Belmont Post Positions

The Belmont is almost here! I haven't been this excited for a Belmont since 2004!

1. Street Life
I'm keeping my eye on this one as the year goes on. He didn't race at two. Broke his maiden on the second try and went on to win the Broad Brush Stakes, finish sixth in the Wood Memorial (G1) and third in the Peter Pan Stakes (G2). He closed extremely quickly in the Peter Pan. 

2. Unstoppable U
He also didn't race at two. He's undefeated in two starts, breaking his maiden first out before going on to win a one-mile Belmont allowance leading wire-to-write and winning by six lengths.

3. Union Rags
At two, he broke his maiden first out, won the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), won the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont, and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He kicked off his three-year-old season with a victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before finishing third in the Florida Derby (G1) after being caught in behind horses. He had a rough trip in the Kentucky Derby and finished seventh.

4. Atigun
At two, it took him four tries to break his maiden and then he went on to finish fifth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). He kicked off this year with an allowance win, finished 11th in the Rebel Stakes (G2) and fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1). He won an allowance last out.

5. Dullahan
At two, he broke his maiden on the third try, finished third in the With Anticipation Stakes (G3), won the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (G1), and finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. This year he was second in the Palm Beach Stakes (G2), won the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), and finished third in the Kentucky Derby. He has a top-notch horse and an incredible closer, which he proved in the Derby.

6. Ravelo's Boy
He was heavily raced at two with ten starts but only two wins: a maiden and an allowance. He's winless in three starts this year: a fifth in the Gulfstream Park Derby, fourth in the Sam F. Davis (G3), and fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2).

7. Five Sixteen
Only has one win in six starts. He ran twice at two, finishing sixth in a maiden and tenth in a maiden at Belmont. Ran in three more maidens before finding a win and finished fourth in an allowance last out.

8. Guyana Star Dweej
Only one win in nine starts. Took eight tries to break his maiden and finished second in a Belmont allowance last out.

9. Paynter
He didn't race at two and is lightly raced this year. He broke his maiden first out, finished fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and second in the Derby Trial (G3).  He won a Pimlico allowance last out by almost six lengths after leading throughout.

10. Optimizer
Hasn't won a race since his maiden his first time out. He was fourth in the Kentucky Jockey club and eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Also finished ninth in the Risen Star (G2), second in the Rebel (G2) with an impressive last-second kick, ninth in the Arkansas Derby (G1), 11th in the Kentucky Derby, and sixth in the Preakness.

11. I'll Have Another
Looking to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed! At two, he broke his maiden first out, finished second in the Best Pal Stakes (G2), and then finished sixth in the Hopeful Stakes (G1), his only finish out of the money. This year he won the Robert B. Lewis (G2) easily as a longshot and showed a lot of grit in his Santa Anita Derby (G1) win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. He won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness by coming off-the-pace and running down Bodemeister in the final stretch.

12. My Adonis
He's winless in four starts this year, finishing third in the Holy Bull (G3), second in the Gotham (G2), seventh in the Wood Memorial (G1), and third in the Canonero II.

Preakness Picks

With the loss of Union Rags and Dullahan, the Preakness field isn't shaping up to be quite as competitive as the Derby field.

My favorites:

1. I'll Have Another -- Kentucky Derby winner. He also won the Robert B. Lewis (G2) easily as a longshot  and showed a lot of grit in his Santa Anita Derby (G1) win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. The distance of the Preakness is shorter so we'll have to see if that affects him any. 
2. Bodemeister -- Second in the Kentucky Derby after dominating the lead through most of the race. Trinniberg is out, so he's not going to have him to worry about this time. He was also 2nd in the San Felipe (G2) and dominated the Arkansas Derby (G1) when he took the lead and never looked back. 
3. Hansen -- Ninth in the Derby after being rank throughout. He's typically a front-runner but came off the pace to win the Gotham. In the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), he tried to go wire-to-wire but was run down in the stretch to finish second. If he settles and doesn't fight, he has a good chance in this one.

Derby Favorites Update

It wasn't a great week for me and my Derby favorites. Secret Circle and Reveron, both of whom I favored even though Reveron was 23rd on the earnings list, are both out of contention with injuries. Reveron was withdrawn after a a left fore condylar fissure was discovered following a one-mile workout. Secret Circle, recently second to Bodemeister in the Arkansas Derby, is out with a sesamoid injury.

