The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is set to be introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA). This act if approved would put horse racing under control of a non-governmental agency the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA), the group which knocked Lance Armstrong out of sporting due to alleged doping. Were this bill to be passed, racing would pay for its regulation but with the USADA's powers, they can offer severe penalties for horse doping.
As you can imagine the feelings within the industry are mixed. Some, like Jeff Gural feels it would be a good idea as racing is unable to regulate itself. Others feel it will be a disaster as what does the USADA know about horse racing; in fact, the RCI claims the rules will be weaker under the USADA because they currently grant therapeutic exceptions.
I don't think there is any argument that on paper, the rules regarding what is permitted and what isn't which racing uses is pretty extensive (there can be an argument made about same day medications). The problem is what happens after that. Racing has a pretty abysmal record when it comes to getting rid of drug cheats; the USADA does very well when it comes to punishing cheats. There is no doubt in my mind that those who would be willing to bend the rules now would have second thoughts if the Anti-doping association got involved and actually booted out trainers for lengthy if not permanent suspensions.
Whether or not you support the USADA taking over testing, one has to realize the only reason this legislation has been proposed is because of the perception that racing can't police itself properly when it comes to illegal medication. My question is how many times does racing get to say 'trust us' only to fail once again before the government puts it foot down?
That time may have finally come.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The 3yo Trotting Fillies Take Center Stage
The three year old trotting fillies take center stage at Freehold Raceway at the beginning of the road to the Hambletonian Oaks with two divisions of the Lady Suffolk. With eleven horses dropping in the box, the race was divided into two divisions with the five horse division going as a non-wagering at 12:15pm, just before the wagering program gets underway.
For horseplayers though, all eyes will be on the third race on the wagering program where six horses (five betting interests) take to the track for the second division of the Lady Suffolk. Truthfully, at this time of year, the field kind of underwhelms me, but with three year old trotters being treated more like thoroughbreds and the aversion of trainers towards racing on the half mile oval, it shouldn't be a surprise. Let's take a look at the field for the second division of the Lady Suffolk.
1 (post 2) - Audio (Schnittker, 5-2) - A winner of one start out of four tries this year, this three year old daughter of Deweycheatmnhowe raced the last two weeks at Vernon Downs in a late closing series for n/w3 races lifetime. The only good thing to say about this horse is her sole career victory came at Saratoga, another half mile oval.
1A (post 4) - Casting Couch (Gregory, 5-2) - Has shown little this year and spend most of last year racing in the Stallion Series for state breds in Pennsylvania. At 5-2, I'll be looking elsewhere.
2 (post 1) Haul 'N Fancy (D Miller, 8-5) - The class of the field coming off two qualifiers over the Fhld oval including a nice 1:59.2 score. She had shown some life in PASS events last year including a late fade in the Keystone Classic.
3 (post 3) Parlia Hanover (A Miller, 6-1) - Finished second in a qualifier to Haul 'N Fancy but that is all you can say good about here. At Pocono, the daughter of Credit Winner jumped off in both legs of the Weiss.
4 (post 5) - Vida De Vie (Dube, 8-1) - The rank outsider of the field. Jumped here in her last start at Freehold and raced here last yea in the Green Acres and was somewhat consistent. Worth a look as a longshot.
5 (post 6) - Bouncing Bax (Parker, 4-1) - Started the year off unsuccessfully at Pocono Downs in the Weiss series and raced well in the NYSS second tier, the Excelsior series. If able to get any kind of trip, this filly may be heard from.
The Play - Haul 'N Fancy is the obvious stand out to me but figures to go off at short odds. Assuming that is the case, I will be looking at Vida De Vie. $10 Win #4.
For horseplayers though, all eyes will be on the third race on the wagering program where six horses (five betting interests) take to the track for the second division of the Lady Suffolk. Truthfully, at this time of year, the field kind of underwhelms me, but with three year old trotters being treated more like thoroughbreds and the aversion of trainers towards racing on the half mile oval, it shouldn't be a surprise. Let's take a look at the field for the second division of the Lady Suffolk.
1 (post 2) - Audio (Schnittker, 5-2) - A winner of one start out of four tries this year, this three year old daughter of Deweycheatmnhowe raced the last two weeks at Vernon Downs in a late closing series for n/w3 races lifetime. The only good thing to say about this horse is her sole career victory came at Saratoga, another half mile oval.
