Rachel Alexandra's mini-break is over at six weeks, as Steve Asmussen will send his Horse of the Year leader postward in Saturday's Grade I Mother Goose at Belmont Park . Likewise, Zenyatta will be taking her second step in 2009 towards Horse of the Year honors in the $300,000 Grade I Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park, the same race this mare claimed last year during her perfect 9 for 9 campaign. Although, she'll be carrying 3 more pounds at 129 than last year's running under the handicap weight assignments, which are intended to level the playing field. This weight represents the most a mare has carried in a race since three-time Oaklawn Park's Apple Blossom champion Azeri carried 127 pounds in the Vanity's 2003 edition.
We're getting close to the point where Zenyatta's trainer John Shirreffs will begin playing cat and mouse games with racing secretaries across the country prior to entering her in competition, as is the unfortunate case with racing greats. This happened with Curlin more than once last season and certainly plagued Cigar during his 16 race winning streak during his 1995-96 season when he routinely was assigned from five to twenty pounds more than his rivals (hence his nose defeat to Skip Away).
Back to superwoman, aka "Rachel." Belmont racing officials were thrilled to hear the news last week that she was to be entered in the Mother Goose. They have parlayed this good fortune into offer free admission to all women for Saturday's racing card, as well as giving out free "Rachel Alexandra" pink wristbands for the first 10,000 attendees. Not that it matters... last year when Curlin made his much anticipated start on the Belmont lawn in the Man o'War Stakes, the best the Elmont, NY track could draw was 8,400 patrons on a day when parking and admission was free - PATHETIC!!
If Jess Jackson truly is interested in racing Rachel "for the fans" as he proclaimed repeatedly last year with Curlin, he would race Rachel in a city where fans still care about the NAME of a horse instead of their saddle cloth number (ever been to a Manhattan OTB?). Take for example, Arlington Park, where over 34,000 fans - not seasoned horsemen - pounded the turnstiles to see Cigar tie Citation's consecutive win record at 16 in 1996. Or even (I can't believe I'm even saying this...) Monmouth Park in New Jersey, which drew over 40,000 to their first (and likely last with unpredictable weather) Breeders' Cup Saturday a couple of years ago. Hell, they even drew nearly 30,000 for that Friday's Breeders' Cup supplemental card (with a few newly added "also ran" races) when it was raining cats and dogs all day!
But I digress. The point is that this will be a great summer Saturday afternoon to head out to your local race track with kids or friends in tow to witness dual perfection. I'll be making the short 15 mile trek west to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX, which is still in live racing mode, but heaven forbid if you have to visit your local "OTB" (it's all good).
Happy Racing!
Showing posts with label asmussen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asmussen. Show all posts
June 27, 2008
DRUGS, DRUGS AND MORE DRUGS
More bad press on the racing front, especially for the conditioners. And we're not talking about small stables at obscure tracks like Emerald Downs, mind you (no offense to the Seattle area track). What I can't figure out is why all these global pharma companies are losing money if most human athletes, and now their equine counterparts, are doping? Perhaps the decline is attributable to cyclists giving up "the juice" now that the Tour de France is enforcing their drug policies. Now there's a novel concept!
Larry Jones, the popular "cowboy trainer" of filly heroine Eight Belles and Hard Spun from last year's Derby trail, was shocked recently by officials at his home base of Delaware Park. Racing stewards informed Jones that Stones River had tested positive for illegal levels of clenbuterol -- a bronchodilator that helps burn fat and promote muscle growth -- after a race at Delaware Park this month. This was the first charge against Jones in 25 years as a trainer. He alleges that he was "targeted" by someone wanting to defame him after his vehement testimony against drugs in the Eight Belles aftermath. This is very plausible considering his clean record and how easy it would be in a low security environment to gain access to a claiming horse's stall.
