Superstition Archives - Page 2 of 3

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016

A Pinch Of Luck

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As I write this, we have just 67 full days until the Kentucky Derby and 17 days until my favorite holiday, Saint Patrick’s Day! There are many reasons I love this holiday. One is directly connected to my love of Thoroughbred horse racing.

Generally, when 3/17 roles around, the weather in the Bluegrass is improving. Then 3 weeks later, Keeneland opens for the live Spring Meet leading right into the KY Derby, the 1st Saturday of May. I have the house decorated for St. Patrick’s now but it is pretty easy for me to pull that off as my home is fairly Irish themed to begin with. Getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day is so easy and that’s a huge part of the appeal to me. However, getting ready for racing and KY Derby takes a lot more planning. I’ve been watching the road to the KY Derby since it started, 9/12/15, where it will end, at Churchill Downs on 5/7/16. 21 Derby prep races are finished now. Only 14 races remain to determine which horses will have the points needed to place them in the 20 available post positions. There is still way too much in the air to cover all the Thoroughbreds in a blog but only 4 in the current top 20 of the leaderboard will have riders dressed in green! These 4 are ready for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick was a 5th century missionary and bishop in Ireland. He is believed to have died on 3/17 and that is why he is celebrated on this day. Ireland has fun folklore and superstition including fairies and leprechauns. Legend has it, that for St. Patrick’s Day, you must wear green to be invisible to the leprechauns which will pinch you if they see you. In fact, people will pinch you as well if your not in green, as a reminder. Mor Spirit, Exaggerator, Greenpointcrusader and Swipe have the fortune of being owned by green silk farms.

Mor Spirit is the Pennsylvania bred colt of sire, Eskenderey and dam Im a Dixie Girl by Dixie Union. He is 4th on the KY Derby leaderboard with a score of 24 points. He is trained by Bob Baffert. Baffert has trained several KY Derby winners. He was 2nd with Cavonnier in 1996. Silver Charm won in 1997. He trained 3rd place winner, Indian Charlie in 1998. That same year he trained the 1st place winner Real Quiet. In 2001 Congaree showed 3rd. The following year, 2002, he worked with War Emblem to come in 1st. Pioneer of the Nile was 2nd in 2009. He trained 2nd place Bodemeister in 2012. In 2015 he was responsible for both Dortmund, in 3rd, and American Pharoah, the huge winner! Mor Spirit is owned by Michael Lund Peterson. Peterson’s silks are green and white with stripes in V like formations on the front and horizontal stripes on the sleeves. His jockey is Gary L. Stevens. Stevens was 1st 3 times in the KY Derby. He won in 1988 with Winning Colors, in 1995 with Thunder Gulch and 1997 with Silver Charm. Mor Spirit got his points in 3 races. On 11/28/15 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes(G2) at Churchill Downs he ran 2nd for 4 points. On 12/19/15 he was 1st in the Los Alamitos Futurity(G1) at Los Alimitos for 10 points. Then on 2/6/16 he got 10 points for winning the Robert B. Lewis Stakes(G3). In 5 career starts he has always achieved 1st or 2nd place.

Exaggerator is 9th on the leaderboard with 16 points. He has had 7 career starts. I saw him run at the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, seen above. That is where he picked up 2 points for his 4th place finish in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on 10/31/15. Before that he was 2nd at the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity also at Keeneland on 10/3/15, earning 4 points. He earned 10 points finishing 1st at the Delta Down Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs on 11/21/15. Exaggerator is the KY Bred son of Curlin and Dawn Raid by Vindication. Curlin was 3rd in the KY Derby in 2007. Exagerrator has Kent J. Desormeaux for a rider. Desormeaux has had several KY Derby successes. In 1990 he was 3rd with Pleasant Tap. Real Quiet was 1st in 1998. In 2000 he was 1st with Fusaichi Pegasus. He was 1st again on Big Brown in 2008. He finished 3rd in 2004, 2010 and 2012 on Imperialism, Paddy O’ Prado and Dullahan respectively. The brother of the jockey is the trainer, J. Keith Desormeaux. Big Cheif Racing, LCC. own Exaggerator. They have a green cap and a green silk with a white hoop with green sleeves with a white hoop.

