Get Well Soon

During yesterday 6th race at Delaware Park (Nick Shuk Memorial), jockey Rosie Napravnik went down.

Sir Diamond, ridden by Mario Pino, drifted in to the rail and had his heels clipped by Pickering, who fell throwing jockey Rosie Napravnik. Termsofengagement then stumbled over Napravnik, losing rider Pablo Morales.

Napravnik, who ranks second in the Delaware Park jockey standings, was taken to a local hospital and is believed to have suffered a broken leg, a Delaware Park spokesman said.

Morales came back to ride in the next race.

For those of you who are new to reading the Bug Boys, we used to follow Rosie's early career as an apprentice in Maryland. We wish her a speedy recovery!

Desormeaux did the right thing.

Since Saturday night I have been reading story, after story, blog after blog about how Kent Desormeaux should have never pulled up Big Brown. I am starting to get a little sick of some of the comments.

If you want to call out Desormeaux for how he placed Big Brown, or how he got him out of the gate, that is fine. Everyone loves to play Monday morning quarterback. My problem comes with all the people who have issue with pulling up the horse. Desormeaux said going into the final turn he had "no horse". Was this normal for Big Brown? No! This has never been a problem. Anyone who watched the race saw that this was not the same horse who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. In the mind of Desormeaux, this is not the behavior of the winning horse of the first two jewels. He feels something must be wrong. When the horse did not fire in the turn (when asked), Desormeaux decided to protect the horse from injury, or further injury (he did not know if something was wrong).

If they found a chip in Big Browns knee the next day, Desormeaux would be a hero for protecting the horse, and all the opinionated writers would be calling to canonize Kent. The same people would be calling for his head if he rode out the horse (whipping him down the stretch), and he broke down in front of the grandstands.

Before you write another story about Kent Desormeaux, please think about what he did, and how hard of a decision it must have been. Sure, everyone wanted to see a Triple Crown winner. But no one wanted to see another dead horse on the track, and Kent made that decision coming out of the final turn. After that race I have a much greater respect for Kent, and I would choose him over all others to ride my horses.

Gibbs wins first four

Apprentice Craig Gibbs found himself in the winners circle after each of the first four races at Laurel Park yesterday. The four wins puts him in a tie with Rosie Napravnik as top jock (by wins) at Laurel.

Keep up the good work Craig. We like our hot apprentices here in Maryland! Just ask Fogelsonger and Napravnik!

Click her for entire story from The Bloodhorse.

Fogelsonger Suspended

Laurel Park-based jockey Ryan Fogelsonger, 26, was suspended indefinitely by state stewards after testing positive for marijuana in a random drug test of the track's riding colony Thursday.

This is a huge bummer for Fogelsonger, who has been getting the top mounts at Laurel Park. In my opinion, Ryan has been in the game too long to make a bonehead mistake like this. He knows they get tested, but I guess that has not stopped others before either. All I can say is DUMB ASS!

Rosie coming back to Maryland

Jockey Rosie Napravnik will make her return to racing on October 31. She has been sidelined since July 6, when she broke her left wrist and the pinkie finger on her right hand in a spill. Before her injury, Rosie had moved her tack to Delaware. She will return to the Maryland colony with a new agent, former trainer Bob Klesaris. Good luck and stay healthy!

Napravnik Injury Update

Delaware Park based (because she left Maryland) jockey Anna "Rosie" Napravnik, injured in a fall from her horse last Friday night at Colonial Downs.

Napravnik broke her left wrist and right pinky finger in a fall during the sixth race last Friday. Napravnik fell when her horse, Afleet Lulu, broke down.

Steve Rushing, Napravnik's agent, said Rosie, underwent emergency surgery at Union Memorial Hospital on Sunday in Baltimore, and is now resting at home in Maryland. Due to the severity of her injuries, no time table for her return has been set.

As any of the readers of this blog know, I am a huge fan of Rosie's riding. Unfortunately, she is in 6th place currently at Del Park, and this is her second major injury this year. This injury sounds pretty bad!

