JC / Railbird

Racing Archive

Dominguez Retires

This game … it’s the best when you’re winning. It’s the worst when you’re losing. And today, racing is losing one of its most gracious, popular, and successful jockeys of recent years. Ramon Dominguez — at the peak of his career, winner of 4,985 races, earnings of almost $192 million, and the Eclipse award for riding 2010-2012 — announced that he is retiring due to a brain injury suffered in an accident at Aqueduct last January.

David Grening has reactions from the New York racing community in his report on this morning’s news: “It’s just devastating to lose someone like that in our industry,” said Steve Rushing, the rider’s agent. Many share the sentiment.

Good luck to Dominguez as he continues his recovery. He’ll be missed.

2:30 PM Addendum: Here’s a spreadsheet of Dominguez’s record in graded stakes 1999-2012 and lifetime stats by year, compiled by Equibase.

Posted in Racing on June 13, 2013 / Tagged Brain Injury, Jockeys, Lifetime Stats, New York, Ramon Dominguez, Retirement

Spotted

There’s a new section on Hello Race Fans, and it’s stylish.

Posted in Racing on June 11, 2013 / Tagged Fashion, Hello Race Fans, Racetrack Characters, Racetrack Style

Belmont Wrap

If a horse swept the spring classics, writes Tim Layden:

A Triple Crown would be a moment — a beautiful, lingering, memorable moment. But on the Sunday morning following the Belmont in which the Triple Crown drought ended, racing would awaken precisely where it was a month before the Derby.

And that would be okay. We’re onward to the second season, regardless.

Palace Malice earned a Beyer speed figure of 98 for winning the Belmont, continuing the trend of 100 or lower Belmont BSFs that began in 2008.

Nick Kling notes an unintentional tribute in the race’s final time of 2:30.70:

Secretariat’s winning final time of 2:24 was at least 31-lengths better than what Palace Malice did Saturday.

Every quarter of the 2013 Belmont was slower than the one before, with Palace Malice running the final quarter in :27.58 (chart). That’s the slowest Belmont quarter (any quarter) of the past 10 years — the next slowest is the :26.98 final quarter of the 2004 Belmont, won by Birdstone. The fastest final quarter of the past 10 years was recorded in the 2007 edition, when Curlin (Palace Malice’s sire) and Rags to Riches dueled down the stretch in :23.83.

Posted in Racing on June 9, 2013 / Tagged Belmont Stakes, Beyer Speed Figures, Final Fractions, Palace Malice, Triple Crown