The same sentiment is written as the banner.  Ok you ask, so what is the problem? Well, putting my web developer hat, the major issue is that the text you want people to see is invisible to search engines. The purpose of the site is to garner support, and the best way to do that is by harnessing the power of search engines, specifically Google. 2 Billion searches a day are conducted using the search behemoth. My clients always ask me how to be number one in Google. Well their search algorithm is the most closely guarded secret in the world. But one thing is clear, Google looks at mainly the text on a page, in that regard similar to a page reader utilized by vision impaired people. So to Google, here is what they see on the page.  (the images are shut off to show you what Google sees)

As you can see there is almost no value. Now they could have used alt tags to at least call out what the images say, but failed to even do that. This is quite a shame. The website is a good idea, but the execution was not. The website was created by KEEP, the Ky Equine Education Project. KEEP was founded by top horseman including the late great John Gaines. All had the noblest of intentions. The original Director was an attorney name Claria Shadwick. I had the pleasure of helping them when they began. I felt strongly about the cause. As a horseman, as KY goes, so does the industry. Claria, was smart as could be, but certainly not a politician. (a good thing to me)  I built the original website, and helped the first couple of years. They were a pleasure to work with and the cause was one a believed in without reservation. They let Claria go, and the new Director brought in his own team.  I have lost track of the group other than reading the occasional blip here or there. Sadly it appears they haven’t yet achieved their mission. Here’s hoping they do. This website can be fixed without much trouble, and hopefully it will help them finally get KY’s horse industry back where it belongs, on top of the world.

You would think this would guarantee the trainer would get to train this one until he retires, correct?  Wrong.   Not quite as bad as Billy Turner losing a triple crown winner, but pretty damn close.

Even worse, the horse went to Wayne Lukas, who hasn’t set the world on fire in years.  Lately, he would have trouble starting a fire with matches and a gallon of gas.  But this isn’t meant as a knock on Lukas, he has had a great career and was once quite relevant. No, this is a knock on the owners. Watching the Whitney was just sad.  The horse gave his all in the triple crown, and it would have been nice to see him retire after that. Of course, I can’t blame the connections for coming back, but it was pretty evident in the races that followed that the horse isn’t the same. His race on the grass as a comeback wasn’t horrible and I had hoped turf to dirt may have the horse sharp for the Whitney. Sadly, the DRF chart comment said it all:

MINE THAT BIRD was unhurried at the rear of the field while on the inside, saved ground on both turns and showed little

So now you have this great story, yes a fairy tale and the ending doesn’t seem to be what the horse deserved. I hope if the horse doesn’t come around, they will do the right thing and retire the horse. hey if he shows life fine, but otherwise, do the right thing.

Here is my perfect ending: Trainer Chip Woolley drives from New Mexico to Wayne Lukas’ barn at Saratoga. He picks the horse up and drives back to New Mexico where the horse runs in a stake named in his honor.  The horse under Borel, sits off the pace, makes his patented run along the rail and gets up to win. The adoring New Mexico crowd salutes the deserving Mine That Bird and he rides off into the sunset.  Trainer Woolley drives the horse to the Kentucky Horse Park where he retires. Now that is an ending this fairy tale deserves.

Yesterday before the race the TVG commentators were wondering aloud  if she could win by 18 or so lengths. After all this was a handpicked bunch.  It looked early on like Rachel would blow by and win at will, but that wasn’t the case. Queen Martha ran game and Rachel Alexandra had to work to get by a bit.  She lugged in a little as well upon going by.  In her 2 losses she was a tad hesitant to switch leads, making you think that she is not 100% physically.  Still she is a force, and at some point she will take on the tougher animals and we will see if she still has “it”.  I don’t think anyone watching racing yesterday could feel confident that Rachel Alexandra could beat Devil May Care, never mind Zenyatta.  Which brings me to Devil May Care, WOW. John Velasquez spent more time looking around then he did riding.  The filly blew by and won the Coaching Club American Oaks easily, it was the way we expected Rachel Alexandra to win.  The buzz before the Derby was all about Devil May Care.  I was in attendance that day and she was the one people were talking about.  As Todd Pletcher said after in the BloodHorse:

“You can see by the way that she won today why we tried the Kentucky Derby”

Yes Todd, I think we can see that. Not that Pletcher needs to explain himself, having a year for the ages.  Next week he goes for yet another big win with Super Saver in the Haskell. Monmouth continues to have a fabulous meet, and continues to attract more top horses.

One thing is for sure, we have yet another top filly, Rachel and Zenyatta are still going, and we could have an amazing race down the road.  The interesting thing to me is how good Devil May Care could be.  Imagine if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta go at it and the winner of the race is not either of them but Devil May Care?

