JC / Railbird

Blinkers Off

Rumors and Conspiracy Theories

Hours after likely favorite I Want Revenge was scratched from the Kentucky Derby with a suspected ankle injury, little is yet known about his condition, but there’s no lack of speculation about what might have been behind the morning announcement. “Rumors abounded all afternoon about the sudden defection, ranging from a failed drug test to a witnessed violation,” writes Joe Drape on the Rail. Blinkers Off passes along another possibility:

It took a hardened gambler, however, a relentless player known as Action Andy, to come up with the greatest conspiracy theory of all … the show “Jockeys” is behind all of it.

Intriguing … read the complete Blinkers Off post.

Posted in Racing on May 2, 2009 / Tagged Blinkers Off, Conspiracy Theories, I Want Revenge, Kentucky Derby

Derby Eve Notes

– First, of course: Rachel Alexandra. Winner of the Oaks by a record 20 1/4 lengths, all while looking like she was out for a jog. “Breathtaking,” “one-of-a-kind freak,” “wow, wow, wow,” and possibly “the most dominating victory in a major race since Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes,” were just a few of the immediate reactions. Magnificent, I’ll add. Awesome. A final eighth in :12.16, a final three furlongs in :37.06, all without jockey Calvin Borel moving. Not a shake of the reins, not a flick of the whip, urged her to that beautiful widening lead down the Churchill stretch.

In the April 18 issue of the Thoroughbred Times, an excerpt from Regret’s 1934 obituary appeared on the final page. Regret was the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby; Rachel Alexandra looked every bit like she could have become the fourth. “Peerless Regret she was hailed and peerless she undoubtedly was,” recalled the writer, “and to this day we have never been able to think of her without that descriptive adjective affixed.” It is now affixed to Rachel Alexandra, wherever her career takes the filly.

– Props to announcer Mark Johnson for making the most of what could have been a bland call and deftly incorporating Borel’s stretch mugging into his patter with impeccable timing: “Borel looks over his right shoulder, no danger!,” he says as the rider’s head ducks. “Over his left shoulder, no danger!”

– Derby picks: Instead of adding to the glut, I’ll point to this page, on which can be found a surfeit of sharp handicapping, selections, analysis, etc. After taking a first pass through the Derby past performances, I landed on Friesan Fire, who I’d previously dismissed except as an exotic possibility, due to the seven week layoff and the lack of a nine furlong prep. I see I wasn’t the only convert — several of the contributors to the HRI Media Poll tabbed him on top, and the Larry Jones trainee is the 9-2 favorite in early Derby wagering. Except — now, I’ve taken a second pass and while Friesan Fire strikes me as a must-use horse, I’m not so confident he’s a winner. (That layoff!) What will I do on Saturday? I’m not sure yet … but I will be using Friesan Fire, Regal Ransom, and Dunkirk as A horses; Papa Clem, Desert Party, and I Want Revenge as B horses; Musket Man, Mr. Hot Stuff, and Pioneerof the Nile as C horses. Yes, that’s right … I’ve narrowed the Derby down to nine horses.

– In the second installment of the Blinkers Off chronicles, our special correspondent wades into the sea of humanity that is the Oaks crowd.

– Just a lovely piece of writing: The legend tutors the rookie in Derby riding. “‘An option will open for you,’ the legend tells the rookie … ‘Wait for it. Wait for it to appear. If you move early, you’ll pay the price.'”

Posted in Racing on May 2, 2009 / Tagged Blinkers Off, Churchill Downs, Jockeys, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Rachel Alexandra

Blinkers Off Returns

Special correspondent Blinkers Off is once again roaming the Churchill backstretch and filing irreverent posts …

While this idiocy was going on, Papa Clem went out and whistled three furlongs in 34 seconds. A very fine reporter, actually paying attention, said the horse looked like he wasn’t even trying…

Tom Law, managing editor at Thoroughbred Times, picks him.

Later on, Nowhere to Hide went out for a gallop at 8:30 a.m. Nick Zito looked embarrassed to be there with such a popgun. All I could think of was the year he ran five and had a plastic fence installed around his barn to keep away the riffraff. This year, he’s running the riffraff.

This spring, though, instead of posting on Railbird, Blinkers Off is over at Raceday 360, which is beginning its expansion into original content. More on that development sometime Friday, right after a couple database issues afflicting the site this evening are addressed (items are slow to add, pages may be slow to load). Also, a bit of Oaks, and more Derby.

Posted in Racing on April 30, 2009 / Tagged Backstretch, Blinkers Off, Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby