2014 Horse Racing and Triple Crown Thread

[Deathofthebambino]

Damn, wish I had checked in here recently.  Off the Deep End didn't win by 4, but he basically went wire to wire in that race.  Went off as the favorite at 6:5, so didn't really pay much though.  So far in three races, 1st, 2nd, 1st.  Might be one to watch going forward.  Hope Goose Bumps is ok going forward.
 
After a series of race cancellations and other happenings, Fusaichi Red is officially slated to go on Sunday in the 7th at Saratoga.  It's a $75,000 maiden claimer, which is an awfully high price, so there doesn't seem to be much concern from Weaver that she'll get claimed.  I'll be kind of pissed if she is, because I just know she'll end up winning a bunch of Grade 1's down the road if she does.  Weaver made a bad call on another horse owned by the stable a couple of weeks ago, and that horse got claimed, and promptly won that race, her third in a row.  Weaver claimed he didn't like the way she had been working out prior to the race, and felt that if she got claimed, it would be fine in the long run.
 
Anyway, Irad Ortiz Jr. is going to be on her, in a race with guys like Rosario, Saez, Alvarado, Albarado, Bravo, Maragh and Velasquez on some other mounts.  I'm pretty giddy to make a wager on a horse I have a piece of.  Trying to figure out if I'm going to make the trip down to watch her run.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Cool. Good luck, man.
 
I'm set with the partnership I'm looking at, though; obviously I want my horse(s) to run out here on the west coast. The partnership I've been talking to and toying with for the last year or so is Blinkers On, and the horses are trained by Mike Puype, who I like a lot. Among the horses the partnership has owned are Turbulent Descent, which was a multiple G1 winner, and Red Outlaw, a 3-year old running now that I'm kicking myself for not getting in on last year ($3,495 for 5%). He's started 3-0, and already earned $115k.

 
 

$3495 for 5% is a killer deal.  Is it set up the same way as mine?  You own them for a period of time, or are you still paying monthly expenses, etc. as time goes on?   Ours worked out to $26,000 for 5% for the three horses, so just a shade under 9k per horse, but that covers everything for 2.5 years.  I'm pretty sure I made a few bucks on Red Outlaw in the Baffle a couple months ago.  That horse is the real deal.  Ran a 1:12 for 6.5 furlongs in that race, which is a time you usually see for a good win at 6 furlongs.  3 for 3 so far, and I'm really interested to see how it does going forward. 

 
Red Outlaw just won the $200k Real Good Deal Stakes (and won me a few hundred bucks) to move to 4-0. My stable is on fire right now; hope Goose Bumps can add a little bit to that.
 

Damn, wish I had checked in here recently.  Off the Deep End didn't win by 4, but he basically went wire to wire in that race.  Went off as the favorite at 6:5, so didn't really pay much though.  So far in three races, 1st, 2nd, 1st.  Might be one to watch going forward.  Hope Goose Bumps is ok going forward.
 
After a series of race cancellations and other happenings, Fusaichi Red is officially slated to go on Sunday in the 7th at Saratoga.  It's a $75,000 maiden claimer, which is an awfully high price, so there doesn't seem to be much concern from Weaver that she'll get claimed.  I'll be kind of pissed if she is, because I just know she'll end up winning a bunch of Grade 1's down the road if she does.  Weaver made a bad call on another horse owned by the stable a couple of weeks ago, and that horse got claimed, and promptly won that race, her third in a row.  Weaver claimed he didn't like the way she had been working out prior to the race, and felt that if she got claimed, it would be fine in the long run.
 
Anyway, Irad Ortiz Jr. is going to be on her, in a race with guys like Rosario, Saez, Alvarado, Albarado, Bravo, Maragh and Velasquez on some other mounts.  I'm pretty giddy to make a wager on a horse I have a piece of.  Trying to figure out if I'm going to make the trip down to watch her run.

 
 
Awesome. I'll be watching and rooting, and will throw a few dollars on your horse. Good luck, safe trip!

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Going off today in the 7th race.  Opening line is 5:1.  Be interesting to see where it is at the start.  Put some money on her, obviously, but really have no idea what to expect.  Saratoga's card is being shown on TVG at the moment, so hopefully, it will be all day.  Really excited about this.  This is the first race for 6 of the 9 horses in the race, so it's pretty much the prime example of "anything can happen."

