Thoroughbred Racing 2022

[skipaway]

That was such a fun race. I too, did not have RS.
I’m not a race caller, but it seems they focus too much on the “favorites “ and loose track of the rest of the field when they’re in the homestretch. He totally missed RS advancing up the rail and finally acknowledged him jumps before the wire. Tom Durkin missed Mine that Bird

 

[Sarah]

That was such a fun race. I too, did not have RS.
I’m not a race caller, but it seems they focus too much on the “favorites “ and loose track of the rest of the field when they’re in the homestretch. He totally missed RS advancing up the rail and finally acknowledged him jumps before the wire. Tom Durkin missed Mine that Bird

Yeah. He did NOT see RS. I watched the race multiple times and RS was mentioned once prior to almost passing the field. I’m watching wondering who the heck is about to pass the field wondering if the announcer is even seeing RS!

I do hope that non-racing folks or the sport horse people don’t try and get the outrider fired for his handling of RS after the race. The horse was very rank, had the pony’s reins in his mouth, bit the pony, may have bitten the outrider, and had he let go, would have been galloping with a hanging lead from his bridle… had he stepped on that and it not broken… RS was out of control (think toddler hopped up on sugar, out of control, excited, trying to run around a street or busy parking lot), someone may have gotten seriously injured…or worse. It looked bad, but rank horses are dangerous. I mean, I have a massive scar on my arm from a bite when I was a teen NOT from 3 year old racehorse and that was through 2 winter coats. I can only imagine if I was wearing a tshirt…

 

[sk8pics]

Yeah. He did NOT see RS. I watched the race multiple times and RS was mentioned once prior to almost passing the field. I’m watching wondering who the heck is about to pass the field wondering if the announcer is even seeing RS!

Yeah, he blew it almost as badly as Tom Durkin but at least he called RS’s name before the finish line. I knew right away because I could see his number just as he burst into view. It was amazing!

I do hope that non-racing folks or the sport horse people don’t try and get the outrider fired for his handling of RS after the race. The horse was very rank, had the pony’s reins in his mouth, bit the pony, may have bitten the outrider, and had he let go, would have been galloping with a hanging lead from his bridle… had he stepped on that and it not broken… RS was out of control (think toddler hopped up on sugar, out of control, excited, trying to run around a street or busy parking lot), someone may have gotten seriously injured…or worse. It looked bad, but rank horses are dangerous. I mean, I have a massive scar on my arm from a bite when I was a teen NOT from 3 year old racehorse and that was through 2 winter coats. I can only imagine if I was wearing a tshirt…

Yes, me too. I thought there would be a bigger fuss made in the media but I haven’t read anything. It was really unbelievable how he was going after that pony. He definitely was out of control, such a dangerous situation. Can you imagine if he’d thrown his jockey and gotten loose? I hope the outrider wasn’t hurt in the end.

 

[skipaway]

Hold my Julep

and

The Day After

 

[sk8pics]

Thanks for those, @skipaway. The love between that horse and his groom is palpable. Very sweet.

Of course, his feelings towards track ponies are not as sweet!

 

[pollyanna]

I LOVED this year's Derby! Love it when an underdog comes through with a win, and I couldn't believe the announcer wasn't even acknowledging RS until the very end. What a final stretch!

Here's a bit more info on RS biting the outrider and his horse.

Why did Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike bite lead pony, outrider? An expert weighs in

Footage of Rich Strike lashing out at another horse after his Kentucky Derby Saturday victory has gone viral. So what prompted the horse’s outburst? Here’s what one horse racing professional thinks happened.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Sarah]

Here’s a great article from RS’s perspective on the incident.

 

[Jimena]

I LOVED this year's Derby! Love it when an underdog comes through with a win, and I couldn't believe the announcer wasn't even acknowledging RS until the very end. What a final stretch!

Here's a bit more info on RS biting the outrider and his horse.

Why did Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike bite lead pony, outrider? An expert weighs in

Footage of Rich Strike lashing out at another horse after his Kentucky Derby Saturday victory has gone viral. So what prompted the horse’s outburst? Here’s what one horse racing professional thinks happened.

www.yahoo.com

His trainer was on the Today show and explained what happened. It was a really good interview: you can see it here.

