Favorites Do Well in the Haskell Invitational
Favorites have performed splendidly in the Haskell Invitational, winning 10 of the past 14 years in Monmouth Park's premier stakes. Six consecutive favorites scored starting in 1994 when Holy Bull returned the lowest win payoff - $2.40.
In all, 18 post time choices haven't disappointed in the 40 races. Big Brown likely will be the odds-on choice in the $1 million event on Aug. 3 at 1 1/8 miles.
"The Haskell is a race (at) a racetrack that I think is more suitable to him, a distance that I now feel comfortable with and it allows us, more importantly, to get another race in between the Breeders' Cup," co-owner Michael Iavarone told Associated Press Saturday.
"The race fits his style," co-owner Paul Pompa Jr. had said earlier. "Monmouth is a speed-favoring track and it's comparable to Gulfstream Park, which Big Brown is fond of," referring to his two overpowering wins at the South Florida track, including the Florida Derby.
"I think the spacing is ideal," Iavarone said. "If you go to the Travers, I think the spacing becomes a little tight."
So far, it appears the only committed challenger is Pyro, who finished eighth behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby. The son of Pulpit, who won the Northern Dancer on June 14, breezed five furlongs in 1:05 1/5 at Churchill Downs on June 30.
Truth Rules likely earned a berth in the Haskell with his last-to-first victory in Saturday's 74th Long Branch Stakes, which traditionally produces invitations to horses that run well.
Truth Rules nipped favored Atoned by a head in 1:45 1/5 for the 1 1/16 mile while Z Humor was 3 1/4 lengths back in third. The son of Vindication recorded his second straight after breaking his maiden in June.
Horses that hit the board in Monmouth’s prep for the Haskell are 1-3-2 of 16 since '92.
Big Brown has been training at Aqueduct, breezing five furlongs in 1:02 4/5 on July 7. That was his second work since being eased in the Belmont Stakes following his victory in the Preakness.
There have been some whopping win payoffs in the Haskell since Balustrade surprised at $68.20 in the '68 inaugural when the race was for older horses.
The biggest payoff came in '85, four years after the Haskell was made an invitation-only $200,000 race for 3-year-olds at 1 1/18 miles. Skip Trial upset runner-up Kentucky Derby champ Spend a Buck and Belmont victor Creme Fraiche to return a record $73 on the front end.
Monmouth's track record for the distance was established that same year by Spend a Buck in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes - 1:46 4/5. Joloe's Halo equaled the mark a half-dozen years later in the same race, first run in 1884.
In '76, Majestic Light set the stakes record of 1:47 that was equaled by '87 Belmont winner Bet Twice who defeated Derby-Preakness winner Alysheba.
Majestic Light not only sired '82 Haskell champ Wavering Monarch, but another son, Simply Majestic, set the world record of 1:45 in '88 at Golden Gate Fields.
The Haskell is named for the first president and chairman of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club who served two decades until his death in 1966.
The track on the Jersey Shore has had more ups and downs than the stock market since opening on July 4, 1870. By 1890, it was completely rebuilt. The following year, Monmouth's meeting was moved to Jerome Park in New York because of repressive legislation against gambling. Then the track was shuttered for more than half a century.
Amory L. Haskell, a General Motors vice president after serving in the Navy during World War I, led a successful fight in 1939 to legalize pari-mutuel wagering in New Jersey. Although World War II delayed construction of a new facility, the track finally was opened in '46.
Serena's Song won the '95 race when the purse was hiked to $500,000. A year later, Skip Away banked most of the $750,000. In '97, Touch Gold triumphed when the purse was hiked to $1 million.
(c) National Sports Review
The Day at the Races
Frost Giant, in the silks of Big Brown and trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., came back in the stretch to pull off the huge upset in Saturday's Suburban Handicap, returning $82 to win and giving jockey Rudy Rodriguez his first Grade I victory.
Dutrow was all smiles in the winner's circle, giving hugs to everyone.
"I'll be all right now," said Dutrow, who revealed he had bet on his other horse in the race, Rising Moon, who finished third. "This gets me back in the game."
