Jan

18

The perfect ending snatched away

by Barry Roos
January 18, 2010 | 4 Comments
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Rarely do athletes go out on top, reaching the peak of their profession and riding off into the sunset. It seemed with Zenyatta as with Personal Ensign so many years before did just that. Her owners, always making the right move would get her off the racetrack before defeat or worse injury came her way. This from owner Moss:

“I got very emotional after she won the Breeders’ Cup and thought what better way to retire,” Moss said. “In my mind, she was retired. It was the perfect retirement scenario . . . she could sail off into the sunset.”

Sadly this storybook ending is not to be. Zenyatta isn’t on her way to the breeding shed, but back to the races.  Hopefully she can make it through the rigors of one more year without an injury. The undefeated record will probably come to end, as eventually they all get beat. Maybe it will be Rachel, or some aptly named horse like “Upset” who slayed Man O’ War. My only hope is that she doesn’t get hurt, as so much rides on her, as with Rachel. A catastrophic injury to either will erase the wonderful good will they provided our industry.

Jan

12

Keeneland Sales – Ouch

by Barry Roos
January 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment
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As it seemed the economy was starting to pick up, expectations in Lexington were optimistic for the January Keeneland Sale. Well if the first day is any indication, there will be a lot of unhappy folks in Lexington. Sales totaled $6,592,600. This is down a tremendous 44.81 percent from last year’s $11,945,900. The average price was $37,037, this was down 37.37 percent from last year.

So what’s going on? Although people’s 401ks are up, and the market has been up, the banks still aren’t lending money, and the effect is beating the crap out of horse sales. Although the county bailed out the banks, the banks have taken their profits, and made it very hard for businesses to grow as loans are hard to come by. Well, as horse racing for most people is a hobby or a secondary business, people are apprehensive to part with dollars when profit making in racing is rare.

The horse market is a good indicator of how the economy is doing. Being a candy store industry, you can bet when the economy thrives so goes racing. Right now, that isn’t the case.

The good news: If you ever wanted to buy broodmares, or young horses, now is a great time. If you have a few shekels to spare, jump in as bargains are abundant. For those whose businesses have thrived in the down economy, broodmare bands can be built or bolstered with opportunities that are rarely seen.

Dec

24

Breeders’ Cup loses cred if Zenyatta is not Horse of the Year

by Barry Roos
December 24, 2009 | 27 Comments
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Jerry Moss said it best in the Thoroughbred Times:

“….it is beyond dispute that the Breeders’Cup was designed 25 years ago to determine championships”

I can not agree more.  To me, if your horse is physically capable and you don’t compete, you shouldn’t win horse of the year. Period. Imagine a warm weather NFL team refusing to play a game in December because it is too cold in Green Bay? The Breeders’ Cup was at Santa Anita, so the playing field was artificial. Now the connections of Rachel Alexandra had every right to keep her out of the Classic, but she should not be able to take home the ultimate prize. The fact that Rachel ran very well on polytrack makes her case even slimmer. She was kept out only because Curlin lost. Pure and simple. Curlin also lost on the grass. Horses get beat. I would defend them skipping the Breeders’ Cup had Curlin remained in training this year. He didn’t like the surface. Good argument for him, not so much for Rachel.

Giving the Horse of the Year award to Rachel Alexandra, weakens the Breeders’ Cup as does splitting the award. It sets a bad precedent.

Lets keep the Breeders’ Cup what it was designed to be, the World Championships of racing.

Happy holidays to all and a wonderful new year!

Nov

8

Don’t stand so close to me

by Barry Roos
November 8, 2009 | 4 Comments
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Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it’s not so easy
To be the teachers pet

- The Police, from the album, Zenyatta Mondatta

You could almost hear the song playing in the background, as Rachel Alexandra was left sulking in her stall. She was robbed of the chance to be the best in the world. But in truth her owners did her the favor of saving face. She would not have beaten Zenyatta, no way, no how.

The queen of the racing world was crowned yesterday, and remained unbeaten. Her brilliance was breathtaking. The giant mare did her signature dancing before the race, and uncorked  a rally that will be talked about forever. This was not her patented lay back and come wide. She was in the 2 path most of the way, weaved her way through the pack, and then swung out and came flying. The race gave me a chill, similar the one which ran down my spine watching Secretariat.

