Horseracing's New Face of Evil

Phyllomedusa Sauvagei

Why is this frog smiling? Because he is the candyman of South America. He secretes an opiode forty times more powerful than morphine, which was supposed to help him ward off the bad guys. But not the bad guys of horse racing. You may be wondering, as this reporter did, just how these trainers in Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma were smuggling this small South American frog (the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog -- named by someone who clearly enjoys demorphin) onto racetracks and getting their horses to surreptitously lick its back shortly before a race. Maybe you, like this reporter, pictured this little frog peeking out of the top pocket of a trainer's overalls. But this is not how it happens. A synthetic version was created, one that eluded tests ... until recently when 30 positives blipped in a Denver lab. The opiode not only numbs any pain or soreness the horse may feel but also excites him, makes him ready to run.

It's no surprise to see this opiode appeared in tests coming out of the cradle of iniquity of racing (New Mexican quarter horse tracks), but it's also shown up in thoroughbred tests as well. Luckily none of the 30 positives broke down, but many took prize money. And as the shrewd and talented Chicago trainer Christine Janks pointed out on Paulick's site, this is fraud. And it should be penalized criminally. But not only is this fraud, this is animal endangerment, gross and egregious.

Few would argue anyone caught should be removed from the sport, but it looks like fines is the worst jurisdictions can or are willing to do right now.  
  

The Belmont (one week away)

I'll Have Another Noses out Bodemeister

It's hard not to think about the Belmont and the Triple Crown without seeing the Rorschach blot of  Dick Dutrow back sweat as he ingloriously exits from the cameras and ascends the ancient steps of a scorched and bathroom-deficient Belmont, leaving without the prize Big Brown was supposed to deliver. But this year's quest for immortality seems different. Big Brown didn't lose to his competition. He was eased out of the race. I'll Have Another has Dullahan and Union Rags standing like two monoliths before the gates. Dullahan just worked a half in 45.8 and Union Rags's jock, whose been on many good ones, felt on his first ride that this colt was otherworldly. If I'll Have Another can pull this off, he's earned his spot in the pantheon.  

Big Brown's jock Kent Desormeaux was interviewed recently about I'll Have Another's chances and he wasn't optimistic. To add to the surreality, this interview came days after his blood alcohol tested high, and he was knocked off his mount on Dullahan (some wine with dinner, he said). But even more surreal was his comment about how horses have it wired into their head that they have to accelerate at the start of the final turn, which you can't do on Belmont's mile and a half track. He said you have to "mediate" that. Maybe true, but at some point you want to shake KD into some self-awareness. He had to know this interview was gonna get tagged with more about his blood-alcohol levels, and for Big Brown fans it's hard to not accept possible "over-mediation" on his part in Big Brown's Belmont, especially in the initial stages of that race. But I like Desormeaux. He belongs in the Hall of Fame and is probably the best turf jockey in the country right now. I also know he really cares about the horses and has made many visits to Old Friends, an equine retirement center, where he's as playful and kindhearted as can be. 

Mario Gutierrez is still trying to get mounts at Belmont, which seems strange. But not really. This is New York. The outsider doesn't get the magnanimous free ride because he's been on TV. This sort of thing will never change. And O'Neil who was dealt a possible suspension in California seems to be weathering the cirucs as well as he can. He took in the first Mets No-Hitter the other night. I wonder if he saw the chalk dust rise on that hit by Beltran that was ruled foul. Those flying granules of chalk that could have made the difference between a half decade of history and NoHan. Some times you need a little luck.  



Lichtenstein Comes to Chicago

Red Horsemen

So what do you do when you're not running Belmont Stakes scenarios through your head in that span of time between the Preakness and Belmont Stakes? If you're in Chicago, I recommend a stroll through Millennium Park then the Lichtenstein show. As most head to the greener tableaus of Wisconsin or Michigan, I stayed in the hundred-degree city with the piercing sun rifling  indiscriminately off the ugly Gehry bandshell (not sure why people like this guy). But there's also the Cultural Center which rises out of the pavement with elegance and stateliness -- an homage to the powers of civic duty. It used to be our public library, apparently the Queen of England when hearing about the Chicago fire felt deeply grieved by our loss of a library and donated money for new books, and the city obliged with a beautiful building. Little did the Queen know that Chicago didn't have a library before the fire.

