Weekend Decision

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"I've decided to take my talents to Saratoga Springs."

~LeSpace Man

While I'm away check out the TBA's handicapping challenge for SAR/MTH this weekend. It's just not for your favorite bloggers, we're inviting readers, real turf writers, famous basketball players, my mom and others to join in and show your handicapping skillz to the racing world.

Another new cool site to check out for a handicapping contest this weekend is at Steve Davidowitz' new site GradeOneRacing.com. I gave the initial contest a shot...you know what the say: if it's free it's for me.

See ya Sunday (or at the Spa!).....

Itchin' for the Spa

Tweet I have to say to that my internal clock is going off, cuz tomorrow is usually the day that would be opening day at the Spa. What, they've already been running for 4 days?!? That's what happens when you spend a weekend in Canada, you lose all track of time...

Well, I'm three days away from the inaugural visit and we're towing along the Space Gal and Kid for this one. Less than 18 months old and he'll complete the superfecta of Keeneland, Churchill, Gulfstream with the Spa. There's no better place to top off a super like that.

So what's on my mind.....I know you didn't ask..but you're gonna get it anyways 'cause it's one of those opinionated days....

- I guess I can't be too disappointed I missed another wet opening day...

- Looking forward to catching up with some old and new friends at the Spa, including the folks who run ThoroFan. They've been terrific to work with on the TBA Handicappers' Corner and on some other business issues.

- The best race of the meet is shaping up to be the TVG/Betfair (excuse me while I throw up) Alabama. It reminds me of 2008 when Proud Spell and Music Note faced off in a mano-y-mano affair. The Devil May Care-Blind Luck matchup looms large.

- I have to say I'm pretty excited to see Afleet Express in the Dandy this weekend. I was a big fan of his papa. Probably the most disappointed I was about missing a horse race was when Afleet Alex (one of my favorites) retired before running in the 2005 Travers. Major bummer.

- Also glad I get to see a fav of mine again, Fly Down, who will run in the Dandy also. Thinking I have my cold exacta in the books already.

- Who else wants Big Drama to show up for a matchup in the Forego with Vineyard Haven?

- Lost my mind when I was shut out on TwinSpires on the Peace Bridge (sitting in traffic for an hour) trying to make an across the board wager on Maybesomaybenot in the Sanford....ugh.

- Figures Javier Castellano rips off 5 in a row on Sunday, a week before our visit. He's been the Space Gal's favorite since we started summering at the Spa and she consistently plays his mounts no matter what. It was a repeat of his Labor Day 2005 performance, which we were fortunate enough to witness.

- The Personal Ensign. Nah.....it'll never happen. [If it does, I'll be Huckleberry Hound for Halloween.]

- Just looked at Friday's twilight card...must be Ladies' Night....7 filly & mare races sandwiched inside of two $20-$25K claimers...interesting.

- Don't forget to send me your Toga Party III pick for the Dandy before Saturday noon.

Looking forward to scratching that itch.

Panama Black

Tweet I knew I should have ordered a Mocha with my donut from Tim Horton's after crossing the border yesterday afternoon.

It was truly a golden day at the Fort, as the chestnut with four white stalkings, Golden Moka (pictured here in the paddock), stole the show and the big prize winning the 2nd leg of Canada's Triple Crown. Fort Erie Race Track was buzzing all afternoon on a beautiful summer day in southern Ontario. The border oval, just a hop, skip and a jump from my hometown Buffalo, was packed to the gills like I've never seen it. I parked as far away as I ever had when arriving in time for the 5th race. The stands were full, the beer lines long and the betting lines longer. Track officials had to be happy with the on track attendance and the concessions business appeared to be rolling all day long also.

The horse itself is a big story, in that he had only won 3 races previously, netting a whopping $8K, each race being run in Panama. He was the "X-factor" as previewed by Bill Tallon in the DRF before the race and he sure did X out a few of his competitors, pulling away by 2 3/4 lengths to his closest challenger. Looks like he'll pass on the third leg of the crown, the Breeders' Stakes, according to Tallon.

The track had a big race day feel to it that I've never felt in many visits since I started following the sport five or so years ago. It wasn't Saratoga, but it felt good to be around the buzz of the crowd and listening to the roar as they rolled down the stretch in the Prince of Wales. I took a few photos (as usual) for your viewing pleasure....hope you enjoy 'em...

Looking down at the grandstand (racino side).













