Love at First Sight

Tweet It was a harmless Pick 4 play in mid March 2009 and I was testing out Formulator for the first time. I singled a certain filly in the Fair Grounds Oaks, the first sequence of races that included the New Orleans Handicap, the Mervin Muniz and the Louisiana Derby although I had never seen her before. I think it was the first time I even had bet on a race at the Fair Grounds and it was pouring rain. You know, the stuff gambling disasters are made of. But something happened that afternoon while online with fellow Twitterati ColinsGhost and superterrific. That certain filly crushed the field at 1-5 with a jockey named Borel on board. We all sensed something special that day and were all over Borel for showboating in the stretch. It was the first time I laid eyes on Rachel Alexandra. It's kinda eerie looking back on the "day after" post where I mention the single and was actually more excited about the freight train closing move by Macho Again, a horse Rachel would face, ironically, in the Woodward six months later in the defining moment of her tremendous Horse of the Year campaign. Even Friesen Fire, who would become the Derby favorite a month and a half later, seemed to grab more of the attention that day, as a promising Derby hopeful. But it kept coming back to me, race after race, remembering that performance in the slop in the Fair Grounds Oaks, like when she romped home later in August in the Haskell mud crushing most of the class of the 3yo colt crop.

(Picture courtesy: Brianna Paciorka)

Oddly, I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a signed picture this weekend in State College of her(there were more than a few) when I picked up the Borel/Super Saver one. I guess I thought she had one more left, especially after the spectacular work yesterday. But, when you kick back and think about her 4yo campaign to date. It was time.

This is probably the billionth post on Rachel today (I apologize). Maybe it's because it was before she was loaded on the Jess Jackson showboat and was still running in the colors of former owner Dolphus Morrison for trainer Hal Wiggins. It also made me remember the day Curlin retired, and while many are saddened by her retirement, I'll celebrate her memory by remembering those historic 3yo victories and that day in the mud in New Orleans. I regret that I never actually was fortunate enough to see her in person, but as for that day a year ago in March....

For me, it was love at first sight...

Here's another look at that rainy day in the Big Easy...

Days Gone By

Tweet With the passing of George Blanda today at the ripe old age of 83, it immediately brought me back to my youth. Standing in the back yard in Cayuga, NY with my childhood pal, Jay, throwing touchdown passes around the big tree in Mr. Knierem's back yard (and hoping he wouldn't yell at us being in his yard) pretending to be John Brodie, Johnny Unitas and the grand ole' man Blanda. If the pretend Blanda happened to throw the TD, he would be kicking that extra point over our neighbor's tree. When's the last time a QB in today's game also doubled as the field goal kicker? Classic stuff. I know I digress, but when someone passes away that was someone you imitated as a kid, then you take notice.....ok back to racing (P.S. Blanda did play at the University of Kentucky...)

Well not yet...I took the weekend off from the ponies to make the annual pilgrimage to Happy Valley for the Nittany Lion-Temple Owls game, sans tickets. I sent the Space Gal into her favorite tee-shirt joint and the hunt was on. I negotiated a pretty good deal for 8th row tickets on the 40 with your friendly neighborhood scalper guy. I turned the tables on him when he said he was going to only make $20 on the deal, saying "man that's 20%...where you gonna get that in this market." I walked away saying No Deal and he called me back immediately and the deal was done. They ended up being excellent seats and Temple gave PSU all they could handle. A good time was had by all. On a side note, we ran into a gent in front of the PSU Bookstore who was selling signed pictures of various horses and I purchased a photo of Super Saver's Derby win, signed by Calvin Borel. Sweetness.

My month long wagering hiatus will end on Super Saturday, where Belmont will feature 5 (count em, five) Grade I's headlined by the Jockey Club Gold Cup. There are several handicapping contests this weekend also, so it's prime time to start prepping for the Breeders' Cup, just like the ponies. I'm feeling refreshed and pumped for Saturday's ack-shun.

