JC / Railbird

Belmont Archive

Casino Drive Out

Casino Drive is an early scratch from this afternoon’s Belmont Stakes due to a bruised left hind hoof:

The injury, initially reported on Friday, is considered minor.
10:15 a.m. oddity: TwinSpires accurately shows Casino Drive as scratched and won’t process a bet on the horse, but NYRA’s online wagering service currently shows Casino Drive at 5-1 and did let me bet $2 to win on #5. Wow, that seems like an oversight and a problem. I guess I’ll look for a refund sometime this afternoon, when NYRA online finally catches up with NYRA scratches …

Posted in Belmont, Triple Crown on June 7, 2008

Belmont Day Live

Handicapping and blogging, beginning around 11:00 a.m.

Posted in Belmont, Triple Crown on June 6, 2008

If You Can Make it Here

… then thank God that your flights were actually on time for a change.
But seriously folks, I’m on the ground in New York and relaxing in my digs for the next few nights: the Red Roof Inn in Westbury.
As Bart Simpson once said while eating dinner in his panties, “This ain’t the Ritz,” but as far as Red Roofs go, it’s much nicer than any Accor brand hotel I’ve ever stayed at and infinitely nicer than the Red oof Inn (sic) I stayed at in Arlington Heights for the 2002 Breeders’ Cup. To think a girl I was courting actually stepped foot in that room is a marvel. She must have really liked me.
Anyway, I caught the last six races at Belmont today. Didn’t play the pick six but was all over the first two pick threes and the late pick four, so I have some extra ammunition for the sexier Belmont eve and Belmont cards.
It’s hard to tell how much buzz there is for the race since I wasn’t on the backside this morning, but I thought the press box was kind of sparse. I wouldn’t even call it a Preakness-sized crowd, and it was nothing like what the press box is like Derby week at Churchill.
On the plus side, I have heard that the mornings are lively, and the people in the area are very aware of what is on the line this Saturday. I consider it an honor to be a part of it.

Posted in Belmont on June 5, 2008