Looking left at the clubhouse turn side of the grandstand, notice the picnic benches full of race fans.













Huggy Rocks ($11.80) wins the sixth.













Surprise visit by Dudley Do Right in the paddock.












They were hanging from the rafters overlooking the paddock before the Prince of Wales.












Patrick Husbands making a rare appearance at the Fort to ride Hotep for trainer Mark Frostad.
If he were the trainer for the winner we coulda had a Frostad Moka on our hands...









Speaking of Hotep and Husbands.....













The Plate winner Big Red Mike gets some paddock encouragement from jockey Eurico da Silva. He finished third.











2nd place finisher Mobil Unit.

The goods.

Not exactly Buffalo News-worthy, but a shot of Golden Moka crossing the wire from the rail, with Mobil Unit and Big Red Mike rounding out the tri...

Toga Party III is in full swing and The BeerMan jumped out to the early lead by corraling the opening day attendance with his projection of 22,660 and within 518 of the actual attendance of 23,178. He nosed out Green But Game (who is the only contestant to pick Castellano as top jock - with 5 wins yesterday!) by a mere 91 visitors.

Pop the Top on this Bad Boy

Tweet Yeah, I admit it, it's corny...but do you have a better picture of a Saratoga Opener?

Tomorrow my four year streak of Saratoga openers will come to a screeching halt. Business and family responsibilities will keep me from my annual visit, but we'll be watching (somehow) from the other side of the state as the 40 day meet opens under potential ominous weather conditions. Afternoon thunderstorms are predicted my weather.com and the chance of rain is currently 70%....same as we are projecting for the Queen City.

While the haters will complain about the quality of racing, there will be quality racing every day of the meet and plenty of opportunities to pick your spots for that potential life-changer (still waiting on this end).

I looked at the entire card and these are the more interesting races in my humble opinion for tomorrow with my race thoughts....

RACE 1 - 1 1/16 miles on the Inner Turf $43K Allowance (3 yo's and up)

Sackatoga Stable sends out Seattle Mission third off the layoff and 1-1 on the Toga turf. My pal Jeff is part of this partnership and I like his chances for trainer Barclay Tagg. Tapitdar shows a couple nice works and you always have to pay attention to Javier Castellano's mounts on the grass. Jose Lezcano jumps on Kuggerand and gets a 4 lb weight break and sports a win at Saratoga on his ledger. Off turf considerations: Steal the Shot (#15) has a nice wet Tomlinson and warrants consideration.

Selections: 1-3-8

RACE 2 - 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon Turf Course $51K Mdn Sp Wt (F&M 3+)

If this stays on the turf, I think Home Rule is my best bet of the day (and my probably early P3 single). Javier rides her for the fourth straight time, beaten by a length and a half as the favorite last time out. Simply Carina and GoGo try and tackle Home Rule, beaten by a length and a half for third in the same race. At 8-1 ML this horse could have some real value. My third selection, Holy Place, is running her second career race and Johnny V rides (Javier had the first mount - take note) for Todd Pletcher. Off turf considerations: #15 Gold Collection and #16 Gold Collection should both be solid in the slop.

Selections: 11-8-9

RACE 3 - 6 1/2 furlongs, $52K Allowance N1X

First race scheduled on the real dirt (hopefully) and my first longshot selection of Footcandles (15-1 ML), I love this colt by BC Sprint champion Speightstown whose sportings some nice works in this short field. Aspire and Bonavento should take all the money based on their connections so we'll throw them in our P3 play as well.

Selections: 7-1-5

We'll jump ahead a few races to the baby race and the 2 stakes races to complete our opening day card thoughts......

RACE 7 - 5 1/2 furlongs, $50K Md Sp Wt (2 yo fillies)

Obviously I have a penchant for anything pirates, so naturally I love Playing Pirates in this one. Sir Calvin rides for D-Wayne and has a string of bullet works gracing the PP's. The Malibu Moon filly Malibu Cougar is my second choice. She's the most expensive filly in the field ($325K) for Steve Asmussen who is striking at 21% with his 2yos. The Pletcher/Johnny V combo will again take the locals money at the window and we think With the Current will hit the board for the Toddster (hitting at a whopping 26% with his 2 yr olds).

Selections: 1-6-8

RACE 8 - 7 furlongs, $75K James Marvin S.