Greenpointcrusader finished 7th at the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, pictured ahead of the pack above. He gained no points for that effort but he got 10 points for winning the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 10/3/15 and 4 points for placing 2nd at the Holly Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park om 1/30/16. His score of 14 puts him 12th on the leaderboard. He is KY bred. His sire is Bernardini. His dam is Ava Knowsthecode by Cryptoclearance, who was 4th in the 1987 KY Derby. Greenpointcrusader has John R Velazquez for a jockey. The rider was 2nd in the KY Derby on Invisible Ink in 2001 and 1st in 2011 with Animal Kingdom. He is trained by T. Dominick Schettino and owned by St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing Stables, LCC and Brooklyn Boyz Stables. This partnership uses a green cap with a green silk having 2 white hoops on the sleeves.

Lucky 13 on the leaderboard is Swipe. He is sired by Birdstone who ran 8th in the 2004 KY Derby. Swipe is KY bred and his dam is Avalanche Lily by Grand Slam. Swipe is also trained by J. Keith Desormeaux. His owner is also Big Chief Racing, LCC with James C. Justice and Billy R. Shelton. Having the same owner, they use the same silks as Exaggerator. Swipe, seen above was also in the Sentient Jet BC Juvenile. He placed 2nd scoring 8 points and then was 2nd again in the Front Runner at Santa Anita on 9/26/15 for 4 more points. He has a career of 7 starts. He has not raced in 2016 but he did have a workout on 2/27/16 at Santa Anita. Swipe has Victor Espinoza for a jockey. He was 3rd in the KY Derby with Congaree in 2001. He won the KY Derby in 2002 on War Emblem. He has won the KY Derby back to back the past 2 years with California Chrome in 2014 and American Pharoah in 2015.

These KY Derby contenders are rocking the green. Don’t forget to wear green on St. Patrick’s or you may suffer a pinch. To be safe, wear it all month. I will!

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October 22, 2015October 22, 2015

Last Look for Luck

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This is it folks! Alas, this is the final day of the Keeneland Fall meet for me. This live racing meet officially ends there October 24th. I am sad that it is coming to an end but it couldn’t be a more gorgeous Fall day here in Lexington, KY. It is dry, sunny and in the upper 70s. In addition to horse photos today I want to get some tree pics too. All the leaves are changing colors and it is so beautiful, until I have to rake. For now, it is breathtaking.

While I am enjoying this glorious day I am excited to have 9 races to watch and perhaps wager on. Our handicapping friend gave us a tip for the final race. He says, “Race 9, Horse #1, Copus (is his pick.) Chris Richard (trainer) has been very successful this meet, especially with claimers. This hard knocking gelding has enough speed to get to the front and hold on in the short stretch at Keeneland’s 1 1/16th (miles) finale this Thursday.”

Race 9 will post at 5:30 P.M. EST today, October 22, 2015. The purse is $16,000 and it is a claiming race on the dirt for 3 year olds and upward. Copus is a 6 year old gelding with 39 career starts. He has shown or better in 15 of these races. He has had 7 starts this year. His trainer, Chris Richard, has won grades stakes in his over 3 thousand starts. Florent Geroux is the jockey. He has had over 5 thousand races in his career, several graded stakes wins and he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year with Work All Week.

I’m going to bet Copus across the board. Have a nice week. My pre Breeders’ Cup story is coming soon!

Update: Copus took the lead from the gate then Barrister Jim and Copus traded leads mid race finally Copus finished first as Ephram S hurried past Barrister Jim to get the 2nd and 3rd place positions respectively. Great job Copus on another career win!

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October 15, 2015October 16, 2015

This Race is for the Ace

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Our tipster is on fire! Please, be especially thankful that our contributing handicapper has given us two back to back first place winning tips on the past two days of Keeneland’s Fall meet. He isn’t finished. We have another tip for today.

On this fine 15th of October, at Keeneland, look to race #7. Our tip guy says, “#5, Holding Aces, was very impressive in his first start. He should be forwardly placed but will have to hold off a late charge form #4, Watershed. Catalano (Holding Aces trainer) looks like he has a nice colt here and could hold on at a good price.”

Holding Aces in a 3 year old colt owned by Gary and May West. The West’s have had multiple grades stakes wins in their over 1,600 starts including a 1st place Breeders’ Cup win. The jockey is multiple graded stakes winning Shaun Bridgmohan. Bridgmohan has an Eclipse award for outstanding apprentice jockey. He has come in 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and both 2nd and 3rd in several Breeders’ Cup races. Wayne M. Catalano has over 12 thousand career starts and is the multiple graded stakes winning trainer to Holding Aces. Catalano has had several 1st place finishes in Breeders’ Cup races. Holding Aces ran 1st in his only career start. That happened last month at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, KY.

