Railbird 2004–2019

Miscellany Archive

Headlines: April 15

– TOBA will discuss a proposed owner-jockey contract at its meeting next week. The contract is voluntary and would prevent jockeys being taken off mounts in favor of another rider and would obligate jockeys to pay owners 25% of a purse if they failed to ride for a reason other than illness or injury. (TT)
– California trainers are looking to move their stables, writes Gary West, and Texas has a chance to attract them. (ST)
– The opening date for the Aqueduct Racino hasn’t been set yet, but NYRA officials were busy Thursday working on it. Governor George Pataki signed the bill allowed video lottery machines at the track on Tuesday. (NYDN)
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com

Posted in Miscellany on April 15, 2005

Not the Bloggers

I like Jay Hovdey. He writes about racing with style and feeling. But I feel compelled to correct this one little thing in his latest column, in which he writes about Jeff Mullins and the Santa Anita Derby:

It wasn’t bloggers who stomped Mullins’ name in the mud. There are maybe 10 blogs that touch on horseracing regularly, and I’d say we were all pretty reasonable. Oh, sure, we had our fun. But I know I limited coverage of Mullins’ “idiots” comments, thinking the affair overblown, and even said “enough” at one point. It was good old mainstream media who made Mullins’ name mud: T.J. Simers, Bill Finley, Jeremy Plonk in one particularly overwrought column….

Posted in Miscellany on April 12, 2005

Headlines: April 12

– Lost in the Fog’s next race will be at home. He’ll start in the May 14 Golden Bear at Golden Gate Fields. (TT)
– Churchill Downs has asked a judge to prohibit another jockey walkout. In a motion filed March 29, Churchill said it believes the Jockeys’ Guild may stage a Kentucky Derby week walkout much like the one jockeys took part in last fall over insurance concerns. (Globe)
– Congressmen John Sweeney and Ed Whitfield predict anti-slaughter legislation will pass this year. “The bill had the support needed to gain House passage last year, but died in the Agriculture Committee. This year, it will come before the Commerce Committee that Whitfield belongs to. That panel’s chairman has already agreed to schedule a hearing and hold an ‘up-down’ vote that virtually guarantees the bill’s passage in committee.” From there, it will go the House floor, where the bill has 220 sponsors, two more than needed for passage. (Sara.)
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com

Posted in Miscellany on April 12, 2005

Headlines: April 11

– “George Steinbrenner is the man. Bellamy Road is the colt. And between them, they could become the story of one magnificent spring in Bluegrass Country.” (SL)
– New York OTB is so broke that it can’t make payments to the legislature next year, says it chairman. “David Cornstein said that increasing revenue takeouts by the state are making it impossible for the city’s only legal bookie to break even.” (NYP)
– What’s next for Texas racing? “Was the Breeders’ Cup the start of a great future or the conclusion of a promising past? Or was it both crowning moment and last hurrah?” (ST)
– Maryland governor says slots are dead. Until 2006, anyway. (Sun)
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com

Posted in Miscellany on April 11, 2005

Headlines: April 9

– America’s top fillies are running today. There’s Sweet Catomine, in the Santa Anita Derby; Ashado in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn; and Summerly, Letgomyecho, and Sharp Lisa meet in Keeneland’s Ashland Stakes. (LAT)
– The buyer of the $8 million Storm Cat colt last September has been revealed. Trainer Bob Baffert confirmed that the owner is Fusao Sekiguchi and that the colt is in training at Santa Anita. (TT)
– New York horsemen are urging Governor George Pataki to veto legislation allowing video lottery terminals at Aqueduct. “This is a far cry from the VLT setup at Saratoga Raceway, where the horsemen there put up money out of their accounts to help get it started in January of 2004 and now are enjoying the profits,” writes Jerry Bossert. (NYDN)
– The NTRA reported Friday that total handle and purses are down this year. In the first quarter of 2005, handle was down more than 6% compared to the same period in 2004. (BH)
– Buy picks. Better yet, sell your picks and see how you compare to other handicappers. TrackInsiders.com, a web site that’s both a handicapping contest and a tip sheet market, launched yesterday with Keeneland’s opening.
– Send links, comments to railbird at jessicachapel dot com

Posted in Miscellany on April 9, 2005