Horse Heaven

            I just returned from a wonderful four-day trip to Saratoga Springs, and I must admit it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. 

            Many moons ago, I was paid to cover racing at the Spa, and quite frankly had a much different opinion of the historic racecourse on Union Avenue.  My former employer only allowed a pittance per night for the hotel room, and I was forced far out of town, to musty motels where dark paneling and televisions with rabbit ears were the norm.  The days spent at the track were hot and tiring, and I didn’t partake in much Saratoga night life, nor did much sightseeing around town.

            This time around, however, I did a little bit of everything. I finally tasted the spring waters (ugh!); shopped on Broadway and beyond; spent afternoons at the Fasig-Tipton salesgrounds eyeballing fancy yearlings, and then lingered all night at the sales, my head spinning from the astronomical pricetags; toured the Oklahoma backstretch with a guide from the National Museum of Racing; inspected new stallion Dublin at D. Wayne Lukas’s barn thanks to a Spendthrift Farm representative; explored the Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and marveled at the trophies, artwork, and artifacts, and finally got to touch, photograph and watch Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford train from Dale Romans’s barn on the Saratoga main backstretch.

Spendthrift Farm's new stallion Dublin, who retires to Keane Stud in NY for the 2012 season (photo courtesy of me).

            In short, it was truly “horse heaven” for this thoroughbred lover, and I can’t wait to go back next year.

            I left Saratoga with a new appreciation for its place in horse racing history, but I also left with a growing interest and intrigue in the New York breeding program, which is projected to grow by leaps and bounds now that the Aqueduct VLT parlor is ready to open by year’s end.

            There are two things which truly make the New York breeding program appealing – the plethora of restricted races that are carded on a daily basis at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga, and the New York-bred sale of preferred yearlings that is held annually by Fasig-Tipton at its Saratoga salesgrounds.

            A robust restricted program is necessary to encourage breeders to drop foals in a particular state, and New York has one of the best, unlike Pennsylvania, where many are of the opinion that there should be a reduced number of restricted races, and that bettors have little or no interest in them.  A restricted program like one currently in place in New York also encourages buyers to purchase New York-bred yearlings at public auction, as was demonstrated at the recent Fasig-Tipton sale on August 13-14.

            The final figures of the New York-bred venue saw a gross of $6,725,500 for the 124 yearlings that were sold, with an average price of $54,238 and median of $35,000. Compared to last year, the number sold and gross rose 31.9 percent and 83 percent, respectively, while the average price increased 38.7 percent and the median advanced 16.7 percent.

            In response to the expected purse and breeders’ bonus boost from the Aqueduct VLTs, many Kentucky farms are sending decent stallions to the Empire State, as evidenced by Spendthrift’s decision to test the waters with freshman sire and Grade 1-winner Dublin.

            While Pennsylvania may currently give out more money, percentage-wise, to its owners and breeders, the lack of a restricted program, coupled with the lack of a first-class sale like the one Fasig-Tipton conducts, may hurt it in years to come.

            Owners and breeders from Pennsylvania and beyond may take a renewed interest in the New York program, and - much like I took a second look at Saratoga this year – may decide that they like it very much.

           

The dog days of summer!

            After a long break, it’s time to shake the cobwebs off this blog and note some interesting happenings on the Pennsylvania scene and beyond.
            In no particular order, here we go:

            Owners and trainers at Parx Racing in Bensalem will be happy to learn that the track is increasing the payouts from 5^th-place through last on unrestricted races.  Those payouts will be $500 for races with purses in the 20K range; $750 for races with purses in the 30K range, and $1,000 for races with purses in the 40K range. 

            The mandatory $120 deduction for jockey’s fees and the Turning For Home ($10) and political action committee/promote-our-sport ($10) fees will stay the same.
            All restricted Pennsylvania-bred races listed as such in the condition book will not be affected and the old system of $200 for 6th through last place will remain. 
            For those who may squabble with payouts to horses that finish out of the money, let us just gently remind them that it costs owners to put horses into the starting gate, and the small stipend received does not leave much, if anything, for profit.

* * * *

            A friend of mine is bullish on the New Jersey racing and breeding industries.  Yes, you read that right.  He believes, now that they’re under private ownership, Monmouth Park and Meadowlands will thrive, and both the standardbred and thoroughbred breeding industries will be revived.

