Horse racing

Is Big Brown worthy of a Triple Crown?

Of course, it’s a ludicrous question. Sweeping the Triple Crown isn’t the culmination of a democratic process; it isn’t up to the voters to decide if Big Brown is worthy of being a Triple Crown winner. Nor will a panel of judges determine the outcome of the Belmont Stakes. It’s not ice skating.

That’s the beauty of horse racing – or one of its many beauties: Races are won on the track. If Big Brown succeeds in the Belmont, he’s worthy of being a Triple Crown winner; if he doesn’t, he isn’t. It’s simple.

But legitimate questions will remain about Big Brown even after June 7. Those asking if Big Brown is worthy of the Triple Crown are actually asking, or wondering, whether he's as talented and as accomplished as past winners. Just how good is he? Is he worthy of being included among the all-time greats? Is he the Horse of the Year?

These questions, I think, are worthy of debate. But some of them will never be answered. If Big Brown becomes the 12th Triple Crown winner, I suspect we’ll never see him run against Curlin. We may never see him run again against anybody. His stallion deal done, he could be retired immediately after the Belmont.

Do you think his owners have any respect for horse racing’s history and tradition? For its fans, or for the sport itself? They got in the game for the money, for quick bucks, not for the sport. As if horse racicng doesn't already have enough problems, now we have ownership leavened with corporate greed.

I’ll say this right now: No matter what Big Brown does on June 7, I will not vote for him as Horse of the Year. As I’ve said before, I will not encourage premature retirements, which I consider tantamount to insulting the sport and its fans, by voting such a horse the golden Eclipse Award.

I don’t flatter myself by thinking that Big Brown’s smarmy connections care how I vote. But I care how I vote, and I care deeply about horse racing; I value my vote so much that I won’t give it to anybody who insults the sport.

As for Big Brown’s abilities, we’ll probably never know their depth. Is he as good as past Triple Crown winners?  I can say with confidence that he's not even close to the last four. Beyond that -- well, maybe he's as good Omaha and Sir Barton.

But all we know for sure is that Big Brown is several lengths better than Macho Again. Not to denigrate the Preakness runner-up, but many horses several lengths better than Macho Again don't have any crown, Triple or otherwise.

This group of 3-year-olds is probably the weakest to come along since 1993, and Big Brown’s dominance in the Derby and Preakness means only that he’s best of a bad bunch. Curlin’s Preakness win last year was many lengths better than Big Brown’s on Saturday. Afleet Alex’s win was lengths better; Point Given’s was lengths better. And so it goes. So far, Big Brown has proven only that he has the good sense and the sufficient talent to run away from mediocrity.

But he still has not reached the level of performance achieved last year by Curlin, Street Sense, Hard Spun and Rags To Riches. And although I expect him to win, I doubt that we’ll see Big Brown reach such a level in the Belmont.

Could Big Brown be a great horse? Yes, of course. He’s wonderfully tractable and unflappable. He has a high cruising speed, and he can accelerate like a sports car. Yes, he could be a great racehorse. But I suspect he’ll be retired before he ever meets anybody or any challenge that require greatness from him.

Of course, it’s a ludicrous question. Sweeping the Triple Crown isn’t the culmination of a democratic process; it isn’t up to the voters to decide if Big Brown is worthy of being a Triple Crown winner. Nor will a panel of judges determine the outcome of the Belmont Stakes. It’s not ice skating.

That’s the beauty of horse racing – or one of its many beauties: Races are won on the track. If Big Brown succeeds in the Belmont, he’s worthy of being a Triple Crown winner; if he doesn’t, he isn’t. It’s simple.

But legitimate questions will remain about Big Brown even after June 7. Those asking if Big Brown is worthy of the Triple Crown are actually asking, or wondering, whether he's as talented and as accomplished as past winners. Just how good is he? Is he worthy of being included among the all-time greats? Is he the Horse of the Year?

These questions, I think, are worthy of debate. But some of them will never be answered. If Big Brown becomes the 12th Triple Crown winner, I suspect we’ll never see him run against Curlin. We may never see him run again against anybody. His stallion deal done, he could be retired immediately after the Belmont.

Do you think his owners have any respect for horse racing’s history and tradition? For its fans, or for the sport itself? They got in the game for the money, for quick bucks, not for the sport. As if horse racicng doesn't already have enough problems, now we have ownership leavened with corporate greed.

