Movement Breezes 12/28

Movement was scheduled to breeze yesterday, but the power was out at the track, and in much of the Bay Area due to a storm system that will be blanketing Colorado with snow again shortly. She was able to glide over a track graded "Good" this morning, though, stopping the clock at 1:03 2/5th. Of 25 workers at the distance her time was 21st fastest. Or fifth slowest. But time only matters in prison. She worked well and her gallop out pleased Jamey. "She just kept on going," the conditioner said.

'Tis the Season

Movement asked me to pass along her best wishes to all readers during the holiday season. As you can see, she has plenty of Christmas spirit. Whether she dons a party hat or a lamp shade for New Year's remains to be seen.

Golden Gate Report 12/22/06

Vic Stauffer was trackside at Golden Gate this morning. He will be huslting book for Jason Lumpkins, who is scheduled to begin riding at Golden Gate on December 29th according to Stauffer, who is not new to the profession. Stauffer has kept book for many Jocks over the years at the Fresno meet.

In past years Stauffer was calling races at Gulfstream Park during this time, but Larry Colmus will take over the mic for the meet. Gulfstream's loss is NorCal's gain. One trainer noted "Vic actually works the backstretch. We've got the sorriest bunch of agents of most any circuit, but Vic hustles."

I'll look for a rebuttal from another agent when the Golden Gate meet opens on Tuesday. Mark and Steve, agents for C. Martinez/C. Millwood and P. Flores/L. Martinez respectively usually talk good smack.

Sunday Breeze

Movement breezed a half mile in 48 and change on Sunday, good for the 9th best time among thirty-something works at the distance. I didn't attend the work or talk to Jamey afterward, but I'd guess it's like all the other recent works. She settled nicely and finished well. If one thing we glean, it may be that she's not put off by an off track. Let's hope, because we'll see plenty of that over the next couple months in NorCal.

Update: Jamey said almost exactly what I printed above, and seemed quite happy with her effort. There's really nothing in the book for us right now, but maybe something will pop up on the overnights.

Movement Gallops Friday

Here's video of Movement galloping (high res version here, GooTube below) this past Friday on a muddy, but reasonably deep track. There's nothing notable here, but judging by the number of views these videos get they're popular even if redundant. Nonetheless, you'll be treated to the stylings of the best bluesman you've never heard of. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes laid down eleven bottom of the pocket blue reels for Broke & Hungry Records last winter. If you only buy one blues album this year, it should be this one.

Industry Critics and Defenders Appear on L.A. Radio Program

By now you've all read the articles about California race horse doping in in the Orange County Register (part 1, part 2, and part 3), now listen to the author, CHRB Vet Rick Arthur, and Ed Halpern discuss some of the points made. The Los Angeles NPR station KCRW had all three as guests during their Which Way L.A. program on Tuesday December 12th.

I think Arthur and Halpern could have done a better job of explaining why a "positive" in California is different than a "positive" in New York or Illinois, as we have a more graduated system.

What was left wholly unaddressed was Arthur's failure to implement a sensible plan when it comes to TCO2 tests.

With regard to the TCO2 test, the problem is in the design itself. Dr. Rick Arthur was previously a private racetrack vet who worked for many trainers. Somehow he has ingratiated himself with the CHRB brass to secure an extremely high paying cushy government job with little oversight. He designed the TCO2 test and the thresholds, but his methodology has not been peer reviewed. He draws the conclusion that banned alkalizing agents have been administered to a horse within 12 hours if that horses test returns a ~37 or higher. This does not follow. I have spoken to a CHRB vet personally that believes the test as designed is fundamentally flawed. Also, there's even been horses that tested over the limit (Doug O'Neil trained one) then were placed in a detention barn and tested again, AND WERE STILL OVER THE LIMIT. This proves that the conclusion drawn from the test results is faulty. If someone performed a double blind study, there's no doubt in my mind that Arthur's methods and design would be discredited. Alas, it hasn't happened.

A further problem created by the CHRB's incompetence is a false bifurcation of the discussion. Horsemen who complain of the CHRB's failure in design and implementation of testing standards are labeled as soft on medication violations. Conversely, If you support more strict medication rules, clearly you must also support Ingrid Fermin's & Rick Arthur's design and methods, no matter how flawed. This does nothing to advance the debate.

As an industry we need to develop methods and systems, which represent sound science, that accurately and fairly address medication issues. The vast majority of this work has been done, but the CHRB is unable or unwilling to implement a sound program.

Lucky Hood Brings Luther Home

In the opener at Bay Meadows Wednesday, the Jamey Thomas trained At a Boy Luther notched another win [chart - pdf warning] with help from this blogger's lucky blinkers. If you look closely at the pic above, you see the Tote Board Brad Bluenote emblazoned on the headgear.
Some readers may also remember that this is the gelding I touted about a month ago. These were the same conditions and today he got it done, albeit at a shorter price.

TBA New York Meet-Up

This past weekend while in New York I met up with several TBA members at Aqueduct Racetrack. I can't overstate how much I enjoyed talking track with folks. Even in a brief afternoon I was able to learn plenty from my cohorts, and wish I could spend every weekend at the track with them. They are each such experts in the game compared to your average fan, and as you know an average fan is hard to come by in itself.
I much prefer to go to the racetrack not because of the facility. My couch, television, Tivo, internet connection, and fully stocked bar offer a more comfortable and more technologically advanced racing experience. But, I go so that I can talk racing with people who get it. This step up in quality of experience is even greater when comparing discussing racing with folks at my local track and members of the TBA. These aren't just fans, but students of the game, and they are at the head of the class. Thank you.

The Big A Gets a Bad Rap

While Rubin of Average Horseplayer is at the Racing Symposium standing up for bloggers, and Alan of Left at the Gate is embarrassing turf writers everywhere with his prolific and hard hitting investigative news, and Patrick of Pulling Hair is digging up new content sources outside the MS(HR)M, I am in New York for three consequetive days of race trackery.

I have always heard that Aqueduct is a toilet; that it represents the worst of thoroughbred racing facilities. I'm here to say, it ain't so. I found the Big A warm, inviting and with plenty of ammenities. For one, it only costs $1 to get in. Then, another $1 to get to the swanky section upstairs. On the upper level in one unheralded corner there are these high end sofas pointed at TVs. No, there is no additional charge to sit there, living room style, and enjoy the feed. I even fell asleep on one for in excess of twenty minutes and was left unmolested.

As Alan has reported, the grandstand is closed, and ontrack attendence looked to be in the hundreds. Well, that just means more for me.

I only bet one race on the day. I couldn't pass up the Don Rickles Stakes. Alas my top choice ran 2nd and the other half of my exacta box finished up the track. Even so, it was a great day at the track. And, can we give it up for the Don Rickles Stakes? In honor of Rickles, post your favorite insults in the comments section.

Baze Passes Pincay

You've seen the news reports and the now iconic photo of Russel holding one finger up. That pic is credited to Bill Vassar (although several others, myself included, got the same shot) and really is a good one, in my opinion. I believe the shot I've seen in the papers was actually taken by his assistant, but it may have been Bill himself. The truely interesting thing is that when Bill wasn't immediately getting the iconic pic he wanted, he kind of made it happen. Take a look at these two pics I took. In the first Bill is holding his index finger up, indicating to Russell to do the same. I didn't hear exactly what he shouted to him, but it was along the lines of "Russell, hold your finger up like this."

A Bridesmaid Again

[this picture courtesy of Bill Vassar, track photographer]

Movement ran well and was clearly the best horse in the race, finishing second [see chart - pdf warning]. She broke in the vanguard then settled well just a couple of lengths off the pace. She got boxed in at the rail forcing Jockey Martin Bourdieu to check hard behind the tiring pace setter and swing outside. She was closing strongly at the wire, but was 3/4 of a length short, even though she made up 2+ lengths in about five strides. She passed the winner another two strides after the wire. That's horse racing.

After the race all Martin could say was "sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry." But that's horse racing. She was probably good enough such that she could have been hung four wide throughout and still beat this bunch, but we didn't know that at the time, and Bourdieu didn't want to give up the rail too early. He also told me he had plenty of horse left as she re-rallied.

Do notice that the race set up exactly as Jamey had predicted in the pre-race video. Also, video of the race is available at CalRacing.com.

