– With the Triple Crown season well past, racing’s second season begins: For three-year-olds, that means prepping for the Travers Stakes; for all the divisions, the Breeders’ Cup.
– After four weeks off, Brother Derek returned to training at Santa Anita last Saturday. The colt is being pointed to the August 6 Haskell. “We’re looking forward to running at Monmouth Park,” said trainer Dan Hendricks.
– The Boston Globe publishes yet another article about how gloomy things are at Suffolk Downs (although, in fairness, the mood around the struggling track hasn’t been all that upbeat recently). At least a couple of people are happy: Trainer John Rigattieri and jockey Dyn Panell teamed up to win five races at Suffolk on Monday.
– This is just a nice story: “Amid the organized chaos in the morning at Canterbury Park, the 2-year-old bay colt gallops by, its head held high, the exercise rider easing him down the backstretch. From the viewing stand, trainer Todd Hoffrogge watches keenly for any signs that Bold Bulldog isn’t ready to race. There are none.”
– It’s been quiet around Railbird lately, and probably will be so for another week or two, owing to a couple of upcoming deadlines, but I’ll be back before too long with a summer reading round-up and a Saratoga preview …
Posted by JC in Races/Results on 06/20/2006 @ 6:00 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
– The Jockeys’ Guild continues to recover from the frayed relationships and depleted coffers of the Wayne Gertmenian era. “It has been difficult,” said jockey Jon Court, one of 27 jockeys elected to the Guild’s Senate last week. “Some people like to hang on. But we were literally able to take that skeleton and throw it out.”
– At Woodbine, 35-year-old apprentice Dean Deverell wins four races in a week.
– Happy Ticket will face top older distaffer Oonagh Maccool on Saturday in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. “Obviously, the other mare is awfully good,” said owner Stewart Madison. “But one thing I know for sure is that my horse will definitely show up.”
– In the first Belmont since 2000 without the Derby or Preakness winner entered, the race’s TV ratings dropped 22% from 2005.
– What people really want to know about racing: “The people out there want to know what a horse eats, how a horse exercises, how he lives, what she does when she’s not training or racing. They long to find out about the people on horses’ backs or at their sides. People want to read Michael Matz’ life story. They want to hear what Edgar Prado thinks. They want Peter Brette to tell them what Barbaro feels like when he trots. What does a Kentucky Derby winner trot like? Now there’s something they can identify with at the PTA meeting.”
Posted by JC in Jockeys' Insurance, News on 06/13/2006 @ 9:00 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
– As usual, Alan at Left at the Gate has a superb post up covering all of Saturday’s stakes action at Belmont, and Steve Haskin painstakingly details Jazil’s Belmont victory in the Blood-Horse. About all I have to add is that Jazil earned a 102 Beyer speed figure for his Belmont win, and that the colt will be pointed toward the Travers at Saratoga on August 26, as will runner-up Bluegrass Cat and third place finisher Sunriver.
– Gary West wraps up this year’s Triple Crown season: “It was a long five weeks.”
– Lava Man became a Grade I winner on the dirt and turf on Saturday with a brilliant wire-to-wire victory in the Charlie Whittingham at Hollywood. “He reminds me of a horse like John Henry,” said jockey Corey Nakatani of the gelding, claimed for $50,000 in 2003 and now undefeated in four starts for trainer Doug O’Neill and with earnings of more than $2.5 million.
Posted by JC in Triple Crown on 06/12/2006 @ 10:00 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