The Lexington Derby, which wasn't expected to have much of an effect on the Derby field anyway, turned out to be a bit of a shocker, when 70-1 longshot, All Squared Away, came in late and stole the race by 1-1/2 lengths.

A week after I removed Trinniberg from the list of Derby possibles, I had to add him back on. With Secret Circle out of the race, Trinniberg's owner has changed his mind. The big question for Trinniberg is: can he handle the distance when he's never been over 7 furlongs?

Gemologist worked five furlongs in 1:00.84 with stablemate, Overdriven, at Palm Meadows training center.  They breezed through an opening quarter of 24.87 seconds together. Gemologist remained in hand and gradually edged clear of his partner approaching the wire. He galloped out another eighth-mile in 13.29 for six furlongs in 1:14.13 before pulling up seven-eighths in 1:27.81.

El Padrino went five furlongs in 1:00.48 with Hudson Steele at Palm Meadows training center. The team posted a 25.32 first quarter before piking up the pace to complete three-eighths in 36.82. El Padrino finished about a head behind Hudson Steele after a final quarter-mile in 23.66. They continued on into the turn, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.34 and pulling up seven-eighths in 1:26.73.

At Calder, Trinniberg's trainer postponed the work he had scheduled for Friday morning.

I'll Have Another breezed six furlongs in 1:13.60 alone at Hollywood Park on Thursday, his first workout since winning the Santa Anita Derby on April 7th.

Take Charge Indy, winner of the Florida Derby, worked five furlongs in 1:01.47 at Palm Meadows training enter on Thursday. Breaking off at the half-mile pole outside workmate Transplendent, Take Charge Indy went the opening eighth in 12.26 and 24.06 for the first quarter. He edged a length clear and completed an easy half-mile in 48.26.

Creative Cause worked five furlongs at Hollywood in 1:01.20 on Tuesday.

My Derby Picks

There were a few changes to my list of Derby horses after this weekend's Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes.

1. Gemologist
2. Union Rags
3. I'll Have Another
   
4. Hansen -- Tried to pull off a front-running victory in the Blue Grass (G1) but was run down in the stretch. My Derby hopes for him rely on whether or not he'll accept being kept off-the-pace.
   
5. Reveron -- Looking forward to seeing his performance in the Lexington.
   
6. Secret Circle -- Finished a well-beaten second in the Arkansas.
7. Alpha
   
8. Creative Cause
9. Bodemeister -- Has been lightly raced. Was second in the San Felipe (G2). Absolutely dominated the Arkansas Derby (G1) when he took the lead and never looked back.
10. Dullahan -- Third and fifth in maidens at Churchill Downs. Then switched to turf for two starts: second in a maiden and third in With Anticipation (G2). Rounded out the year with a win in the Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (G1) on the synthetic and a fourth place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He started his three-year-old season with a second in the Palm Beach over turf. This weekend, he won the Blue Grass impressively, overtaking Hansen in the stretch coming from the back of the pack.
    
11. Mark Valeski -- Have a soft spot for this one. Finished second in the Risen Star (G2) by a nose and Louisiana Derby (G2) by a half-length. He's still young and I don't think he's shown his full promise yet.
    

My Derby Ten

There's still awhile yet before the Derby but as most of the preps have been run already, I decided to make a list of my top ten.

1. Gemologist - I absolutely loved the way he won the Wood Memorial over the weekend. His professional attitude and pure heart gave me goosebumps. He's undefeated and won the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club last year at Churchill Downs.
   
   
2. Union Rags - I was disappointed in his third-place finish in the G1 Florida Derby but I liked his closing kick despite being caught behind horses. He was second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs and romped in the G2 Fountain of Youth.
   
   
3. Hansen - He's typically a front-runner which I don't normally go for in the Triple Crown but he showed versatility in his off-pace victory in the Gotham Stakes. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
   
   
4. Reveron - Has been pretty consistent from what I've seen. He finished third in the G3 Sam F. Davis with a rush from behind, held on by a neck to win the Gulfstream Park Derby in a stretch duel, and finished a respectable second in the G1 Florida Derby.
   
   
5. Secret Circle - I'm mostly concerned about his tendency to drift out in the stretch. He had an impressive victory in the second division of the G3 Southwest Stakes despite a stretch duel and a respectable win the G2 Rebel Stakes. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs.
   
