Horse racing needs to deal with key issues
Sometimes it seems as if thoroughbred horse racing officials operate like it's still 1938, instead of 2008. Seventy years ago, horse racing, along with baseball and boxing, ranked as America's most popular spectator sports, but that's no longer the case.
As various forms of gambling became legal across America, and horse racing's fan base grew older, the sport fell on hard times. Even so, smashing victories by Big Brown in the recent Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes served to remind many people of what a thrilling sport racing can be.
In Erie, Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a poster child for the future of thoroughbred racing. Fueled by casino profits, fat purses are attracting quality horses, trainers and jockeys to the Summit Township racetrack.
Industry experts believe the infusion of cash, coupled with a betting system that's available to practically anyone with access to a phone or computer, will help revive what was once known as the Sport of Kings.
Unfortunately, Presque Isle Downs, along with such tracks as Churchill Downs, Calder Race Course, River Downs and Thistledown, recently lost its advanced deposit wagering signal. It means people from around the country cannot legally bet on these races by phone or Internet.
The daily handle -- total amount of money wagered -- at Presque Isle Downs plunged from an average of $585,000 during the September 2007 meet to less than $195,000 on the first day the signal was blocked.
It's a serious setback, because local bettors will collect less money for their winning bets, and, if the ban lasts for a while, fewer horses will be entered in the races.
The signal was blocked because horsemen cannot come to a financial agreement with the companies, such as Youbet.com, that broadcast the ADW signals. In other words, greed is preventing fans from enjoying horse racing at its best.
Another alarming sign was the industry's slow reaction, which bordered on callous indifference, to an outcry from Kentucky Derby viewers, who were horrified by the death on the track of filly Eight Belles immediately after the race.
It's not good enough to say, "Oh, accidents are just a sad part of racing" -- not if the industry wants to expand its fan base by appealing to those who are not familiar with racing.
Also, a disturbing story this month on Bryant Gumbel's "REALsports" program on HBO details what happens to many horses at MTR Gaming Group Inc.'s Mountaineer Race Track in West Virginia that fail to routinely place in the money. They are sent to auction and sold to "killer buyers," who ship them to slaughterhouses abroad.
Such slaughterhouses are no longer legal in this country, but European and Japanese diners are more than willing to pay top dollar to enjoy this "delicacy."
Too many in the thoroughbred racing industry, it seems, want to operate business as usual. It won't work, though, not even with the considerable infusion of cash from casinos.
Horse racing fans will tell you it's a sport worth saving, but the industry needs to operate openly and above board. It needs to think of its customers and those beautiful, four-legged creatures that gallop around the track.
Racing won't survive if its leaders remain stuck in the past.
Copyright (c) 2008 CyberInk LP and Erie Times-News.
Preakness field in flux; El Gato Malo to Lone Star Derby
The field set to test undefeated Kentucky Derby (G1) winner BIG BROWN (Boundary) continues to change as the connections of some three-year-olds weigh a start in the $1 million Preakness S. (G1) on May 17 at Pimlico.
As of Tuesday afternoon there were seven confirmed starters for the middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown: Big Brown, BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat), GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway), KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley), STEVIL (Maria's Mon), TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park) and YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman).
Trainer Rick Dutrow, still fighting a heavy cough, was back at the track Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs supervising his Kentucky-based 12-horse string headlined by Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown.
"I'm doing all right; it's just all that dirt that Big Brown kicked up in my lungs," Dutrow said with a laugh.
Big Brown, owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., is scheduled to jog on Wednesday and resume galloping on Thursday under the Twin Spires.
"That's the plan right now," Dutrow said. "Looks like he came out of the race real good."
Kent Desormeaux, who won five riding titles at Pimlico from 1987 to 1989, has the mount. The Hall of Fame jockey has had 10 Preakness mounts, including a victory aboard Real Quiet in 1998.
Big Brown will arrive in Baltimore next Wednesday on a flight that is scheduled to land at 5:45 p.m. (EDT). The bay colt will be stabled in Stall 40 of the Pimlico stakes barn, which is reserved for the Kentucky Derby winner.
Big Brown will be joined on that flight by Tres Borrachos, the third-place finisher in the Arkansas Derby (G2) on April 12 at Oaklawn Park.
