Checking In

Tweet Saturday maintenance post for the weekend. Cleaning the salt off the car and wondering why the check engine light is on at the blog? Here's some odds and ends as we head into a holiday weekend of racing.

I took a look at the Fair Grounds all-stakes Pick 4 for The Buffalo News in my Sports, Ink Blog post yesterday, check it out.

Prayers go out to Eibar Coa who is in surgery this morning after fracturing vertebra in his neck in a horrific spill at Gulfstream yesterday.

I had a nice visit on Wednesday to Fort Erie Race Track to meet with Elissa Blowe, Manager of Media & Marketing for the FELRC who showed me their new RaceBook and shared plans for the 2011 live racing season at the Fort. My article in today's News on my visit can be found here.

The TBA's Road to the Roses League is up and running thanks to new league manager Tony Bada Bing, who writes the A Leg Up blog, and was winner of the 2010 EquiSpace Toga Party contest (like how I plug my contest?). [League Number: 428912689 Activation Code: 2771589346] Sign up and play along with the TBA bloggers. There are some other leagues out there, I plan up signing up for the HRF and Wireplayers.com RTTR leagues this year also. (Feel free to post your activation codes in the comments section!)

Good luck this weekend and let's cash some tickets!

Forecast: Toga Party!

Tweet One of my handicapping pals, JB, gave me an idea for a post yesterday and I am granting him all credit for this idea, which I have only expanded upon slightly. Let's have a little informal contest forecasting some of the results of the upcoming Toga meet in a couple of different areas. I'll be bold enough to throw mine out there (1 pt per correct answer), winner gets bragging rights (what more is there?). 12 total pts available plus a tie-breaker. Post your picks in my comments section or email them to me and I will maintain a spreadsheet and we'll see who does the best by the end of the meet. Must post in this post's comment section before next Wednesday's meet starts at 1pm EST.

EquiSpace selections:

1) Leading trainer for the meet (based on wins): Pletcher
2) Number of leading trainer wins during the meet: 25
3) Leading jockey for the meet (based on wins): Prado
4) Number of leading jockey wins during the meet: 42
5) Jim Dandy winner: Da'Tara

6) Whitney winner: Commentator

7) Number of wins by the 8 horse on Friday, 08/08/08: 2
8) Alabama winner: Proud Spell
9) Sword Dancer winner: Daytona
10) Travers winner: Harlem Rocker
11) King's Bishop winner: J be K
12) Travers Day attendance: 34,500

Tiebreaker (bonus) Jockey earnings leader: Coa

Final standings will be tabulated Labor Day eve.

Good luck!

Here's something to get you all fired up for the meet (this scene is R rated for those who shouldn't be watching and you know who you are)!



Credit to classyfilms (youtube)

Calder Trophy Winner Draws Field

Tweet The NHL's Rookie of the Year and most famous living South Buffalonian (RIP Tim Russert) drew the field for Sunday's $500K Prince of Wales Stakes (G1) at Fort Erie Race Track across the border from downtown Buffalo. Patrick Kane, rookie phenom for the Chicago Blackhawks and Calder Trophy winner, was present today to draw the eight post positions for the second leg of Canada's triple crown. Kane led all rookies scoring 72 points, including 21 goals in his initial professional campaign, lifting Chi-town's hopes for future success and bringing the hockey throngs back to the United Center. This is the biggest race held at beautiful Fort Erie, run at a mile and 3/16ths.

Not Bourbon, who will be running on dirt for the first time, drew the 7 post and was made the 7-5 favorite by oddsmaker Jerry Davis. He is trained by the popular Roger Attfield, who last won this race in 2005 with Ablo, and he has won it four times in his career. The Buffalo News' beat racing reporter Bob Summers was on hand and has a nifty video here showing the draw live. "Pletcher's white horse" drew the 4 hole and was made the 2-1 second choice. That white horse being Harlem Rocker, the Withers winner over J Be K (winner of his last two stakes). Their last head to head meeting, Not Bourbon trounced the Rocker in the Plate Trial at Woodbine, in his first effort on sythetics, maybe he'll get to return the favor in the POW on Sunday. The talented Eibar Coa will be in town (will Todd come east?) to ride the Rocker in the big race. Pletcher won his only POW in 1998 with Archers Bay. The last Canadian Triple Crown was won in 2003 by Wando, who was the 7th winner since it's inauguration in 1959.

For even more exciting Prince of Wales news, check out the TBA's two Canadian bloggers, Cangamble and Jen's Thorough Blog where you can find all of the post positions, morning line odds and the Canadian twist on the race. We'll try and handicap here closer to the weekend and keep you posted on the Western New York angle and press it receives on this side of the border.