This race always seems to attract the name horses on opening day. Last year Pyro came in 2nd and went on to win the Forego later in the meet. This year a couple of oldies but goodies grace the Marvin. I'm going with Vineyard Haven off the layoff (he also won in the slop on Travers day last year in the King's Bishop only to be DQ'd). bin Suroor Saeed has been successful off long layoffs in the past and had a monster 2009 meet. I like Discreet Treasure on a bit of a cutback in distance and decent wet Tomlinsons, especially if the late afternoon thunderboomers show up to spoil the party. It's hard not to include Cool Coal Man or Le Grand Cru in the mix here, and at this point I'm still up in the air.

Selections: 4-5-(?)

RACE 9 - 6 furlongs, G3 Schuylerville S. $100K (2yo fillies)

The first graded stake of the meet features 7 competitive fillies vying for the first graded winof their respective careers. The Bandini filly Let's Get Fiscal (oh, Olivia Newton John, you take me back), an impressive maiden winner last month at Belmont also has some nice works to show and Alan Garcia is in the irons. Final Mesa will take a lot of dough at the windows and for good reason for trainer Wesley Ward, looking for her fourth straight win. She'll definitely be on the P3 ticket. Show Me the Bling (I loved her daddy Too Much Bling) will try and move forward off several bullet works to catch a piece.

Selections: 3-7-6

Well there's my thoughts for a few of the opening day races. Looking forward to getting there next week for Dandy weekend and seeing some old (and new) friends. The Toga Party III Contest selections are posted on the upper right sidebar and the first contest point is up for the taking tomorrow (opening day card attendance number). The prognostications range from Railrunner's 18,500 to Tony Bada Bing's 32,185......we'll know soon enough.

Let's keep those storms away!

Insert Olivia Newton John - Let's Get Physical You Tube Here (I couldn't do it....after watching the first 30 seconds, I just couldn't do it.......sorry) in honor our The Schuylerville Selection.

I Wanna Be Your Superhero...

Tweet As I was having some dinner last summer at Max London's on Broadway in Saratoga Springs with the Saratoga Resident, we struck up a conversation with the gentleman next to us. We found out soon enough that he was one of the five owners of the Saratoga institution, Siro's Restaurant. He hailed from NYC and was enjoying a nice meal on the town, away from the bustle of Siro's. We made a few offers for the restaurant, but we couldn't quite seem to meet his number. Unfortunately, it had a few more zeroes attached to what we were offering.

Well, it looks like the former owners finally made a deal based on the following article in the Saratogian (hat tip to reader Dan D) and the roster includes various celebrity ownership including the two Entourage stars shown above (Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon) who play E and Johnny Drama, respectively on the HBO show.

Also included in the celebrity owner ranks are jockey Johnny V, Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds and head designer from Calvin Klein to name a few. The managing partner triumverate includes Paul Carlucci, the publisher of the New York Post. Very interesting, indeed.

It'll be interesting during the meet, with the track keeping The Paddock Bar open after the races, to see if Siro's is affected by this. Looking forward to my first Siro's cocktail under new management....



NOTE: Don't forget to send me your Toga Party contest picks before Thursday! 4 days to go.

Space Invasion: Finger Lakes

Tweet It's not exactly Bushwood.

My inaugural visit to the B level track, Finger Lakes, was a successful one even though the racing was pretty chalky (the late $2 Pick 4 paid $42). Located in the heart of wine country just a few miles from one of the most beautiful finger lakes, Canandaigua Lake, the Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack made for a homey visit on Saturday afternoon. Having two of the better known NY based jockeys, Edgar Prado and Mike Luzzi in town, made it an easy decision to make the hour and fifteen minute jaunt down Route 90.

Unfortunately there is no turf course at The Thumb, so we were relegated to dirt racing. The grandstands and box seats were nice and it was pretty easy to find a seat close to the action. The paddock could use some work, it seemed old and tired with an odds board that wasn't functioning. I had a couple beers in the Paddock Room Bar where they had a number of simulcast televisions going and the staff was friendly. There seemed to be a mix of families and hardcore players enjoying the racing. They had a tee-shirt giveaway for the NY Derby (for those obtaining a "Rewards" card for the slots). I overheard a couple conversations, the funniest was some elder gents sitting behind me complaining on how hard it was to read the PP's and it would take a lot of work to learn this game (although he came back and said maybe when he retired he would take it up). Another group of guys in their early 20s seemed to be having a blast, cashing some tickets and enjoying the sunshine. Here's a few shots of my day....

