JC / Railbird

Tuesday Morning Notes

– At Churchill: Tale of Ekati worked four furlongs in :49.40 (“nothing dramatic“) over the main track. Halo Najib, #21 on the earnings list, worked five furlongs in 1:05 over the turf.
– Dutrow’s plan: “After winning the Derby, Big Brown will go to Baltimore, win the Preakness, and then claim the Triple Crown with a win in the Belmont.” If only winning the Triple Crown were that easy; I’m sure we would have had a winner or two in the past 30 years. [Addendum: Joe Drape reports today that Dutrow, now at Churchill, is more subdued.]
– Of course, if Big Brown does win the Derby, certain unsavory subjects will come up for discussion
– Now proven, synthetic surfaces produce closer finishes:

[D]uring Keeneland’s final year with a dirt main track, the average winning margin was 3.86 lengths in the spring and 4.33 lengths in the fall. In 2007, those winning margins were reduced to 1.84 lengths and 1.32 lengths in the spring and fall, respectively.

The change is good for horseplayers, said a Polytrack representative: “Close finishes give the bettor the feeling that they weren’t too far off” (ThoroTimes).
– Average daily handle declined at Keeneland during its recently concluded spring meet, but aided by an additional day and a closing card pick six carryover, overall Keeneland numbers were just 5% off last year’s record handle.