1A (post 4) - Casting Couch (Gregory, 5-2) - Has shown little this year and spend most of last year racing in the Stallion Series for state breds in Pennsylvania. At 5-2, I'll be looking elsewhere.
2 (post 1) Haul 'N Fancy (D Miller, 8-5) - The class of the field coming off two qualifiers over the Fhld oval including a nice 1:59.2 score. She had shown some life in PASS events last year including a late fade in the Keystone Classic.
3 (post 3) Parlia Hanover (A Miller, 6-1) - Finished second in a qualifier to Haul 'N Fancy but that is all you can say good about here. At Pocono, the daughter of Credit Winner jumped off in both legs of the Weiss.
4 (post 5) - Vida De Vie (Dube, 8-1) - The rank outsider of the field. Jumped here in her last start at Freehold and raced here last yea in the Green Acres and was somewhat consistent. Worth a look as a longshot.
5 (post 6) - Bouncing Bax (Parker, 4-1) - Started the year off unsuccessfully at Pocono Downs in the Weiss series and raced well in the NYSS second tier, the Excelsior series. If able to get any kind of trip, this filly may be heard from.
The Play - Haul 'N Fancy is the obvious stand out to me but figures to go off at short odds. Assuming that is the case, I will be looking at Vida De Vie. $10 Win #4.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
M1 - Bigger and Better Championship Meet
by Mike Farrell for the Meadowlands Racetrack
The $1.2 million Hambletonian, the richest prize in harness racing, headlines the 28-day championship Meet at The Meadowlands Racetrack that begins Friday night.
Now through Aug.3, The Meadowlands will feature many of the richest and most prestigious stakes in the sport. The Big M serves up the action on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 7:15 p.m. with the exception of an afternoon card on Hambletonian Day, the final program of the meet.
The Meadowlands Pace, the track’s signature race for 3-year-olds, tops the biggest night of the Championship Meet on July 13.
While the younger stars of the sport shine during the Championship Meet, the well-established veteran pacers and trotters will share the spotlight as well. They have new targets this year: the TVG Free For All Championship series throughout the meet. The lucrative races will award qualifying points toward the inaugural finals, each worth a guaranteed $500,000, for trotters and pacers on Nov. 30.
The series will also encompass races at other tracks, the Allerage Farms Trot and Pace at the Red Mile on Oct. 6 and the Breeders Crown Open Trot and Pace at Pocono Downs on Oct. 19.
There are nine races for each gait and contenders for the November finals must compete at least five times in the series to qualify. The first of those nine races will take place on Saturday May 11th, for both trotters and pacers. The Meadowlands will also extend an invitation to the finals to a leading 3-year-old trotter and pacer, giving them an opportunity to step up and face older rivals with a lucrative pot on the line.
The emphasis on older horses advances the goal of Meadowlands Chairman Jeff Gural to keep the sport’s stars racing beyond their 3-year-old campaigns.
“It is vital to keep our stars on the racetrack,” said Meadowlands Racetrack chairman Jeff Gural. “Given that offspring of stallions retired before their four year old season are not eligible to race in stakes events at The Meadowlands, we felt it was necessary to formulate a new free for all series, recognizing that our stars will be competing longer. This Free For All series will provide the best racing this industry has seen in decades and will go a long way to deciding year-end honors, including Horse Of The Year.”
The new series has already sparked positive reaction from horsemen and owners.
“We have seen, especially on the pacing side, massive increases in nominations to the W.R. Haughton and the U.S. Pacing Championship,” said director of racing operations Darin Zoccali. “They have virtually doubled. Those races will be going for more money than they have in some time. All told, the series will be worth about $4 million.”
The Hambletonian, the world-renowned classic for 3-year-old trotters, tops the biggest afternoon in harness racing. The stellar card includes the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the companion event for 3-year-old trotting fillies; the Peter Haughton Memorial and the Merrie Annabelle for 2-year-old trotters; the John Cashman for older trotters, the race formerly known as the Nat Ray; the Lady Liberty for pacing mares; the U.S. Pacing Championship for older pacers and the two top events for New Jersey breds: the New Jersey Classic and Miss New Jersey.
The Meadowlands Pace will also be supported by a standout card that includes the Stanley Dancer Memorial, the last major prep at The Meadowlands for Hambletonian contenders. The enhanced stakes lineup on Pace night also features the W. R. Haughton Memorial for Free-For-All pacers, four New Jersey Sires Stakes championships for 2-year-olds and a pair of stakes for 3-year-old fillies: the Mistletoe Shalee for pacers and the Del Miller Memorial for trotters.
