Racing's Favorite Punching Bag

There is a poll on the right margin called "Racing's Favorite Punching Bag". A slow Tuesday is a good time to to explain what this is all about. This Punching Bag is not a speed bag or a heavy bag but the people and personalities in the game that take an undue amount of abuse or criticism, much of it unwarranted. Most of this abuse seems to stem from jealousy, private racial hostility or human nature to resent those that openly speak the truth. Surely there are times when these punching bags deserve their abuse but I am still trying to find the crime in IEAH acquiring a 50% stake in Gotham winner I want revenge. This week the gym has been packed and our punching bag poll mates have been getting worked over for little or no reason. Let's see a few examples before we vote;

IEAH Stable

Sheikh Mohammed

Frank Stronach

Churchill Downs

Rick Dutrow

NYRA

Breeders Cup

Female Jockey Mania At Aqueduct

With five women riding at Aqueduct this past winter the press is starting to take notice. There hasn't been this many local articles about racing outside of the triple crown in years. It just goes to show that if you want some attention get a few cute girls into the mix. First there was the Maylan Studart article in the Times, then the Davis article in the Times and the trifecta was capped by an article about all five in the Daily News. Will this get more people out to the Wood Memorial this Saturday? Not sure if it will draw one person to the game but every little bit helps in a game that is attention starved. For my money Rosie Napravnik is one of the best jockeys in the room boy or girl.


Photo Credit: Bryan Smith NYDN

Maylan Studart NY Times

Jackie Davis NY Times

Female Jockeys NY Daily News

What Happened To The NTRA Pick 4?

A few years ago there used to be a NTRA pick 4 on a big racing Saturday like this weekends Wood Memorial/Santa Anita Derby day. It was a interesting wager that combined the best races of the weekend, not only was it a fun wager but it was a wager that offered value. The pick 4 was a great complement to the NTRA TV coverage as usually all four races were on TV. The wager seemed to be popular, why was it vanquished? The demise of this wager is a step in the wrong direction for promoting the sport. With super derby prep Saturday looming next week this bet will be missed.

Grade I Play Of The Day 28MAR09

Gulfstream Race 10 Florida Derby

There are umpteen different analysis versions available for this race. If they don't tell you that Quality Road lays over this field they are not looking at this race properly or they have found themselves filling in the unfortunate role of pari-mutuel patsy. Some are even saying that two or three horses in this race are closely matched. Not only should these cappers not be betting this race but they should head to the DMV for an eye exam. The field may be closely matched in the paddock but at the wire Quality Road is going to be all alone. Adding to the appeal Quality Road is the morning line second choice. With hype horse Dunkirk sure to take win money like a pari-mutuel black hole you may even see 9-5 on Quality Road. When you go to the windows tell em Powercapper sent you and make a stout bet on Quality Road. If you have been infected with some sort of greed-like affliction call out an exacta with Dunkirk tossed from both slots with Q.R. keyed up top to placate your greedy tendencies.

Win #2 Q.R.

Quality Stats


69 15-9-10
strike rate 22%
cumulative return $146.90
$2 ROI $2.13

Belmont Park Walking Directions

People asked so here is a power cap transit special. With the Belmont Special train only a memory people without cars need a way to get to the races. As someone that has lived a few blocks from Belmont I know the local area well. Out of all the local train stations Queens Village is the closest. Floral Park is too far east and Bellerose is inconvenient leaving you far from the front side entrance. Here are the walking directions to Belmont from Queens Village Station. There is a faster/shorter way but it involves walking on the Cross Island under the railroad underpass and that is only for the bravest of urban explorers, inquire within about that special route.

Walking Directions From Queens Village LIRR To Belmont

The End Of The Line For The Belmont Special

The MTA finalized plans to cancel service to the Belmont Park. This station was one of the first to be electrified in the early 1900's. My favorite station on the LIRR will sit idle for the foreseeable future. There will be nearby service to the Queens Village Station but there is still a half mile trek to the track. Perhaps NYRA will arrange for buses to shuttle riders from this train station to Belmont.

As a local taxpayer and dedicated horseplayer it is sad that $1.8 billion of my taxes have gone to construct a new Yankee Stadium and Mets Stadium yet they canceled the train to the best stadium of them all. I hope the ballfans enjoy spending $500 watching their favorite steroid fueled meathead chase balls and I hope they cheer really loud when the PA system tells them to.

Here is a few of my favorite photos of Belmont Train Station

From Power Cap

From Power Cap

From Power Cap

Dubai World Cup Card 2009

If every racecard was like this the sport people in the gambling versus sport racing debate would win hands down. This outstanding card features 48 graded/group stakes winners. The intrigue is provided in that the horses arrive from six continents, it is a showdown on a global scale.

This is the rare kind of card that I can watch without having a stake in the outcome. However like most times I do have an opinion and I will take the opportunity to pari-mutually express that opinion. The forecast is calling for thunderstorms and reduced visability so keep an eye on the sky.

Dubai World Cup GI

This race more than any other of the great globally recognized group stakes is dominated by favorites. Typically the favorite is the big American horse or the big Godolphin horse. This year the big horse will be neither. Michael DeKock is holding all the trump cards with Asiatic Boy. This horse loves the track, has been prepped the right way for the race and loves the distance. There is no monster like Curlin to usurp his glory



In the pari-mutuel pools that are available for Americans there should be fair value on Asiatic Boy. Over the years the American horses have been grossly underlaid in these pools. A sterling example is Lavaman who was 5-2 a few years ago in the Dubai Duty Free who finished a no-hope last. For the world cup I am going to askew the win pool for my prime wager and make my home in the exacta pool. I feel that Albertus Maximius is not up to the task and will either be the favorite or a well bet second choice. I feel that Bert Max will be out of the frame, opening up value for a longshot to spice up the exacta.

World cup exacta Asiatic Boy Keyed over Happy Boy, Well Armed, Casino Drive, Joe Louis, Muller, Paris Perfect and My Indy

Exacta 4 / 5,7,8,9,11,13,14

Sheema Classic GI

This star studded field features twelve graded/group winners. The cream should rise to the top here as they have twelve furlongs to decide who the cream is. For my money I may play a multi-race wager that leads into the world cup. The class horses here are Youmzain, Purple Moon, Quijano, Doctor Dino and Kirklees. If you can afford to go five deep you can rest assured you have the winner. If you want to bet one horse take the price on Purple Moon, he has shown that he is up to the task and he should improve second time over the course.

Dubai Duty Free G1

This is a good race to start a pick 3. Like the Sheema Classic count on the class the rise to top. If we can beat Kip Deville here we should start off with some value.

My $1 Pick three that starts in the duty free will look like 3,4,8,10,12,13,15,16 / 6,7,10,13,14 / 4 = $40 wager

Mr. Fantasy Off Derby Trail

Does Terry Finley read Power Cap? The horse who reacted adversely to the crowd at the Gotham is off the derby trail. He will be spotted much more judiciously in The Withers. With his talent he has a chance to win many New York bred races like his brother Tin Cup Chalice. Shipping may be an issue but if he likes a good road trip those summer races like the WV Derby feature huge purses and moderate competition. Mr. Fantasy's summer fantasy may involve standing in the winner circle of B level tracks like Mountaineer, Philly Park or Hoosier. The lucrative New York Bred triple could be his for the taking. Taking this colt off the derby trail was a sharp call. The derby is not everything and Finley recognizes this. The man in charge of West Point is a smooth operator.