JC / Railbird

In the Fractions

Handicapper Brad Thomas critiques the 2013 Whitney Handicap results:

“Nothing illustrates the weakness and over-the-hill nature of the handicap div like the unaggressive way speed horses have been ridden in …

“races like the Foster and Sat’s Whitney. No one had the guts to test Fort Larned in the former and Cross Traffic got away with a cheap …

“first quarter in the latter-effectively turning the 9F Whitney into a sprint with a galloping run-up. This decaying div is wide open …

“to any developing 3YO still ambulatory late in the year and to Royal Delta …“

Watching Cross Traffic and every other contender but Successful Dan drift, list, and stagger across the wire (replay), it’s hard to argue otherwise.

The DRF Formulator Whitney fractions:

Cross Traffic was given a Beyer speed figure of 108 for his Whitney win.

(Thomas tweets via @superterrific.)

Posted by JC in Racing on 08/04/2013 @ 3:00 pm / Tagged Beyer Speed Figures, Cross Traffic, Pace, Saratoga, Successful Dan, Whitney Handicap / Follow @railbird on Twitter

Monzante’s Legacy

It’s been more than a week since the Louisiana Racing Commission concluded its investigation into the death former Grade 1 winner Monzante at Evangeline Downs in a $4,000 claiming race on July 20, determining that all regulations and safeguards had been followed and that there was no action to take. The furor that followed his euthanization, which began subsiding as details of Monzante’s circumstances and final injury became known, has abated.

But Monzante’s fate still reverberates. Sometimes explicitly, as in Esther Marr’s OTTB Spotlight on Sandburr, retired at 10 when he became uncompetitive at the $25,000 claiming level, and sometimes quietly in the thoughts of those for whom he became a symbol of the holes in racing’s safety net. He crossed my mind while reading Jay Hovdey’s column about the 1973 Whitney, which ends with trainer Allen Jerkens reminiscing about the retirement of Onion:

“We gave him the whole year off and then brought him back, and he won a couple of races, for $25,000 or something like that. We never ran him real cheap. Eventually he went to the owner’s farm, where he had a nice field with all the other old geldings. He lived to be 26.”

We never ran him real cheap … he lived to be 26. An echo across decades, of the decisions that humans make, and the consequences that horses bear.

Posted by JC in Racing on 08/03/2013 @ 4:00 pm / Tagged Monzante / Follow @railbird on Twitter

Odds and Ends

Mr. Hot Stuff, cover gelding (PDF). The lazy looker won the A. P. Smithwick at Saratoga on Thursday. “He’s taken to the jumps because he doesn’t have to work that hard,” said trainer Jack Fisher of Colonel John’s brother, who never showed a similar flair for the flat. “Seriously. It’s not as tough; he’s not going down there in :23. It’s just a nice easy gallop for him. Sometimes, doing this, if it’s easy enough, they’ll try again. He’s a beautiful horse.”

The Isadorable Stakes for Massachusetts-breds is Saturday’s feature race at Suffolk Downs. Lynne Snierson has the preview. Southoftheborder, now 10, returns to defend her title; Tammi Piermarini is on Navy Nurse, making her second start of the year and coming off an allowance win on July 15. Even though seeing her atop the standings has become the norm, it’s still hard not to be a little awed by Piermarini’s stats — she’s won 44 races through the meet’s first eight weeks, 19 more than the second leading rider by wins, Gary Wales. She’s up almost $200,000 over the second by earnings, Jackie Davis.

Promo: Breeders’ Cup Fantasy ‘Capping begins with the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga on Saturday. Beat Ray. Join Pete. Or create your own league and play against your friends. Free past performances from the Daily Racing Form and horse bios by Hello Race Fans will help you make your picks.

Posted by JC in Racing on 08/02/2013 @ 4:52 pm / Tagged A. P. Smithwick Stakes, Fantasy 'Capping, Mr. Hot Stuff, Saratoga, Steeplechase, Suffolk Downs / Follow @railbird on Twitter