The Derby party is over for Stardom Bound as her connections decide to point her to the Ashland and then the Oaks. I’m no trainer but doesn’t that seem like a quick decision? I’m also a little sad that they seem to have lost confidence in her. Plenty of folks have pointed out that her colleagues are just now catching up to her, she certainly didn’t take a step backwards but it seems like they’ve interpreted it that way.

Not that I want to turn in to the Gawker of racing but the internets uncovered some interesting speculation this afternoon… “look for Gomez to replace Smith” on Stardom Bound. But if we’re gonna speculate, you would think that any switch would be to Prado as Dutrow’s go to rider, although Iavarone was vague about when the transfer would happen. This just feels a little bit too much like the Hard Spun/Pino knee jerk reaction moment, that is, if it happens!

And because you knew it wouldn’t be long before this argument got trotted out:

Stardom Bound doing right thing staying w/ fillies. After Eight Belles, why would any owner consider taking the boys on? What’s the point?

The tweet-o-sphere immediately responded with:

It worked for Zarkava in the Arc and Goldikova in the BC Mile… both races less than 6 months after Eight Belles

And Ventura just finished a nose behind Gio Ponti in the Kilroe Mile. Sex isn’t a safety issue.

PETA has a worse rep than horse racing. Fs beat colts at ALL levels of the game. A filly won a classic not 2 years ago. There is no argument

R2R beat what people call ‘the greatest horse of this generation’. That’s ‘game over’ right there. Educate the peeps, don’t let PETA do it.

Educate is right + keep pressure on industry re: horse safety, welfare. Pandering to ignorance, anthropomorphism not the answer.

Fingers crossed that we can move on quickly from that argument, and I’m ready for the “Sex is not a Safety Issue” T-shirt!

In light of Einstein’s Big Cap win, Jessica and o_crunk have been trying to come up with a list of horses to win graded stakes on all three surfaces. So far they have Lava Man and Panty Raid. I just noticed Monterey Jazz has also has the 3 surface sweep. That’s a pretty short list, but then again it’s not an easy accomplishment. There have to be at least a few more, no?

Update: yes, there are quite a few more in fact. And doesn’t that sentiment re: “staying with the fillies” seem laughable now.

Posted by dana on Mar 09 2009    
Filed Under: 2009, Impressive, Stardom Bound, Mike Smith, Omnisurface Stars, Twitter, Einstein, Internet, Lava Man, Hard Spun, Derby Trail, Mario Pino, Garrett Gomez, Racing

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Zaftig defeating Indian Blessing in the Acorn (EASY GOER)

Ugh! I was just saying to myself that I was gonna take a quick peak at the Form (which I can’t access from work) and then step away from the computer, but alas the top headline is “Injury forces Zaftig to retire“. Arrrrrrrr!

The Grade 1-winning 3-year-old filly Zaftig has been retired from racing after tearing the suspensory ligament in her left hind leg, her connections said Friday.

Zaftig has been shipped to the Hogan Equine Clinic - run by Dr. Patty Hogan - in Cream Ridge, N.J., where she will spend the next month or so before being shipped to Kentucky.

“[Hogan] said it’s too great a probability that she’s going to re-tear it,” said Susan Moore, who owns Zaftig along with her husband, John. “The best thing to do is retire her and turn her into a broodmare, unfortunately. She’ll stay with Patty for about four weeks, then we’ll ship her down to Kentucky and either we’ll breed her or sell her as a broodmare prospect.”

Moore added that the injury made her feel like “somebody kicked you in the stomach.”

I’ll bet it did. She was looking likely for the Cigar mile next weekend, which was making me uncharacteristically want to hop on the subway and head out to the Big A with some pals to see her. Her run in the Acorn was my favorite race of Belmont Stakes day.

Note that as she comes up to Indian Blessing in the stretch that Velazquez drops the whip… handride y’all! Really impressive.

On the bright side, at least she didn’t get hit by lightening and her dam, Zoftig who was recently purchased for 1.5M by Live Oak Stud, is in foal to Hard Spun!

Best of luck to her for a speedy recovery, we’ll miss you!

Posted by dana on Nov 14 2008    
Filed Under: Get Well Soon, YouTube, Farewell, Aqueduct, Jason Moran, 3yo, Injury, Retirement, Belmont, Hard Spun, Race Replay, Racing

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Larry Jones’ pick-up! (Hen Bros)

Trainer Larry Jones has been tampered with AGAIN. Less than a month ago Jones and Jim Squires had a positive drug test (which Squires is appealing) and now someone has been turning horses out at his barn!

The latest episode lead to an employee being fired and according to the article “Jones is confident he is not the target of other horsemen or activists”. To make it worse, not only did the culprit(s) turn out the horses, his stable pony, Pal, had blisters in mouth that were not the results of cuts… what the hell kind of message is that?

It took me a while to come around to Larry Jones. Swifty and I swung back and forth thinking he was an idiot to thinking he was a genius several times during our beloved Hard Spun’s 3yo campaign. I think ultimately his last 3 races and in particular his incredible finish in the last year’s Classic sold me. I thought, incorrectly, that Hard Spun should have gone in the Dirt Mile because he wouldn’t get the distance and while he didn’t win, he did turn in another strong performance.

I also hear it from some trusted friends that Larry and his wife Cindy are two of the nicest people you could ever meet! And c’mon, look at his truck. If Swifty still had a car I’d be pimpin’ his ride Hard Spun style for his birthday!

And if anyone has any ideas for a new poll, let me know!

