Breeders Cup Chat : Triple Crown Talk

A Thank You and Simple Wishlist For 2009

jshandler — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:05:00 GMT

As 2008 drifts off into the sunset, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read and/or commented on Breeders' Cup Chat. We had some lively debates, and even though 2008 wasn't the best of years for horse racing, I think we did a pretty good job of keeping it fun. I appreciated everyone's input, even when we disagreed. Thanks for making this blog so interesting and successful.

This will be my final Breeders' Cup Chat post until next summer, as the blog will switch over to Triple Crown Talk beginning next week. I look forward to chatting with everyone about the next crop of 3-year-old superstars. We already know who some of the early Derby favorites are, but let's all keep an eye out for the late-bloomers. Remember, Big Brown didn't burst onto the scene until March.

For my final post of the year, I'd like to offer a simple New Year's wishlist. Not that any of these three things will happen, but in a perfect world, we would see changes in 2009. Feel free to post your own wishlist.

See everyone on Triple Crown Talk!

3. Stricter penalties for medication violations - Enough is enough. A big reason for the decline in the popularity of horse racing is that people have little or no confidence in the integrity of the sport. When the trainers of the world's most popular horses continually get popped for drug violations - and keep getting a slap on the wrist - it sends a clear message: The public has no reason to trust horse racing. And if that continues, the sport will keep declining.

Let's finally put in place tough drug policies, much like other nations have had for years: First violation - one year suspension; second violation - five years; third violation - lifetime ban. That would solve the lying and cheating real quick. More realistically, I hope at the very least a rule is put into place that says a trainer cannot transfer horses to his/her assistant during the time they are serving their suspension. It's a laughable way of avoiding the penalty. Under my rules, if you are serving a suspension, either the horse is permanently transferred to another barn or they are not allowed to run during the infraction period. It's that simple.

Steroids nearly ruined baseball. Illegal drugs (not just steroids) will ruin horse racing if stricter penalties are not enforced.

2. Address the problem of unwanted horses - I wrote about this in an earlier post, but if this epidemic is not tackled the problem will keep getting worse, and thousands of horses will continue to suffer.

The slaughter issue in this country is a mess right now and likely will not be solved at a Congressional level any time soon. The Thoroughbred industry is not solely responsible for the unwanted horse issue (see the Quarter Horse industry), but one thing we can do is make owners and breeders more accountable. A system must be put in place to make owners and breeders financially responsible for their horses.

I don't claim to have all the answers, but it makes sense that if a person takes on the responsibility of breeding or owning a horse, they should be held responsible for its welfare, both during and after racing - especially since it is those very animals that are putting bread on the table. Something needs to be done. Now. There aren't nearly enough rescue facilities to solve the problem.

3. Name a commissioner - Neither No. 1 or No. 2 on the list above, or anything else for that matter, can get accomplished without putting a person or group in charge of horse racing. I know it's easier said than done, but we need a governing body to enforce rules. Otherwise, the cheating, unwanted horse issue, and other current problems will get worse. The Safety and Integrity Alliance developed in October was a good first step, but it was only a band-aid. Tough rules need to be put into place, and without a commissioner they won't get done. It's time for someone to step forward. The "league" must have control over the sport, not the states.

My New Friend Big Brown

jshandler — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:44:00 GMT

For anyone that has read this blog or Triple Crown Talk, there is no secret that I have never been the leader of the Big Brown bandwagon. I've always appreciated his excellence during the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but I had difficulty separating the human connections from the horse. Fair or not, that's just the way I am.

Despite not being a fan, I showed up at Three Chimneys on Wednesday for the breeders and media event which was designed to welcome the dual-classic winner to the Midway, Ky. farm, where he will begin his life as a stallion in the near future. And I have to admit, I came away from the event with a newfound liking for Big Brown.

As I always do when I visit Three Chimneys, the first thing I do is walk into the stallion barn and make an immediate left towards my favorite horse - Point Given. I must have missed the news that the 2001 Horse of the Year is performing his stallion duties in Brazil for a while, so imagine my surprise when I looked over and saw Big Brown in the stall normally occupied by Point Given.