   
6. El Padrino - He was very impressive winning the Risen Star by a nose in a hard-fought stretch duel. He wasn't really a factor in the G1 Florida Derby, finishing fourth.
   
   
7. I'll Have Another - He showed a lot of grit in his G1 Santa Anita Derby win by a nose in a three-way stretch duel. Also took the G2 Robert B. Lewis easily as a longshot.
   
   
8. Prospective - Won the G2 Tampa Bay Derby after being closer to the pace early on and battling in a stretch duel and finished second in the G3 Sam F. Davis with a rush from behind.
   
   
9. Alpha - Was second in the G1 Wood Memorial with a powerful rush but was outmatched. He had a domineering victory in the G3 Withers Stakes. Finished eleventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
   
   
10. Creative Cause - Seems to be a good consistent runner. He lost the G1 Santa Anita Derby by only a nose in a three-way stretch duel. Also to his credit are a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and a victory in the G2 San Felipe.

Thoughts? Who's your bet for this year's Derby?

Devil May Care Tribute

I know this is a little late, but I'm going to write it anyway. Devil May Care was an amazing mare overshadowed by Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. She was one of my favorites and my pick to win the Kentucky Derby.

Devil May Care was out of Kelli's Ransom and by Malibu Moon. She was bred in Kentucky by Diamond A Racing Corp. She was sold in 2008 in the Keeneland Association September 2008 Yearling Sale for $110,000. She was also entered in the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by did not meet her reserve price of $400,000.

Devil May Care began her racing career in 2009 as a 2-year-old. She broke her maiden at Saratoga her first time out and went on to win the G1 Frizette Stakes. In her first, and only, start over a synthetic surface, she finished 11th in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and closed out her short season.

In 2010, Devil May Care kicked off her season with a lackluster 5th in the G3 Silverbulletday Stakes. Next she headed to Gulfstream Park where she captured the G2 Bonnie Miss. She then headed to Churchill Downs where she was the only filly in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field where she finished 10th.

After her unimpressive Derby effort, Devil May Care returned to facing the fillies and hit her best stride, winning the G1 Mother Goose and the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks. Her last start was the G1 Alabama where she finished fourth.

She was a hopeful for the 2010 G1 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, but a diagnosis of a non-contagious form of hepatitis in October forced her to skip the race. She was on and off antibiotics and continued to carry an elevated liver enzyme count.

Devil May Care had five wins in nine starts and earned $724,000.

Devil May Care was euthanized May 4 after being diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, a form of cancer. She was four years old.

RIP Devil May Care

Dutrow Case Continued

So, if you don't know what's going on Rick Dutrow, a famous racehorse trainer, is looking at the possibility of losing his license. You may remember him as the trainer of Big Brown, the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner that made history when he finished dead last in the Belmont and was later discovered to have been on steroids. He already has a very, very long line of drug allegations trailing after him and clearly, he is not learning his lesson. If the racing industry is serious about cracking down on drug use in thoroughbreds, they need to prove it now. They need to say enough is enough and show that there are going to be consequences for not following the rules. And I don't mean the continued slaps on the wrist.

For the record, I am not jealous of Rick Dutrow's success. Success achieved in an immoral and illegal way is far worse than no success at all, in my book. He's had 64 infractions over the years, when is it time to say enough is enough?
And that's what the kid always says when he gets caught with the weed in his locker. "Oh that's not mine; I'm just holding it for a friend; someone must have put it there..." Those horses are in his barn and they're his responsibility. If they're being drugged on his watch, he should be looking into that and making sure the problem is solved.

The full story is here

One of the racing industry’s closely watched legal proceedings begins May 31 as state regulators in New York commence a hearing that could lead to the revocation of trainer Rick Dutrow’s license.

Officials with the state Racing and Wagering Board have said that Dutrow’s history of past allegations—along with two current cases against him—should lead to his ouster from the industry in the state.

But allies say the regulators are reaching too far in a case that could have implications beyond Dutrow if this week’s hearing—which begins at 1 p.m. EDT May 31 at the board’s Schenectady headquarters – convinces the full racing board to take away his license.

“Rick is looking forward to this hearing and a favorable resolution of this matter,’’ said Michael Koenig, Dutrow’s new attorney in the matter.

Koenig a day before the scheduled hearing declined to discuss the case and said Dutrow would not be available for an interview in advance of the hearing. Racing Board officials have also declined for months to comment on the specifics of the case.