The glare from the 11am sun was blinding even with sunglasses. My wife and I ducked into the Art Institute for a reprieve and AC. The Lichtenstein show was going on so it was packed, luckily we're members.

The first thing that hits you is the dots and how they play with your vision, skewing depth and context. It reminded me of summers when I was young and would walk into our dark kitchen for something cold to drink. I would drink slowly as my eyes adjusted and stare into the tesseract pattern in the carpet which took away all my depth perception. My mind would float with my vision and with the summer exhaustion you could sit and imagine things.   

So now the nation should gather behind this smart, ambitious and super talented Flower Alley colt as he reaches the most difficult part of the journey. The Belmont Stakes. It's an idiosyncratic track that has undone many horses and jockeys. Gutierrez comes from a bullring in Vancouver, so that mile oval might not be burned into his cranial map like other jockeys, so maybe the mile and a half of Big Sandy won't be all that difficult of an adjustment, and let's face it one of the things he does best is cede to the being he's astride.

The Preakness was one of the best races I've ever seen. It's so rare things play to script like this. You have to take it all in and enjoy it.

More paintings and updates to come. Hope everyone screamed their lungs out as I did (at Arlington) last Saturday. I did well in the Hanshin too. I was surprised to see Havelock getting overlooked and knew that on class alone this guy would make a run. It was a thrilling finish, and a nice ride by Florent Geroux. 

Preakness

Went The Day Well 

Have we ever had a Triple Crown that's never been the favorite in any of his races? I'll Have Another would likely be the first. IHA does not dominate his competition, he outmaneuvers them and exposes their flaws (handicappers too). This is how my brother used to beat me at tennis; he'd volley and let me make a mistake. How I hate him. Where was I? Versatility. Adaptability. The most misunderstood concept Darwin introduced is The Survival of the Fittest. Many people mistake Natural Selection as preferring strength or dominance; but it's adaptability that is selected. Once again IHA will have to adapt -- he'll need to chase Bodemeister and the closers aren't going to have 18 horses backing up into them at Old Hilltop.

So far IHA has made all the right moves -- going to the lead when he needs to, stalking and pouncing when that's what's called for. But there is one minor flaw people have noticed in IHA and that's his wide cornering, which doesn't dovetail all that splendidly with Pimlico's tight turns.

Back to Bodemeister. What can we expect of this colt who has already done an awful lot. All reports point to him not moping in his stall. He's galloped nicely. Is he ready to turn the tables on the chestnut with a frizzy mane that seems an homage to the heady hair-producty 1980s? Does he know he won't need to go that fast? I'm not sure he does. And I wouldn't be surprised to see a little regression.

Went the Day Well had trouble in the Derby and nearly got there. He's gonna be a contender in the Preakness. Hopefully they get him acclimated to the track. Animal Kingdom might have won last year if it weren't for the sandy dirt hitting him -- the connections must have figured Churchill Downs was a good enough introduction to dirt. It wasn't.

Creative Cause is another who might get a better trip. I think he'll be more of a factor. And I believe the blinks are coming off. Hallelujah!    

Selections
This race can play it in so many ways. Lone speed can steal; speed dual can meltdown. Pimlico plays to speed, but the lone speed is late in his form cycle and to repeat his performaces would be amazing. I'm staying with I'll Have Another because he's the most versatile horse in this field and the most talented. I'm keeping Bodemeister close in the frame and to fill it out I'll be using Creative Cause and Went the Day Well. For an upset there's Zetterhorn, but I have no original thinking on the new shooters. They don't seem to be in the same league as the Power 4. This is going to be a fun race.