I’ll say this right now: No matter what Big Brown does on June 7, I will not vote for him as Horse of the Year. As I’ve said before, I will not encourage premature retirements, which I consider tantamount to insulting the sport and its fans, by voting such a horse the golden Eclipse Award.

I don’t flatter myself by thinking that Big Brown’s smarmy connections care how I vote. But I care how I vote, and I care deeply about horse racing; I value my vote so much that I won’t give it to anybody who insults the sport.

As for Big Brown’s abilities, we’ll probably never know their depth. Is he as good as past Triple Crown winners?  I can say with confidence that he's not even close to the last four. Beyond that -- well, maybe he's as good Omaha and Sir Barton.

But all we know for sure is that Big Brown is several lengths better than Macho Again. Not to denigrate the Preakness runner-up, but many horses several lengths better than Macho Again don't have any crown, Triple or otherwise.

This group of 3-year-olds is probably the weakest to come along since 1993, and Big Brown’s dominance in the Derby and Preakness means only that he’s best of a bad bunch. Curlin’s Preakness win last year was many lengths better than Big Brown’s on Saturday. Afleet Alex’s win was lengths better; Point Given’s was lengths better. And so it goes. So far, Big Brown has proven only that he has the good sense and the sufficient talent to run away from mediocrity.

But he still has not reached the level of performance achieved last year by Curlin, Street Sense, Hard Spun and Rags To Riches. And although I expect him to win, I doubt that we’ll see Big Brown reach such a level in the Belmont.

Could Big Brown be a great horse? Yes, of course. He’s wonderfully tractable and unflappable. He has a high cruising speed, and he can accelerate like a sports car. Yes, he could be a great racehorse. But I suspect he’ll be retired before he ever meets anybody or any challenge that require greatness from him.

NBC and some thoughts about violence

I applaud NBC for its panel discussion preceding the Preakness. The network had Larry Bramlage, a venerable veterinarian, on to express an authoritative opinion regarding medication and injuries. The network had Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens on to express the opinion of the sport’s participants. It had trainer Larry Jones on to provide a perspective from within the Eight Belles tragedy. And it had William Rhoden of the New York Times on to express the concerns of the uninformed.

Although he works with words, Rhoden seemed to be the least articulate member of the panel. After a while, frankly, I was embarrassed for journalism and wondered if I was watching ESPN. Rhoden rarely made sense, except when he expressed widely held opinions that he obviously had appropriated from more knowledgeable sources.

He compared horse racing to bull fighting, which, I assume, he condemns. He said horse racing is “in that cathedral” with dog fighting and blood sports. Cathedral? They all occupy a sacred, honored place in our culture? Hardly.

And then he suggested it would make sense to pass rules to ban the racing of horses until they’re three, as if to suggest abuse, as he sees it, is OK if the abused are older. The lack of logic there was stunning. That comment alone indicated what a mountain of ignorance the sport must overcome.

I was happy to hear Bramlage point out that stressing bones when a horse is young is necessary for density and longevity and that every analysis indicates horses that race at a young age generally race longer than those that don’t.

Anyway, for two weeks now I’ve seen an army of opportunists step forward to use the Eight Belles tragedy as an excuse to promote their own cause or their own agenda; even worse, I’ve seen them use it to promote themselves. I don’t know what’s worse, the hypocrisy or the ignorance. Some of these same people who decry horse racing because of their abiding love and deep concern for animals are out there on weekends relating to nature by blasting ducks out of the sky.

The simple truth is that horse racing’s popularity is shrinking in part because it’s NOT a violent or cruel sport. I suspect the grandstands of America’s racetracks would be full if jockeys were armed with weapons and allowed to use them.

America clearly has become a violent society. Or at least our culture reflects a preoccupation with violence, transforming it and sublimating it into a source of amusement and diversion. Our television and movie screens overflow with violence. Video games that simulate war and mayhem are regarded as entertainments. And the most popular sport in America, football, remains inherently violent, so violent, in fact, that Teddy Roosevelt once considered, if only halfheartedly, banning it.