A good look at the tote board at Finger Lakes. Lots of information (and all of the bulbs were functioning).











#5 Lil Champ pulls away from the #6 Rosalie's Dance. Notice the 7-7-7 on the scoreboard....Jackpot!











Here's a look at the box seat reserved area....cost to sit in here: $3. Pretty reasonable and nice seats.











I was forced to hedge my bets all afternoon...













Edgar Prado with Steve Asmussen's assistant (to be named later) prior to the Arctic Queen....












As there is no video board at FL, this is how you tell who's in the lead while they're running on the backstretch....











La Concerto with Prado up overtakes Gold For The Queen in the stretch drive to win the $50K Arctic Queen.











Mike Luzzi explaining how he's going to ride Ibboyee to victory in the NY Derby...












Ibboyee and Luzzi take to the track.













Edgar on Flying Zee Stables' Shrewd One (a Smarty Jones colt).












There They Gooooo....in the NY Derby.













And down the stretch they come.....













Ibboyee crosses the wire in front of Shrewd One to win the NY Derby and garner his 3rd straight win in 3 tries over the Finger Lakes strip.










It was a great day of racing in the Finger Lakes region and great to see some quality racing there....

Weekend Warrior

Tweet I'm almost embarrassed to say that I'm making my inaugural visit to Finger Lakes Race Track tomorrow afternoon to catch the $150K New York Derby. Mission Control is just a mere 78.37 miles away from this upstate track (thinking 1 hour 10 minute flight time?) and I've just never made the effort to make it happen. I blew it a few years ago to see Funny Cide and Sweetnorthernsaint ran there last year.

With the NYRA-based jockey trio of Edgar Prado, Mike Luzzi and Jorge Chavez gracing FL tomorrow, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make the quick jaunt down the thruway to see some quality racing. Ibboyee (2 for 2 over the FL strip) is the marquee name gracing the NY Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher and the main reason Mike Luzzi has made the trip west down the Thruway. The second leg of the Big Apple Triple does not include the winner of the first leg, Friend or Foe, who won the Mike Lee Handicap at Belmont. It does include a Smarty Jones 3 year old named Shrewd One, who has posted some nice works and has a nice resume so far. It should be a nice race.

Also on the card is $50K Arctic Queen, a 6 furlong sprint for F&M 3 and up. All three invading jocks will ride in this race with Prado having the mount on 3/2 favorite La Concerto, who looks to be the class of this race. Chavez boards Meese Rocks (3/1) and Luzzi rides R Betty Graybull (6/1), while I'm leaning towards horse for the course, Gold for the Queen. GFTQ is running second off the layoff and has posted consecutive bullet works and looks to be fit and ready to roll.

Looking forward to hearing racecaller Tony Calo, who I have been informed is quite the showman. Not to mention my pals from Obviously NY Stables also have entered Hook Me Up in the nightcap! Check back Sunday for the latest Space Invasion recap.

And don't forget to send me your Toga Party III contest picks before next Thursday, I've received a few so far and it looks like we have a good chance to have a full field...keep em coming!

Toga Party III: Return of the Mad Capper

Tweet Don't you hate serial movies like Friday the 13th Part 42: Jason's bad beat? They usually have silly names and none can actually stack up to the original and the best actors have been replaced three times over (sweep the leg, Sensei). Well if you've followed this blog there are two annual events that I unveil: 1) the Derby spreadsheet and 2) the annual Toga Party contest. After a successful inaugural contest in 2008, last year we toked up a new and improved Part Deux with 15 different prognostications required. The 2009 winner (yours truly) hit 6 of 15, but deferred the crown to Saratoga Spa who took home a copy of Bill Heller's Graveyard of Champions for top honors. We moved the participation up a notch last year to 15 hearty souls and I'm hoping to move the needle up once again this year. So don't be afraid to participate as we lift our sheet for Toga Party III.

Rules: I've broken it down to 5 meet questions, 5 race or raceday specific questions and 5 winners of major stake races for this year's Saratoga meeting. 1 point per correct answer. Stakes race winner selections are not due until midnight on the Friday before the race. I will have the spreadsheet up and running on the right margin before opening day. Remember there's no Price is Right rules in effect (you can go over - it's closest to the correct number). Either email me: budmanbflo[at]hotmail.com your selections for the first 10 items only and the tiebreaker or leave them in the comment section by next Thursday at midnight (opening day eve) with your email address (if I don't already have it).