Pre-race Video

It was great to see such a large crowd came out to Bay Meadows today and that lots of press were on hand just to watch Movement.

Here are some per-race comments by trainers Steve Suzuki Miyadi and Jamey Thomas. Google video below, or the higher res version.

Will I Still Have a Filly in 4 Hours?

I haven't addressed this, trying to keep my mind off it, but...

I'm scared to death we're going to lose her to the claimbox. If she wins and is claimed, $12,500 is more than fair value for her, but it would still be really sad.

Regrouped; ready

Below are comments from the Form's Odds and Comments, Closer Look, and Race analysis sections, in that order.

Regrouped; ready

Stamina issues obvious but she should at least muddle the pace; show horse in last took a maiden $32k seller, then won $40k starter by over 3 with a 69 Beyer on 11/16; a half bro lost 7 times; backers have to hope the freshening put her over the top.

MOVEMENT has had a six-week freshener since fading badly in a turf route. She was a runner-up in her first two sprints and moves back to her best game here. She has three works in the interim. Barn has positive stats on the switch form turf to dirt and route to sprint bus is 0-for-14 with 2 YOs the past two years.

Break a Record, Break a Maiden

Hope they both win.

Baze Still Needs Two More For Top Spot

So far Russell Baze is oh-for-four today Bay Meadows card, needing two more wins to take sole ownership of the record for most wins. He has two mounts remaining, which means he could still do it, but only one is favored. I'm hoping he does it tomorrow on the Movement undercard.

Update: He's one-for-five, and has an outsider in the nightcap. He notched a win with a pick up mount I didn't notice. That's so Russell--the hardest working man in racing. He's got 7 mounts tomorrow.

Russell finished the day 1 for 7, his only win coming from a pick up mount. I missed him tying the record, but at least I'll see him break it tomorrow, and get my picture taken too, god willing.

Movement Update

Movement worked 5 furlongs in 1:01 2/5th on Friday. She's been entered in a $12,500 maiden claimer contested at five and one half furlongs over the main track on Friday December 1st.

Bay Meadows 11/24/06

Russell went oh-for-the-card at Bay Meadows, he scored plenty of points with the crowd, being exceptionally gracious to cheering fans and hack photographers alike.


As is a custom in NorCal, Russell comes out to the walking ring first, and the remaining riders follow a safe distance behind.


Two of the classiest guys on track, Armando Lage & Russell Baze, talk shop at the conclusion of Friday's feature.


Here William Morey, Jr RB Hess makes subtle inquires of his rider during the post mortem.


Chad Schvaneveldt explains the challeges he faced in the previous race.


The racetrack was crawling with press as Baze nears the record.

Although he's got a ways to go to catch up with Russell's win total, Barrington Harvey represents not just the most personable jockey in colony, but also one of the most photogenic.

Russell Baze

Standby. More to come.

Baze Eyes Record

Russell Baze won four races in a row at Bay Meadows today, meaning he has a scant 7 wins remaining to tie Laffit Pincay with 9,530 wins. He has 6 mounts tomorrow and three on Friday. He'll have a hard time nearly running the table to take down the record on Friday, but I'll be trackside, camera in hand.

News & Notes - Radio Free TBA Edition

This is certainly yesterday's news, but I would be amiss if I did not point out to my not TBA affiliated readers that Scoop & Alan appeared on Derek Simon's popular horse racing podcast to discuss the pulled Haskin article controversy at Blood-Horse, and other hot button racing issues. These fellas, along with many other TBAers have really been stepping up their game lately and are putting out some fabulous content not available in the MS(HR)M. It's great to have honest coverage and opinions coming from experts in the game that are not beholden to industry interests such as breeders or track management.

News & Notes - Hater Edition

Movement breezed a half mile yesterday in a leisurely 50:2. Some may note that the time is slower than most of her 4f works, but Jamey was happy with it and Jockey Jorge Bourdieu, who was aboard, said she relaxed very nicely. As the old adage goes, time only matters in prison.

Of course, all comments are welcome, but I'd particularly like to thank PG for making some good points in the comments section of the previous post. Also, a shout out to emailers Don & infl8d. Thanks for reading, and for all your kind words of support. Whenever I get a hater, you guys come out of the woodwork. I really appreciate it.

Tout!

I don't do this often, but I'm touting a horse. Jamey has At a Boy Luther with Baze up in the 7th at Bay Meadows on today (Wednesday). He says this horse is training by far the best since he's had him, and believes he'll run very well, and should win this race.

Jamey doesn't tout his horses often. He usually says anything from "not today" to as close to a ringing endorsement that he'll offer such as: "he'll run his race--we'll see if it's enough."

Movement on Upswing

Movement was on the upswing Sunday when I went for a visit after training hours. Jenny the exercise rider said she was a handful, throwing her head much more than usual, and generally being cantankerous in manner that is a good sign on the heels of a cold. She's pretty much over it, and Jamey thinks in the next day or two you'll never know she was sick. She'll probably gallop in the next few days and maybe breeze later in the week.
She took Monday off, along with every other horse at Golden Gate, as the track was closed. [see dry erase board on clocker's tower]

Movement SCRATCHED

Movement spiked a fever last night and had to be scratched out of tomorrows race. It's nothing serious and Jamey hopes to have her back in training early next week. It's a bummer because I had put together a huge crowd to cheer her on in a race I really thought she could win. Nonetheless, as far as ailments go, this is one of the most minor and we've been really lucky with this filly so far.

Entries Drawn for Saturdays Race

Entries have been drawn and Movement drew the rail (overnights - pdf warning) in Saturday's Bay Meadows nightcap.

Movement to be Entered in Maiden Claiming Sprint

Movement is being pointed for a start on Saturday November 11th at Bay Meadows. There is a 20k maiden claimer contested at 6 furlongs over the main track in the condition book that we'll enter her in. Entries are drawn on Wednesday, but the race should fill, and Movement should get in.

San Francisco Values

Today I will be voting for Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco values. These are my values. These are the values that favor reasoned discourse over hate; that cultivate an open and responsive government that listens to the citizens; that are forward thinking in ways like dedicating resources to public transportation and not just to roads. We look for new ways to solve problems, solutions that are sometimes ridiculed because they are novel or misunderstood. Often our solutions are later mimicked once proven successful.

But opportunists, largely on the right, want you to fear these values without understanding what they really are. Key to their ploy is to set aside all the grand achievements and attributes of this spectacular American city and replace it with a particularly irrational and abhorrent fear of gays.

Here too, San Francisco will shine. As being a racist was the norm and often a required trait for politicians in many places 50 years ago, so is being a gay basher today. There are many places in the country where a politician would become unelectable if they supported gays' right to adopt or to teach in public schools. There are few places where a politician could support gays' right to enter into a marriage contract. Nonetheless, as spouting racist views slowly became politically unhelpful, so will hating gays.

I don't doubt that as blantant racism melted from political discourse, so will gay bashing. It's the other attributes--open & responsive government (SF has some of the stronges and most strongly enforced sunshine laws in the nation), setting policy for the benefit of the poeple instead of for the benefit of corporations (SF routinely opposes big box stores and business backed transportation policy that distroy neighborhoods and put everyone in a car). Although certainly not as the result of this election cycle, one day, if we're lucky, this nation may be afforded San Francisco values.

News & Notes - Post Breeder's Cup Edition

Despite going oh-for-the-cup, I enjoyed myself immensely yesterday taking in the biggest day on the racing calendar at my local track, Bay Meadows. I generally like the setup at Bay Meadows, and the weather there is much better than it is at Golden Gate Fields. Unfortunately, Bay Meadows suffers from the same lack of concern for horseplayers as does most every track in America. Even though the first Breeder's Cup race went off at 9:30 Pacific time, there were no live tellers in the lower level clubhouse until 10:45. There are automated machines, but only one voucher machine that is very persnickety when it comes to accepting your $20 bills. This means lost handle and an inconvenience for the patrons, as many were unable to get down on their first planned wager of the day, and then had to trek over to the grandstand or upstairs to get make wagers, or at least to get a voucher.

