Horse Racing Random

[Ribbons]

Yeah, it was THAT bad.<>

Kind of sounds like his behavior and instincts are a bit Cryptic.

Well, he _is_ a descendant of Distorted Humor, and a cousin of Too Early, Fiftyshadesofhay, Rockpaperscissors, and Askin for a Baskin. (Although my favorite bloodline in that branch might be You're to Blame, son of Bon Jovi Girl.)

Yeah, I get it about the scheduling. It's far enough away that I can't bop over there every weekend (much less on weekdays), but it'll be a good time no matter what. Even though I'll probably won't have done enough homework for the fancier bets.(Winning enough in one go to require a W-2 is on the Someday List, but I am way, way, way out of practice.)

[dryrunguy]

Meanwhile, I may have been too quick to write off Cryptic Creed. Sometimes a horse has an excuse that you cannot see. Cryptic Creed actually had two of them.

The jockey told the trainer that Cryptic Creed "displaced twice" during the race. I had to do a little digging to learn what that meant. She here's an explanation:

"dorsal displacement of the soft palate: A condition in which the soft palate, located on the floor of the airway near the larynx, moves up into the airway. A minor displacement causes a gurgling sound during exercise while in more serious cases the palate can block the airway. This is sometimes known as choking down, but the tongue does not actually block the airway. The base of the tongue is connected to the larynx, of which the epiglottis is a part. When the epiglottis is retracted, the soft palate can move up into the airway (dorsal displacement.) This condition can sometimes be managed with equipment such as a figure eight noseband or a tongue tie. In more extreme cases, surgery might be required, most commonly a myectomy."

https://www.saratogaracetrack.com/about ... g-terms/d/

A figure eight noseband is actually what the trainer said we'll try in the next race. Not being able to breathe properly TWICE in a race would constitute a legitimate excuse.

[dryrunguy]

Two things to report.

First, Unified Dreams did his first official work early this morning at Churchill. He breezed 3 furlongs in 38.2 seconds. That's solid for a first work and not being pushed. He'll work again next weekend.

Second, Danceswithbourbon continues to have a helluva time getting her races to fill. We tried a race at Indiana Grand, but only one other horse was entered. So they killed the race. Then we tried another race at Presque Isle in Erie, PA on August 10. It didn't fill, either, but at least they held it over for a day. Then, sure enough, it filled, so she'll be in the sixth race at Presque Isle on August 11. Seven horses in the field. She'll break from gate #3.

This will be a different experience yet again. She'll be running 6 furlongs on the Tapeta (synthetic) surface--not dirt or turf. Tapeta is the same surface used at tracks like Arlington (Chicago), Golden Gate in San Francisco, and Woodbine in Toronto. It is considered an All Weather track that allows racing even in poor weather. For example, you can get 2 inches of rain on a Tapeta track, but you won't see a single puddle like you would on dirt. Don't ask me how that is possible, but that's how Tapeta works. The surface is dark gray--almost black--and looks radically different from what you see on a typical dirt track.

In general, horses that like turf will like the Tapeta and vice versa--though not always. So far, the Outwork babies seem to like to run on anything, so we'll see if DWB takes to it. It would be nice for her to have an additional array of racing options available to her in terms of surfaces.

Willie Martinez will be the rider. I don't know him at all. He has the third best winning percentage of the riders in the field (16%). We tried to get Antonio Gallardo because he rides a lot of Jordan Blair's horses at Tampa, but apparently he was already committed to another horse in the field.

Best of all, this is a $32K allowance race without an optional claiming provision, so we don't have to worry about losing her to a claim. No one in the field will be for sale. So that's a relief. DWB comes into the race with the fastest speed figure in the field in her previous race, but remember, that was on turf.

[dryrunguy]

So...

I'm not quite sure what happened with Danceswithbourbon's race today. I know this:

1) She broke very badly and got a little mugged on the break, so she got off to a bad start.

2) She was running rank on the backstretch, which she's never done before, either. I don't know if the jockey just couldn't handle her or...

3) SOMETHING happened with her equipment. After she passed a few horses going around the turn and looked like she was going to contend for the win, there was something flapping on her left side. I don't think it was the jockey's leg falling out of the iron. It looked like something else. I can't tell you what. It was bizarre.

So she finished 4th out of 6 and earned a check of $1600. That's short of the monthly barn bill, but it's a check. And she competed very well. She's never been in a position of breaking last and having to close, and she fought hard to pass horses before getting tired. So I admire that very much.

