JC / Railbird

Miscellany Archive

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

Noted: July 15

– Pick 6 wagers are usually associated with big payoffs, but that’s not the case when five of six winners are heavy favorites, which is what happened at Belmont Thursday, “producing 633 winning pick 6 tickets worth whopping $57.50; better than sharp stick in eye. Consolation paid $4!” (New York Post)
– Doyle New York is auctioning the 1969 Kentucky Derby trophy won by Majestic Prince. The solid gold cup has an estimated value of $15,000-$20,000. This is the first time since the 1950s that a Derby trophy has gone up for sale. Photo (Doyle New York).
– Jeremy Rose wins the ESPY award for best jockey, beating Jerry Bailey, Javier Castellano, and Kentucky Derby winner Mike Smith for the honor. Rose, along with Afleet Alex, was also nominated in the best moment category for the duo’s recovery from the collision with Scrappy T at the top of the stretch in the Preakness. Some basketball player won that instead for his final game. The ESPY awards were given out in a ceremony on Wednesday; the event will be televised Sunday on ESPN (Centre Daily Times).

Posted in Miscellany on July 15, 2005

Noted: July 14

– Trainer Bob Baffert said that the Travers is out of the question for Roman Ruler, but that the colt might run on the Travers Day undercard in the King’s Bishop Stakes, which would have the Dwyer winner starting against Lost in the Fog (New York Daily News).
– The reliably cranky Paul Moran bemoans NYRA’s management and calls for the organization’s end. “The prevailing competency vacuum will remain because no experienced racing executive is likely to accept a position with an organization facing certain doom … This is why NYRA, which in better times would have no difficulty attracting the best and the brightest, is being steered by the inept and the clueless and kept afloat by middle management holdovers still too young to retire … It appears that the logical way to save the sport from those currently in charge and avert the decimation of the state’s breeding industry is for Albany to adopt the recommendations made repeatedly over the years.” The most recent recommendations from Friends of New York Racing call for a for-profit entity to manage the state’s racetracks (Newsday).
– Churchill Downs officials told Kentucky state legislators on Wednesday that this spring’s disease outbreaks cost the track $70,000 plus an unknown amount of lost handle (New York Times) … At the same meeting, state veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout said that it was impossible to determine the origin of the strangles cases (Blood-Horse).

Posted in Miscellany on July 14, 2005