Giving Back to the Sport

As a rule, I don't comment directly or edit the postings contributors or guest columnists make on my blog.  After all, it is their opinions and they are giving their time to write their pieces.  However, Joe F. and myself differ with regards to Intimidate's race at Hippodrome 3R this past Sunday.

I for one congratulate the connections of Intimidate for racing at 3R.  Make no mistake, the race was basically a de facto exhibition race for Intimidate, one that he got paid $3,000Cdn for competing but the money really wasn't the point.

It's no secret Quebec racing was all but extinguished when Attractions Hippiques imploded, shutting down racing in the province virtually overnight.  The Quebec Jockey Club has slowly been rebuilding the industry from the ground up racing at 3R and on a provincial circuit (equivalent to a fair circuit) but let's not kid ourselves, it is likely sometime until we see top quality racing in Quebec on a regular basis.

What we had with Intimidate was locally based owners and a trainer from Quebec giving back to the hometown crowd by bringing their horse back to Trois Rivieres for a de facto exhibition race; allowing the local fans the opportunity of seeing a Breeders Crown champion in the flesh.  So Intimidate made his first start of the year in a Quebec bred race for four and five year olds.  While it doesn't quite equal what Frank Azur did a few years back when he brought Blueridge Western, Noble Falcon, along with drivers Brian Sears and Tim Tetrick to the Orleans County Fair in Barton Vermont for an exhibition race, both events were cases of owners giving back to the hometown fans; something not typically done in these days where the eyes are always on the big prize.

Yes, one can wonder why Intimidate's connections seem to be skipping most of the big races as last year?  Is it their target is the Breeders Crown once again and trying to save their horse or are there other reasons involved?  I don't know.  However, I am sure there are other owners who are more than happy to take advantage of Intimidate's absence and pick up the big checks instead of him.  This is an owner's decision.

But the point remains, in this day where top horses are being raced like thoroughbreds, going only for the big money, we should be applauding when a horse's connections look to give something back to the home crowd. 

We need more people like the connections of Intimidate.

Experimentals, Dewey, and Donato

Regular VFTRG contributor, Joe F. offers his opinion regarding this year's Experimental ratings as well as the influence of Deweycheatemnhowe and Donato Hanover:

The crew that took over Stan Bergstein’s Experimental Ratings/ Predictive Rankings have come up with another curious list. Fashion Athena, who won some PASS races when left to her own devices and lost whenever challenged, is rated number four, a slot ahead of the unanimous winner of his division, Wheeling N Dealin. Fashion Athena finished out against a C-1 field at The Meadowlands in her first 2013 start. She’ll finish ahead of Wheeling N Dealin? She’s faster than he is? Give us a break. She deserves to be rated a dozen spots ahead of Royalty For Life, too? Sure she does? Bee A Magician deserves the top ranking? No doubt about it—not.

The OSS Santana Blue Chip gelding, Windsong Jack, is ranked number five on the pacing list. He only raced in the Ontario Sire Stakes last year and will no doubt do the same this year. I guess a fast mile at Georgian Downs got him that ranking, as well as some easy OSS money. Santana Blue Chip fell flat on his face as an OSS stallion; they sold 14 of them for a $14,000 average in 2011 at Forrest City, while only two sold, one for $2,500 and the other for $4,500, in 2012. He was deported from Canada. Do you think he’s producing the number five open pacing colt? Another OSS colt, Mach Pride, is ranked number seven. We’re told he may be the strongest threat to Captaintreacherous. When will that be? He isn’t eligible to the BC, the Meadowlands Pace, or just about anything else, aside from the NA Cup where he’s 25/1 in the spring book. Windsong Jack isn’t even eligible to the Cup.

Something in their formula keeps taking them to Canada. Tarpon Hanover, who was good early in the OSS and won the Battle of Waterloo but was no factor in the Nassagaweya or Metro, is number 13, while Wake Up Peter, who won his BC elimination and finished a strong second in the final, is two spots back of him at number 15. Say what? Tarpon, an $82,000 Badlands Hanover yearling, is 30/1 in the NA Cup spring book. Windsong Jack is elevated off of a fast mile at Georgian Downs; Mach Pride gets the same treatment for winning fast at Rideau Carleton; and Tarpon gets a star for a fast mile at Grand River. Last year they had Wrangler Betonme, the pride of the Alberta SS program, in the top twenty. He started twice and earned no money. Who would have figured? Anybody.

