Memories of Barbaro

The news about Barbaro today hit pretty hard. After all these months I really believed he was going to make it. I think everybody did, except the vets and experienced horsemen who know better.

After hearing the official word at work this afternoon, I came home and spent some time watching whatever Barbaro-related videos I could find on youtube. Once my wife-to-be came home, I told her the news and suggested we drink some bourbon and view some more Barbaro tributes. This wasn’t something Miranda would normally partake in, but I took her to Louisville for her first Kentucky Derby this year, so, thankfully, she sort of understood.

Youtube has about two dozen schmaltzy Barbaro tributes, some of which are very well done and can really get to you if you turn down the music and just focus on the unbelievable images.

(Quick survey of artists whose songs serve as soundtracks to Youtube Barbaro tributes: Michael Bolton, Katharine McPhee, someone called Whisper of the Garden, Enya, and, of course, about 20 appearances of Dan Fogelberg’s “Run for the Roses.” Surely that crap would make the reigning Derby champ rear up in his grave. My recommendation is to mute your computer and blast Johnny Cash’s “When the Man Comes Around.”)

But the best video I found was of the Derby, shot by a fan right across from the eighth pole at Churchill Downs. The audio is priceless, featuring a woman shouting for Barbaro, and, at the moment he comes rolling past, widening his lead with every stride, a male voice exclaims, “Holy s---!”

This was shot just a few rows in front of where I sat for the Derby, and when I showed it to Miranda she said it was definitely me, that she remembered me shouting that. I hadn’t even considered the possibility, but it’s exactly what I was thinking, and it sounds like something I would say. The voice could be mine, I don’t know. Regardless, it was amazing to see this, just like I remember it in my mind…

Barbaro winning the Kentucky Derby (:29)"

Two weeks later I watched the Preakness from the Lone Star Park press box. It was the saddest day I’ve ever experienced at a racetrack. The silence, the bad moods, the awkwardness of running live races shortly after. And I remember staying late into the night, even though there was nothing to do, just because none of us wanted to leave. Darren Rogers obsessively posted updates on the Lone Star Press Box blog, and we called New Bolton a few times even though they just kept telling us they were sorry, but they couldn’t release any info.

Another thought I couldn’t get out of my head tonight was my continued dismay over the voters who failed to award Barbaro an Eclipse Award as Champion 3-Year-Old.

I won’t argue that Bernardini wasn’t worthy. But Barbaro was more worthy. For winning the most important 3-year-old race of them all, and winning it in the kind of way that causes somebody to exclaim “Holy s---!” at the sight of him flying past the furlong marker. A “sublime” performance, as Tom Durkin so perfectly called it.

Sure, he never won again, and he never beat older horses, and blah blah blah. But he won the one that counts most. And it’s not like he was retired by overly cautious or greedy owners. He sat on the sidelines fighting valiantly for eight months, the most courageous and sustained battle for life of any racehorse in memory. With those accomplishments--on the track and at the hospital--if Barbaro isn’t deserving of an Eclipse Award, then who is?

But enough second-guessing. Let’s be thankful we had Barbaro while we did, like all the other great ones that left us way too early.

Plans afoot for Selin stakes at Ril

Where do I even start with this one?

Plans are being finalized for a stakes race at Tucson's Rillito Park that will honor former Lone Star Park press box staffer Pete Selin, co-organizer Michael Costanzo told Jim's Orbit last week.

The race, dubbed the Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute, is tentatively scheduled for March 4 at the infamous Arizona bullring. Organizers are hoping to raise enough funds for a $5,000 purse, which would likely make it the meet's richest event and, more importantly, qualify the race name for recognition in the official Equibase chart, the Incompass racing information system, and the Daily Racing Form. In other words, the organizers don't want just another named race, they want something that will live forever in racing's official records.

Costanzo says that about half the purse remains to be raised. Anyone interested in contributing can contact me at yourfriendjimbo@gmail.com and I'll put them in touch with the right people.

I'll be there, for sure, and so will a lot of other racing folks who loved Pete Selin. He only worked in racing a few years, but he touched a lot of lives. He also touched a lot of beers, but still, probably more lives.

Selin was the media relations assistant at Lone Star until he was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2002. He passed away last January.

I first knew Pete when we were students at the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program. His recommendation helped me land the job as his replacement at Lone Star, undoubtedly the biggest pair of shoes I'll ever try to fill. He was one of the most charismatic and intelligent men I ever had the privilege of knowing, and I can't even begin to tell you what he meant to all his classmates in Tucson. But I will try as the Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute draws nearer, so check back here for more event updates and remembrances.

Happy Minute, by the way, is a revered ritual at Tucson's oldest watering hole, the Buffet Bar and Crock Pot. Anyone in the bar at 5:45 p.m. gets a free drink, simple as that. Pete loved the tradition and helped popularize it amongst friends, classmates, and more than a few visiting lecturers.

