E-mail Breeders' Cup

If you think it would be great to have a Breeders' Cup in Houston, send an e-mail to the Breeders' Cup and tell them why. And suggest to your friends and colleagues that they do the same.

Here's the general address from their website: breederscup@breederscup.com.

If you can't think of any of your own reasons why but you still sense it's a good idea, feel free to copy any of the points listed in the post below this one.

HOLY CRAP!!! SAM HOUSTON BIDDING FOR 2009 OR 2010 BREEDERS' CUP!!!

I practically fell out of my chair today when I read the astounding and exhilarating news that Sam Houston Race Park is putting together a bid for the 2009 or 2010 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships!

Much to my dismay, this development has aroused almost no interest from the media, both locally and within the racing publications. The Houston Chronicle buried it deep in a short item about the new management appointments at the track, mentioning it practically as an afterthought. Let's be frank here, most racing fans, and certainly most general sports fans, could give a darn who the new execs are. But the biggest event in the sport possibly coming to your town's racetrack, THAT'S A BIG FREAKIN' DEAL!

To read the local coverage about the new executives at Sam Houston, with a passing mention of the really big news, click here.

As an aside, I have to mention how great it is to see the track taking a chance on a young, female, entertainment-oriented executive. Everything about her and her experience is the opposite of what you would expect of a racetrack exec, which is why I like her already. It so happens that I got to hang out with some folks from the Houston Comets organization a few weeks ago, and that is a really great, well-run franchise.

Now back to the Breeders' Cup news. Mary Rampellini of Daily Racing Form naturally recognized the significance of a Breeders' cup bid and mentioned it in the first paragraph of her article about changes at Sam Houston...

Bork taking on new duties at Sam Houston

But there has yet to be one in-depth report on this announcement. There was a press release from the track today, which I'll post at the end of this entry.

The release lists several compelling points in support of their bid, which I will now address individually. In case it's not abundantly clear, I am overwhelmingly in favor of Sam Houston hosting a Breeders' Cup and believe they could do a great job of it.

The statments in quotes are from the track news release, and all the comments are mine...

"Houston is the fourth largest city in America, a very international city with all the necessary infrastructure to make a Houston a highly successful host site"

Couldn't agree more. This place has world-class everything. Tonight I was at a meeting for the Houston Greeters, a group I'm on the volunteer committee for that pairs up visitors with residents who have very specific interests so people can see this incrdible city with a native to guide them. The meeting tonight brought together all the volunteers, a group that includes people from every walk of life. They offer greets in more than 20 languages, and tonight's gathering was like a UN session, but more interesting. Cowboys, Indians, Asians, Mexicans, Euros, we have it all here and everyone loves it.

Did you know this is one of the most diverse cities in the world, with equal populations of whites, blacks, and Latinos, not to mention some of the largest Vietnamese and Korean populations in the country?

Restaurants, hotels, sports, museums, galleries, performing arts, parks, universities, medical centers, science, industry, and on and on, Houston is home to some of the best in every category. It's probably the most dynamic and unusual city I've ever lived in.

"The weather in late October/ early November is ideally suited for both the equine participants and racing fans"

I can confirm this because when Lone Star was preparing for its Breeders' Cup a few years back, I helped prepare a report on the weather in Texas in late October and early November. I researched 100 years worth of weather data, which showed an ideal average daytime temperature that was in the upper sixties, with little chance of rain. There ended up being some rain the week of Lone Star's Breeders' Cup, but by the big day it was gone and the weather was absolutely perfect.

"Sam Houston Race Park is conveniently located fifteen minutes from George Bush International Airport and has an abundance of hotels, restaurants and other attractions in northwest Houston"

The distance from the airport is accurate, and an important point for horsemen concerned about shipping. It's an easy flight here from almost anywhere in the world (has anyone noticed that Houston is one of two American cities with daily non-stop flights to and from Dubai?), and it would be an easy trip from the airport to the track.

The part where the track is stretching here is with the supposed attractions in Northwest Houston. There really aren't any, especially not any that would impress any sophisticated international visitors. If people come to visit Houston, don't encourage them to stay out there, make sure they stay at one of several fabulous boutique hotels in the city. If visitors to Houston don't actually come and see life "inside the loop," where the action is, they'll never want to come back.

But that shouldn't be a hindrance. Because of the amount of land necessary, almost no tracks are in highly desirable areas. Lone Star showcased everything that was great about Dallas and Fort Worth, but also managed to do it without slighting Grand Prairie and Arlington, where they packed the hotels.

Sam Houston shouldn't feel pressured to make Northwest Houston sound like something it isn't. Belmont is a pain to get to from Manhattan, and the other Triple Crown venues are bordered by some pretty sketchy neighborhoods. Who cares? It's about showcasing the whole metropolitan area. Instead of boostering for Northwest Houston, just promise you'll fill their hotels, but concentrate the publicity efforts on all that is amazing and beautiful, and genuinely impressive, throughout the city.