 

[Deathofthebambino]

She came in 2nd.  The winner routed the field, but she was a clear second best.  We'll take it for the first time out. Looked to be a good race.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

The horse that won was 12 to 1, so Fusaichi Red paid $11.60 to place.  Not sure what the show paid, but I had $100 across the board on her, and it netted $630.  WBV, hope you made a few bucks.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Death, fanfuckingtastic! I am embarrassed and my wallet is disappointed to say I didn't catch the race today. Especially since I spent about 5 hours and a few hundred bucks watching races yesterday. Great result, though. I'm psyched for you.

Things are not as great on the Goose Bumps front. She worked again today and bled a little again, so she's going to be kept back a bit to heal and won't race next week. I'll try to update a bit more tomorrow.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Things are not as great on the Goose Bumps front. She worked again today and bled a little again, so she's going to be kept back a bit to heal and won't race next week. I'll try to update a bit more tomorrow.

 
So, to follow up on this, Goose Bumps worked the other day, 5 furlongs in 1:02.30 (13 of 20). The trainer and exercise rider say she ran beautifully for the first half-mile, but then kind of shut it down over the last eighth. For those of you not as familiar with horse racing, "bleeding," also known as EIPH (exercise-induced pulminary hemorrhaging) means just that -- a horse bleeds from the lungs after exercise. They say this occurs in upwards of 75% of thoroughbreds, but it's obviously not a good thing. Very rarely can you actually see blood in a horse's nose, and that wasn't the case here. The trainer had her scoped, and there was a small amount of blood.
 
So...she's going to take some time off, and have a few sessions in the hyperbaric chamber. Some people swear by this treatment, but I don't think it's scientifically proven to do anything other than put a dent in the owners' wallets. So, I'm obviously excited about that.
 
The trainer claims he is not particularly concerned, and just being cautious with a young filly. He says she's very fit, and still expects her to be ready to go by the end of the Del Mar meet.
 
Congrats again to DoTB and Fusaichi Red! 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Thanks WBV.  I hope all works out with Goose Bumps.  I talked to my friend that owns the stable and he also said bleeding is very common, and he's had a bunch of horses that went through it early on, and after periods of rest, came back to have good careers, so I hope that's the case with her.  Keep us updated. 
 
No word yet on the next race for Fusaichi, but I imagine it'll be sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Going back and watching the race a couple more times, she really did run well.  She was clearly running away from the field during the stretch run, and aside from the winner (Condo Commando, who looks to be a legit prodigy), was by far the strongest horse in the race.  We're all really excited about what happens next with her, but as always, you can't really get too optimistic, especially until they break their maiden.  Plenty of horses have come out and run a great first race, but were never able to take the next step, so to speak.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Here's a video of her race, if anyone is interested:  www.smartchoicestables.com/fusaichi.red/

 

[Deathofthebambino]

WBV (and anyone else), Fusaichi Red is running the 5th race at Saratoga on Thursday.  It's a maiden special weight, so bit tougher field.  $83,000 purse.  Looks to be a morning line of 8/1.  Not sure I'd go crazy betting her this time out though.  It's interesting that Ortiz, who rode her the first time out, is instead riding the morning favorite, Sashay.  This race is also being run on the turf, so not sure how FR will react to that.  Sashay came in 2nd on the turf on her only race by a neck.  The winner ran that race at 5.5 furlongs in 1:02.60, whereas the winner of FR's first race came in at 1:03.82 for the same distance and beat FR by 12 lengths.  There is obviously a bump in speed on the turf, but not sure it's that dramatic.  We'll see.  For all I know, FR just takes to the turf and dusts the field, but you never know.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

I'm definitely going to set a reminder and make sure I tune in this time.
 
This race looks wide open, between Sashay, Overspending, Well Composed, and Greywalls (with my man Rosario aboard), as well as your horse. I have to say, it seems like a pretty quick turnaround for a two-year-old. I hope she handles it well.

 

[Time to Mo Vaughn]

About 10 minutes til Death's horse goes out. Ton of rain earlier today so the track is a mess and they've moved it from Turf to Dirt.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Man, I really like Greywalls at those odds. Threw a few on DOTB's horse, but boxed the 2,4,5 exacta and WPS on Greywalls.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Wow, congrats, DoTB! Another nice place. Looked like she was ready to go for more!