As a relatively new fan to the sport, I just don't get race conditions that provide weight breaks to horses. Yeah, I get they are trying to even up the race in most situations, but why do mares get a 3 lb weight break in the Classic? Northern Hemi 3 yos get 4 lbs in the Classic? Fillies get 5 lbs in the Preakness? Aren't we trying to find out who the fastest horse is? It's not like amateur golf where handicaps are determined based on your best 10 of your last 20 rounds, to even out betting between competitors. Professional golfers don't give strokes to one another, so why should professional race horses spot each other a few lbs? I don't know if I'll ever get it. Maybe I'm just ignorant, but I sure would love to understand the logic...

RIP George

Equinoxal Ramblings

Tweet Must be the full moon. Is equinoxal a word? Let's get ready to ramble....

- There is an equi in equinox, so it has something to do with horses, no?

- I can't believe I missed International Talk Like a Pirate Day this year, I'm seriously starting to slack here at the Space Station. If you're wondering, it was last Sunday. ARRRR.

- The Republican gubernatorial candidate is from Buffalo. He uses Thurman Thomas to ward off racist claims by his detractors. He's only 6 points behind heavily favored Andrew Cuomo in the latest NY Post Poll (so I'm told at the bar tonight). I'm pretty apolitical, but there are fireworks in the future for this race for the highest post in New York State. Could he actually win?

- Former high school pal and baseball teammate Bones came out of hiding and commented on my last post, and let the cat out of the bag that I used to cover my high school football team on the sidelines for the local paper. Did I mention the team went 0-8?

- Anyone need Bills tickets?

- If you haven't caught the E Train on the Breeders Cup 360 site, you don't know what you're missing. The latest Charles Town video was classic.

- The Space Kid inspired my recent Alphabet Soup post. The Space Gal had him outfitted in a tee shirt we bought last year at the Churchill Downs gift shop with a big H is for Horse on it. Kid looks the part.

- I love Autumn. It's one of the treasures of living in a region that is fortunate to have all four seasons. Too bad they couldn't run the Breeders' Cup in September when the leaves are changing in the Northeast sometime. It's quite striking.

- What's up with California Racing and why can't they get their act together? Just askin.

- Speaking of Cali Racing, after attending last November's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park, I could almost be convinced that it could serve as the permanent site (especially if they go back to dirt). Talk about killing the golden goose? The weather, the beauty, the local attractions and places to go all make sense to me...I feel kinda guilty saying it as an East Coast guy, but after being there...I get it. Who wants to sit in a cold, wet, damp environment (that's me not raising my hand) with the iffyness of keeping the races on the grass.....tell me that's not Churchill's worst nightmare....

- Heading to State Penn (ahem, Penn State) for the weekend and my annual scalping extravangza on College Ave (I love the thrill of the deal)....wish me luck.

Everyday is a Winding Road

Tweet When I started this blog back in April 2008, I had no idea of the twists and turns that awaited me. Entering the blogosphere was pretty foreign to me. Not knowing the rules (and finding out there really are none), internet protocol or even how to track my own website made the journey all the more interesting. I would learn something new every day. I knew it would be somewhat of a challenge as a new scribe following a niche sport with a smattering of fans across the country, and that I couldn't come close to the way some of the other bloggers could write (run-on sentences found here). Being a relatively new fan at the time, I also didn't have the historical background or know enough about pedigrees to write intelligibly about either....so I did what any blogger would do...I faked it. At the same time though, I read as much as humanly possible to fill in my gaps in history and other idiosyncracies that this game has. I asked the dumb questions and learned as I went. And I still have much to learn.....

But if you told me I'd be able to post articles at the Bloodhorse Blog Stable or cover the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last year for the NTRA, I'd tell you you're crazy and to back away slowly. The best thing that this blog has done for me though is connect me with a number of wonderful people who have the same passion as I do. You wouldn't believe the emails I receive offering words of encouragement or asking me to post about something or other or that they enjoyed something that I wrote that had a humorous twist to it. It's funny because a lot of you I've never met in person, but we are connected in cyberspace by this common bond, a love of horse racing.

I'm still not really sure what this blog is (if you do, please let me know), I've maintained all along the notion that I'm doing it for myself and for the sheer enjoyment of sharing my passion with those who want to read my ramblings. I was a little nervous about how I might be perceived by those who know me professionally, but it didn't take long before it became a nice conversation piece and was universally accepted by those who know me in "real life." Of course, the support of an understanding and cool wife (who lets me call her the Space Gal) who shares me with cyberspace makes it all the easier.