Watershed, is also a 3 yer old colt. He is owned by Godolphin Racing, LCC. They have 2 Eclipse awards and multiple graded stakes wins in over 1000 starts. Those include many first place finishes in the Breeders’ Cup, and they finished 2nd with Frosted in this years Belmont Stakes. Joel Rosario is the jockey for Watershed. He has finished repeatedly at 1st, 2nd or 3rd in all legs of the Triple Crown. He has over 11 thousand starts with multiple grades stakes wins and has several Breeders’ Cup wins too. Kiaran P. McLaughlin trains Watershed. He is a multiple graded stakes winner as well. He was the trainer for Frosted at the Belmont Stakes. He has over 6 thousand starts to his credit and has done very well in Breeders’ Cup races too. Watershed has 2 career starts. Both were at Saratoga this past August. He came in 1st then 4th. His 1st race, of course, was his maiden and his second was the King’s Bishop Stakes. Grade 1 is very impressive, I believe, for his second race.

Fingers crossed, and all that superstition that we get another win today. Thanks for reading and sharing. I return to the live action Friday!

Update: Watershed won after being last place for most of the race. He went wide to win by 1 and 3/4 lengths. Holding Aces finished 5th after taking the lead straight out of the gate and holding in the front three for most of the race until Sharm and Watershed came up from the back.

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October 9, 2015October 9, 2015

Fourth Doesn’t Pay

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Say Cheese! I love this picture, I took, of Edeline in the winners circle for the last race, the 10th race, at Keeneland on Sunday, October 4, 2015. She looks so happy to finally break her maiden in her 5th career start. I’m also using this photo because of the significance of the number 4.

Today, 10/9/15, our tipster notes, “fourth doesn’t pay!” He has been kind enough to kick in some free tips, for me to share, the past 2 days of racing but they both came in 4th. Hopefully, this is the end of that streak and he is giving us something to look forward to about the number 4. He wants us to look to today’s 4th Keeneland race and go with, what else, the #4. He says, “Ken Ramsey (owner) looks like he wants to get his picture made today. #4 Thank You Marylou named after Marylou Whitney has been running against much better and will be tough to beat from just off the pace.”

Ken and Sarah Ramsey have won leading owner titles at Keeneland as well as several other tracks. I frequently bet on their horses because not only are they great Thoroughbred owners with a winning history but they frequently use Sarah’s nickname, “Kitten”, in the naming of their horses.

Marylou Whitney is an Eclipse winning owner and from the family with the most stakes winning horses. She operated her own Marylou Whitney stables and was a founding member for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. She is the primary contributor to the Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park. Her gifts to the Thoroughbred industry and to horse and human charity, nation wide, are remarkable.

Thank You Marylou, a 4 year old filly, will be ridden by Julien Leparoux. Michael Maker is the owner. The 4th race, at 7 furlongs, has a purse of $62,000 and is an allowance optional claiming race. This is Thank You Marylou’s 15th career start. Post time is 2:45 PM EST.

Go, Thank You Marylou, go!

Update: She sure enough came in 4th. Sorry. Check out tomorrow’s tip!

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July 18, 2015July 18, 2015

Midterm Musing

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It is hot and sticky here today in Kentucky. There are no live races at Keeneland or Churchill Downs right now and that is certainly a bummer, but I’m using this time to reflect on the Thoroughbred scene on a more national and even international level.

Del Mar in California just got started this Thursday and attending there would certainly be a fantasy vacation for me. Also, we got word this week that California Chrome should heal up nicely as he is moving to Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky soon. Just hours ago, Taylor Made announced that in about 60 to 75 days they will host a Fan Day for Chrome after he rests up. I live nearby and I am hoping I get to see Chrome. Additionally, we are right about in the middle of the year for the 78 international stakes races, or Breeders’ Cup Challenge, that feeds winners into the corresponding 13 Grade 1 races that make up the 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

