Dream matchup may be just that
In 15 days, Big Brown will try to give thoroughbred racing a huge shot in the arm by becoming the 12th horse, and first in 30 years, to win the Triple Crown.
Since there appears to be no horse in this class of 3-year-olds talented enough to challenge the son of Boundary, the Richard Dutrow-trained colt probably will go postward as the 1-5 betting favorite in the Belmont Stakes on June 7 despite the notion by some that Japanese import Casino Drive can give Big Brown a run for his money.
Big Brown has won his five races by a combined 39 lengths. He took the Kentucky Derby by 4 3/4 lengths and the Preakness by 5 1/4. The Belmont distance of 1 1/2 miles should be no problem for this guy, considering jockey Kent Desormeaux had him under wraps while drawing away in the Preakness.
Fast forward to Oct. 25 and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
Big Brown has won the Triple Crown, made the Travers Stakes at Saratoga his own personal playground in August and brings a 7-0 record into North America's richest horse race.
Curlin, the reigning Horse of the Year, enters this colossal matchup against Big Brown with a seven-race winning streak, including his Breeders' Cup Classic score in 2007 and this year's $6 million Dubai World Cup on March 29.
Both colts have been toying with their opposition,and their showdown has the industry frothing at the mouth. Never before have such two high-profile horses squared off in the Breeders' Cup Classic - 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin versus Triple Crown champion Big Brown. Sounds delicious, huh?
Well, don't count on it happening. This is a dream matchup that is too good to be true. Some combination of factors will prevent such a showdown, you can go to the betting windows with that if this sport's recent history is any indication.
There have been whispers that if Big Brown wins the Belmont, he will be retired after a lucrative breeding deal for a reported $50 million with Three Chimneys Farm was struck last weekend. The colt's majority owner, Mike Iavarone, has said there is no chance Big Brown will race next year. There's little chance he'll still be racing in October.
The breeding rights for these horses have just become too astronomical.
Street Sense, last year's Kentucky Derby winner, had a $75,000 opening stud fee this year and he won only one-third of the Triple Crown. What price will an unbeaten Triple Crown champion command at stud?
Dutrow said the Big Brown camp has the Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic on its radar screen, but is the veteran trainer just dreaming? What kind of odds could you get in Vegas that the Belmont will be Big Brown's final race, win or lose?
Even if Big Brown makes the Breeders' Cup Classic, there's no guarantee Curlin will be here waiting. The 4-year-old colt's trainer, Steve Asmussen, didn't even consider the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March when he was looking for a race for the son of Smart Strike because of the Cushion Track mess.
Another possible roadblock to a Big Brown-Curlin showdown: Word has it Curlin's principal owner, Jess Jackson, would like to enhance his colt's record by running in major foreign races like the prestigious Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 5 and the Japan Cup on Nov. 30.
Curlin, 2-0 this year, tentatively is scheduled to race next in the $750,000 Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 14. They may have trouble filling the race, however, because nobody wants to go up against Curlin.
A Big Brown-Curlin matchup is too good to pass up if all plays out like it could before the Breeders' Cup. Yes, this is horse racing and even the great Secretariat was beaten, but these are two very special colts who appear head and shoulders above their competition.
If horse racing officials were smart - and remember, we're talking about an industry that has been horribly short in that department for years - they would do everything in their power to keep these horses home and racing on Breeders' Cup day.
Yes, a successful Triple Crown bid by Big Brown would be a tremendous boost for an industry that has taken more than its share of hits lately, but a Breeders' Cup Classic matching unbeaten Big Brown against Curlin could be the biggest event this sport has seen in decades, arguably ever.
Santa Anita drew a track-record 85,529 on Big 'Cap day in 1985. Those kinds of days were thought to be over, but maybe not. After all, Southland racing fans have shown before if you give them quality, they will show up.
Big Brown vs. Curlin? A clash of the super colts? The prospect is so appealing, so enticing, that for once we all have to hope the sport gets it right.