Trainer Beau Greely, who owns Tres Borrachos in partnership with John Greely IV and Phil Houchens, will be in Louisville on Wednesday to supervise a work by the bay gelding. Tres Borrachos galloped a mile and five-eighths at Churchill Downs on Tuesday with Andy Durnin in the saddle.
Beau Greely trained Borrego, who ran seventh in the 2004 Preakness behind Smarty Jones.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kentucky Bear will be the first Preakness hopeful to arrive at the stakes barn for the Preakness. Trainer Reade Baker confirmed Tuesday that the chestnut colt, who finished a good third in the Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland, will leave Lexington, Kentucky, at 6 a.m. (EDT) for the 539-mile drive. Kentucky Bear, who has recently recorded two consecutive bullet workouts in the Bluegrass State, is scheduled to work on Saturday at Old Hilltop, immediately after the renovation break at 8:30 a.m.
Baker said Tuesday morning he is still undecided about a jockey, but is leaning toward Jamie Theriot, who rode the colt in the Blue Grass.
Todd Pletcher could have two runners in the Preakness for the second consecutive year. The reigning Eclipse Award-winning conditioner will be represented by Behindatthebar, who won the Lexington S. (G2) on April 19 at Keeneland. The bay colt drilled five furlongs in a bullet :59 on Saturday at Keeneland before shipping up to Pletcher's Belmont Park barn where he will train. David Flores, who has been aboard the colt in four of his five previous starts, has the riding assignment.
"He came out of the work in good shape," Pletcher said. "We decided to wait for the Preakness because he had run in California 16 days before the Lexington. We just felt like three races in a 30-day period were squeezing his races a little too closely together."
Pletcher said a decision on Harlem Rocker, who captured the Withers S. (G3) on April 26 at Aqueduct, will be made after the horse breezes this weekend. The unbeaten Ontario-bred is owned by Stronach Stables, who won the 2000 Preakness with Red Bullet.
"I am very pleased with what he has done up to this point," Pletcher said. "We'll just have to see if we feel like he is ready to take as big a step as it would be to go from the Withers to the Preakness."
Stevil walked the shedrow at trainer Nick Zito's barn at Churchill Downs, one day after breezing a half-mile in :48 3/5. Heather Stark, assistant to Zito, reported the gray colt came out of the work in good order. Zito plans to work Stevil at Churchill Downs next week before shipping to Pimlico on Tuesday.
Giant Moon is scheduled to arrive at Pimlico on Thursday. Trainer Richard Schosberg said Ramon Dominguez, who won a pair of riding titles at Pimlico in 2001, has the call.
Giant Moon won his first four starts, including two stakes races with Dominguez aboard. He most recently finished fourth in the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 5 at Aqueduct. The bay colt is scheduled to work five furlongs at Belmont Park on Wednesday.
"The horse has matured enough and has enough natural and tactical speed that he would be comfortable making the lead or racing off the pace if he had to," Schosberg said. "He showed speed in the Wood, and had no problems while he was covered up in fifth, and he was able to make a run up and finish strong."
Meanwhile in Southern California, trainer Patrick Gallagher said that California Derby winner Yankee Bravo would work either Wednesday or Thursday.
After capturing the California Derby on January 27, Yankee Bravo finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Alex Solis, who won Preakness in 1986 aboard Snow Chief, has the mount.
"He's doing fine. He galloped today," Gallagher said. "He raced in Europe as a two-year-old and one of the owners, Richard Duggan, showed me a video of him. I liked what I saw and that is how we came to own him."
Yankee Bravo is slated to arrive in Baltimore next Wednesday.
There is no decision regarding Illinois Derby (G2) winner RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run), who finished fifth in the Derby. The bay colt appears to be the only runner other than Big Brown from the 1 1/4-mile classic under consideration for the Preakness. Co-owner Ronnie Lamarque said from New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon that he and trainer and co-owner Louie Roussel III were "still thinking about the Preakness."
Lamarque's main concern is the potential size of the field and had Pimlico stakes coordinator Coleman Blind fax him past performances of all the contenders.
Lara Van Deren, assistant trainer and exercise rider for Recapturetheglory, said the colt is doing well and would return to the track on Wednesday to jog. Recapturetheglory will remain at Churchill Downs until a decision is made on the colt's next start.
