They're Baaack...

Tweet I noticed a link over at the Paulick Report the other day tucked away underneath the 3,000 Derby-related posts on horses, trainers, owners, breeders, ad nauseum about the Big Event. Congress is back knocking on horse racing's door. Letters were sent out last week by Senator Udall and Representative Whitfield, the congressmen on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that has the responsibility for monitoring the industry and upholding the Interstate Horseracing Act.

You may remember two years ago in June 2008, hearings took place discussing the state of the industry, in particular, governance and horse safety. Integrity and horseplayer issues were largely ignored. The letters were directed to Waldrop at the NTRA, Phipps at the Jockey Club and Martin at RCI. It's comical that Congress keeps going back to the Barbaro and Eight Belles tragedies to lead into their questions of the industry. Funny, how they seem to show up always right around Triple Crown time.... At least, Waldrop can respond that he took measures and tell how great his Safety and Integrity Alliance is and how all the tracks (check that, the ones that participated) except Pimlico passed the rigorous independent testing to the Alliance Code of Standards. The RCI have established model rules and Racing and Medication Testing Consortium recommendations to protect horses and their riders. The Jockey Club....ummm....well Marzelli was the one adamant that horse racing can self regulate and didn't need central governance. Now Congress is back asking how they are doing with the "self regulation."

Responses are due back to Congress by May 14th....it'll be interesting to see if more hearings will result after the three respondents answer the questions posed in the letters (which can be found at the link above). The Clouseau in me thinks that is where Congress will go....

I wonder if Mr. Phipps thinks that....

If You Could Turn Back Time...

Tweet No, I'm not a big Cher fan, but I do often wonder how Sonny Bono snagged her? And on the 16th anniversary of the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan incident, we're going to rev up the way-back machine and list my top five sporting events that I would attend in a heartbeat (now knowing the outcome) and the top five sporting events if I could go back and change the outcomes......feel free to leave a comment to share yours (if afforded the opportunity) or what event you would alter the outcome of....as you can tell it's a little slow in the Space Lab these days...but here goes....

Top Five Sporting Events I Would've Attended if Afforded the Chance

1 - Secretariat's Belmont Stakes. Who wouldn't want to see this "tremendous machine" win by 31 1/2 lengths to take the Triple Crown in 1973?
2 - Miracle on Ice. Lake Placid 1980. Do You Believe in Miracles? U-S-A! U-S-A!
3 - 1958 NFL Championship (Colts-Giants). Greatest Game Ever Played. Unitas (my idol) hands off to Ameche to win first ever overtime championship game at Yankee Stadium. Before I was born, but I'd give my left leg (or maybe the right one) to have been there.
4 - Ali-Frazier I - The Fight of the Century. What other event had first graders taking sides. Well at least my first grade class.
5 - The Immaculate Reception. Although I cherish the moment that I put a hole through the chair in my living room (at 8 years old) jumping up and down on it while watching this game with my father....I think it would've been pretty cool to see that incredible play.

Five Sporting Events I Would Change the Outcome (you know, if I were Kazaam)

1 - Wide Right. No Contest. Instead of leading to four straight Super Bowl losses....who knows what may have happened?
2 - No Goal. Do you see a pattern here? Sabres take Stars to game seven....ya never know...ok no more Buffalo references...
3 - Home Run Throwback. I lied. This one was painful. We tackle Dyson or play ruled a forward pass (screwed again), game over. Rob Johnson/Doug Flutie combo take us to the Super Bowl (ok, so I'm delusional). Hey, this is my post so get ovah your ownself.
4 - USA/Russia Gold Medal Basketball Game, 1972 Olympics. Ball slips through Belov's hands, we win the gold.
5 - Eight Belles' Derby/Barbaro's Preakness (tie). 'Nuff said.

[Editor Update: Honorable Mention - Keith Smart's jumped clanks off rim, Syracuse wins 1987 National Championship (I was there for that one)]

Crazy Eights

Tweet Today marks a date that happens once every one hundred years (08/08/08), so it's only natural to feature: the number 8 in this here post. In Chinese numerology, the number 8 has superior meaning, as in some dialects the words for "fortune" and "eight" are one in the same. The Beijing Olympics will get their start today at 08:08:08 pm in China (am in America) in the 91,000 seat Olympic Stadium.

Some thoughts and figures on the number 8:

- 100 years ago today, Wilbur Wright, the eldest brother, made the first flight in public in front of a small crowd of about 30 people at the Hunaudieres racetrack near Le Mans, France. After many delays, Wilbur at last took off and handled his Flyer with such skill that he left his audience breathless.

- Some famous number 8's in sport: Cal Ripken, Jr., Kobe Bryant (early years), Dale Earnhardt (early years), Gennaro Gattuso (Italian soccer star), Carl Yastrzemski, Yogi Berra and Cam Neeley. (Can you think of any others...I know I'm missing a major one)

- Eight pints make a gallon (think Parting Glass).

- The Greek and Roman weeks were once eight days long, starting and ending on Sunday. (Makes for a long weekend)

- Eight is the third number that stays the same when written upside down.

- A $1 Pick 3 with two horses in each leg costs 8 dollars.

- According to Indian mythology, the Earth is supported on the backs of eight white elephants. (I have nothing to add here)

- The expression "being behind the eight ball" means to be in a difficult or baffling situation.

