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Thursday,
February 16,
2012 |
| NTRA Thoroughbred
Notebook |
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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
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Slim Shadey (inside) wires the field in the Grade
II San Marcos Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita (Image
courtesy of Benoit Photo) |
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Animal Kingdom enjoys a workout at Palm Meadows in
Florida. (Image courtesy of @TeamValor Twitter feed) |
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Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap winner Get Stormy has
his pre-race game face on. (Image via @Hltonini Twitter
feed) |
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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 NBC Sports) |
Fred Gaudelli is the producer of Triple Crown telecasts
for NBC Sports. He is also a highly decorated and
accomplished producer of NFL telecasts. Less than two
weeks ago, the 10-time Emmy Award winner produced his
fourth Super Bowl.
For the past six years, he has led NBC's production of
Sunday Night Football, which has received the Emmy Award
for Outstanding Live Sports Series in each of the last
three years. Prior to joining Sunday Night Football,
Gaudelli spent five seasons as producer of ABC's Monday
Night Football. |
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TWO MINUTE LICK WITH FRED GAUDELLI
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Name:
Fred Gaudelli
What I do for a living:
Fulltime: Dad, part time: Producer of Sunday Night
Football
How and when I was introduced to Thoroughbred Racing:
In 1973, watching Secretariat win the Triple Crown.
My favorite racetrack:
Churchill Downs
My favorite Thoroughbred racing event:
The Kentucky Derby
Other sports/teams I follow:
NFL, Yankees, Knicks and Rangers
What I would like to see more of in Thoroughbred Racing:
Great horses run past the age of three
What I would like to see less of in Thoroughbred Racing:
Internecine battles
Three words that define what Thoroughbred Racing means to me:
Excitement, Fascination, Capricious
First Thoroughbred track I ever attended was:
Churchill Downs
Favorite All-time Thoroughbred:
Secretariat
My personal best moment in the sport of Thoroughbred Racing:
Watching the Affirmed vs. Alydar races in the late 1970’s as a
teenager.
Best racetrack food can be found at:
All I eat is TV compound catering, so I am unqualified to answer
this.
My favorite jockey:
Angel Cordero/John Velazquez – tie
My favorite trainer:
Todd Pletcher
My Heroes:
Mom and Dad – Sports: Mickey Mantle/Walt “Clyde” Frazier
Person in Thoroughbred Racing I’d like to have dinner with:
Penny Chenery
My philosophy on life:
Don’t let good enough be good enough.
Favorite quote or motto:
No medals for trying.
Favorite animal other than a horse:
Dog
Favorite non-Thoroughbred racing sports event I have attended:
Game 6, 1996 World Series in Yankee Stadium.
Favorite food:
Pasta
Favorite Musician/band:
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Favorite all-time movie(s):
Tie: Godfather and
The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite TV Show:
Saturday Night Live
Websites I visit daily:
Profootballtalk.com, CNBC.com, ESPN.com
What I drive:
Audi A 6
Pet Peeve:
Phonies
Favorite vacation spot:
Kona, Hawaii
Favorite movie about horse racing:
Seabiscuit
Which actor would play me in a movie:
Al Pacino
Alma Mater:
Long Island University – C.W. Post
Favorite Radio shows/channels:
Sirius – E Street Radio, Classic Vinyl, POTUS, 70’s, NPR
Best Book I recently read:
Steve Jobs
Favorite Tech gadget:
iPad
Twitter Handle:
@SNFNBC
People I follow on Twitter:
Breaking News,
Judy Battista,
LeBron James,
Jay Glazer,
Adam Schefter
No. 1 Bucket List Item:
Play Augusta National |
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FAN PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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Fan Photo: Congratulations to photographer Victoria Solzbach,
winner of the February 15 Fan Photo Contest! From Victoria:
“Taken at Timonium, jockey Wesley Ho in the post parade with the
Maryland State Fair in the background.” |
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TRIPLE
CROWN WATCH
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Image courtesy of Tampa Bay Downs/Tom Cooley
Photography |
BATTLE HARDENED
Owner:
Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier
Trainer:
Eddie Kenneally
Sire:
Giant’s Causeway
Record:
4-1-2-0
Earnings:
$138,855
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
30-1
The skinny:
Broke his maiden winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes. Tampa Bay
Derby could be next.
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Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com |
EMPIRE WAY
Owner:
Heinz Steinmann
Trainer:
Mike Harrington
Sire:
Empire Maker
Record:
4-1-1-0
Earnings:
$112,000
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
40-1
The skinny:
Full brother to Royal Delta was a closing second last time out
in Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Will likely be kept apart from
stablemate Creative Cause.
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Image courtesy of Horsephotos.com |
I’LL HAVE ANOTHER
Owner:
J.P. Reddam
Trainer:
Doug O’Neill
Sire:
Flower Alley
Record:
4-2-1-0
Earnings:
$184,000
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
65-1
The skinny:
Beat Empire Way in Lewis Stakes as 43-1 longshot. Lacks pedigree
power of Empire Way, though. Hence, the higher odds here
despite winning.
