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Western Roll Call

posted by Mac McBride on February 11, 2008 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
El Gato Malo Stays Unbeaten (photo by: Benoit)El Gato Malo Stays Unbeaten (photo by: Benoit)

“All right. Let’s do a bed check in the west before we turn out the lights.
“All you serious Derby wanna-bes -- sound off when you hear your name. Loud and clear now. We’ll be startin’ on ‘a’ and endin’ on ‘z’ and you better settle down and listen up.

“BOB BLACK JACK !”
“Yo.”
“Good, good son. Pump it up a little louder next time, ya hear. We expect that from a growing boy like you. Let’s see, reading through your file it shows three wins in five starts. Also shows a wire-to-wire tally in that Sunshine Millions Dash thing with a six furlong time of ---- whoa!, what the….. Son, if you really ran six furlongs in 1:06 and 2, then we’ve got a manned moon flight crankin’ up at Mission Control we might want to look into. Oh, racetrack was maybe a little souped up, you say. 109 speed figure. Hmmm. Let’s see how this one sorts out. So they’re firin’ you two turns next time? You’re going up north. Bay Meadows, you say. El Camino Real Derby. Mile and a sixteen. Grade III. March 8. Or maybe you'll stay home and run that same distance in the G 2 San Felipe a week later. Check and double check.

“Now what about you there, son. Sure got a pushy name for a guy just starting out in this man’s equine army. Oh, well….
“COLONEL JOHN!”
“Yo.”
“Right. Well, we’ll give you a pass on the rank-climbing moniker and just go with what we’ve got. Couple of wins and a stakes placing in a Grade I as a juvie. Currently training up the proverbial storm. Bred long; nice and long. Going in the Sham at ‘Anita next out. 9 panels. Grade 3. March 1. Check and double check.

“CROWN OF THORNS!”
“Yo.”
“That’s right. Tuck in that shirt, son. Says here you came a runnin’ in the Bob Lewis last out. Looked good doin’ it, too. Breedin’ looks A-OK for future maneuvers. You headed to the Sham, too? Interesting. Check and double check.

“EL GATO MALO!”
“Yo.”
“OK, OK. Let’s keep it movin’. Oh, yeah, you’re the one who did a little good in the San Rafael at Santa Anita. Won for fun, it says here. Registered 99 on the speed gun. Good stuff. Unbeaten, huh? Not bad for a new kid. And you’ve got eyes for either the Sham or the El Camino. Either way, you'll have ‘em watchin’. Check and double check.

“GEORGIE BOY!”
“Yo.”
“Well now, son, where you been hidin’? Uh, huh. My sources tell me that three months you spent on the shelf followin’ your Del Mar Futurity rush was ‘cause the man came and took a chip out of one of your knees. Makes that comeback of yours Sunday in the San Vicente all the more impressive, I’d say. And a 102 on the gun, you sonofagun. Nice. Now I know your daddy liked it fast and short. But what about you? Oh, headin’ to Arkansas you say. The Rebel on March 15. Grade 2 going a mile and a half a furlong. That could tell a tale. Or maybe the hometown San Felipe -- same distance, same grade, same date. Like the way that belt buckle of yours shines, son. Check and double check.

“INTO MISCHIEF!”
“Yo.”
“Yo indeed. Saw you chasin’ Georgie home Sunday. Nice effort, son. Didn’t look to me like you really had your runnin’ shoes tied tight goin’ in, though. You ain’t no slacker now, are you son? That don’t cut it on this trail. Expectin’ more from you next out. Willin’ to bet we get it, too. San Felipe, huh? Oh, my. Now that could be fun. Check and double check.

“YANKEE BRAVO!”
“Yo.”
“Well lookee here. You must be one of those college boys; spent a semester studying in England. Runnin’ on grass. Now you was just runnin’ on it, right son? You like to come motorin’ late, don’t you. Let all the commotion happen early, then come pick up the pieces. There’s somethin’ to that, son. Your daddy was another one who liked it short and hot. But maybe you got a lot of your mommy goin’ on. Anyways, you’re all through playin’ with the frat boys now. First graded stakes comin’ up for you --- the Sham. Your bunkmates here – Colonel John and Crown of Thorns – they’ll be there to tell you ‘hi.’ No jiggity-joggin’ that day, son. We’re talkin’ ‘bout workin’ up a sweat. Check and double check.

