My Place or Your Place

Unless you're dealing with violent aggressive types, it's always fun to put your two-cents into a hotly contested debate, and right now there are few debates as hotly contested as who should host the Breeder's Cup on a year to year basis. So after I act as representative for each of my 5 nominated tracks, pointing out why they deserve to host the cup, I will talk about how exactly I think the Breeder's Cup hosting duties should be divvied up.

Santa Anita Park: Santa Anita has hosted the event 5 times and is located in sunny Arcadia, California; need I say more.

Churchill Downs: After Saturday, the twin spires will have witnessed a record 7 Breeders Cups. Clearly being at the center of the racing industry has its perks.

Arlington Park: Yes there was a betting scandal the last time they hosted, but that is not the fault of its ownership or anyone related to the track. The 2002 Breeders Cup was still a major success, sort of.

Belmont Park: My local track. Belmont has an amazing mile and one half dirt course that is intimidating for the modern racehorse, but intriguing to the old-school fan.

Gulfstream Park: A beautiful track with an amazing climate. Just don't draw post 14 in a route-trust me.

So here is how I think it should work:

Santa Anita, being that it's a stones throw from the media capital of the world should host the Breeders Cup every year in my opinion; however the thoroughbred industry, which is based in Kentucky, would probably feel slighted by that. So I propose that Santa Anita gets to host the cup every other year, and then a lottery takes place during even years between the other four tracks I mentioned.

During even years Belmont Park and Gulfstream would have a 30 percent chance of winning the lottery due to the fact that they have shown they can properly host a Breeders Cup. Churchill Downs and Arlington would each have a 20 percent chance because Louisville and Chicago are more appropriate destinations for industry folk.

My model is simplistic, but not perfect by any means. The main purpose that it serves is to keep the most prestigious event in racing in the media capital of our country so that media coverage will be as plentiful as it can possibly be. The only reason I propose the rotation of the event is to keep those at the heart of the industry happy as well.

Please give me your thoughts. Should Santa Anita host the cup every other year? Should Churchill and Arlington- arguably the two worst Breeders Cup hosts- ever get to host the cup again? I'd love to hear from you.

A Real Champion has Fallen

When I found out that one of my equine heroes Real Quiet died today, I felt compelled to write something.

Horses are by nature fragile. So many get injured, breakdown and die that honestly it doesn't even phase me that much anymore. However, the news of Real Quiet's sudden demise has left me a little more bothered than I usually am when it comes to events such as this.

Ever since I started watching racing at the age of five, I've been a sucker for a hard luck horse; and "The Fish" as his connections so affectionally called him was definitely a hard luck horse. As I was told by people, his breeder keeps most of his horses, but when he realized that "the fish" had crooked legs he sold him to Mike Pegram for $17,000. At first it seemed like only a slightly bad deal. Real Quiet was placing and showing in grade 3 events but had a problem breaking his maiden. Of course, we know how this story ends.

The Kentucky Derby rolled around and the betting public made Indian Charlie- Real Quiet's stablemate- the favorite. They were all going on logic. Indian Charlie looked the part. He was tall, strong, athletic and unlike Real Quiet he didn't have screws in his leg. However, the brilliance of horse racing is that the horses don't know about all the reasons that they should or should not win a race. Real Quiet didn't know that his breeder didn't really think he would amount to much, he also didn't know that his stablemate was the one everyone had shown up to see or that his sire was the miler: Quiet American. You see horses don't have the capability to pity themselves and curse their circumstances. Horses can't blame their lack of success on the recession. All a horse knows is that it's his job to get to the wire first and Real Quiet usually got to the wire first. He was rarely on the wrong end of a photo finish. In other words, he was the personification of perseverance.

R.I.P. fish. Your career was an inspiration to us all.

Do Onto Others

Revenge is pretty sweet; unless you are on the receiving end of it. In those instances it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that no amount of Listerine can seem to remove.

The year was 1994 and I was an innocent, some would say naive child. I love the Breeder's Cup- every single race- even the new ones that probably don't really belong. However, on this day I was especially excited about the B.C. Mile. The great American bred Lure was on the verge of a history making three-peat.

Of course, Lure drew the extreme outside. However, I wasn't worried considering that he had won the race from that post before. I was brimming with anticipation as Mike Smith's bright yellow silks made its first appearance on the screen. The heroes had arrived, and they were about to show the world that no country can produce thoroughbreds and jockeys quite like the United States.