So here goes (open to all, we don't discriminate here in Space Land):

Meet questions
1) Leading Trainer
2) # of Wins - Leading Trainer
3) Leading Jockey (wins)
4) # of Wins - Leading Jockey
5) Total turf races for entire meet

Race/Raceday questions
6) Opening day attendance
7) Travers day attendance
8) Wins by #8 horse on 8/8/2010
9) $2 Trifecta payout on the Travers
10) $2 Exacta payout on the Woodward

Stake Race Winners - Do not send these to me now (due Friday midnight B4 the race)
11) Jim Dandy winner
12) Whitney winner
13) Alabama winner
14) Travers winner
15) King's Bishop winner

Tie-breaker
XX) Which jockey will top the jockey earnings for the meet?

Grand Prize: 2 Tickets to Bills game in December (just kidding)
Real Grand Prize: Choice of Handicapping Book currently in print (not kidding)

Defending Champs:
Toga I: Foolish Pleasure (2008) Runnerup: Green But Game
Toga II: EquiSpace (2009); Runnerup: Saratoga Spa
Toga III: Your Name Here

Are you feeling it?

Getting off the Office Pool Schneid

Tweet Cha-ching. If you view my profile you'll see one of my hobbies is "loser of office pools." Not any more, my friends. Myself and one other lone competitor (and one of my partners) predicted Spain and Nederland in the World Cup Final and you know which way I picked by now (he went with the Oranje). Pool picks were entered by picking the top two teams in each group and then putting them in the appropriate brackets and picking it from there. So there was some real difficulty. The ADW account is now fully loaded for the Spa. What's funny is that I was totally hooked on the soccer (a sport I previously haven't followed since I played it in high school many moons ago). So next up: the British Open office pool.

- With soccer overtaking my weekend, as well as a fiestarita party and a trip to the zoo with the Space Kid (and Gal), racing took a backseat this weekend, but I was paying attention to some of the bigger races.

- I placed one bet all weekend.....and I picked the wrong horse to beat 1-9 Embur's Song in the Bison City Stakes (2nd leg of Canadian Triple Tiara) up at Woodbine. Drat.

- I did love love love Trappe Shot in the Long Branch, but didn't get a chance to bet it....although I did hit the mythical $100 straight exacta over at The Knight Sky's Exacta Box contest with him cold over Nacho Friend. But I wasn't as savvy as fellow TBAers Saratoga Spa and Amateurcapper who used the same bet as their backup $50 play while I chose a different horse to come in second...oh well. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was right behind Kiaran McLaughlin on Belmont Day when Trappe Shot won his allowance race convincingly that day, sporting a 105 Beyer, and you could just tell by the look on his face that he's got the real deal there. Should be exciting to see what's shaping up to be a monster Haskell Invitational.

- Speaking of one of my favorite visitors, TKS has an excellent post up about seven sincere suggestions on customer service and marketing at Monmouth. As an upcoming visitor to the Jersey Shore this summer, I'll be looking for some of those coupons he mentions that should be promoted on the Tourism websites!

- The Blind Luck head bob victory was the most dramatic over the weekend in the Delaware Oaks and I was fortunate to catch it before hitting my Saturday afternoon party. That filly just gets it done and isn't afraid to tackle a different track or surface. Huge Space Kudos to the Blind Luck team.

Viva Espana!

Decisions Decisions

Tweet Decisions, decisions. What's a fellow to do. I'll never get that hour back that I wasted last night watching the LeBron debacle. I sure do feel for the fine folks in Cleveland, to be shat upon on national TV like that. All I can say to those good folk is payback is a bitch and your time will come.

This week's Wild hot Topic Friday (WTF) over at the TBA deals with whether reduced racing dates is the future for live horse racing? Funny, I think Jeremy Plonk must be a Russian spy and was tapped into the group's email conversations as he happened to blog about contraction today (h/t to Paulick Report). The consensus around our group seems to be that it's the way of the future and maybe the sport's only way to survive. I'd love to hear from some horsemen (especially those gracing the MTH meet) and their thoughts on the subject. My guess is the bigger houses would be all for it and the smaller ones will be thrown to the curb.

But I'd rather talk about all of the things that I could have been doing last night besides watching LeBratchelor (h/t to the Sports Guy)...

