one of my Kentucky Derby horses, I was kind of glad to see him redeemed (even if I really wanted Mambo). Which reminds me, where did Gayego go?

Posted by Jessica on August 25, 2008 @ 7:28 pm

There’s a photo in the Travers edition of the Times that shows that Colonel John didn’t get a wonderful trip. he got slammed on the rail pretty good turning for home.
As for the photo, I saw it on one of the new monitors at Keeneland, and it was very clear that Colonel John had his nose on the wire first, but it was the slimmest margin I’ve ever seen.
Of course, the math lover in me contends that there’s no such thing as a dead heat, anyway. :P

Posted by EJXD2 on August 26, 2008 @ 12:23 pm

Gayego finally made an appearance on the worktab this weekend. Slowly making his way back. As for “oxygen therapy,” word has it that Dale Capuano is installing a hyperbaric chamber at his barn at Laurel. I guess he’ll start winning at 40 percent too. I have nothing against this type of “therapy” except it has the potential to throw the game out of whack in favor of the haves. What of the trainers who cannot afford the chamber? Now they lose even more. The small-time horseman simply cannot compete when drug and technological advances surpass what they can afford. It’s no longer about who has the best horse at that point; it’s who can afford the state of the art. I also think the fans deserve to know which horses are going into the oxygen chamber. I wouldn’t have known, Jessica, about Catalano if you hadn’t brought it up. I think it’s probably a more valuable tool then a little “L” symbol for Lasix. I’ll bet on the hyperbaric horse every time. I guess that’s what it’s come to. Horsemanship? That’s for suckers who loved Seabiscuit.
“Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe …”

Posted by John S. on August 26, 2008 @ 12:41 pm

When I get home and go through six weeks accumulated mail, I will not skip TT, especially the Travers issue. CalRacing didn’t have the head-on video earlier, so I think I missed seeing some of the trip problems. Also, I totally missed the photo! Which doesn’t seem to be posted anywhere.
I’d like an “H” for hyperbaric, and an “M” for myectomy, and more reliable reports of gelding. More information, all around.
Feeling cynical today, I’ll counter that the game — any game, sport, education, human endeavor, not only racing — is rigged and has always been rigged for the haves. But how to mitigate that and make it possible for the small-timers to stay involved? Should nutraceuticals and hyperbaric chambers be banned or regulated along with performance enhancing drugs?
Good for Gayego. It would be nice to see him return this year.

Posted by Jessica on August 26, 2008 @ 2:06 pm

I think before hyperbaric chambers are permitted on the grounds of a track or training center, the racing commissions should probably at least have a hearing on them, with experts. It’s not like the labs are going to test for increased oxygen, but permitting the machines on grounds is another story. My scientific knowledge on this is about nil, although some horsemen swear by them. I don’t think everything is rigged for the haves. I’ll use one example off the top of my head — probably the oldest profession (possibly older than the more commonly recognized oldest profession) — fighting. It has long been held that anyone who can fight, no matter how lowly their standing in society, can battle their way up to money and respectability. In the U.S., in the major immigration wave in the early 1900s, boxing was everywhere, and the poor immigrants — whether educated or not — used the sport as a tool to get ahead. (Fascinating bio on “Barney Ross” by Douglas Century in the Jewish Encounters series that touches on the intellectual and fistic, as well as the struggle with religious responsibility as a boxer.) Anybody with promise had access to the training necessary to get to the top. In racing, everything is against the little guy, but the story of the little guy is one of the great beauties of the game. I’d hate to see the cards stacked further against him. The rise of super trainers is enough (there were always Calumets and other giants of breeding). Maybe the rich trainers can let the poor guy’s horses get a few huffs on the hyperbaric pipe just to even things out.

Posted by John S. on August 26, 2008 @ 6:06 pm

Perhaps the racing commissions could install the hyperbaric chambers and make the facilities available to everyone for a fee, set on a sliding scale based on barn size, while ruling outside chambers can’t be used.
This is one of those developments, though, sort of like the LZR swimsuit, that seems dubious used in competition. Yes, the technology exists and an edge can be gained, but should it be, and if the answer is no, then what’s the line?
You’ve made me want to learn more about boxing, John. I’m going to look up that Barney Ross bio …

Posted by Jessica on August 27, 2008 @ 12:10 pm

Great suggestion on the regulation of the chambers, and I thought of the swimsuits too when I first read the post. When a $2,000 horse trained by Mom and Pop goes up against a $100,000 horse trained by King Barn, the playing field is slanted enough, but the challenge — and the dream — certainly is one reason we keep watching this game. The leaders of the sport have a responsibility to make sure that challenge doesn’t become too daunting.

Posted by John S. on August 27, 2008 @ 11:45 pm