Last gasp for an aging queen

Beginning tomorrow, horsemen at Philadelphia Park and from across the Mid-Atlantic region will be vanning their horses down the Atlantic City Expressway to venerable old Atlantic City Racecourse for its annual mini-meet, which runs this year for six days. 

For those of us who remember Atlantic City in its glorious heyday, it is disturbing to see how it has been allowed to deteriorate by parent company Greenwood Racing, Inc.  The track was once the playground of the rich and famous, and huge crowds would pack the open-air grandstand, constructed in the mid 1940's.  Located only seven miles from the Atlantic Ocean, the racetrack was a perfect summer destination, and it was beautifully maintained, with a grass course that was considered the best on the East Coast.  It was always so much fun to spend an evening at AyCee, betting the ponies under the lights.  Here's a shot of what it used to look like:

But the opening of the Atlantic City casinos in 1976 caused the racetrack to begin a slow and steady decline.  Huge chunks of acreage that surrounded the oval were sold to keep it afloat.  Rumors began flying that the old girl would be shuttered, but in 2001 owner Bob Levy announced he was selling the track to Greenwood Racing, which also owned Philadelphia Park.  Greenwood keeps the track primarily to retain simulcasting and off-track wagering rights in the state of New Jersey; it reduced Atlantic City's annual dates to just a handful in order to satisfy Racing Commission regulations.

To presumably save money on maintenance costs, Greenwood only utilizes Atlantic City's turf course and does not use the main track, and tomorrow six races have been carded, as well as on Monday and Tuesday.  No claiming races have been written, and that's most likely to avoid the restrictions that would come with claiming a horse out of a six-day venue, as well as to save the racing office a lot of headaches.  While the Atlantic City programs offer good betting value and are entertaining contests, many trainers take the opportunity to enter horses with horrendous dirt form in the hopes that they will suddenly wake up and become the next John Henry.  A handicapper needs to whip out the crystal ball and tea leaves in order to discern whether a horse with bad dirt form has been entered because the trainer really thinks he will run well on turf, or if it's only a last-ditch effort by the trainer to earn some purse money before donating the horse to a retirement program.

It's always a painful experience to see how badly Atlantic City has been cared for the last few years - groundhogs running wild in the grandstand, the tote boards full of holes, the backstretch reminiscent of a scene straight out of a Wild West movie - complete with dirt clouds, abandoned buildings and tumbleweeds - but I try to console myself with the thought that the track could easily be the site of more uneccessary condominiums and Wal-Marts.  There's always hope that one day Greenwood will unload the track to someone who actually wants to revive the South Jersey racing circuit, but in reality those dreams are a longshot, at best.  Given the precarious nature of the entire New Jersey racing industry, we wouldn't be shocked if this season was Atlantic City's last.

If you're planning a trip down to McKee City this week, don't forget that first post is at 3:30 p.m. each day, and may all your bets be winning ones.

Credit where credit is due

Over the past two decades I have been a fairly harsh critic of Philadelphia Park and its ownership, Greenwood Racing.  And I think rightly so, since the sport of thoroughbred racing always seemed to be like a pesky buzzing horsefly that Greenwood was unable to swat away.  Now that they have their gaming license in place, and are making tons of money from slot machines - with more to come from table games - that horsefly may have been shooed out the window.  But this blog entry is not to entirely criticize Greenwood, although Lord knows there is probably enough fodder to fill a book.  Au contraire, I am writing to actually compliment them, something I never thought I would do.

As racing fans in the Philadelphia region are aware by now, Comcast cable television and Greenwood were unable to come to terms on a deal that would keep the PhoneBet racing channel on the air past April 1.  After nearly a 20-year run, the channel went black (actually, the screen is blue, and gives some premium subscription channel information for high school basketball).  Who is right and who is wrong in this situation is hard to determine, but suffice it to say that racing and its fans are the biggest losers.  