The Roussel and Lamarque team captured the Preakness 20 years ago with Risen Star.
Terry Finley, founder and President of West Point Thoroughbreds, announced Tuesday that San Rafael S. (G3) winner EL GATO MALO (El Corredor) will not run in the Preakness but instead will go in Saturday's $400,000 Lone Star Derby (G3) at Lone Star Park.
"The decision certainly had to do with Big Brown's performance," Finley said. "We are probably going to be 8-5 in Texas and 15-1 at Pimlico. He is a gelding and we are really focused on earnings with this horse so that worked into the decision. If he were a colt and eventually a stallion, we probably would be headed to the Preakness."
Finley did say that Derby Trial S. winner MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno) is now possible for the Preakness, depending on field size. The gray colt galloped at Churchill Downs on Tuesday. The other option for Macho Again is the $300,000 Ohio Derby (G2) on May 31 at Thistledown.
"We'll see how he trains but he seems to have come out of the Derby Trial in fine fashion," Finley said. "It is not out of the question. We'll keep track of the Preakness field."
A potential new shooter for the Preakness is Transylvania S. (G3) runner-up RILEY TUCKER (Harlan's Holiday), who finished third to Behindatthebar in the Lexington. The Bill Mott trainee has finished in the money six times from seven starts. Edgar Prado, who was scheduled to ride El Gato Malo, would have the mount on Riley Tucker.
The post position draw for the Preakness will be held on May 14 at 5 p.m. at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. The event will be televised live on ESPN. The Preakness is limited to 14 starters.
The 133rd running of the Preakness on May 17 will be televised by NBC. Post time is 6:15 p.m.
brisnet.com
Local jockey gets first shot at Kentucky Derby
His father rode in the Kentucky Derby five times, and now E.T. Baird gets his chance for fame.
The Northwest suburbs' very own, Baird will experience the dream of every jockey when he jumps aboard Recapturetheglory in Saturday's 134th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Baird, a 41-year-old native of Rolling Meadows and son of the late Bobby Baird, could be called the Illinois state representative at this year's Run for the Roses. Not only was he born in Illinois, Baird earned his trip to Louisville by winning the Illinois Derby on April 5 at Hawthorne.
Baird still remembers being a sixth-grader in Maryland and watching his father pilot Raymond Earl in the 1978 Kentucky Derby. Bobby, who rode until he was 62, was a resident of Mount Prospect and a D-Day survivor at Normandy. He earned four Purple Hearts. He died in December 2005 at 85.
"He told me that the Kentucky Derby is just one race, but there's something about it," said Baird, a 1984 graduate of Rolling Meadows High School, where he played varsity tennis. "He said it sends chills down your spine when they're playing 'My Old Kentucky Home' and you're coming onto the track.
"So much comes into play to get this chance. It's the Super Bowl of horse racing. There's nothing like it. Every rider dreams of this race because of all its prestige and history."
Baird's history includes the 1986 Hawthorne riding title as an apprentice and a then-record 103 wins. A member of the Hawthorne Hall of Fame, his best season at the Stickney track came in 2007, when he won 121 races and earned $2.6 million in purses.
Last summer he enjoyed his finest meet at Arlington Park, winning 89 races to finish third.
Recapturetheglory, the son of Cherokee Run, is co-owned by Ronnie Lamarque and Louis Roussel III, who also trains the 3-year-old colt. The owners won the 1988 Preakness and Belmont Stakes with Risen Star, who ran third in the Kentucky Derby that year.
Thus the name, Recapturetheglory, amid the hopes of Lemarque and Roussel that this colt would get them back to the Kentucky Derby.
"My father rode for Louie in the 1970s," Baird said. "He was friends with his family. Louie called me when I was at Gulfstream this winter and he thought a lot of this horse.
"He was making comparisons to Risen Star. He asked me if I would ride him."
Baird rode Recapture to a 4-length wire-to-wire victory in the Illinois Derby. It was the colt's stakes debut, and the 15-1 pacesetter collected $300,000 for the win.
Recapturetheglory's only other win was a two-turn maiden race last fall at Hawthorne. That was his third career start, but then he ran second to Cool Coal Man, another Kentucky Derby probable, in a Churchill Downs allowance race before taking a 45-day break.
