Remember when ... ?

While searching through our files, we came across a couple of documents from 1996 that made us chuckle.  The first is a letter from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to Matthew J. Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Nov. 20, 1996.  It expresses Ridge's views about expanded gaming (slots) in the Keystone State.  Little did Ridge realize that just eight years later his successor, Ed Rendell, would successfully push through slots legislation, thus paving the way for Pennsylvania's racetracks to offer higher purses and making the state one of the most desirable places in which to breed thoroughbreds.  Check it out (if you click on the image, you will then be able to enlarge it):

Next is a pull-quote from the Daily Racing Form dated October, 1996.  The quote was uttered by F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., then-chairman of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, after a Commission meeting at Philadelphia Park.  Dixon, an esteemed and respected businessman and horseman, was not happy with the state of affairs at the Bensalem oval while under the ownership of Greenwood Racing, Inc.  We wonder what Fitz would have thought about Greenwood and its fancy casino Parx if he saw it today. 

 

Headin' into the Dog Days

Philadelphia Park has lurched into August by shutting down live racing for nearly the entire month. The next live racing program is set for August 29.

There have been conflicting reports as to how long the actual racing surface will be off-limits for training, however. A person in attendance at the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association meeting on July 24 said it was announced that the estimated time would only be about 10 days.

Apparently, the track will be employing some state-of-the-art technology in performing this “maintenance.”

In the most recent issue of the PTHA’s newsletter, it reveals that Philly Park is using the latest technology to resurface the racetrack. The technology, called Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), uses radar pulses to image the subsurface or “shoot the grades,” which detects the irregularities or unevenness on the track, without any drilling or pulling back the cushion, thus saving time if repairs need to be made. Any problems can be diagnosed before digging.

“We shoot at 25-inch intervals around the entire track, and from the rail out at regular intervals, in order to produce all of the information needed to evaluate the base of the track,” said track superintendent Roy Smith. “It is very time consuming, but is much easier than using string and tools for measurements, which was done in the past.”

However long it takes, many of the horses stabled at Philadelphia Park will be receiving a long-overdue vacation during the dog days of August.

More Pha news: Beginning late in July, Philadelphia Park increased the purse payment back to last place from $150 to $200. However, the PTHA will now deduct an additional $10 per start from owner’s accounts for the fund “to promote racing.”

It was explained that this money would be used “to help educate our legislators on the impact of racing on the economy of the Commonwealth.”

Ten dollars per start is already deducted from owner’s accounts to help fund the Turning For Home retirement program.

* ** *

While we’re on the subject of the Pha, one of the names that has been bandied about lately as a potential entrant in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on September 28 is champion Lookin at Lucky, winner of this year’s Gr. 1 Preakness Stakes and Haskell Invitational Handicap.

A Philadelphia newspaper speculated that last year’s 2-year-old champ could be under consideration for the event; however, the colt came down with a slight fever after the Haskell and his training has been interrupted.

Besides the purse, we can’t imagine that trainer Bob Baffert and his ownership would seriously think about the Pa. Derby, especially since it is a Grade 2 event.

House cleaning at Penn National

It was an exciting week, to say the least, at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa.

Trainer Darryl Delahoussaye was arrested by State Police on July 28 and nailed with a slew of charges - two felony counts of theft by deception and one misdemeanor count each of rigging a publicly exhibited contest, administering drugs to racehorses, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

The arrest came after a Dauphin County, Pa. Grand Jury investigation; Delahoussaye posted $20,000 bail and was released the same day.

Delahoussaye has a string of suspensions and fines dating back to 1984, when his license was revoked in Louisiana for having a felony conviction. Other misdeeds perpetrated by Delahoussaye including shocking a horse with an electrical device and possession of injectable drugs at Beulah Park in 1998.

Delahoussaye, a trainer for owner Mike Gill, who was barred from the Grantville oval earlier this year, is only one in a long cast of characters who either have been tabbed by the Grand Jury in its investigation, or will be.

On July 29, owner Henry S. Witt, Jr. was ejected from Penn National after an alleged discovery of injectables by investigators. A number of horses that had been owned by Gill after his ejection from Penn National ended up racing in Witt’s name, including one trained by Delahoussaye.