            And he’s putting his money where his mouth is. He is moving horses from Pennsylvania to New Jersey so that he will be in a position to take advantage of the future financial benefits.
            Some may call him crazy, but it’s refreshing to see someone have a positive view of New Jersey’s future, rather than the typical doom-and-gloom scenarios spouted by so many “experts.”

* * * * 

            Buddy the Yellow Lab has been moping around the house the last two days.  When the temperature hit 100, we decided it was in his best interest to scrap his evening walk.  Hopefully the weather will break soon so he can resume his erratic behavior while on leash, which includes barking at every canine he encounters and lunging at motorcycles and scooters.  He’s a crazy, crazy Lab!

Market correction

          After a long hiatus, we’re back with another installment of Pennsylvania Thoroughbred.  The reason for the hiatus is fairly simple – I’ve been busy juggling several jobs, which now includes spending each weekend morning at Parx Racing with my husband, doing stalls and barn chores.
          This morning, we sat in the Parx backstretch kitchen and had breakfast while talking with the track’s all-time leading rider, Tony Black.  Black, who still gets on some horses in the morning but has geared down his afternoon riding assignments, was discussing the oversaturation of racing in the mid-Atlantic region, particularly at this time of year, when Monmouth Park, Delaware Park and Parx Racing are all running against one another.
          “Just like the stock market is going through a correction, you’re going to see a correction in the number of live racing dates,” predicted Black.  He cited the declining foal crop as a catalyst for tracks to reduce the number of days they run, and even forecast an end to the year-round racing calendar in Pennsylvania.
          While the Report of Mares Bred won’t be published by The Jockey Club until late October, it’s almost certain to reflect a decrease in the amount of mares bred to Pennsylvania stallions.  From just a rough estimate garnered from talking with stallion owners and managers, this breeding season has been even more difficult than last year, when by all accounts we were still in the teeth of the economic recession.
          That recession has driven many owners to sell – or is many instances, give away – their mares, with many more deciding not to breed this year.  When the ROM is issued, it most likely will reflect that less than 10 stallions in Pennsylvania got books of 40 or more mares.
          Fast forwarding to 2014, when the foals from this year’s breeding season are 2-year-olds, the shrinking horse population will force racetrack owners and horsemen’s groups to come to an agreement about scheduling fewer race dates in order to keep offering a product that horseplayers want to bet on.  It’s no secret that a nine-race card filled with short fields is the most unappetizing of handicapping fare. 
           Back in the mid-1990’s, when Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N. J. was still open, its management chose to run head-to-head against Philadelphia Park, which was located about 16 miles away.  Granted, Garden State ran during the night, while Philly ran during the day, but they both cannibalized each other’s fan base and horse population to the point where Garden State succumbed to staggering decreases in both attendance and handle. 

The beautiful - and now demolished - Garden State Park

         
Only time will tell whether Black’s prediction will come true, but it does seem the mid-Atlantic region is due for a dates correction, else have one or more tracks suffer the same fate as now-defunct Garden State Park.  

Some Pennsylvania-breds on the Derby trail

On the eve of a plethora of important Kentucky Derby prep races, we thought we'd point out a couple of Pennsylvania-breds who are trying to earn enough graded stakes money to compete at Churchill Downs the first Saturday in May.

At Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., A D K Racing's Anthony's Cross will try and make it two in a row in the Gr. 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby.  The son of Indian Charlie-Screening, by Unbridled, bred by George Strawbridge, Jr., captured the Gr. 2 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita on February 12.

A Santa Anita Derby victory would have an even bigger impact for Anthony's Cross beyond gaining entry to the Kentucky Derby field.  Should he win tomorrow, and then go on to capture the Preakness Stakes on May 21, he would earn a $5.5 million bonus.  Dubbed the Preakness 5.5, and created last year by MI Developments (then-owners of the Maryland Jockey Club) the bonus will be awarded to any horse who can sweep a series of races and the Preakness, of which the Robert B. Lewis and Santa Anita Derby are part of.