Posted by dana on Jul 02 2008    
Filed Under: 2008, Hennegan Brothers, Larry Jones, Hard Spun, Racing

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Nobiz Like Shobiz and his entourage after winning the 2007 Wood at Aqueduct (Sarah K. Andrew)

Nobiz Like Shobiz is inextricably tied to my intro to horse racing. The 2006 Champagne was being run at Belmont on my second trip to the track. Besides being a fan of champagne in general, I quickly became a fan of Nobiz, although at the time Swifty and I couldn’t tell a claiming race from a Derby Prep. No Biz, along with Hard Spun were my very first Derby horses.

You may remember that No Biz was a bit of a Derby hype horse. The Times had a great feature on him and his team prior to the Derby that not only included the picture used in this post (possibly one of my all time fav pics), a quote from his exercise rider, Derrick Sturniolo, that Swifty and I still use to this date:

He’s all business on the racetrack. But he’s a big old love bug in the barn.

but a pre-First Saturday in May video that gives the casual fan a look at how horses get to the Derby entitled The Education of a Race Horse.

What I loved about Elizabeth Valando as an owner is that she would run Nobiz as long as he was sound. I had high hopes for a long(ish) career for him, particularly since he so brilliantly lived up to his potential on the turf.

Fellow TBA-er Michael recently shared a conversation Rick Porter about his deal with Hard Spun where Porter had admitted regrets about rushing into the deal and would liked to have campaigned him as a 4yo. It’s unclear to me from Porter’s quote if he meant that Darley wanted to campaign Hard Spun as a 4yo and Porter wouldn’t agree to it or if Darley wanted to start running Hard Spun in their colors immediately (hopefully Michael can clear up my confusion).

I feel like I grew up quick, fast and in a hurry this year as horseplayer… I’m no longer shocked by the “bred to be a stallion” culture, but No Biz was one of those rare horses that we could have counted on seeing mature into an elder statesman, if you will. Which makes his injury all the more sad. I really didn’t want to see him in the BC last year as it wasn’t really his distance, although he ran a really game race. Who’s to say the injury wouldn’t have emerged eventually (what I don’t know about horses physically is a LOT).

And one more thing, I STILL didn’t see anything about his retirement at DRF! Was it buried in another article? That’s a bit ridiculous.

Alright, Queue Ethel Merman and dim the house lights while we take a look at the big old love bug’s notable moments:

Holy Bull:

Wood:

Tagg after the Wood:
View at NTRA

Hall of Fame:
View at NTRA

Kent Stakes:
View at NTRA

Jamaica Handicap:
View at NTRA

BC work:

BC Turf Mile:

A few odds and ends:

Elizabeth Valando talks about Nobiz

NTRA video archive

Flickr photos tagged with Nobiz Like Shobiz

Sarah K. Andrew’s Nobiz photos.

Thanks to Nobiz, Barclay Tagg and team and Elizabeth Valando for the fond memories… I can’t wait to visit Nobiz, wherever he ends up!

Posted by dana on May 24 2008    
Filed Under: Jamaica Handicap, Champagne Stakes, Sarah K. Andrew, Get Well Soon, Farewell, 4yo, 2008, TBA, YouTube, Turf, Hard Spun, Belmont, Retirement, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Race Replay, :(, Injury, Barclay Tagg, Racing

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Hillside Turf course at Santa Anita (Charles Pravata)

News of the Pyro deal prompted some excellent posting by a couple of my esteemed colleagues. Jen at the Down The Stretch takes a look at racing to the breeding shed while Superfecta compares and contrasts the early retirement ages of race horses in different countries.

Kevin at The Aspiring Horseplayer is featuring a “best of the TBA” that includes a nice collection of posts. One of the posts I contributed was along the same lines as Jen & Superfecta’s.

You can count on Alan at Left at the Gate to have all the latest about the Spitzer “situation”. The comment thread on the current post is stellar, as always. Everyone I’ve encountered (at the deli and my laundromat) was laughing about what an idiot he is, but clearly there are racing implications too (not just poking fun at elected officials).

The Breeders’ Cup has just announced a new sponsor, Sentient, a private aviation company (not the hottest name, when did being sentient become a differentiator in the aviation space?).

Sentient will also provide Breeders’ Cup with a variety of customized private travel programs for its constituents.

Does this mean they’re going be making more enticing arrangements for overseas horses? I hope so!

In thinking about Indian Blessing potentially missing the Oaks I had a couple of thoughts…

1) was it me or did Gomez give her the same kind of ride he gave Hard Spun in the Belmont (i.e., not working with her natural speed) and 2) not a bad move really. Unlike the colts with the Derby she probably doesn’t “need” the Oaks as much to up her value (I feel gross even typing that) + it’s nice to see someone not feel like they “have to” run in an event if it doesn’t feel right for the horse.

Speaking of 3yo colts, I’m not ready to throw in the towel on Majestic Warrior and Tale of Ekati just yet, particularly Majestic Warrior. He had come to come 3-4 wide in both turns, I bet he improves off the effort. Also, J Be K wasn’t allowed to harness his early speed, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s got a longer distance as well.

I leave you with the very foggy Gotham, well done to race caller John Imbriale… “when last seen Saratoga Russell was leading…”

Posted by dana on Mar 10 2008    
Filed Under: Pyro, Charles Pravata, Saratoga Russell, 2008, Indian Blessing, YouTube, Race Replay, Breeding, Hard Spun, Derby Trail, Breeders' Cup, Racing

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