In the TBB newswatch, did you see this article in the Australian press? They seem to be looking at the matter strictly through their lens with regard to the post time of the Classic, which they complain is too late. I would have much rather the card be pushed back later yet. The first race on the Churchill card went of at 8:15 AM on the west coast, and the classic went off at ~2:30. I'd much rather it be later in the day. 9:30 is a touch early to get to the track, but a first post of 11am PST is still a very respectable 2pm on in the east. Then we could compress the races a bit, scheduling them no more than 25 or 30 minutes apart, and the classic could still be run ~6pm east coast time.

Breeder's Cup Picks

Submitted for your ridicule, here are my Breeder's Cup picks, sure to leave me at the bottom of the TBA standings.

Appealing Zophie
Principle Secret
Germance
Siren Lure
Aussie Rules
Spun Sugar
Scorpion
Lava Man

Good luck. I hope you all crush the cup.

News and Notes - Halloween Edition

Movement galloped under regular exercise rider Jenny on Saturday and breezed 4 furlongs under jockey Jorge Bourdieu in 49:3 on Sunday. Video of the gallop will be up later this week. I didn't make it out for the breeze, but jockey and trainer were happy with it.

Honor in War, the American horse who was to contest the Cox Plate in Australia had been garnering some attention. Here's one quote from October 27th:

"I reckon the horse must feel like someone who has come through a serious detox after taking away all the additives they give them in the US on a daily basis," Birnsen said yesterday. "Seriously, I don't think this horse has had it so good since he went into quarantine for the trip to Melbourne and he's looked like a million dollars since he got here."

Birnsen's words were prophetic, as Honor in War was scratched due to trace amounts of a banned substance remaining in the horses blood after leaving the U.S. some 8 weeks ago.


Three Notes, a classmate of Movement from Triad Farms, worked 4 furlongs today in 50:2 at The Thoroughbred Center. (Get it, Three Notes, Triad Farms.) Steve and Kathy Watkins, Triad Farms proprietors, hope to debut the filly at Churchill in November. We'll be rooting for her.

Jenny's First Gate Drill

Regular readers will remember Jenny is often Movement's exercise rider. On Saturday she got her first chance to work a horse from the gate, as chronicled in this video.

The Jog, Part Two

Once again here is video of Movement before and during a jog on Friday. A couple folks have emailed that they really enjoy these, so I've put this one up--not that you could tell if I'd recycled one.

So, nothing remarkable here, as this is what happens hundreds of times per day on every track in the country, so track veterans will likely skip this one, unless you just want to get to this jog's blues soundtrack, which kicks in ~1:30 mark. Dave [exercise rider & assistant trainer] offers a few brief comments between the :35 & 1:30 mark.

Exercise Riders Compare Filly Notes

Jessica and Jenny are Movement's two most regular exercise riders other than Dave. Here they discuss their experience with the filly, along with some sassy innuendo and double entendres at the end.

The Jog, Part One

Movement was scheduled to jog on Friday. We had wanted exercise rider Jenny aboard, but after a wee bit of stable drama, Dave ended up taking her. Jenny didn't get back to the barn until after the final renovation break, and in the meantime had developed some soreness in her wrist while working a horse for another trainer that she slipped in before tending to Movement. See the video for a sampling of what went down.



Producer's note: This video was edited together for maximum entertainment value, not for fairness to the players. Most of this is fabricated drama spliced together in the spirit of a reality show and should not be used to form negative opinions of the players.

Movement's Gallop Earlier This Week

The filly continues her training toward her next start and is progressing well. Jamey is happy with her, and Dave thinks that she has woken up a bit since her last race when she exhibited speed and fade. She has been even more eager to train, and during a gallop earlier this week she got away a little bit from an exercise rider that hadn't been aboard before and really came flying down the lane. It was faster than Jamey wanted her to go, but she came out of it fine and no harm was done.

A Horse Racing Related Movie I've Never Heard Of

I found this trailer [above] for the movie The Way You Look to Me, but I've never heard of it before, and Netflix doesn't seem to carry it. It is supposedly an independent film, and from the looks of the trailer it is probably a pretty mediocre film. Still, I'll watch just about anything about horse racing and I'm surprised that I can't find it anywhere. Any of you LA media moguls know the story with this flick?

Update: The film was written, directed and produced by Bruce Romans, Dale Romans' brother. Below is the status per a 6/11/06 interview in the Louisville C-J. I also take back what I said about the film looking "mediocre". Given that it was made with a budget of half a million dollars, it looks like a blockbuster.

C-J: What is the status of the independent film you shot in Louisville in 2004, which stars yourself with Laura Allen ("Lost") and Frank Langella as a University of Louisville professor? The movie, originally titled "Sweet William" was renamed "How You Look to Me."

BR: It is being sold to foreign markets by a company called Shoreline Entertainment of Los Angeles, which often represents festival films. Before that, it was shown at four festivals (Newport, First Glance Philadelphia Film Festival, the Bluegrass Festival in Kentucky and the Ojai Film Festival in California). ... It's been a success artistically, and we will soon find out if it will be financially. ... It will be released in the U.S. on DVD sometime this year.

I'm optimistic that we will recoup our investment of $540,000 and get a 20 percent return for investors.

TBAer Jen Morrison Plugged on TVG's Blinkers Off

Friday on Blinkers Off Dan Illman sat in for Mike Watchmaker. As I've noted on Jen's blog (comments section), Ms. Morrison and Dan Illman will be hosting a handicapping seminar at Woodbine this weekend. The two have been featured prominently in full page ads and Matt Caruthers held one of the spots up which include head shots of both bloggers. It's great to see a TBAer get so much attention in the MS(HR)M. If Dan plays his cards right and is really sweet to Jen, she might even put in a good word for him and perhaps help him gain membership in the TBA. Of course there is the matter of the hazing rituals....

This Week's News and Notes

Movement came out of last week's race well, and after taking a day or two off she was back jogging the track. Then, on Tuesday or Wednesday (I don't remember which) she galloped. She's been jogging since and will probably have another gallop or work soon.

Night racing returns to Bay Meadows this evening. The weather is fantastic in the Bay Area, so I expect a big crowd.

Tomorrow is Russel Baze Bobblehead Day at Bay Meadows. He was scheduled to ride in Maryland aboard one of Harry Aleo's horses, but now that horse (Victorina? sorry, I don't have fact checkers or a copy editor) is looking at a couple other spots, so Baze is back in the mix on his big day.

Movement Finishes Up the Track

Movement set the pace and was tackled at the quarter pole. (chart - pdf warning) She fought on for a bit, but Jockey Jorge Bourdieu wrapped up on her once she was well beaten. She finished 6th. After the race Jorge said she just got tired out there. The fractions, although fair, certainly weren't sizzling. She did take to the turf quite nicely, though.

What we take out of it is that she probably doesn't want to go that far, but she's perfectly happy with turf. Even at a lower claiming price, it's unlikely the fractions would be so much slower as to make a difference in the lane. Whether she could handle this company in a turf sprint is also unclear, but we'd be willing to try. If she comes out well, we'd like to run her short again either on the grass or on the main, depending on what looks easier and what works with her schedule. You can see a replay of the race at CalRacing (free subscription required).

Friday's Race & The Form

The Closer Look section by Art Gropper in Friday's Form says the following about Movement:

Runnerup in a pair of dirt sprints and goes to turf, where her sire is 13-percent winners 1st grass; dam went 0-for-3 on the lawn (7K); the added distance is a concern, but she figures to be a factor from the gate; know her early.

This is misleading because it only includes her Dam's stateside form. She won at a mile and a quarter over the lawn as a three year old in Britain. Her total record was 10-1-1-3 banking $17,555 if you include her Euro ventures.

I also think she can handle the distance, and may even prefer routing. The bigger question is whether or not she's good enough to run with this company. Half the field has posted beyers higher than Movement and four are also dropping out of Maiden Special Weight company. Meanwhile, she's moving up the ladder. She'll need to take a step forward to beat these.

Movement's Work 10/07/06

Movement works 5 furlongs leading up to her first turf route.

Here's video from Movement's final work before her Friday start, when she'll try both grass & two turns for the first time.

As I mentioned before, she throws her head a little bit and fights the tongue tie during the work. She wears a figure eight when she races to combat this.

The players: Jamey Thomas, Trainer; Jorge Martin Bourdieu, Jockey

The Gallop

"She's a little thing, but she moves big."