1. Watch Bethenny Frankel pee in a champagne bucket. Hey, Vic Zast loved it.

2. Read about the 10 coolest places in Saratoga.

3. Check out Amateurcapper's take on the Hollywood Gold Cup over at ThoroFan, sponsored by the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance.

4. Handicap the Knight Sky Racing Blog's DRF race of the week to stay ahead of the pack for July.

5. Endlessly tease the Space Gal that The Hills is scripted (always makes me laugh).

6. Dream about reaching Track Visit #284 some day.....that is awesome!

7. Make fun of one of the Bravo Housewives (particularly the Jersey ones).

8. Document some Stump the Guitarist questions, my 2005 stakes queries are starting to run dry.

9. Start a return the Braves to Buffalo movement....hey, a guy can dream.

10. Compare my Top Chef top 10 list to the pros.

Honorable Mention: Fantasize the kick didn't go wide right. (h/t reader Dan D from Toga)

Have a great weekend, may all your tickets be winners.

Heat Wave

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Man it's hot on the East Coast. I remember driving into the Spa on a Wednesday maybe 3 years ago when they cancelled racing due to the heat (what a crappy feeling that is).....You Buffalo haters thinking it snows here all the time should get a piece of this hotness.....so what's hot?

1. My World Cup Pool!!!. Holla Netherlands! I am usually the #1 king loser of the office pool. But guess what soccer boy....I have the Netherlands and Spain in a bracketed pool selected in the final before play started. Bend that one, Beckham. Show me the money Espana...I didn't study your language for five straight years for nothing...

2. Belmont Park. Racing cancelled tomorrow due to extreme temps.

3. Delaware Park. Racing cancelled tomorrow due to extreme temps.

4. The Thoroughbred Times. 40 under 40, then Women that Influence Racing? Who woke up the sleeping giant?? (Editors Note: I was not paid for this free advertisement - I would actually prefer to make fun of any main stream media but giving credit where credit is due)

5. Heat Miser. Always preferred him over the Frost guy (snow miser).

Ok...you know I just did this weak post so I could show my affinity to this song (and to keep TKS honest)....

Things About Racing That Don't Bug Me....

Tweet I've designed a one-part series on "Things About Racing That Don't Bug Me," just to show that I'm not always harping on the negative. It's not healthy to be all pissy and moany all the time, if you know what I mean. I started to draft a blog that was about things that bug me, but I figured why be all negative and uptight. So the happy me is editing today's number......

1. Saratoga. Opening day is a couple weeks away. I've already started to thing about Toga Party 3, the lone contest run here in the Space Station. 40 days watering down the meet? Hrrmph to the haters, I'll take the extra few days to enjoy the additional racing and the quaint little town in the Adirondacks. I also have a super secret back roads route that a new reader and former WNYer emailed me (and he's an ex-copper!) to help me get about the mendoza line of 4 hours.

2. 50 cent pick fours. Not gonna hate on the $2 pick six cuz that would just be negative. I'm not a huge player, but give me some 50 cent love and I'll rock that bet all day long. Memo to tracks that carry this: I will play your track (especially if the takeout is decent).

3. Fort Erie's day in the sun is approaching. With Ft. Erie trainer Nick Gonzalez winning the Queen's Plate with Big Red Mike, the Prince of Wales is around the corner and should draw a pretty decent crowd with the added local flavor. With Big Red's Disney flick coming out this year and Signature Red winning on the undercard, what more did you need to make a hunch bet on Mikey? Nice Plate Trial/Queen's Plate double for the big guy.

4. Late bloomers. I was sitting behind Kiaran McLaughlin on Belmont Day when Trappe Shot won his allowance race convincingly. I saw a very wry smile come over the trainer's face and a few fist pumps to boot. Yeah, he's a buzz horse now, but I liked what I saw at Gulfstream and he'll be running this weekend at the Shore in the Long Branch Stakes as perhaps a prep for the Travers.

5. Omnisurface star list grows. Franny Freud added a graded dirt win by winning the G1 Prioress and is part of the omnisurface stars list as the filly has won on all three surfaces. Of course, if Big Red Mike can pull off the Canadian Triple Crown, he'll join the winner of all 3 list. Only 5 horses are currently on the graded list. Great site.