Right before the television screen went blue, Greenwood was directing fans to watch live racing via its Philadelphiapark.com web site.  This link proved invaluable last Friday, April 9, when my daughters and I wanted to watch Zenyatta compete in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park.  At first, I tried the Daily Racing Form web site, since DRF was touting the live feed for the race everywhere I clicked on the web.  After 17 tries to connect to the Oaklawn feed through DRF, and failing 17 times, the thought hit me ... Philadelphia Park!

I went onto Philly Park's web site and connected in an instant to the Oaklawn feed.  Actually, besides the inconvenience of having to watch a not-so-great-quality video picture on my computer, I preferred it over the old PhoneBet cable television channel.  My daughters and I were able to watch the entire Apple Blossom post parade, pre-race warmups, and commentary by Terry Wallace, without any annoying chatter from hosts and without the irritation of the channel cutting to different tracks that I was not interested in.  We were also able to watch the post-race winner's circle celebration, plus the race replay!  I couldn't have asked for anything better.

So, a tip of the hat to the folks at Greenwood for forcing me onto their web site to watch a stellar presentation of the 2009 Apple Blossom Handicap.  I recommend the live video feeds highly, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays on the web site for many years to come.  But you know the old racetrack adage - there's no such thing as a sure thing, especially not in Philadelphia.

Memories of Personal Ensign

Learning of the death yesterday of the great Personal Ensign brought back many memories of a wonderful trip to Kentucky I made in October, 1992.

It was a beautiful time of year to be in the Bluegrass State, and I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of Claiborne Farm by Gus Koch, who was the Paris nursery's longtime manager (now retired).  Koch took me all over the famed establishment in his pickup truck, to the stallion barn (of course) where they brought out Mr. Prospector, Danzig and Easy Goer, and then into a big pasture where the retired broodmares lived out their remaining days.  I recall being surrounded by several famous old girls, who were curious about their visitor and sniffed and poked me with their noses, including gray Laughter, a half-sister to the immortal Ruffian and the dam of millionaire and sire Private Terms; shaggy and sway-backed Obeah, the dam of the great Go For Wand, and champion Numbered Account, who was the "alpha mare" in that prestigious group.

After leaving the retired broodmares, Koch drove up a paved pathway to a barn that sat at the top of a small rise.  He opened the door and we went inside, and then he walked over to the first stall on the left side, whose top and bottom doors were closed.  As he opened the top door, he said to me, "Here's a nice filly that I think you may remember."

Almost immediately, out popped the head of Personal Ensign, who looked around with her ears pricked.  I was able to touch her, and Koch said he believed she was going to make a fine broodmare.  Truer words were never spoken, as the undefeated champion became the dam of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Gr. 1) winner My Flag, as well as Gr. 1 winner Miner's Mark.  Personal Ensign, a daughter of Private Account, was named Broodmare of the Year in 1996.

My morning at Claiborne was every thoroughbred lover's deam, and the news that Personal Ensign had died of natural causes in her paddock on Thursday made me relive that day anew.  All of the horses I've mentioned in this post are now gone, so I am very grateful that I had the chance to see them, and especially grateful to Gus Koch, who took time out of his busy schedule to give me that "tour of a lifetime."

(photo provided to the media courtesy of Barbara Livingston)

A Friday notebook

News and notes from around the Keystone State:

* Vince Tucciarone, co-owner of Fox Tale Stud in Coopersburg, Pa. with Dawn Newman, was a guest yesterday on Steve Byk's SIRIUS/XM radio show "At the Races."  Tucciarone discussed the stallions at Fox Tale and the services they provide.  Byk revealed his Dee Tee Stables have a mare at the farm, Sumwonlovesyou (by Came Home).  You can listen to the podcast of the show at this address (Tucciarone was on Hour 3): http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=726&year=2010&month=04&day=08&Itemid=35

* Speaking of Fox Tale, they have had some very nice foals born there this year, including a Rubiyat-Paying Penance (by Cat's Career) colt, a Capitano-Suzy's Mandate (by Full Mandate) colt, a Capitano-Tantalize (by Red Ransom) colt, a Capitano-Time To Trick Em (by Favorite Trick) colt, and a Request for Parole-South Beach Glow (by Forest Camp) colt.