It is a matchup that needs to happen.
Copyright (c)2008 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Eight Belle's demise signifies growing crisis in racing
In recent months, the horse racing industry has been fretting about the distaste for Polytrack among some horseplayers. The synthetic racing surface, designed to be easier on horses' legs, has turned out to be a handicapping puzzle that frustrates and annoys some of the folks betting at the mutuel windows.
Saturday's Kentucky Derby made it clear the sport has much bigger problems. The tragic death of the filly Eight Belles, who was euthanized after breaking both front ankles in the moments following her second-place finish, signifies a crisis point for racing.
In the past three years, we have seen a Kentucky Derby winner and a runner-up die from injuries suffered in the nation's most-watched races. The sport has too long neglected its moral and ethical obligations to its equine athletes. Now that public confidence has been shaken yet again, perhaps Eight Belles' sacrifice will speed the reforms begun in the wake of Barbaro's death.
The day after the Derby, casual fans wanted to talk about the filly's demise, not about Big Brown's dazzling victory. That's a bad sign for a sport desperate to gain new fans. Even Rick Dutrow, the swaggering trainer of Big Brown, seemed more worried than excited about running his porcelain-footed horse in the Preakness in two weeks.
"The surface (at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore) is too hard, and the harder the surface, the harder the track is on the horses," he told the Baltimore Sun. "Bad things can happen."
They've been happening with distressing regularity. Barbaro broke an ankle in the 2006 Preakness and was euthanized the next January after extraordinary efforts to save him. His injury, and a rash of fatalities at such tracks as Del Mar and Arlington Park, pushed more racing jurisdictions to replace dirt surfaces with Polytrack or other synthetic materials.
Statistics show the artificial surfaces -- typically made of ground-up rubber or carpet, wax and sand -- are safer. The Jockey Club released a report last month that showed a rate of 1.47 deaths per 1,000 starts on synthetic tracks, compared with 2.03 deaths per 1,000 starts on dirt.
But the surfaces are expensive to install. And the handicappers' gripes have been augmented by complaints by some owners and trainers that Polytrack produces slow times. Because money makes the horses go around, the industry has dragged its boots on synthetics, as well as on other issues contributing to equine infirmity.
Modern breeding practices, fueled by human greed, have created a more fragile thoroughbred. The exorbitant auction prices for rocket-fast 2-year-olds have driven pedigrees built for raw speed, with little regard for stamina and sturdiness.
In 1960, the average thoroughbred raced 11.3 times per year. In 2007, that number had fallen to 6.31. Remember The Green Monkey? Probably not; he sold for a record $16 million and raced only three times -- with one third- and two fourth-place finishes -- because of chronic injuries.
The lust for Derby fame, with the stallion-service riches that await the winner, leads to grueling race schedules that are tough on young, developing horses. Many retire early to the breeding shed before their soundness can be judged. Big Brown has been troubled by quarter cracks in his hooves and must wear rubber-tipped, glue-on shoes; as a Derby winner, he is likely to go on to sire little Browns who could inherit those foot problems.
Synthetic surfaces need more research and evolution, but they represent a powerful early step in better stewardship of these magnificent animals. So does the vision of the Jockey Club, a major driver in instituting a series of industry summits on horse welfare and safety.
Eight Belles' death has backed racing into an uncomfortable corner. If it doesn't get more aggressive in protecting its greatest asset, it risks further alienating an already appalled public. The Humane Society of the United States is watching carefully.
"The industry has not had a rigorous critic to set it in the straight and narrow," Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle said Monday in a statement. "Major problems have grown and festered. It's time for the thoroughbred industry to deal with its problems."
It's long past time for racing to dial down the greed and get back to putting the horse first. Eight Belles' trainer Larry Jones declared "she went out a champion to us." Let's hope, in her tragic legacy, she can be a champion for all the horses who deserve our respect and protection.
(c) 2007 The E.W. Scripps Co.