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Thanks man.  I can get used to finishing 2nd at 12/1 for a couple of years.  I had $150 across on her this time out, and she paid over $13.00 to place and $9.00 to show.  I bumped up my bet a bit when I saw them move the race to the dirt.  Was going to post something here, but didn't get a chance.  I just texted one of the stable owners a little while ago and told him it's time to move her to two turns.  That's the second race in a row where she was clearly outrunning the field at the finish.  Let's send her out to 7/8 furlongs and see what happens.

 

[Titoschew]

Thanks man.  I can get used to finishing 2nd at 12/1 for a couple of years.  I had $150 across on her this time out, and she paid over $13.00 to place and $9.00 to show.  I bumped up my bet a bit when I saw them move the race to the dirt.  Was going to post something here, but didn't get a chance.  I just texted one of the stable owners a little while ago and told him it's time to move her to two turns.  That's the second race in a row where she was clearly outrunning the field at the finish.  Let's send her out to 7/8 furlongs and see what happens.

 
Congrats!  With Belmont coming I assume they have some of those one turn 7/8's or mile race written for babies.  Might not even need the two turns, just that added distance on the long stretch run.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

If anyone is interested, the stable that owns my horses claimed a horse a couple weeks back named Big Island Boy, who is scheduled to run in the last race today at Saratoga.  She's a 20/1 morning line, and on paper, doesn't seem much to like, but they are pretty picky on horses they claim and rarely do it, and say he's been working pretty well.  Might be worth throwing a couple bucks at it and see what happens.

 

[Bongorific]

Should have been checking in here more frequently. Been at Saratoga 5 times this summer for work and pleasure.

Mini Saratoga bash next year?

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Cool. Good luck, man.
 
I'm set with the partnership I'm looking at, though; obviously I want my horse(s) to run out here on the west coast. The partnership I've been talking to and toying with for the last year or so is Blinkers On, and the horses are trained by Mike Puype, who I like a lot. Among the horses the partnership has owned are Turbulent Descent, which was a multiple G1 winner, and Red Outlaw, a 3-year old running now that I'm kicking myself for not getting in on last year ($3,495 for 5%). He's started 3-0, and already earned $115k.

Sigh. Red Outlaw won the El Cajon Stakes today. 5-0 and over $300,000 in winnings.

 

[Greg29fan]

Two-time defending horse of the year Wise Dan won his comeback following colic surgery in today's Bernard Baruch at Saratoga.  Just held off hard-charging Optimizer at the wire.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Two-time defending horse of the year Wise Dan won his comeback following colic surgery in today's Bernard Baruch at Saratoga.  Just held off hard-charging Optimizer at the wire.

He's a special horse.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Wise Dan is probably one of my favorite horses ever.  Just keeps doing it year after year.  I wish I knew about the El Cajon.  I keep missing Red Outlaw's races. Next time you here about an upcoming race, let me know WBV.  Seems like stealing money at this point. 

 

[WayBackVazquez]

More bad news on the Goose Bumps front. After another uninspired work Saturday followed by a scope with very slight bleeding, she's going to take time off at the farm. Sixty days of R & R before returning to training with an eye toward debuting at the beginning of the year. Oh well.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Damn, that sucks WBV.  Obviously, these horses are really just lottery tickets and all you can really do is hope for the best.  At least, there is some hope and they aren't throwing in the towel on the racing career entirely.  Hopefully, some rest does the job. 
 
On another note, I have another horse for you to follow.  Not sure if you remember Fusaichi Red's first race.  I said it here at the time, but she finished second behind a horse named Condo Commando that just destroyed the field by like 12 lengths.  I sad at the time that it looked like a future stud, and turns out it happened sooner than I thought.  They sent her out for her second race in the $350,000, Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga on Sunday.  She got bumped at the start, and then went on to win by THIRTEEN lengths.  Holy shit.  That horse is the real fucking deal. She went off at about 7/2 in that race, but I don't expect to see odds like that on her ever again. Fusaichi only lost to her by 12 lengths and seemed to be making up some ground at the end, so if nothing else, it makes me feel better about our horse and the level of competition she's faced. 

