Breeders Cup Chat : Bob Baffert

Don't Read Too Much Into Works

jshandler — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:24:00 GMT

"It was perfect."

"He's as fit and sharp as he's ever been."

"He's ready to roll."

These were the comments of Chip Woolley, Eoin Harty, and Bob Baffert, respectively, right after each of their BC Classic starters turned in their final works. Woolley, who has Mine That Bird, Harty (Colonel John), and Baffert (Richard's Kid), all sounded extremely confident that their horses would run the race of their lives on Nov. 7.

Later, I ran into Helen Pitts and she too was optimistic that Einstein would turn in a big one based on his recent training.

It was at that point that I bumped into a colleague and he and I shared the same thought: Has any trainer ever publicly said that their horse's work "wasn't what they wanted" or "left something to be desired?" If they have, I can't remember.

My point is, often times we tend to make too much of works, especially during big events like the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup. Each one is picked over in critical fashion, and the fact is, most times you'll find observers saying the same thing: "Wow, he looked great." Or, "he's getting over the track really well."

From a handicapping perspective, the works are often overrated. Baffert said it best: "I'm happy the way that he's been working, but you know, it's not the way they look in the morning that matters; it's who shows up on race day."

In the Classic especially, we are all looking for any edge we can get. It's one of the toughest Classics to handicap in a long time. There are so many variables with each horse--Zenyatta going against males at a new distance, Gio Ponti switching from turf, the Euros running on synthetics for the first time, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird facing elders, and so on and so forth. Works are part of the equation, but they are not everything. You will need to go much deeper with your handicapping in this race, and then you'll still need some luck to win.

For what it's worth, in my opinion, Richard's Kid's work was visually more impressive than anyone. He looked like an express train in the stretch.

But then again, you know what they say--all of them looked great.

___________

Quote of the morning went to Baffert, who when commenting on the time it took him to acclimate his training to synthetic surfaces said: "The first year they put Polytrack in at Del Mar I thought I was going to have to quit training and get a job selling shoes at Nordstrom."

Back tomorrow afternoon with thoughts on the draw and more...

If You Had a Horse, Who Would Be Your Trainer?

jshandler — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:18:00 GMT

Here's the scenario:

You have been a huge fan of horse racing for many years. It has always been a dream of yours to own a top-class racehorse, but until now, you have never had enough money to do so. However, just recently you came into a windfall of cash and now you are going to live your dream.

You have $100,000 to spend and you've decided to go to the upcoming Keeneland September yearling sale. Instead of spreading the money around, you decide to spend it all on one horse. You do your TrueNicks research, find your favorite sire/dam match, select a Hip, and head to Lexington with your checkbook.

At the sale, you can't believe your luck. Your perfect horse is there for the taking. The bidding reaches $100,000, you raise your hand, and then the bidding stops. You have won! Your dream has come true. You already have a name picked out, one that you have had in your mind for many years. This is too good to be true.

Needless to say, this is the coolest and most exciting thing you have ever done. But there is still one very important decision you must make:

Who will train your most prized possession?

Remember, as far as you can tell, this will be your one and only shot at owning a horse. You have to make it count. This may be the most important choice you will make. This person will make all the critical decisions, including where the horse is broken, when he begins training, what he eats, where he trains, which races he runs in, etc. The trainer (and his staff) will spend more time with your investment than anyone else. Your Derby dreams are riding on this.

So...who will it be?

__________________

What an agonizing decision this would be for me. There are so many superb trainers out there, the possibilities seem endless.

The first thing I would take into consideration is where I live. As a former owner, I know from experience most of the fun comes from being able to see your horse on the backside and watch him train. I would want to go to the track at least once a week to check in on my horse. Being in close proximity would be a must for me.

Obviously, I would want a well respected and successful person to train my horse. I would ask around, get opinions from other owners, and interview prospective trainers.

Knowing myself, I would also want a trainer that I could connect with personality-wise. From talking to many trainers, I realized there are many different personalities out there. I would want someone who is a good communicator and quite frankly, a nice, upbeat person. Having fun would be an important part of this for me, and the trainer plays a big part in that.

Here are some of my final candidates, based on where they are stabled. I separated them by regions to make it easier:

West Coast

Bob Baffert - An undisputed winner, very likeable

Craig Dollase - Solid trainer, heck of a guy

Eoin Harty - As underrated as they come

Jerry Hollendorfer - Ultimate professional, an all-time winner

Richard Mandella - Hall of Famer, all he does is win big races

East Coast

Tom Albertrani - Always makes the most of what he's got

Gary Contessa - Proven winner

Kiaran McLaughlin - Super guy, terrific horseman

Graham Motion - Very well respected in the industry

Jonathan Sheppard - If my horse had a turf pedigree, he'd be the one

Michael Trombetta - Doesn't get as much press as some of the others, but is among the best

Kentucky

David Carroll - There is nothing he does I don't like

Larry Jones - He'll be back, don't worry

Michael Maker - One of the better young trainers out there

Southeast/Southwest

Bret Calhoun - The best leading trainer nobody knows about

Eddie Plesa Jr. - One of the best in Florida

The Pick: Since I live in Kentucky, I would narrow it down to one of the three I have listed above. I don't think I could go wrong with any of them, but for me it would be David Carroll. First of all, he is a super guy. He always seems to have time to talk and strikes me as very professional and honest. Has a small-to-medium-sized stable, so I wouldnt feel like I'm just a number. An Irishman, Carroll trained under one of the best, Shug McGaughey, and in the early stages of his career was the exercise rider for Easy Goer and Seeking the Gold. Since going out on his own in the early 90s, has trained many multiple graded stakes winner, and most recently gained acclaim for Denis of Cork and Acoma. His horses have had equal success on dirt and turf. I would feel supremely confident that Carroll would do best, and get the best, out of my horse.

