Is the Three Year Old Male Season Salvageable?

We are now into the second half of the racing season and the news keeps getting worse for the three year old male division. It’s the division that receives the most spotlight due to the popularity of its mainstream races such as the Kentucky Derby. As usual every year leading up to the Derby, several contenders go down to injury. This year, that happened to Algorithms (Holy Bull Stakes winner), Thunder Moccasin (Hutcheson Stakes) and Secret Circle (Southwest and Rebel Stakes). The Kentucky Derby sported a full field of 20 with the favorite being Bodemeister after his impressive 9 lengths win in the Arkansas Derby. He was defeated by Santa Anita Derby winner I’ll Have Another.

Just two weeks later, the pair would hook up again in the Preakness and didn’t disappoint. The two would draw clear from the rest of the field and go down to the wire in a thriller. I’ll Have Another prevailed once again.The sports World had their eyes set on horse racing as there was a legitimate opportunity for a triple crown winner for the first time in well over three decades. In addition, we would have the opportunity to see the top two horses from the previous two legs of the triple crown due battle once again. Within a couple of days after the running of the Preakness, trainer Bob Baffert ruled Bodemeister out of the Belmont Stakes leaving I’ll Have Another with even more of a chance to accomplish the rare feat. However, in just a matter of minutes, and a couple of days prior to the race in Elmont, NY, that potential turned into a nightmare.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another was forced to retire due to a leg injury. Dreams and hopes dashed as quickly as the colt entered the scene just a few weeks earlier in Lexington.To add to the disappointment of not having the top horse in the division around for the last few months of the season, several other top stakes winner in 2012 have been retired or put on the shelf due to injuries. Wood Memorial winner Gemologist injured himself during the Kentucky Derby and is finally back in training at Saratoga. Will he return to form? Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy was also injured in the Derby and has not resumed training. Three-time graded winner Creative Cause hasn’t been seen since running 3rd in the Preakness. Withers Stakes winner Alpha hasn’t raced since running 12th in the Derby. He has finally resumed training in Saratoga as well. Coolmore Lexington Stakes winner Went the Day Well (4th in Derby) is out for the remainder of the year.

Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags will be gone for the next several months as well. Risen Star winner El Padrino hasn’t returned to any action since his 13th place effort in the Derby. Louisiana Derby and Risen Star runner-up Mark Valeski has not been seen since winning the Peter Pan Stakes on May 12. You get the point. Several injuries to top horses have put a damper on what could have been a phenomenal year of racing in the three year old male division.Word is now circling in Southern California that Bodemeister will not return to racing, and be retired. This is strictly rumor and no definitive word has come from the Baffert camp. If this does hold true however, this could go down as one of the worst seasons for this division in recent memory.

So who would be left?!

The only other remaining graded stakes winners who would still be around are Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Dullahan (3rd in Derby but 7th in the Belmont as 5/2 favorite) and two year old male champion Hansen who won the Iowa Derby last month. It looked as if he would steer clear of the well-known races for others such as the West Virginia Derby and Super Derby. However, with the depleted three year old lineup, trainer Michael Maker might just give it a shot in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 29.The only other horse who has showed potential to be a threat in the division is Bob Baffert’s other colt Paynter who ran a close 2nd to Union Rags in the Belmont Stakes.

There are a couple of other three year olds who have made some noise this year, but belong in the sprinting and turf categories of the division.Silver Max is on a five race winning streak including the Transylvania Stakes (G3) at Keeneland and American Turf Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. He is entered in the Virginia Derby (G2) at Colonial Downs on July 21. The other is Trinniberg. If you throw out the ridiculous attempt in the Kentucky Derby, the Teuflesberg colt was on a three race winning streak including the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in June until he ran 2nd as the 1/5 favorite in the CarryBack Stakes (G3) at Calder.It’s sad the division is a complete mess. Especially since it looked so promising just a few short weeks ago. Let’s hope a couple of the previously mentioned stakes winners return to pre-Derby form and make the best of what is left in the 2012 racing season.


