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Tweet It's been quite a week at the Space Station as a number of things had my attention this week, the most exciting being my new side gig at The Buffalo News. I guess you couldn't ask for a better present yesterday, when I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my 22nd birthday. I'm looking forward to this opportunity, mainly because of the people I will be fortunate enough to encounter in this role. Another positive angle will be ramping up on the harness game, which is very prevalent in the Western New York area with Buffalo Raceway right in our backyard and Batavia Downs a half hour down the Thruway. My next article should be in next Friday's print edition with a Breeders' Cup preview. Thanks to all of you who have supported me over the last two and a half years (especially the Space Gal who is a saint in her own right).

Over at ThoroFan, I was asked to write an article on my Most Memorable Breeders' Cup Race, but instead I enlisted a number of my blogger pals (Alan H from The Bug Boys, Susan from A Saturday Afternoon Horse, Steve from Wireplayers and Patrick from Handride), Ernie "E Train" Munick of BC360 and TRNY fame and Dylan J, a frequent Wireplayers contributor to help me with the post. I'd like to publicly thank all of them for the effort and the time that each one of them put into the post. What is your most memorable BC race?

I did receive another email regarding the 30 for 30 Charismatic documentary, which said that it would no longer be a part of that series, but rather a future ESPN Films production. The mystery as to the delays and removal from 30 for 30 schedule still have me scratching my head.

Time to get back to those voluminous BC past performances....

Charismatic 30 for 30: What Happened??

Tweet You can say I was more than excited when the ESPN 30 for 30 schedule was announced last fall and that one of the one hour documentaries was about Charismatic giving horse racing some time in the World Wide Leader's spotlight. First off it caused me to scramble to read up on the horse, as it was before I started following the sport full-time. What I found out was that Charismatic was quite the champion, winning both the 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, before his unfortunate breakdown in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. His jockey, the late Chris Antley was heroic in jumping off the horse and saving him just past the wire, holding up the colt's left front leg, which was broken in two places. I recently purchased Elizabeth Mitchell's Three Strides Before the Wire, a story "detailing the major people in this extraordinary horse's life, including the trainer, owners, and jockey Chris Antley, whose own tragic story matches that of his horse."

I've really enjoyed the ESPN series, especially the USFL, 7/17/94, Mike Tyson/Tupac and LLWS episodes. I missed the Jimmy the Greek one and have my eye open for the replays. So when I went to the schedule for the remaining four episodes and didn't see Charismatic, I had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. When I searched for an answer, all I could find in the interwebs was a PaceAdvantage thread of one asking the same question I was and the IMDb site listing which was still showing it as active. I then decided to email the contact address on the official site and after a few days received the following (very generic) response:

Hi Gene,

Charismatic will still be an ESPN Films production. Please stay tuned for more details.

Thanks for watching and keep telling us what you think!

Thanks,
The 30 for 30 Team

The email response generated more questions than answers in my mind. If it is still going to be a production, does that mean it won't be a 30 for 30 documentary? Why was it taken down on the official website after being on it for months? Was someone not cooperating (trainer, late jockey's family or owner) with the producers? I emailed all of these questions to them but have not yet received a response since last Thursday. Very odd indeed.

Here's hoping we hear something more definitive soon. Stay tuned.

Genie in a Bottle

Tweet So a genie is released from the bottle and gives you three wishes for the Breeders' Cup. What are your three wishes?

Mine (aside from them all coming home safe) are below:

1. Zenyatta wins the Classic (hopefully at 4-1), sews up Horse of the Year and drives attendance, TV ratings and makes headlines across America.

2. No rain at Churchill Downs either day...the last two Derbys have been super soakers. Let's not make the handicapping any more difficult than it already is and have some good weather to boost the attendance figures upwards to 80,000 under the Twin Spires.

3. A superstar like Uncle Mo or Stay Thirsty emerges from the Juvie and gives us some Triple Crown hopes for 2011. I still think Lookin at Lucky with the right post on Derby day might have had a shot at it.

What say you blog reader?

Penny For Your Thoughts

Tweet Wonder what everyone is thinking as we approach the Breeders' Cup in three weeks....I know you didn't ask, but this is what I've been thinking about....

- With inflation, wouldn't it cost a quarter now for your thoughts?

- Was really impressed by a 2yo firster yesterday at Belmont, Brethren, another star in the Pletcher barn with a loaded pedigree who came home in a very fast way (or as they say, he was motorin'). PS I'm told he's a 1/2 brother to Super Saver and you know what happened there last May.