Earlier in the day, Big Brown was back in the game.
After flopping in the June 7 Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner officially began his comeback when he galloped a lap at Aqueduct under exercise rider Michelle Nevin.
The colt had been jogging - going the wrong way around the track - but yesterday was his first move in the right direction and could lead to his first work, possibly by Tuesday.
Big Brown is scheduled to start next in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 3 before a possible start in the Aug. 23 Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Da' Tara, the upset winner of the Belmont, returned to the track yesterday, working four furlongs in :51 at the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga along with Anak Nakal, who went the same distance in :51.22.
Anak Nakal dead-heated with Ready's Echo for third in the Belmont.
According to trainer Nick Zito, the pair will start in the July 27 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga before running in the Travers.
The last three winners of the Jim Dandy - Flower Alley, Bernardini and Street Sense - all went on to take the Travers.
Music Note made it three in a row when she easily took yesterday's Grade I Mother Goose as the second choice in the four-horse field. Heavy favorite Proud Spell, making her first start since winning the Kentucky Oaks on May 2, suffered a horrible trip, finishing second before being placed third by the stewards. At the start, Proud Spell stumbled badly to her knees, breaking last. From there she raced along the rail while kept in tight quarters by Never Retreat. Turning for home, the 3-year-old filly had to check out of it when it got even tighter before rallying to be second, 3-1/2 lengths behind Music Note. The stewards put up the inquiry sign and disqualified Proud Spell from second, placing her third behind Never Retreat as she came out in the stretch. But there was no way Never Retreat was ever going to finish ahead of Proud Spell. Instead, the place payoffs were generous as $175,860 of the $178,129 in the pool was wagered on Proud Spell. Music Note returned $5.30 to win and $11.60 to place while Never Retreat returned $20 to place. We would have left the order alone and given jockey Gabriel Saez, aboard Proud Spell, some days off to think about his bad ride.
(c) Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews
Betting on Horses - The Blame Game
The blame game is a nice little distraction for losing horse race betting fans but the best horseplayers around do not allow themselves to get caught up in the process because it is futile.
Anybody that has played an online betting wager in this sport for any amount of time has wagered on a horse and did not get the dream ride from a jockey that one expected. But it's part of the game as much as the zebras are in the NFL, the refs are in the NBA or the umpires are in baseball.
And any sports fan can probably count on one hand the times a play has been reversed because a player complained to the official.
It's the same thing for horse bettors. Considering that jockeys are dealing with animals going 40 miles an hour and have to adjust to making decisions not only on the fly but within milliseconds, the argument that a rider made a mistake can be accepted every day at every racetrack in the world.
Kent Desormeaux was vilified for his ride on Big Brown in the Belmont by people that probably didn't know he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004 and has won nearly 5,000 races in his career.
What did the blamers want him to do?
Did they want to send him so hard from the rail that he would be useless later? Did they want him to just settle and maybe drop back to last? Or did they expect him to change the rank demeanor of the horse as soon as the gates sprung?
They probably didn't want any of those things, they just wanted the horse to win but that's why they race them.
The experienced horse bettors know the best make mistakes. Bill Shoemaker misjudged the finish line in the Kentucky Derby. Chris McCarron is still being criticized by trainer Jack Van Berg for his Belmont Stakes ride aboard Alysheba and legends like Laffit Pincay Jr. and Angel Cordero have been taken off of horses because of perceived mistakes.
Bettors, like politicians, presidents and CEO's have to have the air of accountability about them or they have no credibility.
I used to have a colleague that I worked with that never made a bad selection. Every single time he lost, it was the rider's fault, or the trainer's fault for using that rider or the trainer's fault for not getting one more work into the horse.
I dubbed that guy with the nickname 'Sour' and it stuck like duck tape because the name fit. To give this colleague credit, he bet with both hands, knew the game and was a good handicapper, but he lost a huge part of his winning edge because he cried and complained and blamed the wrong people and not himself.