Recapturetheglory made his comeback in a turf allowance race Feb. 29 at the Fair Grounds.
"He's a good horse, no doubt about it," Baird said. "It was so nice in the Illinois Derby. He just accelerated (in the stretch) when I asked of him, which is pretty amazing to do against good horses."
Baird has been spending the last two weeks at Churchill Downs, soaking in the atmosphere. He rented a house in nearby Prospect, where he is being joined by his mother, brother and friends.
"I can see what this (riding in the Derby) is like now," Baird said. "My dad always told me it was one of those lifetime experiences. You never know if your day will come as a jockey.
"I am so grateful to Louie (Roussel)," Baird added. "This type of business is very competitive, and for Louie to keep me on this horse for the Derby is great. There are so many different things going on with agents trying to get in this race. Some good. Some ugly. I'm just happy I have the opportunity."
Last summer, Baird had the opportunity to ride for the leading owner (Frank Calabrese) and trainer (Wayne Catalano) at Arlington Park. After a big summer in which he won 89 races, Baird and Calabrese went their separates ways.
Baird said he will be looking for a new start after the Kentucky Derby.
"My plans are up in the air right now," said Baird, whose agent is Heather Alvarado. "My emphasis is on this race right now, then I'll have to start riding at different places. Starting out fresh somewhere is not a bad thing."
For now he wants to enjoy the Derby experience.
"When you first start out riding (Baird was an apprentice in 1985), you keep saying to yourself, 'I have time, I'll ride in the Derby one day.' But as you get older, it starts to seem farther away. I feel fortunate."
Baird's former agent, Penny Ffitch-Heyes, who handled his mounts last summer and three of the last four years, is excited for her former jockey.
After winning a stakes race last July 25 at Arlington, Baird was at Northwest Community Hospital that night to see Ffitch-Heyes' baby Bella, who was born that day. Bella's godmother is Roussel's assistant trainer, Lara Van Deren.
"This is absolutely brilliant for E.T.," said Ffitch-Heyes, who will book mounts for Ramsey Zimmerman and Inez Karlson at Arlington Park this summer. "I told E.T. how proud of him I was. Every rider dreams of this. I am absolutely thrilled for him."
Copyright (c) 2008 Daily Herald Inc. All rights reserved.
Pletcher continues late rally
Todd Pletcher paused while the rain pelted down at Keeneland, drenching the stylish, dark blue suit he'd worn to win the $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes.
The suit was dark. But not so dark it was a funeral suit, as events turned out.
"They had us buried, but we're not dead yet," Pletcher remarked, in a rare joking mood.
Pletcher has been almost giddy the past two weekends, a heady eight-day stretch capped off with Behindatthebar ($13.60) winning the Lexington on Saturday by a length over Samba Rooster, with Riley Tucker finishing third.
Last weekend, Pletcher put himself directly into the Kentucky Derby picture when he ran 1-2 in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes with Monba and Cowboy Cal. The outcome was remarkable, considering Pletcher started out this season with no serious Derby prospects.
After the Lexington Stakes, it might have seemed that now he has three. But Pletcher said this would be unlikely. If Behindatthebar does run in one of the Triple Crown races, "it probably will be in the Preakness," the trainer said.
Most of Keeneland's 26,072 fans would have thought Pletcher's other colt in the Lexington, Atoned, would win this Grade II stakes, launching that one into the Derby lineup with graded stakes money he needed to win in the Lexington.
But Atoned apparently fell victim to the Pyro syndrome. Though Atoned had breezed equally well with Behindatthebar at Keeneland, Pletcher surmised that Atoned did not like the Polytrack.
The same situation resulted a week ago when Derby hot horse Pyro ran up the track in the Blue Grass Stakes -- despite working well over Keeneland's Polytrack.
Atoned was back in eighth place when Behindatthebar, David Flores riding, crossed the finish in 1:42.14. Tomcito, who went postward the favorite in the field of 11, finished sixth and was never in contention. Racecar Rhapsody, the second betting choice, finished fourth.
What to make of this?
Some among the other stables were hoping to win this race so they could take the $201,500 winner's purse to get into the Derby lineup. If more than 20 horses enter the Derby, the field will be limited to the 20 with the highest graded stakes earnings.