Paying Tribute at the Track

The backside of Fair Grounds Race Course is bustling on a March morning.Jennifer Zdon for The New York TimesThe backside of Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans is bustling on a March morning.On Leap Day, my best friend and artist extraordinaire, Gregory Paul Frank, died after nine days in hospice. The next day, his daughter, son-in-law and I went to Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans and bet on horses with names that reminded us of Greg.We ensconced ourselves over the finish line in the clubhouse restaurant, where the food is good, drinks are cheap, the service is excellent, and the seats are great. Perusing the program, the first names that stood out to us were Cajun Streaker, Regal Truth, Why Not Be Perfect, Lime Me, Bound and Determined, Royal Madame, Stormy Devotion and Lost My Halo. Then we had a discussion of some of the missing names.

These included Born-Without-A-Muffler, Marilyn, Alchemist of Junk, Be-Ute-iful Day, Give-Me-A- Break, Spiritual Master, Baked Cabbage, Fun Boy, Where’s My Coffee, River Raft Review, Makes Me Laugh.The clubhouse restaurant was permeated with the smell of barbecue. Each race we gave our best yells, and between races we grew drunk with gin and tonics, beer and memories of Greg. Normally, we would check out the horses in person, but this day we were content with the TV monitor at our table and drinks in hand.

Union Rags Wins the Belmont Stakes

Union Rags appeared to benefit from a jockey change to John Velazquez, staying out of trouble to win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday by a neck over the Bob Baffert-trained Paynter.Union Rags was the favorite to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November, but he finished second behind Hansen. In his final Kentucky Derby prep race, the Florida Derby, with Julien Leparoux aboard, he got stuck in traffic and finished third. Still, many had him pegged as the favorite to win in Kentucky, and possibly even take the Triple Crown.Instead, Union Rags and Leparoux stumbled out of the gate and got stuck in traffic once again before legging out a seventh-place finish in the Derby. He skipped the Preakness to stay fresh for the Belmont, and his trainer, Michael Matz, made the switch to Velazquez, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 10.Paynter, Bodemeister’s stablemate who was ridden by Mike Smith, set the pace early and nearly hung on, but Union Rags dug in to finish the mile-and-a-half race in 2 minutes 30.42 seconds. He paid $7.50 on a $2 bet to win.

I’ll Have Another, who was retired Friday because of a tendon injury, rallied past Bodemeister in the Derby and the Preakness Stakes.“Is there a Triple Crown for seconds?” Baffert said jokingly after the race.Phyllis Wyeth, the owner of Union Rags, said her horse’s potential was realized at last. “It was my dream, and he made it come true today,” she said. “He and Johnny. I knew he could do it. And nobody would have gotten through on the rail other than Johnny today, I can tell you that. He was unbelievable. He just said, ‘Move over; I’m coming.’ He believed in the horse, and Michael got him there.”Matz, who also trained Barbaro, added, “I’m just glad for Phyllis and the horse that we got to see the real Union Rags.”


Triple Crown Race Runners Do Well in the Haskell

Haskell Invitationals have included a Triple Crown race winner three times since 2008, but injuries have taken their toll this year.First, Kentucky Derby-Preakness victor I’ll Have Another developed swelling in his left front tendon, was scratched from the Belmont and then retired because of early tendinitis.Then Union Rags won the Belmont, but following a July 6 workout was diagnosed with an injury to a high suspensory ligament in his left foreleg and won’t race again until 2013.In addition, another shoe dropped on the $1 million race Sunday when Bob Baffert said Derby-Preakness runner-up Bodemeister will miss the July 29 race due to an elevated temperature that is being treated with antibiotics.“He had a temperature, and we had to start treating him,”

