Horse Racing Random

[dryrunguy]

But the Video of the Day award goes to the groom of Pretty Mischievous.

[dryrunguy]

[JazzNU]

Couldn't believe it when I saw the news about Forte after waking up. All these scratches are a bit wild, but it happened a few years ago if memory serves. But I don't think there were as many this late in the game, but there was a field of like 15 or 16 not that long ago and I think that's about where we are with this one.

[JazzNU]

what the hell is happening at Churchill

I'm not saying it's a ton better in other places, but I think there's an issue with the level with which CDI (the corp that owns the Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby) actually runs the state of Kentucky. To say they are connected is an understatement. My impression was oversight and enforcement are selective, owing to their level of influence with making those decisions. According to the many, many comments I read on horse racing sites, there are others with concerning Baffert like infractions (I do recall seeing Saffie's name mentioned a few months ago) and they didn't get the same punishments, making it seem to me like one of Baffert's biggest crimes was how public the stage they occurred on was, not some true desire to clean up the sport.

I don't think racing is just so much safer or better in other states, but racing is a drop in the bucket in most other states in comparison to what it means in and to Kentucky. This is what they've got. It's seems to be in large part why CDI is so powerful there.

[JazzNU]

Sorry. What is the Kentucky Oaks? Horsing Triple A?

Sorry. I should have explained that. Everyone knows about the Derby, and the Oaks always takes a back seat because...

It's a race for 3-year-old fillies. (Fillies can enter the Derby if they qualify, but colts are not eligible for the Oaks. The Oaks is run the day before the Derby. So that happens tomorrow (Friday).

The Oaks is great, but definitely not something everyone knows about @ponchi. The year that Rachel Alexandra raced the Oaks there was significant publicity behind it, you knew when it was being ran, where to watch, etc. it was a highlight of the Derby's schedule that year. It was highly unusual to get that kind of singled out attention for the race on a grander scale, but she was a special horse.

[ti-amie]

Even a non pro like me saw that there was something wrong with the way Forte was holding that leg. That vet is a brave person for saying the horse was not fit to run.

[JazzNU]

Great race by Cody's Wish in Race 10. They keep talking about the great story behind the horse. This is what's on Wikipedia for anyone interested.

Cody's Wish is named for Cody Dorman, a native of Richmond, Kentucky who was born with Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome. As a result of the syndrome, Dorman uses a wheelchair and communicates with a tablet. In 2018, while on a visit to Godolphin's Gainsborough Farm in Versailles sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Keeneland, Dorman met a young foal by Curlin who immediately interacted with Dorman and laid his head on Dorman's lap. The weanling would later be named Cody's Wish in Dorman's honor


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody%27s_Wish

[dryrunguy]

Just to get it on record, Angel of Empire became my Derby horse after the Risen Star. He solidified it in The Arkansas Derby. No other horse that has raced since then has unseated him. So Angel of Empire is my Derby pick. Mandarin Hero is my second choice. He was super impressive in the Santa Anita Derby when he lost by a snot bubble to Practical Move who was scratched a few days ago.

Most of all, I hope for a safe race.

[ti-amie]

Another horse has had to be euthanized. That brings the total to 7.

[dryrunguy]

Another horse has had to be euthanized. That brings the total to 7.

And neither of the two horses euthanized today were Saffie Joseph horses. Saffie may be part of the problem (I'm still reserving judgment), but he's clearly not the WHOLE problem. Today's events add sad, unfortunate credence to the "Scapegoat Saffie" argument. A friend of mine on Twitter (we both owned shares of Unified Dreams) stated it's Churchill that should be suspended for 2 years with Churchill's programs moved to Keeneland. Had to like it.

[ti-amie]

Another horse has had to be euthanized. That brings the total to 7.

And neither of the two horses euthanized today were Saffie Joseph horses. Saffie may be part of the problem (I'm still reserving judgment), but he's clearly not the WHOLE problem. Today's events add sad, unfortunate credence to the "Scapegoat Saffie" argument. A friend of mine on Twitter (we both owned shares of Unified Dreams) stated it's Churchill that should be suspended with Churchill's programs moved to Keeneland. Had to like it.

Interesting. Keeneland is in Kentucky too right?

[dryrunguy]

Another horse has had to be euthanized. That brings the total to 7.

And neither of the two horses euthanized today were Saffie Joseph horses. Saffie may be part of the problem (I'm still reserving judgment), but he's clearly not the WHOLE problem. Today's events add sad, unfortunate credence to the "Scapegoat Saffie" argument. A friend of mine on Twitter (we both owned shares of Unified Dreams) stated it's Churchill that should be suspended with Churchill's programs moved to Keeneland. Had to like it.

Interesting. Keeneland is in Kentucky too right?

Yup. about 90 minutes or so from Louisville.

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

Another horse has had to be euthanized. That brings the total to 7.

And neither of the two horses euthanized today were Saffie Joseph horses. Saffie may be part of the problem (I'm still reserving judgment), but he's clearly not the WHOLE problem. Today's events add sad, unfortunate credence to the "Scapegoat Saffie" argument. A friend of mine on Twitter (we both owned shares of Unified Dreams) stated it's Churchill that should be suspended for 2 years with Churchill's programs moved to Keeneland. Had to like it.

[JazzNU]

Yay! Fun race. My picks were Mage and Reincarnate, Mage the more likely and Reincarnate the long shot. We've been over this before, but those were my picks because of Javier Castellano and John Velasquez being the jockeys. The betting on jockeys approach is even more important at the Kentucky Derby with the field always being so large. Veteran skill for the win.