I'll Have Another
Bodemeister
Creative Cause/Went The Day Well

I'll Have Another

I wish I wouldn't have been scared off by the post. In the end he had enough tactical speed to save ground around every turn. What an amazing ride by Mario Guitierrez who last year was riding at Hastings Racetrack in Vancouver. A track most have never heard of. When he first jogged I'll Have Another last year his agent told him not to get attached, that he'd never get to ride a horse like that. The owner, Paul Reddam, saw the connection the horse and jock made and gave him a shot. Reddam has charted an unlikely course but carried his conviction through and ended up accepting the trophy from a somewhat stupefied Bob Costas. When I'll Have Another hurt his shins in the Hopeful even the trainer didn't think it was wise to get him on the Derby trail, then there was the two month layoff, and finally the decision to stick with an inexperienced 25 year old jock. I usually don't give owners much credit for much of anything, but this guy is very deserving.

Bodemeister did what he does, though he did it in sparkling fashion coming up a furlong short of smashing the recordbooks. I don't think anyone will be able to beat him going 9. I'm not sure if he's going to the Preakness, but if he does he will be the number one threat to a Triple Crown. Until the Belmont then it gets much harder for IHA. But let's just enjoy the moment.

The usually classy Michael Matz excoriated Leparoux for the ride he gave Rags. It's hard to tell if Julien deserves all the ire, but it's a part of his game that has always been somewhat lacking -- and it's the part of the game I like least. Gate riding a horse means you risk not allowing the horse to get comfortable and lengthen his stride in exchange for the tactical advantage of getting the best chance at first run. It's an ugly way to ride, but it's effective. Leparoux is a finesse rider with great hands; he is the very best finesse rider in this country. But trouble came early as Dullahan swept Union Rags back, dashing the colt's hopes very early on. Union Rags, however, was moving the fastest in the last furlong of the race.

Finally Dullahan and Went the Day Well also finished with a flourish. I think Went the Day Well is a big threat on ole Hilltop.

Through the We're getting a hot tub and professioral referencing of Wittgenstien. The acceptance speeches were fun this year; the connections beamed under the Kentucky sun that threatened but in the end shone gold waves over the dais, the 25 year old jock and the dirty colt.  

Derby 138 Has Arrived

Creative Cause

So how was your trip in? The unavoidable question and the thing you're trying best to not think about. Creative Cause tossed a shoe and might have suffered a minor foot injury during his peregrination from sunny California to the electric spring of Kentucky, if you go by some of the reports. He acted up twice while schooling in the paddock and he didn't exactly blow the lid off anything in his work, but is this just overanalysis? I place a lot of credence into gauging how a Derby horse is doing the week of the big run; some grow up right then and there. Empire Maker and Giant's Causeway colts, both excellent pedigrees, sometimes take a little longer. Creative Cause is by the Giant. On the track Creative Cause has always been a part of the race, no matter the class of the field. His talent is unquestionable. Will he take the next step? I hope he does, but right now I am waffling. 

My Selections

I think we're going to have a lot of pace in this Derby thanks to the somewhat surprising addition of the sprinter Triniberg. And I think it keeps this race honest. Hansen, Take Charge Indy and Bodemeister might not be able to resist the early fight, but if they can they could be in the catbird seat. But I'm gonna look off the pace and I'm settling on a horse I've loved for a while, Union Rags. Yes, I love the storyline but more important I think Rags is smart, classy and ready to take command in chaotic situations. Tactical speed is important and he has enough. All out speed like you see in Hansen and Bodemeister simply will not get it done. I'll Have Another gets a terrible post but this horse also rises above the field with an unshakable presence, but needs a dry track. Finally, I think the undefeated Gemologist will round out the frame. In some ways this Derby is a treatise on training styles. How hard do you push your young colt? This year, if you figure this out, you'll likely get your picture taken in the Winners Circle, unless of course Bodemeister blows the doors of everyone, then it's just good to be a Baffert.  

Good luck everyone and enjoy Derby Day!

Bodemeister

Bodemeister wanted nothing to do with the rest of the field of the Arkansas Derby. He broke widest from the eleven hole, hit the gas and never heard the hoofbeats of those trailing. It wasn't much of a field, and after it was revealed that Secret Circle raced through a seisamoidic injury, it turned out to be a field with very little merit. It was a great spot for young Bodemeister to flash speed and gain confidence after a tough beat against Creative Cause. Baffert, long known from his quarterhorse background for manufacturing speed, seems to have successfully put his stamp on this colt that Zayat named in honor of Bob's son.