-- Jennifer, Exercise Rider

This video [.wmv warning - google video below] is from Movement's gallop on October 1st. The players: Jennifer, exercise rider; Steve Miyadi, trainer of Lovely Cape, winner of Movement's last race. Voice only: Dave, exercise rider & assistant trainer; Jamey Thomas, trainer.



I was tempted to edit several of these in this series such to make Steve Miyadi the villain. He would play one well, given he has good horses and places them realistically, which yields a high win percentage. He's one of the wittyest folks on the backstretch and also one of the few that will tell it like it is. Steve Miyadi is one of the good guys.

Note: Google video is down, and I don't like youtube's interface as well, so until google gets it's youtube acquiring ass in line, you can watch it with the .wmv compliant media player of your choice. Google Video is back up, but I'll leave the .wmv up for a while so you can still watch the higher quality version if you like. Just click here.

I still owe you video of her work on Saturday. Hopefully I can get that up before she starts this Friday.

Movement on the Hotwalker

[Note: I've removed the YouTube embed and replaced with GoogleVideo.]

Here is video of Movement on the hotwalker before her October 1st gallop. There is nothing remarkable here, but a couple of folks asked about the hotwalker contraption, so here it is.

The players: Dave, as you remember from the prior video, is the assistant trainer. He's too big to gallop her, so Jennifer will take her. You'll also see Fernado, who is the barn foreman.

Portland Meadows Creates Superb Racing Experience

Opening day at Portland Meadows on Sunday showed me what a great product small and mid-level tracks are capable of. These guys are really doing it right. The facility looks great and the customer service is on the high end of the bell curve.

For one, the bank of enormous flat screens shocked me. Patrons of NorCal racing aren't afforded such luxuries. Second, they have table service in the bar area in the grandstand. We can't even get that in the clubhouse at Golden Gate or Bay Meadows. Also, the tables weren't those nasty rocking Formica units I'm used to. No, they spring for the table cloth and a little fake flower in a vase. It's not the Ritz, but these little things make a difference. Then the most important factor--the service. Fabulous. Service like you would expect at a restaurant, and not from someone that begruges having to jockey cokes and fried appetizers to your table. Then there's the turf club. I can't attest to the food as I didn't eat, but again the service is excellent.

Patrick Kerrison, who has worn many hats at Portland Meadows including assistant racing secretary and chief marketeer, practices hands on relationship building with customers. Not only did he take good care of myself and fellow TBAer Dave of Average Horseplayer, but he actually got to know many individual customers. I spied him repeatedly asking folks from the grandstand to the turf club what they thought of the product, the experience. He took a personal interest in their needs, whether that meant adjusting simulcast televisions, or finding seats best suited for them, all the while filing customers' feedback in his brain so to continually improve Portland Meadows.

He also put many groups into winners circle photos, including myself. As he met fans in the grandstand or on the apron he invited them to join for a photo. These folks were just tickled pink, and from the looks of the fun they were having, they'll be back. I know I will.

Lastly, Portland Meadows secured an up and coming announcer in Jason Beem. He has the refined technical skills of a seasoned pro and the delightful stylistic attributes some callers never attain. In a few years from now when Jason is calling a top tier track in New York, California, Florida, or Kentucky, the fans at Portland Meadows will get to say "I knew him when..."

Movement to Try Turf Route

Movement has been entered into a one mile maiden turf race over the turf for a tag of $32,000 on Friday October 13 at Golden Gate Fields. The purse is $17,000. Eight fillies were entered and Movement drew the 7 hole. She could be hung a little wide from there, but there's a decent amount of run up on to the clubhouse turn on the Lakeside Turf Course.

Also, she worked 5 furlongs in 1:02 & 2/5ths on Saturday morning. She got distracted a bit and fought with the tongue tie, but it was still a fine work. More on that tomorrow.

News and Notes 10/6

Movement will have her final work tomorrow morning before her next start.

We hope to run her long on the turf Friday October 10th. There isn't a race in the book, but it sounds like there's enough demand to for a maiden 32k to fill from the overnights.

I'm headed to Portland Meadows for opening weekend. Standby. More to come.

Baze Closing in on Pincay

Barring injury, Russell Baze will become the winningest jockey in history sometime during the upcoming Bay Meadows meet, which begins October 18th.

As of today, before Golden Gate's afternoon card return to live racing on Friday, Baze has 9,469 wins, 61 shy of Laffit Pincay's 9,530. I'm guessing he'll reel in the record some time in mid November.

Note: Golden Gate Fields is dark Wednesday and Thursday as Fresno opens. Both tracks will run over the weekend. Golden Gate will offer a special Monday card on Columbus Day.

Movement the Movie

This past week as Movement has returned to training, Jamey and his team began preparing her for the possibility of a route. (A route is a race longer than a sprint and denotes distances of one mile or longer.) They want her to relax on the track and learn to rate her speed, whether on the lead or not. She can be headstrong in the morning and tries to dictate to her rider what she'll do on the track, usually wanting to gallop off. This video chronicles her jog Saturday September 30th. She galloped on Sunday October 1st. In the next installment we'll see how that goes.

The players:
Jamey, trainer [pictured, left]
Dave, assistant trainer and exercise rider [pictured, right]

Producer's note: The production values are very low as I have no skills whatsoever when it comes to filming or editing video; the video was shot with a regular digital camera, not a camcorder; and all the editing was done with freeware.

TVG's Nancy Ury Endorses Tote Board Brad for NTRA Commercials

Last night on Lady Luck, the all female hosted racing show on TVG, they solicited emails about viewers' most exciting summer racing moments. [click the play button above] Of course Movement's debut was my moment. My Faulkner-esque comma splices, coupled with high school newspaper quality prose, tripped up Priscilla Hojiwala as she read it. Nonetheless, Nancy Ury suggested I submit the letter to the NTRA so that they can put me in a commercial. Flattering, but I have a face much more suited to blogging.

Text of my email to TVG:

To: mail@tvg.com
From: Tote Board Brad

Subject: best racing experience this summer

My best racing experience this summer was the day my filly Movement, the first and only yearling I have ever bought who is now a 2yo, debuted at the Bay Meadows Fair on August 19th. She set the pace and finished 2nd in a bottom level maiden claimer, but the vocal cord shredding thrill of her running, and even leading at all but the last points of call was perhaps the most ecstatic moment of my life. The rush was more potent than any drug, but common cliches can not begin to describe the excitement I felt. Nothing beats horse ownership for distilled raw excitement.

Tote Board Brad

News & Notes

- Movement is back in training and I hope to see her jog tomorrow morning.

- Delta Slam, Movement's 3yo half brother by Grand Slam (out of Delamere, of course) appears to be back in training. He has not been seen since the fall, but was a 145k Barrets purchase and finished second in a maiden special weight last year. I'd like to see this fella go out and impress. He has had 5 works in September, most recently a 5 furlong breeze in 1:00 & 2/5ths at Turfway yesterday.

- Did you see the 2nd at Oak Tree today? The field in this 40k maiden claimer looked weak enough that Movement might have compared favorable with these. I haven't thought of her as a filly that could compete at the big tracks down south, but I think she could have handled this bunch [chart - pdf warning]. The final time for the mile was a pokey 1:39 & 3/5ths, and the place horse was 6 lengths back! And, these were boys! The purse was $22,000, though. Even 20% of that will cover the van ride and a good bit of feed. Readers: Let me know if I'm showing delusions of grandeur. This is the same chump talking that nominated her to the Del Mar Debutante.

Snap!

Pictured left, Move-ment's sil-houette cast against a barn on a typical morning on the back-stretch.

Pictured below, Movement keeps it real, telling me how to get my crunk on.

Other Notes
If you haven’t already read it on FormBlog (and if not, why not?) check out Dan Illman’s comment [4th comment after the post] about the prospect of running Movement long over the weeds.

I gotta say, those lads at DRF.com could use an information architect like nobody’s business. I had to explain how to both sign up for an account and then how to navigate to Dan’s blog several times to several people, in some cases unsuccessfully. And these are not computer illiterate folks.

Where to Next?