Kentucky Derby Betting Coverage Expanded in 10th Anniversary of Horse Racing Website
Toronto (PRWEB) April 30, 2008 -- It's been 10 years since Real Quiet came out of nowhere to nearly claim horse racing's Triple Crown and almost 10 years exactly since a horse racing website came out of nowhere to become a daily must-read for horseplayers.
And in celebrating 10 years in business, owner Mike Dempsey figured there was no point in remaining real quiet about the new Triple Crown wagering information - and huge handicapping contests which will send players to Las Vegas for one tournament and to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita for another - made recently to the site.
"We have added a tremendous amount of Kentucky derby handicapping material in the past few weeks, everything from how the derby favorite has fared over the last 10 years to historical post position win percentages for all three jewels," explained Dempsey, a respected handicapper who has been in the business for three decades. "We have also absorbed one of the busiest and most-knowledgeable horse racing forums on the Internet to add even more Triple Crown opinion, picks and analysis to the site."
Among the reams of new Triple Crown wagering information is top jockey and trainer records for the Derby, Preakness and Belmont, up-to-the-minute news from the backstretch at Churchill Downs and Triple Crown wagering odds and pari-mutuel payouts from several online racebook sources.
"If you are going to bet on the Derby -- and many people will do just that for the first time on the First Saturday in May -- then visiting Turfnsport.com is a must," said Dempsey, who provides his own free picks with detailed analysis on the Kentucky Derby.
Handicapping colleague Brian Mulligan, another respected mainstay in the horse racing industry, also provides his insights and picks. The pair of horse handicapping experts have pledged to provide free race selections on all Triple Crown races for the first time in 2008.
In addition to the useful forum chatter, the horse racing forum also provides a free Kentucky Derby contest where participants can share in the $1,000 in prize money made available May 3. The Derby competition requires fans to pick winners on all the races at Churchill Downs on Derby Day and rewards winners with racebook credit from one of the TurfnSport.com sponsors.
"The contests have served as a great way to generate new chatter in the forum and to increase the volume of opinion and picks going on in there," said Dempsey. "Every week during the year, there is a new contest, new qualifiers that earn contestants a chance to play for those big year-end prizes. It's been great marrying up the clients and visitors who have followed TurfnSport.com for a decade with the knowledgeable group of forum posters who have made TrackChampion.com such a worthwhile place."
So horse racing veterans and even the first-time visitors curious about all the buzz around Derby Day can get their fix at TurfnSport.com. And all can learn how the post position draw will affect likely favorite Big Brown and second betting choice Colonel John.
(c) Copyright 1997-2005, PRWeb. All Rights Reserved
Full Field of 20 Expected for Derby
In spite of the shocking news of the Triple Crown trail-ending injury to 2007 juvenile champion male War Pass and the apparent decision to forego the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) for a run in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) by the connections of Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II) winner Behindatthebar, a 20-horse field is still being predicted for the 134th Run for the Roses May 3 at Churchill Downs.
War Pass, owned by Robert LaPenta and trained by two-time Derby winner Nick Zito, suffered a fractured sesamoid in his left foreleg, apparently in the Wood Memorial (gr. I), but wasn't discovered officially until April 19.
Zito and LaPenta still have a Derby prospect in Cool Coal Man, winner of Gulfstream Park's Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) before ringing up a very un-cool ninth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland. That race was his first encounter with a synthetic surface, and he never looked as if he was comfortable, inspiring both trainer and owner to draw a line through that effort.
Zito has yet another potential Derby starter in Four Roses Thoroughbreds' Anak Nakal.
The victory by Behindatthebar in the Lexington Stakes, combined with poor performances by three other hopefuls, made the Keeneland race a bad day for a trio of entrants hoping to run their graded stakes earnings to a spot where they could nail down a position in the expected Derby field. Race-time betting favorite Tomcito, Atoned, and Racecar Rhapsody were considered likely prospects to enhance their Derby possibilities with additional purse money, but they floundered and came up with little or no money.