 

[skipaway]

Rich Strike out of Preakness. Ownership wants more time off and will point to the Belmont.

 

[Sarah]

Rich Strike out of Preakness. Ownership wants more time off and will point to the Belmont.

Good decision.

After he won the derby, I made the comment to my family that I wished he'd skip the Preakness. The Preakness/Pimlico tends to favor front runners and that is not Rich Strike's style. He's a closer and appears to favor distance. If they were targeting the Belmont all along, it makes sense to skip the Preakness and the short turnaround time and just wait for the race that fits his style.

 

[sk8pics]

Yeah, I agree. I was glad to see they are keeping “Richie’s” best interests at heart. Maybe he’ll win the Belmont, that would be all kinds of awesome.

 

[centerpt1]

I was hoping they wouldn't run Rich Strike in the Preakness. The timing is too soon for any horse that ran in the derby. It's also too short a distance and doesn't fit his running style. They made the right choice.

I wish the Preakness was at least 4 weeks after the KD.

 

[sk8pics]

Lots of horses run in both the Preakness and the Derby. Twenty three of them have won both the Derby and the Preakness, and then of course there's the exceptional 13 Triple Crown winners. More horses run well in both the Derby and the Preakness, although they may not win both.

That said, I agree the shorter distance didn't seem like it would be to his liking. I think it would be awesome if he wins the Belmont. I'm not sure how many times that's been done, if ever.

 

[Sarah]

The timing of the derby and Preakness is fine. It's hard, very hard, which is the point. Winning the Derby and Preakness back-to-back is hard. It should be hard. That said, it's easier to win the Derby and Preakness than the Triple Crown. But, the Preakness is a fast turn around. It's 2 weeks. It's tough. The Preakness also favors a certain running style. The track favors front runners, not closers. RS's style tends to be that of a closer. That is NOT a style that Pimlico or specifically the Preakness favors. And he is a horse that seems to like distance. So, why rush him back for a race that isn't to his liking? Chances are he won't win. The Preakness doesn't favor the come-from-behind horse. RS shouldn't change his running style. Ultimately his connections have decided to skip a race that his probably (likely) won't win in favor of a race in 5 weeks that is much more to his liking. If he races at Pimlico, loses, then he'll be tired and even less likely to do well at Belmont.

 

[Debbie S]

It's going to be a hot Preakness. Current forecast is 94 degrees.

 

[genevieve]

I just watched the replay of the Preakness, which seemed a bit muted due to no TC potential.

So I went back and watched Secretariat's Triple Crown. What a horse. And it's hard to tell with old tv footage, but it looked like the jockey did not use his whip once

 

[sk8pics]

I just watched the replay of the Preakness, which seemed a bit muted due to no TC potential.

So I went back and watched Secretariat's Triple Crown. What a horse. And it's hard to tell with old tv footage, but it looked like the jockey did not use his whip once

Do you mean in all 3 races? In the Derby, Turcotte did use his whip a couple of times, at the top of the stretch. I think you are right about the Preakness and definitely the Belmont. In both those races, Secretariat decided what he was going to do and he just did it. In the Preakness, it was shocking the way he ran up on everyone around the first turn. The turns at Pimlico are a bit tight and it was just crazy, although he did like to run around turns. In the Belmont, he took off running at the outset, which was unusual for him. Poor Sham tried to go with him. Turcotte has said he had no idea how fast they were going in the Belmont until he saw the timer mid-way through the stretch. Still, he hand rode him to his record time. Secretariat’s records in each of the 3 triple crown races stand to this day and will probably never be broken, especially the Belmont record, which is like 2 seconds faster than the next fastest time —insane!

If you can get ahold of Bill Nack’s book, The Making of a Champion, it’s awe inspiring to read his account of Secretariat’s triple crown races.

I’m sorry I never got to meet Secretariat. His son, Tinner’s Way, my good friend at Old Friends, looked SO much like him it was crazy.

 

[Vagabond]

The Daily Racing Form's reports for Secretariat's Triple Crown races, as quoted on secretariat.com:

Kentucky Derby
“Turcotte roused (Secretariat) smartly with the whip in his right hand leaving the far turn and Secretariat strongly raced to the leaders, lost a little momentum racing wide into the stretch where Turcotte used the whip again, but then switched it to his left hand and merely flashed it as the winner drew away in record breaking time.”