What's a drug story without Rick Dutrow? Well that may be a tad harsh, but hasn't he asked for that with his skiddish behavior on the Triple Crown trail? Slick Rick is facing a 15-day suspension after one of his horses that raced on Kentucky Oaks day was found in violation of state medication rules. The ruling from the stewards at Churchill Downs came after an excess of clenbuterol was found in the system of Salute the Count following his second-place finish in the May 2 Aegon Turf Sprint. Clenbuterol is used to treat horses with allergies and breathing problems. It is widely used in training but under Kentucky racing guidelines should not be given to horses closer than three days before a race. So this infraction is mild compared to his previous issues in New York and Maryland, the foundation of his regular racing circuit.
And then the final shoe dropped (hopefully) yesterday, when trainer Steve Asmussen was notified that a horse in his care tested positive for the Class 2 substance lidocaine following a May 10th maiden special weight race at Lone Star Park. The Texas native was previously slapped with a six-month suspension from July 10, 2006, to Jan. 10, 2007 after a horse in his care tested positive for the anesthetic mepivicaine in Louisiana (and a similar infraction in New Mexico).
Naturally, his lawyer said Asmussen would "fight the charge." What these trainers need to be fighting is the urge to use the myriad of substances that can give a horse the edge needed to hit the wire first! However, as we have recently seen with another sports failure in MLB that I also hold in high regard, it is clear to me that the league is most guilty of "failure to supervise" or "lack of institutional control", or whatever you want to call it.
Horse racing has admitted their shortcomings and have pledged to swiftly close these proverbial loopholes, while Bud Selig pointed fingers at everyone except himself. So let me get this straight, the Commissioner has the authority to UNILATERALLY ban someone from baseball (Charlie Hustle should be in Cooperstown), but he's "allegedly" powerless to list banned illegal substances from baseball? Gimme a freakin' break...
Go Cubbies!!!
Larry Jones, the popular "cowboy trainer" of filly heroine Eight Belles and Hard Spun from last year's Derby trail, was shocked recently by officials at his home base of Delaware Park. Racing stewards informed Jones that Stones River had tested positive for illegal levels of clenbuterol -- a bronchodilator that helps burn fat and promote muscle growth -- after a race at Delaware Park this month. This was the first charge against Jones in 25 years as a trainer. He alleges that he was "targeted" by someone wanting to defame him after his vehement testimony against drugs in the Eight Belles aftermath. This is very plausible considering his clean record and how easy it would be in a low security environment to gain access to a claiming horse's stall.
What's a drug story without Rick Dutrow? Well that may be a tad harsh, but hasn't he asked for that with his skiddish behavior on the Triple Crown trail? Slick Rick is facing a 15-day suspension after one of his horses that raced on Kentucky Oaks day was found in violation of state medication rules. The ruling from the stewards at Churchill Downs came after an excess of clenbuterol was found in the system of Salute the Count following his second-place finish in the May 2 Aegon Turf Sprint. Clenbuterol is used to treat horses with allergies and breathing problems. It is widely used in training but under Kentucky racing guidelines should not be given to horses closer than three days before a race. So this infraction is mild compared to his previous issues in New York and Maryland, the foundation of his regular racing circuit.
And then the final shoe dropped (hopefully) yesterday, when trainer Steve Asmussen was notified that a horse in his care tested positive for the Class 2 substance lidocaine following a May 10th maiden special weight race at Lone Star Park. The Texas native was previously slapped with a six-month suspension from July 10, 2006, to Jan. 10, 2007 after a horse in his care tested positive for the anesthetic mepivicaine in Louisiana (and a similar infraction in New Mexico).
Naturally, his lawyer said Asmussen would "fight the charge." What these trainers need to be fighting is the urge to use the myriad of substances that can give a horse the edge needed to hit the wire first! However, as we have recently seen with another sports failure in MLB that I also hold in high regard, it is clear to me that the league is most guilty of "failure to supervise" or "lack of institutional control", or whatever you want to call it.
Horse racing has admitted their shortcomings and have pledged to swiftly close these proverbial loopholes, while Bud Selig pointed fingers at everyone except himself. So let me get this straight, the Commissioner has the authority to UNILATERALLY ban someone from baseball (Charlie Hustle should be in Cooperstown), but he's "allegedly" powerless to list banned illegal substances from baseball? Gimme a freakin' break...
Go Cubbies!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
