OK. So Magna Entertainment Corp. finally filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. We all knew it would happen, and I'm sure not breaking any news. So now what? What are the intentions of MI Developments, the apparent beneficiary of Magna's embarassment. MI played hardball with Magna with regards to extending due dates on loan payments. I don't know about you, but MI Developments doesn't sound like the type of company interested in running thoroughbred racing establishments. Can you say, year round racing at Calder Race Course?
No Publichandicapper picks this week. No I'm not totally embarassed by my dismal public performance thus far. I've just been up to my eyeballs at work this week and have barely had time for tomorrow's Gulfstream program. Just in case your keeping score, last week I lost 3 bets and the Sham at Santa Anita was a pass. Although one could make the case that The Pamplemousse had the race in hand gate to wire, at least I did get the satisfaction of having Take The Points at least give the appearance that there was a race going on for a good bit of the race. Take that Valerie!
One race that I am particularly looking forward to tomorrow at GP is race 8, a 7 furlong sprint for Maiden 3 year olds. I don't particularily care for these affairs for wagering purposes, but this one does feature some interesting characters. First Nicanor, Barbaro's full brother, makes his return to the races after taking much public abuse after his disappointing and overbet debut. In fairness, Nicanor did show a brief flash of potential before throwing in the towel, but he'll have to improve markedly to make a dent in this field. I'm willing to bet that he will be a somewhat longer price than 5 to 2 this time.
I'm looking for Dubinsky to give a better effort than last out turning back from a mile in what appears to be a perfect turnback set up. Patrick Reynolds is O for Gulfstream so far this season. Is there such a thing as due in horse racing?
There is also a Million Dollar horse, Big Top, making his debut for trainer Nick Zito. This grandson of Storm Cat has been tearing up the training track and firing bullets left and right. I am interested to see if this expensive mound of muscle can do the same when there are others on the track.
I will also take a personal interest in Woodford Manhattan, owned by the purveyor of my favorite bourbon, make his racing debut. The Woodford Reserve is on me should he be the winner.
However, the one they'll all likely be chasing to the finish line is Custom For Carlos. Custom For Carlos returns after finishing 2nd and running a 93 speed figure (Not Beyer's, but however Brisnet calculates it). Par for the race is 94, so any improvement at all in his 2nd effort figures to blow the competition away. I'm pretty sure CFC will be pretty heavily favored here, but these are 3 year olds so who knows what will happen?
And another thing. Why is it that they can get a full field of 14 for a run of the mill G3, 100k turf race? By the way, Wild Promises will be back to take some more Florida stakes money back to Cali with her. Yet, they can't find more than six Florida breds, three of whom including Hal's My Hopeless, have no business running in a 75k stakes race. Nothing personal to Hal's My Hope. It's not his fault his trainer, Barry Rose, keeps running him over his head. Is the state of Florida racing such a dismal affair that they can't fill a field to run for 75k. Yesbyjimminy should be the public choice here, and Hypocrite may give him a run for the money. Green Vegas may have a very outside chance, but other than that... Nada!
Well this has been quite the rant. I hope you've had as much fun as I had.
Showing posts with label Patrick Reynolds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patrick Reynolds. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
A Horse to Watch For?
Let me begin by writing how pleased I am to be accepted into the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. The TBA consists of a group of bloggers all of whom share a great passion for the sport of racing. I urge you to use the drop-down menu to the left and explore the many fine blogs listed there. You will find this great sport covered from many different perspectives from historical, wagering, issue oriented (and we all have our issues) and personal.
Now, if you've been reading my posts, you have probably noted that I tend to write more about my own personal experiences at the races. Today I just have a brief note on something I observed yesterday from the Gulfstream Park grandstand.
The first race on Jan. 7 was a 6 furlong MCL 40k for 4 year olds and up. Many of the participants in this race were lightly raced 4yo's. One of the obvious contenders in this race was a Patrick Reynolds trainee named Touch Too Much ridden today by Eibar Coa. Touch Too Much finished a game 2nd in a Maiden race at Aqueduct on Nov 26 and was then put on the shelf to wait for Gulfstream Park. On paper she appeared to be a top contender in this race.
