Horse Track Blog

MTG Partners at Breeders’ Cup!!

Although Media Thoroughbred Group did not have a horse running in the Breeders’ Cup races this year, we were well represented.  Perhaps….better than you might think.  First of all, our trainer Larry Jones ran second in the Juvenile fillies race with Governor Jones’ little Proud Spell.  Of course, we have a Proud Citizen filly, ourselves; and, according to Alex Gans, bloodstock agent for Indian Creek Farm, “the gov” thinks she looks a whole lot like Proud Spell.  YEAH!!!  Then, there’s the Larry Jones second place finish in the Classic with Hard Spun.  Somebody tell me he’s not the real deal.

But wait…there’s more.  One of our recent additions to the Media Thoroughbred Group family is  a wonderful, energetic, enthusiastic young woman named Rebecca Montaldo.  Ms. Rebecca is an owner in the Pistols N Pearls gang!  Guess where she wound up on Breeders’ Cup day???  Right there in the paddock with Curlin, Hard Spun, Street Sense, and all the connections!!  Sporting her MTG Pistols N Pearls hat, I’m told she had a brief moment with Carl Nafzger that left her speechless.  Carl has a way of doing that to folks! 

 Another pair of newcomers to the MTG family also made the trek to rain-soaked Monmouth Park.  Carrie and David Robinson left Louisville in their Lexus SUV on Thursday and made it there in time to see Proud Spell in her glory.  Carrie and David are also part of the Pistols N Pearls “club.” In addition, the Robinson’s are partners on both new yearling fillies.  David is a HUGE Hard Spun/Larry Jones fan.  He’s been on that bandwagon since the Derby prep races back in the spring.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we had a fun Breeders’ Cup edition of “The Track Kitchen” horse racing radio show on Saturday morning with partner Paul Siller in Phoenix, Arizona, as our guest handicapper; then, we  joined many of our partners and friends to watch the excitement from the Churchill Downs Turf Club…where it was dry!!

 The MTG gang had a few wonderful moments during the day…not with famous horses or people… but just fun-tastic stuff when you love the game.  Emily Gladden, a partner on four two year olds, bought her first Daily Racing Form and studied it the night before the races.  Guess what???  It worked!!  She was playing on the track’s money all day long.  At one point during the day, she turned to me and said, “I wonder when this is going to wear off?”  She was not referring to her newly acquired skill  for choosing winners.  Emily was talking about the passion and zeal for the sport.

Speaking of zeal and passion… something tells me Rebecca didn’t care that it was raining in the paddock at Monmouth Park.  In an ideal situation, she told me a nice Chanel suit would have been preferable to the rain slicker and boots she was wearing when she looked over to her immediate left and saw Bo Derek.  However, she assured me she would have still worn her MTG Pistols N Pearls hat (maybe just for a few moments) anyway!  That’s my girl! 

This is way too much fun to be work!!!

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Kentucky Derby 134

March Madness is significant for me in two ways.  First, I am a die-hard basketball fan and love the tournament action all over the country.  Second, it is the time when Derby prep races begin to make sense to me.  The “season” draws to an end and “tournament time” begins.  That’s exactly what’s happening right now.  Kentucky defeated Florida today.  Louisville barely lost to Georgetown in the final season game on the road; but, they definitely are going to be a factor in the Big East.  Drake is going to give someone a run for their money.  Can Memphis learn to shoot free throws in the next ten days?  If not, can they play defense well enough to live up to their top ranking? And what about Michael Beasley???  Yes…I know…the contenders are emerging  and you can see little brackets in your sleep.   In horse racing, you might say we’ve played many of the conference tourneys and now the “big dance” begins. 

So…..who’s going to the dance?

It seems to me, if a son of Cherokee Run out of a Mr. Prospector mare can go a mile and a quarter, War Pass is the 2008 Street Sense.  He has done absolutely nothing wrong.  While we are all a bit skeptical of the breeding and the potential distance limitations, there is certainly nothing to doubt about his on-track performances.  Last fall, we had his racing manager, Ernie Reichard, on our radio show.  He told us very plainly that War Pass was the best two year old in the country. He told us to look for him in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.  I guess he knew his horse!  War Pass is slated to defend his unblemished record with a run in the Tampa Derby for trainer Nick Zito.  We know the road to Louisville certainly can run through Tampa!