It was just a weird race. And I don't think the problem was the tapeta surface. SOMETHING happened with the equipment on her left side. And the handlers were fiddling with it A LOT before she left the paddock for the track. I'm anxious to hear what the jockey says.

She put up a preliminary speed figure of 68. That's 1 point better than her best dirt races and only 14 points off her last turf race. The poor break and extra 1/2 furlong probably account for that.

::

In other news, Antonio Gallardo, the jockey who passed on riding Danceswithbourbon in favor of a different horse, finished dead last. Tee hee...

And within seconds after DWB's race was over, they cancelled the last two races on the day's card due to heat.

::

Twinspire should post today's race recap for Presque Isle tomorrow or the day after. I'll post it when I see it so you all can see the nuttiness I am trying to describe here.

[dryrunguy]

Twinspire should post today's race recap for Presque Isle tomorrow or the day after. I'll post it when I see it so you all can see the nuttiness I am trying to describe here.

The Presque Isle race recap for yesterday has been posted. DWB was in the last race, which start at about 8:20.

[dryrunguy]

Cryptic Creed finally got into a second race. Colonial Downs, turf, 1 mile (!!), maiden claiming. He'll be in for a tag with a $20K purchase price. I'd be shocked if anyone nibbled. After his first race, there's no reason why anyone would want him unless they have some hope from his training work on synthetic a few months ago. I'd also be shocked if he went off at anything shorter than 50/1 after they leave the gate.

::

As a handicapper, I am prone to reading too much into things. But as it relates to Cryptic Creed, I am privy to internal correspondence.

I already posted here about his first race and how he "displaced" twice during his first race. It's a valid excuse. But my "read between the lines" from everything I have been told is that the partnership leadership has already given up on him. And I think it's telling that the listed trainer for both of his first two races is the head of the partnership, not Saffie Joseph. My interpretation is that Saffie wants nothing to do with Cryptic Creed, that Saffie gave up on him early on, and that such a bad horse could tarnish his swelling reputation.

I could be wrong, but that's my take. So I don't expect much on the 24th, even with the addition of the figure eight to keep the displacement from happening again.

But at quick glance, it's not exactly a stellar field, nor would you expect it to be for a group of 2-year-olds already up for a claim. We'll see.

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

I'm glad he's okay. That damn near looks like an interstate, a very scary situation.

[dryrunguy]

I just turned on TVG after the women's final at Cincy. Apparently, the woes continue at Ellis Park. They had a fire in the receiving barn this morning. (That's where horses who ship in on race day stay if their trainer doesn't have stalls at Ellis. That was the case the day Danceswithbourbon raced at Ellis. She stayed in the receiving barn.) No injuries at all, but Ellis had to cancel today's card.

In other news, about the horse that got loose on the expressway (yes, it really IS a lot like an interstate)... She is a 2-year-old named Bold and Bossy. She was a first-time starter. According to connections on Twitter, the vet examined her and found nothing but minor cuts and scrapes.

[ti-amie]

I'm glad she was okay.

[JazzNU]

Looks less like a fire and more like an inferno. Very scary, but fantastic there are no injuries.

So good to hear Bold and Bossy doesn't have any lasting damage.

[dryrunguy]

So, Cryptic Creed was SUPPOSED to race today. But apparently while in the paddock and being saddled for the race, the person tightening the saddle accidentally pinched him, which cause Cryptic Creed to sit (he's fine). But that's that. When a horse sits (or worse) in the paddock, the track veterinarian is required to scratch him from the race.

So, we're off to Plan B. I am hoping there's a way we can give him a chance to run on the synthetic at either Presque Isle or Arlington. Each of them have at least another month before racing ends at those tracks.

[JazzNU]

Is there a story behind his name @dry? I can't make sense of it, besides it possibly having a backup name of Agnostic.

[dryrunguy]

Is there a story behind his name @dry? I can't make sense of it, besides it possibly having a backup name of Agnostic.

I don't know where the Cryptic part comes from. But the Creed part comes from being a son of Jimmy Creed. I'm guessing the heads of the partnership wanted to play on the Cr/Cr alliteration.

[dryrunguy]

So, this just happened a few minutes ago in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga. Heading toward the wire, Firenze Fire basically tried to eat Yaupon's face. I've seen biting attempts down the stretch. But I've never seen a horse go full Hannibal Lechter.