Baffert told the Daily Racing Form. “It will set me back a couple of weeks.”Baffert could switch plans with Belmont runner-up Paynter and point him toward the Haskell instead of the $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 28. Justin Zayat, son of Ahmed Zayat who owns Paynter and Bodemeister, announced Paynter is now “probable” for the Haskell.Wood Memorial winner Gemologist was being pointed to the Jim Dandy, but could be re-routed to the Haskell, trainer Todd Pletcher said. Since WinStar bought an interest in Bodemeister following the Triple Crown series, Gemologist was being pointed to the Jim Dandy so the two colts wouldn’t face each other.“This,” Pletcher said of Bodemeister’s condition, “changes that” and he’d talk things over with WinStar president Elliott Walden.Alpha, beaten a neck by Gemologist in the Wood, is training toward the Jim Dandy at Saratoga, a surface over which he won his career debut last summer.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Bodemeister’s defection could make the Haskell a possibility for Alpha or Le Bernardin, winner of the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth. Prior to Bodemeister’s illness, Le Bernardin was being pointed to the West Virginia Derby, where he would face Iowa Derby winner Hansen.Last year’s Haskell champ, Coil, didn’t run in any Triple Crown races because of a tiny bone chip. But the Baffert trainee defeated Preakness winner Shackleford by a neck, with Belmont victor Ruler On Ice another 2 ¼ lengths back after 1 1/8 miles.In ’08, Derby-Preakness winner Big Brown bounced back from his Belmont defeat to triumph by 1 ¾ lengths. Since Belmont champ Touch Gold captured the ’97 Haskell, nine of the past 15 winners raced in at least one of the three Triple Crown contests.The likely favorite now in the 68th renewal will be Dullahan, third in the Derby who skipped the Preakness and finished seventh in the Belmont.In ’06, Bluegrass Cat visited the Monmouth winner’s circle after finishing second in the Derby and Belmont.Baffert, has won a record five Haskells since ’01 when Preakness-Belmont winner Point Given triumphed. In addition to Coil, he saddled Preakness champ Lookin at Lucky in ’10, Roman Ruler in ’05 and Derby-Preakness victor War Emblem in ’02.

Smarty Moonhak (USA)

We still have no idea how good this colt is. Aside from his debut, the only time he has had to work in a race was in the Grand Prix and, bearing in mind the distance of the race and his tender age at the time, he wasn’t pushed. His races this year have been little more than public workouts.This will be his first run at Busan where the back straight is more undulating and the home straight longer than that at Seoul and how he deals with these will be key. With regular jockey Moon Jung Kyun injured, Park Tae Jong, who has ridden more winners than anybody else in Korean racing history, gets the ride. With no disrespect intended to Moon, this can only help his cause. In Korea, jockeys wear their own colours, so Park will be wearing blue.

1. Lion Santa (USA) [Lion Heart - Santa Fe Strip (Phone Trick)] (13/10/1/0) C 4 58Kg – Gerrit Schlechter (Busan) Won his first nine starts but has only won once from three tries this year and has never even attempted further than 1800M. In Gerrit Schlechter, he has the track’s in-form jockey in board and the South African has picked this one over two others.

2. Cheonjidolpung (USA) [Tactical Cat - Luminate (A.P.Indy)] (34/5/0/4) G 7 58Kg – Seo Do Soo (Seoul) His third consecutive year running in the race, he took advantage of the favourites’ mistakes to finish fourth last year. He will be hard pushed to equal that this year.

3. Yeonseung Daero (KOR) [Creek Cat - Sensationalkris (Cryptoclearance)] (42/16/8/5) H 6 55kg – Choi Si Dae (Busan) A wonderful horse, one of the best ever at Busan. Took full advantage of Tough Win and Dangdae Bulpae’s mistakes last year to claim a career capping victory and his been winning since. He can never ever be counted out.

4. Adam One (USA) [Sligo Bay - Toddles (Real Courage)] (30/3/3/3) G 5 58Kg – Lee Gi Hweoi (Seoul) Smarty Moonhak’s work and stablemate, he’s here because there was space both in the race and in the horsebox on the way down. The only horse in Ko Ok Bong’s stable who can keep up with Smarty Moonhak in trackwork, he’ll not be able to in the race.

5. Jeonseong Sidae (AUS) [Stromberg Carlsen - Jessie's Journey (Crown Jester)] (13/6/4/3) C 4 58Kg – Jo Chang Wook (Busan) Without a win this year but with plenty of talent. However, an outside chance of a place at best.

6. Dangdae Bulpae (KOR) [Biwa Shinseiki - Indeed My Dear (Alydeed)] (24/15/2/1) H 5 55Kg – Jo Sung Gon (Busan) Last year’s favourite and the two-time President’s Cup winner. An in-form Dangdae Bulpae should be able to live with anybody, including Tough Win and Smarty Moonhak. Whether he can beat them though is another question entirely. Looking at it objectively, the conclusion must be that he can’t.