Touch Too Much stood out immediately to me in the Post Parade, but for all the wrong reasons. Any racing fan knows that as the horses pass the grandstand their pace will quicken and the horses as they move along will gradually move from walking to trotting to a slow gallop to warm up and stretch out before a race, just as any athlete does. Touch to Much never did any thing more than walk to the gate, nothing. I watched her all the way because I thought this was very unusual. I remarked to a patron sitting next to me that this was very suspicious, and as it turned out, I was correct.
Now there are legitimate reasons for a horse not to vigorously warm up prior to racing. Perhaps the horse is a little sore and they don't want to stress the horse too much before the real effort is needed. But Touch to Much has only raced twice prior to now, and if she was so sore she couldn't warm up at all, then why wasn't she scratched?
Once the race began, Touch Too Much chased the pace for the first two calls and then faded to last. "then had nothing left.", is how the chart commentator charitably put it.
I'm not usually one to cry that a race is fixed or that some chicanery is afoot. I fully understand that sometimes horses are entered into races with better intentions than others. But this just doesn't make sense to me. It looked to me more like a glorified workout than an true effort to actually win the race.
We all know that in the case of 2 year olds some trainers are good to go first time out and others tend to use the first race as part of their training regimen. But those stats are out there for all of us to see and, at least those of us who pay enough attention, know which trainers are out for a win and which are looking to the future.
I don't really know much about Pat Reynolds because I don't follow NY racing that closely. If anyone can shed some light on this for me, I'd really appreciate the heads up. Is this a pattern he usually employs? Inquiring minds want to know. Should I be looking for Touch To Much at a long price next out based on this effort, or is she just too sore to be considered?
Please leave a comment or send me an E-Mail if you can help me out with this.
Now, if you've been reading my posts, you have probably noted that I tend to write more about my own personal experiences at the races. Today I just have a brief note on something I observed yesterday from the Gulfstream Park grandstand.
The first race on Jan. 7 was a 6 furlong MCL 40k for 4 year olds and up. Many of the participants in this race were lightly raced 4yo's. One of the obvious contenders in this race was a Patrick Reynolds trainee named Touch Too Much ridden today by Eibar Coa. Touch Too Much finished a game 2nd in a Maiden race at Aqueduct on Nov 26 and was then put on the shelf to wait for Gulfstream Park. On paper she appeared to be a top contender in this race.
Touch Too Much stood out immediately to me in the Post Parade, but for all the wrong reasons. Any racing fan knows that as the horses pass the grandstand their pace will quicken and the horses as they move along will gradually move from walking to trotting to a slow gallop to warm up and stretch out before a race, just as any athlete does. Touch to Much never did any thing more than walk to the gate, nothing. I watched her all the way because I thought this was very unusual. I remarked to a patron sitting next to me that this was very suspicious, and as it turned out, I was correct.
Now there are legitimate reasons for a horse not to vigorously warm up prior to racing. Perhaps the horse is a little sore and they don't want to stress the horse too much before the real effort is needed. But Touch to Much has only raced twice prior to now, and if she was so sore she couldn't warm up at all, then why wasn't she scratched?
Once the race began, Touch Too Much chased the pace for the first two calls and then faded to last. "then had nothing left.", is how the chart commentator charitably put it.
I'm not usually one to cry that a race is fixed or that some chicanery is afoot. I fully understand that sometimes horses are entered into races with better intentions than others. But this just doesn't make sense to me. It looked to me more like a glorified workout than an true effort to actually win the race.
We all know that in the case of 2 year olds some trainers are good to go first time out and others tend to use the first race as part of their training regimen. But those stats are out there for all of us to see and, at least those of us who pay enough attention, know which trainers are out for a win and which are looking to the future.
I don't really know much about Pat Reynolds because I don't follow NY racing that closely. If anyone can shed some light on this for me, I'd really appreciate the heads up. Is this a pattern he usually employs? Inquiring minds want to know. Should I be looking for Touch To Much at a long price next out based on this effort, or is she just too sore to be considered?
Please leave a comment or send me an E-Mail if you can help me out with this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