“We must have a Championship Meet that lives up to its name,” said General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “While the summer months at The Meadowlands always offers some of the best racing of the year, 2013 provides much more than that. A revamped Meadowlands Pace Night, choc-full of stakes races, a loaded Hambletonian Day program, the brand new Free For All Series and Meadowlands Maturity all will contribute to a lightning fast-paced stakes season this year at The Meadowlands.”
On a nostalgic note, this will be the final meet in the current Meadowlands grandstand. The track, which raised harness racing to unprecedented heights when it opened in 1976, will be replaced by a gleaming new facility currently under construction along the backstretch.
Opening night for the new era at the New Meadowlands will be Nov. 23.
The $1.2 million Hambletonian, the richest prize in harness racing, headlines the 28-day championship Meet at The Meadowlands Racetrack that begins Friday night.
Now through Aug.3, The Meadowlands will feature many of the richest and most prestigious stakes in the sport. The Big M serves up the action on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 7:15 p.m. with the exception of an afternoon card on Hambletonian Day, the final program of the meet.
The Meadowlands Pace, the track’s signature race for 3-year-olds, tops the biggest night of the Championship Meet on July 13.
While the younger stars of the sport shine during the Championship Meet, the well-established veteran pacers and trotters will share the spotlight as well. They have new targets this year: the TVG Free For All Championship series throughout the meet. The lucrative races will award qualifying points toward the inaugural finals, each worth a guaranteed $500,000, for trotters and pacers on Nov. 30.
The series will also encompass races at other tracks, the Allerage Farms Trot and Pace at the Red Mile on Oct. 6 and the Breeders Crown Open Trot and Pace at Pocono Downs on Oct. 19.
There are nine races for each gait and contenders for the November finals must compete at least five times in the series to qualify. The first of those nine races will take place on Saturday May 11th, for both trotters and pacers. The Meadowlands will also extend an invitation to the finals to a leading 3-year-old trotter and pacer, giving them an opportunity to step up and face older rivals with a lucrative pot on the line.
The emphasis on older horses advances the goal of Meadowlands Chairman Jeff Gural to keep the sport’s stars racing beyond their 3-year-old campaigns.
“It is vital to keep our stars on the racetrack,” said Meadowlands Racetrack chairman Jeff Gural. “Given that offspring of stallions retired before their four year old season are not eligible to race in stakes events at The Meadowlands, we felt it was necessary to formulate a new free for all series, recognizing that our stars will be competing longer. This Free For All series will provide the best racing this industry has seen in decades and will go a long way to deciding year-end honors, including Horse Of The Year.”
The new series has already sparked positive reaction from horsemen and owners.
“We have seen, especially on the pacing side, massive increases in nominations to the W.R. Haughton and the U.S. Pacing Championship,” said director of racing operations Darin Zoccali. “They have virtually doubled. Those races will be going for more money than they have in some time. All told, the series will be worth about $4 million.”
The Hambletonian, the world-renowned classic for 3-year-old trotters, tops the biggest afternoon in harness racing. The stellar card includes the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, the companion event for 3-year-old trotting fillies; the Peter Haughton Memorial and the Merrie Annabelle for 2-year-old trotters; the John Cashman for older trotters, the race formerly known as the Nat Ray; the Lady Liberty for pacing mares; the U.S. Pacing Championship for older pacers and the two top events for New Jersey breds: the New Jersey Classic and Miss New Jersey.
The Meadowlands Pace will also be supported by a standout card that includes the Stanley Dancer Memorial, the last major prep at The Meadowlands for Hambletonian contenders. The enhanced stakes lineup on Pace night also features the W. R. Haughton Memorial for Free-For-All pacers, four New Jersey Sires Stakes championships for 2-year-olds and a pair of stakes for 3-year-old fillies: the Mistletoe Shalee for pacers and the Del Miller Memorial for trotters.
“We must have a Championship Meet that lives up to its name,” said General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “While the summer months at The Meadowlands always offers some of the best racing of the year, 2013 provides much more than that. A revamped Meadowlands Pace Night, choc-full of stakes races, a loaded Hambletonian Day program, the brand new Free For All Series and Meadowlands Maturity all will contribute to a lightning fast-paced stakes season this year at The Meadowlands.”