The race went to Behindatthebar, at odds of nearly 6-1, with outsiders Samba Rooster, a non-nominee to the Triple Crown, and Riley Tucker coming in second and third, respectively. Racecar Rhapsody was fourth, but the $16,250 he earned won't get him near the starting gate on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs for the $2-million Kentucky Derby.
Tomcito and Atoned came up empty of race earnings by finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Lexington. Sandwiched between those two was the well-regarded Salute the Sarge, who had plenty of money to make the Derby starting gate, but needed a solid performance to show his connections he was Derby-worthy. Seventh in the field of 11 did not register very high on the hope meter.
While the news was good for Behindatthebar, it doesn't appear the connections of the Lexington winner will try the big Derby field, opting instead to start in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course May 17. Behindatthebar seems to be attuned to synthetic surfaces - what with his three wins and a second over those ovals, and an off-the-board finish in his only try on the dirt. That fact has not been lost on trainer Todd Pletcher, who indicated trying the Churchill Downs conventional surface in two weeks might not be prudent.
In another Triple Crown trail but not graded race, Icabad Crane probably put himself in line for a run in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico with his victory in Pimlico's Federico Tesio Stakes April 19. The win was his first in a stakes event in only his fourth career start. Prior to the Tesio, the son of Jump Start was third in Turfway Park's Rushaway Stakes.
Following the weekend's actions, here is the rundown of the top 20 horses - all Triple Crown nominees - with enough graded stakes earnings to get them into the field: Pyro, Proud Spell (filly), Tale of Ekati, Colonel John, Gayego, Big Brown, Z Humor, Monba, Court Vision, Z Fortune, Adriano, Recapturetheglory, Smooth Air, Cool Coal Man, Anak Nakal, Eight Belles (filly), Cowboy Cal, Visionaire, Big Truck, and Bob Black Jack.
Sitting in the wings and needing defections to make the field are Denis of Cork, Halo Najib, Tomcito, and El Gato Malo.
The two fillies, both trained by Larry Jones, were late nominees to the Triple Crown and appear to be prime prospects now to be entered April 30. Jones had an eventful run through the Triple Crown races with Hard Spun last year, finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, third in the Preakness Stakes, and fourth in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
Copyright (c) 2008 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
War Pass poised for a win at Derby prep
Three races for 3-year-olds will be run today, and for most entries, it's their last prep for the Kentucky Derby.
In the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, the question is clear. Will the real War Pass please stand up? If he runs to his ability and not as in the Tampa Bay (Demolition) Derby, he could win easily.
With rain canceling the races at Aqueduct yesterday, track conditions could favor War Pass, who is bred to love the mud. He appears to be fit and has no excuses.
Court Vision, who made a miraculous run from last to third in the Fountain of Youth, could spoil War Pass' day. To assure that War Pass doesn't steal the race, Court Vision's trainer, Bill Mott, also entered Inner Light. Trainers Todd Pletcher and Nick Zito also have entered two runners, with the likely motive to snatch guaranteed $15,000 shares of the purse.
Even with 10 horses, there is not much betting value. With the likely low odds, this appears to be a great race to gauge War Pass's chances in the Kentucky Derby.
With Georgie Boy out of the Santa Anita Derby, the rematch between Colonel John and El Gato Malo has the backstretch buzzing. In the Sham Stakes, the "Colonel" won the battle by a half-length. Both trainers and jockeys love their post positions and their chances today.
This race has plenty of speed. Bob Black Jack is fastest of them all. The two favorites will be tested early and hard. Will they falter?
Yankee Bravo is a closer on multiple surfaces and looks like an upset possibility. His third in the Louisiana Derby to Pyro, a Kentucky Derby favorite, makes him respectable. He needs the purse money to get into the gate on May 3.
He will be trying hard and Santa Anita has been kind to horses with his running style.
Look for Colonel John and El Gato Malo to survive challenges from all except Yankee Bravo. His odds should make the risk for the upset worthwhile.