 

[Deathofthebambino]

If anyone is interested, our second horse, Twist 'n Bake, (my favorite name of the trio) is making her debut on Friday at Belmont.  She'll be running in the 9th race, which is a maiden special weight, so it'll be pretty good competition.  This horse has been training pretty well, but had some issues getting her gate card, so we'll see what happens.  Obviously, I'm going to throw a few bucks on her and hope for the best.

 

[Bongorific]

If anyone is interested, our second horse, Twist 'n Bake, (my favorite name of the trio) is making her debut on Friday at Belmont.  She'll be running in the 9th race, which is a maiden special weight, so it'll be pretty good competition.  This horse has been training pretty well, but had some issues getting her gate card, so we'll see what happens.  Obviously, I'm going to throw a few bucks on her and hope for the best.

What do you think she'll go off at DotB? Might need to stop at OTB on the way to the office Friday morning to put a few bucks down.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Tough to know for sure with maidens running their first races.  Betting on races like this is based mostly off of training times and connections (trainers, owners, etc.).  I would guess somewhere around 10 to 1 or 15 to 1, but that's just a guess based on what we got from our other horse her first two times out.  Could be as low as 3 to 1 and as high as 50 to 1 for all I know.

 

[Greg29fan]

With the Casino news in Massachusetts (Wynn getting the lone Boston license) Suffolk Downs will likely be closing after this year.  At one time New England had 12 thoroughbred tracks, it will likely now have zero.
 
http://www.drf.com/news/wynn-resorts-gets-lone-boston-area-casino-license

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Morning line is 15/1 today on Twist n Bake on the 9th at Belmont.  Plenty of time until post.   Of course, I'm not predicting anything here one way or the other, just hoping for a good showing in her first race out.

 

[Titoschew]

Morning line is 15/1 today on Twist n Bake on the 9th at Belmont.  Plenty of time until post.   Of course, I'm not predicting anything here one way or the other, just hoping for a good showing in her first race out.

 
Nice run today DoB, even start, made a bid, hit the lead and backed up to finish fourth.  Hope everyone came back sound.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Sorry I wasn't able to post sooner, and sorry for anyone who lost money on her, but at 30/1 at post time, hopefully nobody went crazy.  I didn't see the race live, but got to see the video a little while ago.  Liked what I saw.  Seems to have a bit of a funky running style, which I imagine will come into better form as she gets older.  She's not even fully two and a half yet, but certainly looked like she belonged out there with the other horses.  This level of competition is the real deal.  Not a lot of horses in the country debuting in 75k maiden special weights.  Few weeks and we'll see how she looks her next time out.
 
Waiting to find out when Fusiachi Red is going  to run again.  She worked out last week and finished 8/41 on the track that day, so hopefully, they'll put her in a race soon.  Getting antsy to see her run again.  The horse that beat FR in her first race, Condo Commando blew away the field in the Spinaway Stakes, the horse that beat her in her second race, Clothes Fall Off, has been working out very impressively since, so hopefully, she might catch a race where she isn't matched up against the next great race horse and can win one, but we'll see what happens.  I imagine we won't see 12/1 on her again any time soon. 

 

[sittingstill]

Wise Dan is probably one of my favorite horses ever.  Just keeps doing it year after year.  

https://twitter.com/DRFFormulator/status/518803270006243328
 
Posting larger version of image below. What a horse.
 

 

[Dan Murfman]

Cigar, one of my favorites died at age 24.
http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/11666292/cigar-greatness-all-about
 
 

 

[Greg29fan]

Wise Dan will miss the Breeders' Cup due to an ankle injury
 
http://t.co/mveS9odtV2

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Sigh. Red Outlaw won the El Cajon Stakes today. 5-0 and over $300,000 in winnings.

 
Red Outlaw won again on the downhill turf at Santa Anita this weekend to go to 6-0. Time for him to step up the level of competition.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Damn, I keep missing Red Outlaw's races.  One of my horses, Twist 'n Bake, is running tomorrow, in the 2nd race at Belmont.  $75,000 maiden special weight.  She came in 4th after tiring a bit down the stretch in her first race, but her training times have gotten progressively better since then.  We'll see what happens tomorrow.  Got my first check a couple weeks ago (we get paid quarterly) from the partnership, which was a pretty cool thing.  Now, I can say I've been paid as an owner. 