It probably only took the horses a minute or two to load, but it seemed like an eternity. When they finally loaded I got even more excited. However, all that excitement dissipated after about 200 yards. Lure, who is usually around the lead, broke poorly, clipped heels and was towards the middle of the pack. He made a mild bid and then faded to ninth. I have recapped this race from memory because I still refuse to watch it. A then relatively unknown named Frankie Dettori had won aboard Barathea, and dashed my chances to witness history.

16 years have passed, and I once again have a very realistic shot at witnessing history. The talented filly Goldikova looks poised to do what so many others before her could not and win her third BC Mile. I know that when her jockey Olivier Peslier guides her through the post parade, Churchill Downs will erupt with applause as both Americans and Europeans cheer on this remarkable racehorse, but I won't be one of them.

I understand that the poor girl just wants to run her heart out, but she has no idea about the consequences of her possible victory. If she just mows down Sidney's Candy and then proceeds to make Court Vision and The Usual Q.T. look like allowance horses, then how can anyone reasonably argue that American Turf racing isn't inferior?

I apologize to Goldikova and her connections, but I'd love nothing more than to see a repeat of 1994 with the Anabaa filly on the short end of the stick.

El Real Madrid

Earlier today, I saw one of the coolest things that I've seen in a long time. At the time, I wasn't even sure if I was witnessing what it was that I thought I was witnessing. I saw a racehorse named El Real Madrid run two races from three starts in eight days!

Today he led through honest fractions and I thought he would wilt away in mid-stretch, possibly finishing fourth or so. However, when he got to the top of the stretch he just pulled away in a display that would've been impressive even if he was rested and prepped for this race.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I believe the declining interest in Thoroughbred Racing can at-least partly be attributed to the disappearance of iron horses like Boom Towner, who create a loyal fanbase and bring in people who wouldn't normally be interested in the sport. However, as someone who cares about the sport, I can't say that I'm too pleased with seeing El Real Madrid run three times in 8 days.

Thoroughbred Racing has suffered numerous black-eyes over the past decade or so, making each individual's own self-interest secondary to the interests of the racing community as a whole.

There are approximately 1.6 to 2.2 breakdowns per 1,000 starters. Even with the invention of polytrack these numbers have not declined. Most inside the racing community know that even horses that are sparingly run and have virtually no conformation flaws can break down. However, the everday fan- the guy and girl that this sport so desperately needs- feels bitter resentment towards the sport when these truly unpredictable injuries happen. Imagine how betrayed the everday fan would feel if an otherwise healthy horse broke down because he was run three times in eight days. I'm sure that his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. felt that the chances for injury were marginal, as I've seen him run horses twice in one week many times before; however, if one of these days a catastrophic injury befalls one of these horses that he likes to run so frequently, the entire racing community will have to deal with the public relations nightmare that will ensue.

Running horses very frequently is a calculated risk, but our sport cannot afford calculated risks right now.

A Beautiful Microcosm

EA Sports President Peter Moore once said that sports seem to be a great microcosm of life, and maybe that's why it connects so many people around the world. The statement really resonated with me because I hadn't heard a more interesting and thoroughly accurate statement in a long, long time.

Though Thoroughbred Racing has lost its mainstream appeal, it still has a strong, almost cultish fanbase- and I think that's because it truly epitomizes Mr. Moore's "microcosm theory."

Take for instance the 1993 Breeders Cup Mile. Lure drew the number 14 post position and many thought that it would be his downfall. Turf racing is all about saving ground and it would take a special horse to go wide around turns and still win. However, Lure did just that. He wound up darting from the outside to the rail and he still had enough left to run past Ski Paradise and post a comfortable victory.

In fact, I've seen so many horses win from terrible post positions that a novice racing fan might think that the disadvantage of an outside post is not as bad as those of us who've been around the game make it seem. However, a bad post position affects your entire strategy and can cause a horse to have to cover an extra two to three hundred feet of ground. So, how is it that so many horses overcome this huge bias? The simple answer is that some horses just will themselves to win regardless of the circumstances. Anyone who saw the 2008 Kentucky Derby knows that Big Brown had to summon something incredible to win that race. He then had to summon that incredible something tenfold in order to win the Haskell that same year. The point I'm trying to make is that thoroughbred racing is hardly an egalitarian sport, yet so often the best horse seems to find a way to win.

Now how does this all relate to life?

Several days ago I was having dinner with my friend Russell. Every group has one guy who always has an interesting story to tell, and he's ours. So naturally, he pursued the one avenue of life most promising for those that always have a story to tell- he became a comedy writer. His career has been going well, and a month prior to our dinner I saw him do a hilarious set at Comix in New York City. However, when we sat down for dinner he seemed slightly frustrated. I can't completely remember how long it took me, but when I finally got him to open up he told me that his career wasn't progressing as quickly as he would've liked it to because he hadn't gone to an Ivy-League school like many other comedy writers.

