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Thursday,
February 9,
2012 |
| NTRA Thoroughbred
Notebook |
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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
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Churchill Downs lights its twin spires in red in
recognition of American Heart Month. (Image courtesy of
Churchill Downs) |
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“Luck” star John Ortiz and jockey Joe Talamo hang
out at Santa Anita’s Clockers’ Corner (Image courtesy of
John Ortiz’s Twitter feed) |
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Last Monday’s inaugural Twitter #LuckChat reached 76,000
individuals with more than 500,000 impressions made. |
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FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@NTRA
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Join cast members from
HBO’s critically acclaimed horse racing drama Luck and
horse racing experts every Monday night at 9 PM
Eastern/6 PM Pacific for
#LuckChat to discuss the show! |
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Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com |
Bo Derek is not just the actress who took the world by
storm as Jenny Hanley in the 1979 movie 10, she is also
a member of the California Horse Racing Board. A horse
lover and riding enthusiast since childhood, she owns
Andalusian horses and is a spokesperson for the Animal
Welfare Institute. She also wrote an autobiography
entitled Riding
Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from
Horses. |
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TWO MINUTE LICK WITH BO DEREK
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How were you introduced to horse racing:
It would have been the movies; probably a Mickey Rooney movie.
What’s your favorite race track:
Santa Anita
What’s your favorite horse race:
The Breeders’ Cup Classic
What would you like to see more of in horse racing:
Fans
Three words that define horse racing for me:
Beautiful, exciting, characters
What was the first race track you ever went to:
Churchill Downs
Who is your favorite all-time Thoroughbred:
Zenyatta
Best moment in Thoroughbred racing:
Zenyatta’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic was just nuts. My
girlfriend and I were
jumping up and down so much we fell off of the platform we were
standing on!
Who’s your favorite jockey:
Mike Smith. I love
Chantal [Sutherland], but my favorite would have to be Mike
Smith.
Favorite Trainer:
Carla Gaines
If you could have dinner with one person in horse racing, who
would it be?
I’ve probably had dinner with them already! On second thought,
it would be the Queen of England.
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FAN PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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Congatulations to Mrs. Blair Lee, winner of the February 9 Fan
Photo contest! From Mrs. Lee: "This photo is of my then-5 year
old daughter, Palmer, getting up close and personal with a
year-old colt at a horse farm in Central Kentucky." |
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TRIPLE
CROWN WATCH
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Image courtesy of
HorsePhotos.com |
MY ADONIS
Owner:
George and Lori Hall
Trainer:
Kelly Breen
Sire:
Pleasantly Perfect
Record:
7-2-3-1
Earnings:
$221,000
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
45-1
The skinny:
Used new running style and closed late for third behind
Algorithms in swiftly run Holy Bull Jan. 29 in the Gulfstream
slop.
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Image courtesy of Margo Palmer |
BIG BLUE NATION
Owner:
Bortolazzo Stable and Wind River Stables
Trainer:
Todd Pletcher
Sire:
Bluegrass Cat
Record:
2-1-0-1
Earnings:
$60,820
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
75-1
The skinny:
Makes 2012 debut Saturday in Gulfstream allowance event. Was a
closing third last time out in the Hopeful on Sept. 5.
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Image courtesy of
HorsePhotos.com |
CURRENCY SWAP
Owner:
Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence
Trainer:
Terri Pompay
Sire:
High Cotton
Record:
2-2-0-0
Earnings:
$180,000
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
85-1
The skinny:
One of 2011’s top 2-year-olds. Finally back on work tab at
Gulfstream after ankle surgery that followed Hopeful win.
Connections hoping to make March 31 Florida Derby.
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Image courtesy of
HorsePhotos.com |
UNBRIDLED MINISTER
Owner:
Magic City Thoroughbred Partners
Trainer:
Kenny McPeek
Sire:
Unbridled’s Song
Record:
1-1-0-0
Earnings:
$24,300
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
85-1
The skinny:
Won his debut going a mile at Gulfstream on Jan. 7. Faces Big
Blue Nation in Saturday’s third at Gulfstream. Trainer is sharp
at getting horses ready for the spring classics.