- Win and You're In sucks. There, I said it. And by the way, Patrick from Handride has been pining for the gate selection for W&YI idea, which was on Bill Finley's recent list.

- I'm pretty excited for the long BC weekend and can even get a half day of work in on Filly Friday as first post isn't until after 4pm.

- Aren't we lucky that horses can't sext or drive drunk or carry handguns into nightclubs?

- Aren't these $0.50 Pick 3's and Pick 4's at Keeneland, the nuts? And we get more of the same at Churchill for the Cup races....yee haw.

- Why does it seem that everyone does their online handicapping tournaments all on the same weekend? Then there's no tournaments for 3 weeks? Seems kinda odd to me.

- How come my 22-1 never comes in when I have him/her in the last leg of my Pick 3? Today, El Bomba was starting to threaten the leaders romping down the middle of the track in the Keeneland nightcap and I thought I finally nailed one....but he faded to sixth. I'll keep trying.

- Congrats to the Turk for the huge hit at Woodbine on Saturday. Dude can handicap and if you aren't following his system, you're missing out.

- Did you know the stretch run on the Woodbine turf is 1,440 feet long? Since ESPN told me 10 times, I don't think I'll ever forget.

- Really hope that the BC comes back to Woodbine someday. That turf course is awesome and the facility could handle the crowd and Toronto is an international city. Of course, the weather would be the big black mark...

- Saw Secretariat (the movie) in Syracuse last weekend, the crowd resembled more of a Wednesday afternoon in January at Aqueduct (empty and quiet). My review of the movie: it was ok.

- Speaking of Secretariat, I won two tickets to a Glenn Miller Orchestra concert in a radio station contest by answering a question about Big Red (I was caller #5 in case you were wondering). I'm actually two for two lifetime in radio contest call in contests. 17 to go to beat Zenyatta....and on that note...

HorseVision: Could It Work?

Tweet When I walked into the Jim Kelly Club on Sunday for the Bills-Jags game I received an unexpected surprise. I had received a letter earlier in the week to seek out the FanVision kiosk in the Club upon my arrival to receive a FanVision unit. I did not research anything about what this handheld device was all about, but was pleasantly surprised to find out (1) that I was one of a select group of season ticket holders that would receive it for free; (2) that it would be free for 3 years (upon which time I would be charged $5/game thereafter) and (3) that it was easy to navigate.

I sat down with the Space Gal at our seats and started playing with the unit (after a short tutorial at the kiosk) and found that it had all kinds of different features. The new interactive concept is being introduced at 12 NFL stadiums (see NY Times article) and the Big House (University of Michigan). Basically the unit will work for six hours within the confines of the stadium. Its signal comes from a UHF-dedicated broadcast center within the stadium which is staffed by producers who deliver exclusive event content directly to the handheld.

Some of the things I was able to do with the unit included:

1) Load up my fantasy team. (The unit would vibrate every time one of my players scored).
2) Watch the CBS pregame show.
3) Watch the CBS feed (even though the game was blacked out in Buffalo) and listen to the local Bills radio team.
4) Check Stats of all of my fantasy players.
5) Check Game Stats for the Bills game.
6) Watch either the Packers-Redskins or Bears-Panthers games.
7) Watch the Red Zone (RZ) Channel (this was super cool)
8) Watch the game from any of the CBS camera angles (just had to toggle between the feed and 50 yd line cam, endzone cam, etc.)
9) Watch replays of the previous play.
10) Probably more stuff that I haven’t figured out yet.

Where the unit really came in handy was seeing replays, fantasy information and keeping me occupied during the long time outs and commercial breaks that occur over the course of the game. It was a pretty cool experience, although I was worried I wasn’t paying enough attention to the Space Gal, but she seemed to be enjoying it just as much, watching key plays on the RZ channel together. I also thought it could render the crowd into zombie status (in the glory days, the Ralph was one of the loudest houses in the league) while everyone stared at their units.

So what does this all have to do with a horse racing blog?

This could work as a very cool and interactive function for horseplayers at the track. The units cost $200 each, but I could see tracks buying a number of units and renting them out to patrons (as they only work within the confines of the track) for an easy payback. Currently NASCAR and the PGA (it was used at the Ryder Cup) both have tested Fan Vision in both venues. Those two sports make a lot of sense, as in NASCAR you only see the cars as they zoom by you, and on a golf course, you can only see one of the eighteen holes at a time. It would be great for those who wouldn’t have to strain to see a TV monitor or watch on the big screen from a distance, it would be in the palm of your hands. If your seats are blocked from a large portion of the track (like my seats on the clubhouse turn at the Preakness this year) you can follow it on the handheld as they run down the backstretch. To boot, think of the statistical information that could be at your fingertips. They could load the past performances on the unit and also let you wager right on the unit at your seat. You could toggle between the simulcast feeds from the different tracks. One of my pet peeves at the track is not having the “will pays” at my fingertips and having to just catch the tote board or monitor at the right time.