We're entertaining the idea of running Movement (pedigree) long on the turf next. For one, the division is rather weak in NorCal. Also, there's a possibility that this filly is actually a plodder, that has a bit of early foot. Although she wasn't going to catch the winner in her last, she wasn't going to let any one get by her, either. If you watch the video, you'll see that when Baze's mount tries to make a run, Movement digs in, and the third place horse made up ground as Bourdeiu geared down on Movement nearing the wire. All this is just a theory and may not be based on any sound reasoning. I got a little input from Alan at Left at the Gate, but I'd like to hear some strong, opinionated comments from everyone on this. What do you think?

Give the People What They Want
About half of my readership is hardcore horse racing fans and the other half know little about the game, but come here for the personal interest story of me and my filly. For the latter, I know I do a poor job of explaining racing nomenclature (as some of you have pointed out), but you also know that I always answer your emails. For a primer, check out Tim Wooley's FAQ. Also, if you're interested in the thought process of expert handicappers as they try to pick winners, check out FormBlog by Dan Illman [free subscription required] of the Daily Racing Form. Dan, one of the classiest guys in racing (not saying much) was even kind enough to note Movement's strong effort last week.

Vodka Asserts Superiority
Although I'm a Gin man, myself, with a hat tipped to Sue of Post Parade I have to honor Make Mine Vodka in winning a N1X at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday in impressive fashion. Chad Schvaneveldt is seen here drawing off. His mount went on to win by four lengths.

Movement's 2nd Start

Movement runs in a 6 furlong 20k Maiden Claiming race at Golden Gate Fields on 9/20/2006.

Inspired by John of Not to the Swift, I've added video of Movement's 2nd race.

Race Day Redux

In addition to Movement's strong showing, the other highlight of the day for me was meeting Gulfstream & Hollywood Park announcer Vic Stauffer. He owned the winner of the 2nd race trained by Rene Amescua and I ran into him as he was returning to the backside. I congratulated him on his win, and told him about my horse and blog. It was refreshing and ego building for him to seem genuinely intrested in my story. Many horse people are not people people. Vic was charming and engaging, even as I was distracted by race day jitters resulting in a palsy of verbal stumbling.

Response to Commenter Questions
- NorCal Day rates generally range from $55 - $70. After starter expenses, Movement earned about 4 weeks of training with this 2nd place finish.

- We're very happy with her effort at the 20k maiden level yesterday and plan to run her back again with this company. If she doesn't run in to a Lage or Miyadi freak again, or a 'Dorf dropper, she should be able to win at this level with a similar effort. Those are still a lot of ifs, but we're having fun along the way.

- Yes, that was me in the paddock sporting my race day stingy brim.

Movement Best of the Rest Once Again

Movement ran an excellent race [chart - pdf warning] coming in second again. I am very pleased with her effort. She showed a lot of heart and she also showed that she can rate, which we didn't know if she would ever do. [Pictured left - Movement's jockey Jorge Bourdeiu & trainer Jamey Thomas in the walking ring before the race.]
[Picture above - Movement eyes the camera beneath the Northern California sky.]
She stumbled at the start and gave up a couple lengths, which could have been a blessing in disguise. The horse that went on to win was the best horse, and her trainer Steve Miyadi acknowledged as much. Had we popped out of the gate clean and gotten into a speed duel with his horse, Movement wouldn't have one the battle, and they may have both finished up the track. Worse yet, our filly could have come out of such a duel demoralized, but as it was she sat off the pace in third, then put away that horse. When Baze's mount came to her, she would have none of it, and dug in. She showed so much heart out there.

She came out of the race extremely tired. No one can accuse this horse of being lazy. She left it all out there on the track. She was still cooling out an hour and a half after the race. I think she's going to sleep well tonight.

Movement Running Today

My filly Movement will try to break her maiden in her second start of her racing career today. She was installed as the morning line favorite at 5/2 in a wide open affair, which goes off at 3:15 PDT as the 6th race on the Golden Gate Fields card.

She has enough early foot such that she should break on top and set the pace. The question will come in the lane when we find out if she can hold on. There are some serious racehorses in this group and it's a tough spot to graduate in.

Nonetheless, this is what Chuck Dybdal, who has picked her to place, had to say about her in the Form:

Movement draws the rail after a solid debut try in which she set the pace before being passed in the lane. She finished six up on the third-place finisher. Barn is good in the second start, and it's a plus that she gets a boost up the class ladder.

From the closer look section, Art Gropper had this to say:

Solid debut effort as she showed good speed and held very well despite the solid early fractions, finishing 6 lengths clear of the show finisher; good work for this 10 days ago and the trainer shows good win numbers with freshened runners; the rail draw can be tricky for a young horse as she broke from easier post 9 for debut; looms a dangerous rival despite the raise in price.

I hope these fellas know what they're talking about.

Average Horseplayer Called to Account

Double Edged Sword Wastes No Time Cutting Both Ways

Your Average Horseplayer (YAH), who just yesterday announced he has been granted press credentials to cover the Breeder's Cup, has already been called out for playing fast and loose with journalistic standards.

YAH was accused of misquoting Ray Paulick, Blood-Horse Editor-in-Chief. It's not quite what DailyKos saw when after Blackwater security personnel were killed in Fallujah in 2004 he wrote [comments section]

Let the people see what war is like. This isn't an Xbox game. There are real repercussions to Bush's folly.
That said, I feel nothing over the death of merceneries. They aren't in Iraq because of orders, or because they are there trying to help the people make Iraq a better place. They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them.

Kos offered both defense and mia culpa in a subsequent post.

I think Paulick's genre of prodding from the establishment will only help to improve horse racing blogs. Mr. Paulick's balance of coax and command will likely cause YAH to either produce sourcing or print a correction. Furthermore, a year ago no one would have noticed if any horse racing blog had made assertions that Ray Paulick supports legalizing horse meat consumption and expanding horse slaughter, that Dan Illman opposes televising all stakes races and supports lowering standard jockey weights, or that Mike Watchmaker bets chalk to show.

Things are looking up.

TBA Blogger Gets Full Press Credentials to Breeder's Cup

I've never heard of a blogger getting a press pass to the Super Bowl or to the World Series, but Your Average Horseplayer has secured a press pass to the biggest day of horse racing. He will cover the Breeder's Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, with purse money in excess of $20 million, as a fully credentialed member of the press. As a fellow blogger, I'm beaming with pride.

Movement to Race Wednesday 9/20

Movement will be entered in a $20,000 maiden claiming affair contested at 6 furlongs over the Golden Gate Fields main track this coming Wednesday. Her past performance will look like this clip below from the also eligible list of the Fairplex race she did not get into. (click to enlarge)

It's a tough spot for her, and we considered running her for $12,500 again where Jamey is rather certain she can win at a shorter distance. However, we wanted to get the excitement of another race before we risk losing her. From a business standpoint, the better choice would have been to run her for a lower claiming tag, but we're spending money to have fun.

Movement Update

The filly did not draw in to either of the 4 furlong races at Fairplex. Also, my assessment in my last post was off base, as I had not read the race conditions terrible closely. They were not the same conditions, but the Friday race was open to all and Saturday's was for fillies only. Even so, she was the 2-1 second choice in the Form, even against the boys. It's nice to see the lass get a little respect. So, we're still looking for a race for her--either something similar down south, or a 6 furlong race at Golden Gate. Either way, she should get a start in the next 10 days.

Yesterday I visited Movement and got a chance to chat ponies with her exercise rider Jessica (left), another exercise rider Jennifer (middle), and Jamey (right).

Movement on Also Eligible List

Movement is entered in a $32,000 maiden claimer (pdf warning) at Fairplex on Friday. The race is the fourth on the card. There were 26 entrants trying to get into the race and we drew the last spot on the also eligible list. Since only 8 can go in a half miler at the bullring, half the field would have to scratch for her to get in. Essentially we've got a snowballs chance in the Inland Empire.

The good news is that the same race was written as a substitute for Saturday. Will they card the same race back the next day? Anywhere else that just wouldn't happen, but it's fairplex and their #1 goal is full fields and this race would be guaranteed a full field. On the other hand, if there's a two turn race that will draw 10, they would probably favor that since ~4 furlong races can handle a max of 8 starters If they don't have a two turn race with 10 to go, though, they very well might do this. I'm hoping.

And This Showcase Can Be Yours If.....