***********  

Three super star trotters have joined the breeding ranks during the past decade: Donato Hanover, who is nine-years-old; Dewey, who is eight; and Muscle Hill, who is seven. Of the three, Donato is most important because he is key to keeping alive the line running from Noble Victory through Garland Lobell. Maybe Chapter Seven, a son of the short-lived Conway Hall stallion, Windsong’s Legacy, will get it done, but Donato is the logical choice, and really the only reasonable possibility for Andover Hall in NA at this point. Donato’s oldest are four-year-olds this year. Check Me Out was a great filly but where are the boys? Possess The Will, Weingartner and From Above, all from his first crop, showed promise at two, but they could barely make it onto or around the track as sophomores.

More than 46% of the Donatos sold at the high end--$50,000 plus—at Harrisburg in 2011; that figure dropped to 30% in the fall. His stud fee was cut 25%. Muscle Hill’s yearling average was 33% higher than his was in 2012. Dewey didn’t even have a Check Me Out in his first forgettable crop. Like Donato he started out with a $20,000 fee but during his journey from Kentucky to Ontario in 2010 and now to New York, that fee got cut in half. Dewey’s average fell 11% at Harrisburg in 2012: the buyers are not a patient group.

Historically the first couple of crops are where premium stallions tend to produce the son or sons that will extend them. Bob Marks has been pounding home that theory for ages. If you look at the Valley Victory line that comes down from Speedster; Speedy Scot was from the first crop of Speedster; Speedy Crown was from Speedy Scot’s second crop; Speedy Somolli was a product of Speedy Crown’s second crop; Baltic Speed was from Speedy Somolli’s second crop; Valley Victory (Peace Corps, too) was from Baltic Speed’s first crop; Victory Dream was from Valley Victory’s first crop; Self Possessed was from Victory Dream’s first crop; Cantab Hall and Cash Hall were both from the first crop of Self Possessed; Explosive Matter was from Cantab Hall’s first crop. OK, Gene Abbe was thirty-years-old when Big Towner emerged from his last crop, but more often than not those early crops tell the tale.

Donato himself was from Andover Hall’s first crop; Mr Muscleman was from Muscles Yankee’s first crop and Tom Ridge from the second; Broadway Hall was from Conway Hall’s first and Windsong’s Legacy from the second; I believe Chocolatier, Here Comes Herbie and RC Royalty were all from the second crop of Credit Winner; Florida Pro was from Arnie Almahurst’s first; Mack Lobell was from the first of Mystic Park; Noble Gesture from Noble Victory’s first; Sierra Kosmos from Nearly Perfect’s first; Bonefish, Express Ride and Nevele Diamond were from Nevele Pride’s first and Bonefish from his second.

It goes the same way with pacers. Captaintreacherous is a first crop son of SBSW, and that one was from the second crop of Mach Three. Abercrombie was from Silent Majority’s first crop.  Look at the Meadow Skipper line: MHF was from his first crop and Albatross the second; Oil Burner was a product of MHF’s second crop; No Nukes was from his first; Jate Lobell was from No Nukes’ first; Rocknroll Hanover was from Western Ideal’s first; Rocknroll Heaven was from his first…..So the fact that Dewey and Donato are both coming up short on potential extenders this early in their stallion careers is not a good sign.

**************  

Golden Receiver is getting a lot of love for his wire to wire win in the TVG open the other night. He’s made nine starts in 2013 and has a win in the Presidential. Last year he had won the Presidential, swept the Spring Pacing Championship at Woodbine and won the Graduate by now. The latter two have gone away. Saturday’s TVG opens used to be the Graduate.

After winning the Haughton in mid-August of last year Golden Receiver lost four of his last five seasonal starts. The win was in an invitational pace at Pocono. That’s why he didn’t top the very beatable Foiled Again in the Dan Patch voting.

Cheddar is a better horse than Golden Receiver or Foiled at this point. Cheddar only faced Golden Receiver twice last year, in the Mohawk Gold Cup where Cheddar finished second behind WWS and Golden Receiver finished eighth, and in the Franklin elimination, where Cheddar cruised to victory and Golden Receiver finished ninth.

