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.

Women in the Irons

Recently The Bug Boys alerted us to an outstanding article about women jockeys. Unlike in other sports, there are not separate women's and men's divisions, but women compete against men directly, and routinely beat them. And like the men, the women too lay claim to the title of pound-for-pound, the toughest athletes on the face of the earth.

Photos of the Week

Race Fan Lements Bay Meadows' Impending Closure

Jenny the Exercise Rider's Triumphant Return

There are two things that seem to attract readers' attention and cause huge spikes in traffic to this blog. One is when Movement is entered and starts in a race. The other is anything related to her exercise rider, Jenny, particularly if a pic is included. After graduating from UC-Davis, she is now on the backstretch again working horses full time. It's good to have her back.

Monday Diversion

Click on each horse, requires sound.

1999 Kentucky Derby

Any Given Saturday vs. Street Sense

This was a hell of a race. I really appreciate Tampa Bay Downs posting the video. (3/17/07, 12th race) I'd like a little higher res version, but its great to get it at all. Also the file includes extras, with some of the gallop out, slow motion of the finish, fractional times with an odds graphic layover. It seems like a ripe opportunity to play with your iMovie or Final Cut video editing software.

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.

Boomsma Lives Up to Billing

At the behest of Superfecta during a recent discussion of our favorite libations over at Turf Luck, I picked up a bottle of the Dutch gin Boomsma. I was not disappointed. This very smooth gin is incredibly aromatic and delicious to the point where you don't really need any vermouth at all. I believe this will become my new gin of choice.

Saint Patrick's Day Eve

Break out your penny whistle, a frosty Guinness, and your best river dancing shoes. And to get you ready for the good holiday tomorrow, do enjoy this music video.

Movement Takes it on the Chin

Everyone's favorite race filly, Movement, had an altercation with her pasture mate over the weekend. She caught a hoof in the chin courtesy of a Quiet American filly. It's superficial and shouldn't effect her training in any way, but I'm sure it gave her a bit of a start. She'll be back in the Jamey Thomas barn at Golden Gate Fields soon and in training after her respite in the mountains.

Pic courtesy of partner Irv who went up for a visit at the ranch.

-In other news, the pools remain open as Downtown has not yet reported any information that might move the line. I believe she had a date with the Houseguest last night, so there may be some inside information floating about.

Riders Up

Case Study in Creating a Balanced Morning Line

One of my guilty pleasures is reading dater blogs, which essentially chronicle someone's dating life. It's amazing how folks will reveal so many intimate details (usually anonymously) during their search for love or sex. Reading their story can be very entertaining, in that Mexican soap opera kind of way.

A few buddies and I have a somewhat regular contest where we establish odds and bet on who a blogger will shag next--or more properly stated, who they admit to shagging next, or lie about shagging next, since we don't actually know these people.

We rotate who plays the bookmaker and sets the line, and everyone else bets. We've developed a few other rules and conventions out of necessity to resolve ambiguous results and such, but I wont get into that right now. The important thing is setting up the line for the bookmaker and making your selection as the bettor. If nothing else, this exercise has made me think more about how to set up a balanced morning line.

One single girl's blog, Downtown-Chic, offers a particularly illustrative example right now, and since a couple of my usual betting partners are on vacation or otherwise unavailable to play, I'll establish the line for you. Remember, you're betting on who the blogger will sleep with next.

Currently, I've established the line for Downtown and her suitors in a Google spreadsheet. Feel free to copy it and use it for actual horse races if you like, or just review the simple formulas. In this instance we assume there is no takeout, but the spread sheet can accommodate one.

Lastly, before you berate me for regarding these folks as a wagering opportunity, do read our damsel discussing pedigree analysis of dating prospects. Like her, I wish there was more data, too. If only her and her suitors were on Pedigree Query.

Note, the windows close with Downtown's next post.

The Entries
3-1 The Houseguest
9/2 Dane Cook
10-1 Wall Street
50-1 The Producer
6/5 The Field (all other men)

Handicapping the Damsel and her Suitors
Just like when handicapping a horse race, you should consider the past performances, the conditions, and all other relevant data. What kind of man does this blogger like? Does she put out on the first date? What are the men like? If the blogger requires priming with flowers or flirting for days or weeks, who has a head start in that department? Clearly, there is much to consider.

A Closer Look

3-1 The Houseguest
He's navigated these waters before, already has a date scheduled, and keeps the compliments coming. On the downside, Downtown is not as insecure as when she was dating The Producer, so the compliments she desperately craved then may not be as potent. He is also trouble prone out of the gate. Could be a threat if he brings his "A" game. Mixed feelings.

9/2 Dane Cook
Second time starter with limited data. Downtown seems genuinely interested, as evidenced by the "shameless flirting," and hoss did overcome some adversity in the lane when initially denied a kiss. Could be the value play with his prep behind him.

10-1 Wall Street
Sure, he's the class of the field. These are the ones you always want to hammer at the windows, then can't figure out what went wrong. Keep in mind, Wall Street hasn't even phoned yet, and there are two others that already have dates lined up. Dicey.

50-1 The Producer
Oldtimer has plenty of backclass, has bedded this lass repeatedly, and is known for being good in the sack, yet he is badly off form. This one may not be long for the boudoir and simply can't be taken seriously in this spot. Pass.