Remember, clever horse bettors take into consideration options and different scenarios how a race will play out. They embrace versatile runners that can adapt, but what they don't do is scream and cry and blame the riders that they are betting on because they realize that the jockeys have forgotten more about horse racing then some grandstands combined.
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS
A Sure Bet: Big Brown's trainer won't testify
Big Brown's trainer appears to be a late scratch for today's House hearing on the safety of thoroughbred racing, removing the most anticipated witness from Congress' latest look at sports and steroids.
Rick Dutrow said yesterday he has had a virus for several days and did not feel well enough to travel.
"I would go in a minute, but I just don't feel well," Dutrow said in a telephone interview. "To go down there when I'm not on top of my game would not be right."
The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection had been looking forward to hearing from the trainer known for his candor and for methods that were brought into question after the stunning last-place finish by his star horse in the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
Dutrow said he used a legal steroid on Big Brown - although the most recent dose had been given in April - and the horse also ran the race on a quarter crack in the left front hoof in a failed attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.
"I'm sorry he's not here," said Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, the subcommittee's ranking Republican. "We had a lot of questions for him."
The impetus for the hearing came when filly Eight Belles broke down at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 and was euthanized on the track, preceding the travails of Big Brown at the Belmont.
The winner of the Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar on July 30 will receive an automatic bid to the Breeders' Cup, officials announced.
The Cougar II Handicap, as well as the Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia Park and the Turfway Park Fall Championship at Turfway Park in Kentucky, were included in the four-race expansion of the Breeders' Cup Challenge. The winners will automatically qualify for the new $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon, to be run at 1 1/2 miles for 3-year-olds and up.
The one-mile Tiznow Stakes at Louisiana Downs is a qualifier for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
The Breeders' Cup will be run Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita in Arcadia.
(c) 1995-2008 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Triple Crown Successes-Failures
NEW YORK: Eleven 3-year-olds have won the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes). Eighteen have failed by losing in the Belmont. How they raced in the Belmont.
Success
1978 - Affirmed duels with arch-rival Alydar for about the final five-eighths of a mile and beats him by a head. The other three starters finish far back.
1977 - Seattle Slew has no problems disposing of seven rivals, leading all the way and winning by 4 lengths.
1973 - In probably the greatest performance ever by a racehorse, Secretariat wins by from 31 to 45 1/4 lengths over four rivals in 2:24, which still stands as a world record for 1 1-2 miles on dirt.
1948 - Citation leads seven rivals every step of the way and wins by 8 lengths.
1946 - Third with about an eighth-mile remaining, Assault charges to victory by 3 lengths in a seven-horse field.
1943 - Count Fleet gets no competition from two rivals and wins by 25 lengths.
1941 - Whirlaway opens 7-length lead at midpoint, then finishes in hand for a 2 1/2 length win in a four-horse field.
1937 - War Admiral takes lead shortly after start and holds it for a 3-length in seven-horse field.
1935 - Shuffled back at the start, Omaha overtakes Firethorn in the stretch and wins by 1 1/2 lengths in a field of four.
1930 - Gallant Fox leads almost all the way and won by 3 lengths in a four-horse field.
1919 - Sir Barton has no trouble beating only two rivals, winning by 5 lengths over 1 3/8 miles. Distance becomes 1 1/2 miles in 1926.
Failure
2004 - Smarty Jones extended his lead approaching the quarter pole and maintained a clear lead inside the furlong marker. Fought gamely into deep stretch then yielded grudgingly while weakening in the late stages to finish second, a length behind Birdstone.
2003 - Funny Cide led to the far turn, relinquished the lead to Empire Maker at the three-sixteenths pole, battled along the inside to the top of the stretch then weakened finishing third, five lengths back.
2002 - War Emblem stumbles badly out of the gate then bumps Magic Weisner at start in an 11-horse field. Is rank for three-quarters of a mile and takes brief lead nearing the half mile pole. Remains a factor to the turn and gives way finishing eighth, 19 1/2 lengths back.
1999 - Charismatic takes the lead briefly at the turn but Lemon Drop Kid and Vision and Verse flew by him on the outside and finishes third 1 1/2 lengths back.