It's hard to imagine any more fitting tribute to Pete than this scheme, dreamed up by three of his closest friends and admirers in racing. Costanzo's cohorts are Richard Scheidt of Del Mar and Scot Waterman of the NTRA vice squad. Even if they don't make it to $5,000, it's a beautiful story that would undoubtedly tickle old Pete.

RacingDispatch.com Derby Poll

It's that time of year again...time for the racing prognosticators, including me, to renew the annual ritual of drawing straws and pretending as if we have any idea who will win the Kentucky Derby, which is still more than three months away. All the speculation is great fun, of course, but anyone who actually lands on the Derby winner in January is nothing more than the recipient of some good fortune. Unless, of course, that person duplicates the feat over a few years, then I'll start believing that any winter opinions truly matter.

Not that the Derby Watches and Triple Crown Manias and so forth are a waste of time. They're how we familiarize ourselves with the competitors and learn the storylines so we know what's what when the field is finally set. I guess my point is, don't go wasting your money on future wagers or boasting to people that the allowance winner you saw on the Gulfstream simulcast is your new Derby horse. The real handicapping doesn't start for another two months.

That said, I can't resist being part of the fun. There's a great new weekly poll of media, plus a handful of legitimate experts, over at racingdispatch.com. There are 20 participants, one of which, for some reason, is me. Also in on the fun is this state's (and the region's) foremost racing journalist, and one of the ones I refer to as a legitimate expert, Gary West.

The 20 voters rank their top 20 Derby prospects from 1 to 20, with point values assigned according to ranking. It's a great way to get a feel for some sort of consensus, as opposed to the individual lists out there. In this case I'd call it more of a "Wiseguy Consensus," since these are not your typical racing media poll voters and this is not your typical poll. Unlike, say, the NTRA poll of 3-year-olds, which ranks the colts based on what they've accomplished, this poll is a bunch of pundits forecasting the potential to win one race in particular. In other words, the Racing Dispatch poll is more fun, more useful, and far less obvious!

By the way, I wanted to link to the NTRA poll, but it looks like it isn't going yet. The current one on their website is from last June. Anyone know for sure if that's a website maintenance issue, or does the NTRA stop conducting the 3-year-old poll after the Belmont? Either way, that's pretty lame.

Anyway, I was invited into the Racing Dispatch poll by Louisiana Downs track announcer Travis Stone, who I first met while we were on the Saratoga Special staff together in 2005. I don't know these other dudes running the Racing Dispatch, but Travis is one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated racing fans I've met, so check out his poll, his site, and his racecalls. His passion comes through in all of these endeavors and that alone is good enough reason to be thankful we have him in the region.

In any case, I'm honored, but totally intimidated, to be in a poll with some of these guys, especially Mr. West. Here I am, cramming like a seventh-year college student just trying to round out my top 20. Meanwhile, West, as usual, has a list of 50 contenders, some of whom I've never even heard of! Visit the Lone Star Park Press Box Blog to see his numbers 25-50, which couldn't fit into the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Being in this poll I'm totally paranoid about voting for a horse that's off the trail and looking like a total doofus. Our individual votes aren't listed on racingdispatch.com, but this week I'll start listing my votes here. Why? Because I believe in transparency and accountability, dammit!

Other Texas-based racing blogs

I'm finding out that there are other Texas-based racing blogs out there. However, I stand by my claim as "The First Texas Racing Blog," at least until someone sends some kind of cease and desist order.

I came to find these other blogs thanks to the Lone Star Park Press Box Blog, which gave me a nice plug the other day. Here are the others I now know about...

Post Parade
Sue Broux of Grapevine is quite a writer. You absolutely MUST check out her recent post that compares a recent paragraph written by Gary West of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram with one that appeared in Steve Haskin's Blood-Horse article a few days later. Hilarious, and more than a little suspicious. I don't think anybody as visible as Haskin could be stupid enough to plagiarize another popular turfwriter, but then again, I consistently underestimate the stupidity of most people.

The Paddock
This guy Joe Coker is currently focusing on Santa Anita. Love the photo of him in front of the All-Star Jockey Championship mural at Lone Star.

We're all in this together so check 'em out.

MAXXAM Past-posting

I hate to get involved in “past-posting” and woulda, shoulda, coulda, but I want to apologize for not doing my part to help everyone here cash on Saturday night’s MAXXAM Gold Cup at Sam Houston. I had some real opinions on this race, but the week got away from me and I never got a chance to finish my preview and get it posted. Naturally, the horses I liked all did well and I had nothing to show for it. In fact, I never even got a chance to see the race.

