JC / Railbird - Saratoga

Saratoga

Reality

This may be the truest paragraph in Kay Reindl’s appreciation of horse racing:

The racegoer has made a pact with himself. He knows heâ€™s going to lose more often than heâ€™ll win. He knows that most of the time, heâ€™s going to see ordinary horses doing ordinary things. But he also knows that every once in awhile, heâ€™s going to hit that big payout. And heâ€™s going to see a horse do something that makes him or her seem chosen …

I’ve been thinking about this pact, because racing fans are on a winning streak right now. We’re in that golden glow of our longshots coming in and photos going our way. We have a Triple Crown winner, and he’s racing in the Travers. A two-time champion just became the first distaffer to ever win the Pacific Classic, all but guaranteeing her a third Eclipse title. Wise Dan seems to be his old self and ready to run. The handicap division has bounced back from losses earlier this year with popular Whitney winner Honor Code atop it. It will end, because all winning streaks do. But let’s enjoy the glow as long as it lasts.

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“Jess’s Dream is a reality,” said announcer Larry Collmus as Rachel Alexandra’s first foal won his debut, a nine-furlong maiden special at Saratoga on Monday:

The 3-year-old Curlin colt broke slow, fell behind the field by more than dozen lengths, went wide. It wasn’t looking good as he loped along through the first three quarters in 1:13.96 (Trakus time). “I was hoping that he would just hit the board,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Then rider John Velazquez asked him to go: “At the half-mile pole I started getting after him and he started catching up to horses,” said Velazquez. “Once he caught up to the group, he knew it was time to run.” Jess’s Dream went from last to first, ran the final furlong in :12.03, and earned a Beyer speed figure of 90 for the win. TimeformUS gave him a speed figure of 106. McLaughlin said the colt’s next race would likely be an allowance at Belmont.

Posted in Racing on August 25, 2015 / Tagged Favorites, Jess's Dream, Rachel Alexandra, Saratoga

Taking the Blame

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas tightens the girth on Take Charge Brandi in the Saratoga paddock before the 2015 Test Stakes

After Take Charge Brandi finished last in the Test Stakes at Saratoga last Saturday — the 2014 juvenile filly champion’s first start coming off an injury — trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the problem was all him:

“It was a bad training job,” Lukas said inside his office on the Oklahoma Training Track on Wednesday morning. “I misread her. I thought she was a lot tighter. She threw up a (four-furlong) 48 (-second) training work on the Oklahoma, and I thought, ‘Damn! She is way ahead of schedule.’ So, I backed up a little bit on her and I just misread her.”

The trainer also told Mike Kane:

“[S]he was dog-tired when she finished [in the Test]. She blew out of there and ran as far as I conditioned her … I wish had pushed her a little bit more and had her more ready,” Lukas said. “But the good news is that itâ€™s fixable.”

She’s pointing to the Cotillion at Parx on September 19.

8/16/15 Addendum: Take Charge Brandi is back to work, breezing five furlongs on the Oklahoma track in 1:00.90, the fastest of four at the distance.

Posted in Racing on August 15, 2015 / Tagged D. Wayne Lukas, Saratoga, Take Charge Brandi

The Handicappers

How we talk about women in racing — an ongoing series. Today’s entry begins with Scott Raymond’s appreciation for Saratoga, which includes well-deserved praise for NYRA’s announcer and in-house handicapping team:

Yes, this is your NYRA crew like we just experienced at Belmont, but they deserve credit for adding to the Saratoga experience. They are among the best in the business. You have Larry Collmus, arguably the best active announcer in horse racing. Mike Beer, Andy Serling, and all the guys on Talking Horses do a great job. They are horseplayers; they arenâ€™t talking heads. And Maggie Wolfendale in the paddock provides solid insight. Her husband is a trainer and she has experience as an exercise rider. Sheâ€™s not just a young, pretty face they put on camera. Her insight from the paddock is key, especially in analyzing younger horses and first-time starters.

Only Maggie Wolfendale’s professional ability is defined in relation to another person and physical appearance. For fun, let’s rewrite a couple of sentences:

You have Larry Collmus, arguably the best active announcer in horse racing. His wife is a trainer. He’s not just a hot, sexy voice they put on mic. Mike Beer, Andy Serling, and all the guys on Talking Horses do a great job. Beer’s significant other is a jockey. Serling’s mother is a steward. They’re horseplayers; they’re not just handsome faces they put on camera.

It’s obvious that no disrespect was meant to Wolfendale, but it’s a good example of how a compliment can display the unconscious bias that women couldn’t possibly be good handicappers in their own right.

Sometimes the bias isn’t so unconscious:

â€œA lot of people see me and think my husband is picking my card, but I play my own,â€ [Jeannie] King said. â€œWe donâ€™t even sit in the same room when weâ€™re playing.â€

Judy Wagner, winner of the 2001 National Handicapping Championship, and the first horseplayer appointed to the NTRA board of directors, heard much the same when she began going to handicapping contests.

For the record, King has finished fourth in the NHC, and Wolfendale was a great handicapper before marrying the trainer!