I touched on the Breeders’ Cup before in Racing Renaissance. To refresh you, there are 13 countries that come to North America and once in Canada to compete. The race moves annually to different tracks and some with repetition. This is the 1st year Keeneland, in Lexington, KY, will host the event which is the richest 2 days in sport. The purse is $26 million dollars. The richest day is sport happens to be the Dubai World Cup Night. The Breeders’ Cup got its start in 1984. The BC Classic is the best race of the series. The purse for that race alone is $5 million dollars. The other races are the Juvenile Turf, Dirt Mile, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Longines Distaff, Juvenile Fillies, Filly and Mare Turf, Filly and Mare Sprint, Turf Sprint, Sentient Jet Juvenile, Longines Turf, Sprint and finally, the Mile. First, contenders are elected 3 ways. They may enter based on performance in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, or by a point system, or be chosen by an expert panel. The point system uses Grade 1, 2 and 3 select races to give 10 points to a winner, 6 to place and 4 to show at Grade 1. Grade 2 awards 6, 4, and 2 points respectively while Grade 3 gives 4, 2 and 1 points, in that order. Each of the 13 BC Championship races,except for the Dirt Mile, has 14 horses entered. The Dirt Mile has just 12. Of these half come from the BC Challenge and points and the other half from the panel.

The “Win and You’re In” BC Challenge began gathering contenders January 10th. There were 2 races in January, 3 in April, 2 in May, 9 in June, 8 occurring this July, 15 to take place in August, 22 in September and 16 will finish up in October. We have 21 winners already. The two BC Classic Contenders from the Challenge are Noble Bird And Hard Aces. The 1st of the 7 BC Challenge races, that lead to the Classic, was the Stephen Foster Handicap where Noble Bird won at Churchill on 6/13/15. On 6/27 Victor Espinoza rode Hard Aces in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Next we have the Haskell Invitational Stakes on 8/2 in Monmouth Park where American Pharoah will compete for the 1st time since his 2015 Triple Crown sweep. 8/8 will bring the Whitney Handicap in Saratoga, then the Pacific Classic will take place at Del Mar 8/22. On 9/26 the Awesome Again Stakes will be held at Santa Anita and then The Jockey Club Gold Cup will be at Belmont Park on 10/3.

In between and all around these dates a whole lot of other races for the BC Challenge and regular Thoroughbred racing will take place too. I am excited to try and keep up with it all. I am looking forward to the Haskell Invitational. American Pharoah has 7 consecutive wins and Bob Baffert has won the Haskell 7 times. I’m hoping 8 is lucky for the both of them. I have a friend who owns Quiet Force who is racing in the Arlington Million on August 15th. This was suppose to be California Chrome’s next race before the bruise. I wish Quiet Force all the luck. If he wins he will qualify for the BC Longines Turf.

If you can’t make it to the races right now, like me, keep on watching and reading! One reader wants help identifying Willie Shoemaker’s white and black checkered silks with a yellow cap that he won at auction. The Shoemaker Mile, named for this famed jockey, took place 6/13/15. It is a BC Challenge race and the winner Talco may now contend in the BC Mile. Is there anyone that can help my reader out? Please, check out the comments section. I’ve been looking but I don’t have his answer yet. I haven’t quit trying yet but feel free to make it easy on me. Thank you!

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June 6, 2015June 22, 2015

Pharoah’s Crown?

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I am six months in on blogging now and I must say this is the most excited I have been for a race thus far. It is time for The Test Of The Champion, The Run For The Carnations, The Triple Crown, The Belmont Stakes! I’m literally waiting on pins and needles to see if we finally have a Triple Crown winner.

The field of 8 horses is strong but I really just want to see American Pharoah win. Not since Affirmed won it all in 1978, have we had a new champ to add to the list of only 11 horses to win all three parts of the triple crown; The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes and The Belmont Stakes. The horses who have won it all include Sir Barton, Gallant Fox, Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed. Secretariat holds the record at 2:24.

The Belmont Stakes race is the 147th running for 3 year olds of 1 and 1/2 miles on dirt. It is a Grade 1 race with a purse of 1.5 million dollars. The race is named for 19th century banker and 1st president of The Jockey Club, August Belmont Sr. The Belmont was 1st held in 1867 making it the oldest leg of the Triple Crown. The location of the race has varied but there is a 200 year old white pine in the paddock, at Belmont Park, that marks the original location and it is now held annually at this track in Elmont, New York. The race will take place at 6:50 P.M. EST today, June 6, 2015. The event is a to p attended Thoroughbred race in North America and holds high television viewing as well. It can be seen live on NBC.

In terms of traditions this race too has a song, a drink, a blanket, and a trophy. The song has been changed a few times over the years. Some think all the changes have brought on bad luck but currently they play the theme from “New York, New York”.

