A friend who’s an occasional Railbird reader called yesterday to ask: “What do you think of Giacomo?”
Eh, and a shoulder shrug — that’s what I think. I liked Giacomo until the Santa Anita Derby, a race in which I thought he needed to show some improvement (read: win, or have a very good excuse for running second) if he was going to prove more than a sucker horse. I was disappointed at his Derby win, although that had more to do with the dismal performances of horses (Afleet Alex excepted) I’d backed than with Giacomo. I’m curious to see what he does in the Preakness.
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Why bother handicapping? That’s the question that comes to mind reading stories like this:
“I liked the names, that’s it,” she said. “Giacomo just kind of stood out to me, being foreign-sounding and all. And Closing Argument, I went with that because we have a lawyer in the office where I work.”
Another woman won “because she always bets the No. 10 horse — that was Giacomo on Saturday — and had Closing Argument because he was No. 18 and she was married on the 18th.” (Baltimore Sun)
Considering how well I did with the Derby, I might be better off picking horses with such logic. I am a little embarrassed that — despite knowing that history points to a winner with a race within four weeks of the Derby and three preps or more — I persisted in backing horses like Noble Causeway and High Limit. The only thing I was right about in this race was Bellamy Road. (And being right negatively isn’t as much fun as being right positively.)
Posted by JC in Racing on 05/11/2005 @ 9:20 am / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Follow @railbird on Twitter
Reader Chris Garrity visited Atlantic City Race Course last week and reports on a day at the once-thriving racetrack, which may close permanently after this year.
My day at ACRC was interesting. I found that my memories of the old place weren’t quite accurate — I think it was because I had never been to another racetrack at the time (and I had only been there once). My day was also sad in a way, though, because even though the facility looks pretty down-at-the-heels, the work it needs is all cosmetic — the structure looks fine, and with a little bit of restoration it could be actually be a beautiful venue for horse racing. Just about everything in the building, from the seats in the grandstand to the teller windows to the rails around the walking ring, is original (built in 1946), and with a fresh coat of paint it is easy to imagine walking through the place and feeling like you were back in its 1950s glory days.
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Posted by JC in Track Notes on 05/11/2005 @ 9:17 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
– Joe Bravo, bobblehead. Monmouth Park is giving out bouncy-headed replicas of the jockey on May 28 with paid admissions. Bravo has won Monmouth’s riding title 10 times. (NYDN)
– Pat Valenzuela will be out of action for the next four to eight weeks. The rider has a concussion and a torn knee tendon that will require surgery. Valenzuela was injured last Sunday at Hollywood Park when he was thrown from his mount. (BH)
At least four Kentucky Derby jockeys wore ads not approved by Churchill Downs, say officials. The Kentucky Racing Authority is looking into the matter. (CJ)
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com
Posted by JC in Miscellany on 05/11/2005 @ 9:15 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