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Image courtesy of Gulfstream Park |
STEALCASE
Owner:
John Oxley
Trainer:
Mark Casse
Sire:
Lawyer Ron
Record:
3-1-0-0
Earnings:
$28,920
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
100-1
The skinny:
$320,000 2yo purchase broke his maiden while stretching out to
two turns at Gulfstream on Jan. 19.
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Image courtesy of
HorsePhotos.com |
QUICK WIT
Owner:
Michael J. Bruder
Trainer:
Dale Romans
Sire:
Sharp Humor
Record:
3-1-1-0
Earnings:
$33,675
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
150-1
The skinny:
Bargain, $32,000 colt starts Saturday in the Hutcheson Stakes at
Gulfstream. Broke maiden by 3 lengths over nice field going 7 ½
furlongs on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream.
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VOICES
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FROM THE GRANDSTAND
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Former MLB manager and current part owner of Game On
Dude, Joe Torre, asked at Santa Anita last Sunday
whether baseball sidekick Don Zimmer was watching Game
on Dude’s San Antonio win as the 1-5 favorite:
“I spoke with Don yesterday, and all he wanted to know
was what are the odds going to be? He likes to play 20-1
shots, so I don’t think he got involved today.”
New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni on his decision to
play point guard Jeremy Lin for 45 of 48 minutes in a
Monday night win over Utah:
"I'm riding him like fricken’ Secretariat."
John Barr in The
Blood-Horse on the contributions Oak Tree Racing
Association has made to the Thoroughbred industry:
“Oak Tree is all about having a great meet, having good
horses, having fun, making as much money as we can, and
then we get to give it all away. We’ve made life better
for a lot of people and horses.”
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
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Undefeated Now I Know looms large in Oaklawn’s Martha
Washington Stakes (Oaklawnjockeyclub
YouTube channel)
Alpha captures the Grade III Withers Stakes at Aqueduct
(NYRAvideo
YouTube channel)
Battle Hardened breaks his maiden in style by winning
the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
(click on Feb. 4, Race 11) (TampaBayDowns.com)
Video of Team Valor’s new colt, Brujo de Olleros,
setting a track-record mile in 1:33 1/5 in the Gran
Premio Pedro Piñeyrua (Brazil, Group 1)
(HandicappersChannel
YouTube channel)
HBO’s “Luck” takes an inside look at horse racing with
its mini-feature “Life at the Track” (HBO)
Is Life Is Sweet the equine version of a teenager? It
may be, as she seems to have a penchant for
oversleeping. (via
Lane’s End Farm Twitter account)
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IN THE NEWS
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Industry groups create
Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (Paulick Report)
Luck
episode two recap (The
Wall Street Journal)
Review
Luck – Episode 2
(Hitfix.com)
Another review of episode
2 of Luck
(TVFanatic.com)
Dustin Hoffman: Gambling
on age over beauty (nzherald.co.nz)
Hansen, Union Rags head
Triple Crown Nominees (Wall Street Journal.com)
Colt added to the Triple
Crown Nominations list (The Blood-Horse)
Increase in Triple Crown
nominees reflects horse racing’s improving health (KentuckyDirect.com)
Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Field a heavy favorite,
Algorithms at 8-1 on morning line (Daily
Racing Form)
Derby Wager Pool 1: All others’ heavy favorite,
Algorithms top individual entity (Paulickreport.com)
Derby futures wagering:
bet early, bet often? (Forbes)
Todd Pletcher’s plethora
of Kentucky Derby contenders (Louisville.com)
O’Brien pair among Triple
Crown nominations (Racing
Post)
HRTV’s “Pursuit of the Crown” to debut Feb. 9 (Brisnet.com)
The AP looks at last weekend’s Derby preps
(The
Brownsville Herald)
O’Neill has “Another”
Derby contender (Pasadena
Star News)
Taking a look at Kentucky Derby hopeful Z Dager (Bleacherreport.com)
Alpha impresses in New
York (The
Saratogian)
Dude game winner in San
Antonio (ESPN.com)
Game on Dude wins San
Antonio (USA
Today.com)
Pair of
classic winners headline deep Donn Handicap
(Thoroughbred Times)
Ruler on Ice vs.