If listen to the call of the race, you could even hear the doubt in Trevor Denman’s  voice:

Zenyatta is dead last.
And Zenyatta is dead last
Zenyatta is still a good 10 or 11 off the lead
Zenyatta has a lot, a lot of ground to make up
This is unbelievable
Looked impossible
What a performance
One of the most sensational ever

And that is the incredible thing about this lady. She looks hopelessly beaten, then comes like a freight train. That is fine against a nice band of fillies and mares, but to do it in the classic? Unreal. Unbelievable. Unmatched. The other horses in the field were mere canaries in a coal mine. They were powerless to repel her, no one could stop her from completing her unbeaten quest.

Horse of the year, no question. Rachel Alexandra has been amazing. But yesterday put Zenyatta in a different universe. She won our championship, and did it in fashion we seldom see.

My name is Zenyatta, don’t stand so close to me.

Oct

3

Synthetics not dead yet….

by Barry Roos
October 3, 2009 | 2 Comments
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As much as I advocate for synthetic surfaces, truly I only desire a safe racetrack for my horses to compete. Most dirt tracks are not safe, and can go from passable to treacherous due to weather or mistakes in maintenance. For a while it seemed there was some momentum building. You had Turfway with early successes in preventing breakdowns. Then Keeneland, the best racetrack in America (my opinion) installed Polytrack. Then you had California actually legislating for synthetics. Arlington and Presque Isle came into the fold as well.

Then the naysayers came out in droves, as well as some serious bumps in the road. Turfway didn’t maintain the great first year safety record. Del Mar had far too many injuries. And it appears many back end injuries seem to be occurring on synthetics. Gamblers didn’t seem to like betting on the surface, which is never a good thing. They drive the sport, if they back away we are all in trouble. Then the icing on the grave seemed to be Rachel Alexandra not running in the Breeders’ Cup due to the “plastic” surface. Still that last argument is hard to take seriously as the filly won on Polytrack, and this is more about an owner still smarting from Curlin’s loss. Had he won Rachel would be running, definitely.

The good news is after several meets gamblers have enough data to go on, and that talk has quieted down a bit. What has evolved is a surface that turf horses seem to like. The nice thing is when a race comes off the turf, the races don’t scratch down to 4 horse fields usually. Naysayers point to the Europeans performing so well in the Breeders’ Cup and say the turf horses have the edge. There may be some truth in that but anything that promotes great international racing can’t be bad for a sport thirsty for any an all fans.

To me however it seemed due to economics, no tracks would pay to install new artificial surfaces, and no tracks that had artificial tracks would pay to replace them. Well I was wrong. This week I read that Meydan, will be going with Tapeta. Now obviously money wasn’t an object, so the fact that chose to go the artificial route is a good boost to those who want to see the tracks continue to be developed.

Bottom Line: Synthetics have a long way to go. To me we are at the beginning of the process, and with further research and engineering we can get to a place where synthetic tracks save lives and can please most fans and horsemen. No, you will never please everyone, but the closer we get, the better off the sport will be in the long term.

Sep

5

So close

by Barry Roos
September 5, 2009 | 1 Comment
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This is one tough filly, this Rachel Alexandra.

Whoa.

First she has to handle being pushed like crazy by the worst Belmont winner ever, Da’ Tara. The first quarter was suicidal. In fact The two horses that pushed her are just hitting the wire now.

Yes she won by a head, but this was a remarkable effort. Calvin hit the filly by my count 21 times down the lane. The funny thing is, she doesn’t move an inch in or out know matter how hard she is hit left and right handed. She is as tough as they come.

No, there were no Cigar’s in the race, but I don’t give a crap. You run as fast as she did early and still hang on, you are one of the best ever.

Here’s the question. If  Zenyatta was running at Rachel down the lane instead of Macho, would she have bested Rachel?

We will never know.

There’s the shame of this situation. Can you imagine, both ladies coming into the Breeder’s Cup, Rachel, the dream season, and Zenyatta unbeaten? The best Filly and Mare race ever, and the buzz around the Cup would be the best thing to happen in racing since Big Red looked through the bridle.

So close. Racing finally could make up ground in the eyes of the public.

We could be noticed.
New fans would be cultivated.
Scores of young ladies, beaming with pride.

Instead we remain a fringe sport.

So close.

Aug

20

5 wins in a row for partnership!

by Barry Roos
August 20, 2009 | 2 Comments
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After 34 years of involvement in Thoroughbred racing, I have appreciation for the good times. Most partnerships, tell you of the fun you will you have. They leave out the fact that most rarely win and lose money, lots of money. Well my experience in racing, led me in the right direction managing a partnership. Treat people right, don’t tack on bs fees, and give people a chance to make money. Next find honest trainers who are on the same page as you. After 5 years G-Biscuit stable has won 24% of our starts, and yes has been profitable.