"The City of Houston has hosted a multitude of top sporting events including Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, Shell Open PGA Tournament, the year-ending Masters Tennis Event and the Houston Grand Prix races."

I went to that MLB All-Star Game and, man, the hospitality and events were awesome. Everything was centered downtown, there was a great press party with Los Lonely Boys at the Convention Center (right before they really blew up and I was one of about 10 people even paying attention to their incredible live show), another lavish affair the night before at the Aquarium. It was a blast, and Houston knows how to throw a party.

As long as you have the right venues, which Houston does, everything else falls into place. Even if much of the city is ugly, the VIPs will never see it anyway, as they spend the whole weekend tooling around in shuttle busses from one perfectly choreographed event to the next.

"Sam Houston Race Park boasts a solid management team led by Robert L. Bork, current president of Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA)"

As far as I can tell they do everything they can in a very tough market. While a typical evening at Sam Houston leaves much to be desired, I have rarely felt like any of the shortcomings were a reflection of the management. If you put great horses and an interested crowd out there, which the Breeders' Cup would undoubtedly attract, it can be as good as most anywhere.

"Texas is home to many prominent members of the racing community including Robert McNair, William Heiligbrodt, Leland Ackerley, W. Temple Webber and William Farish, who operates a Texas breeding farm, Lane’s End Texas"

They forgot to mention me.

Now here are some other points they could add in later materials...

A quote in the release by Bob Bork touches on the racing surfaces, which will be a huge selling point. As long as I've been in Texas the horsemen have raved about both surfaces at Sam Houston. They are safe and fair. And that turf course is a sight to behold. The importance of the surfaces can not be underestimated, especially when you're a track that many top trainers have never been to.

The stable area. Relatively new, neat, spacious stalls. Most horsemen don't seem to care whether a stable area is aesthetically pleasing, they just want large stalls and lots of water.

How about the history in Texas? From King Ranch to the Asmussen family, Assault to Todd Pletcher, this state is steeped in racing tradition. And, of course, it wouldn't hurt to point to the success of Lone Star's Breeders' Cup as a model of what a mid-size track in Texas can do. And Sam Houston has its own history of course, as Bork also mentions, having hosted the NTRA Great State Challenge and the MBNA Challenge Championships. Yes, this is a different league than those events, but it says something that the NTRA and AQHA were willing to trust Sam Houston to host those. I came down from Dallas for that Great State Challenge and had an awesome time. Take Charge Lady was there and one of my favorite mares ever, Coastalota, ran second to her.

The suites. A big thing that the new and recently renovated racetracks have to offer over the older ones is the suites. They are huge revenue generators on a big day, when owners and corporations will pay obscene amounts of money for one. And the suites level at Houston, which is the same level as the press box, is right on top of the track, a perfect view. Just high enough to see over the tote board onto the backstretch, but close enough you could maybe toss a quarter onto the dirt.

The access. Tons of parking (pretty easy when you're surrounded by parking lots, open fields, and warehouses) and easy access to the highway adjacent to the property. Makes life a breeze for everyone. Right now Cirque du Soleil is using the track parking lot as its home for an extended multi-week run of its touring show. Why? Because there's a ton of space, a ton of parking, and easy access for people from all over the region to come in for the evening.

The media. I don't mean because they love horseracing, because they don't. But they love big events and this is a key market. In New York or LA the Breeders' Cup is like a blip on the radar in the midst of all the events happening there every day, but in Houston it would be like 2004 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which had wall-to-wall Breeders' Cup coverage. Everywhere you turned there was some local tv news reporter who didn't know a thing about racing asking who they could interview and when. There were special sections in both newspapers the weekend of the races, to cap off what was months of intense horseracing coverage. Of course, both the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram employed full-time turfwriters then, which sounds like a fantasy in this century, but I'm sure it was true. Nonetheless, in a place like Houston, it doens't matter if they love racing, you just tell them it's a big event and there will be a stampede of tv trucks, as well as ticket buyers.

I'm sure I'll think of more reasons in the coming weeks why this should happen. I'm beside myself at the possibility.

Here's the full release from Sam Houston...



Sam Houston Race Park Preparing a Bid for the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors

SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK (Thursday, March 29, 2007) - The 2006/2007 Sam Houston Race Park Thoroughbred Meeting is winding down and will conclude on Saturday, April 7 with the running of the Grade III Connally Breeders’ Cup Turf.

However, officials at Sam Houston Race Park are hard at work on another major racing project and want to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2009 or 2010. With the assistance of Bryan Pettigrew of Affinity Sports Marketing, Sam Houston Race Park has submitted a bid to Greg Avioli, president of Breeders’ Cup Limited and the Breeders’ Cup Board of Directors to host the biggest Thoroughbred racing event in the country.

The compelling points for consideration of Sam Houston Race Park as a host site include:

Houston is the fourth largest city in America, a very international city with all the necessary infrastructure to make a Houston a highly successful host site

The weather in late October/ early November is ideally suited for both the equine participants and racing fans

Sam Houston Race Park is conveniently located fifteen minutes from George Bush International Airport and has an abundance of hotels, restaurants and other attractions in northwest Houston

The City of Houston has hosted a multitude of top sporting events including Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, MLB All-Star Game, Shell Open PGA Tournament, the year-ending Masters Tennis Event and the Houston Grand Prix races.

