Quick Hits 5/31

- Maryland Based Sweetnorthernsaint is going to try running on the Poly.

"Sooner or later, we're going to have to take the leap and try him on Polytrack and see how he handles it" said trainer Mike Trombetta. To that end, the Grade 3, $200,000 Dominion Day at Woodbine on July 1 is one of the next-race options being considered for Sweetnorthernsaint. The 1 1/4-mile race will be run on Woodbine's main track, which is now Polytrack. [DRF]

- Do the legislators in Delaware really think that an all out sports book is going to benefit horse racing?

The state would realize millions more in additional revenue from an estimated 1,385 new jobs, ongoing casino operations, construction of the sports betting facilities, increased betting on horse races, and spending on hotels, restaurants and other establishments, according to a report prepared by Morowitz Gaming Advisors.[The Delaware Daily Times]

Increased betting on horse racing ????? Come On!

- If you care about the future of horse racing, then check out
this post. Byron, aka "The Pedigree Guru" has written an informative post on the future of the Breeders Cup. Give it a read!

- I am very good at pointing out the negatives in Maryland racing, so I wanted to give a hardy pat on the back to The Maryland Jockey Club. The first week of twilight racing at Pimlico brought in a nice crowd. The weather for today and tomorrow should be great, and I hope to see even more racing fans. "Twilight" racing has also been advertised on on the sports talk shows, and in the paper every day. Good work guys!

A Clear Sign: The End is Near

The Boniface family, owners of Bonita Farm in Darlington, have all but thrown in the towel on the horse industry in Maryland. Bonita Farm boasts the finest facilities around: a 5/8 mile dirt track, 1/2 mile turf course, nine paddocks, and an indoor track, as well as a 30-foot wide turf course around the entire farm. This sounds like it would be a thriving operation, right? Not anymore!

J. William Boniface, the farm's general manager, has planted 2,800 merlot grapevines over the past few weeks. The grapes will take around four years to grow. The plan is for the family to distribute the grapes to Maryland wineries, which could result in $20,000 to $30,000 a year, said William's son, Billy, a partner in the farm.

"We're horsemen," Billy Boniface said. "Anything to stay in business and use the land."

The Bonifaces' move comes at a time when Maryland's horse industry is facing stiff competition from emerging industries in neighboring Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. Those states have slot-machine gambling that help fund their horse racing industries -- a strategy many Maryland horse industry insiders say could help this state's sagging business.


As the amount of mares that board annually at the farm continues to slide, Billy Boniface said the family has began to plan for the future and find other ways to use their nearly 400-acre Harford County farm in case the horsing business doesn't pick up soon in the state.

The Bonifaces also planted 1,400 Christmas trees, which will take up to six years to produce.

"Rather than selling and moving out of the state, [horse breeders] are looking to add something," said Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. The Bonifaces "are dedicated to this industry, and I think it's painful for them to see this happening."

Billy Boniface said that a new fencing project on the farm for its horse boarding business may result in cows being housed on-site in the future.

"I'd much rather have that barn full of six stallions breeding mares and having the mares coming in here," he said. "But they're not coming. I still got to stay in business and keep the farm mortgage paid." Baltimore Biz Journal

The Met Mile 2007

- The 114th edition of the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on Memorial Day is turning out to be a tremendous race. The contenders include Grade 1 winners Silver Wagon and Latent Heat, Grade 2 winners Corinthian, Lawyer Ron, Half Ours, Silent Name and Sun King, Grade 3 winner Chatain and Bugboys sentimental favorite Ah Day.

It feels like a Breeder's Cup race with so many big time horses running. In this day of ducking and dodging competition, it's nice to see a full, competitive field. I plan to be there with my family. Last year, my then-six-year-old son picked Silver Train to win and cashed a ticket (that I paid for). He hasn't made a pick yet, but my money will be on Ah Day across the board at big odds.

- A horrible spill today in Belmont's 4th race. Jockey Andrew Lakeman was rushed tot he hospital and is in critical condition with undisclosed injuries. Norberto Arroyo was also hospitalized but fared much better. Jason Blewitt on Fox Sports' Thoroughbred Action reported that both horses that were involved seemed to be OK. It takes an event like this to remember how brave and tough the jockeys are. Every ride can literally be their last, and they do it 8 times a day, 5 days a week.

