Now that the Breeders’ Cup is over, we can all look toward the next big event on racing’s calendar: The 2006 Kentucky Derby. There are a mere 182 days remaining to the first Saturday of May. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Stevie Wonderboy, whose owner has already displayed acute symptoms of Derby Fever, will be put into light training for the next couple of months and then return in January or February to prep for the Derby. “Unless something changes, the plan is to wait and start him in January or February. We haven’t decided which races … Maybe he’ll have a race in late January or February and late March or early April,” said trainer Doug O’Neill. I hope O’Neill realizes that since Stevie already has to fend off the Juvenile Jinx, he can’t possibly start in the run for the roses without at least three prep races. And so the madness begins …
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Stevie Wonderboy earned a Beyer speed figure of 104 in the Juvenile, “an excellent number for a Kentucky Derby wannabe in late October and a giant improvement on the 86 he got in the Sept. 7 Del Mar Futurity.” Numbers were not otherwise so impressive, says Dick Jerardi. Silver Train earned 114 in the Sprint, the best dirt figure. Shirocco did the same in the Turf. Saint Liam earned 112 winning the Classic.
Posted by JC in Racing on 11/04/2005 @ 7:10 pm / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Follow @railbird on Twitter
The rush to annoint Saint Liam as Horse of the Year after his Breeders’ Cup Classic win last Saturday could prove premature, writes Gary West:
Yes, Saint Liam won the country’s richest race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic; and, yes, in 2005 he constructed an admirable edifice of accomplishment that included three other major stakes wins. He’s the champion older horse; give him that.
But at least for the moment, there are two reasons not to hand over the sport’s highest honor to Saint Liam. The obvious reason is Afleet Alex. The other is Saint Liam’s trainer, [Richard] Dutrow.
This past summer, Dutrow paid a $5,000 fine and served a 60-day suspension — he originally had been suspended 120 days — for a variety of offenses, including two medication violations. As a result, his winning the Classic with Saint Liam was, for some, an unsatisfying outcome.
In getting to the winner’s circle, Dutrow had stepped on and over the rules of racing.
Yes, he had paid his fine and served his suspension, but the sight of him there left traditionalists feeling uneasy.
And should Saint Liam become Horse of the Year, well, that would be the ultimate raspberry.
If you find that an unreasonable attitude, try for a moment to imagine how you’re going to feel when Barry Bonds hits No. 756 over the horizon.
Expect debate over the propriety of naming Saint Liam the 2005 Horse of the Year (and possibly Silver Train as sprint champion) to intensify in the next six weeks, given the cloud of suspicion that hangs over Dutrow.
Posted by JC in HOF/Awards on 11/04/2005 @ 7:00 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
The congressional subcommittee investigating jockeys’ insurance has scheduled a second hearing on the issue for November 17. The witness list has not been finalized yet. The first hearing was held on October 18 and included testimony from jockeys and Jockeys’ Guild officials, who answered questions about the organization’s finances and the 2002 lapse of a catastrophic insurance policy.
Posted by JC in Jockeys' Insurance on 11/04/2005 @ 9:05 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