Sam Houston Race Park boasts a solid management team led by Robert L. Bork, current president of Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA)

Texas is home to many prominent members of the racing community including Robert McNair, William Heiligbrodt, Leland Ackerley, W. Temple Webber and William Farish, who operates a Texas breeding farm, Lane’s End Texas

"Sam Houston Race Park has accomplished a great deal since its opening in 1994," said Robert L. Bork, the track's Vice Chairman. "We were proud to host the NTRA Great State Challenge in 2002 and the MBNA Challenge Championships in 2004 and received many compliments from horsemen regarding our excellent surfaces. In addition, we are confident of our ability to entertain and create first-class hospitality for both the racing fans and VIPs. It will be our goal to make the Breeders’ Cup World Championships an unqualified success."

Pettigrew has been working with major sports and event consultants planning for a crowd of 60,000 fans at Sam Houston Race Park attending the two-day Breeders’ Cup racing and festivities.

A Sunday night at Hou

Nothing better to do last night so I headed out to Sam Houston for a beautiful Sunday evening at the races. The weather was ideal, and with Daylight Savings in full effect it was nice to be catching some races there in the daylight. They have a 5 p.m. post on Sundays, so I encourage anyone with the opportunity to take advantage of it and enjoy twilight racing.

Two random tidbits from my night out...

A great piece of news that I missed from last weekend was the occurrence of three 20-plus-length winners in two days! I'm still trying to grasp this. In all my years of visiting tracks, including three years of working at one and seeing several hundred races annually, I don't think I've ever seen a single 20-plus-length winner in person. I can recall one spring season at Lone Star when Dallas Keen had a few huge ones, but even then I think the widest margin was 18 lengths. If you've never seen an 18-length winner from above the track in person, let me tell you that it is an unbelievable butt-kicking of the highest order. It's not really awe-inspiring, because this kind of thing tends to happen when one pretty good horse is put up against a bunch of not-very-talented ones, so instead it's just funny. I guess that's why they call it a laugher. The big winners at Sam Houston last week were: Chief Monarch, a 5-year-old gelding who broke his maiden by 23 for trainer Paul Renia Mann (under replacement rider Jose Figueroa, who took over the mount when Bobby Walker Jr. reportedly refused to ride after warming up the horse!); Becky's Blarney, a 3-year-old filly who broke her maiden by 23 3/4 for trainer Kharina Hunt (Richard Eramia was up); and State Power, a 4-year-old colt who took a maiden special weight by 23 3/4 for Bret Calhoun (Walker did ride this one). All three were post-time favorites.

I am in love with ten-cent supers as something fun to do after I've blown my real bankroll. Not that I've ever hit a decent one, I just like that I can mess with them and have tickets with numbers of combinations I used to only ever dream about. I know it's different for some people, but I get just as much thrill playing dime bets as I do for whole dollars. I'm sure cashing is not as satisfying, but it's fun to play races without anything substantial on the line. I'll be looking forward to whichever track is the first to offer dime exactas in a few years.

Best quote of the year

Bryan Brown, CEO of Retama, on the grandstand they'll build at the proposed racetrack in Laredo, which was approved this week...

“There is nothing more fun than being outdoors in the un-air conditioned grandstand at Gillespie,” Brown said.

Yeah, I mean, all that air conditioning at other Texas racetracks is really cramping my ability to enjoy the 100-degree summer heat.

I love watching races outside as much as anyone, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate having the option to cool off indoors. I'm not an architect, but I'm pretty sure there are ways to have access to both air-conditioning and the great outdoors. Like these things they call balconies.

Come on, just admit that it would cost more than you're willing to spend. We're not stupid.

In any case, the good news is that we're getting two new racetracks, in Laredo and McAllen. A surprising development, if you believe all the stories in the mainstream racing media about this supposed dying sport. Here in Texas we'll have built five new tracks in less than 20 years. If business is so bad and the outlook so bleak, why are multiple interests competing for licenses to open tracks around here? Horseracing is supposedly in dire need of help, and yet, you don't read about many tracks going out of business.

Here's the news from the Texas Thoroughbred website...



At a meeting that stretched for more than 11 hours, the Texas Racing Commission on Tuesday awarded three new Class 2 racetrack licenses, the first ones granted in the state in over a decade. There was considerable contention over the licenses, all of which are for racetracks to be located in South Texas—two in the Laredo area and the other in McAllen. Laredo is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and McAllen has also seen significant growth in recent years. Both cities are along the Mexico border; McAllen is near the state’s southernmost tip in the Rio Grande Valley, a hotbed of Quarter Horse breeding and non-pari-mutuel racing, while Laredo is some 140 miles to the north.