Preakness
“Secretariat broke well and was eased back and relaxed nicely as the field passed the stands for the first time. He was guided outside two rivals entering the clubhouse turn and responding when Turcotte moved his hands on the reins, made a spectacular run to take command entering the backstretch.”

Belmont
“SECRETARIAT, sent up along the inside to vie for the early lead with SHAM to the backstretch, disposed of that one after three-quarters, drew off at will rounding the far turn and was under a hand ride from Turcotte to establish a record in a tremendous performance.”

 

[genevieve]

Do you mean in all 3 races? In the Derby, Turcotte did use his whip a couple of times, at the top of the stretch. I think you are right about the Preakness and definitely the Belmont.

I think of the footage I saw, the Derby was the hardest for me to see what was going on, but it was especially clear in the Belmont that there was no use of whip. Thanks for the info!

As I said, what a horse!

 

[skipaway]

Leading Trainer Chad Brown arrested in Saratoga Springs in DV charge.

“On Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at approximately 11:00 p.m., a complaint was taken regarding an incident that occurred involving Chad Brown, age 43, and an acquaintance known to him. Upon investigation of the alleged complaint by members of the Patrol Division, Mr. Brown was arrested and subsequently charged with violating New York State Penal Law Criminal Obstruction of Breathing, a Class A Misdemeanor. Mr. Brown was taken into custody, processed, and released on $2,500 cash bail after arraignment in Saratoga Springs City Court.”

 

[sk8pics]

I was today years old when I found out that I can watch horse racing live from Saratoga for free on YouTube!

 

[sk8pics]

Nest was awesome over the weekend at Saratoga. I felt sad for Secret Oath; I always root for her because her daddy is Arrogate. I wonder if she’s signaling she’s done racing? Even if Nest is better than her, it seems like she’s stepped backwards.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to seeing Rich Strike again next weekend. He looked awesome in a bullet work the other day. I’ll watch it on the NYRA YouTube livestream.

 

[skipaway]

More Than Ready Dies
I loved that horse…got his name when the owner asked Todd Pletcher if the horse was ready to race…Todd replied, “he’s More Than Ready.” The name stuck.. RIP

 

[sk8pics]

Yeah, I'm so sorry about More Than Ready. I'm sure I saw him in Kentucky on one of my many trips.

Meanwhile, I'm bummed about Rich Strike not winning the Travers. I hope they can find a good formula to use with him to get him a few more wins. I think he is gorgeous and am hoping to see him in person at some point.

 

[sk8pics]

Secretariat, is that you? Back from the dead?

Flightline was unbelievable in the Pacific Classic. 1:59.28 seconds, faster than Secretariat's derby, just off the track record while being eased to the wire, looking like he was out for a Sunday stroll. And doing all on his own, with the jockey along for the ride.

Oh, I hope I will see him at the Breeders' Cup in November!

 

[Vagabond]

Secretariat, is that you?

Before being eased up, Flightline was moving like a tremendous machine.

 

[Vagabond]

A filly named Ice Dancing finished third in a Grade I stakes race for juvenile fillies at Del Mar today. She's one to keep an eye on when she moves up to Seniors.

 

[skipaway]

A filly named Ice Dancing finished third in a Grade I stakes race for juvenile fillies at Del Mar today. She's one to keep an eye on when she moves up to Seniors.

I watched that race! I was rooting for her

 

[sk8pics]

I see that Flightline is going to Lanes End when he’s done racing. I’m happy about that as they are quite welcoming during the open houses. My friend knows the groom that took care of AP Indy quite well, too. Maybe he’ll get Flightline.

I still hope he runs another year, though…

 

[sk8pics]

Great racing today! First Life Is Good had to work harder than expected in the Woodword, but prevailed. Then Rich Strike and Hot Rod Charlie dueled to the wire in the Lukas Classic —HRC won! It was quite exciting. I often root for HRC but I was really rooting for Richie. Both horses showed courage under fire. Grade 2 race. I’m not sure if HRC has gotten a Grade 1 win yet, but he definitely has a lot of heart.