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Image courtesy of Benoit Photo |
GROOVIN’ SOLO
Owner:
Myung K. Cho
Trainer:
Kenny McPeek
Sire:
Bob and John
Record:
5-1-0-0
Earnings:
$38,640
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
150-1
The skinny:
Ran 3rd in Lewis but was DQ’d to 7th for
interference. Half-brother to stakes winners Street Hero and
Premier Pegasus, who both ran for these connections. Needs
to stay sounder than his brothers to be a factor.
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Image courtesy of Beth Natasha Arkin |
ENDER KNIEVEL
Owner:
Alto Racing
Trainer:
Todd Pletcher
Sire:
Dsitorted Humor
Record:
4-1-1-0
Earnings:
$35,280
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
150-1
The skinny:
Stretched out to a mile and jumped a maiden field by 7 ¾ lengths
at Gulfstream on Feb. 5. One of at least a dozen good 3yos
trained by Pletcher.
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Image courtesy of HorsePhotos.com |
TEETH OF THE DOG
Owner:
J.W. Singer LLC
Trainer:
Michael Matz
Sire:
Bluegrass Cat
Record:
3-1-1-1
Earnings:
$36,450
Current Wynn Las Vegas Derby odds:
225-1
The skinny:
Broke his maiden going the challenging distance of 1 1/8 miles
at Gulfstream on Feb. 4. Could be a viable “Plan B” for Matz
should Union Rags suffer any hiccups.
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VOICES
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FROM THE GRANDSTAND
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Country music star and Thoroughbred owner/breeder Toby
Keith, quoted in bloodhorse.com, on the added pleasure
of winning with a homebred:
“I kind of compare it to songwriting. I have written
most of my songs and have had a lot of success at it,
but I also had four of five hit songs that I didn't
write. They're nice too, but when you sit and write it
yourself, it's just a little more special. It's the same
with a homebred.”
Chantal Sutherland, in Playboy.com, on how she first got
involved in modeling/acting:
"I shot with Annie Leibovitz with
VOGUE, then for the
100 Most Beautiful People with
People magazine; all of a sudden I came to
California and was the face of Santa Anita. Then I was
picked up for the TV show
LUCK with David Milch, who sent me to acting
classes .I don’t know, it all snowballed all on its own;
I was never really a model, I was just a jockey. I would
study photo shoots that models have done; watch them,
see how they move and what pictures look good. I have a
lot of ideas. After this I would love to do television
or marketing. I love to help this industry and I love
horse racing."
Woody Allen, in
New York Magazine,
on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s
recommendation that a ride on the Staten Island Ferry is
a good option for a first date:
“I always took my first dates out to the racetrack—you
know, out to Belmont.”
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VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
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Jim Rome stops in to visit Mizdirection and discovers
that she’s not exactly a pet (JimRome.com)
Quenby, a new arrival at Lane's End Farm by Ambassador
out of Quintela, takes a nap in her blanket (Lane’s
End Farm)
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IN THE NEWS
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Animal Kingdom to run in
Saturday allowance at Gulfstream (Miami Herald)
Filly among 10 in
Saturday’s El Camino Real Derby (San Francisco Chronicle)
Aftercare no longer an
afterthought
(Daily
Racing Form)
Rachel Alexandra’s owners
invite fans to name colt by Curlin
(Courier-Journal.com)
Zenyatta gets the John
Henry treatment with Santa Anita statue (Daily
Racing Form)
A Q&A with DRF/NTRA
National Handicapping Championships million-dollar
winner
Michael Beychok
(Daily
Racing Form)
And another Q&A with
tough-luck NHC runnerup Dave Flanzbaum
(Daily
Racing Form)
“Night School” program
returns Feb. 28
(The
Blood-Horse)
NTRA pre-season polls
released
(Miamiherald.com)
NTRA Thoroughbred Poll
(Stamford
Advocate.com)
Small investors racing to
horse syndicates (CNBC)
Union Rags considered
early Derby favorite
(Dailyworld.com)
Why Dick Jerardi likes
Union Rags
(Daily
Racing Form)
Sunday’s San Vicente or
Monday’s Southwest could put Pegram back in the Derby
mix (Princeton
Daily Clarion)
On the bumpy road to the
Derby (ESPN.com)
Current tally of graded
stakes earnings among Derby hopefuls
(Daily
Racing Form)
On the appeal of Derby future book wagering
(ESPN.com)
Road to the Roses fantasy stable game picks
(Forbes.com)
Churchill Downs checks in
14th among "50 Sports Venues to Visit before
You Die”
(Bleacherreport.com)
Horse of the Year Havre de Grace worked yesterday at Fair Grounds
(The
Miami Herald.com)
Woody Allen likes playing
the ponies on dates
(nymag.com)
Nuanced approach to HBO’s
latest series
(Entertainment.inquirer.net)
Luck
episode 3 recap
(The
CelebrityCafe.com)
Newly
retired jockey E.J. Perrodin rode with class, talent and
heart (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Hawthorne eager for spring meeting to start
(Chicagotribune.com)
Top 10 2012 TV horse
racing dates (sports.yahoo.com)
Ramon Dominguez wins five
at the Big A (Wall
Street Journal)
Female riders jockey for
status at Sam Houston (Houston
Chronicle)
Manhattan lawyer buying
one of Saratoga’s largest horse farms
(Bizjournals.com)
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IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
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A new “poll position” (NTRA.com)
Thoughts on Castellano’s decision to take off Union
Rags, the NTRA polls and more (Xpressbet.com)
Cot Campbell might not love HBO’s
Luck, but Dan
Needham has a different opinion (Thorotrends.com)
Let Luck live
(Horseraceinsider.com)
Toby Keith on “Reckless” path to Derby in Monday’s
Southwest Stakes (The
Blood-Horse)
Bodemeister needs to win in March to be part of the
Triple Crown (Bettor.com)
Post-mortem of the Donn and other stuff (leftatthegate.com)
The author explains why these are his 10 favorite stakes
race names (Colinsghost.com)
Thoroughbred Alliance Aftercare formed by industry
leaders (thebrockreport.com)
An off-the-track Thoroughbred becomes the eyes of his
rider and a star in the show ring (Paulick
Report)
A horse owner's love for her off-the-track Thoroughbred
helps him overcome laminitis just in time for
Valentine's Day (Off
Track Thoroughbreds)
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NHC NEWS
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First free, online NHC qualifier set for this Saturday, February
18 (NHC)
Learn more about the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour (NHC)
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CALENDAR
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RACING TO
HISTORY
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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.
