– Voting is now open on the NTRA web site for racing’s “Moment of the Year.” Fans can vote for one of 12 images from the past 11 months, including Bellamy Road’s Woodward win, trainer Nick Zito’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and Afleet Alex’s amazing Preakness win after colliding with Scrappy T at the top of the stretch. Can there be any doubt about the likely winner? If there was a morning line on this contest, Afleet Alex would be even money.
– Attendance declined 3% and handle was down 6% at Suffolk Downs this year.
– I’m not just a racing fan, I’m a bibliophile, which is just a nice way of saying I have too many books. A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to LibraryThing.com, a nifty new web site that allows readers to catalog books online and organize them with descriptive tags. I’ve started with the racing and horse-related books; I may broaden my catalog eventually. In the meantime, I’d love to get some recommendations from other readers for books I should add. What’s essential to a good racing collection that I’m missing? Suggestions? Please email.
Posted by JC in News on 12/02/2005 @ 10:30 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
Because of a recently discovered leg injury. The problem, a wedge-shaped bit of abnormal bone, was uncovered during a scan of the colt’s injured left front leg, in which Alex was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the cannon bone last July. Dr. Patricia Hogan described the wedge as “essentially an island of brittle bone that was once badly bruised, and over time has slowly lost its blood supply,” and said,
“We talked to Dr. (Larry) Bramlage about it and he said if it ever healed at all it would have taken months, and I don’t think we’d ever feel confident radiographically that it would look normal enough for the horse to return to racing.”
Chuck Zacney, managing partner of Cash Is King stable, said everyone involved was “disappointed and frustrated”:
“We were really looking forward to racing Alex next year and to showing just how great a horse he was. I don’t think horse racing fans saw the best of Alex. They saw a lot of very good races, but, the way he was growing and maturing, I really feel the best was yet to come.”
If I may be allowed a moment of cynicism and snarkiness (I’m so disappointed at this news — there’s no horse I’ve wanted to see race again as much as I did Alex): It seems to me that any letdown the Cash Is King crew feels will be overcome by the giant piles of cash coming their way. No word yet on where Afleet Alex will stand at stud, but talk earlier this summer suggested the Preakness and Belmont winner was worth upwards of $20 million in the breeding shed.
Posted by JC in Horses on 12/01/2005 @ 10:15 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
The Churchill Downs fall meet ended this past weekend with “impressive gains” in attendance (up 5%) and handle (up 11%). “The supersized fields and talented jockey colony made for top-notch racing,” writes Jennie Rees. “A year ago, with the jockey walkout/ejection, some of us were relieved when the season ended. Not this time. A confluence of circumstances made this an outstanding meet.”
Same of those same circumstances, such as the weather-related damage at Fair Grounds and Ellis Park, are helping fill Oaklawn Park’s stables. The track, which opened for training on November 22, has received a record number of stall requests. Horsemen have asked Oaklawn to accommodate 3,000 horses; the track has 1,500 stalls. About 200 horses are already on Oaklawn’s grounds, including Round Pond and Rockport Harbor, who worked three furlongs in :36 on Saturday. “That was his first work back,” said trainer John Servis. “I’m tickled to death.” Rockport hasn’t raced since April because of a foot injury. As a two-year-old, he was an early leading Kentucky Derby contender; as a four-year-old, he could be a major factor in the handicap division.
Posted by JC in Track Notes on 11/30/2005 @ 11:25 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
