Didn’t think I’d be using this photo again anytime soon! (Charles Pravata)

I love Lava Man. I have the above shot of him by Charles Pravata (from the 2008 DRF Calendar) up in my office where I can stare at it at length. If hard pressed, my answer to the question “who is your all time favorite horse” might be Lava Man as I arrived on the scene just as he was at his height. And to be honest my initial thought when I saw the crazy news about him was “heck yeah!”.

Like everyone else I went to the initial post (dated September 21st) and there weren’t a lot of details (that have since been added), which lead to speculation on the worst… the worst motives, the worst outcome, the worst everything. But then reports starting pouring out with details about crazy things like stem cell therapy and donating winnings to retirement funds.

From the Thoroughbred Times:

“He had to continue training at Magali as part of the stem cell treatments,” O’Neill said. “They found they were able to actually grow back cartilage. No one knew that was possible, so it’s exciting that this treatment may be able to help other equine athletes in the future.

“He really took to the treatment and it has done wonders for him. The doctor said that he is and will be the strongest horse in my barn. I couldn’t put into words how good he looks and how happy he seems to be back in training.”

If and when he runs, all of the trainer earnings will be donated to CARMA (California Retirement Management Account) so people don’t think this is all about greed.

And then there was his crazy first reported work out. Maybe there is something to this stem cell business or as a friend emailed to me upon reading the initial news “That poor horse. His ankles are like glass and he is DONE being a racehorse”.

So, what do you think, is it cool or alarming… or a little of both? I come down somewhere between “Concerned but hopeful” and “Stem cells? Very Cool!”. Of course, if it ends like it did for Gorgeous George there will be plenty of anger and hate to go around. They do seem to love him and want him to be happy so let’s just all keep our fingers crossed that Lava Man has an enjoyable and SAFE stay at fantasy camp.

For some back story on the story, namely how the heck does a horse like Lava Man go under the radar with something like this, check out Ed DeRosa’s account at his Big Event Blog. And on a Jockey’s note, Corey Nakatani must be happy with this news!

And finally, in our last poll, Fav Summer Racing, our east coast bias was showing!

I was too lazy to type all that out, but thanks as always for participating!

Posted by dana on Sep 24 2009    
Filed Under: Poll, Corey Nakatani, Doug O'Neill, Claimer, 2009, Omnisurface Stars, Jockeys TV Show, Geldings, George Washington, Retirement, Wooo!, Lava Man, Injury, Charles Pravata, Come Back, Racing

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One of the points used to prove that Jess Jackson is not a sportsman is that he stated that he wished the Woodward purse was a bit higher.

Is he being a persnickety rich guy or pointing out a genuine inequity in a purse structure that favors breeding your talented 3yos versus campaigning them at 4? He’s probably being a persnickety rich guy (not that I care, see points 1-3), but this also raises an interesting point.

Who among us has not bemoaned the retirement of a talented 3yo colt bound for the shed? Who among us doesn’t want to see our “stars” (because 3yo colts are the only ones marketed to a mainstream audience) race longer?

Let’s face it, there’s no financial incentive for owners to return their talented 3yo to the track and the purse difference between the $1M Travers or $1M Pennsylvania Derby vs the $500k Woodward couldn’t be a better example.

Our friend Frank at That’s Amore Stables elaborated brilliantly last year:

Consider this: on the same weekend that Big Brown contested the $2 million Kentucky Derby, the richest race at Churchill for four year-olds was the $500,000 Turf Classic.

At Pimlico, older males ran in the $250,000 Pimlico Special while Big Brown was cleaning up in the $1 million Preakness.

And in New York, while Big Brown tries to secure the Triple Crown in the $1 million Belmont, older males will tussle on the turf in the $400,000 Manhattan.

In other words, while Big Brown was running for $4 million in purses, your older horse — call him Old Grey — topped out at $1,150,000. Old Grey was running for less than 30 percent of the purses available to Big Brown.

While JJ is probably playing a little poker to see if he can get NYRA to sweeten the pot, he inadvertently highlights systemic measures in place to support the “bred to be a stallion” phenomena. Now there’s something to complain about!