Football’s violent nature is evident in its vocabulary, which it borrowed in part from war. The quarterback, or “general on the field,” will sometimes throw “a bomb,” and the linemen play “in the trenches.” Linebackers can discomfit the opposition with a “blitz.” Offensive teams have “ground attacks” and “aerial attacks.” And, worst of all, overtime is called “sudden death.”

Every year, it seems, some schoolboy dies in a football accident. Players sometimes suffer severe injuries that affect them for their entire lives. But it’s all condoned because violence is part of the game.

People understand that football is violent and seem to accept it. But many people, especially the small-minded, will attack what they don’t understand. And fewer and fewer people, it seems, understand a sport where violence occurs only by accident.

This horse will win

With the track fast and the skies clear, Lone Star has seen plenty of activity the last two moorings. And a few workouts, I think, could be worth mentioning.

Seeking the Lead continues to train sharply, working a five furlongs this morning in 1:00.80, which was the bullet, or fastest time, for the distance. Golden State, I thought, looked strong working five furlongs in 1:01.65, with a final quarter-mile in 24.40. Luis Quinonez was up for Steve Asmussen, who generally doesn’t ask his horses for much in workouts.

Brendyn Jo, a recent winner here, remains in good form. He went a half-mile this morning in 48.20 and wasn’t asked for anything. Broken Link and Executive Girl worked a half-mile together in 49.64. But I thought Broken Link looked the stronger of the two and certainly galloped out with more energy, completing five furlongs in 1:02. And Inlineforpictures had one of the better workouts of the morning, with a half-mile in 47.80, galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.52.

Saturday at Lone Star, at precisely the busiest time of the morning, just after the renovation break, horses were breaking out of gallops and into breezes at just about every pole, or at least every pole where such things typically happen. I had both of my watches going and I was looking around and writing and listening, all at the same time, when I caught sight of the bay horse with the blue towel directly beneath me, coming to the wire. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew I  had him from the five-eighths pole.

When he hit the imaginary finish line, I clicked the "splits" button of my watch -- 1:00.70 – and was duly impressed, not just with the time but with the worker’s ease of movement. He was cruising. Past the wire, the exercise rider stayed down, and so I stayed on the horse, my watching still rolling, and kept my focus on him, out to the seven-eighths pole, for six furlongs in 1:13.20.

“Who the hell is that?” I said.

“Etesaal,” Gary Reckner, the officially clocker, called back, and I was rather embarrassed that I hadn’t realized immediately who it was. Yes,  I should have known, and not just because the saddle towel was Chris Hartman’s and he frequently has his horses work to the seven-furlong marker rather than the wire, but because Etesaal has been training just about as well as any horse stabled at Lone Star. Keep an eye out for this one; his name should be in the entry box soon.

Also Saturday, Scrappy Roo and My Angel worked a sharp five furlongs together in 1:00, and Hermighty and Tricky Causeway completed six furlongs together in 1:13.00.

Timbrook, I thought, also worked well, finishing strongly with a final quarter-mile in 24.24 on his way to completing five furlongs in 1:00.92. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40.

Von Hemel prepares for a big day

After a few slow days, activity picked up this morning at Lone Star. Trainer Donnie Von Hemel had his two graded stakes winners, Brownie Points and Going Ballistic, out for some serious work in preparation for Lone Star Million Day, May 26. He also had unbeaten Euphony, as well the veteran Waupaca, out for easy half-miles.

Spotting him two lengths at the start, Brownie Points worked five furlongs in company with Lucky Striker. A winner of $686,000 and the runner-up most recently in the Apple Blossom Handicap, Brownie Points moved to the outside at the top of the Lone Star stretch, turned in a 24-second final quarter-mile, and ran down Lucky Striker with only moderate encouragement from jockey Luis Quinonez. Brownie Points finished two lengths ahead of her stablemate, completing the distance in 1:01.02 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.12. She’ll make her next start, Von  Hemel said, in the $200,000 Ouija Board. And keep an eye on Lucky Striker, an unraced 3-year-old. That was a good work (1:01.80) for him, too, especially since he was carrying a big exercise rider, not a jockey.

Going Ballistic, who could surpass a million dollars in earnings with a good showing in the $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40. It was most impressive since he did it alone, without a workmate to encourage him. Euphony, who could make her Lone Star debut in the $100,000 Cinemine, worked a half-mile in 50.40. And Waupaca went an easy half in 49.40.