What I can tell you is that there are two great new exhibitions at museums in Houston, the Everyday People show of photography at the Menil Collection and Louisville native Sam Gilliam’s retrospective at the Contemporary Arts Museum. Back to back openings on Thursday and Friday, plus the arrival of my family for the weekend, kept me too busy to get to or even think about the races.

The only racing-related part of my weekend came when I found out that the father of the curator of the current CAMH exhibition, Jonathan Binstock, owned a few stakes winners in New York in the Eighties and supposedly had one 3-year-old that was a brief player on the Derby Trail before clipping heels with General Assembly and suffering a serious injury. Not that I checked any of this for accuracy, I just found it interesting. The art world is full of people who used to own racehorses.

Anyway, for the record, here’s my incomplete analysis of the MAXXAM. I would not have picked the winner, Student Council, but I encouraged wheeling the consistent Texas-bred Goosey Moose in third! The trifecta paid $239.20. Not that I had it.

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, IT’S OUR FAVORITE ALL-CAPITAL-LETTER STAKES EVENT, THE MAXXAM GOLD CUP AT SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK.

This year’s MAXXAM is an awesome race, whether you’re interested in sport or wagering. It’s got three of my favorite Texas-breds, two of which have legitimate shots of winning (and a third who will almost surely win once I’ve proclaimed him overmatched).

More importantly, the shippers are a quality group of established stakes winners and promising allowance winners.

One exercise that always helps my handicapping is writing a bit about each horse in a race, forcing me to look a little closer and often discover a supposed outsider who is actually quite competitive. That said, let’s look at the field…

ANDANIGHT
There are actually four Texas-breds in the MAXXAM, and this is the one that isn’t one of my three favorites. The gray has been hopelessly overmatched in recent tries against other state-breds and shows no evidence of being able to get nine furlongs.

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Let’s get ready to ruuuummmmbllllle! The defending champ doesn’t show as good of form as he did coming into last year’s race, but the work in the slop is promising and I’ve always respected Stall. Factor in that 46-percent second-off-the-layoff clip in a 13-start sample and this one looks dangerous for the repeat. If the bettors lay off this could be a cagey value play.

GOLDEN GLEN
After three in-the-money finishes, including a win, in 50k claimers, Barnett hopes he can sneak over from New Orleans and steal one of our nice pots. But let me tell you, it’s not that easy. A hundred-grander is a hundred-grander whether it’s in Houston (or the suburbs of Houston) or New Orleans or Lexington. This one looks like a contender in many ways, but don’t fall for it.

CHARMING SOCIALITE
Is a monster sprinter, and I love him, but not in this spot. I’d be happy to be wrong about that. Larry Taylor can do no wrong right now and he’s one of my favorites as far as getting the most out of every horse he rides. I’m watching American Idol right now, which explains why I’m thinking, “Sorry, sweetheart, but it’s a no.”

MR. PURSUIT
This guy proved he’s for real with three wins over some serious horses, many of them older, at the end of last year. I don’t recall Petalino making a habit out of working his nice ones extraordinarily fast, which makes me think he’s breezing bullets without trying too hard. Has the right style, a very good trainer who knows how to point to big races, and the dependable Cliff “The Man of Constant Sorrow” Berry in the saddle.

STUDENT COUNCIL
I remember seeing this horse at Saratoga last summer. He developed a small but rabid cult following amongst the staff of the Saratoga Special due to the fact that he was one of the most perfect-looking horses on the grounds, which says something at a place teeming with the world’s most beautiful racehorses. But it ain’t a beauty pageant, as they say, and those striking good looks never did the son of Kingmambo much good in New York. Howard seems to be coming around to the fact that the horse runs better on dirt, but this is a tall order.

REAL ECHO
There must be better spots out there for this horse. He got drilled in his last two starts of 2006 against $25,000 claimers in Kentucky before a decent allowance win over this track. He’s way overmatched and I just don’t get why he’s here. Must be that famous MAXXAM Fever.

GOOSEY MOOSE
This old guy always gives his best, but I’m afraid that’s not good enough in this race. However, as consistent as he is, especially here in Houston, he’s very appealing as a horse to key on the bottom of your exotics. Can’t decide who you like to win? Take this lovable old guy and use him to hit the board and maybe you’ll catch an upset winner and have two longshots that’ll produce a sweet score.

MORE THAN REGAL
He supposedly had a bad trip when Mr. Pursuit beat him straight-up in the Oklahoma Derby, and it’s very difficult to separate the two. The horse he beat last time that the past performances show was a next-out winner, Guiding Hand,

And that's as far as I got.

Looking for some help

I have great visions for this site, but have to take it one step at a time. One thing I know for sure, though, is that this site will never reach its potential without the help of other racing fanatics and participants around Texas.

Here's one way you might be able to help, if you're so inclined...