After being informed by a co-worker about Point Given's vacation, I walked over to Big Brown. Not only is he a spectacular looking horse, but he has a very likable personality. He was active, made eye contact with me and just exuded the look of a winner. He was impressive. Then he walked right up to me, so naturally, we started talking.

After telling him what a terrific racehorse he was and apologizing in advance for not voting for him for Horse of the Year, I asked him the one question every racing fan wants to know:

"What happened in the Belmont?"

Apparently, I either annoyed him or overstepped my bounds, because it was at that point that Big Brown abruptly turned around, walked away and showed me his rear-end. I was not offended. I completely understood him not being ready to talk about it yet. It's still too soon.

Despite the way that our conversation ended, I came away with a brand new liking for Big Brown. It also helped that Three Chimneys has always been my favorite farm, has my favorite employees working there, and has my favorite crop of stallions. They put on a very classy event for the Big Brown welcoming, complete with a catered lunch, live band and a "Re-usable Brown Bag" tote which included some very nice gifts. It was a fun day.

So in closing, here's to my new friend, Big Brown. You will still never be my favorite, and I would appreciate it if you kindly give Point Given's stall back to him when he returns, but all in all, you're not so bad. I'm sure you'll have fun in your new career.

And who knows, maybe the next time I come back you'll be ready to talk about the Belmont.

Photo: Anne Eberhardt

Racing's Second Season

jshandler — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:28:00 GMT

Welcome to Breeders' Cup Chat and the second half of the Thoroughbred racing season! While sometimes not as glamorous as the Triple Crown season, the road to the Breeders' Cup offers some of the best racing around, including turf events galore, seldom seen ‘marathon' routes, and of course, two of the best meets in the world - Saratoga and Del Mar.

There have been many changes to the Breeders' Cup during the past couple of years, most notably the addition of a second day of racing and the advent of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series, which increased from 25 races to 57 this year.

Personally, I love the changes. Adding more races on the second day, more divisions, and additional "Win and You're In" events will make things that much more exciting. When the announcement of more races first came, Blood-Horse did interviews with many of the high-profile trainers in the industry. Somewhat surprisingly, nearly every one endorsed the change. That told me all I needed to know. The Breeders' Cup is doing a great job of selling its product and trying to generate interest. This is precisely what racing needs. Let's focus on the good in the sport and not the negative stuff. The RACING is what real fans want to see and talk about. Let's do our part in keeping that going.

One of the things I love about this season is the Breeders' Cup Fantasy Challenge. Based on my conversations with many of you, I am not the only one who enjoys this contest. Basically, it gives us an opportunity to pick the winner in every one of the Breeders' Cup Challenge races, with a chance at winning some serious prizes. If you haven't already signed up, you can do so here.

Now, I don't expect to win any of these prizes, but the contest does give us a cool way of following the races while competing against each other. What I'd like to do on this blog is handicap each race, post my picks the day before (or day of) each event, and then get your picks. Basically, we'll handicap these races together and then see who comes out ahead at the end of the Breeders' Cup Fantasy Challenge. It will be our own mini-contest. The top finisher on this blog will win a nice Blood-Horse prize pack that includes t-shirts, a credit to our photo store, and a couple books.

If you are going to play, please let me know what your Breeders' Cup Fantasy Challenge handle is. Mine is "Offhegoes." Don't worry if you missed the July 5 races, there is still time to join. Hundreds of people all earned $0 at Monmouth anyway. For the record, I earned $6.60 the first day, as I had both runner-ups. Here is the link to the leaderboard.

Also on this blog we'll do Q & A's from the top names in the industry, top 10 lists, and cover current racing news - just as we did on Triple Crown Talk. Mostly though, Breeders' Cup talk will be geared toward racing and handicapping. I look forward to blogging with everyone.

Any early thoughts on the Smile Sprint and/or Princess Rooney?