- In 2006, the three Triple Crown winners all wore the number 8 (Barbaro, Bernardini and Jazil). (This is a horse racing blog for goodness sakes.)

- The chemical element Oxygen has an atomic number of 8.

- The number 8 encourages financial security. Some old wives tales say you should write the number 8 on a piece of paper, put it in your wallet or purse and forget about it, and allegedly it will give you good luck financially.

- Big point available in my Toga contest today for the picker of the number of winners at the Spa today adorned with the number 8. (I guessed 2). There are six #8 entries on today's ten race card and one MTO in the feature Waya Stakes (Race 8 of course).

- The telephone number 8888-8888 famously sold for nearly $300,000 in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, and license plates with the number 8 in them are also considered valuable. (Famously idiotic)

- Ever see eight maids a milking? (Bet you're humming it to yourself right now)

- Rob Bironas of the Tennessee Titans holds the NFL record kicking 8 field goals in one game versus the Houston Texans in October 2007.

- RIP Eight Belles

RIP Eight Belles

Tweet For the past five years I’ve been enamored with the sport of horse racing. Yesterday, I had to explain to my five year old daughter, that the filly she was so intently rooting for in the Kentucky Derby, was dead. Looking into those innocent sad eyes, trying to explain to her that it was for the best, when she really couldn’t understand, was painful. I’ve been quite somber for the past day, not wanting to even write about it.

It is part of the sport, some will say. It was due to the way the track was prepared (like a highway), others will say. It was because she shouldn’t have been racing against the colts, will also be heard and was even foreshadowed. It was due to the greed and ego of the connections, has been written. Whether the truth lies somewhere within any of those explanations, who knows. The sport on its biggest day, once again, was befallen with tragedy. One can only look to history and see that horses have had breakdowns in the national spotlight before. Just last year, George Washington broke down in the BC Classic at Monmouth. The Barbaro breakdown in the Preakness two years ago is still a vivid part of our memories. The last match race in 1975 between Foolish Pleasure and the great filly Ruffian, was marred by her breakdown in front of a national audience, and there hasn’t been a match race in this country since.

One of the best quotes, I’ve read in the hundreds of articles written since the conclusion of Derby 134 was at the Brooklyn Backstretch blogsite, where the author extoles:

“To those who claim that the death of a horse is nothing more than a commercial loss, I can tell you with absolute certainty that when a horse goes down—whether it’s in the Derby or on a February Wednesday at Aqueduct—we grieve. We turn away, and we wince in pain, and we hope that we don’t have to see it again. We could turn away entirely; we could abandon the sport as others have chosen to do. But as fans and horse lovers, we choose instead to support the game, to support the players, and to work, with our money and our time, toward making sure that our equine athletes come home safely.”

Just when the sport appears to be reviving, with even the venerable New York Times starting a racing blog site, including bloggers from the TBA, something like this happens with its biggest audience watching, the casual fan who tunes in only once a year. I know I will be asked numerous times tomorrow on my thoughts of what happened when I get to the office. My response will be that it was a tragic day for racing and that the issue on safety in horse racing is being explored through the use of synthetic tracks and the results are still in the early stages. One thing I promised myself I will do, is to stop whining about trying to handicap synthetic surfaces. Not because of what happened, but because the industry is trying to do something about reducing injuries. It’s part of the racing/handicapping landscape now and will have to be dealt with accordingly. Sometimes tradition has to take a back seat to safety. I don’t think I would ever write that, but seeing my daughter’s eyes yesterday changed everything. Rest in peace, Eight Belles, you were a gallant competitor.




Tribute courtesy: horselover525 (youtube)

Photo courtesy: (John Sommers II/Reuters)

The BCS is Smiling Today

Tweet Bella Cavello Stables (BCS) is on fire! On Atlantic City Race Course’s second day of its two week meet, the Stable’s M.E.’s Smile won a $32K allowance turf race at a mile paying $8.60 to win with Jonathan Joyce up. M.E.’s Smile who led from the start, relinquished the lead in the upper stretch and rallied to overtake Platinum Lace at the wire in 1:38.42. Post-time favorite Salle de Bain took third a length out. Unfortunately no one (other than those at the track) were able to see it as their will be no simulcast signal from AC as reported in the Thoroughbred Times. This victory follows La Chica Rica’s victory on Saturday for back to back victories. Nice work boys.

In Derby news, the New York Post reports that the filly Eight Belles’ “primary goal is the Derby” and also entered filly Proud Spell, but “whose main goal…is the Oaks.” Trainer Larry Jones (Hard Spun’s trainer) said the determining factor will be Proud Spell’s post position draw in the Oaks Tuesday, and Belles’ draw in the Derby on Wednesday, will decide both of the fillies’ fates. Three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby, the last being twenty years ago in 1988. Unfortunately for some owners, since also eligibles (AE’s) are not allowed, could have some colts on the outside looking in if either of the cross-entered horses scratches due a potential bad post position. A highly discussed topic on most horse racing blogs, trainer Larry Jones is just “playing by Churchill’s rules.” From a bettor’s perspective, it could be two less horses to worry about at post time. I hope one or both fillies run just to add some additional drama, last seen at last year’s Belmont.

Here is Eight Belles' victory at the wire in the 2008 Fantasy Stakes in April at Oaklawn