BECOME A CORRESPONDENT - Are you a decent writer who wants to report on racing in your neck of the woods? Are you willing to do it for nothing? If you answered yes to both these questions, you need to do two things. First, please consider therapy, because you've got some kind of problem. Second, send me an e-mail because I'd love to have your help.

Contact me at yourfriendjimbo@gmail.com

Hamblen on Wrenice

Now that I’ve submitted my article for the Texas Thoroughbred on Wrenice, the 2006 Texas Champion 2-Year-Old Filly who is riding a six-race win streak into the Genesis Stakes at Delta Downs this weekend, following are some of the leftover quotes from my conversation with owner Guy Hamblen.

Here he is talking about how he got involved in racing…

“In 1998 there were a couple of fellas putting together a racing program who had a gelding. They were looking for investors. They had a filly also. They called me and said, ‘If you buy into the gelding, we will give you the filly.’ I said, ‘No, I will give you what you want for the filly, because I don’t want anything to do with a racehorse, I just want the filly.’ That filly was named Slew, and that’s how I got into the business.”

Wrenice, as you undoubtedly know, is out of Slew, who died last year. Slew’s first foal, Slew’s Sunny, a filly by Sunny’s Halo, won once in 14 starts. Slew’s second foal didn’t make it to the races. Her third, a filly by Moving Shoulder, is winless in her career after seven starts last year. The next one was Wrenice, by Uncle Abbie.

Here’s Hamblen on one of many offers he had to sell Wrenice…

“So I still didn’t sell her. We moved to Retama and she won the allowance race by 17 lengths. That Monday evening about 5:20 a gentleman called me and said, ‘Sir, I’m Mr. So And So from Florida and I buy racehorses. I saw your filly on simulcast and I wonder if you would be interested in selling her.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not interested. In my opinion I have been offered a fair amount for the filly and I haven’t sold her yet.’ And he asked me what I had been offered and I told him [at that point it was $300,000], and he said, ‘Well, if I upped the offer, then would you sell her?’ I said, ‘No sir.’ And he said, ‘Well, I don’t blame you, that’s an exceptional filly you have and I hope you enjoy her.’ And I have.”

And here he is on how his experience with Wrenice ranks among everything he’s done in 72 years…

“Other than your kids and family, this rates right below in terms of how enjoyable it’s been.”

On Randy Mayfield as a trainer…

“Good Lord, look what he’s done with her! If it isn’t broke, you know…”

On Wrenice’s sunny disposition…

“I called Randy up one morning and he said, ‘That b----!’ I said, “What’s a matter, Randy?’ He said, ‘Well, she bit and pawed and kicked me all at the same time!’ I now own her grandma, the dam to Slew, and every one of them has [or had] an attitude.”

On Wrenice’s 2007 campaign…

“We’re going to head for the Stallion Stakes, and if we can’t run two turns, there are some good six-and-a-half and seven-furlong stakes races at Lone Star this season.”

On getting Wrenice to relax better in order to have success going long…

“She needs to run about a 25 quarter and a 47 half instead of running 21 and change and 44 and change. I don’t know how you teach them to do that, but that’s Randy’s job.”

By the way, Hamblen bemoaned the constant mispronunciation of his filly's name, which is a combination of nicknames for his two daughters, Derinda and Denise. So think of it like Ren, as in Ren and Stimpy, plus 'Nise, pronounced like niece, as in your sibling's daughter, or Nice, the city in France. Ren-niece.

Wrenice to Delta

The Texas-bred Cinderella filly Wrenice will make her next start in the $50,000 Genesis at Delta Downs on Friday, Jan.26, owner Guy Hamblen told Jim's Orbit on Thursday. The connections had also been considering the Dixie Belle at Oaklawn the following day.

The 72-year-old Hamblen was as gracious as could be in a half-hour phone interview, none of which I will share with you here. Sorry, but that's business. You'll have to read my story in the next issue of the Texas Thoroughbred, which pays better than my blog!

But since my article for them will focus on what Wrenice did in 2006, I can tell you what Hamblen said about the present. He is very, very anxious to test the Texas Champion 2-Year-Old Filly going long at Sam Houston next month, in the Two Altazano. Although the Delta race is at 6.5 furlongs, the bullring will give Wrenice a chance to try two turns for the first time.

Hamblen also said he's not in a rush to look for deeper waters, saying that there's plenty of money for them in their own backyard. Hamblen investigated the Lone Star Park stakes schedule online Thursday afternoon and liked what he saw, adding that the competition will know where to find them. The place to look after this month, apparently, will be wherever we're running here in Texas.

Weekend 'capping: Walker the Stalker

What's going on with the stakes at Sam Houston? One week after the Cy-Fair was cancelled due to lack of competition for Wrenice, the scheduled stakes event for Jan. 20, the Spindletop for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, didn't make the overnight.