1998 - Four lengths ahead with an eighth-mile remaining, Real Quiet gets nipped by a nose at the wire by Victory Gallop in a nine-horse field.
1997 - Silver Charm fails to hold off Touch Gold in the final eighth-mile and finishes second three-quarters of a length back in a seven-horse field.
1989 - Sunday Silence can't match Easy Goer in final quarter of a mile and finishes second 8 lengths back in a 10-horse field.
1987 - Checked sharply on final turn, Alysheba finishes fourth 14 lengths behind winner Bet Twice in a 10-horse field.
1981 - Pleasant Colony, never better than third, finishes a little more than 1 1/2 lengths behind Summing, with Highland Blade second in an 11-horse field.
1979 - The 1-5 favorite, Spectacular Bid leads with a quarter-mile left, weakens finishes third in an eight-horse field, 3 1/4 lengths behind Coastal and another head behind Golden Act.
1971 - Canonero II leads 12 rivals for the first mile before finishing fourth, 4 1/4 lengths behind winner Pass Catcher.
1969 - Majestic Prince closes to second in a six-horse field with an eighth-mile remaining, but he can't catch Arts And Letters and is beaten by 5 1/4 lengths.
1968 - Forward Pass leads until eighth-pole, then finishes second by 1 3/4 lengths to Stage Door Johnny in nine-horse field.
1966 - Leading 10 rivals with a quarter-mile remaining, Kauai King fades to fourth, 7 lengths behind winner Amberoid.
1964 - Northern Dancer is second in a nine-horse field with an eighth-mile remaining, but he finishes third 6 lengths behind Quadrangle and 4 lengths behind Roman Brother.
1961 - Carry Back never gets into contention and finishes seventh in a nine-horse field, 13 3/4 lengths behind winner Sherluck.
1958 - Tim Tam is unable to cut in Cavan's lead and finished second by 6 lengths in an eight-horse field.
1944 - Pensive leads with a quarter-mile remaining, but he loses by a half-length to Bounding Home in a seven-horse field.
(c) 2008 the International Herald Tribune.
Kentucky Derby Betting: Colonel John
It's getting close to post time at Churchill Downs and the most exciting two minutes in sports. Colonel John, Court Vision and Cowboy Cal are three to consider when going to the window.
It's time for the Kentucky Derby and my reload-ers and I look to collect again at the betting windows this year! Last year it was win and place tickets on Street Sense and Hard Spun as part of "Triple Penetration" that got the money for us. This year, I am again releasing my top three choices so get your reloads in and get set to unload.
As I did last year, I am using a 20-unit bankroll for the race and spreading it out among my three selections. When it comes to horse racing, I am not the type to look for the big "score" as many players out there are. I look to spread out risk, get some action out of it, and hope to end up with a profit like last year. Here we go...
#4 Court Vision
(1 unit to Win, 2 units to Place, 4 units to Show)
Bill Mott has horses in the Kentucky Derby this year and that's all we may need to know here with Court Vision. His last three races were all at 1-1/8 miles and the closing kick was there in all of them getting a win and two third-place finishes. All three were tough trips for a variety of reasons and if a better trip happens in the Derby, it could be lights out down the stretch here.
The speed figures also improved in each of the last three races consecutively going from 76 to 88 to 90. With two third-place finishes in a row instead of wins like others have going into this race, it helps for value. And that means a bigger price here at longshot betting odds to light up the board. Mott has also had him shipped around outside of New York including a one mile race at Churchill Downs last year where he won easily going from fifth to first in the stretch. And it's always an advantage being one of the handful of horses in the race who has had a race over the track once before.
#10 Colonel John
(2 units to Win, 4 units to Place)
Out of the lower-priced horses in the race, I like Colonel John the most and feel he is worth including among my top three. The victory by Colonel John in the Santa Anita Derby last month was a thrilling close at the finish and showed he has the potential for the closing power needed to go 1-1/4 miles after winning at 1-1/8 miles in both the Santa Anita Derby and a race at Santa Anita a month before that.