While Pletcher had the Derby in mind for Atoned, he and the owners of Behindatthebar weren't even thinking of this race as a Derby prep for that colt, a son of Forest Wildcat. Behindatthebar's ownership is Satish Sanan, Michael Shustek and W. Don Stanley.
According to Pletcher, "We were just thinking, here's a horse we know likes a synthetic surface. The Lexington seemed like a race he fit in, so we were really thinking about trying to win the Lexington. We'll play it by ear. But I'd say he's unlikely for the Derby."
As for Atoned, whose ownership is Dogwood Stable, Pletcher said they were hugely disappointed. "He missed the break a bit, which put him into a position he's not accustomed to being in. Edgar (Prado) said he felt like he flattened out on the track towards the end."
Pletcher considered the Pyro syndrome, still fresh in the minds of racing fans -- and Pyro's trainer, Steve Asmussen.
"These two horses worked together the other morning, head and head, and Atoned was cruising next to Behindatthebar," Pletcher said. "You would have thought that day that Atoned loved the surface. Turns out he didn't handle it the same in the afternoon.
"The thing is a lot of them look good in the mornings, but it can be different in the afternoons," he added.
Behindatthebar came from off the pace to grab his win, moving into contention in the upper stretch behind the pacesetter, Samba Rooster, who was stalked by Riley Tucker and Big Glen.
Samba Rooster had led from the start. But the fractions may have been a bit too quick for him to hold out to the finish on the lead. He had clipped off a quarter in :22.78, a half in :45.21, six furlongs in 1:09.48 and a mile in 1:35.47.
Winning jockey Flores said his mount had been on cruise control down the backstretch, then "went into a different stride" around the final turn.
Pletcher said that compilers of the Derby 20 list can add him to the list "if you want," but remained noncommital about the Derby. Behindatthebar's $204,500 graded earnings would place him No. 18 between Cowboy Cal and Visionaire.
"I don't think it's a distance issue with this horse; he handles the distance," Pletcher said. "It's more about whether he's a dirt horse or a synthetic horse and whether two weeks from now is the time to find out."
heraldleader.com
New season has big shoes to fill at EvD
OPELOUSAS - The folks at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino puffed out their chests on Tuesday, spit out the numbers of their success, and said the goal remains the same:
Get better.
But even EvD racing secretary Jason Boulet had to chuckle when presented with the simple question - How?
How does a business trump the deck of aces the track dealt during last year's record-setting thoroughbred season?
"That's an interesting point, how do you top '07?" Boulet said. "To be honest, I'm not sure, because that was one of those years when everything fell into place.
"But every year you face new challenges and obstacles, and we've got a group in place that's committed to reaching high standards and goals. But, I agree, 2007 was pretty special."
The regular rider for unbeaten Big Brown, Maurice's Kent Desormeaux is this year's jockey to watch in the Triple Crown series with career ties to EvD. But even the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 1998 aboard Real Quiet has big shoes to fill.
Last year, Cajun jockeys who began their careers at EvD brought the area back into national focus by nearly sweeping the Triple Crown - Catahoula's Calvin Borel won the Derby aboard Street Sense, while Lafayette's Robby Albarado won the Preakness on Curlin and was edged out by the marvelous filly Rags to Riches in the Belmont.
Curlin - which just won the $6 million Dubai World Cup - panned out as Albarado's second North American Horse of the Year.
"Kent's got himself in a good position," Albarado said last month prior to the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds. "We're all hoping something comes along like Curlin or Street Sense, but Kent looks like the one that has a chance to keep this thing going for Cajun jockeys."
While the marriage of the Cajun culture and national media may not quite happen again like it did in 2007, there's no reason to believe that the growth of EvD won't continue.
For example:
Buoyed by a strong simulcast presence, the track's average nightly handle a year ago was $1.695 million. That figure was 32% higher than in 2005 after relocating from Carencro, and 9% higher than the $1.55 million average in '06. Overall, a record $149,162,803 was wagered.
Increases were also shown with an on-site handle of $6,168,301 overall and $69,278 average nightly. The group that operates the track also owns off-track betting parlors in Port Allen, Henderson, New Iberia and Eunice.