If War Pass is Street Sense, then you might ask, “who is Hard Spun?”  In my opinion it is the hard-knocking Pyro.  He just had another huge win in the Louisiana Derby coming off his victory in the Risen Star.  That’s enough to separate him from the masses.  However, Circular Quay won the Louisiana Derby last year and had not won another race…until yesterday at the Fairgrounds!  The phrase “horse for the course” comes to mind for both Circular Quay and Pyro.  Will Asmussen put Pyro on the shelf for six weeks as Pletcher did Circular Quay?  Not if he’s smart….and he is!  A little bird told me he’s headed to Louisvile via Lexington.  That’s one way to bolster your chances in the “Bluegrass” state.  Pletcher obviously had so many good horses in the stable last year he was doing the “dancing with the stars shuffle” to give each one a chance to properly audition.  That left Circular Quay idle…and we know that’s not the place to be if you want to be competitive on the first Saturday in May.

Okay!  We have identified two of the three major players as of this writing.  I know what you are thinking!!  Where’s Curlin????  Well, my friends (McCain speak) , the answer is the same as last year…..Gulfstream Park!  Two days after we left Gulfstream at the conclusion of our first annual MTG partners trip, a horse named Big Brown was scheduled to run in a turf allowance race.  He had broken his maiden impressively by more than 11 lengths at Saratoga in 2007 and is now under the guidance of Rick Dutrow for IEAH stables.   Fortunately for these folks, mother nature had something else in mind on March 5th and the races were taken off the turf at Gulfstream.  Big Brown didn’t seem to mind.  The son of Boundary proved to be versatile, winning by more than 12 lengths and making a mockery of the remaining decent allowance field.   Sound familiar?  (Note:  See Curlin’s pps).  Big Brown’s 104 Beyer had the racing nation buzzing like a group of desperate………….honeybees!  I’ll bet you thought I was going to say “housewives” didn’t you?  Can Big Brown go the distance?  Is he “experienced” enough to take on these horses who have been “prepping” for months?  OR……..could he be a “flash in the pan” without the credentials for a proper campaign?  (No, I don’t wonder if he could answer the phone in the White House at 3:00 am!!)  It looks like his next start will be in the Florida Derby.  He’s not taking the road through Arkansas but, hey, that path doesn’t necessarily get you to the “big dance” every time anyway.  ( I keep hearing……..”you can’t win without Florida”)

Who else do we like right now?  Hmm….Denis of Cork has been a “household” favorite for months.  We also have to give credit to Visionaire for his foggy victory in the Gotham.  It’s nice to see Michael Matz back in the Derby trail “mix.”  And, we don’t want to forget Zito’s “other” horses…Chad’s favorite, Cool Coal Man, who upset the orange cart in the Fountain of Youth  and Fierce Wind who took the Sam F Davis in Tampa. 

For what it’s worth, I don’t think you can ever completely leave Billy Mott out of the picture.  Court Vision is another IEAH stables contender co-owned with Winstar .  He is a son of Gulch and should be able to go the distance.

Out on the west coast Colonel John can solidify his right to punch the ticket to Louisville in the Santa Anita Derby for trainer Eoin Harty.  And, we have always been fond of Georgie Boy.  Why?  Just a hunch.  Tribal Rule and Kathy Walsh aren’t exactly household names on the Derby trail; and, Georgie Boy would have to prove he could stretch out.  Lots of ifs and what ifs…..but I like him.

Finally, Check It Twice has been on my list of suspects for a while.  This son of Repent and a mare named Christmas List seems to be the last Repent standing as Atoned and Crown of Thorns have faded from the Derby spotlight.  Check It Twice showed a little run at Calder; but folks, that’s a long way from here and perhaps the wrong (Florida) way to Louisville.  Professor Chadwick C. Biscuit tells me he has found a new home in the Pletcher barn.

If you are playing the Derby futures this weekend, I’d certainly hit that “all other three year old” button a time or two.   Good luck to all of our friends out there with a “dream” for this year.  We hope to join you in the not so distant future!

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The “Maddest” Bet of All

New York–England and America are two countries divided by a common language.

The English use the word “mad” when they mean “crazy,” while we Yanks think of “angry” when we hear “mad.” The famous expression “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun” points out the distinction.

To this bettor, the Kentucky Derby Future Book wager amounts to a “mad” bet. Don’t misconstrue, it is a fun bet that helps hype the race (as if the race needs one iota of additional publicity) and engages casual bettors in the months and weeks prior to the Derby.

In fact, there is a 16-year-old teenager sitting in London right now with a $2 Future Book bet on Colonel John because I wanted to involve her and her father in the Kentucky Derby this year. The act of handing someone a $2 Win bet in snowy February on a “live” longshot (19-1) in the Derby is one of the most elemental and cheapest ways to pique a new fan’s interest. I suspect that a certain British family will gather around the telly at 11:06 p.m. London time on May 3rd to cheer on Colonel John (if he makes the starting gate). At the very least, they will remember Derby 134 for many years to come.