Cheese Factory continues to train sharply. An unraced 3-year-old from Jack Bruner’s barn, Cheese Factory worked five furlongs in a flat minute and could have gone faster. Shortly after the workout began, he had to be checked to avoid a galloper who was down on the rail, contrary to protocol. Gary Reckner, the official clocker, had Cheese Factory galloping out six furlongs in 1:13. If Cheese Factory doesn’t leave his best effort on the track in the morning, he could win his debut here.

Woodforest showed some ability in a five-furlong move, running the final quarter-mile in 24.59 to complete the distance in 1:00.82. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.67. Second Thoughts, another from the Von Hemel barn, was best of three out of the gate. He actually was last as the trio came by the grandstand and entered the turn – the gate sits up the 1 1/4-mile chute in the mornings. But the exercise rider tapped him, and Second Thoughts took off to move by Kristys Dove Hunt and Durty Whit, who worked a half-mile in 48.60. Second Thoughts continued on to work five furlongs in 1:01.40.

Works

With the track muddy, workouts were few this morning at Lone Star. Majestic Commander, a recent six-length winner, turned in what I thought was one of the best moves of the morning, proving he remains sharp and can handle the “off” track. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.84, with a final quarter in 24.80, and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.79.

Donald’s Duke, a gray 3-year-old who never has raced, might be able to win here this season.  He worked a half-mile from the gate in the company of Ucheap, an unraced 2-year-old. Donald’s Duke easily left the 2-year-old behind, and his exercise rider was trying to wait on the companion, who still couldn’t catch up. Working the half in 48.60, Donald’s Duke finished about two lengths ahead of Ucheap.

Dear Lassie also looked good in a set of three from the gate. She finished on even terms with Busy Mass in 47.44, with High Lion about two lengths back.
And Dear Lassie appeared to gallop out best, completing five furlongs in 1:01.82.

El Gato Malo and Ford

The Bad Cat, El Gato Malo, has arrived back in California and has returned to his familiar stall in the Hollywood Park stable area, according to his trainer, Craig Dollase. El Gato Malo, of course, won Saturday’s $400,000 Lone Star Derby. Dollase said he hasn’t yet decided on  the horse’s next start.

“When he goes back to the track, we’ll see how he trains and then decide,” Dollase said. “Next week, we’ll know more and be ready to map out a summer schedule for him.”

Aiming The Bad Cat at the Belmont wouldn’t seem the most sensible plan. As a gelding, he wouldn’t benefit even a little by any classic associations, and as a son of El Corredor, he seems ill-suited for the 1 1/2 miles at Big Sandy. And he’s based at Hollywood Park, where he’ll have two chances to run for lucrative pruses in the next two months: in the $100,000 Affirmed (1 1/16 miles) on June 15 and in the $350,000 Swaps ( 1 1/8 miles) on July 12.

And seven horses have been entered in Friday’s $50,000 Ford Express Stakes at Lone Star: War Bridle, Dallas County, Gyrovagi, Gold wonder, Sing Baby Sing, Wind Water, Orphan Brigade.

Wrenice and Hartman looking good

This was one of the busiest mornings of the season at Lone Star. The work tab was full, and several horses looked sharp.

Multiple stakes winner and Texas champion Wrenice worked an easy five furlongs in 1:02, but she finished strongly, with a final quarter in about 24 seconds. She should be close to a race.

Now that the Sunland Park season has ended, its leading trainer, Chris Hartman, has all his horses here at Lone Star, and they seem to be thriving. He sent out several sharp workers this morning, including Etessal. I love the way this big old horse trains: He worked six furlongs in 1:14.60, but he did it easily. He won here last year, but he hasn’t run in 2008. He’s close to ready.

Hartman also had Scared Money work a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.40. She was supposed to work six furlongs, and I assume she did, but everything was so busy just after the renovation break that nobody got a clock on her immediately. I caught her final quarter in 24.85.

Buddha Lady, another from the Hartman barn, worked a lively half-mile in 46.80. Cactus Cafe, from the Randy Mayfield stable, had the day’s bullet at a half-mile, 46.40.

And just before the track closed, when it was probably at its slowest, Lady Mojo worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 (1:00.44), equaling Scared Money for the morning’s fastest time at the distance. But I didn’t think her move as impressive as the earlier one: With Eddie Martin riding, she began quickly, with 34.67 for the opening three furlongs, and came home in 25.97 for the final quarter, galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.88.   