“Well now, that about covers it with you serious boys. Know we got a couple other guys in the next barracks that still got their hopes up. We got your COAST GUARD, your GAYEGO, your REFLECT TIMES and your SIGNATURE MOVE, among others. But those fellas got to do some high steppin’ before we move ‘em in to the main hooch. Yeah, yeah, there’s still time. But they better get movin’ if they want to be runnin’. In Kentucky it’s a mile and a quarter without any water and there ain’t no sissies invited for that hike.
“So sweethearts, you’d better hit the rack and lay those bodies down. We’re rollin’ out at 0-dark-30 with some business to take care of. Full canteens. Packs high. No tellin’ how far we might be goin’.”

Join the Discussion

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mike barker

02/13/2008 11:35 am

I cant even get a gauge on any California horses, i wish a few would just ship out to see how they do on a different surface.

mac

02/13/2008 12:34 pm

Just like those horses you see in New Orleans, Hot Springs, Miami and New York, Mike, the California horses have four legs, a tail and a willingness to run. Like those other horses, too, some of the California Boys runs a bit faster than the others. That's the key. Don't get hung up on the track thing too much. Good horses will run on broken glass or hot coals (to trot out a couple of cliches), so Polytrack, Cushion Track, Tapeta or Burma Road Byproducts should not be your focus. Keep your eye on the prize.

mike barker

02/13/2008 9:06 pm

I know one thing is why in the World cant Gulfstream run now?????? What the heck is going on with them and California.. I can see why we cancel here in Ohio its 22 degrees. I bet Santa Anita has canceled more days then they have ran...Gulfstream cant run because of heavy rain WHAT A JOKE...Dont you think if that polytrack was so good for the horses that the Sheiks would have had it before anyone..Sad for horse racing i tell you.

mac

02/13/2008 10:02 pm

The "Sheiks" have installed synthetic training tracks. In several different locations.
Gulfstream, as you know, is a dirt track. If they had to cancel due to rain, they wouldn't have if they'd installed Polytrack. I also note that Aqueduct, Penn National, Beulah and Charles Town shut it down today. It's called weather.

barryrmitchell

02/14/2008 2:30 am

See MAC, now I have to repost my article: WHO CARE FOR SYNTHETIC OR POLYTRACK

This is exactly what I adverse about these day's.

I dont ever recall having races cancelled in the 60's, 70's, 80's, heck even the 90's
Believe me as a pari mutual worker many years ago, my first date of employment at Santa Anita was in the rain, I finally made the line and was placed at the 50.00 dollar window in the club house. Exciting!

[REPOST]
"I have an issue or two with the new surface. Nothing technical, just simply, in 40 years of watching horse racing and 35 years of handicapping, I have never seen a major race put down like a broken horse on the back stretch and van off by the veterinarian.

On conventional dirt, horse engaged in competition and horse jockey got real dirty and tough. It's like the Green Bay Packer and Vince Lombardi days at Lambo Field.
Legends were made in the toughest and harshest environments.

Horse races never cancel; Spectacular Bid won the Santa Anita Handicap in the slurp stuff (greatest race I have seen thus far). John Henry and Perrault in a nose bob at the wire (It was so dark in the rain, the track had no light and only shadows could be seen passing the wire), Forego and Wajima (The Giant Killer) head to head in New York. It was a sight to see the Jockeys come back to the jock room with packs of mud on the silks more then on the boots. The days of two goggles only. The attendant would have to rush to clean the gear before the next race, unless you were Mr. William (Bill) Shoemaker and Mr. Sandy Hawley who could afford a second pair of bottoms and boats.

The slurp is the stuff Champions are made of, here was the defining moments of Championship Racing. Just as much as a change in venue, we need a change in racing surfaces. Mother nature provides the magical moments.

If management is going to make the racing surfaces all equal, then you might as well make all the horses equal weight across the board. "What would the fun be in that?"

So now, management has to make decision which they never were afforded the opportunity in past years, Do we run or cancel. They were powerless in the past and should remain powerless in the future. Management is like the referees which make calls to change the outcome of sports. Football has play review, tennis has play review, basketball has play review, Horse racing has "inquiry". Well I call for and inquiry on management. Let the horses run, What the "Big Deal". Isn't the racing surface the same for everyone anyway!. Let the horses play in the mud, We do call them PIG's when they lose!

You may be thinking this is a plug for conventional dirt races, you would be right!
and don't make a big deal about it either. I have the weight of history on my side. 100 plus years of successful racing in rain, sleet and snow and 35 years of handicapping in the slurppy stuff. Most of my best day's in cashing tickets have come by way of the soup!. Nothing like seeing a front runner air the field by 10+ lengths at 30-1 or better.