Still, like any other outfit, we have had our share of bad luck. Just last month our best horse cracked a sesmoid and forced to be retired. Horses are fragile, and no matter how well cared for, they get hurt.It is a fact, yes it sucks, but a fact nevertheless.

The thing about the bad times is they make you appreciate the times where the gods of good luck shine down upon you. One of the keys to succeeding is to place your horses correctly. Sounds easy enough, but is rarely the case in most outfits. Why, you ask? People tend to fall in love with their horses and are afraid they may get claimed. If you are in a claiming race and don’t at least feel your horse may get claimed, then you are probably over your head.

Anyway back to the story of the day. Yesterday at Arlington, a horse of ours Rahoo came flying in a 5/8ths starter allowance and got up to win. This marked our 5th win in a row, 3 at Arlington and 2 at Suffolk. As my role in the partnership is to pick out the horses which we claim/buy, I am thrilled when that hard work pays off and my partners make money. With all the negatives in racing, you have to stop and appreciate the good times. This is a lesson I have learned, and preach. Seems elementary, but I know folks with Breeders’ Cup starters who never stop and enjoy the ride. Don’t make that mistake my friends.

Kudos to trainers Jim Mcmullen at Arlington and John Rigattieri for their work with our group. Without their hard work and that of their staff, none of our success would have been possible.

Jul

28

Do any tracks fail NTRA accreditation?

by Barry Roos
July 28, 2009 | 17 Comments
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I just read where Monmouth receives full NTRA accreditation.

Here’s a question, have any failed?

Will any fail? I think Pimlico got provisional accreditation but thus far I haven’t heard if any failed.

Isn’t the NTRA funded by tracks?

Is this not a conflict of interest?

If you want to truly show the public you are trying to improve the safety of racing, don’t you need this to come from unbiased scientists who aren’t working under the guise of the NTRA?

Nothing against those involved with the accreditation of the tracks, but send scientists from MIT, not vets who make their living at the racetrack or officials paid by tracks. They know where their bread is buttered.

Jun

23

The Good The Bad and The Ugly Volume 3

by Barry Roos
June 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
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Good:
Rachel Alexandra – The owners will donate a portion of earnings to the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” for breast cancer. Anything we can do to eradicate this horrible disease is a good thing. If you live nearby, get out to Belmont and wear your pink bracelet proudly.

Bad:
Suffolk Downs was forced to cancel the Mass Cap. After becoming a win and your in race for the BC, and getting a grade 3, the owners decided they just can’t pull it off. How much money can they lose? Looks like expanded gambling will come up in the fall, should the track not get a break and some cash from added gambling, this very well could be the end of Suffolk. What a shame. This ownership has done everything it can do to make Suffolk work, yet at some point, they have to pull a Roberto Duran and cry, “No Mas”.

Ugly:
Amazing, Kentucky can’t get VLT’s. Politics defeated this one handily, as the senate killed the slots bill. The horse capital of the world, and even KY can’t get out of its own way. KEEP was formed to lobby and get things done within the Commonwealth. They need to take a hard look at the group and consider the money they spend administering the organization. Perhaps that money would have been better spent on a couple more good lobbyists in with the Republicans who couldn’t wait to crush the seemingly promising bill.

May

26

Our horses both win yet I am sad

by Barry Roos
May 26, 2009 | 2 Comments
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It is a weird industry this horse racing. Sometimes even when you should be happy you can’t be.

The partnership I manage, G-Biscuit Stables LLC ran 2 horses, one in Boston, and one and one in Chicago. They both won. Both ran their hearts out and were game in victory.

Should be a banner day. We continue to be profitable after 6 years, when most partnerships do nothing but bleed cash.

But, sadly the second horse was to be ridden by Rene Douglas. Though the horse won, my thoughts returned to Rene Douglas, who was hurt Saturday at Arlington and may be paralyzed for life from the waist down.

Much has been mentioned about how sad it is when horses break down and die. It is, it is down right tragic. I mourn each one. But at the end of the day they are animals without the higher thought process we are both blessed with and yet cursed with. The toll of human tragedy is far worse, so sad. This will effect the jockey, his family, and even the other rider involved. I remember when Mike Venezia died in New York, how it destroyed Robbie Davis who couldn’t avoid his fallen friend.

Hopefully a miracle will happen for Rene Douglas, and he will walk again. Can the promise of stem cells come to fruition? Let us hope so.  Jockeys catch a lot of heat, get too much credit for wins, too much blame for losses. But one thing is for certain, they are brave for just doing what they do each day. Every mount risks their life and limb.

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