Thanks to the readers who sent in possible names for the racing scandal that broke on January 13 in New York. Coming up was something snappy was tough, as quite a few of you pointed out — the scandal is nothing if not multi-faceted, what with allegations of milkshaking and race-fixing, tax evasion and mob involvement. But I think most of the suggestions capture the whole pretty well.
The possibilities: Uvarigate, Mob Rocket, $200 Million Fix, Cookies-and-Milkshake Scandal, Shake and Rebate.
The winner: I’ve a weakness for puns, which makes Mob Rocket tempting, but I think I have to go with Cookies-and-Milkshake Scandal, submitted by Alan Mann. Thanks, Alan! The scandal shall henceforth by referred to by its new name, or the acronym CAMS, on this site.
Posted by JC in Misdeeds & Wrongdoing on 01/31/2005 @ 9:25 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
– Take a right on Funny Cide. WinStar names it roads after its best-known horses. (LHL)
– A wedding planner called trainer John Servis last spring in hopes of renting Smarty Jones for a post-nuptial carriage ride. Funny. (Cap.)
– Suffolk rider Jill Jellison, at Tampa for the winter, trails Vicki Aragon-Baze by only two wins for third place on the all-time winningest female jockeys list. (DRF)
– Jockey Gary Boulanger is in critical condition after a fall during the Mac Diarmida Handicap at Gulfstream on Sunday. (Globe)
– The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority is expected to recommend this week the creation of a worker’s comp fund for riders (TT) … How other states handle insurance for riders and workers. (LHL)
– The Cornell equine testing lab is freezing urine samples now for use as new performance enhancing substances tests are developed. (NYRA)
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com
Posted by JC in Miscellany on 01/31/2005 @ 9:20 am / Follow @railbird on Twitter
And the Google Alerts really pile up. Most that landed in my inbox in the past 36 hours are about the Sunshine Millions, the eight races being run today at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I haven’t even looked at the past performances of any of the entrants in these races. It’s been a bad week to get any handicapping time. Others, though, know what’s going on: Bill Christine offers some good analysis (LA Times) and Eddie Mac some picks (ESPN). Also see: Ellis Starr’s thorough look at the Classic (NTRA), and Left at the Gate’s contrarian view on Midas Eyes.
Related: Lost in the Fog could be jockey Russell Baze’s chance at a Derby win. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Unrelated: I saw a mention of this story on the Derby List on Thursday and thought it had to be a joke. Guess it isn’t. Oklahoma Senator Frank Shurden has a plan to save the state gamefowl industry: Give roosters boxing gloves. Cockfighting was banned in Oklahoma in 2002 because of its lethality; gloving the roosters would make the sport non-lethal and fun for all, argues Shurden, who’s filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session. If Shurden’s bill is passed, cockfighting would be monitored by the state’s racing commission and, “Shurden believes it could be incorporated into horse racing, providing the boxing between horse races.” Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. (Sun-Sentinel)
Posted by JC in Races/Results on 01/29/2005 @ 12:05 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