Obviously, there are more than a few people with an interest in what's happening off Creswell Lane.
"What's helping us is the training center down the road (at the old EvD site)," said Director of Racing Operations Steve Darbonne. "There are 900-plus horses here and approximately the same there - that's doubling our horse population.
"That means increased fields, and with increased fields there's increased interest. We've learned the last couple years that handicappers like to wager on larger fields."
As a point of interest, EvD was among the national leaders in average field size per race last year at slightly more than 10. This year projections are higher.
"Then there's the turf course," Boulet said. "That's a big piece of the future."
Scheduled for a tentative opening in August, inside the main mile track at EvD is a grass turf tract of 7 furlongs with a 1 1/8 mile chute. If the racing group at EvD pulls this one off, then the roof comes off this puppy.
Only major tracks in the U.S. operate fully functional dirt and turf courses. Those facilities are also where the major stables concentrate their efforts.
The turf course could mean a higher-bred horse, big-name trainers and owners, bigger purses and more wagering. Instead of major barns taking their horses from the Fair Grounds after the winter meet to Lone Star, for example, they'll just bring them up the road to Opelousas.
Don't laugh. According to Boulet, renowned trainer Steve Asmussen - who hand-picked Albarado as the regular rider for Curlin - has in the neighborhood of 30 horses at the Carencro training facility, positioning himself for such a probability.
"The goal is to try and keep the top stables here year round," Boulet said. "The turf course, the training facilities we have - we're moving in that direction, and that's exciting."
So maybe the 43rd consecutive year of thoroughbred racing under the EvD flag - and the fourth at the Opelousas site - won't stir the national conscience like 2007. Maybe it makes a few more dollars; maybe it doesn't.
The bet here is it does. It's kind of hard to overlook the 25 stakes dates with a record $2.015 million payout when the season opens tonight. More money up front means more money through the parlor windows.
But more than that, it's the future that's so exciting.
Before losing a battle with cancer last week, former Assistant General Manager/visionary David Yount had a dream that EvD could become the most significant in Louisiana.
Who saw the track's handle nearly equaling Lone Star Park, the turf course, the enhanced training facilities, the on-site hotel about to begin construction?
Yount did.
2008? Heck, no worries there. The EvD brain trusts better start worrying about 2010 and beyond. That's when the game of "top this" is really going to become difficult.
Copyright (c)2008 The Advertiser
Turkey goes international in betting on horse racing
This is a milestone weekend in Turkish horseracing history as international races, including the $6 million Dubai World Cup, will open for betting from Turkey for the first time.
Saturday's Dubai World Cup, the sport's richest race, is the highlight of a glittering day's track events with over $21 million up for grabs on a seven-race card.
For the first time, Turkish horseracing fans will be able to bet on international races using regular betting coupons. Betters need to check the "Elazig" box on coupons as the race location.
The events mark the Turkish Jockey Club (TJK) going international, after Turkish races recently opened to betting outside the country.
"International users can bet on Turkish races via the Web site Bilyoner" a statement from the TJK said.
On Saturday's race, connections of hot 4-9 favorite Curlin, the U.S. Horse of the Year for 2007, have shrugged off an outside draw of 12 of 13 in the Dubai World Cup.
Assistant trainer Scott Blasi told reporters after the draw ceremony: "I think the draw is okay because of the configuration of the racetrack and he will put himself in a good position."
Curlin won last year's Breeders' Cup Classic in great style after an earlier triumph in the Preakness Stakes. He has been in Dubai for several weeks and won a warm-up race at the Nad Al Sheba track at the end of February.
Barring mishaps, the colt should collect with jockey Robby Albarado on board for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin stable, on home territory, is represented by second favorite Jalil (7-1) and ex-Brazilian Happy Boy (20-1), drawn eight and three respectively.
Jalil boasts an unbeaten three-from-three record in Dubai this season and will have three-times World Cup-winning rider Frankie Dettori in the saddle.
Despite costing $9.7 million as a yearling, Jalil failed to impress on the turf in Britain but on the dirt in Dubai the son of Storm Cat is gradually living up to his massive price tag
Asiatic Boy (12-1), the United Arab Emirates Derby winner in 2007, and Japanese raider Vermilion, fourth in last year's World Cup to Invasor, look to have place prospects.
