Opening Day at the Spa

If there is one thing I've learned it's that I have a talent for picking horses. No dear reader, I cannot make you wealthy because my talent lies in figuring out which horse will finish first at the quarter-pole.

I arrived at the "graveyard of favorites" around 1:10- so I missed the first race. I put 20 to win on the Johnny Velazquez horse in the second race and keyed him over some of the other horses. Now here is the thing with John- John can telepathically sense when I have wagered money on him and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

The man was sitting in second through some really soft fractions. He then made a bid for the lead at the three-eights pole, got it, then relinquished said lead with 100 yards to go in the race. Needless to say, betting-wise, I knew that it was going to be a long day.

I wasn't too successful at handicapping, but it didn't really matter. Saratoga is the epitome of classiness and charm. To say that the place lives up to the hype is an understatement. My friends skipped out on me so I used the occasion to get some brownie points from my parents by taking them; and my mom basically summed it up when she said "this really feels like a racetrack."

Between the trumpet players, friendly staff and even friendlier crowd, you don't really mind that you're losing money. It also doesn't hurt that they bring the horses through the crowd. You could go all day at your typical track and never see an actual horse.

I can't wait to visit Saratoga again for it's an incredible example of all that is good about thoroughbred racing. I really wish my friends had decided to come with me because this place can turn even the biggest haters of thoroughbred racing into the cheering faithful.

Prado not of the Edgar Variety

Like actors and musicians, you never really realize how great Thoroughbred stallions were until they have passed away. Such is the case with El Prado.

Though the son of Sadler's Wells may get a ton of respect from those who study pedigrees for a living, the rest of the Thoroughbred racing industry never really gave this horse his due.

The great gray champion gave us Medaglia D' Oro, Artie Schiller and Borrego. However, like a musician who knows how to properly craft a setlist, he may have saved the best for last. Paddy O' Prado, who ran an impressive third in the Kentucky Derby, has just won both of the big Colonial Downs turf races with his win in the Virginia Derby. He ran against Stately Victor and Interactif and made them look like two-year olds.

I know that it's too early to say, but I think that Paddy O' Prado could be the best three-year old turf horse in the country, and a legit contender for the Breeder's Cup Mile. He will still have to face the big obstacle of staying healthy as well as the onslaught of European horses who will be ready to challenge, but if he runs in the Breeder's Cup like he has been running lately, Lure and Da Hoss- both of whom won the the Breeder's Cup Mile twice- will have some competition for the title of best modern American turf miler.

I know I bring this up way too often, but even-though the El Prado's, Cozzenes and Theatricals may not sire too many horses who can win the six furlong feature race at Aqueduct's main track, they sire horses who can win big races month in and month out and that has to count for something. Like Joni Mitchell said " Don't it all seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone." Breeding horses solely to impress people at a yearling auction is truly akin to paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.

Simply Awesome

Ask 50 different people about their feelings towards thoroughbred racing and you will get 50 different answers- most of which will be quite negative. Some will debate you about whether or not jockeys are truly athletes, some will tell you that it's more a refuge for degenerate gamblers than a legitimate sport and some will ask you what horse racing is- I'm serious, that last one has actually happened to me. I'm fine with all of this, but the one thing that isn't up for debate is how unique the sport of kings truly is.

There were a series of stakes races run this week. Blind Luck won the Delaware Oaks, Gio Ponti won the Man O' War and Awesome Gem won the Hollywood Gold Cup.

That last victory is most surprising because Awesome Gem hasn't been very good lately. He always shows up, in fact he is one of the more durable horses of this era. However, Awesome Gem has lost in seemingly easy spots like the Charles Town Classic as well as the Lone Star and New Orleans Handicaps. So when his connections tried to thwart Rail Trips chance at making history, few thought he had a shot.

Of course, this is horse racing. The speed broke down, Rail Trip went wide and Awesome Gem's jockey put in a great ride. Now a horse who lost three races that he probably should have won just broke his losing streak by winning his first grade one and giving jockey David Flores his 1,000th victory at Hollywood Park.

Horses finally hitting their stride in the twilight of their careers is part of the magic that is thoroughbred racing. Baseball, Basketball and even Soccer have no equivalents to John Henry, Best Pal and Cigar. In this respect, the sport of kings stands alone.