Despite staying only on the California racing circuit with Colonel John, they have not fooled around as after breaking his maiden last October he was entered into two big stakes races at Hollywood Park with bigger distances performing well by coming from behind at the end. Colonel John also had the highest speed factor in his career in the Santa Anita Derby at 95 showing there is potential for even more here in the Run for the Roses. I feel that there is a good chance Colonel John could go off as the post-time favorite in this race with the morning line favorite Big Brown having to come out of the 20 hole and likely to not have the public's confidence with only three races under his belt.
Although the odds could be low, I feel including him among the Top 3 will pay alright across the board provided that Big Brown or Pyro finishes out of the money which I feel they both will. Colonel John could be a champion in the making and this will be gut check time as the very best face the very best here.
#17 Cowboy Cal
(1 unit to Win, 2 units to Place, 4 units to Show)
I know what everyone is saying - here we go again with jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher as everyone puts their hard-earned money on this combination in the Derby every year and they never seem to get it done. But they have Cowboy Cal this year who at a price like 15-1 represents some good value and I am including him among my Top 3 for the race.
Like what typically happens with Pletcher's horses, Cowboy Cal started out in New York breaking his maiden at Belmont. Since then, he has been shipped around for four big races at four different tracks with first and second place finishes everywhere. Although most starts have been on the turf, Pletcher made the move to the dirt for the Blue Grass and finished second by a neck after leading the entire race. With the increased distance to 1-1/4 miles, it will make it that much more difficult to stay out in front but I feel Cowboy Cal at least has what it takes to finish in the money here.
The #17 hole may also present a problem but with the front-running he has done in most of his prior races, we have to hope Velazquez can get out to the front early and get a good trip here. Staying out in front will be the tough part but the speed factors have been very consistent for this horse in the last five races - with a 90 or better in all of them. So I feel staying in the lead or near it will be best and holding on for second or third when a closer zooms by will pay off the place or show tickets nicely if the win cannot be gotten. And hopefully the closer doing that will be either Court Vision or Colonel John! Hard Spun was among my top three selections for last year and held on for second with the front-running style he had - I see the same happening here with Cowboy Cal.
Advice on betting the race
For both of the longshots, I am using a 1-2-4 across the board strategy. I typically do not bother much with show betting in horse racing, but the Kentucky Derby can be an exception. I feel the place and show pools are worth putting a little extra on with this year's Derby if you are betting longshots as I feel there is a good chance most of the lower priced horses will finish out of the money and result in lighting up the place and show prices. With Colonel John likely to pay low odds and possibly even be the post-time favorite, I am recommending a 2-4 Win, Place strategy and will avoid the show bet. This way, a little more is on him at the lower odds compared to the other plays and would more than offset the bets on the longshots ending up with some profit.
But should Colonel John fail, I feel six units of loss would be easily made up if one of the two longshots can hit the board. And obviously if more than one of my selections comes in, we are talking a big payday like last year with Street Sense and Hard Spun. I do not bet exotics as I feel the value is more difficult to gage and the takeout is obviously higher. But if you must bet exotics, I would surely suggest including these three horses among your combinations.
The main thing with the Kentucky Derby is to have fun, drink some mint julips if you can find them, and get one of the biggest rushes there is with an exciting two minute race. But there are profits to be made as well and I wish everyone luck with their wagers. I hope you have enjoyed this year's edition of my Kentucky Derby "Triple Penetration," and if these selections lose, don't worry - the WNBA starts soon so have no fear!
(c) SBR Forum
Big Brown wins Derby; Eight Belles euthanized
Favored Big Brown thrills with explosive finish, but broken ankles spell end for runner-up Eight Belles
May 4, 2008
BY JIM O'DONNELL jodonnell@suntimes.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Once again, majestic triumph and sudden tragedy ran as I and IA on the Triple Crown trail.
Big Brown, a 2-1 favorite defying an enormous chunk of Camptown convention, won the Kentucky Derby from Post 20 in front of 157,770 at Churchill Downs. But the 134th Run for the Roses was marred when second-place finisher Eight Belles -- the only filly in the race -- broke both front ankles just past the finish line and was immediately euthanized.
