Another Trip To Aqueduct

Completed yet another trip to Aqueduct. My first thoughts walking into the joint is that I know all the faces. It is smart that NYRA does not market this joint because they can't seem to lose the customers they have nor have they gained any customers in the last 8 years. It is just the same faces; the skin gets older and the heads get balder. It is almost like a neighborhood bar, but a neighborhood where everyone has a tough of gambling vice or loves ponies.


Northbound Aqueduct/N. Conduit Subway




While I have been mum on here of late I have been following along the inner meet. What I have gleaned is that there was a noticeable speed bias since the return from the Christmas break. At times this bias bordered on a mega-bias. This is a bias that continued for three weeks; it made life easy as all deep closers were easy tosses from handicapping and were at a severe disadvantage. The freeze broke this week and the track has opened up a bit. Closers had a fair shot all week especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A bias scrambling rain event is forecasted for today so things could change again especially if the track is sealed. I will be looking to downgrade all of these wire to wire winners that were logged from 30DEC09 13JAN10 as they return to race again.


A Train As Seen From Aqueduct Manhattan Terrace


There was action in the paddock before race seven yesterday. I had a "play of the day" type bet down on One Tough Belle. She looked like lone speed on paper, had a class edge and this was a field filled with many mediocre mares. She started off looking great but then her approval ratings began to drop like a politician in a recession. The first thing that gave me the skeevies was her lack of a work from mid December to mid January. Then she opened up cold on the board. 7-2 on a Dutrow/Dominguez collaboration that looks great on paper is too good to true; this means there are problems at the barn. The word was out not to bet on One Tough Belle. This is when the greatest seats -the Aqueduct power perch- in all of sports paid dividends. From the Aqueduct power perch we spotted that One Tough Belle refused to move! She just stood there and refused to walk when Dominguez mounted her. They smacked her on the behind, pulled her but she would not move. This carried on for ten minutes and they had to pull out all of the tricks to deliver her to the post. While all of these shenanigans were happening she was clicking down from 7-2 all the way down to 6-5. The money was pouring in on her like a sieve. This was a mare that had no shot whatsoever to win; frankly I am surprised she made it to the post. At about 2 minutes to post me and my friend who also had a large wager on her said enough is enough and we ran to the machines to cancel our wagers.

Post Time for the Evening Attire Stakes

Negative behavior like this is the most useful information one could glean from paddock watching. Predictably One Tough Belle left the gate at 6-5, safely raced mid-pack and crossed the wire at 7-5. Certainly all of those last minute paddock watchers canceling their power wagers drove her price up late. The winner Star Over Malibu was the only other mare with a semblance of speed; she gamely took the field wire to wire winning a 9-1. I hate to redboard but after quickly canceling the bet on One Tough Belle I landed on Star Over Malibu due to her front running profile in a speed parched field. I cashed a modest race 7-8 daily double that secured a modest profit on the day. Next time One Tough Belle runs make sure to check the paddock as she should be on your negative behavior watch list.


Empty paddock at 3 MTP


No real progress at Aqueduct as far as construction. The place is clean as far as the restrooms are cleaned daily and all tickets are collected from the floors. A small section of the grandstand remains open along with the apron but the place is in disrepair. At this point I think that it is very possible that Aqueduct may be in its last years as a viable venue for racing. Like an elderly person the only visitors she receives are the truest and most devoted. For too long she has been neglected and I could see the politicians just moving the whole show over to Belmont for an endless Philadelphia style year round meet save two months upstate. With Aqueducts location right on the Belt Parkway I could see some tired/cliche big box store moving to the property like Wal-Mart. With this in mind I will be sure to enjoy my visits to the Big-A, my favorite racetrack whose days may be numbered.

Evening Attire Stakes past the grandstand the first time


Undertstatement hits the wire first


pressbox/racecallers perch


a few fans in the grandstand before race 8 won by Toulouse Lautrec


lead pony grazes on the bushes


All photos by Joseph Burns

Aqueduct Inner Track is Upon Us

The longest horseracing meet of the annum in New York begins today. This meet is so long it transcends the calender. Four months of the inner dirt will span the late fall of 2009 to the early spring 2010. This meet has all the utilitarian appeal of a metal fabrication warehouse. This is not Del Mar, Keeneland or Saratoga; this meet is a wagering factory no more no less. What the meet lacks in aesthetic appeal it holds in wagering appeal. With basically only two distances on one surface with a closed circuit of horses, the handicapping becomes much easier as the variables are reduced to a bare minimum. If you venture out to Ozone Park you will find a warm clubhouse and a dedicated group of horseplayers who love the joint. Tourists, softies and the meek need not apply. This is working class horseracing in the raw. It is also the time of year when I have found that I can really get into the heart of the races and align my mental rhythm with the ebbs and flows of fleeting fortune.