The license for McAllen went to a group headed by Greg and Steve LaMantia, whose family owns a major beer distributorship in South Texas. The group also includes principals from Retama Park and several Texas horsemen. Plans call for a $23 million track with a 7/8ths-mile oval, outdoor grandstand and an indoor simulcast area. The proposed facility would offer 18 days of mixed (Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and other breeds) racing per year and be managed by the team from Retama Park. The license was granted despite opposition from officials with Valley Race Park, a greyhound track located about 35 miles away.

The issue of the Laredo licenses had been ongoing for more than three years, with much of the delay due to the competing applications being referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. After nearly two years, two administrative law judges decided that both applications met the requirements of the Texas Racing Act. The ALJs recommended approval of the application from MAXXAM Inc. over the one submitted by a group comprised of many of the same partners as the application for McAllen. The commission opted to award licenses to both applicants, whose proposed sites are located some 15 miles apart outside of the city of Laredo.

However, a condition was attached to the approval of MAXXAM’s license. The Texas Racing Act does not allow a person or company to own more than a 5% share in two racetracks in the state. MAXXAM already owns Sam Houston Race Park and Valley Race Park, the latter of which the company is in the process of selling. To receive the Laredo license, the commission ordered MAXXAM to divest itself of Valley Race Park by May 4. MAXXAM’s application calls for the track to be built at a cost of approximately $28 million with an enclosed, air-conditioned grandstand. The track would remain open year-round as a training facility.

“We want to build a top-notch facility that will show our commitment to live racing,” said Bob Bork, president and general manager of Sam Houston.

The other Laredo license application calls for a $15 million facility with an open-air grandstand. Like the McAllen track, it would also be managed by Retama Park. Both Laredo tracks would have year-round simulcasting and a 7/8ths-mile oval with 20-30 days of mixed racing per year.

Bryan Brown, CEO of Retama, said that the group’s track would offer a simulcast area patterned after the one at Lone Star Park, while the grandstand would be similar to the one at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds.

“There is nothing more fun than being outdoors in the un-air conditioned grandstand at Gillespie,” Brown said, emphasizing that economic feasibility of not having an enclosed grandstand, like MAXXAM’s track would.

Despite a general consensus at the meeting that Laredo could not support two racetracks, both licensees indicated a willingness to move forward with their respective tracks.

Also at the meeting, Retama Park, which will not run any Thoroughbred race dates this year, asked for Thoroughbred dates in January-March 2008. Sam Houston Race Park, which traditionally runs from November through early April, opposed that request. Retama’s request was voted down, however those dates were not awarded to Sam Houston and the issue could be revisited again.

News from Hou

Two incredible items showed up in the latest weekly press notes from Sam Houston. Funny Cide could be coming to Houston for the Connally, and Alumni Hall might be gay!

First, about Funny Cide...

"Sam Houston Race Park stakes coordinator, Don Thompson, has been in contact with trainers on the East and West coast and one of the most interesting nominations is Funny Cide, who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, before finishing third in the Belmont Stakes. Thompson spoke to Funny Cide’s trainer, Barclay Tagg, last month and he indicated they might be interested in trying the 7-year-old gelding on turf."

Reading between the lines there, I'm skeptical that Tagg is seriously considering Houston right now, but I'll hope for the best. It would be a great spot for him, actually. While Funny Cide can't win a Grade I these days, he still runs credibly against horses of that caliber, which makes me think he might even be favored if he came here.

And now on to Alumni Hall...

"Alumni Hall, winner of the $100,000 MAXXAM Gold Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in 2005, was retired last March to stand stud in Kentucky at Lane's End. In addition to his victory in the MAXXAM, the son of A.P. Indy won the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland. His stud fee was $5,000, but after several months, it became clear to the powers that be at Lane’s End that Alumni Hall had absolutely no interest in impregnating mares! W. Temple Webber, who owns Alumni Hall in partnership with Will Farish and James Elkins, commented that while most stallions have no problem adjusting to stud duty, Alumni Hall was a challenge."

Elkins then gave this great quote...

“If Will Farish can’t figure it out, we knew we had to try something else,” said Webber, who resides in Houston. “They tried everything to get him interested in the mares and nothing worked.”

I did a quick google search for homosexual horses and found this fascinating feature about gay thoroughbreds (and horsemen)...

Gay Stallions and Tomboy Mares

I highly recommend this article. It's well-researched and includes some great nuggets of information. The author starts with the story of her own gay ex-jumper and has this great line: "He liked grays the way some men like blondes."

There's also a lot of information about all the gay men in 17th-century England who helped develop the breed that would come to be called the Thoroughbred. Who knew?

Anyway, Alumni Hall has been turned over to Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who will try to turn him into a jumper. The mares at Lane's End might not have interested Alumni Hall, but maybe the sight of Sheppard's famously charismatic stable pony, John's Call, will!

Mario Pino interview

This doesn't have anything to do with Texas, but with the great Mario Pino getting a little national attention lately as the regular rider for Hard Spun, it seemed like a good time to reprint this interview I did with the jockey last summer at Saratoga for the Saratoga Special.