Picking Five and the Lone Star Derby

Saturday’s Lone Star Derby is the centerpiece of the Pick Five, which has a little carryover of $1,833.

The Pick Five begins with the seventh race, the $125,000 Pan Zareta division of the Texas Stallion Stakes. Classie Baloo is the one to beat, coming out of a solid race where she finished second in open company against older horses. But she has been inconsistent for much of her career, and I suspect she’s more likely to bounce off that effort than repeat it. Surfboard, on the other hand, has won three of four, and seems to be improving. She has been pointed at this race for some time. A Pick Five ticket should probably include both. A deeper ticket could also include Formal Flyer and Ms Classic Seneca.

Eighth race: This may be the most contentious of the Pick Five races. Adding to the handicapping puzzle is the turf course itself, which has been unabashedly biased for most of the season in favor of early speed. That means even Enticing Mr. G could have a shot in here since she (yes, this Mr. G is a “she”) will probably grab the early advantage. No Tears In Heaven, who has been transformed by turf into a reliable sort, is the one to beat, but several others could be included.

Stevie Wondergirl got bumped around at the break in her last and has sufficient speed to be prominent from the start; Graceful Touch returns to the turf, where she’s most effective; Runaway Scout also had a rough trip in her last; Hunsa hasn’t shown anything in two races, or in her last workout, by the way, but Cody Autrey, who usually drops this kind to the bottom faster than you can say “fire sale,” runs her here for $25,000, which is just strange enough to include her; and Sun Sheika, who comes from the Asmussen stable, walked out of the gate in her last and should improve.

Ninth race: This is the Stymie division of the Texas Stallion Stakes, where Gold Coyote makes his return. If not for his mind, or the absence of a mind, he’d be running in the Lone Star Derby. He’s very talented. But he’s also . . . well, he’s a little erratic. He refused to run a step on Arlington’s Polytrack, for example. In the Dixieland Stakes, he broke on top, but when Ramsey Zimmerman grabbed hold of him in an attempt to persuade him to control his speed, he would have none of it and just retreated. And in the Jims Orbit Stakes, he had a five length lead in mid-stretch when his new rider, Bobby Walker, gave him a pop, just to make sure he wouldn’t go to sleep, and what did he do? He stuck his toes in the ground, of course, and finished second. He’s easily the most talented horse in the field, and Walker knows him now. Still, Gold Coyote might be a risky single. If does something silly, which is always a possibility, then Ferdinand’s Flyer could get loose, or Ablaze With Spirit could run them all down.

Tenth race: This is a great Lone Star Derby – a full field that’s rife with quality. I’ll be a little surprised, though, if the winner isn’t Samba Rooster or El Gato Malo. When Samba Rooster finished second in the Lexington, he ran the opening half in 45.21. The other half-mile splits that day at Keeneland in two-turn races were: 48.06, 47.34, 48.26 and 49.14. In other words, he went 10 lengths faster than any other front-runner in any other two-turn race that day. He’s fast. And he should control the pace. He’ll get blinkers today, not to keep him from seeing the grandstand or other horses so much as to prevent him from being distracted by Garrett Gomez. Gomez didn’t even carry a whip in the Lexington. But he will today.

Craig Dollase says throw out El Gato Malo’s Santa Anita Derby. The Bad Cat lost it in the paddock. Since then, though, he has trained like a champ with blinkers. And Bejarano replaces Flores in the saddle.

I’d use Limestone Edge on any multi-race ticket, too, but that’s no problem since he’s coupled with Samba Rooster. I was very impressed with Limestone Edge last year when he broke his maiden. Then he got sick, then he ran ninth, and then he became very sore. The trouble was an undescended testicle. That was removed, and he ran strongly in his first race back at Keeneland. His trainer, Bob Hess, seems to be very high on the handsome chestnut.

If you’re looking for an upsetter here, Texas Wildcatter, My Pal Charlie and Leonides have appeal.

Eleventh race: Steven’s Mark drops to the lowest level of his career and is the one to beat, but he also looks like he’s for sale. Zurich, Betabet On Bob and Game Play’s Icon should be included, with Ida Bet Yukon Too and Mimsky having upset possibilities.