Who says racing is dull?

Then along came a novel idea. How about we jack up the purses, increase fields size and quality?   Monmouth decided to try the bold experiment.  And thus far it is succeeding, in a big way.

This from the Bloodhorse:

For the first 24 days of the 2010 meeting — with Monmouth racing Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Monday holidays — average attendance is 10,572. The average on-track betting is $752,718 and average daily total betting is $7,672,255.

Compared to the first 24 days of the 2009 meet (using only Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Monday cards), the daily attendance is up 13% and on-track handle is up almost 43%, according to the track. But total handle has taken the sharpest turn, jumping nearly 118% over last year.

Wow.   Now here is proof you can try new things and not be dependent on expanded gambling.  Is everyone happy? No, there are some horsemen who used to do better now running into having to compete. But the bettors like it, no more short fields, and handicapping is a challenge.  So to those complaining, suck it up, and adapt.

The experiment won’t go unnoticed, and the result will be a better product and owners can actually make money. No it won’t be easy, but no one said the game was easy.  True the naysayers will say Monmouth has less days of racing. So what?  Shorter better meets are better than year long boring diet of lousy racing.

Congrats to Monmouth for the effort. No matter how it works out, you are game for trying.

I think the modern thoroughbred just can’t handle the 2 weeks after the Derby and then 3 to the Belmont. Horses used to run a lot more and the schedule while grueling, was not as far fetched a proposition.  Top horses rarely come back on 2 weeks rest, so the chances of winning the Crown become slimmer and slimmer. The short time in between the races also adds fuel to the anti-racing advocates who use any excuse to hammer us.

The solution? I would add a week in between the Derby and the Preakness, and another week before the Belmont. Had there been another week, my guess is Super Saver has a lot more gas. He ran his eyeballs out in Louisville and had every reason to be tired. Another week in between and you would have had Ice Box as well. My guess is Zito preferred to win the Belmont, and knew he couldn’t do both after a tough trip in the Derby. Also, you would have had a few others as well, and the Preakness would have been a much better contest. Sure it will always be the weakest of the jewels, but still it is a Classic, and very special.

So the question is this, will racing adapt? I doubt it. The NTRA won’t do anything meaningful, and Churchill Downs pulling its membership will more than likely start a trend. So it is probably going to take the tracks themselves to make the change and bolster the Triple Crown.

Preakness thoughts: I am almost always let down after the Derby. The Derby has a great undercard and it is a truly spectacular production. The undercard of the Preakness has some good racing although the purses for a Classic day are pitiful. Blame maybe a special horse, amazing that purse was 100k. Lets hope Maryland gets their act in gear, and can make Preakness day closer in quality to the Derby.

Not quite the way it happened…..

It was 1981, I was starting my freshman year at the University of Kentucky. I was a Bostonian in unfamiliar territory. I was walking down the hallway of Holmes Hall reading a Throughbred Record (now the Thoroughbred Times). I ran into a guy who asked me if I was involved with horse racing. We introduced ourselves, and struck up a conversation. I explained my involvement, that my family owned horses and had just bought a small farm in Lexington. He said his family was also involved, his dad a blacksmith, his mom a trainer in Northern Kentucky and his brother a jockey. That was the day I met Doug Cauthen.

I soon met Doug’s roommate, Jim McMullen who was involved in racing through his uncle, the legendary trainer P.G. Johnson. Jim would go on to train, and is currently plying his trade at Arlington. My neighbor at the time, Dwight Back wasn’t involved in racing, but loved it as much, or more than the 3 of us. He is currently involved as an owner, and nearly made it to the 2009 Breeders’ Cup with Yankee Injunuity which is trained by Jim. The four of us became good friends and lived together over the next couple of years.

I went into training and did so for the next 16 years. I had a few invites to take in the Derby but vowed never to go unless I was participating. Well, training in New England you don’t quite get the opportunities to run in Triple Crown Events, so I never went. Then when New England racing became a 6th month a year proposition, I gave up training as I refused to be away from home while my children were growing up. I stayed involved in racing doing consulting, going to an occasional sale, and now a days working with partnerships.

Doug went to law school and worked for a short while as an attorney. But the horse industry was in his blood and he returned. He worked in various positions, for consigners, and did some consulting work managing racing stables, as well as working with Prestonwood Farm, which would later be sold and become what is today Winstar Farm. When Kenny Troutt and Bill Casner bought Winstar, they shrewedly kept Doug on and named him President/CEO. You can find a lot of talented horse people, but few with Doug’s integrity. The results at Winstar speak for themselves. Wins in the Dubai World Cup, the Travers, The Haskell, and now the Derby. It doesn’t get better. The successes of Tiznow, and Distorted Humor in the breeding shed have propelled Winstar to a lofty position amongst the industry giants.