The drink has changed too. It used to be the White Carnation, then the Belmont Breeze and now it is the Belmont Jewel. Get the recipe here: Belmont Jewel. The blanket is the same. It is made of 700 white carnations glued to 7 yards of green velvet. The flower represents luck and love. It takes 5 hours to construct this blanket. Personally, I think there should be a real crown too. Perhaps, made of carnations, for the horse, if it is a Triple Crown winner. The trophy is the August Belmont Memorial Cup made by Tiffany and Co. The winning owner gets to keep it for a year. It is silver with a representation of 1869 winner Fenian on top. On the bottom are Herod, Eclipse and Matchem, the grandsons of the original Thoroughbreds; The Byerly Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Barb. The owner, jockey and trainer of the winner get to each keep a mini version too.

Only 8 horses are racing to win the Belmont Stakes. Just American Pharoah can compete for the Triple Crown based on his past 2 wins. See what we knew about these horses going into each leg here Derby Dreaming and Preakness Planning. This is our field now:

Mubtaahij
Tale of Verve
Madefromlucky
Frammento
American Pharoah
Frosted
Keen Ice
Materiality

Mubtaahij won the United Arab Emirates Derby which is huge but then he just ran 8th in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness altogether. Supposedly, the surface at the Belmont will be more his preference than at Churchill. He has got in 6 workouts at Belmont and had more time to adjust to the environment at that track. His best hope is probably that he has Irad Ortiz for his jockey. Ortiz was 2014 leading New York rider. His odds are right about middle 5th off the best end, 4th off the worst. Tale of Verve did not qualify for the KY Derby but popped into the Preakness as the long shot and fetched 2nd place. He only has one win to his name which he got at Keeneland. It might have been the muddy field that helped him out at the Preakness. His current odds have him tied for 2nd to being the long shot once again. Madefromlucky is one of two Todd Pletcher owned horses in this race. He did not participate in either of the 1st two legs of the crown. He did, however, just win at Belmont in the G2 Peter Pan Stakes less than a month ago. His odds are slightly better than Mubtaahij. Frammento ran 11th in the KY Derby, he did not run in the Preakness. He has not raced since the KY Derby and has not won a race this year. He is the long shot for this race. He has only won one time ever and that was at Keeneland last October. American Pharoah…what needs to be said? He won the KY Derby by a length and the Preakness by 7 lengths. In 6 of 7 races he has ran at speeds of 100 or better. The talk is that he appears to be gaining weight and showed no signs of wearing out in his 2 workouts since his Preakness win. He drew a good post position too. My fingers are crossed that he will be our Triple Crown winner. Frosted is the biggest threat. He has the 2nd best odds and I fear he is the major challenger. He had throat surgery that really seemed to help him out. Competing against American Pharoah is about speed and this guy has it. In the G1 Wood Memorial Frosted came in first with a speed of 103. He came in 4th in the KY Derby, clocked at 100. He did not run the Preakness. He has placed at Belmont before. Keen Ice has only one win in 8 starts. He is tied 2nd for worse odds. He came in 7th at the KY Derby and then skipped the Preakness. One advantage, not to discount, is he does have Curlin for his sire. Last but not least, Materiality is ranked with the 3rd best odds. This is our other big threat. He is another Pletcher horse. He ran 6th in the KY Derby and skipped the Preakness. He is a speed horse. Materiality won all 3 off his other races. 2 at speeds of 102 and the G1 Florida Derby at 110.

So what will it take to stop American Pharoah from winning? 13 horses since Affirmed have come into the Belmont with wins in the first 2 legs to lose in the Belmont. The reasons ranged from a safety pin in the foot, a few losses by a nose, a couple of un-explainables, one didn’t take his Lasix, a couple of leg injuries, tumbling at the start, a sloppy track, too much congestion, fatigue, distance and one jockey flat out stopped a horse whom the vets said had no injuries. Anything can happen!

It is all luck and talent from here. Good luck American Pharoah, I hope you get your crown!

Update: My dreams came true. American Pharoah won the Belmont stakes and thus is our 1st Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Frosted placed 2nd, followed by Keen Ice at 3rd and finally Mubtaahij at 4th.

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May 22, 2015May 22, 2015

What Does The Silk Say?

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On June 6th I am hoping to see the jockey in blue and gold with a Z come in 1st! I am awfully excited about our chances of getting a Triple Crown Winner this year. I touched on jockey silks a bit in The Emperor’s New Clothes but that post addressed the uniform of the jockey and the tack for the horse. The silk is actually a representation of the owner.

