Decoupling in Practice and the Threat it Presents

Decoupling is a real fear in horse racing as it has really taken hold in the greyhound world.  Don't kid yourselff, we aren't much different from greyhound racing and certainly not in the eyes of the operators of racinos.  See what happens when decoupling takes hold.


While plans for a harness meet at the Jackson Fairgrounds this year did not materialize, plans are still in place for a meet to take place in 2015.  The MGCB will announce if Jackson Raceway will get a license in November.


Saturday night is Cal Expo's opening night. New this year is a dime Pick-6 with a twist.  The jackpot is paid out only if there is one winner; otherwise the jackpost is rolled over to the next racing program.  The wager starts with the third race.  Other low cost wagers are the 50-cent Pick Five (starting with the first race),  20-cent Pick Four (races 10 to 13) with a $20,000 guaranteed pool, and the 10-cent Super Hi-Five in the final race.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/10/02/6757112/cal-expo-season-opens-with-new.html#storylink=cpy

Observations On First Two Days Of Lexington Selected Sale

Those Swedes have all the dough: Jimmy Takter and agent Robert Lindstrom are the top two buyers at Lexington Selected with a combined $2.2 million spent on 18 yearlings, for an average of $123,000. All those depressing Ingmar Bergman films I watched at the Brattle as a kid didn’t prepare me for this devil may care Nordic spending spree……Two $100,000 plus Dragon Again colts have been sold. This is the first time since 2008 that a pair of his babies went for six figures in Lexington. He’s in Ohio now, and his offspring are living out his PA eligibility. Ron Burke, who has had much success with the sons of that stallion, bought one of them. Maybe the folks who took the other one, a son of Ideal Weather, for $120,000 are chasing the next Dragon Eddy…..Two years ago seven Kadabras averaged $42,000 in Lexington; last year it was 10 for a $31,000 average. He’s averaging almost $80,000 for 14 after the second 2014 session. The fact that his syndicate members stepped up and bought the filly out of Pizza Dolce for $400,000 didn’t hurt, still, they did the same thing last year on a smaller scale. Muscle Mass leads in the OSS freshman filly category, with Dewey in second, followed by Kadabra. Those two have moved on to New York. And Angus Hall, who had a good year, is about to turn 19, which makes him a senior citizen in today’s game……The place is crawling with Western Terrors—again.  There are 42 for sale. Last year three-quarters of them failed to crack the $25,000 mark. Casie Coleman did give $77,000 for a filly, Triple Charm, but that notwithstanding, 10 of them are averaging $22,400 thus far. A Western Terror brother to Krispy Apple sold for only $5000 …….The results for first crop stallion Roll With Joe are inconclusive, but the bidders aren’t beating each other over the head with chairs to get to them either. Five have passed through the ring for a $56,400 average. A very well bred colt brought $115,000. Seventeen Roll With Joes sell in Lexington an 28 in Harrisburg……Shadow Play got lost in the shadow of Sportswriter this year, but the only one to sell thus far brought the top price for a filly in his short career--$92,000 from Jack Darling…..Among volume trotting sires Credit Winner is ahead of Cantab Hall. Both are having a great sale. I don’t get that; Credit Winner had some success in the Excelsior series but drew blanks across the board in the NYSS. Archangel has a couple of wins and Perfect Alliance faltered when she was fed a steady diet of the big girls. Only four Credit Winners sold at Lexington in 2012, but last year 19 averaged close to $88,000. He was an unmitigated success. Seven sold for six figures and four out of five brought at least $50,000. In 2013 perennial big spender Robert Lindstrom bought a colt for $260,000 and another for $165,000. They love that Credit Winner in Lexington…..Western Ideal has clawed his way back to respectability at the sales over the last couple of years. Last year’s Lexington numbers were 30% better than those of 2012 and so far in 2014 seven are averaging almost $80,000. The fact that this crop is Pennsylvania eligible certainly plays a role in the rise. His New Jersey address was a problem. And, of course, the fact that Artspeak has been such a standout has added to his increased relevance at the sale.

Joe FitzGerald

Crime and Punishment (and those appeals)

According to Harnessracing.com, Yannick Gingras, David Miller, and Brett Miller all were served with a $500 fine and a two day suspension for kicking.  The suspension days were set for today and tomorrow, during the Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile.  Need it be said what the drivers have done?  Of course, they appealed their suspensions as the chance they would miss the races at the Red Mile if they could avoid it is about 0%.  Everyone is entitled to an appeal but one hopes if they drop the appeals after Sunday or are otherwise to be bound to have filed a frivolous appeal, one hopes the ORC adds days to their suspensions to send a message.

Here is a novel thought.  If the drivers don't want to miss important race dates, they should keep the feet in stirrups.


Well, no need to worry about heat racing this year at Lexington as only nine horses dropped in for the Kentucky Futurity   In addition, with seven fillies contesting the Filly Futurity, that race will also be raced as a dash for the cash.  Sure I will miss the tradition of heat racing, but realistically, it makes no sense to have heats when there is no need for same day elimination races.  Overall, it is a good balance.


The London Free Press has published an article on racing under saddle which is taking place Friday evening at Western Fair District.

Wednesday Briefs

When the Illinois Racing Board had cut back the number of days of racing in the state for 2015, you knew the hammer would come down on the harness industry as well.  Sure enough, as per the contract with the IHHA, Balmoral and Maywood Parks will be racing two days each for the first six months of the year.  If the state doesn't pass legislation which is favorable to the racing industry, odds are Maywood will be dark the second half of the 2015 calendar.

