Railbird 2004–2019

Miscellany Archive

– Joe Bravo, bobblehead. Monmouth Park is giving out bouncy-headed replicas of the jockey on May 28 with paid admissions. Bravo has won Monmouth’s riding title 10 times. (NYDN)
– Pat Valenzuela will be out of action for the next four to eight weeks. The rider has a concussion and a torn knee tendon that will require surgery. Valenzuela was injured last Sunday at Hollywood Park when he was thrown from his mount. (BH)
At least four Kentucky Derby jockeys wore ads not approved by Churchill Downs, say officials. The Kentucky Racing Authority is looking into the matter. (CJ)
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– Belmont opened Wednesday with 50-cent hot dogs and a new security barn. Gygistar won the day’s feature, the Westchester Handicap (NYDN) … Suffolk Downs track announcer Larry Collmus was on hand to call races four and seven.
– The Jockeys’ Guild has complied with a request from US representative Ed Whitfield to provide documents related to its financial status (DRF) … Whitfield, a Kentucky congressman, is investigating the issue of jockeys’ insurance.
– Owner Michael Gill says he really is leaving racing this time. “This is it. I am committed to quitting … There is too much dirty politics in this business.” (Sun)
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– Belmont marks 100 years with opening (TU) … “Today, Belmont Park stands alone. No longer a mere horse park, it is a landmark on New York’s horizon, an institution that has survived a century of turmoil, a civic prize of great charm and grandeur.” (NYP)
– Magna says Maryland tracks won’t get upgrades without slots. “We’re weighing very carefully what’s happened in Maryland, and we could, frankly, stop investing any significant sums at this stage,” said vice-president Jim McAlpine. (Sun)
– Trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. won’t let backstretch gossip affect him. “He says his success is based upon solid horsemanship, good help, and patient owners.” (DRF)
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– Owner Michael Gill to leave racing. Again. (BH)
– Magna posted a $4.1 million loss for the first quarter of 2005 (DRF), but chairman Frank Stronach sees a payoff of $12 billion annually within 10 years if US racing regulations are relaxed. “We know that the upside is incredible,” said Stronach. (Mail)
– Horses trained on Keeneland’s Polytrack surface made 28% more starts and won 85% more races at Turfway this winter than they did a year earlier. (WSJ — sub. req.)
– Trainer Richard Dutrow, Jr. will begin serving a 60-day suspension on June 1 and pay a $5,000 fine, as a result of two medication positives and a claiming rule violation. Dutrow will saddle likely favorite Sis City for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday. (DRF)
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– A little history: “There have been numerous East-West Derby showdowns, most recently Sunday Silence-Easy Goer in 1989, but the first — and the best — matched future Hall of Famers Swaps and Nashua in 1955.” (CJ)
– The inside track isn’t where you want to be at Lone Star. “For the last two days … no winner has run along the inside, close to the inner rail, for most of the race. Being close to the rail, in fact, has been a conspicuous disadvantage.” (ST)
– Lawyers for Marty Wygod have subpoenaed CHRB executive director Ingrid Fermin to give a deposition regarding the CHRB complaint against Wygod following the Santa Anita Derby. Wygod won’t say that he’s planning to sue the board, but did tell Bill Christine, “There was a conspiracy to get me.” (LAT)
– Throughbred Thank You Fund sends 400 soldiers to Derby. (BCT)
– More Kentucky Derby news …
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