So whether you're a blogger pal, a fellow TBA'er a commenter, a Facebook or Twitter friend, someone who links to me, or someone who reads but never comments, I thank you first and foremost for reading and lastly for encouraging me to keep on keepin' on by coming back. If we haven't met, I hope we do someday to share a beer, a laugh, a cigar, or even better to watch a race together. If we have met, I look forward to our next meet up, because I'm pretty sure it'll be at a racetrack (and we all know there's not a better place in the world).

The most current curve in my winding road is something I was completely floored by. About a week ago, Michael Amo, one of those folks who I connected with over a year ago when he was founding the fan group called ThoroFan, called me and asked me to join his Board of Directors. Myself along with the very polished and talented Barry Bornstein will be joining the five person Board, effective immediately. As most of you know, I've been helping them manage the weekly Handicappers' Corner and worked closely with Michael and Niki Rowe (secretary/treasurer) with their tax exempt filing with the IRS, which was successfully obtained last month. So I look forward to continue this journey and love affair I have with racing and to try and help this fledgling organization grow in the future. All you need to do is look at their mission statement below to know that I'm all in....

The mission of the Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc., (ThoroFan) is to foster the growth of the Thoroughbred racing industry by providing racing fans with an organization that will actively support their interests.

Game on.

Whack a Mole

Tweet I used to love going to the Great New York State Fair in my hometown Syracuse and play the whack-a-mole game. I can still hear one of my best buds mimicking the carnival barker with a little "whack that mole, hit em in the head, whack that beaver, kill him dead" rhyme. After reading that the latest idea to save horse racing was shot down Jesse James style, it must seem to those trying to make it work are playing the part of the mole and powers that hold the cards in one hand have the whack-a-mole hammer in the other. Did they really think that the holes wouldn't be filled with piss in the long run? I've pretty much given up with that thinking and gone straight to handicapping and minding my own business (for now).

It's been a wild and woolly week for me. On Tuesday I spent some time with QB Jim Kelly on his weekly Under the Helmet Show on a local Buffalo radio station. As the outside accountant for his charitable foundation, Hunter's Hope, I was asked to oversee his Big 12 Raffle (Academy Awards style, sans the black tie) where he gave away 12 cool prizes, including 2 Super Bowl tickets for this season's big game in Dallas. It was a cool experience, it's not every day that you are able to hang with a Hall of Fame Quarterback, and be on the radio to boot. Not to mention help out a good cause.

As far as the latest racing news....man, if Blind Luck truly goes in the Zen...err...Lady's Secret...wowsa. It could be "back up the truck" time and should she upset the big Z...man...would the Classic division be a big ole heap of uncertainty. I smell juicy odds at Churchill if that happens. Gotta love the major kahunas of Hollendorfer if he skips the Cotillion for the Secret.

Hey Satish....you could always recruit this guy to help ya....

My Alphabet Soup

Tweet Alphabet Soup – Space Man Style

A is for Affirmed and Alydar, a rivalry for the ages.

B is for Beulah and Belmont , a couple of Parks and the Bid.

C is for Cauthen and Curlin, the best of their times.

D is for Del Mar, where the turf meets the surf.

E is for Exacta, my favorite bet. (You thought I was going to be egocentric didn’t you?)

F is for Foolish Pleasure, the Hall of Fame Derby winner.

G is for Goose and Tonic, my racetrack drink.

H is for Hialeah, the gem of the South.

I is for IRS Window and 1099’s.

J is for Jockey Club, the keepers of the sport. (cue laugh track)

K is for Kelso, the late blooming champ.

L is for Losing Ticket , stay away from me, please.

M is for Man o’War, need I say more?

N is for Northern Dancer, cause it’s in the blood.

O is for Oak Tree, wherever it may be.

P is for Preakness, the second jewel to see.

Q is for Quinella, a funky kind of bet.