* On Fox Tale's Facebook page, Dawn Newman reports on the status of some former FT stallions.  Millionaire Request For Parole will be remaining in Argentina, Freefourinternet is in Kentucky on lay-up, Pies Prospect is in North Dakota, and Sort it Out was exported to Russia.  Lord ofthe Thunder, owned by Ernie Paragallo, is also rumored to be in Kentucky after having been moved from Paragallo's Coxsackie, NY, farm (yes, THAT farm!).

* Tomorrow, my good friend and colleague Tom DeMartini, a longtime writer for Thoroughbred Times, will be getting married in Bradley Beach, N. J., not far from Monmouth Park.  He is tying the knot with Mary Barnes.  DeMartini and I first met in 1994, when I started covering Monmouth for The Trentonian, and he was covering for The Home News.  Since then, we have shared many fun days at the track, and often reminisce about the pressbox curmudgeons we have known.  Some of the characters we still talk about include Bill McLaughlin, formerly of the Asbury Park Press (who ranted and raved for nearly the entire meet one year when someone swiped a copy of his "Mudders and Turfers") and the late Joe Hintelmann, who covered racing for the Two River Times in N. J.  DeMartini is an excellent handicapper, to boot.  We wish him the best as he enters the next race in life as a "coupled" entry.

Heading south

It was with some sadness that I learned of the impending departure of Pennsylvania stallion Siphon (Brz) back to his native country of Brazil after the completion of this year's breeding season.  The 19-year-old son of Itajara had stood at Dr. William Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom since 2006 after having stood at Airdrie Stud in Kentucky from 1998 through 2005.

Siphon has been purchased by Fernando Danemann’s Coudelaria Jessica and will stand at Haras Bage do Sul in Bage. 

A Grade 1-winner who is capable of siring a Grade 1 performer, Siphon has 11 crops to race, and to date has sired one champion, eight graded stakes winners, 14 stakes winners and 14 stakes placers.  His progeny have sold well through the years; his weanlings averaged $52,000, his yearlings averaged $27,000 and his 2-year-olds $55,000.  These are decent numbers for a stallion who stands for only $3,500.

Siphon is also becoming known as a solid broodmare sire; he is the sire of 135 dams of 289 foals, 145 runners (50%) and 88 winners (30%), including stakes winner Runaway Rosie, an earner of more than $387,000.

In speaking with Dr. Solomon about Siphon's sale to Brazilian interests, he said, "I was in favor of it.  There are not that many stallions in Pennsylvania that will be getting a lot of mares this year, and I think he will do well in Brazil."

Last year, Siphon serviced 32 mares, but Solomon is unsure whether he will hit that mark in 2010.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!  This has always been one of my favorite holidays, probably because it falls during such a beautiful time of the year ... and the Derby is right around the corner.

Went out to Philadelphia Park this morning to see my 3-year-old filly train.  Of course, it was misty and overcast up until the track closed at 10 a.m., then the weather cleared up nicely.  But I got some decent pictures, and here she is:

She is still about a month away from her first workout, and when that day comes I will reveal her name and breeding.  Suffice it to say right now she is a Pennsylvania-bred, and her dam is a half-sister to a Gr. 1-placed runner of nearly $1 million.

Some news and notes from the breeding and racing world of the Keystone State:

* Fox Tale Stud in Coopersburg, Pa. announced that the first foal by Capitano, a multiple stakes-winning son of Belong to Me, was foaled on March 2.  The foal, a filly out of Suzy's Mandate, a daughter of Full Mandate, is owned by Vicken & Suzy Meguerditchian, who campaigned Capitano.