Cheddar is staked to the TVG. Will he be able to compete in it? Casie Coleman’s suspension is up, but will Gural allow her to race at the Meadowlands? Michaels Power, another Coleman trainee, is also staked to the TVG.  A beard won’t get it done. Cheddar hasn’t raced at the Meadowlands since the Pace in July 2011—almost two years ago. It’s hard to envision his connections turning their backs on the TVG, though.

****************  

Congratulations to Intimidate for his win in a $6,000 division of Series Quebecoise at Hippodrome 3R on Sunday. That’s one way to follow a win in the Breeders Crown, I suppose. Why race in the Cutler elimination Saturday night when you can go in Series Quebecoise on Sunday. Then again, he isn’t staked to the Cutler, Cashman or TVG. Maybe he’ll stay in Quebec and be required to race backwards. Or, maybe he’ll move on to Mohawk and be handicapped against the locals by being assigned the middle of the grandstand post. Maybe San Pail—another strange operation—will come back and he, Intimidate and Goo can stage the Oddball Trotting Futurity. Can we stick Blais in the Mr. Spaceman HOF with Hans and Hughes, or are there extenuating circumstances?

Would It Work Here?

In NSW, Australia, two men are charged with race fixing and betting corruption with regards to Prussian Secret winning the Tamworth Cup, a race for thoroughbreds.  The grounds for the race fixing charges?  It is alleged that Prussian Secret was 'drenched' with performance enhancing drugs prior to the race.

This plot was discovered by Strike Force Trentbridge, a group formed to investigate allegations of racing fixing in the Australian state of New South Wales.  The Strike Force is a group funded by NSW racing to handle investigation in the 'gallops', standardbreds, and greyhound racing industry and they work with civil authorities.

While I can't speak about greyhounds, administering illegal medication is done in all forms of horse racing; it is part of the human condition.  People will try to get an advantage over their opponents, especially when money is involved regardless of the type of sport.  It is when money is involved, people tend to notice it more..  .

One has to wonder what would happen if medication violations in North America were treated as criminal offenses instead of administrative violations?  Granted, someone merely accused under the trainers responsibility rule would never be convicted as you need to be caught in the act of medicating a horse, but in those cases where someone is caught red-handed, perhaps handing them over to the criminal court is the way to go.  The question is would it work here?  Would racing appoint its own Strike Force Trenbridge and cover the expense in order to root out cheaters?. 

What do you think?

Open and Fair Process? Not So Sure

"Maryland Horsemen see a Horse Racing Renaissance" trumpets an article in the Washington Examiner regarding slots money 'pouring' in.  Yep, reading the headline you would think all the horsemen in Maryland are tickled pink.   That may be the case if you are a thoroughbred horseman; standardbred horsemen are a lot more guarded; especially when they don't know the status of Rosecroft Raceway after this year.

As you may recall, last year casino gambling was approved for Prince George County, home of Rosecroft Raceway which is operated by casino operator Penn National Gaming (oh, they race horses too).  Rosecroft Raceway was purchased out of bankruptcy by PNG which is hoping to build a slot parlor there, making it known if they don't get a casino at Rosecroft, they will likely pull the plug on racing there.  Unfortunately, the politically-connected are envisioning a casino opening at the National Harbor to be operated by MGM (there is a third bid as well) as if it is a foregone conclusion.  Of course, this will be a fair and open process, correct?

Don't bet on it.  There are those who feel the process of selecting a casino operator is merely a process of going through the motions.  In fact, when the Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board is talking about the casino at National Harbor as a foregone conclusion, standardbred interests need to wonder how fair the vetting process is going to be.  After all, the Maryland Horse Industry Board is to represent the entire equine industry in the state from racing breeds to pleasure horses.  Unfortunately, standardbred representation on this board is somewhat lacking with only one of the eleven seats occupied by standardbred interests.    Technically, only one seat is assigned to thoroughbred interests but when a consultant who has worked on the Preakness Stakes and other Maryland Jockey Club projects is given a seat representing organized shows and competitions, you have to wonder where the boards objectivity starts and ends.  The last place this board wants to see a casino is at Rosecroft as it would mean divvying up the slot revenue with standardbred interests.