7. Sangseung Geotap (USA) [Indian Charle - Mirta (Theatrical)] (19/7/2/1) F 4 56Kg – Kanichiro Fujii (Busan) The only filly in the race won the KNN Trophy last time out but the fact that Gerrit Schlechter has decided to get off her may say somethng about her chances here.

8. Smoking Gun (USA) [Hat Trick - Desdemona's Dream (Announce)] (5/4/1/0) C 3 55Kg – Yukio Abe (Busan) The wildcard. Lightly raced but very impressive, this may appear to be too much too soon. However, with Yukio Abe on board and a confident trainer (who also trains Lion Santa), he may be worth an outside bet for a place.

9. Jumong (USA) [Johar - Foreign Aid (Danzig)] (30/9/7/4) H 5 58Kg – Ham Wan Sik (Seoul)
A very solid competitor and half-brother to the late Subsidy, Jumong runs in all the big races. He looks overmatched but has every chance of finishing in a moneying position.

10. Ghost Whisper (KOR) [Gotham City - Emmy's Lullaby (Unbridled's Song)] (11/7/3/0) G 4 56Kg – Kim Yong Geun (Busan) Australian trainer Peter Wolsley lets his new stable star take his chance here, the grey was disqualified last time but otherwise was on a run of three straight wins inclusing two at class 1. Kim Yong Geun is an able rider and he may be worth backing for a place.

Tough Win is a very strong competitor and most believed that it would not be until later in the year that Smarty Moonhak would be able to challenge him. Neither has put a foot wrong this year but his progress has been such that Smarty Moonhak can be the one who leaves Busan with the title “Best Horse in Korea”.

Carla Hilton, Sports Broadcaster & Editorial Journalist (Seen on Coral & TurfTV)It really has been such a superb summer of racing, despite the weather, with so many tremendous renewals of the British Classics. How wonderful to see Nathaniel win the Coral Eclipse at Sandown under an understandably delighted William Buick, who gave the Group 1 winner a tremendous ride. He showed so much heart to fend off Godolphin’s Farhh at the finish, proving exactly why he’s rated by John Gosden and connections as one of the best mile and a quarter horses in training. It was the real showpiece on what was a very good card at Sandown Park, where the race goers were not put off by the torrid weather we are still experiencing in July.

Looking at the forecast for this week, it doesn’t appear that conditions will improve a great deal. After the wettest June on record, July seems to be heading the same way; incredibly frustrating, more so when it affects so many racing fixtures.Still, there’s plenty to look forward to this week, starting on Thursday with the first of three-days of top drawer racing at Newmarket. Nathaniel, who will now be readied for the King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, remains in a top class field for the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Goldsmith Stakes, alongside the likes of Harris Tweed and Dandino. Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore have won three of the last six renewals, and they saddle Fiorente, who hasn’t won since May when he scored in a maiden on good-firm ground at Newbury.

He was no match for Jet Away in the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood in May, and finished some way behind stable mate Sea Moon in the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot. The yard’s strike rate interests me, though, and I feel he’d stand a better chance in this competitive race. Sea of Heartbreak has done most of her winning on good ground, which, unless the weather improves, looks unlikely. That said, Roger Charlton’s runners are in such good form, and she was a Group 2 winner in Fance, so she’s difficult to dismiss. Friday’s card is of particular interest, with the Cherry Hinton and the Falmouth Stakes to look forward to. The Cherry Hinton is useful grounding for the juvenile sprinters, in which we could witness a potential star in the making, as we did with eventual 1000 Guineas winner Attraction.

City Image looks a likely favourite, after her impressive win in listed company here in June. Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes have a sterling record with their two-year-olds, so I’ve no doubt she’ll be popular in the ring. But from a betting point of view, it’s the Falmouth which really interests me. The Group 1 for fillies is part of the British Champion Series, and this year it looks hugely competitive.Three-year-olds have crossed the finish line first in four of the last five renewals, which makes Fallen For You stand out as a leading contender. It’s been a good weekend for John Gosden, who targets another major prize this week having watched Nathaniel to success at Sandown. The Coronation stakes winner is proven on a softer surface, and she looks the one to be on, for me.