What would you pay to have one of these at the track? You already pay in the neighborhood of $3-$7 for the program or form and you could get much more (video feed, PP’s , probables, simulcast at your seat, etc.). In addition, you could flip on TVG or HRTV to hear what the “pros” are saying (umm….well maybe not). Rent one for $10?

Of course, the dilemma would be that the track would want you to use their ADW or track account and not an outside one which could present a logistical problem. But think of the possibilities of this unit at the track even without the wagering vehicle. I find it burdensome to carry my iPad to the track (wondering if they have WIFI), wherein the rented handheld would be turned in at the end of the day, or it has a strap to wear it around your neck if you purchased one to use at the various tracks around the country.

I think this may be something worth pursuing if it was thought out properly. There’s money to be made here, also. The issue as always is, in this sport: Would everyone play nice?

Tens to Think About

Tweet Ten is my favorite number. I wore it in high school, college and the Accountants' Softball League. So naturally today was a big day for me (10/10/10). Unfortunately, my Bills bit the dust in the second half so it wasn't such a great day for the ole' hometown h(z)eroes. So a month away from the Breeders' Cup, I've come up with 10 questions I have been wondering about the big weekend at Churchill Downs.


10. What race will Gio Ponti go in? As an omnisurface star, will he take on Zenyatta again on the dirt in the $5M Classic or face two time (Turf) Mile champ Goldikova? Neither seems too inviting to me.

9. Will I recognize any horse that runs in the Marathon? You probably can answer that one.

8. How many bombs will win at Churchill? 3? 4? You know it's going to happen. It does every year. The question is can you find the needle in the haystack. Get to work early on the advance PP's.

7. If it rains, and the track comes up muddy or sloppy, will Zenyatta scratch? And if she does, will it dash her Horse of the Year chances? I hope it's sunny, this would be a horrible thing. Plus I can't deal with what the next two months on Twitter will be like.

6. Does Lookin at Lucky have what it takes to win the Classic? I say yes. His BC Juvie is still a race I play over and over in my mind....he wins that race 9 times out of 10. I can bet that Baffert wants another crack at Churchill Downs with Lucky not being on the rail.

5. Is the Ladies Classic shaping up as one of the better Cup races over the entire weekend? Blind Luck vs. Havre de Grace III IV not to mention Life at Ten (gotta love the 10s) and Unrivaled Belle.

4. Will Hammerin' Hank have any dough left in his Piggy Bank? Dude was shaking like a leaf on camera on ESPN2 today. I miss Jimmy the Greek and Pete Axthelm.

3. Saturday attendance - over 75,000? 2006- 75,132; 2000 - 76,043; 1998 - 80,452 and 1994 - 62.597. I'm going with the over.

2. Will the Arc winner Workforce and/or race favorites Fame and Glory ship over the pond? Hope so.

1. Can Quality Road win the Classic? Randy Moss said on the ESPN broadcast today that he doesn't think the distance is an issue for QR.

Whaddya think?


Hat tip to Val at Foolish Pleasure to get me to add this photo:

Hello Keeneland....

Tweet Keeneland and I have this love-hate relationship. The Lexington race track had gotten the better of me over the past few years. Not until this past spring meet did I even come close to generating a positive ROI (-.08). So I'm getting closer. I'm thinking this is the meet I exact revenge on the ghosts of Keeneland.


Tomorrow's opening day features two stakes races, the first being the Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes, wherein Woodbine shipper Hollywood Hit (4-1 ML), who I was fortunate enough to see beat Fatal Bullet up north in May making the trip to see La Chica Rica try the poly for the first time. Oddly, I saw his next race while sitting at the bar on my initial trip to Finger Lakes telling the lad next to me there was no way he could lose. Yep, he lost...upset by Smokey Fire tiring during the final sixteenth (that race was 6 1/2 furlongs). Coming in second off the layoff, but sporting a new trainer. Another horse that intrigues me is SoCal shipper Canonize (also 4-1 ML) with Victor Espinoza aboard who comes in off a long layoff, but is showing a couple decent works leading up to this one. EZ Dreamer comes in off a race from Zia Park (that doesn't happen every day) and finished 3rd in this race last year. Of course, the heavy favorite should end up being Warrior's Reward (5-2 ML), the only Grade 1 winner in the field, running for the second time at the 6f distance.