Not that this should stop us from watching and wagering on this weekend's action. There's plenty of other racing at Sam, and here's my advice based on the past performances for Friday and Saturday--bet Bobby Walker Jr. and bet him until either you're broke or the weekend's over and you can go spend your winnings.

Walker the Stalker has several good chances, including a few that should go favored. The most exciting is in Friday's feature (there is confusion sometimes over what is meant by "feature," but I was taught that is should refer to the race with the biggest purse, regardless of what is carded second to last, and that's what we will abide by in this blog), a first-level allowance for females at 8.5 furlongs. Walker Texas Ranger rides La Raine of Terror, who finished second to Sweet Idea in last month's Martanza Stakes. It was the 4-year-old's first start in her native state, after seven tries up north that included a maiden win at Mountaineer and two respectable efforts against winners at Delaware, in races where the "a other than" purse was worth a sweet $42,900.

La Raine should handle these easily with Walker up for George Northrop, who also trains the likely second choice.

Walker will offer better value Friday and Saturday on live ones for Calhoun, Schultz, and others. Walker has only half the mounts as the leaders, but I predict he'll be in the top five by the end of the month, if not by the end of this weekend.

More props

First, America's Turf Authority helped rocket this blog from obscurity to semi-obscurity with a plug in the drf.com monthly e-newsletter.

Now, Texas' turf authority, the Texas Thoroughbred Association, has also voiced its unofficial support by recognizing Jim's Orbit in an e-newsletter.

In his weekly "Letter from the Executive Director," the Grand Poobah of this state's racing and breeding organization, Dave Hooper, introduces this blog to his readers, and even mentions my "engaging entries."

Update from Dave Hooper - January 12

Hooper seems to have his priorities out of whack, not placing the Jim's Orbit item first, but we'll take whatever publicity we can get!

Pesos in the pools: a loco idea?

A post from last week about the great weather in Houston (sorry I jinxed it) inspired this unexpected response from an anonymous reader: "Alright, you sold me on the weather ... but are they accepting pesos at the windows yet? Might not be a bad idea considering the ton of backstretch help that hail from south of the border."

I thought that was pretty interesting. Then the next day I came across this article in the Houston Chronicle...

Pizza parlor takes pesos--and flak

It's about Pizza Patron, the Dallas-based Pizza chain that recently began accepting pesos, a logical business move that provoked outrage from all corners of our prejudiced nation. The story quotes several letters from angry Americans who find this development threatening and even unpatriotic. But I haven't seen any outrage over all the northern border cities that accept Canadian dollars, like Niagara Falls, which must be as unpatriotic as a town can be, what with its decades-long tradition of accepting the currency of two different nations.

(By the way, I want to point out that the article says the angry letters to Pizza Patron were not coming from Texans, but from states less familiar with Mexican citizens).

In any case, as I read this depressing Chronicle article I thought back to that message on this blog and wondered, hmm, why not accept pesos at Texas tracks? Our neighbors to the south have a huge passion for racehorses, and they make up a significant portion of the fanbase, not to mention the backstretch workforce. As the Pizza Patron customer in the Chronicle says, a lot of Mexicans (and, I imagine, a lot of Mexican-Americans, and Americans) cross the border with pesos they never bother to exchange. Seeing as I've yet to find a racetrack that doesn't like to increase their handle, how about a window where you can wager with pesos, or at least change your currency?

In Vegas you can exchange just about any currency known to man. Texas, of all places, especially in international cities like Houston and Dallas, should lead the way in accommodating foreign fans and foreign currency.

I realize the whole idea is little more than wishful thinking in today's climate (not sure the Dallas suburb of Famers Branch would care for it much), but like Jeff Tweedy would say, where would we be without wishful thinking?

Saturday night fever

As much as I would love to handicap this weekend's races, I've come into a ticket to Saturday's Saints-Eagles game in New Orleans, so you'll forgive me if I'm absent the next few days.

But before I hit the road, I thought I should at least weigh in on Saturday night's feature at Sam Houston. Here's my forecast...

1. General Charley
2. Guacomole
3. Praisemeister

OK, so I know it's kinda chalky. I didn't expect Guacomole to be second choice on the morning line, but that's what he is.

General Charley is the lukewarm 4-1 morning line favorite, but I suspect it'll be a lot shorter than that. Trainer Michael Stidham is having a great season, and that New Year's Eve bullet workout showed his ability on the main track, followed with another eye-opener on Sunday. I think it's safe to say the last race was meant as a tuneup all along, and I would expect a big race tonight.

Guacomole has had talent as far back as when Danny Pish first had him, but he's never really broken through to realize his potential. But this is his kind of spot, and Michelle Lovell is another trainer to always respect.