Ruffian Movie

Below is a short review and commentary from the Orlando Sentinel

Fresh off the Barbaro tragedy of 2006, ABC brings us another sad horse tale from a different era when it airs Ruffian on June 9.

For those of you too young to remember the battle-of-the-sexes match race between Foolish Pleasure and Ruffian on July 6, 1975, the event came to an abrupt end when the filly broke down on the backstretch at Belmont Park. If you were watching that day, then you remember it was hard to watch as the ambulance drove off the track, knowing the great filly would likely not make it through the night.

The ESPN production moves along at a pretty good clip and brings back some of that emotion, but there's really nothing compelling revealed about what took place behind the scenes. Outside of a nice performance by Sam Shepard as trainer Frank Whitley, it's pretty mundane. A shorter documentary would've worked better. [Orlando Sentinel]

Preakness 2007 - Running of the Urinals

In the five days since the running of the Preakness stakes, I have seen numerous news articles about the record crowd. Some articles centered on the outstanding performance of the horses, jockeys, and owners. Many of the articles went in a different direction. The anti-slot people want everyone to believe that if horse racing would market the sport properly, and build a fan base, Pimlico would have 120,000 people every weekend.

Well.....For those who don't realize this......"Preakness" in Baltimore is not about horse racing. The 100,000 high school and college students in the infield are there for the party. You can't even see any horses from the infield!


Check out this video on Youtube to see what goes on in the infield for twelve hours before the Grade I is even loaded into the gate. "Preakness 2007 - Running of the Urinals"

Tooting his horn

This is a feel good story about Bill School, the horn player at Pimlico this past weekend. Though I was unable to make it to Pimlico this year for Black Eyed Susan and Preakness day, I did get to watch the festivities from Belmont. One thing I noted to my brother (Co-Writer Alan H), "Hey check out the horn player at Pimlico". Mr. School would play the usual "Call To The Gate" and then go off on a really cool jazzy feel. I was glad to see this article, and look forward to hearing Mr. School at Pimlico in the future.

Irony

So, you are a racing fan and live near Baltimore. The Preakness/Black Eyed Susan weekend is here and you are ...... in New York? This is the misfortune that my brother Baloo is dealing with right now. He came up here for a family event and is missing all of the fun back home. We did spend Friday at Belmont, but it was no match for the experience that his drunk friends were having at Pimlico.


At least we got to see Funny Cide run, which is always a treat.

And, being that the Wagon Limit Stakes is one of the rare events run at a a mile-and-a-half, the starting gate was right in front of us.

No Child Left Behind

I am not a big fan of Baltimore columnist Dan Rodericks. He writes for the Baltimore Sun, he used to have a TV show, and is often found on the radio pointing out the flaws of our city. Today is a little different, I actually felt moved (in a good way) by the words Mr. Rodericks penned on his blog.

"We should not be training kids to become degenerate gamblers, but we can at least present them with the pleasures of an occasional visit to Old Hilltop. They need to be out there, among their elders, close enough to smell the liniment and cigar smoke. They need to see and hear, firsthand, the agony and the ecstasy of the bettor's life. They need to see real live horses rumbling toward the finish line.
Children who grow up in Maryland should know how to pick a crab, how to catch a shad, how to cradle a lacrosse ball...and how to handicap a race at Pimlico. We should have a statewide effort to educate our kids on the importance of the Maryland horse racing industry, and there should be no child left behind."

Dan - I am doing my part, but have you actually brought your kids to the track?

More Maryland racing stuff

- Dave Carey with the Baltimore Examiner continues the trend of being concerned for Maryland racing with this article. It is pretty much the same as all the other that have been written about the dying horse industry in Maryland.

- This article in the Baltimore Sun, Horse Racing Handicapped is an article we have seen before, but with a local flavor. The article talks about how immigration reform has hurt the workers in the horse industry.

- This is the good one. Baltimore Sun columnist, John Eisenberg tries to convince his readers that the purse at the Preakness Satkes (Gr. I), may not be enough to attract the Kentucky Derby winner. Well John, I think you are missing a few points here....