Michael Paulson, son of Allen Paulson whose colors were carried to victory in the first Dubai World Cup in 1996 by Cigar, is represented by 33-1 outsider AP Arrow.
He said: "We have drawn 13 in the 13th year but I hope I can be number one like Cigar."
Dubai Racing Club CEO Frank Gabriel declared that this was about to be an important day for the sports.
"We will watch thoroughbreds from 19 different countries," said Gabriel. "When I think about the horses, 2008 Dubai is about to hold the best races ever, I feel it."
(c) 2005 Dogan Daily News Inc.
Curlin has the world at his feet
CURLIN on dirt may be an anathema to some and not immediately appeal as a sporting spectacle to savour, but watch the American superstar in action in Dubai this evening and then decide.
Officially rated the best horse in the world, the four-year-old colt has tasted defeat in just three of his ten races, already has a Preakness Stakes and Breeders Cup Classic sitting proudly on his mantelpiece and boasts career earnings of £2,630,722. Victory at Nad Al Sheba will add well over half as much again, £1.8 million to be exact, to that figure. The bookmakers won't hear of defeat, with Curlin being quoted around the 2-5 mark, and nearest challenger Jalil as big as 8-1.
Once famous as the most expensive yearling ever bought, the Godolphin-owned latter will have to win quite a few World Cups to recoup his $9.7 million purchase price, and attempts to recoup some of the cash in Britain turned out to be somewhere south of futile.
In four runs here, Jalil managed to get his expensive head in front just once, a three grand maiden at Redcar, but he has been transformed by a move to the Middle East and is unbeaten in three runs over tonight's course. If anything is to bustle up the jolly, he may be the one, albeit he could end up bustling him from a respectable distance.
Curlin is trained by Steve Asmussen, the younger brother of former jockey Cash, with Asmussen junior clearly a man who knows how to ruffle a few feathers among the racing establishment Stateside. Which is presumably why he was once described in print as "confrontational, contentious, abrasive, brash and arrogant." What a Lucky 31 that is!
It's not only Curlin's handler, though, who can rub people up the wrong way. Indeed, next to a couple of the colt's owners, Asmussen might consider himself to be one of the Righteous Brothers.
Shirley Cunningham Junior and William Gallion, attorneys-at-law by profession, originally bought Curlin for a mere $57,000 in 2005 before later selling an 80 per cent share in him for $3.5 million. These days, the two gentlemen are in jail in Kentucky awaiting trial for their alleged part in a multi-million dollar fraud.
The charges arise from legal action taken by over 400 people against the manufacturers of a diet drug known as "fen-phen" which was taken off the market in 1997 because of serious side effects. Four years later, Cunningham and Gallion successfully represented the plaintiffs in a case that should have won the injured parties a settlement of $200 million. It's alleged, however, that the pair kept a wee bit, some $64 million, back for themselves, and if the verdict goes against them, Curlin could be 24 before either of them are free men again.
As far as can be ascertained, there are no such colourful tales behind any of the horses running here today, so we'll just have to content ourselves with betting a few winners. I could live with that.
There's a couple of decent flat cards on offer at Doncaster and Kempton, with the Mark Johnston-trained Soapy Danger fancied to land the main event on Town Moor, the DBS Shield. Johnston can also take the opener on the all-weather with Upper Class, which Great Hawk can prove to be when contesting the Magnolia Stakes later on the card.
Ceremonial Jade was something of a disappointment when our selection last time out but he's better than he showed on that occasion, or at least I hope he is, so stick with him in the conditions event.
Jumps fans are also very well catered for with some valuable prizes up for grabs, particularly at Newbury. Classic Fiddle was another not to give her true running when pulled-up on her latest start but Nicky Henderson's charge was found to be not quite right after that race and she can bounce back to land the final of the EBF Mares Only Chase.
The nap is Lysander who was a busy boy in a previous life on the flat in his native Germany where he ran over 30 times. He won five of those and has proved himself equally suitable to hurdles and fences since joining current trainer Ian Williams. The best bet was a beaten favourite at Lingfield on his latest spin but the drying ground might have been against him that day and Bangor's softer conditions will be more to his liking.
All rights reserved (c)2008
Johnston Press Digital Publishing
|