To make it Texas-related, I'll add this one comment. Hard Spun's trainer, Larry Jones, has to be the only cowboy-hat wearing conditioner who has never started a horse in Texas. What's up with that?

In any case, here's an old Q & A with Mario Pino, one of the good guys...

Q & A with Mario Pino
By Jim Mulvihill

With 5,746 career wins entering Friday’s racing, Mario Pino ranks 16th among the all-time leading North American jockeys. If you’re not up on riders based outside of New York, consider that Pino is quickly closing in on Jerry Bailey, who finished his career ranked 15th, and for now rests comfortably ahead of Edgar Prado in 17th.

It’s been a few years since Pino has been spotted around these parts, but fans are advised to familiarize themselves with him right away. The 44-year-old rides in two stakes this weekend aboard horses trained by Larry Jones—Miss Elsie in Friday’s Grade II Honorable Miss and Hello Liberty in Saturday’s Grade I Test.

Pino sat down with The Saratoga Special after Thursday’s races so locals could have an opportunity to get to know this living legend.

Q. When and where did you start riding?

A. I’ve been riding for 26 years and I started in Maryland. Actually, I used to work up here galloping horses before I ever even started riding. That was quite a few years ago. I’ve spent 26 years riding in Maryland and Delaware. I made a couple trips up here. It’s always fun up here. This time my wife and me came up and I’m riding three days here (Thursday to Saturday). It’s like a little vacation. I hope we get lucky.

Q. When was your last trip here?

A. I think it was like three years ago. I just got beat in a stakes here.

Q. Have you had any winners here?

A. I’ve won a lot of races, but only one here. I couldn’t tell you when it was so long ago.

Q. Do you know how many winners you have overall?

A. I’m going on 6,000 now. I think I need, oh, 200 more for 6,000. I’m almost there.

Q. How much longer will you ride?

A. I’m just going to keep riding until I feel like I can’t do it anymore. I feel good and I like riding. Over the years you get a little sour some days, but then you win a big race on a nice horse and you feel rejuvenated again. Right now I’m not even thinking about retirement.

Q. Is there any win that stands out as your biggest?

A. I’ve won a ton of races in Maryland. I must’ve won every big race in Maryland except the Preakness. I couldn’t pinpoint just one, though.

Q. What do you think of your mounts this weekend?

A. I ride a nice filly (Hello Liberty) in the Test. I’ve never rode her in a race but I’ve been working her and watching her replays and she looks like a quality horse. The horse that beat her, Bushfire, just came back and won again. Seven-eighths looks like it’s perfect for her. But there are a lot of horses in the race and you’ve got to get lucky in a full field like that. I’m looking forward to riding her. Larry Jones, is an awesome trainer. I’ve been riding a lot of horses for him in Delaware and I won the Prioress for him at Belmont a few weeks ago.

Q. And how about Miss Elsie in the Honorable Miss?

A. I won on her last time. She’ll have to step up a little tomorrow, but she’s a nice, quality mare and she shows up every time she runs. I like her record her last three starts: a third, a second, and a win. She’s always running hard at the end and she could be right in there.

Q. Who did you look up to when you were starting out?

A. Laffit Pincay. I used to watch him all the time. I never spent a lot of time with him. We’d watch him on TV and he’d come to ride the Preakness, but that’s all. Just looking at what Laffit has done, that amazes me right there, to come and show up every day like he did. I know just trying to get 6,000 wins is a tough go. That’s a lot of showing up every day when you don’t want to. It just amazes me how someone could keep doing that and that’s why he was one of my idols from when I first started. There were a lot of good riders I used to watch and I’d take little things from. Chris McCarron was another, and Pat Day.

Q. Is it true the turns are tighter at Pimlico or is that a myth?

A. Actually, the track seems that way. The straightaways are longer and the turns seem slightly tighter. That’s just the way it is. I don’t think it’s really a myth because riding there the first turn is a very sharp turn and you’ve got to keep turning out of the first turn. If you’re three- or four-wide on that turn it takes so much out of your horse, it’s like on the turf course. You’ve got to be on that rail into the first turn. It’s very essential. At other tracks you can lose a little bit of ground and not have to pay later, but at Pimlico it can really cost you a lot.

[At this point a ladybug lands on the cuff of Pino’s white dress shirt.]

Look at that. That’s good luck.

[Now back to the question.]

You’ve got to save ground at Pimlico. I’ve been there a long time and if you don’t save ground, you’re not going to finish up.

Q. Has wrestling in high school helped you at all as a jockey?

A. Yeah. It gave me the discipline. It’s a lot of discipline making weight, working out, getting in shape, trying to win, you know? The wrestling really helped me later on with my weight. In high school I actually weighed the same as I do now and I’m 44 now.

Q. What did you tack today?

A. I tack 115. Not comfortably, but it’s fine. If you can stay the same as you were in high school that’s pretty good. Not many people can say that.

Away for the Weekend

I'm on vacation this weekend, heading to Dallas for the wedding of Equibase chartcaller Larry "The Legend" Barnes.