No report yet on Rod Roddy's witty repartee after the hammer fell, but one of Barker's Beauties has apparently raised the ire of Princess Haya for salaciously eyeballing His Highness.

Despite the High drama, a Kingmambo colt still coaxed $11.7 million out of Sheikh Mo's coin purse. Accusations that the Maktoum family is cornering the high end thoroughbred market a la the Hunt brothers may have some merit. One substantial difference between Eclipse award winning breeder Nelson Bunker Hunt (pdf warning) and Eclipse award winner Sheikh Mohammad is that the latter's endeavors will not likely end in financial ruin, and in fact are a needed shot in the arm for the horse racing industry. In this sense, the Maktoum family is far more Calumet than Hunt brothers. I'll take horses over silver any day.

Session Top 5 Buyers

Buyer: John Ferguson
#: 16
Total: $29,660,000

Buyer: Shadwell Estate Company, Ltd
#: 9
Total: $4,740,000

Buyer: Nobutaka Tada
#: 3
Total: $3,700,000

Buyer: Mike Ryan, Agent
#: 9
Total: $3,330,000

Buyer: Todd Pletcher, Agent
#: 1
Total: $3,200,000

These are the results from the first day of the Keeneland Sale. For those of you that don't know, John Ferguson is the bloodstock agent for the ruling family of Dubai's Godolphin and Darley operations. Shadwell is also part of the Dubai juggernaut, directed by Sheikh Mohammed's son brother Sheikh Hamdan. (ONe of Sheikh Mohammed's sons, who has campained top horses such as Henny Hughes, is Sheikh Majid).

Movement's 1st Work Since Debut

Everyone's favorite dark bay two year old filly worked three furlongs at the sleep depriving hour of 6:15 a.m. Sunday morning. She went in 36 & 3/5s, good for the 4th best time at the distance. She looked good, or what I saw of her. It was dark and from my vantage point I couldn't see the 3/8th pole as it is obstructed by the tote board & infield shrubbery if you stand at the beginning of the clubhouse turn. I picked her up again around the wire, and she didn't seem particularly taxed from the effort.

We're looking for a race for her now, but nothing is set yet. There is a bottom level maiden claimer at Fairplex that looks very appealing at 4 furlongs, but that race will probably be oversubscribed and tough to get in to. Other than that, we're stuck with 6 furlongs in NorCal. We could go for 12,5 and probably win. She might get claimed at that price, but that's also probably fair compensation for her. We could try her at 20, where she wouldn't get claimed, but that just may be too tough of competition. Like everything else in this game, one never really knows until the race is run, though.

In other observations, have you noticed the retooling of Equibase.com?

Da Goat Loves the TBA

Today I became the fourth member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance to be graced by Sir Goat's interviewing skills.

These fine Allies' interviews and their blogs can be found here:

Jason of Up on the Roof and his Da Goat Interview
Patrick of Saratoga 06 and his Da Goat Interview
Patrick of Pulling Hair and his Da Goat Interview

Funny Cide Indeed Loved, Despite Major Shortcoming

Yes, people still turn out en masse for a champion like 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, even though he's lost a step or two.

I must admit, despite my attempts to the contrary I am a bit of a Funny Cide fan. It wasn't love at first sight. He had to over come a major obstacle. That he isn't a superhorse like Man O' War or Secretariat? No, that's not it.

Before he came along, I could regularly tease New Yorkers that more horses bred in the great state of Missouri, my home state, had won the Kentucky Derby than had New York breds. The two states are now tied, of course.

What, you don't remember Elwood in 1904?

Armchair Handicapper

As I've said before, I much prefer to make my wagers at the track than via Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) providers like XpressBet and TVG. With the Bay Bridge closed and The City soon to be inundated with hung over Burners, I'll make a few plays from home today so to avoid hearing 50 variations of this conversation: "Did you stay for the burn?" "Yeah, but I was off the grid, bro!"
Were there an option like the lucky folks of Chesapeake, VA, are afforded, I'd likely be there, though. In fact, I think there's a Chevy's on the Embarcadero near where Friday night some skilled welders made a minor addition to one of the enormous art installations along the Bay to honor Burning Man. (To save John The Elder from having to navigate his aluminum walker over to his Funk & Wagnall: Yes, that is a bong).
Inspired by The Head Chef of Racing Saratoga Daily, and wanting a little Latin flare, I walked to Yick's, my Racing Form purveyor and continued on to Taqueria Menudo for a big bowl of, well, menudo, and a little handicapping. Next, I collected the ingredients for a pineapple peach salsa from Casa Lucaz. I'll roast the habaneros and one of the Jalapenos but the rest go in chopped, crisp and raw. I headed back to my hovel after a productive outing that never took me more than 3 blocks from my front door. And, at 14 limes for a dollar, I've got enough to make plenty of Singapore Slings, with mezcal on the side.With yesterday's Palomar in the rearview, now I can sit back, watch the races and wait for the next CHRB cover up scandal.
In a couple weeks I'll do something similar during the sale, but I'll incorporate a box of wine to piss off billionaire horse owner and wine maker Jess Jackson of Kendall-Jackson.

It's an Honor Just to be Nominated

Some while back before we knew at what level my filly Movement would compete, this over zealous owner nominated her to the Del Mar Debutante. Foolish, yes, but for $250 we get to see her name among the nominees along side Sorrento Stakes winner Untouched Talent. I should have bought a few rounds at my local instead. And then there's my poor partners that I railroaded into this expenditure. Note to self: shed hubris.

Ouch

My question to Ray Paulick, Blood-Horse Editor-in-Chief, was selected for their weekly chat session which offers readers a chance to make inquiries of horse racing insiders.

San Francisco, California
In a Blood-Horse column from February 28, 2006, T.D. Thornton says that "Today's most engaging conversations about racing's most searing issues are all happening online...in loosely structured groups and forums." What sites do you read for alternative content and what forums do you visit for such engaging conversations?

Paulick
I'm a big fan of Equidaily.com for links to non-traditional racing press. I scan blogs and some forums, which often can be useful for news leads. Frankly, the state of horse racing blogs is pretty sad compared to politics or other sports. Some bloggers go weeks without posting a comment (they'd never work at BloodHorse.com!). Bloodhorse.com has dropped forums because of the actions of a few individuals who post irresponsible and damaging comments. We can't justify hiring a 24-hour babysitter to monitor it.

Of course, Equidaily is outstanding and I'm glad Mr. Paulick plugged it. I thought I'd maybe get tipped off to some content and resources I was not aware of, but instead bloggers got the back of his hand.

It's true that most horse racing blogs are not newspaper or magazine quality, but that's why they're blogs. Bloggers do not have copy editors or research teams. I do not anticipate an invitation to write for The Blood-Horse anytime soon based on my medicore language skills displayed in these pages. Still, I feel horse racing bloggers put out valuable, enjoyable content everyday.

As I said many times in these pages, Ray Paulick is a beacon in horse racing journalism that I respect immensely. I'm sorry we bloggers have so disappointed you, Ray.

Payday!

The check for Movement's 2nd place finish has arrived, and is more than I had expected. [click on itemized receipt detail at left to view the breakdown] This is a new experience for me in horse ownership. I've become accustom to bills being higher than anticipated, but this is delightful. In addition to the purse money, there was a jockey insurance supplement and a starter purse supplement. Of course, they don't give supplements for no reason. You have to pay for the jockeys insurance and other raceday expenses. Still, it will cover almost a of month of expenses, and hopefully she can have another start in that time.

I haven't written much about how hard it is to make money, or break even in this game since we bought this filly. The cost estimates I made at that time were incredibly rosy. Even so, you can see that we have been lucky. There were 7 others that finished behind us in that race. The third place horse probably earned about a week & a half of her feed bill and 6th thru 9th scored bubkiss. We could have just as easily bought one of those horses last year.

You're On Notice!

I'm no John of Not to the Swift, but with the help of Jeff at Shipbrook, I too can avail myself of fancy graphics. Go ahead, and put'em on notice!

Da Goat's Interviews Not to be Missed

The interviews over at Love Da Goat are a real treasure. This week's edition with Travis Stone, Louisiana Downs track announcer, keeps with that tradition.

Doug has interviewed so many interesting folks in the game including Gary West, Vic Stauffer & Jon White. One of the most entertaining was Jay Cronley, author of Good Vibes which was later turned into every horseplayers wet dream, the movie Let it Ride.

