Sunday Miscellanery

Market Share romped in his victory at The Red Mile yesterday in 1:50.3 in a Breeders Crown tune-up, forsaking a chance to race in the Kentucky Futurity today.  Amazingly, there was no minus pool in the race.  There were two reasons why Market Share raced in a $10,000 late closer instead of going in the Futurity.  One reason is the horse was not nominated so it would have been necessary to supplement to go in the race, the other reason is the owner didn't want his horse to go multiple heats.  Today, in a Breeders Crown tune-up, Check Me Out will go one heat and out in the Kentucky Filly Futurity, depriving another horse from advancing to the second heat.

In Harness Racing Update today, most if not all the letter to the editor agree with my position, if you are not willing to adhere to the race conditions, don't enter.  If you don't want to go two heats, do what Market Share did and find another race.  You will excuse me for hoping Check Me Out doesn't find the winner's circle this afternoon.      


No Call - In case you are wondering, Dave Palone has yet to be penalized for his fancy footwork in the first heat of the Little Brown Jug


If you haven't been following HANA Harness' The Pen vs. The Chip Handicapping Challenge, you are missing a real horse race.  Fifty-eight legs into this contest and there is a ROI difference of only 0.027 between the top two handicappers in the contest with the others having a chance if the top two go cold in the five legs remaining.  You may want to check out the contest website for news and handicapping information. 


Glutton for Punishment?  If you want to follow someone who has not been doing good of late, hoping to catch them on a break out day, those Red Mile selections are at the end of today's blog entry.


Driver John Campbell was named President of the Grand Circuit in a meeting on Saturday morning.  I am sure this will be one of many important roles Campbell will take on as his driving career starts to wind down and there probably isn't a better candidate for the position.  Perhaps the most encouraging thing to come out of his being named President is his understanding while the Grand Circuit still carries some significance, the bloom is off the rose and it is time to revise the Roarin' Grand in the years to come.  There is too much money to be earned in non-Grand Circuit stops these days that many of the top horses are seen at only at a few of the venues which comprise the Grand Circuit.  The time has come to make changes so the tracks which make up the Grand Circuit are offering races which will be classics, events not to be missed by the best horses.


For those of you who had been following the case of the M. Wells Dinette which just opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, you may be happy to know your favorite standardbred is off the menu.  The upscale cafeteria (an oxymoron) has decided not to put horsemeat on the menu.  It seems the owners saw nothing wrong about offering horsemeat tatare on their menu coming from Quebec.  It seems once their plans were known, they learned the hard way about American cultural attitudes towards horses and how passionate (and at times, admittedly crazy) about their horses so they decided it would be best to change their plans.  Smart move.


Selections for The Red Mile, October 7  
1st race    2-5-3
2nd race   6-3-4-2
3rd race    6-1-2-3 
4th race    5-3-2-6
5th race    5-1-2-3
6th race    2-4-6-1
7th race    Kentucky Filly Futurity - 2nd heat
8th race    3-7-2-4
9th race    Kentucky Futurity - 2nd heat
10th race  Kentucky Filly Futurity Race-off (if needed)
11th race  7-4-3-2
12th race  Kentucky Futurity Race-off (if needed)
13th race  2-4-6-5
14th race  2-3-7-4
15th race  5-1-3-4
16th race  5-8-2-4
17th race  5-9-8-10-2