* You need the second jewel if you want the triple crown.
* It is a Gr I race. This kind of helps when setting your price in the breeding shed.
* It is a $1,000,000 race.

- I don't know if anyone remembers this, but " Barbaro broke down a year ago at the Preakness.

Tis The Season

Tis the season to talk about Maryland racing. With the Preakness Stakes (Gr.I) less than one week away, all the talk is about Pimlico Race Course, and the state of Maryland racing. Sandra McKee of the Baltimore Sun wrote another great article titled "Maryland racing could be on last legs". It is a shame that this type of press is only written for one week out of the year. Hopefully the right people are reading these articles, and things will begin to change. I hope to see and post more articles like this as the week, and (hopefully) year goes on.

Preakness and the state of racing in Maryland

Check out Evan Weiner's post about Preakness and the state of Maryland horse racing. I was planning to write a state of the Preakness post this week, but I would never be able to compete with Evan.

Saturday Night Notes

- Teuflesberg will not run in the Preakness. In a world where the top horses barely have 5 starts in their careers, it almost seems that this colt was getting abused by racing 16 times so far. Jamie Sanders will freshen him up a bit and then probably run him every 14 days over the Summer and Fall.

- Street Sense is obviously the most prominent offspring of Street Cry, but Street Sounds may be the best filly. I was lucky enough to be at Laurel to see her win the Selima Stakes last November. After that, she won the G2 Beaumont at Keeneland and today she basically had a public workout at Pimlico in running away with the Hilltop Stakes. Street Cry has 5 stakes winners from 38 runners this year and is a promising new stallion at a time when everyone is looking for a successor to the Storm Cat, who will not be the king forever. Street Cry is from the Mr. Prospector line, which seems to be the way to breed a Derby champ recently.

- Speaking of Storm Cat, his son Storm Boot passed away this week. It's unfortunate that you rarely appreciate a person (or horse) until you read their obituary. Storm Boot was from Storm Cat's first crop and was his first successful son at stud. He sired 46 stakes winners and covered over 50 mares this year, so we will see the progeny of Storm Boot for many years to come.

- Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there.

"God save the queen and God help Pimlico"

- God save the queen and God help Pimlico was the title of an article in yesterdays Baltimore Messenger. As you would expect it highlights the need for slot machines at Maryland tracks.

- Not just another Barbaro book! A friend of mine in the publishing world told me that John Scheinman has a book about Barbaro coming out next spring. Maybe our friend John can give us a little inside info on the details and publication date.

- Entries for opening day at Monmouth Park will be out in a few hours. If it looks like a good card, I think I will make the trek up to New Jersey on Saturday.

New Jersey

New Jersey's horse racing industry may get a financial boost in the form of bigger purse subsidys from Atlantic City's casinos when the current deal expires after the 2008 season. The casinos have put up $86 million over the past four years to increase purses at Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands (in exchange for keeping slot machines out of the tracks).

According the the article linked above, the casinos may double the subsidy to continue the monopoly on slot machines in the state. This would be great for New Jersey. They currently have the most attractive state bred program in the region, and doubling subsidy's would only make it better. In addition to increased purses, New Jersey could use the money to increase stallion and breeders bonuses to reinforce the agricultural side of the industry.

I have been following this story very closely over the past few months, as I have a financial interest in New Jersey bred horse. When I looked at the condition book for Monmouth Park, I was so impressed with the purses available for state bred races. I live in Maryland, and enjoy Maryland racing, but it would be silly for me or any owner to pass over a New Jersey, or Pennsylvania bred horse and purchase a horse eligible for the Maryland bred package. The states with slots offer owners much greater opportunity, and Maryland is surrounded by slots friendly states.