 

[dixielandbandana]

I don't know why I didn't think to post this over the summer! I went to Saratoga with my dad and had the amazing opportunity to meet Tom Durkin and watch him call a race from the booth! It was amazing- apparently he spent the night before calling bingo games for the backstretch workers! I hope the pic/video load correctly!

https://vimeo.com/109985230

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Wow, that is really cool.  Thanks for posting that picture and video.  Their ability to call a dozen races in a row and call the horses by name throughout the race is really incredible and Durkin is obviously one of the best.

 

[dixielandbandana]

It was awesome! He talked us through his pre-race routine. He had his DRF highlighted with the silks colors and repeated them all in order, then each horse 3 times, and then in certain groupings.. he seemed like he would be super fun to hang out with!

 

[Deathofthebambino]

That's very cool.  Never knew how they could do that so quickly. 
 
Anyway, not a good showing today for Twist n Bake.  She looked pretty uncomfortable throughout the race, bobbing her head, etc.  I noted in her first race that her form looked off, and this race didn't do much to quell that feeling.  Oh well, on to the next.  Hopefully, our third horse, Maddizaskar, who just got her gate card, will be racing soon, and Fusiachi gets healthy.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Pretty quiet day here at Santa Anita for the first day at the Breeders' Cup. It's always a lot less crowded than Day 2, but I don't remember it ever being this thin of a crowd. Feels like a regular Sunday during the meet. Kind of a crappy, overcast day.

 

[dixielandbandana]

http://m.espn.go.com/general/horse/story?storyId=11799204

Wow didn't see this coming! She's still so young- when you see Gary Stevens and Mike Smith, you have to wonder if she'll come back in a few years.. regardless, congrats to her on the win and the news!

 

[Greg29fan]

Pretty quiet day here at Santa Anita for the first day at the Breeders' Cup. It's always a lot less crowded than Day 2, but I don't remember it ever being this thin of a crowd. Feels like a regular Sunday during the meet. Kind of a crappy, overcast day.

 
betting numbers were way down too http://www.drf.com/news/handle-declines-breeders-cup-races
 
and yes the Rosie news was a complete jaw-dropper.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Boy, I hope she'll be back. She's a great rider, great for the sport, and bringing women in. I took a flyer on Ria Antonia, but my wife won a decent amount from betting on Rosie and Untapable even at I think it was 7-5.

 

[dixielandbandana]

I don't know how I feel about the steward's decision.. it certainly looked like Garcia was angling hard for the inside, more so than just having an awkward break.. I know Shared Belief finished 4ish lengths back, but Moreno was affected, too, and he was the other speed. If Bayern had been pushed through faster fractions, who knows how the finish would have played out. I'm not an expert by any means, but the start looked more contested than a lot that I can remember. Hats off to Baffert for his first Classic, though!

 

[Greg29fan]

They made the right decision.  Interference or bumping just past the start is unpunished all the time in ordinary races.  Can't change that just b/c it was a big race.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

Goose Bumps is finally back at San Luis Rey, and she should start working again next week.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Good luck man.  Hoping I get a chance to put a wager on her really soon.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

My third horse, Maddizaskar, ran her first race today in the 2nd at Gulf Stream.  Completely missed the break, and started about 10 lengths back.  However, it was a two turn mile and a 16th, so she ran a solid race, with Lanerie giving her a great ride and ended up pulling off the improbable win at the line by a nose. 
 
My first win ever.  Looks like we might have a closer on our hands too.  From the beginning, she was the horse that was bigger than the others, so they took their time with her and trained her for longer races, and this was the result.  Not a huge purse, only $36,000, but man, I'm happy to say I have a non-Maiden in my stable.
 
In other news, Twist n Bake should be back in action this week, and Fusiachi Red, who was running great, appears to almost be ready to go and they expect her to run a race in the next couple of weeks.  Good day today.

 

[WayBackVazquez]

That's awesome, DoTB, congrats!
 
Goose Bumps had her first workout of 3f since the layoff at Santa Anita this weekend, and made the trip in 36.40 in good health. Fingers crossed for a debut in a month or so.