The reason for the cut back of racing dates?  A way to stretch the purse account as long as possible. As bad as the reduced calendar for 2015 is, the question must be asked what happens if the Illinois legislature doesn't come up with a solution to racing's financial ills?  The existence of racing in the state for both breeds is seriously in question.

What does this do to the Illinois breeding industry?  One would assume it will totally collapse.  However, a few weeks ago in Maryland, there were eight stakes races for Virginia bred and sired horses contested.  As racing programs falter in certain states, with cooperation, we may find sires stakes programs of certain states being raced at tracks in different states in order to keep the breeding programs viable, if not robust.


In Michigan, Northville Downs surrendered their 2014 thoroughbred license two weeks before it was supposed to start.  While they have applied for standardbred and thoroughbred meets in 2015, I don't know if it will happen being Northville plans to keep their half mile oval.  They will either have to have a real long chute but even then, those turns will give 'bull ring' a whole new meaning.  Of course, the possibility of it being a mixed meet, in particular quarter horses such as was done elsewhere in the state is a possibility.


It will be 'riders up' at Colonial Downs this Sunday, but it's not because the Virginia thoroughbred horsemen have settled with track management.  Colonial Downs will host a quintet of horses for a $3,000 non-wagering event at a distance of 1 1/4 miles.


Sadly, getting little notice is the return of harness racing out in California as Cal Expo begins their 2014-15 harness meet.  October brings us Saturday night racing before the meet expands to two nights a week starting in November.  You may be asking why one one night a week in October but looking at the entries will explain why.  Out of the fourteen races, five races have six horses entered; three with seven.  Despite being approved, no exchange wagering starts with this meet.


Hall of Famer John Campbell has a solution to stop kicking.  Forget the fines and give days.  Give three days the first offense, five the second, and ten for the third and drivers will keep their feet in the stir-ups.  Sounds easy doesn't it?  It is except you need eighteen individual race commissions to approve the rules  This is an example as to why we need either regional or a national governing board so there is one set of rules for everyone to follow. .


Apparently, the runners will be racing in Massachusetts in 2015 after all, the question is where.  An application for up to 60 race dates at the Brockton Fairgrounds has been submitted, provided there is no racing at Suffolk Downs.  While management at Suffolk Downs has made it known they will not be racing next year, the horsemen groups are attempting to lease the facility to keep racing alive in Boston.


Enjoy your Wednesday.  Remember, there is racing during the day at The Red Mile starting tomorrow through Sunday.

Who Bought What On Day One At Lexington Selected

Day one at the Lexington Selected Sale was terrific. Numbers are available everywhere.

Who bought what?

Myron Bell started throwing big money around early, as he paid $400,000 for the Cantab Hall colt Prince De Vie. He also purchased a Muscle Hill colt—Winter Harbor—for $240,000 and a SBSW colt for $75,000. George Segal paid $325,000 for Sonoma Valley, a Rocknroll 3/4 sister to Vintage Master, but that was probably a buy back.

As usual agent Robert Lindstrom made his purchases from the top shelf. The black Credit Winner filly Earn Your Wings, a half-sister to Mission Brief, went home with him for $260,000. He also acquired the Cantab Hall colt Sunbeam for $135,000 and the Muscle Hill filly Heal The World for $120,000.

Ron Burke bought seven yearlings on day one, six of them pacers, and four of those New York breds. His lone trotting purchase was the Muscle Hill colt Southern Flash for $85,000. Burke’s most expensive buy was hip number one, a Rock N Roll Heaven filly out of a daughter of Eternal Camnation that he paid $100,000 for. He had great luck with the Sassa Hanover and Band Of Angels this year so he also bought a colt by Rock N Roll Heaven for $50,000. Mickey Burke paid $65,000 for an Andover Hall filly on behalf of Three Brothers Stable.

Jimmy Takter purchased six—four trotters and two pacers. He sold See You At Peelers to Diamond Creek when her racing career came to a premature end, and tonight he bought her first foal, the SBSW filly Ivy League, for $150,000. Takter also paid $200,000 for a full brother to his boy Guccio.

Ake Svanstedt’s only personal buy was the bargain Roll With Joe colt Tap Into Power. However, Bernie Noren acting as agent paid $355,000 for Dante, a full brother to Archangel, and $200,000 for an Andover Hall half-brother to Hot Shot Blue Chip.

Four premium Kadabras hit the sales ring, and Canadian buyers were there to snap them up. The team of Hartman, McDuffee and Katz paid $400,000 for Bene Bene, a filly out of Pizza Dolce. Bob McIntosh purchased the first foal from Windsong Soprano for $90,000. Mark Steacy gave $55,000 for a colt out of a sister to Crys Dream. And Benoit Baillargeon paid $55,000 of Tom Rankin’s money for a half-brother to Perfect Alliance.

Nancy Johansson bought the first foal of Fancy Filly, a daughter of SBSW, for $210,000 on behalf of Courant AB Sweden…..Tony Alagna bought Enigma, a SBSW filly out of a daughter of Cathedra, for $160,000…..a full sister to Shaq Is Back and Shaqline, New Sheriff N Town, went to Melby Gard for $175,000. The Credit Winners fared very well on day one. Paul Kelly got a Credit Winner colt for $75,000 and a filly for $65,000. Donato Hanover also had a very good night…. Only three Cantab Hall yearlings sold—Pennsylvania is his home court--but the three commanded $400,000, $220,000 and $135,000, so he made his presence felt.

Joe FitzGerald