Tuesday Morning News and Thoughts

- The Philly Inquirer has a story about Jayne Vaders drug positive and suspension. I know that I may get some interesting comments, but I am going to go ahead anyway. She broke the rules three times, and now she must pay the penalty. Some may say that the penalty is harsh, but I think it is fair. Fourteentwentyone (a horse she trains), tested positive for the tranquilizer acepromazine (AKA-Ace) after winning on Feb. 4. She was warned last year after two similar infractions that her license would be suspended if caught again. Well, she was caught again, and now she needs to pay the penalty. Just becasue she was the leading trainer last year at Philly Park, and leading this year, does not give her any special privileges. Maybe she leads the trainer standings because she cheats???? Some trainers say that Ace, a tranquilizer does not help a horse run. I agree, the tranquilizer does not help the horse run, but it does take away the anxiety of being in the paddock, post parade, and starting gate. Oh....and IT IS ILLEGAL! Suspend her for the rest of the year, and set the bar for future infractions.

- I don't know what talk is like around the rest of the world, but here in Baltimore they have all but awarded Street Sense the Triple Crown. I even heard a sports reporter on the radio say that you need to get your Preakness tickets now in order to get a glimpse of the future triple crown winner. If anyone has actually been to the infield of the Preakness, you would be lucky to see a horse at all, let alone Street Sense.

- Speaking of Preakness, here is a link for anyone who would like to catch up on Preakness History.

Friday Morning Info

- Anna Napravnik must be making a good name for herself up in Delaware. She is moving up the standings with eight in the money finishes out of thirteen starts. She has been named on the Tony Dutrow trained Bill place in the $75,000 Francis "Jock" LaBelle Memorial at Delaware Park. Bill Place is the 8-5 morning line favorite.


- The state commission that regulates Maryland's horse racing industry just moved its headquarters to bargain-rate office space: The lease calls for $1 a year. But the new site, it turns out, is the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. And the landlord? The Maryland Jockey Club, one of the organizations that the commission is charged with regulating. This story stinks of political non-sense. An outgoing governor who was heavily backed by Magna Entertainment (NASDAQ:MECA) swings a great deal for all his supporters at his last meeting. The new governor then tries to make a political statement by terminating the contract. Come on guys....Do we need any more bad press for Maryland racing?

- "Todd Pletcher may be the leading trainer in the country, but he has been unable to get stalls this spring at Delaware Park." Kudos to Delaware racing secretary Ismael "Izzy" Trejo. You need to give the stalls to trainers that are going to run horses. I am not saying that Pletcher is going to run at least one a week, but he is not known for running horses back every two weeks for a 10K or 16K tag. Todd Pletcher....If you read this, you can have all the stalls you want Pimlico, and van your horse up to Delaware to race.

Ah Day

While the rest of the world has been working out exactas and trifectas for Saturdays Kentucky Derby (presented by Yum), some of us have been handicapping the under card. Maryland bred Ah Day, trained by King Leatherbury will be taking on a great field in the Churchill Downs Stakes (Grade II). Maryland based jockey Mario Pino will get the mount since he will be in Kentucky to ride Hard Spun in the Derby. Ah Day, winner of the 2006 Tesio Stakes at Pimlico has plenty of experience with 20 starts under his belt, and over half a million dollars in earnings. The 2/1 favorite, Half Ours has won all five of his starts, and will be saddled by trainer Todd Pletcher. Ah Day will also have to battle with 5/1 Wanderin Boy (trained by Nick Zito), and the Bill Mott entry Istan (5/1).

Ah Day, King, and Mario.....Your friends in Maryland will be pulling for you. Makes us proud!

and Mario......Good Luck in the Derby!

It's Not All Rosy at Churchill

"It's Not All Rosy at Churchill" is the title on the cover of the sports section, in todays Baltimore Sun. This article appears to be written as a companion piece to this article about Gulfstream Park from the Sunday paper.. So, as I asked on Sunday, Did Magna pay for this slots push?

The first article (from Sunday)talks about the great bond between horse racing and slot machines. You would think that horse racing fans and slot players were skipping through the paddock at Gulfstream holding hands. The article today is all about the future problems facing Churchill Downs because they don't have slots.

In the hour since I started typing this post (the work and kids thing sometimes gets in the way of blogging), I have now heard two differnt radio stations speaking about slot machines and Pimlico. I guess these articles actually do get people thinking about change. Lets hope the state legislature is listening.


- Speaking of Radio......In the four days since Delaware Park opened for live racing, I have heard ten radio commercials for the track. In the same time, I have heard one for Maryland Racing, and it was for Preakness.