JC / Railbird

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