From Power Cap

There used to be a solid claiming contingent during the winter but I am afraid that these ranks have been thinned. There used to be a population consolidation that happened as New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts shut down their flat races for the year; these horses converged on New York during the winter. Now with slot purses available at many tracks up and down the eastern seaboard the heart of the Aqueduct inner meet will be different. This year I see the heart of the meet consisting of New York breds and the conditioned claimers. Bottom level racing but it is fair and the track plays formful; hopefully it will have full fields and hold the workmanlike appeal for most of the winter.

From Power Cap

The first card is a bit of a disappointment; five races restricted to New York breds and four maiden races. My plan is focus on a long lunch during the early portion of this card. Can you say toasted buffalo chicken sandwiches with sharp provolone and ranch dressing. The contrast between hot and cold is a flavor bonanza. That should cover races 1-6 if you throw in a relaxing post lunch siesta.

The late pick three has some appeal; at least enough to merit watching. In the seventh the heavy chalk "Not A Peep looms large. This mare came out firing off the bench and holds the lethal weapon that all inner track lovers have; speed. Citifiesta came firing off the layoff, she could win with progress second time off the layoff. I will use just one more, Submerge showed some talent last year and is stakes placed over the course.

The featured Tate stakes looks a great spot for Bold Union to go out a winner. This speedy filly drops way down class to restricted three year olds and has a two bullet works on the ledger. Her speed and class is a potent combination over this course.

Last week there was a massive speed bias on the turf course. The rail was out 18 feet; at the top of the lane the course was about as wide as a sidewalk. Inside speed horses dominated on the turf all last week. The rail remains at 18 feet for today's lone turf race. Today's ninth race for 16K open claimers may the last or the next to last turf race run all year. I will cover both speedy inside horses Midwatch and Lemon Shore with this speed bias in mind. In addition I would be remiss if I did not cover the very game stalwart Bon Marie along with old pro Bestowed; these two have enough speed to sit right off the pace, poised to score as they turn for home.

race 7 pick 3 1,3,8 / 7 / 1,2,5,11


a video portrait of Aqueduct from a few years ago

Speed & Florida Shippers

Two things to look for in the next few weeks at Aqueduct is speed and Florida shippers. Move both up a few notches. For most of the winter the track was deep, dry and tiring. There should be a few speed winners everyday that ran over a tiring surface last out that have darkened form. Prices will be available. The other power angle is the Florida shipper season has started. These Florida horses absolutely dominate for the next few months over the tired winter stock.

Gotham Recap

Was at the Gotham Stakes and it was a glorious day. After months of bone chilling cold it warmed into the 60's. The crowd was rather large compared to previous runnings of the Gotham, it seems like the Gotham has become a mini-event. For almost the whole entire winter it has been cold and the track has played like a deep dry beach. Now that the thaw is in full effect, the track superintendent was able to liberally water the track. This water created a speed bias that dominated the results of the days races. The record shows that eight of ten race were won by horses on the lead.

The biggest indicator of the bias was the win by Sassification. This filly has had so many better opportunities to win races and has failed so miserably in the past. For her to go wire to wire at 49-1 versus a sprint field confirmed the massive bias. Immediatly proceeding her race the track was watered tightening it up even more. This track was the equivilent of a conveyor belt for a need the lead speed horse like Sassification.

Mr. Fantasy really acted up before the Gotham. The crowd in the paddock was tremendous, if a fire official was on hand he would have called for a head count. Mr. Fantasy was fractious, anxious and lathered up. This is no way for a speed horse to act before a graded stakes race. He lost this race in the paddock. If this colt could settle down he could run better next out. He requires a paddock check for all future races. The connections should get off the Derby trail with this one, there is no way he could handle that commotion and go 10 furlongs. Try the Bay Shore/Withers combo short term and move forward from there.