Purses at Rosecroft, while not phenomenal, aren't that bad with purses between $3,000-$7,000.  Enough to keep the industry on life support.  True there is racing on the Eastern Shore at Ocean Downs, but there is no secret Ocean Downs has no desire to extend their racing season.  Purses also will be in the $2,800 to $7,000 level using the classified system, but racing three months a year does not make a stable industry.

While many would like the selection process to be merely a formality, standardbred interests in Maryland need to work with Penn National to make sure the process is fair and the projects are judged on their merits, not political connections.  Otherwise, Penn National will be walked over with the standardbred industry possibly getting trampled at the same time.

The Tides of Alternative Gaming; Saying Goodbye and Outrage

First a quick note.  If you live near Woodstock, Virginia, there is a Wine and Trotting Festival at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Virginia this Saturday from 11am-6pm.  This is the last fair in the state to host harness racing so it would be great if it can get a good turn out.  The event will go off rain or shine.  Admission is $20 ($10 without the wine tasting; $2 for those 16 and under.


Delaware racinos, already hurting badly from expanded gaming in Pennsylvania and Maryland could be getting pounded more if House Bill 135 gets legislative approval and is signed off by Governor Merkel.  This bill would allow the building of two new casinos in Delaware, specifically in Sussex and New Castle Counties.

Delaware moves fast so if this bill becomes law, a nine-member committee will determine where the casinos will be built and the decisions will be final.

This is going to become more common as states react to the increased competition.  A state builds racinos because everyone else has them; then the surrounding states improve their offerings to drive more business to them; then other state builds more casinos to get business back.

With the exception of New Jersey where the gaming money flows out to surrounding states, gaming revenue is like tidal water; flowing in at high tide, flowing out at low tide.  The only problem is as states start or expand gaming with additional casinos, whether brick and mortar or virtual, it is like beach erosion, tracks will not get back to where they started so purses begin to erode and erode and erode..... 

Even in states most friendly to racing, slots are going to carry racing only so far.  Racing needs to figure out what comes next to ensure its survival.


Passport Time - I would be remiss not to mention that Arch Madness is over in Europe to race in the Oslo Grand Prix this Sunday, doing battle against the likes of Maharajah and Commander Crowe.  He will remain in Europe to do battle in the Elitlopp at the end of May.  It will be interesting to see Arch Madness in the Grand Prix being he just shipped over this week for the race.  Quarantine is tough on horses, throwing them off their normal routines.   [Update: Arch Madness was scratched from Sunday's race due to tying up during a training session on Friday.]

Also heading overseas is Take My Picture who is aiming for the Elitlopp on May 26. 

Unfortunately, both the Oslo Grand Prix and Elitlopp look not to be available for wagering in North America.  I expect the day to come when races like these will be available to North American audiences.  It is a question of when, not if.


Did You Know that besides being on the USTA website, The Grand Circuit has a presence on Facebook?  You can click here and like their page and keep up to date with all the doings.
 

It's Not Just the Standardbreds.  Venerable Hollywood Park is rounding into the final turn for the last time as they have made official the worst kept secret that the wrecking ball is coming to the Inglewood track shortly after Christmas this year.  While Southern California still has Del Mar and Santa Anita for their racing circuit, there has been talk about Los Alamitos expanding their track for a more regular thoroughbred meet.  When Churchill Downs sold the track to the current operator they twice tried for slots with no success.  Long time harness racing fans remember the days Hollywood Park also featured harness racing, with Niatross and driving greats such as Joe O'Brien having raced there.


Outrage in West Virginia.  The WVRC is investigating the death of Slippin' Around at Mountaineer Racetrack who collapsed in the receiving barn of the thoroughbred track prior to racing.   From the news story, it appears the WVRC is investigating the abandonment of the horse and whether it was abandoned as it was dying and who is responsible.  No animal, especially one which is cared for by humans, deserves to be abandoned as it dies..  Not having first-hand knowledge, I cast no judgment but if the investigation shows the horse was indeed abandoned as it lied dying, whoever is held responsible, be it the trainer, veterinarian, or someone else should never be allowed to participate in horse racing again.