On a nostalgic note, this will be the final meet in the current Meadowlands grandstand. The track, which raised harness racing to unprecedented heights when it opened in 1976, will be replaced by a gleaming new facility currently under construction along the backstretch.
Opening night for the new era at the New Meadowlands will be Nov. 23.
Food for Thought - Adoption versus Retirement
Horse rescues have a tough job. It is nice to think that every rescue has all the room needed to rescue every horse which comes their way but the sad truth is it's not the case; after all money is an issue rescue groups must always consider, either consciously or subconsciously. Unless a rescue is sitting flush with millions of dollars, most rescues must consider money in the equation, after all without financial resources, a rescue can help no one.
Unfortunately, at times rescues, especially those which go to sales have to play God; deciding which horse is to be saved, which one is to be passed on at auction.
Which brings us to an article, written by Dot Morgan of New Vocations, which appears in May's edition of Hoof Beats, titled "A Shift in Focus". This article talks about the difference between retirement and adoption. Many consider them the same but they are not. Retirement suggests a horse being turned out into a paddock for a life of relaxation, until the end of their life, an option which perhaps the largest commercial breeder or an owner who has done very well in life is able to afford. Adoption is the retraining a horse for a second career making the horse desirable to a new owner. By career, it doesn't mean a life of plowing fields; it can be a horse who may be ridden on trail rides but still has plenty of pasture time.
Unfortunately, not many people want a horse as a lawn ornament so the amount of money needed to keep a retired horse can be tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the horse. For that amount of money, how many horses who are adoptable can be helped by a rescue instead? One can argue a prudent rescue will be wise to avoid horses ready for retirement due to a permanent injury or other reason and focus on those horses who can reasonably be assessed as serviceable, given a second job thus making their time with a rescue shorter. After all, while there are those who can afford and are willing to take on a horse who is only pasture sound, it is a small minority of the adoption pool.
This is not to suggest those horses who have no future as an active horse should be sent to slaughter. If possible, these horses should be rescued from the sales and euthanized. It may sound harsh but a fear-free end is much better than a torturous ending.
It is a tough decision rescues need to make and I'm glad I don't have to. Playing God is not my cup of tea. I bring this article to your attention as food for thought. Do you have thoughts on the matter? If so, let me know.
Unfortunately, at times rescues, especially those which go to sales have to play God; deciding which horse is to be saved, which one is to be passed on at auction.
Which brings us to an article, written by Dot Morgan of New Vocations, which appears in May's edition of Hoof Beats, titled "A Shift in Focus". This article talks about the difference between retirement and adoption. Many consider them the same but they are not. Retirement suggests a horse being turned out into a paddock for a life of relaxation, until the end of their life, an option which perhaps the largest commercial breeder or an owner who has done very well in life is able to afford. Adoption is the retraining a horse for a second career making the horse desirable to a new owner. By career, it doesn't mean a life of plowing fields; it can be a horse who may be ridden on trail rides but still has plenty of pasture time.
Unfortunately, not many people want a horse as a lawn ornament so the amount of money needed to keep a retired horse can be tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the horse. For that amount of money, how many horses who are adoptable can be helped by a rescue instead? One can argue a prudent rescue will be wise to avoid horses ready for retirement due to a permanent injury or other reason and focus on those horses who can reasonably be assessed as serviceable, given a second job thus making their time with a rescue shorter. After all, while there are those who can afford and are willing to take on a horse who is only pasture sound, it is a small minority of the adoption pool.
This is not to suggest those horses who have no future as an active horse should be sent to slaughter. If possible, these horses should be rescued from the sales and euthanized. It may sound harsh but a fear-free end is much better than a torturous ending.
It is a tough decision rescues need to make and I'm glad I don't have to. Playing God is not my cup of tea. I bring this article to your attention as food for thought. Do you have thoughts on the matter? If so, let me know.
Joe F's Take on the Meadowlands Maturity
VFTRG contributor Joe F offers his thoughts on the first Meadowlands Maturity.
The three
trotters we would most like to see in Saturday’s Meadowlands Maturity are
Market Share, Intimidate and Googoo Gaagaa. Unfortunately the latter is the
only one entered. Linda Toscano is taking her time getting Market Share back to
the races while Intimidate, who qualified at Rideau Carleton last week, is
apparently going to be confined to Canada for most of the season by trainer Luc
Blais.
