JC / Railbird

News Archive

Noted: December 7

– “The countdown is on … not to Christmas, but to the day four [Massachusetts] racetracks lose their right to simulcast out-of-state races.”
– A baker’s dozen of dark horses for 2006.
– Happy Ticket is back in training.

Posted in News on December 7, 2005

Noted: December 2

– Voting is now open on the NTRA web site for racing’s “Moment of the Year.” Fans can vote for one of 12 images from the past 11 months, including Bellamy Road’s Woodward win, trainer Nick Zito’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and Afleet Alex’s amazing Preakness win after colliding with Scrappy T at the top of the stretch. Can there be any doubt about the likely winner? If there was a morning line on this contest, Afleet Alex would be even money.
– Attendance declined 3% and handle was down 6% at Suffolk Downs this year.
– I’m not just a racing fan, I’m a bibliophile, which is just a nice way of saying I have too many books. A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to LibraryThing.com, a nifty new web site that allows readers to catalog books online and organize them with descriptive tags. I’ve started with the racing and horse-related books; I may broaden my catalog eventually. In the meantime, I’d love to get some recommendations from other readers for books I should add. What’s essential to a good racing collection that I’m missing? Suggestions? Please email.

Posted in News on December 2, 2005

Noted: November 29

– New York racing fans know the passage of seasons by the racing calendar — springs comes with Belmont, fall arrives when Saratoga closes, and winter begins when racing moves to Aqueduct’s inner track, as it does on Wednesday. This year, the inner track will remain open two weeks longer than usual, until March 29, owing to the main track’s inability to handle cold weather. Several races will be affected by the lengthened inner track season, including the Gotham Stakes, run in mid-March. Instead of being a one-turn mile on the main track, it will be a two-turn one and a sixteenth on the inner.
– Horses are shipping into Gulfstream Park in advance of opening day on January 4. Afleet Alex arrived on Monday. Trainer Tim Ritchey is considering the Donn Handicap in February for the dual Classic winner. First Samurai, trained by Frank Brothers, shipped in the same day. The two-year-old will begin prepping for a likely Kentucky Derby campaign at the track.
– What’s next for Todd Pletcher, racing’s first $20 million trainer? “With Pletcher, absolutely nothing is impossible.”
– Hong Kong Jockey Club officials said that one North American invitee to the Hong Kong International Races won’t be starting at Sha Tin on December 11 after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Officials wouldn’t name the horse or its connections. A look at the list of runners announced on November 23 though narrows it down to four (and the flight schedule reveals all). The United States is the only country in which equine steroid use isn’t illegal, although it’s not entirely condoned either.

Posted in News on November 29, 2005