Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance : Valerie Grash

The Legendary Football Team That Horse Racing Built

cdawahare — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:14:00 GMT

On February 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers will attempt to become the first professional football team to win 6 Super Bowl titles-the "Six-Pack" as folks are calling it here in Western Pennsylvania (personally, I think "One for the Thumb" had a much better ring to it).

Since the Golden Era of the 1970s, when Hall of Fame players like Terry Bradshaw, "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Franco Harris, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and "Iron" Mike Webster played, the Steelers have enjoyed great success, but that hadn't always been the case.

The fifth-oldest NFL franchise endured over 40 years without a championship season, yet its team founder Art Rooney Sr.-"The Chief," as Pittsburghers know him-and his family never gave up, committed as they were to their hometown. However, many folks don't realize that the Pittsburgh Steelers may never have existed, or at least survived all those hard financial times (pre-network television contracts, sold-out stadia, and merchandising), without...horse racing.

On July 8, 1933, Art Rooney Sr. paid the $2,500 NFL franchise fee founding the Pittsburgh Pirates (they were renamed the Steelers in 1940), allegedly from racetrack winnings. Being raised above his father's saloon on Pittsburgh's North Side, Rooney was no stranger to bookies and horse players, and apparently demonstrated significant prowess as horse player. The franchise fee story has become legend, but it was a much bigger score in August 1936 that allowed the team to remain in the black (and gold).

The Chief's son Art Rooney Jr., in his 2008 self-published book Ruanaidh (Gaelic spelling of "Rooney"), discusses those two fateful days in 1936:

"AJR was born to play the horses...in 1936, in two days at two tracks in New York, he made a killing that people talked about for years. Talked about and wrote about. Joseph Madden, a New York saloonkeeper with literary aspirations, was the first to record the details. They appeared in his book of memoirs, "Set ‘Em Up." Under the caption "Rooney's Ride," John Lardner re-told the story in his Newsweek column. Other accounts followed, all describing how AJR picked as many as eleven straight winners in that two-day spree and won an indeterminate amount of money which may have totaled upwards of $380,000. Roy Blount, in his book about the Steelers and the Rooneys, said it was ‘probably the greatest individual performance in the history of American horse-playing.' Nobody since has disagreed." (p. 37)

Art Rooney's winning streak began on an August Saturday afternoon at the Empire City track (later Yonkers harness track, which his sons purchased in 1972), and ended upstate on Monday at Saratoga. Rooney's first bet was $8,000 on 8-1 longshot Quel Jeu (the then-six-year-old 1932 Remsen Handicap winner eventually won 25 races in 140 lifetime starts) who won in a photo finish, and it was the first of five long-shots he hit among his seven (on an eight-race card) winners. Exactly how much money Art Rooney won that day hasn't been revealed, although every source agrees it was in excess of $100,000. In his book My Turf, Bill Nack quotes Saratoga bookmaker Reggie Halpern who claims, "Art Rooney won six straight races here and walked out of the betting ring with $105,000. I know. I took some of the action." (p. 25)

However, in his book Art Rooney Jr. says:

"Madden and Lardner wrote that AJR cleared $256,000 at Saratoga that day. AJR told me it was more, but did not say precisely how much more. A friend of his, the director of racing at our Yonkers track, put the figure at $380,000. Other estimates are higher. Whatever he won, and the officials at Saratoga offered him a Brink's armored truck to carry the money back to New York City, he won it at a time when working men were supporting wives and children on as little as twenty dollars a week." (p. 38)

It wasn't to be the last of Rooney's big scores. As Gene over at EquiSpace noted recently, Time magazine reported on a $100,000 score at Aqueduct in September 1937 (although the Temple University Libraries Urban Archives reports the figure was $300,000-a photo of Rooney at the track is viewable here.

