The Day in Pictures - Bay Meadows

There's no cure for the workweek blues like a day at the racetrack.

The story line went something like this.


Pictured, from left to right: Jamey, Dave, Trainer Ricardo Perez, Jockey Kyle Kaenel
Kyle Kaenel cracked wise about the spill he was in yesterday which caused him to take off mounts for the day. Kaenel went head first over the front of this mount, and then a trailing horse flipped over the downed horse. It is truly amazing he escaped serious injury, but does sport some battle wounds, his bandaged ear the most visable.


Hollywood Park track announcer, TVG personality, and occasional jockeys agent Vic Stauffer listens skeptically as the nation's reigning leading trainer by winning percentage, Steve Miyadi tells him how it is on the Bay Meadows apron.


Top trainers Armando Lage and Jerry Hollendorfer stare each other down before the second race. (note the four horse in the background. I swear that horse was eyeballing these two trainers right back.)


In the end, whatever Miyadi was telling Stauffer, he apparently meant it, getting his picture taken after the race.

The Tout Files

The Jamey Thomas trained Purpley is entered in the 5th race tonight at Bay Meadows. The barn, and everyone on the backstretch, were high on this horse for his debut, as she was bet down to 9/2. The filly was even 8/5 with a few minutes to post, then drifted up. She finished an uninspired 6th in the race and never threatened. This is one of my favorite angles: The Jamey Thomas beaten favorite (or short priced horse, in this case) coming back at long odds. She is 15-1 on the morning line and I would take anything better than 8-1.

Also, I've seen this horse and she is enormous. If she can pick up her feet just a little bit she should be able to handle this bunch. Of course the breeding is suspect, but as an individual she is impressive. She's a bit of a head case, though, so keep an eye on her in the paddock. If she didn't handle the van ride over or has race day jitters, hold back. If she looks good, though, I'm going to get down at what I hope to be a very good price. Since it seems everyone else on the backstretch bet her but me last time, I feel like I got away with one and have money to burn.

Golden Gate Fields Closing Day

Yesterday was getaway day at Golden Gate Fields, as the Nor Cal circuit shifts to Bay Meadows on Wednesday. After all the rain we have received, the track was very uneven. Pictured left, Jamey walked the track before his entry Purpley ran, finding the surface lightning quick on the rail. There were also some good spots around the 4 or 5 path, but the rest was rather deep. Purpley broke slowly and could not do better than 6th on a track that played to speed horses on the rail.

Despite my recent illustration of a trainer's occasionally laborious and mundane backstretch tasks, it's not all hard work around the barn. I caught Jamey and Dave lounging in the tack room after morning training had concluded and before the races.

To fill the void between sparse posts, here's a pic of trainer Jamey Thomas plying his trade on the backstretch. Training racehorses is very glamorous.

In other news, Firetrail, the Junior Coffee trained filly that finished 2nd and 3 lengths ahead of Movement in her last race, won a Maiden Allowance with a $30k purse today at Golden Gate Fields.

Lastly, good luck to Purpley in the 5th tomorrow at Golden Gate.

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.

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.

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."

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Annoying, Overprotective Owners

I woke up early this morning in pool of sweat after dreaming Movement had colic and immediately called Jamey in a fit of anxiety. Yesterday she had spiked a low grade fever after getting her lip tattoo and was napping when I went to see her. I cobbled these facts together and somehow convinced my subconscious that she was in mortal danger. Of course, she is fine and was kicking and rough housing on the walker this morning and worked well, jogging the track. Most trainers wont tell owners about such inconsequential matters like 101 temperature (which is in the normal rage) after getting a lip tattoo, but I pry Jamey for information constantly and he always obliges. Hopefully, my foolishness in this case wont give him pause in the future.

Racetracks Can Add Value - Here's How

Today, Railbird highlights two press items extolling the ascension of online account wagering. I generally agree with the columnists that the track cannot compete with the broadband equipped home computer in conjunction with TVG, HRTV and TiVo--for the pure handicapping experience, the access to data and unimpeded control of signals & wagering cannot be beat.

Yet, I have all these things and still 90% of my wagering takes place at the track. The track offers real value to me in a few ways. First, the Bay Meadows apron level clubhouse bar offers a great place to spread out my form and see all the signals in comfort.