Owners have been registering their silks since medieval times. In New York, owners register their colours thru The Jockey Club, established in 1894. Owners from other states may register thru New York as well. The Belmont Stakes, the final piece of the Triple Crown, is a New York race. Owners may choose from 38 jacket designs with 19 sleeve designs. The design may only be registered in 1 person’s name. The front and back must be identical. The Jockey Club offers a maximum of 4 colors per silk, with a max of 2 colors on the jacket and 2 on the sleeves, but they will not offer navy blue because it looks a lot like black. They allow a tasteful emblem or up to 3 initials on 4 of the jacket designs and just 1 initial on 1 of the other jacket designs. Despite being called silks they are usually made with lycra or polyester now. They are lightweight and fitted to be aerodynamic. My favorite jacket design is the shamrock pattern. Silks Illustration

Owners can be very superstitious about the colors they choose. Some colors seem to be luckier than others. Another superstition leads the jockeys to toss their silks on the floor and stomp on them when they are new so the garment hits the ground in hopes they won’t fall and hit the ground themselves while wearing it.

In the top photo we see jockey Jerry D. Bailey wearing green and pink silks. These are the colours of Prince Khalid Ibn Abdullah, owner of Juddmonte Farms. Bailey is most famous for riding the great Cigar. Bailey won 7 Eclipse Awards before he retired in 2006 but he went on to be a horse racing commentator and analyst. Juddmonte Farms has earned many awards including 10 Eclipse Awards. Cigar was National Museum of Racing Hall of Famer and American Horse of the Decade for the 1990s. Sadly, he died last October.

11 horses have won the Triple Crown. These were; Sir Barton, Gallant Fox, Omaha, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Count Fleet, Assault, Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed. The prettiest silks of these horses owners were those of Meadow Farms owner Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat. These silks were a blue and white checkered jacket with blue and white striped sleeves. Both Whirlaway and Citation jockeys wore Calumet Farm’s red jacket with a blue collar and blue hat and 2 blue stripes on each sleeve. The jockeys of 2 more on this list wore white jackets with red polka dots. The horses they rode were Gallant Fox and Omaha. These silks belonged to Belair Stud in Maryland that raced from 1923 to 1953.

American Pharoah’s jockey wears the colours of Zayat Stables,LCC. owned by Ahmed Zayat and located in Hackensack, Maryland. The jockey silk is blue with 3 gold balls in a sash formation and a gold Z on one shoulder and on the hat cover. Zayat has been racing since 2005. He has had 19 Breeders’ Cup contenders, 13 GI winners, and 6 Eclipse Award winners.

35 horses have won the 1st two jewels of the Triple Crown with 23 stopping there and 11 winning it all. Will American Pharoah be next?

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May 16, 2015May 17, 2015

Preakness Planning

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Here we are, its 5/16/15, time for the 140th running of the Grade I Preakness Stakes! In the lucky 13th Pimlico race of the day, at 6:18 p.m. EST, the 1.5 million dollar purse race will begin. Just 8 of 14 possible horses, the smallest field since 2000, are competing in this race and only one of them could someday be a Triple Crown winner!

The Preakness Stakes takes place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Just like the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes it shares the same dirt track, flower, and drink. See yesterdays post Filly Friday. They also eat crabcakes, yuk! To make the Black-Eyed Susan flower blanket, for the winning horse, since 1940, they painted the centers of about 4 thousand daisies black, now they use Viking Poms. I fudged a little on my own flower pic above too and darkened up the middle. The race is called “The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.” The reason they use the wrong flower is because the Black Eyed Susan blooms in June in Maryland and it is only May so daisies are in season. I just need to take more flower pictures, myself. The winning owner gets a silver trophy replica of The Woodlawn Vase, made in 1860 and valued at 1 million dollars. This copy is sterling valued at $30,000. They also paint the jockey silks on the weather vane on top of the Old Clubhouse to match the winning owner’s colors after the race is won. The song of the day is “Maryland, My Maryland.” It reminds me of “O Christmas Tree.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJcHNCZNj24

The first race occurred in 1873. By 1932 it was the second leg of the Triple Crown series. Secretariat ran the speed record at 1:53. Smarty Jones won by the most lengths at 11 and 1/2.