With all the top notch people he's interviewed, he apparently feels comfortable severely lowering his standards in the near future to add yours truly to the soon to be tarnished list of interviewees. So, flip thru Da Goat's archives and check out some outstanding conversations before they're soiled by my presence in the next few weeks.

Free Josh

This is unrelated to horse racing, but I'll support a jailed blogger when there's booze involved.


As many bloggers are aware, Josh Wolf (no relation to Greg Wolf of TVG) has been imprisoned by Bush's Jack Booted Thugs(tm) for not releasing his unpublished blog notes and vlog media. As Josh continues to spend his nights in federal prison, some of us will gather at House of Shields to swill gin in his honor and hopefully raise a buck or two for his legal fees.

NTRA Irrelevant or at the Vanguard?

Ray Paulick, Blood-Horse Editor-in-Chief, takes up the matter of the state of the NTRA. Many have called the organization ineffective, unresponsive, and generally weak. In his weekly column Mr. Paulick notes "without a champion among key industry leaders, [the NTRA] will continue its spiral toward irrelevancy as an underfunded, underappreciated, and, on occasion, underachieving organization."

While the NTRA has undoubtedly failed to live up to it's potential for reasons both internal and beyond it's control, Kentucky Joe of Blinkers Off has noted some recent successes with improvements and tools added to their website. It is but one step, but they are taking this step in an arena where they can enjoy full control without the infighting and stagnation of a fragmented sport.

Suicide Tuesday

The vocal cord shredding thrill of Movement running, and even leading Saturday’s race at all but the last points of call, has left me in a daze. The rush was more potent than any drug. No, the letdown isn’t actually anything like suicide tuesdays, but after my glands kicked up serotonin production to levels obscenely objectionable to John Ashcroft, the work week is rather dispiriting. I’m definitely ready for my next fix.

Race Day Pics

I only took a couple of pictures on Saturday, but here is the one that turned out. We were in the walking ring just after trainer Jamey Thomas gave jockey Jorge Bourdieu a leg up. In addition to my racehorse, this was also the debut of my racing silks.

Movement Completes Exacta

Movement ran a good race, finishing second yesterday. She broke well, set the pace and was over taken by the favorite in the final furlong. Jockey Jorge Bordieu said that once she was in front she began looking around and wasn't keeping her mind on racing. He also said that she would beat this company next out. That's probably the route we'll take. She might be able to be competitive with $20,000 maiden claimers or it could be too deep, but after that we'd have to drop her back down anyway when she takes on winners. If she comes out well and has no setbacks, she could run again as soon as September 10th.

Race day was one of the most fun, exciting, heart pounding experiences I've ever enjoyed. I've owned shares of horses before, but this was completely different. I cannot overstate how much fun I had. Thanks so much to everyone that wished me luck, and called or commented. It really means a lot and made the experience that much better.

Race Day

Movement is shipping from Golden Gate Fields to Bay Meadows as we speak. She was a little hesitant to load into the van, but I'll forgive her that as the last time she did so it was for a three day buggy ride across the country.

Movement is 8-1 on the track morning line and 10-1 in the form. The Miyadi horse, Collinsville Times, looks toughest to me and has posted some strong works for the high percentage trainer. Fah Peachy put in a series of bullets before slowing it down in his last several works. It's hard to know what that means, but there wasn't a break in the works, so maybe the horse figured out how to relax. Fah Peachy is 5/2 and Collinsville Times is 9/5 on the track morning line.

Six hours to post time. I'm bouncing off the walls. I hope she can handle all the stress of race day and stays cool. I'm not sure I will.

Lost in the Fog Stricken with Terminal Cancer

When I turned on TVG after my last post Gary Seibel & Simon Bray were about to interview Greg Gilchrist. He let us know that Champion Lost in the Fog has inoperable cancer and will be brought back to Golden Gate to say goodbye. I can't communicate how sad this is to me. Lost in the Fog is my wallpaper on my laptop. I've seen half his races in person. I have a LITF bobblehead on my desk. This horse meant so much to the San Francisco Bay Area. It just seems so sudden. He's so young. He had so much life ahead of him.

While I'm Self Absorbed...

I've neglected a number of pertinent items worthy of blogging while I'm wrapped up in Movement's debut. Please see this excellent horse racing blog, Superfecta, for posts I wish I had written about my first home track, Fairmount Park, and NorCal hero Lost in the Fog and his battle with cancer.

Race Fills, Movement to Debut Saturday

Entries were taken moments ago for the race in which Movement will make her first start. She drew the 9 hole in the 5 furlong contest to be run over the main track. Jorge Bourdieu got the call, as Luis Martinez had a prior engagement. The field should be posted by 5pm PDT.

Update: The field has been posted, and I've already purchased past performances from drf.com. The official morning line hasn't been made yet, but I'd bet we're listed at 5-1. The Miyadi/Baze entry will probably be favored at around 8/5, and the Washington Bred Fah Peachy might be listed at around 2-1. The rest I'd say will get an 8-1 or higher.

Entries Taken Tomorrow

It's getting exciting. She could be running in as few as four days. If I could get over to the track tomorrow, I'd even go for the draw. I've alerted my cohorts in Ferndale that I won't make it this year if the race fills. I'm sad to miss the meet that I've been planning on for so long, but the excitement of Movement starting certainly eclipses the disappointment.

Horse Racing Blogs Keep Getting Better and Better

I used to read horse racing blogs for different perspectives on media accounts I had already read and for the occasional first hand personal account of racing news. Now I find more and more media stories through the blogs and lots of original content as well.

RW at Can't Wait for the Inner Track ferreted out a story on Edgar Prado's recent Espy award and how no one knew who he was.

Update: Apparently, Seth Merrow of Equidaily--the best racing news compiler around--is also alerted to news stories via the blogs, as he picked up the Prado story RW linked to above.

Kentucky Joe pointed me to a great article about the Ramseys recently.

In the inventively titled Steward's Gone Wild, Jen at Thorough-Blog pointed out a situation I've never seen nor heard of before that was not reported in the press anywhere. A race at Assiniboia had 4 horses disqualified such that the horses 3rd, 5th, 7th, & 8th to cross the wire ended up being 1st thru 4th after it went official.

The ever fabulous, and dearly missed during her recent hiatus, Susan of Post Parade gives us an original review of prairie Meadows.

Of course Alan, of Left at the Gate, the most prolific of bloggers, has so much insight oozing from his every pore that he had to launch Racing Saratoga Daily and moonlight at The Saratoga Special to accommodate it all.

I also had the pleasure of celebrating The Tin Man's Million win with Jason Sonenshein of The $2 Window.

Movement to Debut This Weekend or Next

When the Golden Gate condition book came out last week, we were a little disheartened, because they booked a $12,500 maiden claimer for 2yo fillies at six furlongs for opening day, which is farther than we wanted to go. They also had a substitute race for $8,000 at a mile, which would have a field she could probably handle, but she really doesn't want to go a mile. The racing secretary promised that if the demand was there, he'd re-write the 12,5 race at 5 & 1/2. We wanted to go five, but could live with the extra 110 yards. Nonetheless we began plans for her debut on August 25.

Then the Bay Meadows racing secretary, trying to seize the opportunity to poach starters, added a twelve fiver on the over-nights at 5 furlongs, which is exactly what we wanted. If the race fills, that's where we'll go this Saturday, August 19th.

I don't know if she can win first out, but I do think that she can be competitive at this level and eventually notch a W in twelve five company. And if not, there's still 8k maiden claiming races, and 4k races if she can't win before she turns 3. Lets hope it doesn't come to that.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

Movement worked five furlongs, her longest work to date, in 1:03 flat Friday morning which was 8th fastest of 15 works at the distance. I watched from the grandstand with trainer Jamey Thomas. (seen here saddling an entry last weekend at Santa Rosa). She worked well and it did shed a little light on her ability. Jamey asked the rider to let her go so that we could see what we have. We could have discovered that she’s the 2nd coming of Ruffian, or that there was nothing else in the tank. She responded, and she can probably be competitive in the claiming ranks, which was in serious question when we bought this tiny filly for what is a rounding error at the Keeneland sale. On the other hand, she didn’t click it off in 58 and change, and since she had never really been roused, there was that chance, however slight, that she could have been a world beater.