Praisemeister had a decent fall in Oklahoma, where the competition is getting stiffer all the time. He won here last time out and could offer some value for throwing in with your exactas and trifectas, if you're into those kinds of wagers. John Long's got two wins at the meet, and while I have no idea who he is, that's enough to give me some confidence that this spot represents more than just wishful thinking.

Jim's Orbit (The Horse) in Texas Thoroughbred

The Texas Thoroughbred graciously pointed me to a link for the article they had about the original Jim's Orbit, which you can access via the link on the right. It's a great story so check it out when you have a chance!

Dean: Wrenice scares 'em off

Richard Dean has a very good piece in the Houston Chronicle's weekly horseracing notebook about the cancellation of Saturday's $25,000 Cy-Fair Stakes at Sam Houston. Apparently, only one brave soul entered to take on Wrenice, winner of five in a row and the 2006 Texas Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.

Houston Chronicle Notebook Jan. 18

I can't blame anybody for thinking they don't have much of a shot to beat her, especially when Randy Mayfield's talking about how she's peaking right now. But man, how many times have we seen heavy favorites get beat, even ones that are doing great and don't really have an excuse? And heck, for the local trainers, even if Wrenice runs the way she's supposed to, second place is worth $5,000 in your own backyard, you get to be stakes placed, and you don't lose any conditions. Why not take a shot?

If anyone knows who the other entrant was, please let me know so we can recognize them here.

72 degrees in Houston

Any horseman reading this who might be thinking about sending a string to Texas, let me tell you that right now I’m blogging during my lunch hour from a bench under a tree in the middle of Houston’s beautiful and green Museum District, where it’s 72 degrees with a light breeze. These are January conditions that any creature would be crazy not to love.

Check back Friday for some weekend handicapping information on Sam Houston.

Hoffman: Let's take a gamble on casinos

One thing I certainly never expected to do on this blog is link to a column by Ken Hoffman of the Houston Chronicle. And yet, this city’s King of Inanity took a break from reviewing fast food specials (that’s a real weekly feature he does) today to comment on the proposed expansion of legalized gambling in Texas. It’s kind of funny, but more importantly, it says to his many readers in Houston, in plain speak, why it only makes sense to pass proposed gambling expansion and stop this nonsense of Texans giving away gazillions of dollars to neighboring states.

Let’s take a gamble on casinos

Since moving to Houston this summer, I have not met many people my age who frequent the racetrack. I have, however, met several who routinely drive two hours to Lake Charles, La., so they can play blackjack or slots on one of those “riverboats.” If people are going to waste their money on that stuff, it would be nice if they could at least do it here and indirectly help improve our schools or roads or something.

Who the heck are you people?

Well, today I quit my job so I can devote more time to Jim's Orbit.

Just kidding, but I wish I could give more of my life to this. Especially after the overwhelming response I’ve had from people all over the country.

In the past 36 hours or so, basically since the drf.com e-newsletter that flattered us by mentioning Jim’s Orbit went out, this site has received more than 400 hits! On top of that, many of you took the time to write me, to say thanks, to wish me good luck, or just to sign up for the e-mail list. I’ve heard from horse owners in Texas, simulcast players in Virginia, track announcers in Louisiana, old friends in Kentucky. More people than I’ve even had time to respond to.

A big thank you to everyone who has offered encouragement, either directly or just by taking a few minutes to read any of this. I am in awe. I knew a lot of people liked to bet on Texas racing, and a lot of people liked to go to the races now and then to socialize or get away from the house, but I never expected so many people to give a darn what some hack in Houston was writing about it all.

So this is how word spreads in the 21st century. I started this thing early in the morning on New Year’s Eve when I couldn’t sleep. A few days later, after I had three or four posts completed, I told a few friends, no more than 10 people. And that’s all I did. Next thing I know there’s a link on drf.com, there’s a link at texasthoroughbred.com, and this page is on its way to being viewed 500 times within one week of the day I first told anyone about it.

Who the heck are you people and where did you all come from?

While I’m shocked by the response, it does reinforce the simple thought that spawned this in the first place. Namely, that fans of Texas racing are in need of more outlets for original coverage.

I hope more of you will take time to add comments at the end of the posts, too. Let me and other readers know what you think about what’s going on in the sport. I don’t want this to be too much of a one-way conversation.

Anyway, thanks again for checking this out. You make me want to be a better blogger!

Stanton retires

The big news out of Sam Houston this week, first reported in the track's weekly notes, is that jockey Terry Stanton has retired.

This is sad news because Terry is a solid rider, but an even better person. He was always one of the most well-liked guys in the room around Texas thanks to his unassuming manner and quick, often self-deprecating, wit. In a profession filled with inflated egos and quick tempers, Terry was a breath of fresh air, the kind of guy you'd love to have as your next-door neighbor.