Let’s check out the contenders, listed in post position…

American Pharoah
Dortmund
Mr. Z
Danzig Moon
Tale of Verve
Bodhisattva
Divining Rod
Firing Line

I want a Triple Crown winner. We have not seen one since 1978 with Affirmed. Thus, I’m pulling for the favorite, American Pharoah. The KY Derby was his 5th win straight of 6 starts. 4 of those wins were Grade I stakes. He won an Eclipse Award at 2 years old. This horse won the KY Derby by a length. He is a California horse just like last years winner, California Chrome. Right next to American Pharoah on the rail is Dortmund, these two horses have the same trainer Bob Baffert. All 3 of his previous KY Derby winners have gone on to win the Preakness. Baffert has trained 5 Preakness winners total. Dortmond lost his first race ever at the KY Derby but still managed to come in 3rd, 3 lengths behind the winner. Mr. Z was just involved in a quick sale. He was owned by Zayat Stables when he came in 13th in a field of 18 at the KY Derby. Just days ago, Calumet Farm in Lexington, KY bought him and decided to give him the chance Zayat was not. Zayat still has American Pharoah in the race and he was going to give Mr. Z a break to build confidence. The trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, remained throughout and he thinks the horse is ready now. The fun thing about studying horse racing is the learning. I would have figured horses hated the transportation part but his trainer says the scenic van ride from Kentucky to Maryland was very good for the horse. Calumet Farms has the most wins of any owner in the Preakness. Lukas has the 2nd most wins of any trainer in the Preakness. Danzig Moon also ran in the KY Derby. He came in 5th place running from the 5th pole position. This Thoroughbred is close to the same post now. He lost by more than 6 lengths. Of the 8 horses running the Preakness, 5 ran in the KY Derby and he was the 2nd to last of these. Jockey Julien Leparoux did prefer this horse to ride over Divining Rod. Tale of the Verve wanted to run in the KY Derby but he didn’t make the cut. He has won a Gr. I stakes of the same length as the Preakness. He won his maiden race at Keeneland. Tale of the Verve is probably your biggest long shot of the day. Bodhisattva was not a KY Derby horse. He is however, the only horse in the race with a win at Pimlico. Divining Rod did not run in the KY Derby either. He is probably the best of the 3 without KY Derby experience. This horse did win the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland and he has Javier Castellano for a jockey. He just won the 2015 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at this same track yesterday! Last but not least, Firing Line, was 2nd place by a length in the KY Derby. Thus we have the top 3 KY Derby horses running in the Preakness. That has happened 7 times in the prior 20 years and never have they come in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in repeat order.

My handicapper says, “Historically, horses that win the derby from on or near the pace do extremely well in the Preakness. Derby winners that come from far back have struggled in the Preakness. Since the top three finishers in the KY Derby were all very close to the lead, I expect all three of them to run very well in Baltimore. I will be boxing American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund in the exacta and I’ll add Danzig Moon in a trifecta and superfecta box.”

My tipster also inspired me to consider the strong possibility of rain. Looks like the favorite American Pharoah loves mud. 34 horses have won the KY Derby and the Preakness. Fingers crossed, I want the chance at the Triple Crown!

Update: A record crowd of 131,680 attended the Preakness to see American Pharoah win. This was the 14th time since 1978’s Triple Crown that a horse has won both the KY Derby at the Preakness. Finish order was:

American Pharoah

Tale of Verve

Divining Rod

Dortmund

Mr. Z

Danzig M00n

Firing Line

Bodhisattva

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April 30, 2015May 1, 2015

Get Stoked For The Oaks

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TGIF rarely has held so much anticipation for me. I can not wait for this Friday, May 1, 2015 and 5:49 p.m. EST! The 141st running of the Kentucky Oaks is going to be a tough race. This Grade I stakes race on the dirt for 3 year old fillies of 1 and 1/8 miles with a million dollar purse is quite the championship of Thoroughbred racing. Who is your favorite? Let’s explore some history, review the contenders and have some fun with this contest of champions.