6/5 The Field (all other men)
Downtown is not adverse to the one night stand, is fond of the bottle, and there are no shortage of lads wanting to take her home from the pub. Still, it would take just the right lad and Downtown in just the right mood for an as yet unknown quantity to pull off the one night stand with this filly. But, there are no world beaters among the rest of the entries, and can see the right suitor laying some groundwork one night this week, then sweeping 5 wide to get his picture taken a few days later, even if all these fella's have first crack. The pick.

Hatfield and McCoy

Have you ever noticed how Todd Schrupp takes pot shots at Magna and HRTV whenever possible? Top on the list of complaints for many is that he won't mention a Magna track by name. For instance, he refers to Gulfstream Park as a major racetrack in south Florida. Today I enjoyed this exchange between Todd & Frank Lyons:

FL: Thunder Gulch....think he had a good day yesterday?
TS: Yeah, he had a great day with Circular Quay and then at a major racetrack and shopping center Balance won a Grade I race.
FL: Soon to be an arcade near you.
TS: Here's an idea. Lets not use this property for racing.
FL: Put a roller coaster in.*

Most of us that follow the game closely know that Magna is developing a part of Santa Anita's parking area. While I think the project could be beneficial if done right, there are legitimate reason's to object, and plenty of concerns racing fans should want addressed. I think a serious conversation would serve racing fans well, but since TVG, and Schrupp in particular, refuse to even mention the name of the track or cover any happenings at Magna tracks, an intelligent discussion about it can't take place on TVG.

This is certainly beating a dead horse, but it just gets so old. Can you imagine if ESPN refused to cover any sporting event that wasn't televised on their network? Ridiculous. But, that is TVG's model. This is one reason why I am so fond of HRTV. They don't ignore all the racing from the other team. In the past, HRTV would even show big races from TVG exclusive tracks once they went official. Perhaps the production values are lower, but at least they don't insult my intelligence.

What I would suggest is to not throw the baby out with the bathwater, though. Racing fans love the banter and appreciate the on air talent that speak honestly without a filter. But to bash "the other team" in a Fox News like manner adds no value for the viewer. It's not like Republicans vs. Democrats, or Mac vs. PC. We don't care about TVG vs. Magna, we just care about racing.

*I wonder if Frank has noticed how many people there are at Fairplex or the NorCal fairs where they have, gasp, roller coasters.

I Called It!

The big news that Magna is selling a 50% interest in HRTV to CDI came as no surprise to readers of TBA content.

I think a workable model would be for a consortium of race tracks, or even the NTRA, to own racing channels. That may be what we're seeing with HRTV. If Magna sells a 50% interest in HRTV to CDI, then shuts out TVG, maybe then another industry group can buy TVG at fire sale prices. The signal needs to be valued first. TVG is the cart, and it needs to go behind the horse. [Tote Board Brad commenting on Pulling Hair, 1st comment, 2/26/2007]

The industry is taking the logical steps to keep the money in the family, and I only expect it to continue. How long before Gemstar divests of TVG as it is boxed out of content? Gemstar's great advantage is it's relationship with Fox (who owns ~30% last I checked) and with cable and satellite providers. However, the profits end up in the wallets of fat cat media moguls instead of fat cat horse racing magnates. As we all know, media moguls then give that money to presidential candidates, whereas racing magnates blow it on more horses.

Birdbirdistheword Fairgrounds Bound

John at Not to the Swift is the reason I was able to get those pics of Palm Meadows while tagging along as he chronicles Birdbirdistheword's (pictured) journey to the Kentucky Derby. John and Bird will both be in NOLA for the Louisiana Derby at The Fairgrounds on March 10th, so go check out the Bird blog to keep abreast of all the latest. And while you're at it, Rube of Average Horseplayer also has some video of the the Derby contender as well.

More Gulfstream

Did I mention it's an older crowd at Gulfstream? The apron an hour before post is geriatric central.


Here's my good buddy Horse of the Year Invasor.


Better Talk Now before a gallop.


Palm Meadows shedrow.

Gulfstream Pics

Eventually I'll document my impressions of Gulfstream Park, but for now I'll stall with a few photos.


The number of patrons wearing Members Only jackets was striking. This is a quinessential example.


The walking ring is georgeous.

Rumor Mill

Word around Bay Meadows is that Roman Chapa, a regular on the leader board at Texas and New Mexico tracks, will be bringing his tack to Northern California for a while. While the jockey enjoys the lucrative status of riding first call for Steve Asmussen in Texas, he apparently wants to give NorCal a crack.

Although his arrival is by no means certain, many trainers seem excited by the prospect. If he does show up, I'd expect him to get live mounts.

--Have you read Dan Illman's report [free subscription required} from the Horseplayers Expo in Las Vegas? He is genuinely excited, dare I say giddy, from hanging with our sport's elite touts, scribblers, & talking heads. This is exactly how I feel when I'm lucky enough to get a little access to those on the inside that I so respect. Here is evidence he is the People's Handicapper--a term he coined for himself (that's SO blogger), but deservedly so. I can't imagine the curmudgeony Watchmaker or the staid Crist, or the bispecticled scholar Paulick having this child like zeal that so many of us regular fans do, much less admitting to it. I feel that way every time I get to talk breed with the horsemen on the backstretch whose names I've been reading in the form for ages. Dan is one of us. Even so, I'm sure he has already experienced the flip side of his adoration of Harvey Pack, and will many more times.