6. Babe Ruth style wins. On Friday I commented to TKS that I was taking down his contest this weekend (*pointed to the right field bleachers*). Sure enough I nailed the United Nations with a mythical $50 win bet on Chinchon (IRE) using the Saratoga Resident's "bet on the foreigners on turf" angle. Unfortunately in the HRF contest, I boxed the two foreigners and took it on the chin. Moral of this story: Free contests don't bug me.

7. New Bloggers and Educational Sites. When I started blogging a few years ago, I think there were maybe 25 of us in the TBA. The number is something over 50 now and growing. The enthusiasm that our sport and that people want to write about it is growing and sites ThoroFan and HRF try and assist the newcomers to our game is encouraging. Thumbs up! While I'm at it I'll welcome two of the newer TBA bloggers, Tony Bada Bing from A Leg Up and Fionnuala from Calvados Bloodstock.

8. Tracks Not Afraid to Change. Monmouth took a big gamble, it seems to be working out, but even if it doesn't, they took a shot. NYRA does a nice job with it's social networking and uses popular people to promote the sport. The Cali tracks and Churchill have used night racing as a way to develop new blood and new forms of entertainment for Gen X and Yers.

9. Older horses staying in training. A big theme when I first started blogging was the defection of many "big name" horses after their 3yo season directly to the breeding shed. Take a look at the star power we now have currently racing. It's pretty damn good. It sparks good, healthy debate on how and when these stars will actually race each other, and should climax with some great racing at the Breeders' Cup (if they all stay healthy, God willing).

10. The Winner's Circle. Hey, who doesn't like the winner's circle? Would be even more fun to be in one someday.

What gives you hope or takes you to the racing happy place?

Jackson Shakes The Bank Again

Tweet The awesome group called the TBA (that I am a card carrying member of) has decided to try a new twist this Friday. I'm going to call it the Winning (hot) Topic Friday (or WTF for short). After a short vote (or dictator decision) one topic a week is the buzz every Friday. Many of the member bloggers will be discussing today's topic and you can find them here.

Today's WTF: What do you think about Jess Jackson demanding a raising of the purse in many of the races Rachel Alexandra shows up at? Is it a good move for the track to pay this fee in hopes of more handle?

My thoughts on this week's WTF.....do you remember the deep closer Better Talk Now's rabbit? The horse's name was Shake the Bank, generally ridden by second circuit rider whose name escapes me that I met at a bar outside Gulfstream a few years ago, but I digress... That's what this situation reminds me of. Jess Jackson shakes the track's bank and he noodles an additional $150 thousand clams out of them and makes them change the date to meet "Steve's" training schedule. Talk about a WTF. Now, I know all the arguments that "it's strictly business" and why wouldn't he want to get the "biggest bang for his buck", and he "holds all the cards", yada yada....but man, controlling purses and race dates? Talk about the inmates running the asylum.

Now don't get me wrong here, I say big kudos to Monmouth Park, as they had the foresight (and apparently the cash) to communicate with the Jackson camp to make it happen, but where was NYRA? Asleep at the wheel? Counting their chickens with Rachel firmly nested in one of their coops (taking up space, nonetheless)? Chucky is "puzzled" and "disappointed"? How about he just got played by Monmouth (again - See Super Saver)? It's all about communication, and apparently there was none. It's like Deal or No Deal and Monmouth had a green lined suitcase and NYRA had a paper bag. I think it was a smart play by the Jersey Boyz. Hopefully, RA shows up after shaking the bank this time (see Apple Blossom).

Shockingly (this is sarcasm), the race didn't fit into Zenyatta's schedule. Although the Big Z could be showing up in Louisville with a few more Grade 1 wins notched on her record versus a big fat goose egg on Rachel's come November. Which will probably lead the Jackson camp to enter her in the Distaff (aka Ladies Classic) instead of the big hoedown.

In other news, these parts are getting excited about the Queen's Plate and Keith from Triple Dead Heat (who came up with the WTF idea BTW), our Canadian resident TBA blogger has a post up on the Queen's Plate over at the ThoroFan Handicapper's Corner (sponsored by TBA Blogs). Make sure you check out his thoughts and selections.

Lastly, check out a new thoroughbred blog by former Buffalonian and radio and TV journalist Scott Jagow called Horsepuckey. He is making a bold move to leave the journalism area and enter into the racing industry, enrolling in the University of Louisville's one-year Equine Business program. He's someone who's willing to delve into a new field and share his path with us. Make sure you check him out.