Iron Man Surprise raced in January at the Grantville oval for Gill and trainer Anthony Adamo; in late March, the horse began running under Witt’s name, with Delahoussaye as trainer. The horse most recently ran on July 13 for Witt with Brandon Jenkins as trainer.  Here's a picture of some of Gill's horses, courtesy of the Associated Press:

According to published reports, there are more arrests to come, including those in association with racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud.

Before his ejection from Penn National, Gill owned Elk Creek Ranch in Oxford, Pa., a training center.  Here's a picture of it:

The opinion here is that these charges and arrests are long overdue. Any person who is cruel to horses – as the charges levied against Delahoussaye, both past and present, clearly indicate that he was – deserves to have his license yanked.

Stay tuned on this one.

* * * *

Philadelphia Park is getting ready to close shop for the month of August, during which time the main oval will be getting some much-needed maintenance.

The Bensalem track will be closed for live racing from between August 4 and August 29, but horsemen will only lose about 10 days of training time. Although there will be no live action, the grandstand will be open for simulcasting.

In August, the Philadelphia Park product faces fierce competition for the wagering dollar from Delaware Park, Monmouth Park and Saratoga, as well as Del Mar.

The skinny on milkshaking

The Pennsylvania Racing Commission has issued its formal policy on Alkalinizing Substances (milkshaking).  In a nutshell, horses will be selected at random 2 hours before a race, and samples of saliva, blood or urine will be collected.  Samples may also be taken after a race.

Samples will be tested post race and be deemed "positive" when a high metabolic alkalosis is determined above the following levels:

(1) The regulatory threshold for TC02 is 37.0 millimoles per liter of plasma/serum, and;

(2) The decision level to be used for the regulation of TC02 is 37.0 millimoles per liter of plasma/serum plus the measurement uncertainty of the laboratory analyzing the sample.

(3) Upon a sample being called positive, the Commission shall not be responsible in any manner in determining the source or physical condition of the horse that may have caused a high alkalosis level. It
will be incumbent upon the trainer or owner to provide any mitigating evidence at the Stewards hearing as to a high alkalosis reading.

Penalty:

The recommended penalty for a first offense of a high alkalosis reading is a fine of $1500 (fifteen hundred dollars), a suspension of 30 (thirty) to 60 (sixty) days and loss of purse.

That's the story, folks.  It'll be interesting to see how many horses test positive for milkshaking; now all the Commission needs to do is develop a reliable testing method for shock waving and Epogen use and the playing field might get leveled ... just a little.

A Phantastic Phall at the Pha

First, here’s the good news. Every Saturday in September, and also on the first Saturday in October, Philadelphia Park will be offering cards chock-full of stakes and giveaways, a welcome change from the usual Saturday fare that is offered to fans and handicappers.

Now, try this on for size. The powers that be at the Bensalem oval have decided to name this time period the “Parx Phall Phestival.” Hmmm … okay … is this really a “Parx” event? Isn’t that the name of the glitzy stand-alone casino that faces Street Road? Isn’t the racetrack named Philadelphia Park? And come on … “Phall” is so very much like the word “phallic,” which we all know is another name for a man’s … ahem … piece of equipment. And the attempt at alliteration – it would work much better if the word “Philadelphia” was in there somewhere, wouldn’t it?

Okay, now that I’ve voiced my opinion on Parx’s Phabulous and Phantastic Phall Phestival, here are the details on the Saturday racing:

* Saturday, September 6 – Labor Day – “Smarty Jones Day”

For those of you still in love with Smarty Jones, the track will present the $300K Smarty Jones Stakes, plus the $250K Turf Monster Handicap, with total purse offerings of the 10-race card approximately $1 million.

* Saturday, September 11 – Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races

This will be a day entirely devoted to Pennsylvania-breds, and a welcome change from last year, when the Pa. Horsemen’s Association decided to conduct its Owner’s Day celebration on the same card. There will be 10 races all for Pa.-breds offered, including four stakes.

* Saturday, September 18 – Owner’s Day

Ten races, including the $250,000 PTHA President’s Cup, with total purses over $700K.

* Saturday, September 25 – Pennsylvania Derby Day

The $1 million Pa. Derby, which is still a Gr. 2 event probably due to the size of the purse, tops the 11-race card, which also features the $250K Turf Amazon Handicap.