There are no pedigree concerns with this guy and with three consecutive triple-digit Beyers he seems to be in his own stratosphere of speed. But watching him run, his hard action, you wonder if he can do what no other horse since Apollo in 1882, the year Thomas Edison flicked the switch to the first electrical power plant ushering in the electronic age, and that is win the Kentucky Derby without having raced as a two year old.

He'll likely have to wire the field to make this happen. I don't think he can do it.

The Perfect Trip

Grace Hall

It's that time of year when Chicago moves its collective tack out of Stickney and into Arlington Heights. Much has been made around the contrast between the billowing smokestacks and napalmy breeze of Stickney vs. the weeping willows and sparkling white, angular grandstand of Arlington, but not enough is made about the cultural differences of these tracks. Yesterday, on Illinois Champions Day, I had the good fortune of touring the Crow's Nest, where from the apron I could only glimpse the two sets of binoculars poking through the winter and spring breezes onto the oval and wonder what sort of machinations went on behind the curtain. The binoculars belong to caller Peter Galassi and charter David Miller, two consumate professionals who alchemize the chaos on the track into decipherable, succinct language. You'd think they'd want nothing to do with a couple of curious railbirds on Champions Day of all days, but they were gracious hosts. Affable, funny and yet focused on the tough jobs they do. There's no technology outside a brick toteboard to rest on here, no Jumbotron, no Trakus. Even the timer at one race showed :51 for five-eighths, which simply isn't possible. We were left to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of these men to fully experience the race. And yet they didn't let us get in the way and had no problem with us hanging out.

Peter would break away from conversation, look out over the oval and start calling the race he saw in his head, how he thought it would play out. "Who's the speed in this one? Let's see ... E.T. Baird is the rider. Gee, I wonder what he's gonna do?" We laughed in a nerdy track way at the predictability of Baird's gate-riding (How many people could I laugh at this with? I was in heaven). Peter works out the race in his head and he knew the deciding factor in this contest would be trip. Speed would likely fade and whoever got to sit just off would have the best shot at nailing the wire. "They're off" he called, and we watched with him as seven Illinois breds sprung from the gate brushing each other as they made their way vying for position on the first turn; it was a mile and a sixteenth, if you were gonna save ground you had to get the rail. Meanwhile in the other room the chart writing tanderm were furiously transcribing the action. I don't know how they're able to do this but Dave Miller demures, there's only a set amount of things that can actually happen in a race. Maybe he's right but I still think these men should be allowed to wear capes in honor of their superhuman powers. "Catalina Way feels the crack of the whip as they turn for home." Baird's horse faded pretty badly about halfway through the race, maybe preferring Keeneland's turf to the dirt of Stickney. Last year's winner of the race (Catalina Way) was now carrying the load, looking to repeat, jockey Tim Thornton had switched Seans Silverdancer outside of Catalina's flank, figuring the target for this race was now revealed. The closer America's Blossom ran patiently on the rail. Peter had all the action called in perfect cadence. The race just seemed to flow through him, as if he were conjuring these galloping specs hundreds of feet below. He didn't jump on the race like some callers who crassly inflate the action. America's Blossom, a late runner who had the rail was now moving the quickest but her lane was occluded by a tirng horse and her jock had to make the costly manuever of switching out. It was the gray, Sean's Silverdancer who would enjoy the bounty of a perfect trip. She hit the wire at 7-1. My fellow railbird who had her in his early pick 4 pumped his fist as the clock on the tote froze. Shortly after we knew it was time to leave these men to their work. Peter told my fellow railbird  to come see him if he needed a signer for his pick 4. We laughed and departed down the hall past the charters, past the VIP room filled with septegenarians hovering around a plate of brownies. We walked down the stairs back to our mortal world. Would we ever be granted this type of access at Arlington, would they be able to see our curiosity as the lifeblood of the sport or would we just be an impediment to them doing their jobs? The pick 4 was alive, the day was young and still held promise as we made our way out of the clouds and back onto the apron.   