This game is so much about hope. But I can say I have gotten my money’s worth exercising my hopes along the way, while knowing full well the chances of her being Ashado or Azeri or Megahertz were infinitesimal, but also knowing that there are lots of milestones along the way, each one a success of their own. Can she be broken? Will she accept a bridle & weight? Will she offer enough promise to even justify shipping her to California? Will she acclimate to her new surroundings? Will she train? Learn how to break from the Gate? Can she go 2 furlongs? 3? 4? Now we hope she can handle the stresses of raceday. Hopefully the next hope is that she can win a race, and she probably will.

There have been so many successes along the way that I feel incredibly lucky. For that I would like to thank Jamey for shepherding both me and the filly through the journey from the sale to the gate. I have learned so much from him over the past 10 ½ months. He opened up his barn and his racing mind to me for every question I’ve had and each idea I wanted to bounce. Sometimes I’m sure it was trying for him, and seemed like a child asking “why is the sky blue?” for the hundredth time. Still, he was always patient and willing to explain his thought process.

The ever pragmatic trainer that avoids controversy at all costs has also put up with my blogging of various CHRB scandals. He has never once told me not to write something because of the possibility of reprisals, even though I’m sure he’d rather I never pick a bone with the people that hold his livelihood in their hands. We have somewhat of an unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and he successfully ignores that entire aspect of my blogging. I can’t imagine a trainer that I’d rather tend to a racehorse for me.

I’d also like to thank my co-owners Allison and Irv. Without each of these folks buying a quarter of the filly, sight unseen, I would not have pulled this off. Their love of racing and not monetary gain has guided them throughout. Longtime readers may recall I had hoped Movement would begin earning her keep in May. Now she’ll start 3 training bills later for the first time. They never once complained that she wasn’t moving fast enough or that I had v’schnucker’d them into a foolish endeavor. These are the people you want as your partners.

It’s been a hulluva ride. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Racing's a Hoot at Ferndale

The races at Ferndale, the tiny bullring in Humboldt County, California where racing has been conducted since at least the 1890s, are always a treat. This is some real cowboy stuff, eschewing the blue blood and image conscious approaches favored by Saratoga and Del Mar, respectively.

Two of the featured events will likely garner some press. The Marathon, a 1 & 5/8ths mile race, gets racing publications excited every year because the horses cross the half mile track's finish line FOUR, count'em, FOUR times. Track announcer Vic Stauffer is expected to enter Quag in the race. "Quag was claimed with the Humboldt County Marathon in mind," Stauffer recently said at the Santa Rosa Fair.

Early in the meet, Sarah Nelson and Smoking Joe will hook up in a match race reminiscent of Taz and Black Ruby.

On Aug. 12, racing mules Smoking Joe and Sarah Nelson will compete in Ferndale, home to the state's smallest track. A Humboldt County Fair Association Board member thought up the promo: "Who has the best ass in Ferndale?" Free pins denoting the match and its motto will be handed out from Aug. 10 to Aug. 12, as supplies last.

Sarah Nelson and Smoking Joe will be the only two on the track when they head out of the starting gate, Titus said. Both owners agreed to pony up $5,000 -- and the winner takes all. Of course, those watching in the stands, can only wager on a "win" ticket.

I appreciate the move to promote a truly exciting spectacle, however I must point out that neither Smoking Joe nor Sarah Nelson is an ass. They are mules, which is to say they are only half-asses. Of course a mule is the result of breeding a jack (a male donkey) to a mare (a female horse). I still want a couple of those buttons, though.

CHRB Flouts Public Records Act

I spoke with Susan Ross, CHRB Public Records Officer, this afternoon to get more specifics regarding the denial of my California Public Records Act (CPRA) request. In contrast to the professionalism I have always enjoyed when speaking with Mike Marten, Public Information Officer, and Wendy Voss, Assistant Chief of Administration, Ms. Ross was challenged in this regard.

There are certain exemptions in CPRA, one of which is personnel matters. However, this exemption does not apply when there have been allegations of wrong doing that are well founded, but would continue to apply if those allegations were trivial.

When I asked whether the reason for this denial was a matter of there not being any allegations or that the allegations were trivial, she wouldn't reveal anything other than the broken record mantra that "everything in the personnel file is exempt." She made the assertion a number of times as I reworded my questions. When I then asked point blank "were there any allegations of wrong doing" she said, after a long pause, "I'm not going to answer that.....and all public records requests must be in writing." Of course this is not true, but there was no need to labor the point now.

Then the plot thickened. I also wanted to get a copy of their CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report), which many agencies post on their website and is a commonly requested document, particularly by bond investors. The report is certainly not exempt. So while I'm saying, "OK, then I'd like to get a copy of your...", she interrupts "Every request must be in writing." Now it's important, so I correct her and say, "CPRA requests do not have to be in writing. Are you aware of that?" Ms. Ross was resolute: "I'm not going to argue with you. All requests must be in writing. I'm going to hang up now." And she hung up on me. It was both frustrating and somehow rewarding. As if I, a wee blogger, am actually a threat.

For the fact checkers among my now double digit readership, allow me to quote liberally from the Open Government Guide, section V.A.2.(a):

A request must "reasonably describe an identifiable record" to be produced. Cal. Gov't Code § 6253(b). Such a request may be made orally. Los Angeles Times v. Alameda Corridor Transp. Authority, 88 Cal. App. 4th 1381, 107 Cal. Rptr. 2d 29 (2001)(CPRA does not require that requests for public records be in writing). However, if the request is in writing, then a written response is required. Cal. Gov't Code § 6255(b). Therefore, if a denial is anticipated or it is anticipated that the agency may drag its heels, the better practice is to make the request in writing, signed and dated by the person requesting the record, and to retain a copy. Otherwise, routine requests can be and should be made orally.

Update: Many fact checkers have contacted me asking that I disambiguate Susan Ross of the CHRB with Susan Biddle Ross.

CHRB Denies Public Information Request

I received notice from the California Horse Racing Board that they have denied my public information request in total. Their position appears to be that no portion of any document can be released, citing, or rather mis-citing the "personnel" exemption.

It appears my only recourse now is a to file a complaint in California Superior Court. I'll have to do some research over the coming weeks, but I'll keep you posted. Luckily, there are a litany of Sunshine Law advocate groups in San Francisco. Hopefully they will have some useful resources.

For anyone submitting California public information requests, I have found these resources useful.

- The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press's California Open Government Guide
- Attorney General's summary of CPRA
- Student Press Law Center
- Californians Aware
- California First Amendment Coalition

Champion Jockey Barrington Harvey

The Northern California jockey colony has produced a litany of top riders through the years. From Johnny Longden and Bill Shoemaker to Victor Espinoza and Russell Baze, and most recently, Martin Garcia, the circuit has been a testing strip for many great jocks. With the exception of Baze, all of these jocks graduated on to more lucrative circuits. Barrington Harvey, a stalwart of the colony, has seen many new jocks come and go. Harvey has seen them on their way up and on their way down. He remains one of the bedrock underpinnings of NorCal's consistently strong group.

Harvey doesn't get the best mounts, and he doesn't get many chances to ride for the top barns. Even so, he took down top honors at the recently concluded Stockton meet. He Won 11 races during the 10 day San Joaquin County Fair meet which secured the jockey's title for the Jamaican native. It was his first title in a career spanning a plethora of tracks from Jamaica to the U.S. Harvey brought his tack to the U.S. after riding at Cayman's Park in Jamaica for 8 years. After arriving stateside, he began riding at Philadelphia Park. He later spent stints at Belmont, Aqueduct, Garden State, Monmouth, Meadowlands, Pimlico, Larual and other tracks in the mid-Atlantic region.

Some of Barrington's best qualities never show up in the charts or the standings. He's one of the very jocks who joins the fans for a beer after his last mount. He always has a smile and a story, and genuinely enjoys chatting with owners, trainers and fans. This kind of access is rare in almost every sport--try hanging out with a relief pitcher or utility man from your local major league baseball franchise. Next time your at a NorCal track, look for Barrington around the apron after his last mount. Buy him a beer. Then listen to one of the nicest folks in racing. You might like hearing him tell you about his day at the office.