For the best horse racing writing anywhere, look to the right

No, not to the Genghis Kahn wing of the Republican party, but to the right sidebar. That's where you'll find links to each member blog in the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. Or better yet, check out the TBA rss feed (or this version which also indicates from which blog the content originated) which aggregates all TBA blogs in one place. If there are any that aren't of higher quality than the shoddy drivel you read here, I have not found them.

Racing media must learn to speak more entertainingly and to a younger audience

In a recent missive Steven Crist notes the parallel phenomenons of evaporating print coverage and at the same time the ascension of quality online coverage largely provided by unpaid bloggers. In the best instances this "quality" Crist speaks of means avant-garde, irreverent writing, or more specifically, writing peppered with obscure pop culture references and hilariously opinion laden political commentary.

Engaging content is not strictly the trade of online forum zealots fed up with formulaic mainstream horse racing media. Nor is it merely the purlieu of indie kids sipping lattes while pecking on their Mac Airs in hipster populated coffee shops attempting Colbert Report caliber satire. ESPN's Kenny Mayne isn't beyond a (properly mocking) Miley Cyrus reference. Delightfully unscripted exchanges on HRTV & TVG also regularly yield similar inventive wit. But the home of wily treatises that induce mouse wheel spinning previously known only to readers of The Onion, can be found, usually via the very googlable Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance .

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MID POST SHAMELESS PLUG
The Saint Louis, Missouri based punk band Dead City Dregs is on tour now. If you're in SoCal go see them at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood Friday night. I saw them in SF and I can personally tout to you that they rock.
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Periodicals such as The Form could do worse than to emulate this approach. And it doesn't mean penning editorials in l33t (old people: google it, or for hippie Firesign Theatre Enthusiasts, trust that it's a 21st century version of op-talk). Stodgy geriatric sods in racing newsrooms may analogize this style to the excessive drum kit usage and inharmonious rants of punk bands. Regardless, Anti-Flag, Dropkick Murphy's (yes their punk!) sell a more concert tix than Crist does racing forms, and he knows this. I think he's on to something.

How the hell did I miss this?

Fairgrounds Racecourse in New Orleans is hosting a brief quarter horse meet

I was perusing the 2nd page of the form this morning, looking at the post times for tracks running today when POW, there's Fairgrounds with a mid-afternoon first post. But opening day is Thanksgiving. Everyone knows that! Upon further review, the Crescent City track is experimenting with a five day quarter horse meet. NOLA need a little action to heat up afternoons during the August swelter. Take a look at those fancy slots infused purses, they're giving away. Even I might brave 105 in the shade with 110% humidity and mosquitoes as big as bowling balls for some of that.

Bay Meadows auctioning off history

Bay Meadows Racetrack is apparently going to sell everything that isn't nailed down, and you can bid online, too.

From Blood-Horse:

The Aug. 23-24 sessions will feature all non-commercial assets of the track, including memorabilia and art work, track equipment, and restaurant/bar equipment. The Aug. 25, session will include all commercial assets of the track.

Pic of the day

Omar Figueroa entering the winners circle after prevailing aboard the Steve Sherman trained Buck Tuddy Buck in the 5th race at the Solono County Fair today.

Meet the twins

The latest installment in the continuing series of horsemen looking ridiculous

Speed dressing

Jocks have little time between races to shower and change silks. This JC Penneys advert reminded me of their task, and will suffice as a maintenance post until I write something worthwhile.

Per dropkickmonkey.com: Spec commercials are usually done by creatives from an ad agency in cooperation with a director from a separate production company to help everyone gain a great piece for their demo reel. Usually spec commercials are not ever even shown to the client they are being made for. Basically its a fake commercial but its a great way to showcase ones talents in their respective art form.





UPDATE: the vid has been removed from youtube, presumably at the behest of JC Penny. It's hosted plenty other places, though, so I've embeded it from another provider. i still love this one.

Life at the Track

A friend of mine called me over the winter to tell me a friend of hers wanted to make a documentary short at Bay Meadows and asked if I could help him get access. I didn't take it very seriously, but said to just show up with a camera. I never did meet her friend the film maker and thought the project was probably just another idea that some San Francisco artist never got around to fulfilling. Then I saw the produce of his efforts on Current TV over the weekend.

No change

The Golden Gate Fields stewards made two notable NO CHANGE calls today. In the second race, the Russell Baze piloted Mr. Cool, who was anything but, mugged High Solids along the rail during the stretch drive. He then raced erratically throughout the remainder of the stretch, causing the ultimate winner Jehovah Jireh to alter course substantially. The Dean Pederson trained High Solids is probably the only horse that may have been cost a placing, here. Curiously, there was no inquiry into the race, and only a jockey's objection triggered the stewards to review the race. There was a collective grown in the grandstand when the no change announcement was made.

In the sixth race, eventual winner Missile Smoking hammered Polygraph in the lane, then rammed into 3rd place finisher Standford Gold in the last jumps before the wire. During the inquiry, I couldn't find anyone that believed the result would stand. Of course, it did. The head-on view of this race is most telling, although the infraction is obvious on the pan as well. Oddly, CalRacing.com does not show head-on shot in the stretch for this particular race.