Anthony's Cross (right), winning the Robert B. Lewis. Photo: EquiSport Photos/Alex Evers

Anthony's Cross was foaled at Bettina Jenney's Derry Meeting Farm in Cochranville, Pa., and was one of relatively few horses ever offered at auction by Strawbridge, who by and large keeps all his homebreds to race under his Augustin Stable banner.  Consigned by Derry Meeting Farm, agent, to the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga August select yearling sale, the colt was purchased for $300,000 by Arianne DeKwiatkowski, the daughter of the late Henryk DeKwiatkowski, who owned the famed Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Screening, the dam of Anthony's Cross, was unraced, but hails from one of Strawbridge's blacktype-rich female families.  Her dam, Recording (by Danzig), won the Sands Point Stakes (Gr. 3); she has produced graded stakes winner Smart Bid (by Smart Strike) for Strawbridge, and he recently captured the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (Gr. 2) at Fair Grounds under the guidance of trainer H. Graham Motion.  Recording is also the dam of French stakes winner Representing (by Rahy) and the stakes winner Deal Making (by Empire Maker), who won the Stanton Stakes at Delaware Park and was third in the Gr. 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes.

The third dam of Anthony's Cross, Ratings, was also a graded stakes winner for Strawbridge, winning the Gr. 2 Diana Handicap and the Gr. 3 Sheepshead Bay Handicap, and placing in the Gr. 1 Flower Bowl Invitational.  Strawbridge also bred his fourth dam, the T.V. Commercial mare T. V. Ad.

Screening's first foal, Fugitive Angel (by Alphabet Soup), has turned out to be quite a nice racehorse for Strawbridge and trainer Jonathan Sheppard.  Last season, she won three times, all stakes: the Pin Oak Valley View Stakes at Keeneland (Gr. 3), and the restricted Malvern Rose and Russian Rhythm Stakes.  Screening has a 2-year-old filly by Harlan's Holiday named Holiday Fashion, and a yearling filly by Posse.

Anthony's Cross has won twice from six starts, and earned $195,020. He's trained by Eoin Harty and will be ridden tomorrow by Joel Rosario, and is rated at 4-1 in the morning line.

Across the country, the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York features Norman Asbjornson, a son of Real Quiet-Merryland Missy, by Citidancer, bred in the Keystone State by Thomas McClay, Harry Nye and Horseshoe Valley Equine.  "Norman" broke his maiden at Penn National on December 8, and in his most recent start on March 5 was second in the Gr. 3 Gotham Stakes behind highly regarded Stay Thirsty.

Norman Asbjornson will face a stiff test in the Wood, however, as he faces the mighty Uncle Mo, last year's 2-year-old champion and considered the Derby favorite.  "Norman" is trained by Chris Grove and will be ridden by Julian Pimentel, and is tabbed a 15-1 chance.  Lifetime, from six starts, he's won twice and earned $117,200.

A "Fabulous" Spring

The last time Fabulous Strike was seen, he was finishing second in the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park behind Kodiak Kowboy, on October 3, 2009.  Since then, the millionaire son of Smart Strike has been on the shelf, recuperating from what many thought was a career-ending injury to a ligament in his left front pastern, at trainer Todd Beattie's base at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa.


Fabulous Strike, an 8-year-old Pennsylvania-bred gelding, was foaled at Barbara and Ron Rickline's Xanthus Farms in Gettysburg, and was bred by the Tea Party Stable of Walter Downey.  In five seasons of racing, he has proven to be one of the best sprinters in the country, capturing 12 stakes and more than $1.4 million in earnings, including the Gr. 1 Vosburgh Handicap in 2007, the Gr. 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga and the Gr. 2 True North Handicap at Belmont Park.

Fabulous Strike winning the 2009 True North Handicap at Belmont Park. Photo credit: NYRA.

Beattie said that Fabulous Strike had been undergoing stem-cell therapy at the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania the last year, and his return to the races, once thought to be a longshot, is now looming boldly on the horizon.


Since March, the gelding has worked at Penn National three times, including a five furlong move in :58.60, handily from the gate, on March 26 (the best move of 54 at the distance) and another five furlong work on April 2, achieved in 1:01, breezing, second-fastest of 20 that morning. 


And at long last, Fabulous Strike will make his return to the racing wars. Beattie entered him in a six furlong, $38,000 allowance at Penn National on April 9, in which he'll face five rivals. Dana Whitney has been named to ride.

A sad summer wind

I live in Philadelphia, race and breed Pennsylvania-breds, and write about the Pennsylvania thoroughbred industry, but deep down inside I’m a Jersey girl at heart.

