JC / Railbird

The Yum! Derby

There are some things that should be beyond the reach of advertisers.
What’s next? Jay Hovdey considers the sponsorship possibilities: “In a surprise move, The Jockey Club today announced that the entire North American Thoroughbred foal crop of 2007 would be underwritten by Pampers, a division of Procter & Gamble Co., the home and personal products giant.”

Posted by JC in Racing on 02/01/2006 @ 9:10 am / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Follow @railbird on Twitter

Big Field for Holy Bull

Although some trainers plan to send their top Derby hopefuls elsewhere to avoid Gulfstream’s problematic three-year-old stakes series …
The Holy Bull is the first major two-turn race for three-year-olds on the Derby Trail at Gulfstream, but when the field is drawn on Thursday several well-regarded prospects will be conspicuously missing. Todd Pletcher is planning to send Bluegrass Cat to Tampa for the Sam F. Davis, Nick Zito is considering the same for allowance winner Hesanoldsalt, and Frank Brother’s First Samurai will race in the seven and a half furlong Hutcheson instead, all because the Holy Bull distance of nine furlongs is the same distance as the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby:

Pletcher said that if Bluegrass Cat runs in the Sam F. Davis, he would very likely run in the Tampa Bay Derby a month later. “If we go in the Sam Davis we’re kind of committed to Tampa all the way and he probably won’t run at Gulfstream this winter.”
Among the possible starters for the Holy Bull are Aventura winner Doctor Decherd, Zito’s Little Cliff and Hemingway’s Key, Pletcher’s My Golden Song and Saint Augustus, and the intriguing Barbaro, who’s undefeated in three starts on the turf and making his dirt debut. “I just feel that right now we have to try the dirt,” said trainer Michael Matz. “We know we have an excellent horse on the turf. I feel for the owner’s sake and the horse’s sake, we have to try the dirt.”

Posted by JC in Racing on 01/31/2006 @ 9:15 pm / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Follow @railbird on Twitter

Noted: January 31

– Funny Cide will try to regain his winning form in an allowance race at Gulfstream on Thursday. The gelding finished seventh in his last start, the Mr. Prospector Handicap on January 7, but worked a sharp half mile on Sunday (workouts, however, have never been Funny Cide’s problem). Other possible starters in Thursday’s race include Pennsylvania Derby winner Sun King.
– Suffolk Downs announcer Larry Collmus, at Aqueduct for the winter, is taking questions from fans. And not just on racing: “John Q. Public: ‘Brokeback Mountain;classic or catastrophy?’ Larry Collmus: ‘I thought it was ok, not as good as I expected though. I really liked King Kong and the Woody Allen movie Match Point. Brokeback would be in my top five of the last few months.'”
– Trainer Todd Pletcher is asking a judge to toss out the $3,000 fine and 45-day suspension he received after one of his horses tested positive for mepivacaine following a race at Saratoga.
– Don’t forget to include a horse’s appearance in your handicapping. Here’s what to look for in the paddock and post parade.

Posted by JC in News on 01/31/2006 @ 9:05 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter