JC / Railbird

News Archive

Tuesday Evening Notes

– Harlington is out of this Saturday’s Surburban with a foot injury (DRF); Hesanoldsalt and Malibu Moonshine are in. Corinthian is still a draw, but honestly, the Suburban has gone from being a race I can hardly wait to see to one I feel pretty meh about. The Mother Goose, also on Saturday, isn’t arousing that much more interest, with a field of five shaping up, including perennial runner-up Octave.
– Only four weeks until Saratoga opens (Saratogian).
– Bill Finley follows up with Andrew Lakeman, paralyzed from the waist down in an accident at Belmont last month, as the rider begins the long rehabilitation process this week.
– “What racing needs, is racing” (Union-Tribune).
– Elliot Spitzer continues to push a plan to close Aqueduct. “Whether or not you have racing at Aqueduct, you have an enormous piece of land there that can and should be used for some other things,” said Governor Spitzer. “That’s a remarkably valuable piece of land from a public perspective” (NY Daily News).

Posted in News on June 26, 2007

Lava Man, Works, Dettori

– The Belmont Stakes isn’t the only big race this weekend: At Hollywood, Lava Man returns to action in the G1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (Blood-Horse).
– At Belmont this morning, Met Mile winner Corinthian breezed a half-mile over the training track in :48.14, and Horse of the Year Invasor breezed four furlongs over the main track in :48.63. Both are being pointed to the June 30 Suburban Handicap.
– Is Frankie Dettori the best flat jockey ever? (Guardian)
– Washington Post turf writer John Scheinman is on fire this week: Don’t miss his fascinating piece on how jockey Garrett Gomez ended up on Hard Spun for the Belmont or this article on drugs in racing.

Posted in News on June 8, 2007

Tuesday Hit-and-Run

– The Jockeys’ Guild continues to recover from the frayed relationships and depleted coffers of the Wayne Gertmenian era. “It has been difficult,” said jockey Jon Court, one of 27 jockeys elected to the Guild’s Senate last week. “Some people like to hang on. But we were literally able to take that skeleton and throw it out.”
– At Woodbine, 35-year-old apprentice Dean Deverell wins four races in a week.
– Happy Ticket will face top older distaffer Oonagh Maccool on Saturday in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. “Obviously, the other mare is awfully good,” said owner Stewart Madison. “But one thing I know for sure is that my horse will definitely show up.”
– In the first Belmont since 2000 without the Derby or Preakness winner entered, the race’s TV ratings dropped 22% from 2005.
– What people really want to know about racing: “The people out there want to know what a horse eats, how a horse exercises, how he lives, what she does when she’s not training or racing. They long to find out about the people on horses’ backs or at their sides. People want to read Michael Matz’ life story. They want to hear what Edgar Prado thinks. They want Peter Brette to tell them what Barbaro feels like when he trots. What does a Kentucky Derby winner trot like? Now there’s something they can identify with at the PTA meeting.”

Posted in Jockeys' Insurance, News on June 13, 2006