I was born in the Garden State, and the first racetrack I ever attended was Monmouth Park in Oceanport, so it pains me to see this grand old matron of the seashore up for grabs to a variety of bidders, one of which will take over as lessee before the 2011 meet gets underway, reportedly on May 14, one week later than last year.

Although by law the track must run 141 dates in 2011, it is believed the lucky bidder will try and reduce that number to 80 dates, but it must be approved by the state’s horsemen.

This scenario has come about because N. J. Gov. Chris Christie has vowed to “get the state out of the horse racing business.” Currently, Monmouth and the Meadowlands in East Rutherford are owned and operated by the N. J. Sports & Exposition Authority.

Having covered Monmouth since 1994, I have no complaints as to how the NJSEA handled the racetrack. The plant was always clean and well-maintained; the employees who worked in media relations were always friendly, efficient and professional (John Heims, George Bernet and the late Steve Schwartz spring to mind), as were track management. Some of the best track managers I have ever dealt with were at Monmouth – Hal Handel, Bruce Garland and Bob Kulina, to name but a few.

Many young members of NJSEA’s management team have gone on to bigger and better things within the sport of racing, too – Jim Gagliano now heads The Jockey Club, while Chris McErlean is a vice president at Penn National Gaming, Inc., overseeing its stable of properties.

Call me pessimistic, but I have a sinking feeling that Monmouth Park’s best days are behind her. No matter who (or what) takes over the circa-1946 oval, brought to life by such familiar names as Amory L. Haskell, Philip H. Iselin, Reeve Schley, Joseph M. Roebling, Townsend B. Martin, John MacDonald and James Cox Brady, it may never again be the same.

The most cherished memories I have from my youth are from hot summer afternoons spent with my late grandfather, father and mother in the open, airy Monmouth grandstand, hearing the voice of the late announcer Bob Weems call the action and the roar of the crowd as the horses rounded the turn and headed into the homestretch. As a girl, my favorite horses weren’t always the stars – I loved Razzle Dazzle Rey, Owens Troupe, and Al Hattab – and liked jockeys Buck Thornburg, Rick Wilson and Chuck Baltazar. My father worshipped Julie Krone and John Forbes, who together made a formidable jockey-trainer duo back in the 1980’s. My mother picked horses on the basis of their pretty names, and was always horrified at the cost of the Daily Racing Form. My brother Greg, who lives in Toms River, once got a “hot tip” from an old man in the men’s room, and collected nearly $75 for his deuce wager, a memorable day, indeed!

Photo courtesy Equiphoto.com

As a turf writer, it was a dream come true to cover the Monmouth beat and make daily handicapping selections to boot, getting access to nooks and crannies in the grandstand and clubhouse that few $2 bettors ever see. Imagine, a horse-crazy girl like me from Bayonne, N. J. sharing the champagne toast with the winning connections of the Haskell Invitational on the Parterre level, or taking the elevator to the press box, where the greatest characters in the world worked, gambled, and kibitzed. The strains of Frank Sinatra singing “Summer Wind” after the last race always put a perfect exclamation point on the day.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, or so I’ve been told, but the imminent demise of the “golden age” of Monmouth Park – the new lessee is sure to want to cut services, employees, purses and overall quality - has filled me with a profound sadness, for it marks not only the end of an era, but also a wonderful part of my life.

An Elephant Never Forgets

We learned today of the death of David Monaci, 53, a former trainer at Philadelphia Park.  Monaci's obituary can be found here:  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/app/obituary.aspx?n=david-monaci&pid=149399853

Monaci made a name for himself at the Bensalem oval, but not for all the right reasons.  Instead, the native of Plainfield, N.J. was tossed off the grounds in 1996 after it was found his horse, Accession, was drugged with Etorphine, also known as "elephant juice."  In very low doses, Etorphine acts as a central nervous stimulant.

If this wasn't bad enough, Monaci became embroiled in the case of the "missing split sample," which made headlines throughout the racing industry.  A package sent via FedEx to the Louisiana State University arrived empty; it was later determined that another trainer, Frank Geraci, apparently working with Monaci, was involved in a bribe to "switch a urine sample."

As a result, Monaci lost his trainer's license for many years, while Geraci pleaded no contest to the charges.

You can read all the details here: http://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/commonwealth-court/1998/monaci.html