R is for Ruffian, whose movie brought me to tears (first since Brian Piccolo)

S is for several of the best (Secretariat, the Slew and Saratoga)

T is for Thomas the Tank Engine (sorry, Space Kid was editing)….it’s actually for Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance, your source for turf news and whatnot.

U is for "U got to be kidding me" for the photo finish that cost me the Pick 4.

V is for Victory Ride (and getting close to the end).

W is for a Win bet on a longshot play.

X is for the horse that Crist throws away.

Y is for Yonaguska, a fine sire indeed.

Z is for Zenyatta, how about a repeat?

Squish the Fish

Tweet We momentarily interrupt this horse racing blog to head out to the Ralph this afternoon for opening day activities for our beloved Bills. I shared a cigar with handicapper extraordinaire the Turk yesterday morning and he tells me he's optimistic on the season at hand. The way he's firing at the windows....that's encouraging! Squish the Fish.

Saratoga Hangover

Tweet Have you been walking around like you just drank a bottle of Jack last night? Is it someone's cruel joke that there is actually a hangover remedy named Jack's? Ever since the Spa meet ended on Monday it's been like that for me. I can't seem to focus ever since Voodoo Queen crossed the wire on Monday to complete the 40th day and 192nd turf race at the Spa. To boot, there doesn't seem to be any decent races on tap for the next few weeks (there probably is, but it feels good to whine a little). Not only that...I think somebody stole my snark. I've been Mr. Nice Guy all summer long and nary a word that would make your average blogger in the basement proud. That's right, we're not here to report on the sport, we're here to have fun with it as it sinks further and further out of the main stream.

To make matters worse, the Space Gal has been taunting me that I can't go a month without a wager. Tonight I was checking the internet on my phone and was teased that I was sneaking in a show bet on the Presque Isle Mile (I didn't...although if I did it would have been on the #8 horse - he came in third). Of course, my inner discipline can handle it, so I'm not worried, although she picked the worst time to challenge me, since I've been hotter than a two dollar pistol. But I never back down from a Space Gal challenge.

Anyways, here's a few things to try and get my snark back.......


NYRA's suggestion box.









How to perfect the 3:59, Buffalo to Saratoga style (courtesy: Saratoga Resident)











How not to perfect the 3:59 (courtesy: Saratoga Resident in traffic jam)












We've also been hearing a lot about how recent Derby winners have been lackluster at best subsequent to donning the roses on the first Saturday in May, and some have even suggested that the Derby is losing its luster. I say Poppycock (that's right, with a capital P). So what if Mine That Bird or Super Saver don't do donkey for the rest of their respective careers, they won the big one and you can't take it away. People remember the Derby winner and don't give a rat's arse about what they do after the Triple Crown. The only ones that do are nerds like us who follow the sport full time. No way it takes away from the Derby, which for all intents and purposes is an event, not a race. Not to mention, those horses are spent running back 2 weeks after the Derby in the Preakness and the TC trail can definitely take it's toll. For me, you have to respect the Derby winner no matter what. He (or she) did it at the classic distance on the dirt (or slop) and while it may take a little luck (and the right post position) it's still the hardest race to win in America. For every horse that struggles after the Derby, there's a Street Sense or Big Brown that did very well, thank you. The last two were run in the slop and had pre-race defections from the probable favorites (if they ever saw the gate), so basing an argument with those horses in mind, in my opinion is weak at best.

How 'bout that Gayego, track record tonight at PID. Where's he going? Dirt Mile? Mile?

Have a great weekend, I'll be popping aspirin trying to get over this Saratoga Hangover whilst I locate my snark.

Bada Bing Takes Toga Party III

Tweet Congrats to Tony Bada Bing who was A Leg Up on some steep competition in the Toga Party III Contest that wrapped up yesterday as the Spa concluded their 2010 meeting. Cheers to a job well done. Mr. Bada Bing wins the handicapping book of his choosing from the proprietor here at EquiSpace Ventures. A victory dance (video) of his choice will accompany the winner, or lap around Saratoga Race Course (if we can beat security).