Sorry the week got away from me and I never found a chance to weigh in on everything that's going on.

So check back next week. In the meantime, if you haven't seen this please check it out, as The Onion is far more entertaining than anything you'll ever read on Jim's Orbit anyway...

Conspiracy Theorists Insist Barbaro Still Alive

Happy handicapping this weekend!

Troutt in this week's SI

It's not available online, but visit your local newsstand and read Rick Reilly's column in the current Sports Illustrated. It's about Dallas horseowner Kenny Troutt, of WinStar Farm, and the money he drops on his son's sixth-grade basketball team.

They fly around the country (sometimes the world) on a chartered 737, usually with a parent along for the ride, staying at posh hotels and eating meals designed by the team nutritionist all the while. The team has three full-time coaches. Again, these are sixth-graders we're talking about.

The article mentioned that Troutt is a part-owner of Funny Cide, which I don't think is accurate, but maybe he somehow retains a small share, I don't know. WinStar bred Funny Cide, but I have no knowledge of Troutt being part of the Sackatoga Stable that owns him.

Speaking of which, I spotted Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga and keynote speaker at last month's TTA awards dinner, at two different bars in New Orleans on Saturday. First I saw him at the clubhouse bar overlooking the paddock, then after the races at Liuzza's by the Track, a cozy neighborhood joint a few blocks away. Now that's a horse owner I can root for.

Sandburr to tackle big boys in N.O. 'Cap

Just how lucky am I these days? I have to go to New Orleans this weekend for my friend's wedding on Saturday, which isn't scheduled to start until after dark at 7 p.m. Meaning I can head out to Fair Grounds in the afternoon for the richest day of racing in Louisiana history, with four straight Grade II stakes.

For fans of Texas racing, the most intriguing race of the afternoon might not be the Louisiana Derby, but the New Orleans Handicap featuring the great Sandburr, winner of the Star of Texas at Sam Houston in December, followed by an upset in the Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup a month later.

So does he have any chance against the likes of Master Command, More Than Regal, Liquor Cabinet, and Patriot Act?

Well, probably not. In fact, I hate to say it, but definitely not.

One thing to admire about Sandburr is his consistency. But looking at this field, every entrant is exceptionally consistent, which doesn't help the outlook for our Texas-bred hero. Sometimes I'll take a seemingly overmatched longshot at a good price if he's the type of horse that always runs his race, and he's up against a few who have run faster but have spotty records. That's when you get a solid chance at a nice price making the exacta.

But here I can't see it. This is a field of better horses, and none of them give any indication that they might throw a clunker in New Orleans.

The winner of Sandburr's last race, Master Command, ran the 8.5 furlongs that day two full seconds faster than Sandburr did while winning over the same track a month before. Some people will tell you time's not important because of how the surface changes, but when the difference is two seconds, that's significant, unless they happened to pave the track in early February.

Sandburr's just flat-out not fast enough to run with these legitimate Grade II studs. But hey, I'll be rooting for him all the way, and I give credit to Michael Stidham for taking a shot. You never know for sure until you test them, and you might as well take a chance when you're on your game and the race is in your backyard.

And think of it like this. When you're talking about a half-million-dollar purse, third place would be worth only a little less than winning the Star of Texas, and a surprise runner-up finish would be a hundred-thousand-dollar payday. And it's only a seven-horse field, so what the heck, give it a shot and see what happens. Whoa, I'm starting to sound like I work in the racing office.

Moving on...

Remember to stick around or stay tuned for the nightcap from Fair Grounds, where there's a Texas-bred that I do recommend betting on. Take a look at Capote's Diamond, looking to break his maiden in his fifth try for Larry Robideaux.

Note that two back he ran second to Louisiana Derby entrant Ketchikan, who has a good chance to surprise people in the feature. Capote's Diamond showed speed last time and faded, an angle I like. You know the colt is fast, and maybe he's more fit this time, or relaxes better, either of which could happen in Robideaux's extremely capable hands.

After a card like this, you'll probably need a good bet to get out at the end of the day. Give this one some serious consideration.

Check out TTA on MySpace!

My new favorite MySpace page is not my own, but that of the Texas Thoroughbred Association...

www.myspace.com/texasracing

This just cracks me up, and you have to see the video from YouTube about Assault with Jim McKay (at least I think it's Jim McKay) narrating.

Confucius would say that the surest way to judge a person is by the friends they keep, and if this is the case then Texas Racing is doing OK because it has some great MySpace friends.

My far-and-away favorite is Better Talk Now, winner of the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf at Lone Star Park. Now, I've seen a few racehorses with MySpace pages, but only Better Talk Now counts Barack Obama, Lou Reed, Mark Danielewski (whoa, the horse reads experimental fiction!), and several attractive young women amongst his 213 friends. And under "Who I'd like to meet" one of his responses is "Jeannine Edwards." That's the coolest horse ever.

So what's up with Sam Houston Race Park's MySpace page? It conveniently fails to mention anything about horseracing, instead focusing entirely on new country music artists. No wonder they only have 35 friends!