I'll Have Another

I'll Have Another had a good second to Creative Cause in the Best Pal then ended his first year with a miserable run in the Hopeful over a sloppy Saratoga track and was pretty much forgotten about. At over 40-1 he won an ugly iteration of the Robbie Lewis at Santa Anita. A jockey got tossed, there was a DQ and no one in that field has come back to do much of anything. Rousing Sermon got the show money in the Louisiana Derby, but that's about it for what was a touted field. After the Lewis I'll Have Another's owner (Paul Redddam) decides he wants an unusual two-month layoff for his horse and they work him stoutly into the Santa Anita Derby where he wins again, this time he beats the mighty Creative Cause whose trainer offers no excuse, just that his horse was outrun.

Trained by Doug O'Neil, I'll Have Another has proven himself over and over, and yet he will be somewhat of a longshot. He'll go off longer than Creative Cause and much longer than Bodemeister (who lost  to Creative Cause). More important, IHA's running style gives hin catbird positioning in the Derby, just a spot off the pace, which should be lively given Bodemeister and Hansen's likely dual. So keep an eye on this sprightly Canadian chestnut. He can get it done.

Recap of the Blue Grass and Arkan Sas
I forgot to post my picks but I would have had the chalky exactas. They paid fairly well though given their predictability, especially the Arkansas which hugged the script perfectly with maybe Bode more overwhelming than expected. Dullahan had absolutely explosive turn of foot in the stretch at Keeneland. It wasn't like Hansen folded, Dullahan grew afterburners. The somewhat strange and abrupt pullup at the end by KDesormeaux caught my attention. But apparently he was just worried after that huge run and the vet says everything is A OK. I'll talk more about Dullahan and Dale Romans who is twisting his moustache with his fingers thinking about the Roses.

Next  up is the Lexington. The make-up exam for those that didnt get their homework in on time. Entry to the Kentucky Derby may hinge on it. I think El Padrino is the big one trying to get in. Is Baffert gonna send four? that's one more than stents put into his heart. Gonna be tough to unpuzzle this polytrack affair.    

Illinois Derby Sets Stakes Record -- Slowest Ever

By more than a second and a half. From the apron, the tote lit up opening fractions of :22:1, but this wasn't right. In fact, it's hard to tell what the actual fractions were. It was still an amazing sight watching them rush by under brilliant silks, and maybe I'm different from other railbirds in that I think speed is the most overvalued aspect of racing. Consistency and stamina are way cooler. If I could turn back the quarterhorse influence of trainers like D Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert, I would. The good news is the European tradition seems to be wending its way back in with top trainers, like Mott and Motion, not relegating their talents strictly to turf. Motion took dirt's grand prize last year with Animal Kingdom (who ran a nice second to Wilcox Inn in an impressive maiden race at Arlington in the fall).  The horse seemed to make a trenchant statement about domestic breeding and the creep of drugs hiding our ability to evaluate bloodlines. If it weren't for the lead-tongued Barry Irwin telling people he couldn't trust any American trainers on the biggest day for the sport then saying America can't pay me enough to have me run my champ in the states ... Don't get me wrong, he makes great points both about our trainers telling owners only want they want to hear and purse structure for 4YOs, not to mention breeding and drugs. Unfortunately thanks to bad luck Animal Kingdom appears to have nagging injuries, which just plain sucks because it undercuts the new dawn this horse might have revealed.

OK, let's talk Illinois Derby and Wood and Santa Anita. Done Talking Now will not run anyone off their feet, but he'll likely pass tired rivals. And who knows what this injection of confidence will do for him and his all-Maryland connections. Best of luck to him.

The Wood: No real surprises here. Both Alpha and Gemologist ran good races, though this also was a plodder's fest. But I'll take a nice dual like this with Gemologist making the last push to put his foe away. Santa Anita is a different story. There's a lot of speed out there. I'm not a fan of the surface and the disarray with synthetics. One way to fight this overvalue of speed is to tame tracks that have ridiculous speed biases. Santa Anita is getting better, but would have liked to see the synthetics given a better chance to influence racing and breeding, as well as handicapping.