Get well soon Rosie

Chop-Chop Returns

Jorge Chavez is coming home! My all time favorite jockey will return to the New York circuit next week. This is very exciting for me. I used to go out to Belmont to see Chavez ride, and he is the reason I am such a big racing fan. Back in the early 1990's my friends and I would be on the rail yelling "C'mon Chavez!" Throughout my college years, "C'mon Chavez" was the war cry of my friends and I, it didn't even need to be horse racing. 1st and Goal from the two yard line, I'm yelling "C'mon Chavez". In the few races I have seen him in since leaving for California, he seems to be the same old chop-chop. His aggressive style of riding is what caught my attention as a young lad at the track, but years later I still enjoy seeing him in the irons. Now, I need to figure out how I am going to get to Saratoga!

Sunday Morning Thoughts

- Questions:
Can Rags to Riches (585) run against fillies anymore?
Which Coolmore stallion will get the first date with Rags? (this is probably a question for The Pedigree Guru)

- In other news.......Voters Reject Table Gaming at Charles Town Racing and Slots. I'm not sure how this plays out for Maryland racing. I think it is a good thing, but we will have to wait and see.

- Back home in Maryland.....Silmaril beat My Sister Sue in a photo for the $95,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico. Silmaril has now increased her earnings to over $800K.

Live racing has ended hear in Maryland until late August. Everyone has packed up the tack and headed south for Colonial Downs. I personally, am not too fond of Colonial but maybe this season will change that.

As expected, Scott Lake picked up another trainers title, and Luis Garcia won his first riding title in Maryland. I wish I can say that I enjoyed the Pimlico Spring meet.....except for a few great days, the talent pool of horses and jockeys had been pretty week.

Monday Morning News

- Ramon Dominguez started off the first two days of the Delaware Park meet with a bang. He had 14 mounts with 4 wins, and 5 second place finishes. Jeremy Rose returned to Delaware to for 5 mounts this weekend. He also did alright with 1 win, and 2 second place finishes. Rosie Napravnik, now riding at Delaware under the name "A. Napravnik" returned to the irons after her injury with 4 mounts and 2 third place finishes.

- While Maryland's last two meet winners, Jeremy Rose and Anna Napravnik were riding in Delaware this weekend, the door to opportunity was left open for some new talent to shine in Maryland. Luis Garcia Stepped up with 6 in the money finishes. If Rose continues to ride weekends in Delaware, Luis Garcia should be the guy at the Pimlico Spring Meet.

- 600 Friends of Barbaro attended the 2006 Kentucky Derby winners birthday celebration at Delaware Park. More information on this event can be found at Tim Woolley Racing

Carlos Quinones

- After the first week (actually 4 days) of the Pimlico Spring Meet, apprentice Carlos Quinones is leading the jockey standings. Last Friday, Carlos won the last four races on the card. I believe he has become the first call rider for Dale Capuano. I really enjoyed watching Quinones ride at Laurel during the winter. He is an excellent jockey, and rides every mount from gate to wire. Keep an eye on this guy.....I think he will be something special.

- Anna Rosie Napravnik has been named on a number of horses this weekend at the opening of Delaware Park. I guess she has fully recovered, and we wish her the best!

Nice Start for Rigattieri

- Trainer John Rigattieri started the Pimlico Spring Meet with a bang. He saddled three winners in the first five races. Marty’s Joia ridden by Brittany Arterburn started the day off right with a win in race number one. Sora won the third race an Love the Dawn crossed the line forst in the fifth. Both Sora and Love the Dawn were ridden by Dyn Panell.

- The Maryland Jockey Club website has reported that the winter meet total wagering figures are 9% lower than the same dates from a year ago. All-sources handle totaled $291.8 million for the 2007 winter meet, compared to $321 million for the first 15 weeks of 2006.

- The Pimlico Website is reporting that Anna Rosie Napravnik has been cleared by doctors to start ridding again. She worked three horses for trainer Dickie Small today. This is the first time she has been back on a horse since suffering 3 compression fractures in her back during a spill on January 26.