It seems very likely the Sam Houston page was created by whatever concert promoter they use, based on the pictures that consist almost entirely of publicity shots of musicians from the Verizon Wireless Concert Series. Let's see, 18 images and not one of a racehorse, but four of Miranda Lambert, who is scheduled to play live on March 16.

2,000 and counting

I forgot to point out last week that Jim's Orbit had its 2,000th hit right around the first of the month (anyone can view the StatCounter tally below the links in the right margin). This site launched on New Year's Day, so I'm happy to report an average of 1,000 hits per month, at least for the time being!

If you're reading this, thanks for helping make this site a huge (and admittedly unexpected) success.

And if you're a horseman or business that wants to reach fans of Texas racing, don't forget that you could sponsor this site for less than you probably think! E-mail me at yourfriendjimbo@gmail.com and we'll work something out.

Anybody who ever read one of Andy Beyer's books knows the importance of identifying trends and biases before everyone else so you can get the best value. Well, it applies to advertising as much as handicapping!

Right now Jim's Orbit is hot. We're picking winners like crazy, we've been pushing Great Hunter since January, we have a loyal readership, and we have new folks taking notice on a regular basis. This is the time to get on board and partner with Jim's Orbit!

Ice Fantasy Wins Selin Memorial

Here's the press release on Sunday's race that I wrote for the Race Track Industry Program...


ICE FANTASY EARNS JUMBO-SIZED PAYDAY IN INAUGURAL PETE SELIN MEMORIAL HAPPY MINUTE

TUCSON, Arizona (Monday, March 5, 2007) - With her first victory in nine months, the 5-year-old mare Ice Fantasy took home the Jumbo as the winner of Sunday’s inaugural Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute at Rillito Park in Tucson, Ariz.

Ice Fantasy dueled on the inside of post-time favorite Soha What through the early stages of the 5 1/2-furlong dash around two turns before kicking clear in the stretch to win by a comfortable margin. Soha What held on for second in the full field of eight older fillies and mares.

Like all races at Rillito, the official chart of the Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute remains unavailable until at least 48 hours after the race.

Rillito’s newest annual stakes event is named for turfwriter and University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program alumnus Pete Selin, who passed away last year at 52 after a prolonged battle with leukemia.

The race’s “Happy Minute” distinction recognizes one of Selin’s favorite traditions, a daily free drink at Tucson’s oldest watering hole, the Buffet Bar and Crock Pot.

Ice Fantasy received a trophy topped by the Buffet’s familiar 16-ounce beer glass known as the “Jumbo.” With the winner’s share of a $3,000-added purse, Ice Fantasy earned enough to purchase 1,714 Jumbos at “the Buff.”

Ice Fantasy was ridden by the meet’s leading rider, Steve Karr, for owner/trainer Harry Nelson of Fresno, Calif.

The Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute was organized by Selin’s former classmates Michael Costanzo of Pompano Park, Richard Scheidt of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, and Dr. Scot Waterman of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Racing Medication Testing Consortium, with additional support from F. Douglas Reed and the Race Track Industry Program.

Friends of Selin’s from around the country jammed the Rillito Park winner’s circle for the trophy presentation.

Plans are already in the works for next year’s Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute, which will complement a RTIP scholarship also to be named in Selin’s honor. For more information, contact the Race Track Industry Program at (520) 621-5660 or e-mail the Pete Selin Memorial Happy Minute organizers at selinmemorial@yahoo.com.

--30--

Selin Memorial Happy Minute Recap

What a great time in Tucson last weekend, catching up with old friends and, most importantly, remembering Pete Selin.

Rillito Park was as charming as ever. For once I actually made money there, and lots of it. I pretty much abandoned handicapping off the PPs in favor of picking horses out of the post parade with no regard for their odds. In the average Rillito race, where the field is limited to eight, five or six of the entrants will look as if they've come straight from winter on the farm. They have long hair, and are either overweight or frighteningly scrawny. And I'm not the kind of guy who can routinely tell the difference between a nice horse and a very nice horse, but I'm sharp enough to tell the difference between a racehorse and a pleasure hore that happens to have a saddlecloth with a number on it.

So most of the weekend I picked the three best-looking horses in the race and boxed them in an exacta. If there was only one who stood out, I bet him to win and place. Pretty darn simple and extremely profitable. I cleared $200 profit without ever spending more than $10 on a single race.

The Selin Memorial Happy Minute on Sunday was just a beautiful occasion. About 20 friends of Pete's turned out, including shippers from New York, Kentucky, California, and, of course, Texas. We drank, we gambled, we told stories, and we laughed. In fact, I laughed harder than I have in a long time, and that's saying something because I'm a dude who laughs a lot. I had hoped to gather storied from people to post on this blog, but when it came down to it we realized that most of the stories can't be published without embarassing the other people involved who are still living! If you want to hear the best Pete stories, you ought to just plan on coming next year.