The final standings were close, as Bada Bing closed late with victories in the Leading Trainer, Leading Jockey and Jockey Wins to go along with his 3 consecutive winning selections in the Dandy, Whitney and Alabama. Here's a look at the top 3 spots:

1st - Tony Bada Bing, 6 points
2nd - Space Bro, Floppydog, 5 points
3rd - Green But Game, Saratoga Spa, Railrunner, Tencentcielo, Kennedy's Corridor & Handride, 4 points

Once again, leading the International entries, was The Dresden File with 2 points. Hey, at least you can say you are an International Champion!

Notably, Dana at GbG was (oh so) close to garnering her first crown, just missing opening day attendance and the Woodward exacta by 93 attendees and $2.00, respectively. Maybe next year?

I hope everyone had fun with this year's closely contested contest and enjoyed playing along from home. Thanks again for participating in our biggest contest yet. Any suggestions for Toga Party IV are welcomed and will be filed at EquiSpace Headquarters.

Roller Coaster Day

Tweet It was one of those up and down days all the way around. I woke up to a happy Space Kid and made the family some breakfast before sitting down with my morning cup of joe and the paper. When I opened up the sports page first (a habit since 2nd grade) I was met with a front page (sports section) article saying that the Happy Handicapper had passed at age 66. Talk about a tough way to start the day. Bob Summers covered turf racing for the Buffalo News since 1984. I knew The Turk would be affected by these events and it wasn't long before he had a nice tribute up over on his blog. The News rarely provides the sport of horse racing the light of day outside of the agate section, but would on occasion provide the Happy Handicapper space to discuss the Triple Crown races or the Prince of Wales Stakes. He rarely picked favorites and always had an angle that he shared with his readers. I'll miss him along with many other Western New York racing fans and handicappers. The buzz around the Wehrle Drive OTB today was all about his sudden death and that he will be sorely missed in these parts...

Speaking of the Wehrle OTB, the Saratoga Resident and I met for a little lunch and handicapping of the first few races to celebrate the final Saratoga card of the season. In traditional fashion we played a four horse superfecta box (the bet that hooked me in 2004 on closing day) on the fourth race after an engaging debate over the last horse. Yours truly and both of us won out and cashed a nice ticket to keep our tradition alive. For the early part of the card, that was the lone highlight as I was getting murdered in the early Pick 3's. But a shooter in a slump keeps on shooting....

The environs changed back to the Space Station after bidding the Saratoga Resident farewell and I put together a final Pick 4 play (followed by a late Pick 3) which we cashed on and all was merry in the Space Pad. As Keertana cruised by everyone on the rail in the Glens Falls, the Space Kid was mimicking my "Oh Yeah!" shouts from the kitchen. The Kid is sooo ready for this game. Live in the finale to the top 3 choices, Voodoo Queen brought it home to close the meet and a very topsy turvy day.

While the exhiliration of hitting on the final bets of the meet was awesome, the realization that the meet has come to an end started to set in and we were on the downward side of the roller coaster again.....what a day.

One other note before we wrap up the holiday weekend, I downloaded a very cool app called Equibase Yearbook on my iPad on Friday. You can search any graded stakes race (and some non-graded ones), see the results and chart and watch the video. Very cool stuff and by late Saturday evening they already had the Woodward and Forego up within the application. A must have for racing fans and a nice way to search and watch replays.

Final results of the Toga Party III contest will be announced tomorrow after final numbers are released by NYRA.

Labor of Love

Tweet This game can be a labor of love and on this cold and windy Labor Day weekend in the B-Lo, my focus was on Del Mar for a couple days. Friday night my stepfather-in-law and I were taking in the Friday night card and watching bomb after bomb come in. The TVG telecast team seemed like they had just taken a bunch of ecstasty pills before the broadcast as they were as wacky as I've ever seen them. The Space Gal even mentioned that they had lost their minds when she asked what in the world we were watching.

I stayed up and handicapped the Saturday card and the mammoth Pick 6 and actually hit 5 of 6 (missing the finale - I don't think I could ever wager on a horse with that jockey riding and expect to win) on a $192 play. I was live to the #1 (third choice) and the #8 (second choice Snovember - seemed appropriate for a Bflo boy) and it was fun following the last few races. I always find I do better when I handicap the night before for some reason.

