Railbird 2004–2019

Miscellany Archive

Catching Up

Well, I returned home to Boston from Saratoga more than a week ago, but it’s only the past couple of days that I’ve finally begun to get out of vacation mode, back to work and old routines — like posting to Railbird. And just in time too, since the Breeders’ Cup is only six weeks away.
I see on the Daily Racing Form site that trainer Tim Ritchey isn’t ruling Afleet Alex out of the Classic. Ritchey says the colt could be training as soon as Friday, depending on Dr. Larry Bramlage’s assessment of recent x-rays taken of the hairline fracture he’s been recovering from this summer. Should Dr. Bramlage give the ok, Alex will gallop a couple of times, breeze, and then, says Ritchey, “I want to get a prep into him, either a sprint at six or seven furlongs on dirt, or even a mile on grass, to get him to the Classic. I could wait until as close as two weeks out.” It sounds a bit crazy, but then, recall the spring and Afleet Alex’s comeback from the lung infection that caused his last place Rebel Stakes finish and how he actually seemed to improve race to race during the Triple Crown season. Maybe he could run in the Classic …
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If you look at the list of blog links to the right, you’ll notice two additions: Triple Crown Racing and Turf Luck. Both are still fairly new, but off to fantastic starts. Do visit.
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For the first week home, I went nearly cold turkey on racing — no TVG, no visits to Suffolk Downs, only the briefest of glances at the Daily Racing Form’s front page — and so missed two milestones for Suffolk jockeys. Rider Winston Thompson, who has led Suffolk’s jockey standings for most of the meet, won his 2,500th race on Tuesday (Blood-Horse). Dyn Panell, another of Suffolk’s leading riders, earned his 1,000th win (Lowell Sun). [This post initially reported that Panell’s 1,000th win came early in September, but that was an error. Panell actually earned his 1,000th win in October. For details, follow the link.]
More: “Winston forgot about one thing. When his career is over, he will also have the respect of every racing fan in New England. Come to think about it, he has that already.” Paul Daley profiles Winston Thompson in the Lowell Sun.

Posted in Miscellany on September 15, 2005

Noted: July 20

– The New York Times features exercise riders in Tribes.
– Majestic Prince’s 1969 Kentucky Derby trophy sells at auction for $60,000. The solid gold cup had been valued at $15,000-$20,000 (Blood-Horse).

Posted in Miscellany on July 20, 2005

Noted: July 19

– Buzzards Bay sold for $725,000 at the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale on Monday. The three-year-old won the San Anita Derby and ran fifth in the Kentucky Derby (Blood-Horse).
– Fort Erie mare Spanish Decree snapped a two-year, 15-race losing streak on Sunday with a win in the $100,000 Ernie Samuel Memorial Stakes. “She ran pretty good,” said owner and trainer Fred Huarte (Buffalo News).
– “Not enough horses, not enough dollars, not enough fans at the track — Lone Star hit the trifecta of frustration this season.” Gary West takes stock of the season just past (Star-Telegram).

Posted in Miscellany on July 19, 2005

Noted: July 18

– Lone Star Park closed on Sunday. Attendance was down more than 19%, handle by more than 13% for the meet. “It’s clear that it’s becoming tougher and tougher to compete with our neighboring states that can provide a variety of entertainment options and have purses supplemented from other sources,” said general manager Jeff Greco (Star-Telegram). The numbers at Hollywood Park were also lower, although by much less than at Lone Star, when that track closed on Sunday. Handle was down there by 1% and attendance by nearly 7% (Thoroughbred Times).
– River Downs’ leading jockey, Rodney Prescott, was evicted from the track on Saturday. Prescott believes the action was taken because he’s spoken out about the track condition. “I think they’re singling me out because I stand up and voice my opinion and don’t ride over unsafe conditions,” he said (Blood-Horse).

Posted in Miscellany on July 18, 2005

Noted: July 17

– “Hollywood and Pimlico’s problems are among the first signs that there is going to be a great divide in this sport between the haves (slot tracks) and the have- nots (non-slots tracks).” Call it the one-armed bandit phenomenon (ESPN).
– Frank Stronach could have bought Hollywood Park for $110 million, Bay Meadows for $50 million. “Woulda, coulda, shoulda — the racetracker’s lament” (LA Times).
– “Derby Doc” Alex Harthill dies at 80. “For sure, he was controversial. Yet for all that people suspected about him, the proof never emerged. His legend became larger than life. He remained a mystery, a guy who was smarter than all the rest of us, but one who was a friend to all” (Lexington Herald-Leader).

Posted in Miscellany on July 17, 2005