The event's organizers put up a lot of their own money to make the race happen and for that the rest of us are beyond grateful. Big props to Mike Costanzo, Rich Scheidt, and Scot Waterman for the most perfect tribute since a hearse drove the body of PR guy Allen "Black Cat" Lacombe down the stretch and over the Fair Grounds finish line in 1989.

Even if it had been possible, Pete would have preferred this "chicken-fried" stakes race at Rillito over a $1 million-dollar Grade I at Keeneland. It brought everyone together again and that was the most important thing.


A few other random thoughts on the Tucson trip...


The University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program has some mighty fine new digs. When I went there we worked out of a basement. Now they've moved on up to this deeeluxe apartment in the sky. They've got this massive flat-screen TV where the students (and, I suspect, sometimes the staff) can chill in these huge, cozy armchairs and watch races on TVG and HRTV. Is that the greatest or what? I spent about one minute in that office and wanted to re-enroll.

Also on the topic of the RTIP, the few current students I met were very cool. There was this guy Pete, who called the Selin Memorial Happy Minute, and gave out winners all day Sunday. He knows a lot of the horsemen around Rillito and accurately predicted the winner of the Selin, relaying a fascinating story about how exactly he knew who the best horse in the race was (I can't confirm the tale so it would be totally reckless to repeat it here, but let's just say it's very appropriate that there's a conspiracy theory with chicanery involved in a race named for Pete, a man who loved to research and write about the dark side of racing!). And he gave the race a solid call, from what little I could hear.

The other RTIP student I met was Jon, who covered the race for the RTIP Update newsletter. He wore a great hat (as any good turwriter should) and also had some amusing Rillito stories. And I've since read his articles in the most recent Update and they're damn good. Better than whatever I was writing when I was there, that's for sure.

It's good to know there are still fun, crazy, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable young fans (and future industry professionals) coming through that program. It would be nice to see one or both of those dudes end up in Texas in a few years.


When it comes to simulcasting, I never thought I'd feel lucky to live in Texas. But damn, they just straight-up don't have it in Tucson anymore. I didn't get to hear why, but a city that used to have some great off-track facilities just a few years ago now has nothing. How frustrating to show up at the track on Saturday and find out we can't even see the races from Gulfstream or Santa Anita. I always thought Tucson would be a nice place to retire, but nevermind that idea.


When I did see the results of Saturday's racing online that night, I was glad to see that Great Hunter and Kip Deville came through, as did my choice in the Sam Houston feature. Sweet.

Racingdispatch.com shout-out

Travis Stone of The Racing Dispatch at RacingDispatch.com gives me some props without naming me by name in his most recent column about the website's weekly Derby poll...

Racing Dispatch From the Editor 3/5/07

I've been the one dude with Great Hunter on top on every ballot since the first poll in January, so I told Travis last week that if he rolled in his comeback, I wanted some credit. Nevermind that Saturday's victory didn't really prove much more than what a lot of people would have agreed, that he's a real contender. The field he beat was not much, so I only feel partially validated. We'll see what he has next time out before I get too big for my britches.

But I thought it was cool of Travis to call attention to the fact that I've been on him all along. Not sure if any other public hadicapper had him pegged as early on so I'll have to start looking around. With Nobiz Like Shobiz coming up short this weekend I'm sure there'll be a few more people on my bandwagon. Now if only I'd bet him in the first round of the Kentucky! Derby! Presented! by! Yum! Brands! Future Wager when he closed at 24-1.

By the way, it was a big week for the horses who started out at Lone Star Park last summer. Not only did Great Hunter stamp himself as a legit Derby contender, but the defending Grand Prairie Turf Challenge champion, Kip Deville, won the Grade I Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. There's never a shortage of quality horses coming out of Texas (keep in mind the recent success of Dixie Meister, too); the problem is coming up with the purses to keep them running here, if even for part of the year.

Great 3-year-old race Saturday

OK, so maybe it's not the most important 3-year-old race this Saturday, but the one-mile Texas Heritage at old Sam Houston attracted some interesting colts for a $45,000 purse.

I don't have time for a full analysis on this one, but I'll tell you I like Bernie Flint's Speedway for the win. He's the 3-1 morning line favorite and if you can get 2-1 or better, which you might, then I say go for it.

The first thing that stands out is the breeding. He's a son of Forest Wildcat, and his mama was a graded stakes winner of more than $220,000.

Flint doesn't ship this way often so I'll take that to mean this one's ready to win. But he's not going to take on the sophomores stabled at Oaklawn right now, which includes a few that are Kentucky Derby-bound, so why not send him to Houston for a decent purse and more black type?

Most of the contenders here are fairly obvious, but I also encourage you to consider Hadacure, the half-brother to four-time stakes winner and half-million earner Rare Cure. He bombed here against state-breds in December, but Joe Petalino has given him plenty of rest this winter and I foresee a strong effort at a good price. Morning line is 12-1!

Here's how I see it...

Speedway
Hadacure
Beta Capo
Banquo
Makeithapencaptain (Bob Dylan up)
El Kabong
Daddy Warbucks
I Spy Wolfie
Dream America
Daddy's Mistress