Shackleford in Donn (The
SportsNetwork.com)
Havre de Grace getting
closer to a race (NOLA.com)
How much is an Eclipse
Award worth? (Forbes.com)
Older crop promises big
racing season (ESPN.com)
In a career like jockey Mike Smith’s, what’s 12 more
victories (Los
Angeles Times.com)
Del Mar on track to host Breeders’ Cup races (San
Diego Union Tribune)
Success brings trainer Danny Pish double duty (Houston Chronicle)
Chief trainer Bobby Lovgren rides high in
War Horse (Los Angeles Times.com)
Black Caviar 50-50 for
Dubai race (Racing
Post)
Black History Month: Jockey Jimmy Winkfield
(Courier-Journal.com)
Racing could return to
North Dakota (The
Blood-Horse)
Thistledown sets 2012 stakes schedule; Ohio Derby on
July 7 (Cleveland Plain Dealer.com) |
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IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
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NTRA introduces #LuckChat to connect fans with
Luck cast
members and racing experts on Twitter (NTRA)
First #LuckChat: better than expected (NTRA.com)
What is Walter Smith
thinking? (ESPN.com)
Decoding episode 2 of
Luck (Los
Angeles Times.com)
The real-life history behind episode 2 of
Luck (Daily Racing
Form)
Thoughts on episode 2 of
Luck (TVgeeksarmy.com)
The dollar is still strong at the
DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (Xpressbet.com)
Some Donn Handicap history (Horseracegame.com)
Hansen owner says his horse will run with
dyed tail (Courier-Journal.com)
Mike Smith Q&A (Santaanitalive.com)
Jimmy Buffett, Drew
Brees and the Last Mango racing team (Huffingtonpost.com)
Battle Hardened breaks his maiden in the
Sam F. Davis Stakes (Horse
Racing Nation)
It’s still about the horses for Allen
Jerkens (ESPN.com)
Diet, exercise and handicapping – the
connection (gamblingwillie.blogspot.com)
Futures bets are a lot of fun (TwinSpires.com)
The Aiken Trials turn 70 in 2012 (The
Aiken Standard.com)
A day in the life of a race horse
blacksmith (Tampa Bay
Downs Blog)
Who the Withers Stakes is named after (Brooklyn
Backstretch.com)
Rillito Park offers fun at the track (GVNEWS.com)
Fifth Annual Wiener Dog Races this
Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park (yourhoustonnews.com)
Jockey Club breeder check-off donations (Brooklyn
Backstretch.com)
Awaiting Royalty (Equestrianink.blogspot.com)
Sometimes the third try is the charm:
OTTB Sue’s Story finds his stride in his third career in
the dressage ring (Paulick
Report)
A son of Albert the Great excels as an
eventer after his career at the track comes to a close (OffTrackThoroughbreds.com)
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CALENDAR
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RACING TO
HISTORY
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Feb. 9, 1894: The Jockey Club was incorporated. As originally conceived,
it was to assume the management of racing, previously overseen by the
Board of Control. Included in The Jockey Club’s functions were
licensing, allotment of racing dates, appointment of officials and the
interpretation and enforcement of racing rules.
Feb. 9, 1940: After a year’s absence from competition, seven-year-old
Seabiscuit, champion handicap horse of 1937 and 1938, returned to racing
at Santa Anita, where he finished third in a handicap race. Seabiscuit
ran three more races in 1940, concluding his career with a win in the
Santa Anita Handicap.
Feb. 9, 1974: Jockey Chris McCarron rode his first winner, a
five-year-old gelding named Erezev, at Bowie Racecourse. By year’s end,
McCarron had established a then-record number of winners for a single
season: 546. Fifteen years later, on Nov. 30, 1989, jockey Kent
Desormeaux eclipsed that mark.
Feb. 9, 2004: USA Today named jockey Julie Krone one of America’s 10
toughest athletes.