The second graded stake on the card is the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades, a 1 1/16 mile jaunt on the polytrack for 2yo fillies. Wickedly Perfect (5-2 ML)is the morning line favorite for trainer Doug O'Neill, last seen beaten by Tell A Kelly (who lost last weekend at Hollywood Park)...Raf Bejarano is in to ride her. The other two horses who should be factors in this race, finished 1-2 last month at Arlington in a mile race. Jordy Y (4-1 ML) closed late to finish second, and I favor him over the winner Wonderlandbynight in this one going the extra sixteenth. Wayne Catalano looks like he's loaded for bear for this meet based on the entries I've seen so far.

Hello Keeneland. I'm coming for you.

Man Cave Central

Tweet We're locked and loaded for Breeders' Cup weekend. Final touches on the man cave were completed today with a nice visit from your friendly neighborhood DirecTV guy. The Space Gal came through with a new flat screen for the Space Capsule for Father's Day. I've been calling this particular room for weeks the man cave, so much so, that the Space Kid knows that's where we go to read books when I reference it. Funny stuff watching him waddle in there (no girls allowed).

It's not quite these joints, but it has a pretty cool feel to it with pictures from our travels and my horse racing book collection with a dark ambience to it. While I do wish I was making the trek to Louisville, I have the next best thing in the man cave, complete with computer access, reference books and HD heaven. Bring on the Cup.

I spent yesterday afternoon at Fort Erie Race Track, where it rained most of the day and tested our off track handicapping skills (not my cup of tea). While I didn't get hurt too bad, we had a couple guys in our group who were newbies who really enjoyed themselves. With 7 guys at the table, we played a number of $0.20 superfecta 5 horse boxes, each throwing a few bucks into the group betting pool. While we didn't hit anything, it made the new guys more comfortable betting as a group. As for the card, the 4th race was the Bob Summers Memorial, named after the late handicapper for the Buffalo News. His wife and a number of friends were present, which made for a very crowded Prince of Wales Dining Room. The other notable on the day, was a former Queens' Plate entrant (2008), Palmers, who ran in the 8th, a $4K claimer. How's that for hitting rock bottom. He won going away at odds of 4-5 in his first race at the border oval, with 2 bombs behind him, completing a $1,600 trifecta. Other than that, it was an uneventful day playing lower level claimers in the slop. Good times. A day at the track beats a day at the office any day.

That's all from Man Cave Central....(for now)

Super Saturday: Tape Delayed Live Blog

Tweet When the NTRA website crashed today in the middle of the TVG/NTRA tournament, I just had to laugh to myself. Those folks would have to tape delay a live blog. Which got me to thinkin'....if the very talented Michigan blogger guy can do a live blog in real time, I certainly could do one in tape delay (ala the NTRA).....

9:15am: I'm in Rollie Pollies with the Space Gal and Space Kid. The tumbling exercises are fantastic, not to mention the big blowup slide.

10:30am: Great Pumpkin Farm, Clarence. Kettle Corn - check. Horse drawn carriage ride - check. Kiddie Train ride - check.

1:00pm: Petsmart. Pick up Tanner Jones. Looks like he go fru-frued. Apologize to my dog. Licks hand. All is well.

1:05pm: Check phone. Belmont off the turf in a couple races. Start wondering what time I have to make changes in Equibase Handicapping Challenge. Looks like one of my selections scratched. Drive fast.

1:20pm: Get home. Make change on Equibase site. Eat lunch.

2:25pm: Space Kid Nap Time = TVG.

3:23pm: Getting ready for the G1 Vosburgh. Sitting this one out. The Godolphins always tough off the layoff. I have longshot Wall Street Wonder in the Equibase contest. Girolamo runs away with it. Looks sharp in doing so.

3:45pm: Finalizing my lone Belmont wager of the day, a $24 Pick 4: 2,5,7/1,4/7,9,10,11/2. Singled Blame in the Gold Cup, feeling pretty good about it. Only Fly Down worries me. First leg, the G1 Flower Bowl, coming up in 15 minutes. Val at Foolish Pleasure tweets out that she likes Changing Skies. I think about a backup ticket. Nah, I'm staying with my gut.

4:02pm: Ave!!!! 10-1!!!! Javier!!! Much rejoicing in the Space Camp. But it's only the first leg. Settle down soldier. Changing Skies a game second. Thinking a lot of tickets just bit the dust. First good move in Equibase tourney. Feel pretty good about the next leg with both Unrivaled Belle and Life at Ten.