There are no
mares entered. That’s too bad. This race is patterned after the Realization
which was an important transition trot for four-year-olds at Roosevelt Raceway
during the spring, for fourteen years from 1962 on. The Realization was raced
at a mile and a sixteenth. In a year like this when top tier mares like Check
Me Out, Maven and Win Missy B are apparently returning for their four-year-old
campaigns, they’d be entered in the Realization.
Bill
Haughton’s Flamboyant wired the field in 1968 as the 1/5 favorite. Sprite
Rodney, the dam of Spartan Hanover, won the Realization in 1963 for Stanley
Dancer. Spry Rodney also raced that year. Claire Sampson, the second dam of
Noble Florie, was entered in the first edition of the race. The outstanding
trotting mare, Meadow Farr, who was the dam of Meadow Bright, also participated
in 1962. Duke Rodney won that one. Armbro Flight was the favorite over second
choice Noble Victory in 1966 for Joe O’Brien. She broke stride.
It would
have been nice to see a couple of the mares take on the boys in the Maturity.
Nine or ten of them possessed large enough bankrolls to bump some of these boys
aside and make the cut if their connections wanted in.
Any trotter
that won the Westbury Futurity at two, the Dexter Cup at three and the
Realization at four received the added perk of the Founder’s Plate and a $50,000
bonus. The breeder received $5,000, the driver $10,000 and the owner the
remaining $35,000. Speedy Scot, Dartmouth and Nevele Pride pulled it off.
Perhaps the Meadowlands could tie the Peter Haughton, Hambletonion and Maturity
together and offer something similar to the Founder’s Plate as well as a bonus
to any horse that wins all three—no easy trick. Perhaps a mare that has won the
Merrie Annabelle and the Oaks would also qualify for the prize if she won the
Maturity.
The Takter
trio is entered. LBF has made two unimpressive starts. Longshot Lexis Amigo won
the first one at the Meadowlands and Beatgoeson beat him last time out at
Pocono. At least LBF gets Gingras; poor Guccio appears destined to spend
another season with Jimmy Takter sitting behind him. Modern Family beat Uncle
Peter first time out and Harbor Point picked him up last time. He gets Pierce
instead of Takter in the Maturity.
At least
Takter’s trotters have two starts each in them. Goo and My MVP are both kicking
off their 2013 campaigns on Saturday night. Goo’s mile in the Beal was the
fastest ever by a trotter on a 5/8 track, but he hasn’t looked good in a
competitive race for eight and a half months. He beat Market Share in the
Colonial on August 19, and was subsequently give a two month time out for rest
and relaxation by his trainer/owner. He then beat up on the three-legged
set in the MDSS a couple of times and
finished up with two disappointing efforts in the Matron: he drew the nine post
in the second tier in the elimination and never got going and he suddenly went
backwards while moving on the leaders at the three quarters in the final. It’s
been a long time. My MVP did win the Kentucky Futurity but he was no factor in
the BC or the Matron. The ten post will be tough.
Harbor Point
has a dozen starts in him while Modern Family has ten. The former labored in
the minor leagues for most of last year, but came alive in the fall with a
second place finish in the Circle City and the same in the Oliver. He was
second to Quick Deal in this year’s Horse & Groom final. And Modern Family
didn’t do much last year but the Cantab Hall stallion out of a three-quarter
sister to Maven and Lanson has banked more than $84,000 since Daryl Bier bought
him for $110,000 at the Tattersalls January Sale at the Meadowlands.
Solveig, a
half-brother to Dontyouforgetit, won a couple of 100K PASS races last year and
came second in the 200K Colonial consolation. He’s got one win over NW5 at
Harrah’s for Trond Smedshammer.
Magic Tonight,
a $55,000 yearling purchase who won the Bluegrass and ISS at two and took the
PASS Championship last year, only has one win in four starts against lesser
this year. While Another Amaretto, an $88,000 Andover Hall yearling purchase,
doesn’t appear to be a factor.
Six of the
ten trotters entered in the Maturity trace back to Speedy Scot on top and three
others go back to Noble Victory (Goo is a toss in this regard). There are three
Cantab Halls, two Yankee Glides and two Andover Halls. None of these trotters
go back to Stars Pride on top, although LBF and Harbor Point do so on the
bottom. There are no sons of Credit Winner; Archangel was retired. There are no
sons of Kadabra; the Canadian contingent of Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator
(both sons of Kadabra), as well as Intimidate, stayed home.
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