With his race track winnings, Art Rooney kept his financially-struggling football franchise afloat-the 1930s Pirates never had a winning season, and it wasn't until 1974 that they won their first championship. In his essay on Rooney, sports historian Bob Ruck mentions that the Steelers' early difficulties may even have been attributable in part to The Chief's love of horse racing, as Rooney admitted:

"Although I understood the football business as well as anybody in the league, I didn't pay the attention to the business that some of the other owners gave it. I was out of town a great deal of the time, at the racetracks. With me, the racetrack was a big business. And generally I'd have a head coach who was like me-he'd like the races." (pp. 256-257)

The quintessential Irishman-who also loved boxing in addition to horse racing-Art Rooney had a wonderful sense of perspective and good humor. The Post-Gazette article relays the following example:

"According to one story, a priest came and asked Rooney for money to help start a Catholic orphanage. Rooney peeled off $10,000 and handed it to the priest, who asked, ‘Are these ill-gotten gains?'

‘Why no, father, I won that money at the race track,' Rooney said."

A regular attendee at the Kentucky Derby and Irish Derby, Rooney scaled back his betting on thoroughbred racing when the pari-mutuel system replaced bookmakers, according to his son. However, he and his family continued their involvement in the sport, as breeders and owners since 1948 of thoroughbreds (until the 1980s) and standardbreds through their Shamrock Farms in Woodbine, Maryland, and their ownership of Yonkers Raceway, where The Chief's third son Tim has served as president since 1972.

Sources:

William Nack. My Turf: Horses, Boxers, Blood Money and The Sporting Life (Da Capo Press, 2003) p. 25.

Rob Ruck. "Art Rooney and the Pittsburgh Steelers" in Randy Roberts, ed., Pittsburgh Sports: Stories from the Steel City (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000) pp. 243-262.

Art Rooney Jr., with Roy McHugh. Ruanaidh: The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan. (Self-published by Art Rooney Jr., 2008) pp. 36-38.

Gary Tuma. "From the PG Archives: Steelers' Art Rooney in Retrospect" (reprint on August 26, 1988 obituary story). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 14, 2007. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07287/825373-66.stm

Caryl Velisek. "Shamrock in Winfield One of Top Maryland Breeders" from Horsin' Around, A Special Supplement to the Delmarva Farmer Newspaper. June 24, 2003. http://www.americanfarm.com/horsin6-24-03c.html

Breaking Down the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf

cdawahare — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:30:00 GMT

By Valerie Grash

Every horseplayer has their favorite types of races. Personally, I’m a turf buff and, if you give me a juvenile maiden special weight, I’m in heaven. So, while some dread handicapping the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, I’ll dive right in.

Recent wire-to-wire Jessamine winner Laragh (Tapit out of El Prado mare) is the lukewarm 7-2 favorite, which appears slightly inappropriate considering that C Karma (8-1) soundly defeated her in the G3 Natalma before Laragh was switched from Mark Casse to John Terranova, and gained the services of Edgar Prado. Undoubtedly, Laragh was impressive over the firm Keeneland turf, but she also appears to be the perfect candidate to bounce.

C Karma (Exchange Rate out of Slick mare) is one of the most experienced runners in the field, having never finished out of the money in five races, albeit only one of those was on turf and all were at Woodbine. She put in a sharp 5f (1:00.09) on Saturday at Santa Anita so I won’t totally dismiss her chances, but I would have preferred more diverse prior competition.

I’m tossing Emmy Darling (8-1), who not only has never run a route, but also has no turf breeding nor experience. Her appearance here rather than the Juvenile Filly seems a bit desperate. The European contingent—April Pride (12-1), Beyond Our Reach (15-1) and Heart Shaped (15-1)—doesn’t represent the best of the continent, with only two maiden wins between them. Renda (10-1), a Medaglia d’Oro filly purchased for a mere $11,000 at Keeneland’s 2007 September yearling sale, has never raced on turf (or any artificial surface) so I’m not sold on her. Eibar Coa is first-time up on Wayne Catalano-trained Sugar Mom (10-1) who comes in with a three-race win streak (the first in a 5.5f maiden claiming event), but I’ll let her beat me.

Canny jock Jose Lezcano returns to ride Maram (10-1) for Chad Brown, and this one intrigues me. Undefeated in two efforts, Maram is the daughter of the rather obscure sire Sahm (son of the first filly victress of the G1 Irish Derby in nearly 100 years—Salsabil) and the equally-uninteresting Quest for Fame mare American Dreamer. Her victory in the 8.5f Miss Grillo over a yielding Belmont turf was part of a blanket finish that included two other entrants in the Juvenile Filly Turf—Freedom Rings (8-1) and Consequence (8-1). The major question about her is can she travel—she was not shipped early to acclimatize to the California heat. Ditto Freedom Rings.