Your choice?

Pre-Entries Announced, Let the Games Begin!

jshandler — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:50:00 GMT

Does it feel like Christmas morning to anyone?

Breeders' Cup pre-entry day is upon us and for your convenience, below you will find the complete list of all 14 races. Next Tuesday, the final fields with post positions will be released.

As always, there were a number of surprises. I was most looking forward to seeing which Europeans were going to make the trip across the pond. In total, 35 Euros are pre-entered. The Classic, which of course lost Big Brown earlier in the week, looks very solid. Multiple group I winners Henrythenavitagor and Raven's Pass both have first preference in the Classic, which makes the marquee race that much more interesting. In addition, turf specialist Champs Elysees was a surprise entrant in the big race.

The turf is loaded with international talent - Soldier of Fortune, Conduit and Eagle Mountain all spicing up what should be a terrific race. The Marathon, which I think is the most anticipated of the new races, is also infused with talented Europeans.

It was fun to see Indian Blessing enter the Sprint, although she does have first preference in the Filly and Mare Sprint. We'll see what Bob Baffert decides. Either way, the Sprint looks like a tremendous betting race. I was also excited to see Precious Kitten and Ventura both entered against the boys in the Mile, although Ventura seems to be pointing towards the Filly & Mare Sprint.

I will be blogging from Santa Anita each day beginning on Monday. I'll analyze and handicap four races each day, and give out selections for each race. Be sure to watch That Handicapping Show too. I'm looking forward to getting everyone's input and selections.

For now, I'm mainly interested in what your take is on the pre-entries. Anything that surprised you? Any disappointments? Let the games begin!!

Friday races

Filly & Mare Sprint

Dearest Trickski; Dream Rush; Indian Blessing; Indyanne; Intangaroo; La Tee; Lady Sprinter; Magnificience; Miraculous Miss; Psalm (IRE); Tiz Elemental; Tizzy's Tune; Ventura; Zaftig

Juvenile Fillies Turf

Beyond Our Reach (IRE); C Karma; Consequence; Dream Empress; Emmy Darling; Evita Argentina; Freedom Rings; Heart Shaped; Laragh; Maram; Oui Say Oui (IRE); Renda

Juvenile Fillies

Be Smart; C. S. Silk; Doremifasollatido; Dream Empress; Emmy Darling; Evita Argentina; Palacio de Amor; Persistently; Pursuit of Glory (IRE); Renda; Saucey Evening; Sky Diva; Stardom Bound; Van Lear

Filly & Mare Turf

Communique; Dynaforce; Folk Opera (IRE); Forever Together; Goldikova (IRE); Halfway To Heaven (IRE); Mauralakana (FR); Precious Kitten; Pure Clan; Sealy Hill; Vacare; Visit (GB); Wait a While

Ladies Classic

Bear Now; Carriage Trail; Cocoa Beach (CHI); Ginger Punch; Hystericalady; Music Note; Santa Teresita; Zenyatta

Saturday races

Marathon

Add Heat; Big Booster; Booyah; Casino Drive; Cedar Mountain (IRE); Church Service; Delightful Kiss; Fairbanks; Jonesboro; King of Rome (IRE); Muhannak (IRE); Sixties Icon (GB); Spring House; Zappa

Turf Sprint

California Flag; Diabolical; Fleeting Spirit (IRE); Get Funky; Heros Reward; Idiot Proof; Mr. Nightlinger; One Union; Only Answer (GB); Rebellion (GB); Rouse the Cat; Salute the Count; Tropic Storm; True to Tradition

Dirt Mile

Albertus Maximus; First Defence; Jonesboro; Lewis Michael; Lord Admiral; Mast Track; My Pal Charlie; Pyro; Rebellion (GB); Surf Cat; Two Step Salsa; Well Armed

Mile

Awesome Gem; Bold Chieftain; Daytona (IRE); Kip Deville; Precious Kitten; Raven's Pass; Shakis (IRE); Thorn Song; U S Ranger; Ventura; War Monger; Whatsthescript (IRE); Goldikova (IRE)

Juevenile

Azul Leon; Believe in Hope; Bushranger (IRE); Coronet of a Baron; Elusive Bluff; Midshipman; Mine That Bird; Munnings; Pioneerof the Nile; Silent Valor; Square Eddie; Street Hero; Terrain; West Side

Juvenile Turf

Bittel Road; City Style; Coronet of a Baron; Del Conte; Elusive Bluff; Grand Adventure; Mine That Bird; Ninth Client; Paddy The Pro (IRE); Relatively Ready; Skipadate; Westphalia (IRE)

Sprint

Black Seventeen; Cost of Freedom; Fabulous Strike; Fatal Bullet; First Defence; In Summation; Indian Blessing; J Be K; Lewis Michael; Midnight Lute; Sing Baby Sing; Street Boss; Tropic Storm

Turf

Better Talk Now; Conduit (IRE); Dancing Forever; Eagle Mountain (GB); Grand Couturier (GB); Out of Control (BRZ); Red Giant; Red Rock Canyon (IRE); Red Rocks (IRE); Soldier of Fortune (IRE); Spring House; Winchester

Classic

Casino Drive; Champs Elysees (GB); Colonel John; Curlin; Duke of Marmalade (IRE); Go Between; Henrythenavigator; Mast Track; Pyro; Raven's Pass; Smooth Air; Student Council; Tiago; Well Armed