I’ll make sure that the Brits know how to muddle the mint properly for a julep.

However, as a betting strategy the Derby Future Book is mad, daft and loco. I’m not sure about other native Louisvillians, but my record is 1-for47 lifetime picking Derby winners (Barbaro 2006) so for anybody to offer me 9-2 on War Pass or 4-1 on Pyro on Sunday, March 9th seems like awfully poor odds. I should get 25-1 to pick any horse that will actually make the race, get a clean trip and wear the Roses. One could expect to get 3-1 or higher on Pyro and War Pass come Derby Day, so why accept only slightly better odds two months prior to the race? Show me a bettor who hits the “All Other 3-Year-Olds” button in the Future Book and I’ll show you a person who holds a disproportionate number of Muni bonds in their portfolio.

Bragging rights, that’s why you bet the Future Book!

It’s not so much about the money, it’s about crowing to your railbird buddies that you picked the Derby winner months before they drew the post positions. Sorry, months before they had pulled the pills to determine the selection order for the post positions in the “greatest two minutes in sports.” Note to the Triple Crown–please restore the random post position draw.

Bet bold! Remember, when you win, all you get is money. When you lose, you have a story for the rest of your life. “All Other 3-Year-Olds” doesn’t really lend itself to a gambling tale.

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Pio Pio and All Things Peruvian

Jamaica, NY–If you drive east on Queens Blvd towards Manhattan and take a left on Woodhaven Blvd. near the Queens Center Mall, you’re on your way to Aqueduct Racetrack. Just after the turn onto Woodhaven there is a vest pocket Peruvian restaurant called Pio Pio that sells amazing roasted chicken. Lots of roasted chicken.

On Sunday afternooon, so many people order chicken to take out that the crowds ouside the restaurant number in the dozens and block the sidewalk. There are perhaps six tables in the entire cramped restaurant where people order whole chickens and take two or three more birds with them to go when they leave after their meals.

Expect the lines to be even longer late this afternoon. Tomcito will try to stamp his ticket to the Kentucky Derby when he races today in the Florida Derby. A $7,500 Kentucky-bred son of Street Cry, Tomcito won as a two-year-old racing a mile-and-one-quarter…against older competition. Few two-year-olds could win against their peers at that distance. There are weird slimilarities to another South American horse, Cannonero II. The latter also raced at long distances prior to attempting ten furlongs on the first Saturday in May.

All ethnic cultures that help comprise the polyglot that is the social fabric of New York look for rallying cries to help distinguish themselves from the rest of the population. Peruvians, and the non-Hispanic patrons of Pio Pio, will no doubt have a special interest in what happens in Florida this afternoon. Should Tomcito qualify for the Kentucky Derby, expect lots of Pio Pio chicken to be consumed in New York on May 3rd. Perhaps the Peruvians will wash down the chicken with mint juleps this year.

If Tomcito’s trainer, Dante Zanelli, Jr., can take a $7,500 purchase and plot a path to Louisville with hopes of running in the Derby, then who is to say that some lucky members of the MTG partnership won’t have a horse with similar aspirations in 2009? The odds of that happening are remote, although they are no less remote than a dreamer in Peru entertaining thoughts of a May garland of roses at Churchill.

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Spirit Warrior: 2-2-2-2

He is the steady performer in the Media Thoroughbred Group stable.  From Texas to New York and many destinations in between, Spirit Warrior has faced some serious race horses - even some on the Derby trail - and looked them dead in the eye.  This son of Boundary is not very big; but he doesn’t know that.  In fact, he has a history of taking on the big boys right from the start - in the paddock on the ranch in Texas - before the first gate ever opened.

Spirit Warrior has been racing for a little more than a year.  He has two wins, two seconds, two thirds and two fourth place finishes.  His most recent outing in New York at Aqueduct put him in competition with the likes of Wafi City and Wisp.  Going off at 28 to 1, he finished second and ”ran his eyeballs out.”  Trainer Dave Cannizzo says he hasn’t reached his peak.  Jockey Channing Hill has figured out how to optimize every ride.  Chad Summers takes care of him as if he were his child.

At Media Thoroughbred Group, we are a family.  We treat our horses with respect and love.  And when they excel, the joy rings out across the MTG nation.  Cell phones buzz and emails fly.  It’s a good thing.

Go Spirit Warrior!  We are proud of you!! 

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