The Illinois Derby at Hawthorne Race Course is a silent weapon in the attack on the Kentucky Derby. War Emblem won this race in 2002 before winning the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher is hoping for the same fate for Atoned.
A win seems like a lot to ask of undefeated Denis of Cork, who has never run this distance and is trying after a six-week lay-off. The track, which should be fast, will help front-runner Z Humor.
Real Appeal and Atoned should close late. Atoned, the quicker of the two, is ready off his second in the Tampa Bay Derby. He is Pletcher's best chance to win the Kentucky Derby. The jockey switch to Joe Bravo is a concern. Be cautious!
Watch for Z Humor to try to win wire-to-wire. Real Appeal and Atoned will challenge that effort. Atoned, even with a new jockey, may prevail. Demand solid odds for the risk.
Good luck and keep the day job!
Copyright (c) 2008 Hudson Valley Media Group
Big Brown installed as Future favorite
Unbeaten newcomer Big Brown, a dazzling five-length winner in his stakes debut in the $1-million Florida Derby (gr. I), has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the third and final pool for Churchill Downs' 2008 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens its four-day run Thursday.
Owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., the Richard Dutrow Jr.-trained son of Boundary was listed as a narrow choice over Winchell Thoroughbreds' Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Pyro in the pool that will give racing fans throughout North America the opportunity to wager on contenders for the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) May 3.
The Kentucky Derby Future Wager is a $2 minimum wager and a win bet only.
The Steve Asmussen-trained Pyro was the 4-1 favorite in Pool 2 of the Future Wager, which ran from March 6-9 and attracted total wagering of $325,306. A total of $764,685 has been wagered during the first two pools of the 2008 Future Wager, which is now in its 10th year.
Betting on Pool 3 of the Future Wager is scheduled to run from noon April 3 to 6 p.m. April 6 (all times EDT), and winning payouts on the pool will be based on odds that are in place at the conclusion of wagering.
While Big Brown and Pyro occupy the top two spots on the roster of 24 wagering interests in Pool 3, Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia expects strong support for Robert LaPenta's 2007 2-year-old champion War Pass, who is listed as the 6-1 third choice in the pool's morning line.
The Nick Zito-trained colt will attempt to bounce back from a disappointing run in the March 15 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) when he runs in the April 5 Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct. California-based Colonel John and El Gato Malo, both of whom are set to run in the April 5 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), are next at odds of 12-1.
The mutuel field, which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in Pool 3, stands at odds of 15-1. The "all others" bet was favored in Pool 1 of the 2008 Derby Future bet.
NTRA.com
Important Derby preps are here
The Florida Derby tomorrow, the Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby on April 5, and the Blue Grass Stakes on April 12 are the year's only Grade 1 preps for the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. All four will be run at 1 1/8 miles, leading smoothly to the Triple Crown opener's 10-furlong distance.
Big Brown is the early 3-1 pick for the Florida Derby; War Pass is aiming at the Wood Memorial; Colonel John is shooting for the Santa Anita Derby, and Pyro is heading for the Blue Grass Stakes.
War Pass, the 2-year-old champion, ran last at 1-20 in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 15. But the colt worked four furlongs in a quick :47.40 at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida yesterday. That drill suggested that the Nick Zito trainee, while not yet back in the good graces of the betting public, was at least back in fine form.
Meanwhile, Colonel John took the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on March 1, and Pyro, who chased War Pass in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park last fall, ran away with the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds on March 8.
As for Big Brown, questions abound, his early favoritism for the Florida Derby notwithstanding.
The colt has endured quarter-cracks in both front hooves; has consequently had his racing schedule limited to only two starts, although he did defeat maidens and first-level allowance competition by a combined 24 lengths in those outings; has drawn a post position (12) that has been a death trap at Gulfstream Park; must run farther than he has ever done before, and must defeat far better opponents than he has ever met before.
This seems much too much for the horse to overcome.
(c)2008 silive.com
All Rights Reserved.
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