J. Rose

If you are a Jeremy Rose fan (or hater), you need to read this article in the Baltimore Sun. It is very thorough, very detailed, and addresses almost every rumor I have heard about Rose.

I also wanted to point out to everyone that the Baltimore Sun has been doing an excellent job covering horse racing lately. About three months ago, they started writing actual stories about horse racing, and they have only continued to get longer, better, and more frequent. Thanks top the Sports Editor of the Sun.

Maryland Update 4/7

Jeremy Rose will also be out of town Saturday as Laurel’s leading rider will ride a pair of stakes races at Keeneland. He will be riding Call Me Clash, who won the Horatius Stakes at Laurel last month, in the Lafayette Stakes for trainer Scott Lake and Silver Knockers in the Grade I Ashland for Hall of Famer Nick Zito. Rose leads the jockey colony with 69 trips to the winners’ circle, 20 more than Pino with six days remaining in the winter meeting.

King Leatherbury has registered 6,184 victories but just two have been of the Grade I variety. On Saturday, the 74-year-old conditioner will send Ah Day to Aqueduct for the $300,000 Carter Handicap. The Grade I test has attracted six other top older horses at seven-furlongs.

In his last start, the son of Malibu Moon finished a game second in the Grade II General George Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Laurel to Silver Wagon, the likely favorite in the Carter. The race also features Diabolical, who was second in the Grade I De Francis Dash, multiple graded winner Latent Heat and Keyed Entry from the powerful Todd Pletcher stable. Ah Day has won nine of 19 career races for more than $560,000. After capturing six added money races as a three-year-old a year ago, the Leatherbury homebred was an impressive winner of the Fire Plug Stakes on January 20 with Mario Pino, who will accompany the gelding to New York.

Weekend Update

I am all amped up this morning. I don't know if it is because the great weekend of racing coming up, or the 48oz coffee and hand full of Sudafed I took this morning (I have allergies). My horse racing weekend begins today at Laurel Park with the Overnight Stakes, and continues locally with the Smart Halo Stakes running tomorrow. The rest of the weekend will be filled with Dubai racing fun, and a little race down in Florida.

In other news, Monmouth Park opens for training tomorrow, and I am planning a few weekend trips up to the Garden State.

After her first win, I thought Polliana Oliveira would start getting a few more mounts, but I guess she is busy working horses in the morning.

Is Polliana the new Rosie ?

Jockey agent John Faltynski thinks he’s found the next Rosie Napravnik. While his star client is out of action, recuperating from a back injury, Faltynski has been booking mounts for 7-pound apprentice Polliana Oliveira, who piloted her first winner in Maryland this afternoon. The 25 year old Polliana has been riding for three weeks. Her plan is to continue at Laurel, then onto Pimlico, and maybe Colonial.

Thursday Morning Notes

Sweeetnorthernsaint - Trainer Michael Trombetta didn’t hesitate when asked why he has decided to redirect Sweetnorthernsaint from the $6-million Dubai World Cup (Gr.1) to the $1-million Godolphin Mile (Gr.2).

“Invasor and Discreet Cat,” Trombetta saidwith a chuckle.

“We are strongly considering it,” he said, adding that he might not make a firm commitment until near the time he would have to put the horse on a plane bound for Dubai on March 20.

This guy gets it. I read this letter to the editor in the Cumberland Times News, and loved it. Darrell W. "Jake" Stahl of Cumberland, Maryland, THANKS! I am always spouting off about Laurel and Pimlico. I often forget that western Maryland has the most to gain if slots legislation passes. Mr. Rickman (owner of Delaware Park) has already committed to building a new track and resort if he receives a gambling licenses.

As expected, Jeremy Rose is pulling away with the jockey title at Laurel. The surprises are the apprentices on the list.