Gosden also saddles Elusive Kate, who hasn’t been seen since November when she ran at the Breeders Cup meeting. She won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp on good ground, and, although she’ll encounter a softer surface this week, she looks interesting.Bated Breath tops the betting for the Group 1 Darley July Cup on Saturday, and it’s easy to see why. He wasn’t beaten far in the Kings Stand at Ascot, and the Temple Stakes winner should put in a bold show, he’s running consistently well for Roger Charlton. Excelebration won’t be coming up against the likes of Frankel this time, which can only enhance his prospects. He has only once finished out of the frame in 10 starts, and should be on the premises. Librano ran an absolute cracker for Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes in the Group 3 John Sunley Memorial Criterion Stakes here a fortnight ago, and on that run he’d have to enter calculations. He made all to win under an enterprising ride, and he’s a big price at around the mark of 16/1.

Del Mar $80,732 Carryover – July 20, 2012

Day three of the 2012 Del Mar meet and we already have our first pick-6 carryover. First post on Friday is 7:00 ET with the pick-6 getting underway at 8:00.Race three is a claiming race at six furlongs on the main track with a field of eight. Give preference to Warrens Venedalucy and Heleonor Rugby, who both have workouts over the Del Mar track. Blushing Martha ships in from New York for trainer Doug O’Neill and did have some decent runs over synthetic surfaces at Presque Isle Downs, Keeneland and Turfway Park.The fourth race is a one-mile Cal-bred maiden special weight on the turf. Zanbo, Miss Well Molded, and Passionville all ran against each other so let’s look to Appetizing and Marlenadarlena.Appetizing starts for Barry Abrams, who has sent out three winners with his first five starters at the meet.

Marlenadarlena was six and one-half lengths clear of third in her last start and ran well on turf in her debut. The negative for Appetizing and Marlena is that they break from posts eight and nine.Back on the main track for race five with low-level claimers going six panels. Deputiformer gets the call dropping from higher level claiming races even thought this is his first start since October. Itssultryinthecape also drops, but could not win at this level in January and may be better on a conventional dirt surface.

My May Sumo and Imperial Pride look best of the rest.Allowance horses goes a mile and one-sixteenth on the turf course in race six and with the favorite and second favorite drawing posts nine and seven it may be a good shot to take a chance with Distort This for trainer John Sadler. The Distorted Humor colt makes his first start in Southern California and moves dirt to turf, but broke his maiden on the turf at Arlington last September and won a starter allowance race on the synthetic surface at Keeneland in April.Race seven is the feature race on the evening, the CTBA Stakes for two-year-old fillies.

On a card without a genuine single many may decide to single Tribal Peace in the CTBA. She won her debut by a half-length, but has come back to work well and can sit the trip from post seven. Cotton’s Point is racing into shape and could show more speed in her third career start.Maiden claimers round out the Friday racing action at Del Mar with Pork Chop, Hammer the Bay, Extra Fifty and Johan the top four choices. After that it’s a grab bag and the gut feeling is the winner will come from one of the four.With some vulnerable favorites and no clear standout there may be a double carryover to Saturday.

Horse Racing Tips: Hayaku to fast at 22-1

There is no gratification in top rating a 22-1 winner that goes un-backed especially when that 22-1 winner was the highlight and the only thing to show for my hard work at Lingfield Park.On the turf, no surprises in the first with top rated and the only highlighted ‘Pace and Going’ horse on the card, Tobacco Road winning at an SP of 13-8. The second race was given a wide birth with no points of reference. The third had my top two declare non-runners.On to the AW we had three disappointments, two coming under the stewardship of Seb Sanders who gave both Potentiale and Aciano identical rides from the front finishing third and second respectively.

The winner of Potentiale race Officer in Command was also top rated. The final insult to injury came with top rated Hayaku (Japanese for 'fast') winning the finale at 22-1 with the selection Roxelana finding reverse gear as they turned for home.In summary three un-backed top rated winners from four races of interest equals total frustration!