Feb. 10, 1998: Undefeated Two-Year-Old Champion Favorite Trick was named
1997 Horse of the Year.
Feb. 10, 2008: Jockey Edgar Prado gained the 6,000th win of
his career when he guided Sumphin to victory in the 6th race at
Gulfstream Park. Prado became the 16th jockey in history to win 6,000
races.
Feb. 11, 1933: The Jockey Club released data showing that as of 1932,
the U.S. had surpassed Great Britain and Ireland in foal production for
the first time, to become the world’s leading producer of Thoroughbreds.
Feb. 12, 1981: Julie Krone
rode her first career winner, a $3,500 claimer named Lord Farkle, in the
sixth race at Tampa Bay Downs.
Feb. 14, 1966: Buckpasser suffered the only defeat of his three-year-old
season when he finished second in a non-betting race, the Black Caesar
Purse, at Hialeah. He went on to post 13 consecutive victories in 1966
(12 of them in stakes races), but was unable to compete in any of the
Triple Crown races because of a hoof injury.
Feb. 14, 1990: Ladbroke at Golden Gate Fields inaugurated co-pooling of
its wagers with those of a sister organization, Ladbroke Racing Wyoming.
The co-pooling of wagers across state lines, made possible by California
legislation that had gone into effect Jan. 1, was a first in U.S.
racing.
Feb. 14, 2003: Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Longden, the only horseman to both ride (Count
Fleet) and train (Majestic Prince) a Kentucky Derby winner, died at age
96.
Feb. 15, 1974: Future
Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew was foaled at White Horse Acres,
Lexington, Ky.
Feb. 16, 1891: At the urging of Pierre Lorillard, the Board of Control,
composed of seven representatives of the racing industry, was formed to
govern Thoroughbred racing. The Board’s powers extended to matters of
licensing; allotment of racing dates; and the regulation of purse
payments. The Board, as the governing body for racing, was succeeded by
The Jockey Club, formed in 1894.
Feb. 16, 1999: Jockey
Julie Krone became the first female
jockey to win 3,500 races, taking the third race at the Fair Grounds.
Feb. 16, 2005: Jockey Calvin Borel picked up his 4,000th
career winner aboard Jet Angel in the third race at Oaklawn Park.
Feb. 16, 2007: The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily
Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association announced the
creation of a new Eclipse Award for Champion Filly or Mare Sprinter.
Feb. 17, 1985: Laffit Pincay Jr. registered his 6,000th career win,
aboard Doria’s Delight in the fifth race at Santa Anita Park.
Feb. 22, 1969: Barbara Jo Rubin became the first woman jockey to win a
parimutuel race in America when she rode Cohesion to victory at Charles
Town.
Feb. 22, 2003: Xtra Heat won the Barbara Fritchie Handicap and became
the leading stakes-winning filly of all time with 25 stakes victories.
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WEEKEND STAKES RACES top |
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Donn Handicap, 4&up, $500,000, Grade I, 1 1-8M, Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, 4&up, $300,000, Grade I, 1 1-8M (T),
Gulfstream Park
Hutcheson Stakes, 3yo, $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-16M, Aqueduct
San Marcos Stakes, 4&up, $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-4M (T), Santa Anita
Park
Arcadia Stakes, 3&up, $150,000, Grade II, 1M (T), Santa Anita Park
Suwannee River Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M (T),
Gulfstream Park
Endeavor Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade III, 1 1-16M (T), Tampa Bay
Downs
Champion Energy Services Stakes, 4&up, $75,000, 5F (T), Sam Houston Race
Park
Dearly Precious Stakes, 3yo fillies, $75,000, 6F, Aqueduct
Martha Washington Stakes, 3yo fillies, $75,000, 1M, Oaklawn Park
Maryland Racing Media Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $75,000, 1 1-8M, Laurel Park
Tiffany Lass Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $75,000, 1 1-16M, Fair Grounds
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Theresa the Teacha Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $75,000, 1M, Aqueduct
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
As Indicated Stakes, 4&up, $75,000, 1M, Aqueduct
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