Valentines Day - Quick Hits

Valentines Day....The "Official" start of breeding season. At least for those that have not gambled on having a foal born on December 31st. Valentines Day and the start of breeding season, so romantic. When that beautiful young mare is brought into the breeding shed, held in place by four to five handlers, a 1500 pound beast jumps on her back and bites her until he is finished. So romantic!

General George (GII)- Well, I guess I will not get to see Sweetnorthernsaint and Ah Day go head to head in the General George."

Sweetnorthernsaint is going to pass on this weekend," said trainer Michael Trombetta, who had nominated the horse to the General George and Saturday's $115,000 John B. Campbell Handicap. "Our plan all along was not to rush him, and I've only had a chance to breeze him once since we shipped him back from Florida."

Laurel Park - canceled racing Wednesday due to two solid inches of ice on the track. This is the first time a day of racing during the winter meet has been canceled since 1995.

Rosie Napravnik Injury Update

The incident occurred one furlong past the finish line when Napravnik’s mount, Look Out Lorie, fell to the ground after finishing second in the $32K allowance. Ryan Fogelsonger’s mount, Known Thief, could not avoid the fallen horse and tripped, sending her rider to the ground. Napravnik, was removed from the racetrack on a stretcher and transported to Laurel-Beltsville Hospital for x-rays on her lower back.

“She is conscious and alert but in a lot of pain,” said John Faltynski, Napravnik’s agent.

Fogelsonger, who appeared shaken, got up and walked off the track under his own power but did take off his final two mounts of the afternoon. “Rosie’s horse went down right in front of us and we didn’t have a chance to avoid them,” Fogelsonger said. “I went head over heels. I don’t think anything is wrong-just really sore. I should be back tomorrow.”

Known Thief got up and ran off. Look Out Lorie was kept on the ground while attendants removed Napravnik from the scene. When the rider was out of the way, Look Out Lorie got to her feet and was transported from the track in the horse ambulance.

Jeremy Rose

With his home track of Delaware Park closed until the end of April, Jeremy Rose has been riding almost exclusively at Laurel Park in Maryland. Through the first eighteen days of this month, Rose has 15 wins in 54 starts (win 28%), and an in the money percentage of 56% for $331,300. These may not seem to be blockbuster numbers, but what shocked me was that he leads second place jockey Rosie Napravnik in wins, win%, in the money %, and earnings. Last years golden girl and Eclipse Award (Apprentice Jockey) Finalist, Rosie Napravnik has eight more mounts than Rose, and in my opinion "better" mounts. Is Rose that good, or is Napravnik going into the sophomore slump?

Maryland Updates

As expected, Anna "Rosie" Napravnik is a finalist for the 2006 Eclipse award for apprentice jockeys. She finished the year with 300 victories worth $6.4 million, and all four meet titles in Maryland. Any other year and she would be a shoe in for the award, but Julien Leparoux had an unbelievable year with 403 wins and earnings of $12.5 million. Rosie, Eclipse award or not, the fans in Maryland love you!

The Maryland Jockey Club is reporting that total wagering for last year had improved over 2005. All-sources handle totaled $960.2 million, an increase of more than $64 million (or 7.2 percent) over 2005 figures, and the average daily handle from all sources rose more than 15 percent to $4.1 million despite 11 fewer days of live racing at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park. The largest crowd ever to watch a Maryland sporting event, 118,402, attended the Preakness, marking the sixth straight year of six-figure attendance. Betting for the day totaled more than $87.5 million, the third largest in the race's 131-year history. Of that number, $56.4 million was wagered on the Preakness itself. Figures for the Laurel Park winter meeting, the Pimlico spring meet and the Laurel fall meeting all showed overall increases. The average daily handle was up nearly 8 percent at the Laurel session that concluded Dec. 21.

These small increases are a double edged sword for Maryland racing. First, the Maryland Jockey Club was able to increase the handle with fewer racing days. I would hate to see them use that model as the justification for an additional cut in days. Secondly, the state legislature and anti-gambling groups will use these statistics to show that good marketing and not slots are needed to improve the racing in Maryland. I am glad to see these increases, but I am also very afraid of how they may be interpreted.