JC / Railbird

Juveniles

First Impressions

The lights are impossible to miss. Heavy poles with banks of high-powered bulbs circle the racetrack, evenly spaced without exception for the iconic twin spires view. I stood among the apron box seats on Sunday with Ernie Munick, taking my first long look at Churchill Downs, at the winner’s circle and finish line familiar through TV. “You can’t watch races from the rail,” he said. Caught between my naive surprise that Churchill was more modern than I anticipated and awe at standing only a few feet away from the oval over which generations of Kentucky Derby winners have run, I sighed. “What’s a railbird to do?”

Watch from the balcony, of course. That’s Astrology on the inside, winning the G3 Iroquois Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths. “He’s a beautiful colt, and he has a ton of ability,” trainer Steve Asmussen told Gary West after the race, the fourth start for the 2-year-old colt. It’s just taken him some time to put it all together.

Disclosure/promotion for the week ahead: I’m at Churchill working on Breeders’ Cup 360. We’re streaming the Breeders’ Cup draw live on Tuesday! And I’ll be tweeting, etc. from the backstretch. You can follow here.

Posted in Racing on October 31, 2010 / Tagged Astrology, BC360, Breeders' Cup, Churchill Downs, Iroquois Stakes, Juveniles, Twin Spires

Something New

Or why the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile isn’t an easy race to handicap: Seven of the 11 pre-entered are Grade 1 or Group 1 winners. Eight of the 11 won their last start. Four are undefeated*. Three of the five American G1 winners won their G1 race off their maiden race. One broke his maiden winning a G1. All will be trying something new, whether two turns or a dirt surface. And the rock solid favorite? Said trainer Todd Pletcher, “I’m still worried about the four-week turnaround for … Uncle Mo and wish there was another week …“

Posted in Racing on October 29, 2010 / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Buzz Babies, Juveniles, Noted, Predicting an Upset, Statistics, Uncle Mo

BC Pre-Entry Day

And on the NY Times’ Rail Blog, back for the Breeders’ Cup, I take a look at the 10 Euro juveniles pre-entered in this year’s races, including the two very interesting Bernardini buzz babies Biondetti and Theyskens’ Theory. Although I mentioned both were cross-entered in their divisions, I left out that that both have first preference for the dirt races. Trainer Brian Meehan seems quite set on the Juvenile Fillies for ‘Theory,’ but what Godolphin will choose for Biondetti is a little less clear. They’re giving nothing away. Mark Simon, writing in the Thoroughbred Times, speculates that the Juvenile purse and prestige (and a possible championship) will be a factor in their decision. If the two start on dirt, they’ll make four, with Marathon prospects Bright Horizon and Precision Break, the number of Euro contenders running in main track races.

Posted in Racing on October 27, 2010 / Tagged Biondetti, Breeders' Cup, Buzz Babies, Euros, Juveniles, Pre-Entries, Theyskens' Theory