The winner I want Revenge was clearly impressive. Mullins was on hand and the horse looked sharp. My impression is that Mullins is a extraordinary trainer that works hard and has all ducks in a row. The colt stepped off the plane and opened up on a highly regarded field, winning for fun. On paper he looked like a stalker but he outgamed many speed horses at their own game and not one horse made up ground on him in the lane. I am going to think long and hard before wagering against this horse in the Wood Memorial.

The horse to watch is the place finisher. Imperial Council rated at the back of the pack while on the stretchout. I always discount closers stretching out from sprints to a route, the added distance almost always dulls the late move. Instead of dulling the late move, Imperial Council almost passed the entire field in the lane on a track where few could make up ground, especially in route races. There was not one closing move on the entire day in a route race that could come anything close to what Imperial Council did. This horse has room for improvement and Shug is taking his time. Could be peaking right around the first Saturday in May.

PJ Campo Gives Us Real Change

This years Aqueduct condition book is an ever changing beast. Back in the reign of former racing secretary Mike Lakow days you had your stakes, open allowance, claimers, NY breds, Maiden Specials and maiden claimer. While these race conditions were traditional they did not reflect the horse population and the needs to fill racecards. At the very end of Lakow's tenure there were so many short fields of open allowance races with a 1-2 favorite or New York bred allowances filled to the gills. If an owners horse did not fit these conditions that horse was shipping to Philly park for class relief or spending the year with one up the track finish after another.


The current racing secretary PJ Campo has been creative and resourceful. Campo has been given a bushel of lemons and has crafted lemonade. Not only did he stop writing races that did not fill but he has introduced many new conditions; non winners of a race in six months or non winners of 4 life time or non winners of three life time or four year old. While there may not be the same amount of classy short field races, the field size and the competitive nature of the racing has improved.

Campo's primary tool to fill races for winners is a non-winner of three lifetime or 4 year old beaten claimer race. Another popular condition is the non-winner of a race in the last six months condition. It seems like these new conditions are have been very popular at the draw and are carded as full fields. Campo writes them for tag from $7.5K all the way up to $35K. For the horseplayer they are very interesting puzzles, with so many class droppers, multiple winners in for the four year old condition or class risers. A horseplayer with a little bit of knowledge can get an edge and stay ahead of the masses as these new conditions are introduced. These new conditions are for the benefit of the whole racing community. These new conditions have increased the value of the young horses on the grounds. This helps out everyone for the owners all the way down to the grooms. If an owners takes on a two year old he can be confident that there will be many places to run for at least the first two years in New York. I see the claiming box has been lively with many active barns claiming horses. There are many places to run and this creates excitement and competition. Horses have been shipping in and trainers like Scott Lake have returned with a barn full of claimers.

Another positive trend is that races have not been written as much for the strait New York bred allowances. This is a good thing. Variety has been introduced into the New York bred program. Comparatively the purses for the New York bred allowance were a gross overpayment for the quality of the horses running in the races. Many horses ran in these races because there wasn't anywhere else to run. Campo's fix for inequity and lack of conditions is the strait New York bred claimer. First Campo introduced the New York bred maiden claimer and now he has added a strait claimer for New York Breds. Why should horses run up the track for a $44K purse when their skill set is more reflective of a $20K purse? Campo is providing the conditions that reflect the horse population.

Not only were horsemen limited in there options but horseplayers were bored. These New York bred allowances were mundane non-competitive races. When the greatest profits lie in having your horse to run second and third time after time so the horse could keep the New York bred condition it makes for a poor product. If your New York bred was non-competitive in the New York bred allowances there was no where to drop in class. Once your horse graduated from the New york bred N2X allowance the step up to open allowance or open claimers was too much. s. Now NYRA has those conditions so horse owners can pay the bills and the horseplayers have intricate puzzles to pick apart. With so many new conditions the racing's competitive nature has improved.

With all of these changes, the Aqueduct Inner program has become one of the best winter meets in the country. Combine the varied racing conditions, full fields and the new wagering menu and this is a potentially profitable meet to follow. Surely quality on the top end is not up to par with the sunbelt meets but what it lacks in quality it makes up for in depth. Surely the choice of NYRA has the New York racing operator has been validated as the right choice. Aqueduct Inner along with Tampa may be the most improved winter racing products of this decade.