The sad scene was chillingly reminiscent of the 2006 Preakness, when heavily favored Derby victor Barbaro shattered three bones in his right hind ankle in the opening furlong. The gallant champion fought for his life for eight months before being put down in January 2007.
Eight Belles, trying to complete an all-distaff Oaks-Derby double for trainer Larry Jones, had no such chance. Said Dr. Larry Bramlege, the attending veterinarian: ''She was easing down, near an outrider by the seven-eighths pole, when he saw both ankles collapse. I was shocked to hear him call out. The left front opened the skin and was contaminated. The right had a broken sesamoid. She did not have a front leg to stand on even to get into the ambulance. There is absolutely nothing you can do.''
And there was absolutely nothing Eight Belles nor any of the other 18 starters could do about Big Brown during the running of the mile-and-one-quarter classic. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux and trained by Rick Dutrow, the son of the unheralded Boundary broke well, cruised wide behind a phalanx of five front runners and rolled home toward future dates with immortality.
Big Brown ($6.80) won by 4 3/4 lengths and completed the race over a track rated ''fast'' in 2:01.82. Eight Belles (13-1) finished her last race ahead of Illinois Derby fizzler Denis of Cork (27-1) and Barclay Tagg's fourth-place Tale of Ekati (37-1). Illinois Derby champ Recapturetheglory (49-1) was a pace factor throughout under Eddie Baird and held fifth.
The brash Dutrow joined the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Namath for boldy predicting victory before a main-stage national sporting event. After his colt's smashing win, the 47-year-old East Coaster said: ''The only reason I said what I said was because [the media] kept asking the questions and Big Brown kept giving me the answers.''
Big Brown -- named for the big brown trucks of United Parcel Service -- continued to give Dutrow and connections the right answers Saturday. After the colt opened his career with a 12-length score in a maiden turf race at Saratoga last September, Wall Street operative Michael Iavarone -- the head of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings -- called Dutrow and told him to try to buy Big Brown. The result was the purchase of 75 percent of the horse for a price reported to be close to $3 million. Original owner Paul Pompa Jr. retained the other 25 percent.
Since then, Big Brown greatly expanded his national reputation by blistering 11 foes from Post 12 in the Florida Derby five weeks ago. In his three career decisions before the Kentucky Derby, he amassed winning margins totaling 29 lengths. Still, questions lingered.
In winning the Derby, Big Brown became the first horse since Exterminator in 1918 to triumph with less than five career starts. He also became the first winner from Post 20 since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. Dutrow, who a decade ago was sleeping in tack rooms on New York backstretches, later emphatically denied that he had bet $100,000 on his colt:
''I did not bet today, and I never will bet on this horse,'' he said. ''The reason I didn't bet today was because it was the Kentucky Derby and I needed no extra incentive.''
Desormeaux, who became one of only five jockeys to win three Kentucky Derbies, echoed the sentiments of his boss: ''Talent-wise, this is the best horse I've ever ridden. I asked for run at the start, then I cruised [toward the final turn], and then I asked him again. He responded, and we were in a gallop by the quarter pole.''
The first mile of the race was mere prelude to the triumph and tragedy to come. Richard Migliore drove Bob Black Jack (29-1), the world-record holder for six furlongs, to the lead through quarter cums of :23.30, :47.04 and 1:11.14. Cowboy Cal (39-1), Cool Coal Man (44-1), Recapturetheglory and Eight Belles were tucked in attendance with Big Brown lurking on the Ohio River side.
When the money running started into the final turn, Baird did a notable job keeping Recapturetheglory going and could have carried the winner wide. But he didn't, allowing Big Brown to wheel-and-zoom at will. Eight Belles clung to the rail. Denis of Cork completed a long trip from 20th to show. Immortality was in the air.
''Down the backside, I had some concern because it looked like some horses were moving,'' Dutrow said. ''But when I saw Kent staying calm, cool and collected, that made simmer down. It looked like he a lot of horse left. You have no idea how lucky we are to have his horse.''
(c) Copyright 2008 Digital Chicago, Inc.
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