4:19pm: Receive email that NTRA website can't handle the traffic and the contest is postponed and will be rescheduled. I know of one handicapper who had the two $20 winners at MTH who can't be too happy.

4:35pm: Life at Ten pulls away to win the G1 Beldame. No crazy fractions today, just a solid stalking trip and solid victory. See ya in Louisville Life @ 10. Two down, two to go. Next race is wide open.

4:37pm: Space Kid's up. Diaper change. Have a potato chip. See the horsies?

5:12pm: Had to interrupt a mean game of Play-doh to watch the Joe Hirsch. Space Kid's rooting for Paddy (likes the Irish name). Winchester closes late and we're live to Blame and a $300++ will pay. Woo hoo. What could go wrong? Hmm...should I hedge? I only have $24 into it...let me play some farm animals and give it some thought.

5:30pm: Decide to hedge on Fly Down and Rail Trip only. With $2 bet on Hold Me Back just in case. Think to myself....only Haynesfield can beat me....nah...never happen.

5:51pm: WTF. Thinking of tweeting "Man, this game is humbling." Decide to cook spaghetti and meatballs instead. Holla! I love spaghetti and meatballs!

6:00pm: Send Space Gal picture of Space Kid covered in spaghetti and meatballs. She's out with girlfriends seeing the Facebook movie, didn't you see my status report?

6:11pm: Lookin at Lucky splashes home emphatically in the Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park. He looms large in the Classic. Second choice?

6:25pm: Bath time. Only thing that makes me forget a bad beat is the Space Kid's smile when he's in the tub.

7:01pm: Space Kid safely in bed, stories read, bottle in hand...Totally forgot about the Hawthorne Gold Cup. Decide to watch the race replay before the Lady's Secret on ESPN between football games. In the Knight Sky's contest I play Redding Colliery over 3 horses in a $10 trifecta. He wires it and I hit the tri (cyberbucks, folks) and a $5 saver exacta. Think I might have won this week's contest...make note to self to check it out later.

7:12pm: Flip from TVG to ESPN. Larry Collmus is going to call the race for ESPN. Wonder if he's there or in studio? Hmmm...I need to know these things. I play a $1 tri: Zenyatta/Switch/3 other horses for $3 and to get my OTH PP's for free.

7:16pm: Zenyatta last of 5 fillies and mares after a half in 48 and 3. Shocker.

7:17pm: The 3yo filly Switch gave a valiant try, but the big Z does her usual late close and beats her by a half length at the wire. The $1 trifecta pays $3.40, I make 40 cents. LOL. Mrs. Moss tells Jeannine Edwards that Z won because it was Sting and her best friend Margie's birthday. Who knew?

7:20pm: The Big Z is doing her thing in the winner's circle. Super cool. 19 for 19. Lucky, Quality, Blame all await her arrival in Louisville. Should be special.

7:25pm: I've already handicapped the next two races for the TVG/NTRA contest (see 4:19), so thinking about dipping my toes in the late Pick 3 at Hollywood. What the hell....it's only money. Rally caps.

7:30pm: Pick 3 crafted: 3,8,9/2,7/4,6,7 for $18. The 9 in the first leg was my contest pick (Bejarano and first time lasix) and went with Twirling Candy and Richard's Kid in the middle leg and three in the finale.

7:56pm: Second stakes win for Godolphin with my #9 Hibaayeb (GB). Ok, off to a good start. Goodwood on deck. My three horses complete the tri that pays $167 for 2 bucks. Oh, so that's how this is going to go, eh.

8:28pm: Can't figure out why folks are backing the sprinter Crown of Thorns? Am I missing something. Race unfolds and Twirling Candy goes a little early.....and Richard's Kid slips by on the inside and wins at 7-1. Is there another horse on the planet that is dismissed more. He didn't beat me today. Live to 3 horses paying $365 (the 4 - Mr. Katz), $178 (the 6 - Yodelin Dan, my contest pick) and $117 (the 7 - favorite When We Met).

8:32pm: On knees....oh racing gods can you let me hit one today....puh-lease. Thoughts of hedging reappear. I swat them away. Only the #3 scares me. Go big or go home. The #3 is no Haynesfield.

9:01pm: Oh yeah, Yodelin Dan with the late close blows by When We Met and we are in the black, baby.

9:15pm: Hey, I should do a tape delay live blog. Nah, that's a dumb idea.