* Trainer Phil Aristone dropped a claim slip for $7,500 in late February at Philadelphia Park for the multiple stakes winner Speechifying, a 7-year-old daughter of Pennsylvania sire Activist.  It was a sweet reunion for Aristone, who trained "Speechy" to her greatest win, that in the $250,000 My Juliet Stakes at Philadelphia Park in 2007.  That year, she was named the Pa. Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Horse of the Year.  Lifetime, Speechifying has won eight of 31 starts, and more than $428,000.  Aristone sold Speechifying late in 2007 to trainer Steve Klesaris, and she eventually was claimed by Dominic Galluscio at Saratoga last August for $16,000.  After changing hands again twice more, Aristone finally found the right opportunity to claim her back.  He doesn't plan on making her a broodmare, at least not yet, he said, and she'll start for him in the upcoming weeks.  Speechifying's dam, Apprized (by Prized), was bred to Wildcat Heir this season.

* The first foal of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Cat Thief to hit the ground in Pennsylvania was born on February 20 at Mike Jester's Penn Ridge Farm in Harrisburg, Pa.  The foal, a chestnut colt, is out of Black Tie Countess, a daughter of Black Tie Affair (IRE), and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Count the Gold.  The colt is owned by Dian Goss of New Jersey.

What's in a name? Plenty!

Toni M. Kirwan has taken the proverbial sow's ear and turned it into a silk purse. The Yardley, Pa. resident has bred a remarkable string of runners descending from a mare who had no black type through her first five dams, and is a perfect example of a pure breed-to-race enthusiast who is reaping the rewards of the Pennsylvania Breeding Fund.

It all started with P. J.'s Blitzen, a Double Edge Sword mare that Kirwan raced in the mid-1980's. P. J.'s Blitzen was a hard-knocking competitor, making 96 starts, winning 17 times, and earning over $230,000 at a time when purses at Mid-Atlantic tracks were still relatively low. Although she was advised not to breed P. J.'s Blitzen, Kirwan and a partner bred her to the stallion Citidancer in 1993, and hit paydirt when she foaled Sun of a Blitzen, a stakes winner and earner of more than $350,000. To the cover of Compelling Sound, P. J.'s Blitzen produced the filly Blitzen's Echo in 1998, who never won a stakes but earned $85,000.

Again, against the advice of several bloodstock agents, Kirwan decided to make Blitzen's Echo a broodmare, and her first three foals have all done extremely well on the track. Making an art form of naming her thoroughbreds, Kirwan christened the first Blitzensfoxyvixin, a filly by Partner's Hero born in 2004. She was second in the Wonders Deelite Stakes and has won six races and more than $285,000. Blitzen's Echo's second foal, a colt by Yankee Victor dubbed Blitzenkissinqpid, has won five races to date and over $165,000. Her third foal, a colt by Disco Rico named Blitzensdiscogetem, was second in the Send More Money Stakes and has earned over $100,000. Kirwan's only setback to date occured with her fourth foal, a colt by Gators N Bears named Blitzenshoneybare, who suffered a catastrophic injury in his career debut. The mare's fifth foal is a yearling filly by Tekken (IRE) named Blitzenstekkldpink.

Two weeks ago, Blitzen's Echo foaled a colt by Buzzard's Bay whom Kirwan has yet to name. "I'm still trying to decide on a good one," she said. Kirwan said she gives her horses the long, distinctive names (most pushing the 18-letter limit) so she can always hear the track announcer calling them during a race. And what a mouthful they have been thus far! In 2008, Kirwan's homebreds earned her a whopping $111,472 in breeder awards.

As far as future breeding plans for Blitzen's Echo, Kirwan said she would like to go back to Gators N Bears, as she is still mourning the loss of the promising Blitzenshoneybare. In addition to Blitzen's Echo, Kirwan also has the broodmares Dawn's Diva, who is in foal to Sunriver, and Indy USA, who is in foal to Chelokee. We wish Kirwan continued good luck with her small Pennsylvania thoroughbred operation, and offer her success as perhaps inspiration for others who might want to dip their toe into the breeding waters.