My favorite Stanton ride was one that he probably hated, but the fact that he held on at all was a testament to his nerve and skill. It was Independence Day of 2003, when Stanton guided (or, perhaps more accurately, followed) longshot filly Petionville Indeed, a mere maiden winner, to a 22-1 score in the $100,000 Lone Star Oaks, bolting in and out the whole way down the stretch of the turf course.

You can read the original Lone Star stakes recap here...

Lone Star Park Press Release July 4, 2003

This release includes a great explanation from trainer Dallas Keen on how Terry ended up with the mount. “I’ve never really ridden him before,” Keen said of Stanton. “But I wanted somebody that I knew had a little cowboy in him and Terry has that.”

It was the first Lone Star stakes win for Terry, and I don't recall fellow horsemen and the track staff ever being so happy to see a particular rider win a big race.

Here's to a real Texas gentleman. Terry, you will be missed!

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drf.com recognizes us!

Here we are, barely one week into our existence, and already Jim's Orbit is being recognized by the national racing establishment. America's Turf Authority, the Daily Racing Form, has posted a link to this blog from their select list of regional sites.

Not that you really need to see it, but just so you know I'm being honest here's where you can witness a link that leads right back to here...

drf.com regional racing links

We're on our way!

Now that I know the public can find me so easily, I better get out there and find some stories!

Why?

Whenever people hear I'm launching a Texas racing blog, the response is always the same.

Why?

Actually, racetrackers have a tendency to be longwinded, not to mention foul-mouthed, so the real response is more like, "Why the f would you want to waste your time doing that?"

Or, even more insultingly, "Who the f is gonna read that?"

These are legitimate questions, and ones that have even crossed my mind a few times.

The truth is, there is a two-fold answer to why I want to do this.

First of all, I just miss covering horseracing. I always loved my job in the Lone Star Park press box, even if I never really loved the hours that came with it. But covering horses and horsepeople never gets old. The people are interesting, almost all of them are friendly, and there's always something to write about.

I won't get into all the cliches about why the racetrack is great. Although maybe at some point I'll do a post about how a lot of those cliches are just kind of sad (why do we like to celebrate addicts and degenerates?). But if you're reading this, chances are you already understand the allure of horseracing and I don't need to tell you why I love it.

Of course, to be totally honest, another aspect of this is that not only do I miss writing about horseracing, I also miss having a media credential! After several years of going to the races for free all over the country, I forgot how frustrating it is to be one of the average fans who gets nickled and dimed to death every time they go to the track.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what annoys me more, the fact that a track like Sam Houston, which is in the middle of nowhere and surronded by nothing except warehouses and empty lots, charges $4 for a place to park, or the fact that all the lazy fans willingly fork over the money.

In any case, after a few years as a member of the media you get used to such casino-like ammenities as free parking and free admission. Once I started thinking about this blog, someone pointed out to me that maybe I could get credentialed at the Texas tracks and I liked the sound of that!

The second reason I'm doing this blog is to help fill the massive void in coverage of Texas racing. The people who currently cover Texas racing professionally are very, very good, and a few of them I would go so far as to say I admire greatly. My problem is that there are too few outlets covering Texas racing, especially when you look at how many people participate in this sport and its related industries. Further, the few outlets that do create original racing coverage allot very little time or space to it, meaning many of our best reporters rarely get to tell more than the basic facts.

I'm not going to complain about the lack of attention paid to racing by the mainstream media, since it's obvious that horseracing holds little mainstream appeal these days. What is shocking, though, is how underutilized the Internet has been as a place for distributing racing news in this state.

Again, I don't blame the racing establishment, since that's not where the best Internet content comes from. I blame fan apathy. I never would have created this blog if I had been able to find another one like it when I started searching. I mean, there is a blog for practically everything in Texas these days (a search of Texas blogs revealed far more blogs by crossdressers than horseracing fans). But when I couldn't find ANYTHING worth reading on the opening of the Sam Houston season, it really upset me. The Houston Chronicle had a few articles and advertisements, which was more than you could expect from a big-city daily, but you look for more information online and it's like the meet doesn't really exist.

(The one big exception is the Texas Thoroughbred Association's online forums, which can be awfully entertaining).

So that's why I'm here, for my own enjoyment, and also to offer whatever Texas racing fans are out there a place to find more than the basic headline news.

I can't promise I'll have something new every day, or even every week, especially when the racing goes away from Houston, where I live, and Grand Prairie, where I handicap every card. But considering what's NOT out there already, it feels like anything I produce will make a difference.

Ultimately, I want to help get important information and entertaining stories out there. I don't want to be one of those overly critical blogs by some dude who sits around and complains. We all already know racing has problems. My vision is for a positive place to promote Texas racing.