Watch the races at CalRacing.com [free sign-up required]

New theory on War Emblem

The Kentucky Derby winner's problems in the breeding shed have been well documented. He's not infertile, but he simply refuses to cover mares. Some have even suggested he is gay.

A buddy of mine has developed another novel theory. After his recent divorce he subsequently dedicated his late 20s to making all the bad decisions he failed to make in his early 20s while he was paying a mortgage, climbing the corporate ladder, and banging his fashionably eccentric trophy wife. After shedding those burdens and drinking heavily at Coachella with a cadre of young lovelies, it came to him. War Emblem isn't gay. He's got whiskey dick.

I never was a Dead Kennedys fan. This Nouvelle Vague cover will do just fine, though.

Dutrow prepared to slay competition

Faster Horses

A Tom T. Hall classic

Comic strip of the day (dorf/miyadi edition)

Hollendorfer wins Bay Meadows training title again

Here it is. This is the difference. Steve Miyadi finished exactly one winner behind perennial leading trainer Jerry Hollendofer for the trainer title at the penultimate Bay Meadows meet. And this is the difference.

He finished exactly one win behind. This was just the nightcap at Bay Meadows Friday night. He had five other 2nds friday night. On an eight race card. I saw him the following day and i can attest, he did not slit his wrists, or so much as acknowledge a tough beat.

Like most every trainer that wins more than his fair share, whether Sherman or Dorf or R L Martin(readers of Laughing in the Hills will know), the response was a common: "yesterday? we gotta win TODAY."

Bay Meadows trainer title coming down to the wire

With three racing days remaining in the meet, there is not yet a presumptive winner of the trainer's title. Perennial leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is ahead with 51 wins, however Steve Miyadi is only two back with 49 wins.

Miyadi has been stuffing the entry box in the waning days of the meet, entering two horses in many races. In less than a week he has closed the gap from eight to two.

It appeared Hollendorfer may have been caught off guard by the late charge by an insurgent Miyadi. However, when this weekends entries were taken, a strong Hollendorfer presence emerged. Dorf entered four on tonight's card and Miyadi entered nine, before scratches. On Saturday and Sunday, Dorf has entered horses in aggressive spots. While running horses where they will hold odds-on favoritism is his modus operandi year round, retaining his crown may also be an element of his drop-and-pop approach this weekend.

Pick a Derby horse, already (Nerd Edition)

I don't care how let down you feel after seeing Sn4tchbuckl3r's Second Chance #1. If you had any hope that ironic use of leet in a webisode title would yield hilarity, you deserve your fate. It's time to put Mario Kart aside (you know the Wii Wheel sux) and pick a fucking derby horse before you're consumed by GTA IV tomorrow. WHAT!?! No. You're not. Right now? Sweet mother of WoW, you demented nerdling, you've got GameStop line passes to buy it at midnight? God help you.

Good luck, bad luck

Lost photos, DQ'd cinches, and bad beat stories are a dima dozen in this game. Occasionally one is worth repeating.

My dear friend, horse racing enthusiast, music junkee, and all around wonder-girl Kes is in New York while on military leave. She's busy going to every indie concert she can at night, and spending a few of her days at the track. On one of these she nailed an impossible pick 3. With a small ticket she singled a horse at 17-1 that resulted in a payoff well into four digits.

She knew immediately what to do with the windfall. A band, She & Him, Kes's been touting to me since long before their first album came out in March were playing a small venue. She blew her mutuel take to be within panty flinging distance from the performers.

The show is tonight. Was tonight. It's postponed due to illness, but she has been assured her tickets will be honored at a later date. Chances are she'll be back in Iraq by then.

Local protests, Bay Meadows jockey colony notes

In San Francisco today we did not see the chaos and instability seen in Paris and London when the Olympic torch passed through those cities. No, here we are professionals. We protest like no others.

As Bay Meadows kicks off another race week, we may yet hear protests from trainers unable to secure the services of their favored jockeys. There are several regular jocks that will not be riding on upcoming days for various reasons.

Last Friday morning Pedro Flores and the bug boy Rojas head north to Emerald Downs, following Leslie Mawing who left the previous week. Luis Martinez and David Lopez have not yet returned to riding after spills. Beginning on Sunday April 13 three more jockeys will be unavailable, each serving a three day suspension. Bobby Gonzalez, Omar Figueroa, and Inoel Beato were each given days by the stewards. In the event of a full field, you may see some names that don't often grace the form.

photo courtesy of racehorse owner Alex

Quote of the day

You have no passion for the game. None. I have 10 times more passion than you could ever hope to.

--Tom "Bomber" Doutrich
Bay Meadows Racing Secretary addressing yours truly
4/7/2008 10:48 am PDT

Pic of the day (LOLcats edition)

Everyone's favorite internet meme, save rickrolling (old people: google it), has finally come to the tote board brad blog. Gitch yer lolcats on.