The Fun Is Over
Claire Novak is fed up with Jess Jackson’s coy refusals to announce yet where Rachel Alexandra is starting next. Enough, she writes:
Set a date for a press conference, make up your mind, and make the announcement. That’s what a true sportsman would do.
Significant Support
8/20/09 Update: Much, much more on the Saratoga numbers, from Steve Zorn. “The Saratoga sale’s success masks some serious problems, and does nothing to address the weakness in the thoroughbred industry.”
How much did Sheikh Mohammed and the Maktoum family support the recently concluded Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale? By quite a bit more than acknowledged, according to Bill Oppenheim’s estimate in today’s TDN:
While no one seems to want to admit it publicly (they buy for “unnamed principals who don’t want to be identified,” or some such doubletalk), everybody knows a number of European trainers and agents are employed to sign for horses which end up racing for Maktoum entities. My entirely unofficial and unverifiable estimate is that seven other agents or trainers were signing tickets on their behalves, and their actual purchases consisted of about 37 yearlings totaling around $20.5 million in sales. That would represent 18 percent of the horses sent through the ring, and 39 percent of the money spent. I’ll bet that closer to the truth.
Perspective
In the midst of headlines about expensive yearlings and the optimism such babies inspire, Jeff Scott reminds readers,
that the vast majority of the most important races continue to be won by horses that didn’t cost a small fortune. For example, the 83 Grade I winners over the past 12 months included just four horses that sold commercially for more than $350,000 – one yearling and three juveniles.
Of 35 Grade I winners sold as yearlings, 20 were purchased for $85,000 or less. They included no less than seven champions (Curlin, Zenyatta, Big Brown, Wait a While, Forever Together, Midnight Lute and Stardom Bound), as well as Derby winner Mine That Bird, who brought all of $9,500 at Fasig-Tipton’s 2007 October yearling sale.
Odds and ends: “I was told he was drunk, had no credit, and had run away.” No, not Sheikh Mohammed, on the premises and good for $11.8 million, or 22.6% of the gross at the just concluded Fasig-Tipton select Saratoga sale, but an unknown bald man, who opened the bidding at $1 million for a Kingmambo filly then fled the pavilion after the hammer came down … Trying to interview the Sheikh? “Don’t bum rush” … Obligatory The Green Monkey mention.
Links for 2009-08-09
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"Disenchantment sets in, there's some ugliness and then it's pretty much over. But that rapture you can't forget, and the disillusionment, and so there has to be the long goodbye letter, which, because this is Jim Squires, turns into a book. You could call it a swan song, or you could call it a 250-page flip of the middle finger to his one-time love." A review of “Headless Horsemen” and an interview with Squires.
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Makes a point key to any discussion about paywalls or the value of journalism: Write things people (particularly those outside your known audience) actually want to read. "Whatever you think of the actual piece, it's an almost startling reminder of the power of good writing. My takeaway from the piece had very little to do with Goldman Sachs and a lot to do with my job. Too much of journalism is about serving the existing audience …"
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Don’t call it a ban: "The intent of the line about 'sports-related content' is to get at the fact that we want to uphold the same editorial standards for reporting something, regardless of the medium. That is to say, that if ESPN decides not to publish news about a sports topic, that it should approach that in the same way across media. We’re clarifying and providing guidelines for how to play in this space, not fleeing from it."
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Tracking the HOTY contenders through 2009.
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Why the two may never meet: “For other sports, the presence of two superstars would be manna from heaven, cash at the box office. But most other sports are less complicated than racing. They have leagues and races and playoffs and neatly orchestrated ways to market their superstars and, in the end, get them on the same field of competition. Less so racing.”
Distaffers Due
Foolish Pleasure launches a new site with a timely theme:
… what I envision here is a mix of racing and breeding news from around the world, along with a strong dose of thoroughbred racing history — all focused exclusively on current and past fillies and mares. I certainly wish to appeal to fans of both sexes, but most particularly to women and girls who like me love horses with a passion, and find themselves reawakened to, or falling in love with, the sport of horse racing.
It won’t be trite. It won’t be “girly†in a negative or stereotypical way. And it certainly will not be patronizing.
It will be informative, and, most importantly, serious in presenting the sport of racing — past, present and future — with a clear intent of … Fillies First!
What a great idea, with all the exciting fillies and mares running these days. It’s a good year to be female in racing. (Well …)
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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