Michelle, the outstanding mixologist, knows my name and what I drink, and most of the trainers are planted nearby or at least pass through. The banter that goes on here between the trainers is a joy in itself, and having the access to get their opinion or just gauge their frustration or elation is priceless. Not from a betting perspective, because most of what they have to say is noise in that regard, but certainly from a sporting perspective.

Also adding value to the track experience is getting to see the personalities of the connections on display--that cut-up Steve Miyadi never gives you a straight answer, but you'll usually leave either laughing or stung by sarcasm; that Bill Morey, the uber detail oriented encyclopedia of horse training, knows the precise explanation you seek, but is introverted enough that he may not want any interaction at the moment; that Armando Lage will graciously receive your friends you introduce to him, and even if he doesn't remember your name at the moment, he wont let on; and that Jamey Thomas, the consummate workman on the backstretch, is hands down the very best trainer to have a beer with in the clubhouse.

The clubhouse bar being adjacent to the apron, one has only a 7 second stroll out the door to see the live action. This spot of the Bay Meadows apron also gives you access to the jockeys as they are headed to the walking ring or back to the jocks room. I've never jeered at a jock, but have gotten a smile from Frank Alvarado after noting his academy award performance after checking unnecessarily on a tiring horse coming down the lane.

Lastly, as Beyer mentions, there is the social aspect of it all. If you are a baseball fan, you can talk baseball in most any sports bar, or even at the water cooler. If you are a horse racing fan, you have to go to the track to bounce ideas off real people, complain about bad rides, or bask in the glow of your latest betting coup without getting the hairy eyeball from whomever you're talking tack.

There's value in having these experiences and opportunities and you don't get them with a lap top and satellite dish. Nonetheless, that so many are playing from home makes it easy for me to get a seat at the Bay Meadows Clubhouse Bar.

Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Jamey Thomas, a trainer based at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, called me in mid September. He was headed to Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky for the sale. Of course I wanted to go.

Jamey has trained a few horses in which I've had an ownership interest before, which is to say I owned about a hoof's worth, or a handful of mane. A neighbor and good friend of mine, Allison, even went in on an old gelding with me in the spring. These horses were all claimers, and I was more of an also ran than a principle owner. Nonetheless, Jamey acts like you're Bob Lewis or the Ramseys, even when you only own ten percent of a $4,000 maiden claimer.

We touched down in Kentucky late afternoon Thursday September 22 with plans to hotfoot it over to Florence, KY for the twilight card at Turfway Park, a track I hadn't visited, but desperately wanted to scratch off my list in a quest to visit all black type tracks in North America.

Plans change. Brian Koriner, a NorCal trainer and good friend of Jamey's, invited us to hit Taylor Made Farm with him to eye some buybacks and private purchase stock. Taylor Made is the real deal. They stand the likes of Tiznow, the only horse to win back to back Breeder's Cup Classics, and Northern Afleet, sire of Afleet Alex. We couldn't pass that up. Brian apparently had clients with a budget and critiqued the confirmation on fifteen or twenty colts, and a couple fillies ranging in price form twenty grand upward to three hundred large. He was workman like in his evaluations. "Walk him down and back. Turn. Other side. Again. Put him away." He exuded professionalism and it was clear he was at work. He was in the office.

Afterward, the three of us went to the Taylor's steak house in Lexington for bourbon and red meat. Now I was with horsemen I recognized again. Recounting exploits, on the track, at the windows, in bed. Swilling booze. Cursing stewards. Telling lies.

Frank Taylor, one of the brothers that jointly own Taylor Made Farm and the establishment in which we sat, was there glad handing and talking breed. He spent a few minutes at our table asking how the steaks were, whether we liked the quarter of a million dollar War Chant colt we looked at earlier, if we knew where the titty bars were. He was charming, vivacious, but mostly an unpretentious horseman.

We concluded the evening at the hotel bar where I delighted in more chatter from buyers and breeders. One fella with a small farm in Florida recounted a hungover morning at the Ocala sale when he mistakenly bought a colt for 40 grand, thinking he was by Tale of the Cat. Turns out he was by Cat Tail or some such no name sire. Never ran a lick. He ordered another whiskey and chided us, "careful with the sauce, boys." Horsemen are legendary for deadpan humor. Whether this cowboy was, we never determined.