Molasses On The Inner Track For New Years Day

Enjoyed the racing at Aqueduct on New Years day. Picked up a few calenders and introduced a few new people to the game. Good thing there were plenty of calenders in the house because they needed them to time the races. Check out some of these times; One mile in 144 1/5th, Dr. Fager could have been unsaddled and on his way to the spit barn inside of that time. Six furlongs in 115 and 2/5ths, I didn't know they could run 61/2 on the inner. Even the stakes race featuring Grade II winner Zada Belle finished up 113 and 4/5ths which is four seconds slower than her last win. What was the cause of these bizarre slow times? Was it the wind or some new post snow track maintenance? Whatever it was that caused the slow times on Friday must have been eliminated. The race times on Friday were in line with thoroughbred race horses and not elderly people pushing shopping carts.

The DRF variant should be 45(very slow) for this day. Yes it was cold and windy but cold does not mean slow. Going into the day I usually presume that speed is going to dominate on a brutally cold day where it is 25 degrees Fahrenheit. To my surprise and to the detriment of the early wagers speed did not dominate. This was a fair racetrack. All run styles claimed a bit of the pie as early pace, pressers and deep closers all won races. It seemed that the two turn races had a closer bias as the speed horses were not only losing but staggering home eased up in the lane. Deep closers won three of the four two turn races.

Looking at the charts the most impressive winner was in the 7th race. The winner Understatement ran a relatively snappy six furlongs in 113 and 3/5ths. This N1X allowance going 1 1/16th had a six furlong split that was faster than the stakes race that went in 113 4/5ths 25 minutes later. Would it be an overstatement if someone stated that Understatement is ready to realize the promise of his huge purchase price? I am going to list him in the stable mail as he did do something somewhat impressive on New years. I am somewhat apprehensive about expecting speed horses to run two big races in a row, but this horse is somewhat fresh, this is the inner track and Todd Pletcher should be able to keep the form rolling for at least two races before the we reach the top of decent in Understatement's form cycle.

GREAT DAY AT THE BIG-A AND THE NIGHTMARE ON THE A TRAIN

Spent Saturday at the Big-A, and took some rather poor shots of the Whirlaway entries in the paddock, which I will bore you with. Even more boring is a rant about public transport and another post about how much race fans love going to the track.



One of my favorite things about the Big-A is that the subway stops a few hundred feet from the main entrance. It brings me great pleasure to ride the rails from my home to my favorite place in my favorite borough, reading my favorite newspaper while I try to beat every favorite in sight. The time flies, it is relaxing and I enjoy sitting shoulder to shoulder with my working class compatriots. This weekend however the train ride was extended by 40 minutes due to track work. Not only did I miss the opener, I missed cashing the early double thanks to the MTA. The A train from 168th street is express and makes occasional stops southbound from uptown Manhattan to South Ozone park. However on Saturday the A train was local all the way from 207st to the Aqueduct station. When the train is express it is a somewhat long 45 minute ride with 15 stops. On Saturday with the express trains canceled the all local A-train was an eternity with over 40 stops and 1 hours 30 mins from where I get start my trip on the #1 line in the Bronx. Next time if I or anyone else intends on taking the A-train on the weekend they should check the MTA website for work information.


While many complain about the racing and the empty grandstand at the Big-A I am one of those that relishes the NYRA winter product. Why does the public stay away? Scenes like the empty grandstand pictured here should only be seen on dark days. How could it be that someone like myself who loves the Big-A is so unique. Where are the other racefans? Out of 20 million metro area residents only 4,000 could find their way to the Big A on Saturday?


While many try to gain an edge on the confusing mishmash of shippers at Gulfstream I prefer the cozy confines of the almost closed circuit at the Big-A. While many are looking for a challenge, the Big-A keeps it simple, as there are basically two distances (6F & mile 70 yards) on a very biased surface, which further weeds out the losers. One factor that makes the inner track easier to handicap than some other tracks is at the Big-A a given class of of race usually features a very familiar cast of characters with very plain form. While certainly not top class racing I feel that the Big-A is the most formful racing all year. After a challenging Gourmet like offering of Saratoga and the fall championship meet/Breeders Cup the Big-A is like going home to eat a well rounded home cooked meal. Not flashy, but nourishing, tasty and very familiar. The inner track is something I look forward to all year and something that gets me through the long northern Winter.

Barrier Reef won the Whirlaway after stalking the pace and outgaming Roman Emperor in the lane. Perhaps these two are on the triple crown trail now, they seem like they could get the ten panels of the derby.