If you have a comment, suggestion, tip (be it news to report or a live horse to bet), or anything else to communicate, please let me know by e-mailing yourfriendjimbo@gmail.com. Tell me what you want to read here and help me make this a better blog.

You can also help by letting your friends know about this blog. You must have friends who enjoy reading about Texas racing, so send them an e-mail with a link to http://jimsorbit.blogspot.com and tell them to bookmark the address.

Thanks for visiting.

Props to Calhoun

Let's give credit where credit's due. Bret Calhoun is kicking some major butt at Sam Houston this season, having won with 21 of 49 starters through the most recent day of racing (which was five nights ago, on Saturday), giving him a stellar win clip of 42.9 percent.

I mention this because a major media outlet wrote glowingly today of Michael Stidham's "meet-best winning percentage of 30 percent," with nary a mention of leading trainer Calhoun's incredible run.

Not only is Calhoun leading the standings, by wins AND earnings AND percentage, but he has totally "opened a can," as the youngsters would say, on his competition. On top of being a very good trainer, right now he simply has far superior stock to his opposition. He is already leading the standings by seven wins over Scott Blasi, who has 14. Tied for third at 13 wins are John Locke and Danny Pish, each of whom have had significantly more starters than Calhoun.

Winning as often as Bret is, and especially at such a high success rate, it is hard to believe that his accomplishments were completely overlooked. I mean, hitting at 40 percent is a rare feat even in a 10-race sample. To do it over seven weeks and still be riding that high after almost 50 races, that is freakin' amazing!

I won't link to the article I speak of since, having done several stints as a print journalist myself, I know how easy it is to slip up or miss something obvious. But I have seen so many errors in horseracing coverage since moving to Houston that I feel a need to at least help set the record straight.

The Calhoun snub was actually not the worst oversight this season. That would have to be the preview that profiled Steve Asmussen in its "Trainers to Watch This Season" section without any mention of the widely reported six-month suspension that has prevented him from actually starting any horses at the meet thus far. Meanwhile, the same section failed to include Blasi, who at that point had been officially training the Asmussen string for about four months and was a sure thing to be a major force at Sam Houston.

Riding the Broke Bus

Did you see this note (scroll down to the third item) in DRF about Gulfstream offering a shuttle to the nearest bank, since they're no longer allowed to offer on-site ATMs?

I get that the state is trying to keep gambling addicts from losing all of their money (by the way, problem gamblers in Texas can find help here), but I just don't understand how the government can limit access to our own money.

I remember in college being at Suffolk Downs and tapping out when Commendable won the Belmont. It was a miserable day, and it only got worse when I learned that Massachusetts has a law that forbids ATMs at racetracks. I didn't even have enough change in my pocket to catch the train back to Cambridge (back then I think it cost all of 85 cents). My options were to get one of those ridiculous cash advances against my credit card from a phone in the grandstand, which I refused to do, either on moral grounds, or maybe because the one credit card I had in college was alread maxed out from Red Sox tickets, I don't know. But anyway, I had no choice but to walk a mile in the pouring rain, away from the train station and the track, to find an ATM at a neighborhood grocery. Not having a cash machine at the track sure didn't keep me from gambling any more, it just left me stranded and pissed off.

Here in Texas we have a similar, though not quite as dire, situation with the law that limits ATM withdrawals at the track to $300 per day. Again, a well-intentioned but stupid law that doesn't help problem gamblers and serves only to annoy good customers. I mean, to a lot of the high-rollers at the races $300 isn't even a lot of money, so why should someone be forbidden from taking that out if they show a six-figure balance in their checking account?

At least in Texas everyone drives and there are always ATMs nearby. If you ever tap out at Lone Star and can't hit up the track ATM again, you barely have to leave the grounds to visit the drive-thru Bank One ATM in the parking lot near the Grand Prairie Visitors Center (across from the Skate Park, which is adjacent to the top-of-the-stretch chute where a 550-yard Quarter Horse race would start).

Also, I'm not certain that taking out $300 from one ATM on-track necessarily prevents you from visiting another one, say, on another floor, or in the other building. I would like to say I've researched this, but I've never been rich enough to lose $300 in a day and go back for more punishment.

At Sam Houston, you can visit the Texaco at 8110 North Sam Houston Parkway, along the feeder road, the closest off-track ATM that I'm aware of. This is also your place to pick up some really great beer coozies and trucker hats.

Perhaps one day these silly restrictions will be repealed. I can take out $500 to purchase a gun at Wal-Mart anytime I want, but I can't take out $500 to bet on sanctioned horseracing that benefits the state? Damn I love Texas.

The Walk of Shame to get cash is never fun (especially when they've yet to run the second half of the early double!), but let's at least be thankful that here in Texas we don't have to ride a "Broke Bus" to the bank with a bunch of other losers.

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