The Toga Party Contest is heading down the stretch and looks to be a two-horse race between Floppydog (who just missed the Woodward $2 exacta by two bucks) and Tony Bada Bing, with Bada Bing looking like he may take it with a Johnny V jockey victory and the turf race points. We'll have everything tabulated by Tuesday morning and announce the winner then.

It's hard to believe the Saratoga and Del Mar meetings are coming to a close (we hardly knew ya), but there's been some exciting racing all summer and as the seasons start to change here the Fall meets at Belmont, Oak Tree, Keeneland will lead to the penultimate at Churchill in early November and the Breeders' Cup World Championships. I'm especially looking forward to the Keeneland fall meeting and their $0.50 trifecta and Pick 4 wagers, not to mention the quality fields....ok polytrack it's time we meet again.

At this time next week I'll be sitting in the Ralph, hoping the hometown Bills "squish the fish" in our opener against our arch rivals. We'll know pretty quick whether this team has anything or if they will take us to another 4-12 campaign. As usual the QB situation is tenuous at best, it's pretty bad when you get excited that Matt Leinart is on the market. At least, the Cuse came out and won their first opener in several years, beating Akron handily behind QB Ryan Nassib (dude's got a cannon).

Have a great Labor Day.

Easy Money

Tweet I'm still not sure if I'm cool with joining the TwinSpires Players Pool yesterday, but hey if you can get 5x or 6x (depending how you're looking at it) on your dough, that's not too shabby (as one, Adam Sandler, would say). As I stated yesterday, I threw a few bucks ($30) into the $60K pool, the equivalent of .0005 and hoped for the best. I'd say it worked out okay, when the 10 horse Slick Wheelie ($16.80) roared home for the win and a $377K hit for the Players Pool. My cut was $204 (pretax) and $157 (net) as they also cashed 31 consos at $983 each. I was a little surprised (didn't read the fine print about the taxes being taken out) as I thought the "rules" stated that I was responsible for my own taxes, totally forgetting about the required withholding on a ticket that large.

My own picks (which I decided not to play since the 8th was a real mindbender) hit only 3 of 6, my single Peat Bay ($4.80) in the 5th, Power Dreams ($10.60)in the 7th and Crowned General ($21.40) in the 9th, so it was a good idea to sit out and just watch the TS PP ticket roll. I was proud of the Crowned General selection at 10-1, but my single in the nightcap, The Roundhouse didn't come through. I ended up playing the Pick 3's in and around each of the races and nailed the 5-7 sequence and lost the 8-10 sequence (missing only the aforementioned 8th in both bets). So all in all I feel my handicapping is still sharp and my bet construction and wagering decisions have made great strides in the past six months.

Will I participate in the Players Pool again? Maybe. It was fun being live to 6 horses in the finale, with 4 of them paying greater than 3x investment. Plus it kept me interested in the card playing my usual exacta and/or Pick 3 wagers, so maybe they're on to something with this?

Dipping My Toe in the Pool

Tweet I'm not a regular Pick 6 player, but since the pool should approach $2M today at the Spa, I figured I'd take a half-hearted shot. I also became intrigued by the TwinSpires Players' Pool which is taking a swing at the big money today. Even though it feels a little weird, I contributed a few bucks to the Players' Pool just so I could see how my selections fare against some of the better handicappers in the biz. The Players' Pool utilizes the talents of three different handicappers and the Pool is capped with $60K worth of TwinSpires member contributions...wowsa, that's some nice play money to go after a P6 with, eh?

I remember seeing that they took down a big pool on Belmont Day....so why not try and double or triple (or egads, quadruple) your money with a really deep ticket that you can follow along and root for? I guess there's nothing wrong with it....although I still feel a little funny like I'm one of those zombies pulling the lever at the slot machine. I guess I'll justify it by putting in a small play of my own and see what happens. When you don't have bankroll you have to find the singles. My singles will be #5-Peat Bay in the 5th race and #9-The Roundhouse in the 10th race and I'll play a variety of two horse combos in between.

We'll report back tomorrow with comparisons and what it was like to be in the Players Pool and how my paltry ticket matched up with the big boys.

Good luck Space Cadets....