However, there are two fillies here I particularly like—Saucey Evening (9-2) and Consequence (8-1). In juvenile races, I often find myself focusing on breeding, and both these fillies have lots of positives to recommend them.

Saucey Evening’s dam Jeweled Lady is a full-sister to multiple G1 winner General Challenge, and a 1/2 to G1 Oak Leaf two-year-old winner Notable Career. Her sire More Than Ready is throwing some excellent grass horses—notably in Australia, such as last season’s two-year-old champion colt Sebring and tough filly Augusta Proud. Her trainer Graham Motion is a master with turfsters (see Better Talk Now). After breaking her maiden first-out on a firm Colonial Downs’ turf course, Saucey Evening shipped to Del Mar where she finished a narrow half length back in second behind Streamin Heat in the 5.5f CTBA Stakes, before taking on the big girls in the 7f G1 Del Mar Debutante against the likes of Stardom Bound and Palacio de Amor, who are both entered in the BC Juvenile Filly. She came back from a disappointing seventh-place finish there to win the 8.5f California Cup Juvenile Fillies last out over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride. The switch back to grass and an eye-popping 3f workout (36.72) over Santa Anita’s turf course on Monday bodes well for her chances—as does the continued association with top jock Garrett Gomez.

My big obsession, however, is with Shug McGaughey-trained Consequence. If ever there was a filly born to win this race! After breaking her maiden first out at Saratoga, she finished a game fourth—just a 1/2 length behind winner Maram—in the 8.5f Miss Grillo. Both her races were over soft turf, so we’ll see if she can handle the rock-hard turf at Santa Anita, BUT….her dam Educated Risk was a multiple G1 winner (also trained by McGaughey), who finished second to Eliza in the 1992 BC Juvenile Fillies (As an interesting side note, and potentially fascinating twist, the dam of BC Classic entrant Tiago, Set Them Free, was the pace setter in that 1992 Juvenile Filly race).

Educated Risk is also a 1/2 sister to 1995 BC Distaff winner (and Hall of Famer) Inside Information. Consequence’s 3rd dam Clear Ceiling also produced G1 1000 Guineas winner Quick as Lightning, and the G1-placed turfster Infinite. Now THAT’S a pedigree for victory!

The DRF clocker pegged Consequence’s bullet 4f workout on Monday—46.18 (1/42)—the best of the day, noting she galloped out 5f in 58.14. With turf master John Velazquez up again, this chestnut El Prado filly looks a winner.

Rethinking the Breeders' Cup

Blood-Horse Staff — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:58:00 GMT

By Valerie Grash

As a fan, call me underwhelmed. The Breeders’ Cup returns to Churchill Downs in 2010 (but perhaps only if the state of Kentucky can be extorted into extending a pari-mutuel tax exemption), and, once again, horse racing has missed the boat in terms of updating what has become, unfortunately, “the” defining event of America’s thoroughbred industry. The time has come to either totally rethink the Breeders’ Cup event or eliminate it altogether—for the good of the sport of horse racing.

Once upon a time thoroughbred owners actually campaigned their horses throughout the year, with major stakes races as targets and champions decided by the sum total of their achievements, not a single race. Sadly, as the breeding industry in this country as evolved into a nearly out-of-control entity—breeding horses to breed, not to race—the all-too-appropriately-named Breeders’ Cup has become nothing more than a much-desired notation on sale catalog pedigree pages. It is truly a group of races for breeders, not for fans, as star horses often run as little as possible as they aim for the BC, resulting in a litany of historic races with short fields light on talent and with very little actual competition.