Feb. 23, 1935: Seven-year-old Azucar, a former steeplechaser, won the
inaugural Santa Anita Handicap at Santa Anita Park.
Feb. 24, 1947: Acting upon an earlier recommendation by The Jockey Club
stewards, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations unanimously approved lip
tattoos as a method of identifying Thoroughbred racehorses.
Feb. 24, 1979: Trainer J.C. Williams set a North American record by
saddling eight winners in 12 attempts at Waterford Park in West
Virginia. Williams also owned seven of those eight winners, which
established a record for most wins by an owner in one day at one
racetrack.
Feb. 24, 2007: On his 96th birthday, Noble Threewitt
officially retired from training Thoroughbreds, ending a career that
spanned eight decades.
Feb. 25, 1990: The 11th race at Charles Town was declared a no-contest
because the starting gate could not be removed from the track after the
race had begun. The track announcer warned the jockeys to pull up their
mounts, and the track subsequently refunded all wagers on the race.
Feb. 26, 1973: With Secretariat having been named Horse of the Year for
1972 and champion two-year-old, it was announced by Claiborne Farm that
the colt had been syndicated for a then-record $6,080,000—equivalent to
32 shares at $190,000 each.
Feb. 27, 1982: Florida apprentice Mary Russ became the first female
jockey to win a Grade I stakes in North America when she captured the
Widener Handicap aboard Lord Darnley at Hialeah.
Feb. 28, 1957: John Longden became the first jockey in history to
reach 5,000 victories.
Feb. 28, 2004: Hall of Famer Richard Mandella became the seventh trainer
to pass the $100-million mark in career purse earnings.
Feb. 28, 2006: A two-year-old son of Forestry became the most expensive
Thoroughbred ever sold at a public auction at the Fasig-Tipton Calder
sale in Miami. The colt,
later named The Green Monkey, brought a final bid of $16 million from
Demi O’Byrne. O’Byrne purchased the colt for a partnership headed by
John Magnier and Michael Tabor.
The previous record for a horse of any age at auction was the
$13.1 million paid for Seattle Dancer as a yearling in 1986. The Green
Monkey ran three times in his career, never won, and earned $10,440.
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WEEKEND STAKES RACES top |
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
As Indicated Stakes, 4&up, $75,000, 1M, Aqueduct
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Barbar Fritchie Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $200,000, Grade II, 7F, Laurel
Park
Santa Maria Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $200,000, Grade II, 1 1-16M, Santa Anita
Park
El Camino Real Derby, 3yo, $200,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M, Golden Gate
Fields
Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship, 4&up, $150,000, Grade II, 7F,
Gulfstream Park
Bayakoa Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $100,000, 1 1-16M, Oaklawn Park
John B. Campbell Handicap, 3&up, $75,000, 1 1-8M, Laurel Park
Phoenix Gold Cup, 4&up, $75,000, 6F, Turf Paradise
Stymie Stakes, 3&up, $75,000, 1 1-8M, Aqueduct
Turf Dash, 3&up, $75,000, 5F (T), Tampa Bay Downs
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
San Vicente Stakes, 3yo, $150,000, Grade II, 7F, Santa Anita Park
Hurricane Bertie Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade III, 6 1-2F,
Gulfstream Park
Farmonthefreeway Stakes, 3yo, $75,000, 6F, Aqueduct
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Southwest Stakes, 3yo, $250,000, Grade III, 1M, Oaklawn Park
General George Handicap, 3&up, $200,000, Grade II, 7F, Laurel Park
Buena Vista Handicap, 4&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade II, 1M (T), Santa
Anita Park
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
Mardi Gras Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $75,000, 1 1-16M (T), Fair Grounds
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