You like getting your mail delivered on time right! Well I like to cash my tickets daily in all kind of weather!

mike barker

02/14/2008 9:10 am

I watched a special on cable that the sheiks flew in the same exact dirt for dubai as churchill..

mac

02/14/2008 3:50 pm

Thanks for the benefit of all your years of experience, Barry. It is appreciated and respected.
Couple of things you might consider:
It is a different world now from the times up to 40 years ago you refer to. It is especially so in that we have become a very litigious society. That's the key to much of what goes on in regard to what you're talking about (and in other spheres, too). I have a personal theory that we would do well to shut down all the law schools for about 25 years and let the legal karma balance out a bit. Right now we're pumping out thousands of new lawyers each year and they're all looking for work. Ah, but that's a rant for another day.
Do know that when you see a racetrack cancel its racing, it is usually a case of the riders refusing to ride. Not always, but often, that is the case. And racetracks cannot force the riders -- who are independent contractors -- to do what they don't want to do. The tracks also, out of practicality and issues of good will, do not have a whole new cast of "willing" riders sitting around waiting to fill in. So if the riders say it is unsafe, it is unsafe and the show stops. Easy as that.
Do remember, too, that that is not always the case. Merely think back to the Breeders' Cup last year in New Jersey.
In the matter of synthetic tracks: Although some of the original thinking was that all tracks would become the same -- sort of the cookie cutter effect --- practical experience has show that that is absolutely not true. Each of the synthetic tracks takes differently to its location, environment and its mix. They're all different, just as all dirt tracks are not the same.
Mud form can be great form to bet. I know what you mean there, having grown up in the east and first cut my racing teeth on some classic mud bugs in New Orleans. However, out here in Southern California, especially at Del Mar, we just don't see a whole lot of it.

Mike, if you say you saw a special on dirt being flown into Dubai, I believe you. I also know that those boys have trained on synthetics for years, some of them preferring it more than others. One man's meat, another man's poison.

barryrmitchell

02/14/2008 5:22 pm

Hey Mac, I hear you clearly, I know the difference is the rider's union. Back, back in the day, the rider as independent contractor were not union and organized. Crap!, it hurts the business, but I know it's a pro and con issue. If you ask me as a racing fan, many of the stable rider who are looking for their big break, should cross the lines in this case. Why! for years they have been shut out by the big boy jockey's. Independent Contractor with a heart for monopolizing the saddle.

I know, I sound like a typical republican, break the union. But you said it, its the changing of the times.

Example, what if the Pari Mutual workers say. "It's unsafe to work behind the lines", due to pari mutual machine failures (shock treatment). Their union also RIGHT? Do you cancel racing? As management, you remember the old stamp the ticket "front and back" and cash it.

It worked, didn't it! Racing continues as usual. See this issue of not riding in what is so call hazardous condition is what they are paid to do. How much does a jockey make for min and a half. 10% of purse plus tip on an average amounts to million and millions of dollar. Let's call it hazardous pay.

So tell me MAC, your the owner of a quality thoroughbred, and you have enter your cash baby into a 1 million dollar race. Do you let the jockey dictate the chance for winning the big bucks? "NO" You tell him "rider up" and give him a hand on the boot and say, "don't fall off".

Oh! that right, the BREEDERS CUP was run in hazardous condition last year. Did anyone say CANCEL then? and trust me, Monmouth park was not draining properly.

DOUBLE STANDARDS IF YOU ASK ME. MORE MONEY, I'LL KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT, CLAIMING MONEY, I SCREAMING AT THE EVERYONE.

patbateman

02/17/2008 10:08 am

The breeders cup was horribly bad last year with that sloppy track(maybe they should have cancelled), it was the racing Gods' way of telling us that the World Championships should not ever take place in New Jersey. The owners of George Washington will testify to that.

patbateman

02/17/2008 10:01 pm

Mac, I think Shirreffs has Derby Fever permanently since Giacomo happened.

He will get there with Reflect Times I think, somehow. Maybe Alonzo will snap into shape suddenly. He'll get there somehow. His horses ususally don't peak too early in the season thats for sure. Reflect Times may be a little bit like Giacomo in running style and benefit from the longer distances and the bigger fields and faster paces and the season moves forward. Maybe this year's derby could meltdown like 2005, that would be great for gambling purposes.

mac

02/17/2008 10:49 pm

Could be you're right, Pat. That Derby Fever tends to linger, especially when you've got owners who'll keep giving you bullets to fire.
John S. is like that tank rumbling down the road a five miles an hour. He just keeps coming and coming.