The Kentucky Oaks ran for the first time the 19th of May in 1875. The track was Churchill Downs, by the name of Louisville Jockey Club, in Louisville, Kentucky. This track first opened that same year and ran only 4 races, those included the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby. These races are the only races that have been ran continuously at the same track and the oldest uninterrupted contests of all sports ever. The founder was Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. His contribution to Thoroughbred racing history could be an entire post on its own. He developed many of the racing rules used today and his stakes racing design is the model the Breeders’ Cup uses. The Oaks is patterned after the British Epsom Oaks. The event is sponsored by Longines, a Swiss watch company, founded in 1832. The Oaks has several traditions. The song of choice is “My Old Kentucky Home” by Stephen Foster, in use as early as 1921. The flower is the Stargazer Lily. Kroger makes a blanket of theses flowers to place upon the winner. This tradition began in 1916 with roses but went to lilies thereafter. Lilies for the fillies! The lilies share the color of the event, pink! The Oaks partnered with Horses and Hope as well as Bright Pink. This is the 7th year this event is committed to supporting these charities that are devoted to breast and ovarian cancer. The drink of the day is the Oaks Lilly. Make one yourself by following the recipe here Oaks Lily . For a fabulous calorie saving and sober drink try a mocktail by substituting the vodka with your favorite sparkling water. The winner is presented with a sterling silver statue. This statue stands 25 inches tall and has a horseshoe on the top and 2 horse heads for handles. The statue is engraved with the name of each winner since the race 1st took place. The statue is kept year round in the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville. It was created in 1924. The winner is also presented with 12 sterling silver julep cups that are engraved too. In most cases these are broken up to be shared by the owner, trainer, jockey and more.

Fourteen horses will race tomorrow. This pool by post position is:

Forever Unbridled
Shook Up
Include Betty
Eskenformoney
Condo Commando
Angela Renee
Lovely Maria
I’m A Chatterbox
Money’soncharlotte
Oceanwave
Sarah Sis
Stellar Wind
Birdatthewire
Puca

Post Position goes from post #1 being the tracks inside rail to #14 being furthest towards the outside rail. Gates #2 through 10 tend to be preferred positions. It is good to keep close to the rail by the 1st turn but best to not get pinned in. It also matters if the horse is a speed horse or a closer where the best position may be.

The prep schedule for the Oaks began at Churchill Downs in September and ended in April at Keeneland, also in Kentucky. Keeneland featured 3 qualifying races. The horses were ranked on a points system. Most races were Grade I, II, or III. The points ranged from 10-4-2-1 (for win, place, show, or fourth) to 50-20-10-5 and 100-40-20-10 depending on the race. The top score makers are Condo Commando, I’m a Chatterbox, Stellar Wind, Birdatthewire, and Lovely Maria. These are actually the favorites this evening as well, but not in this order. The favorite is Stellar Wind. Larry Jones is the trainer of both post 7 and 8. He was pleased enough just saying “I’m not a good 13 person”, but it should be interesting to see how theses two top fillies compete. Todd Pletcher is training both 4 and 6. Horses 5,8, and 7 all come from the Storm Cat line of the great Secretariat. This line has never produced a Derby winner. The favorite, at post 12, is a Curlin daughter. Posts 2 and 10 are both grey beauties. Last year’s winning trainer with Untapable was Steve Asmussen who has post # 2 this time.

Thoroughbred U for me is my own racing industry study program. I hope you can learn from my blog as well. I am far from handicapping for others and my tipster sent me plenty of info but not a tip. I am going to go with #8, I’m a Chatterbox! This is my pick and not to be confused with a tip, this time.

Don’t forget to wear your pink! My mom and I custom designed a pink lily hat to match my dress. I will talk a bit more about hat design in my next post, all about the Kentucky Derby! Have fun tomorrow. I will be at Keenland’s party on the lawn to celebrate and watch the racing on some big screens.

Update: Lovely Maria, Shook Up and I’m A Chatterbox was the order of the day!

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April 19, 2015April 19, 2015

Pulpit to Paddock

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Good morning everyone. After listening to your reverend on the pulpit this morning come watch Reverend Green on the paddock and track today at Keeneland.

In race 6 (4/19/15) bet on #7 Reverend Green to win his maiden race. He has solid work tabs, especially in the two recent Keeneland works. He should be ready to win at first asking, says our tipster. He worked out at Keeneland on the 2nd and 8th of this month and then again today.

He is a 3 year old colt owned by Glencrest Farm. His dam, Papa to Kinzie, had 9 starts and placed in a graded stakes race. His sire, Elusive Quality, is a multiple graded stakes winner. His trainer is Thomas Proctor and his jockey is Jamie Theriot. Reverend Green has had no starts while Proctor has had 128 this year so far and is a top earning winner of multiple graded stakes and Breeders’ Cup achievements. Theriot has had 183 starts this year and he too is a winner of many graded stakes and Breeders’ Cup races.

On a side note, Reverend Green is also a nickname for America singer, Al Green. He has had success with both secular and gospel recordings.

Update: Reverend Green was not a winner today. I stood in the paddock today to watch this rain shy beauty. He looked dry and warm in his shelter while I was neither. Here are a few paddock pics of this horse.

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