* Saturday, October 2 – Cotillion Handicap Day

Ten races, with a total value of $1.5 million, are on the agenda, including the Gr. 2 Cotillion, the $250K Gallant Bob, and the $75,000 Alphabet Soup Handicap for Pa. breds.

From the picture vault

We did some digging around in the picture vault this past week, and came up with a few gems.  Thought some of you might like to see them.  All of them were snapped by yours truly.

Here's Bob Baffert leading Silver Charm to the track for a gallop in preparation for the 1997 Kentucky Derby:

The next couple of photos were taken at Claiborne Farm in October, 1992.  Here's Mr. Prospector, one of the best sires in the last century, and they graciously brought him out for me:

The next one is the great Numbered Account (left), who distinguished herself both on the racetrack and as a broodmare.  This was also taken at Claiborne Farm in October, 1992, in the pasture they keep for retired mares.  She wasn't that friendly, and was obviously the boss of the bunch.  Standing next to her is another great runner and broodmare, Obeah, the dam of champion Go For Wand.  She was very sweet:

And finally, here's Obeah by herself.  The picture isn't that great - back in those days there wasn't such a thing as a digital camera, you had to take off a few shots with the Kodak film and pray everything came out okay - so the shadow kind of hides her.  But I will always remember this day and how accommodating everyone was at Claiborne, especially farm manager Gus Koch.  Both Numbered Account and Obeah are dead now, as is Mr. Prospector.  This will always be a cherished memory for me.

News and notes on a hot summer day

It's been a while since our last blog post, and that's due to the fact that we took a much-needed vacation down the Jersey Shore, recharging the batteries and actually being able to read an entire book. 

Now back in the saddle, so to speak, we decided to make this first post of July a hodge-podge of information, some light reading for a very hot July day:

* Millionaire and track record-setter Sir Shackleton, who stood his first season in Pennsylvania this year at Gayle Gerth's Dana Point Farm in Lenhartsville, had the first winner from his first crop on June 24 when Sir Fox captured a maiden special weight at Prairie Meadows.  Sir Shackleton, a son of Miswaki-Naskra Colors, by Star de Naskra, stood his first three seasons at Castleton Lyons in Kentucky before being moved to Pennsylvania for 2010.  He stands for $2,500.

* Queensland, Australia-based Merlo Downs Stud will stand Canadian Gr. 1 Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes winner Changeintheweather (Gone West-Meteor Colony, by Pleasant Colony) in 2010 for his first season "Down Under."  The son of Gone West originally retired to his breeders' farm at Kentucky-based Pin Oak Stud in 2004 and stood there for two seasons before being relocated to Barbara and Ron Rickline's Xanthus Farm in Gettysburg, Pa. From his first crops he has sired 47 winners from 71 runners who have notched 130 wins and over 280 placings including (from his first crop) stakes-winning 2-year-old Cold Trial and stakes-placed 2-year-old Ovechkin. Changeintheweather, a winner of $441,247, was sold outright to Merlo Downs Stud. He stands his 2010 season there for a fee of $5,500.

* Gr. 1-placed and multiple stakes-winning sprinter Talent Search, a son of Catienus who stood his first season at Diamond B Farm in Mohrsville, Pa., serviced a book of more than 60 mares, according to Diamond B's owner Glenn Brok.  That is an outstanding number for a first-year sire in Pennsylvania, and obviously breeders were attracted to Talent Search's blistering speed on the racetrack and his excellent conformation and pedigree.  He stands for $2,500.

* We learned last month that the graded stakes-winning sire Turnofthecentury, a son of Holy Bull, was euthanized earlier this spring at Justaplain Farm in Cochranville, Pa.  Owners Helen and Gert Stearns said the gray was only servicing a few mares each season.  Still standing at Justaplain is Knockadoon, whose daughter Be Before broke her maiden on the Belmont Park grass on May 29.

* Was fortunate enough to visit Chip and Barbara Wheeler's WynOaks Farm in Delta, Pa. on June 27, and saw some beautiful Weigelia babies, as well as Weigelia himself.  The Wheelers said they are very impressed with his first crop of foals, and he serviced a book of nearly 30 mares this season and last season.  Weigelia was a hard-knocking millionaire who raced for six years, made 48 starts, and won 13 times, including eight stakes.  He stands for $3,500.