To make matters worse, the Breeders’ Cup does not even do a good job marketing itself. Calling itself the “World Championship of Horse Racing” is a complete public relations snow job (not to mention a tad jingoistic) as very few of the truly great overseas runners show up, unlike the Dubai World Cup which provides financial incentives for genuinely international fields. The so-called “Win-and-You’re-In” races (which guarantees a spot, but not payment of hefty entry fees) are neither well-planned out over the course of the racing year, nor complete enough in every category (such as female sprinters, etc.) to guarantee even a casual interest by fans—and key races are not broadcast on a national television channel. Come October, the offensive “Filly Friday” not only segregates a race card by gender to a day not traditionally associated with stakes-quality racing, but also is relegated to lowly ESPN2. Only four of Saturday’s races (the ill-named Marathon, Turf Sprint, “Dirt” Mile and Turf Mile) are worthy of ABC; the much-lesser watched ESPN gets to air the crème de la crème races—from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Do not even get me started on the marketing geniuses who indicate that their “research” finds people do not know the meaning of “distaff”, yet agree that anthropomorphizing horses by calling them “Ladies” is somehow inoffensive.

I know the sport of horseracing is no longer an integral part of the American psyche as it was in its heyday, replaced by “sports” such as poker, BMX racing and ultimate fighting in broadcast and print media. That does not mean it has to remain so. Tinker with the Breeders’ Cup format from top to bottom, or abolish it altogether, because as it exists now it does very little for the sport beyond filling the pockets of breeders, bloodstock agents and pinhookers. The aging fan base is not being rejuvenated with enough younger fans as things stand. It is time to think outside the box, to shake up an institution that has, to be honest, lost its way.

From BC-specific to broader industry changes, here is what I propose:

•    Instead of holding the event at only one track every year, spread it over several weekends and several venues. Share the pageantry, the carnival-like atmosphere with as many racing fans across the country as possible. Have dirt races on dirt tracks, like Churchill, Belmont, or Oaklawn. Hold turf races run over the magnificent courses at Arlington or Woodbine. Allow artificial surface specialists to run over their preferred surface, at Santa Anita, Hollywood or Keeneland. Three meets, spread over three weekends, at three different venues. Thus, no one could worry that a Classic run over Pro-Ride puts dirt horses at a disadvantage—and neither Jess Jackson (and Curlin) nor IEAH (and Big Brown) would have any legitimate reason to avoid one another due to concerns about the surface. Run horses on the surface that best suits them, whether turf, dirt or the artificial stuff.

•    Establish a point system and chart standings for horses racing throughout the year. Award points for racing in graded stakes, and continually publish rankings based on accumulated points. The BC races would be part of that system, and establish an agreement that end-of-the-year awards such as the Eclipse be based on total yearly performances, not a single race. Members of the TBA (http://thoroughbredbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/) and individual bloggers such as Kennedy’s Corridor (http://kennedyscorridor.blogspot.com/) have advocated the use of standings for years. Let us think seriously about it as a method of sustaining fan interest—emotionally invested fans draw in family members, friends and acquaintances as new fans through their enthusiasm for the sport. Give them something to invest themselves in more than just a couple days a year.

•    Additionally, there must be a consolidated effort throughout the year to schedule properly races nationwide, both by date and by post time. Not only do fans crave this, but so too do bettors. Bigger, more competitive fields result in bigger pools worthy of risking one’s money against other horseplayers. How many times this year did major stakes races go off with fields of five or less horses? A better job needs to be done to ensure large fields, even if that means lessening the number of races, race dates and even racetracks. Mies van der Rohe’s adage “less is more” is so apropos to horseracing. More quality racing, from bottom-level claimers to Grade 1 stakes, will result from lessening the number of races run, thus leading to bigger fields and better competition overall.

•    The “less is more” concept should apply to the Breeders’ Cup races themselves. For example, are there enough races run at 12 furlongs and above to warrant a “Marathon” race? In Europe and Australia perhaps, but American racing appears to favor 8.5 to 9 furlong races. If you want to continue to have a “Marathon” race, then make it a real marathon—two miles at least. True stamina needs to be reintroduced into American bloodstock, and rewarded. I recognize that if my first suggestion were implemented—scheduling three meets of races at three different venues—it would result in an increased number of BC races, and that is justified. Tossing in juvenile turf races just because you can hardly appears rational when so few juveniles are tested in graded turf stakes.

Conceptually, the Breeders’ Cup should be a series of races that serve as a platform for displaying the sport’s best horses for the racing fan instead of a monolithic self-indulgent money-grab for the breeding industry. If the sport does not once again focus itself on breeding to race—and actually race those horses—then the sport dies. It is as simple as that. Maybe the Breeders’ Cup needs to go the way of the dinosaurs as well.