Our friendship has lasted almost 30 years. As we have gotten a bit longer in the tooth, we have realized the importance of being there for each other, for the good times, as well as the sad. The four of us were all together in Boston a couple of years ago to celebrate my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, and then to celebrate Doug’s marriage to his wife Katie in Lexington. We also attended a couple of Derbys to support Doug. Sadly, We were then together again at a Memorial service for Doug’s dad Ronald “Tex” Cauthen in 2009, one of the best people you could ever meet, and a huge influence on Doug.

Fast Forward to this year’s Derby, Dwight and I again made the treck to Churchill to support Doug. Jim had just had a baby and couldn’t make this one. In his place were Brian Howard, David White, and Jeff Bittel, 3 other friends from our UK days.

Strangly, Doug stopped by our box to say hi, and said, if one of our horses wins, make sure you make your way to the winner’s circle. We had been there twice before for Derbys and he never said that. And these were horses with real shots, like Colonel John. Did Doug have a premonition? Perhaps. While Super Saver liked the mud, and had a win at Churchill, this was one of the most wide open Derbys ever. Still I remember thinking of Doug’s comment as they loaded the last horse in the gate.

When Super Saver came by us in front, we were screaming as hit the wire. We high fived in the box, then made our way to the infield for the festivies. Doug and I made eye contact and it was one of those truly special times, pure hapiness. The mountain had been climbed, the mission accomplished.

I also realized something while standing in that sacred ground which is the Churchill Downs winners circle. My definition of friendship had been altered as well. I always thought a friend was someone who was there in good times and bad. While that is still true, now I realize that when you can be as happy for someone else’s success, as you would be for yourself, that truly is a friend. The jubilance I felt last Saturday was far and above my expectation. I expected to be happy, sure. But the feeling was unreal, I found myself so deeply moved and thrilled for Doug.

Here is to your continued success my friend, thanks for letting me finally get to the Derby winner’s circle!

We are a mere candy shop, not really needed. A luxury that folks can choose to forego when times are tough and money is short. When you get laid off you need to have heat, food and basic necessities. You don’t need to bet the horses. Racetracks will continue to close if they don’t find a way to succeed.

So, what should they do, hope slots save them? Maybe for a while, but in the long run you have to find new fans. Slots players don’t run over to the races. I remember when Delaware first opened up the slots, I talked to a friend who was down there with a few horses. I said wow there must be a lot of new people at the races. He said no, they come for the slots and leave.

Ok, well maybe slots revenue helps the tracks to survive and keep the doors open. But you have to cultivate new fans. To do this you have to create more big days. For NASCAR every weekend is a big event. Racing has the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup, and a few other good days.  The goal needs to be to create more big days fans can mark on their calendar. And tracks need to be flexible. Oaklawn deserves kudos for what they are doing, having a huge purse and putting together the one event all fans want to see, Zenyatta V Rachel. This will generate as much buzz as racing has seen in decades.

Hopefully other tracks will do the same and do everything they can to put together races people want to see. In the meantime, waive admission, get fans in the door. Give them a program with past performances. And hey how about a free hot dog and a coke? Once in the door, show them the beauty that is our sport. Many will become fans, and yes they will wager. But if you try and rape them at the door with parking, admission and the cost of a program and form? They will leave and rarely come back.

Racing is on life support, but we can keep the plug from being pulled. Lets start working towards that today.

Oaklawn could boost Apple Blossom purse to $5-million – Here’s the kind of thing that will actually get people to watch racing. It doesn’t sound like it will come off, but kudos to Oaklawn for trying.

The Bad

The first month of this year handles are down 12.03% compared with January of 2009. Purses were down 10.04%.

Ouch.

Purses dropping handles off don’t make you feel too rozy about the future.

The Ugly

No matter how good a trainer does, owners will blame them for any problems. But here is a shocker. Imagine you are a trainer who wins the Belmont, The Travers and the Eclipse award? You would think you were fairly safe at least for a year. Tim Ice found out that isn’t true. Owner K. K. Jayaraman fired him citing communication problems. No, you can’t make this stuff up. K. K. Jayaraman said last year that he had used 89 different trainers since the couple entered the business in the early 1980s. Amazing how foolish some men with money can be. 89 trainers? Time to look inward KK.

Fifth Third Bancorp now claims Ahmed Zayat concealed the death of multiple Grade 1 winner Thorn Song last summer to hide $2.75-million in mortality insurance proceeds that he should have paid to the bank. This lawsuit is really getting ugly. When one of your sports leading owners is embroiled in this kind of stuff, it hurts everyone. Our business can’t stand any more bad pub.

“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.

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.