I tried hard not to chuckle. I couldn't believe he was using his alma-mater as an excuse. Though it is true that going to an Ivy-League school opens many doors in the entertainment industry, people from all types of universities make it, because like thoroughbred racing, talent wins out. My favorite pop-culture writer Chuck Klosterman went to the University of North Dakota. Surely, going to Columbia would've been more beneficial for an aspiring pop-culture journalist, but Chuck made it anyway. In fact, the offices of top magazines are filled with people who did not attend a prestigious college.

Several years ago economists found that people who go to second-tier universities but possessed the credentials and gained acceptance into top-tier schools are just as well off in the long run. I would agree that going to a school that no one has ever heard of may be like breaking from the 20th post in the Derby, but those who are truly talented often make it anyway- just ask Big Brown.

Alabama Preview

As many people have been quick to point out, the showdown between Blind Luck and Devil May Care is not the same as a showdown between Rachel and Zenyatta, but the latter may never happen and the former is about to happen. So, let's appreciate the blessing that this is and not miss what we never had and may never have.

Here is my assessment of each horse. As I've said before racing is unpredictable and I'm a terrible handicapper; so bear that in mind before you go to the windows.

Acting Happy: Seems like a lot of cheap speed to me. I would pass on this filly.

Devil May Care: There are so many horses who just aren't themselves at the Derby but go on to be excellent racehorses that it would take forever to name them all. However, the one that this filly reminds me of is Serena's Song. Serena didn't run well at all, and she wound up finishing 16th place. However, she went on to have an incredible career and is regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of the modern era. This Todd Pletcher filly is a lot like her in that in a perfect world she would never go a mile and a quarter, but she has the talent to stretch out and get away with it. If there isn't a speed duel- and I don't see why there would be one- she can easily win this this race and cement her position at the top of the division.

Tizahit: I feel like I'm falling into a trap here. Every fiber in my body wants to tell you that this horse is overmatched and that betting on her is literally the equivalent of making a non-tax deductible donation to Saratoga. However, her connections just won a major stakes race in Canada with a 65-1 horse. Proceed with caution here.

Blind Luck: She usually finds herself digging tooth and nail to beat some fairly talented filly and somehow she almost always manages to pull it off. It's just unfortunate for her that she isn't facing some fairly talented filly- she's facing Devil May Care. However she manages to make this affair pretty interesting because unlike the other fillies, she probably wants to go ten furlongs. She will give it her all. I'm just not entirely convinced that it will be enough.

Connie and Michael: Watch out for this one! She proved that she can run with that impressive second to Devil May Care in the Mother Goose. We know that she has the tactical speed necessary for a ten furlong event, and her injury caused her to miss the C.C. American Oaks, giving her some much needed time off. I really think she will run the race of her life and surprise everyone. As far as whether or not running her heart out will put her in the winners circle is concerned, we'll just have to wait and see.

Havre de Grace: She ran an impressive race against Blind Luck but she's never been to Saratoga before and she won't be as close to the lead as she was in the Delaware Oaks. She is definitely worth keying in an exacta, and maybe Dutrow can work his magic, but she is not as good as her 4-1 morning line odds suggest that she is. Of course, racing is unpredictable and Saratoga is the "Graveyard of Favorites" so make of that what you will.

Clarity

Clarity was the big buzzword going into the Haskell Invitational. The Derby, Preakness and Belmont were won by three different horses, and none of them looked as impressive as Ice Box and Trappe Shot going into Monmouth Park's signature race today.

I personally thought that Trappe Shot, Ice Box and First dude would stumble toward the finish line in a three-way dead heat and muddle up the picture some more- boy was I wrong! Lookin at Lucky got the trip he needed, and manhandled the entire field today drawing off to win by four lengths.

The race is a perfect example of how clear your perception of a division can become after one race. The entire nation was pretty sure that Lookin at Lucky's less than stellar record was due to bad luck, as evidenced by the fact that the betting public sent him off as the 3-5 favorite; however with each setback more and more doubt concerning his ability started creeping in. The always honest Nick Zito even said that Trappe Shot looks like the horse to beat.

Well, with his emphatic win today Lookin at Lucky has now established himself as the best three year old. All that is left to do is make sure Quality Road, Zenyatta, Rachel and Lucky make it to the B.C. Classic and we will have the type of clarity concerning Horse of the Year that we so desperately crave but so rarely ever receive.