Weekend Odds & Ends
– Mr. Railbird and I joined the hipster hordes at Brooklyn Flea this afternoon, lured by the promise of Wafels & Dinges (delicious) and the possibility of sports memorabilia (non-existent), although I did find a postcard of Suburban Day at Sheepshead Bay (above) at the stand of a vintage postcard purveyor. The card was mailed by one Mae Sterling of Brooklyn to A. F. Rockwell of New Haven (with the request to “Please send one in return”) not long after the 1905 renewal of the Suburban Handicap, which was won by the great racemare Beldame, who conceded weight to all 10 rivals and finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of a horse named Proper as the 6-5 favorite. Beldame raced twice more, then was retired and bred to Meddle, a stallion selected in part by an essay contest and a committee of breeding experts. No mention of the Suburban in Mae’s note, unfortunately, so I can only guess that she was a fan of the enormously popular champion filly once called “super-colossal” and “a public idol” for her considerable achievements, for which she is honored annually by the G1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.
– Trainer Todd Pletcher said Lexington Stakes winner Behindatthebar would probably skip the Derby, even though his $204,500 in graded earnings are enough for a post. “I’d say if he’s going to run in one of the classics, the Preakness would be more likely” (Courier-Journal). That must be welcome news to all connections with horses on the bubble. Behindatthebar was credited with a 99 Beyer speed figure for the race, which looked more like a route over dirt than Polytrack with the Bob Baffert-trained Samba Rooster blazing through opening fractions of :22.78 and :45.21.
– On the Sunday worktab: Colonel John breezed five furlongs in :59.40 at Santa Anita. At Churchill, Adriano worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 with jockey Edgar Prado aboard. At Keeneland, Eight Belles worked four furlongs in :46.40, the second-fastest of 39 at the distance.
– Trainer Rick Dutrow plans to go all in on Big Brown in the Derby, just as he did with Saint Liam in the 2005 Classic.
– Freshman sire Chapel Royal gets his first winner.
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