Posted by dana on Aug 23 2009    
Filed Under: 4yo, Industry, Big Brown, 2009, Sportsmanship, 3yo, Breeding, Let Horses Race, Retirement, NYRA, Racing

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Hollywood Park, 1980 (Larry Gassan)

A true bummer of a day for Cali and racing in general with final approval of development on the site of Hollywood Park announced along with the retirement of Pioneerof the Nile. Many a fan and player have uttered the words “there needs to be less racing” (myself included), but that doesn’t make changes like this any easier.

I had the good fortune to make it to Hollywood Park a couple of years ago while visiting one my BFFs. I liked it quite a bit as did my pal, who recently took a group of folks out for some Friday night racing. I played along from home for awhile and I’m extremely proud that she hit THREE exactas!

If you’re like me and wish that you had more memories of Hollywood Park, you have until the end of the year to get yourself out there to make some. If that’s not an option you always just buy some memories on eBay!

If programs are your thing there are plenty! There’s a 1959 program featuring the Los Angeles Handicap, a group of 5 programs featuring Outstandingly, Fran’s Valentine, Tank’s Prospect, Skywalker and more. And for a paltry $8.50 you can get the 1941 Gold Cup program.

Patches? We’ve got patches… several excellent patches, all currently 99 cents.

Even if you didn’t you can boast that you saw Affirmed in the Hollywood Gold Cup with this excellent 1979 pin.

And if you feel like stepping up in class, there’s a lovely 1972 sterling silver trophy from the 1972 Portola Stakes.

So what are you waiting for? Rush right out there and buy those memories… it’s the American way! And if you can visit Hollywood Park, that wouldn’t be bad either.

Also, here are a couple of more shots of Hollywood Park in 1980.

Posted by dana on Jul 09 2009    
Filed Under: Industry, 2009, Pioneerof the Nile, Internet, :(, Breeding, Retirement, Hollywood Park, Racing

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Tale of Ekati discussing his retirement with Funny Cide (Capitol149)

I thought I might take a moment amidst all the excitement and speculation about the Preakness field to thank Tale of Ekati. I had a suspicion that he might be retired after the Carter.

Tale of Ekati was one of those oddly inconsistent horses that had many stumped and no doubt burned a lot of money. Just when everyone (except me) had written him off, he won the Wood. Just when even everyone (except me) thought he couldn’t be competitive cutting back, he won the Jerome. I cashed very nicely both times both and for that, I thank him!

His retirement got a tiny little mention during what has been a crazy news week, so I wanted to make sure he didn’t go unnoticed. He was as versatile as he was inconsistent, and I for one (or is that won?), will miss him. Have a great retirement!

2008 Wood Memorial:

Posted by dana on May 08 2009    
Filed Under: YouTube, Farewell, Tale of Ekati, 2009, Funny Cide, Barclay Tagg, Breeding, Retirement, Race Replay, Racing

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Papi Chullo in his return at the Big A in November (Ernie Munick)

Google has been indicating to me that people want to know what happened to GbG fav Papi Chullo. I even got an email from a concerned fan over the weekend wondering if I knew anything about what happened to him. Rest assured Papi fans, he seems to be doing well.

Some of you may remember that Papi Chullo made a return in the fall at the Big A in a starter handicap. It was all downhill from there from there as he ended up dropping through the claiming ranks ultimately to be sold to stud. Until now the details were a bit murky but as it turns out Papi landed in Jamaica in Mammee Ridge Farms.

Prior to his retirement there was a valiant effort at Ernie Munick’s Thoroughbred Racing in New York (TRNY) group at Facebook to raise the money to claim him. Ernie posted a shot of Papi and people started chiming in and spontaneously offering to kick in some money to claim him. We figured if every member was willing to donate $32 we could raise the money.

We were well on our way to having the funds raised and member Maggi Moss stepped up and offered to contact the current owner and try to buy him. She didn’t haven’t any luck with the owners but they did agree to sell him to stud, although it was never announced where. His profile on Pedigree Query was only recently updated with the farm location, so the mystery is now over!

As fellow Papi fan Jessica commented to me in an email:

Papi’s in Jamaica? What a life he’s had … Derby contender, claimer, Caribbean stud. Think they’re welcoming visitors?

If you’re planning a Jamaica trip any time in the near future you may want to contact to his new home to arrange for visit!

Here’s a shot of him chillaxin at his new job.

No doubt they’ll be little Papi’s running around here in a few years! Hopefully he’s doing well.

Posted by dana on Apr 19 2009    
Filed Under: Claimer, 2009, Internet, Papi Chullo, Retirement, Breeding

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