IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY...

Monday, January 5, 2009

IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO SAY...

Canadian stallion Alfaari (Danzig-Life's Magic) succumbed to infirmities of age and was euthanized at Road's End Farm in British Columbia on December 18.

John Franks had enlisted me to syndicate the horse in Canada. Alfaari had been purchased privately from Darley after showing a trace of talent in England. Franks had done well with another Danzig stallion bought in England: Lost Soldier, sire of the celebrated sprint champion Lost In The Fog.

Alfaari needed a procedure done on his breathing and was turned over to Jerry Hollendorfer who got him stakes-placed in California, enough credential for a regional stallion.

Alfaari was as good looking a horse as you will find, 16.1 hands, good bone, balance and a handsome face to befit a $500,000 yearling.

I figured I'd drop a note to Major Dick Hern and get some background on the horse that might be useful in promotional material. No such luck. Writing from his Lambourn headquarters, Hern said, "In reply to your query about Alfaari I'm afraid that he had very moderate form on the racecourse. A big strong good looking horse, I'm afraid he was of only very moderate ability. Temperament good and a good action but he had 'a bad case of the slows.'

I am sorry I cannot be more encouraging but you asked me to tell you the truth and I have done so."

Hern was in a wheelchair after a hunting accident. Overseeing some 200 horses in training is tough enough for an able bodied trainer. Hern, best known in these parts as trainer of the champion sprinter Dayjur, might have overlooked something. I knew Alfaari was capable of attending sub-:45 half-miles at the races and could run and win going long on dirt or turf. It wasn't hard to dismiss Hern's implied warning that Alfaari could not outrun a fat man, an American translation for bad case of the slows.

Enough said after Alfaari got a stakes-winning sprinter in his first crop named Rampaging Alf who was good enough to beat top sprinters at Hollywood and Santa Anita. Alfaari went on to achieve regional success and his daughters are already showing signs of ability.

The whole episode got me thinking about my favorite epithets of dismissal heard round the
racetracks of the world. Some trainers cannot teach a hungry rat to eat cheese or get ivy to grow up a wall, or teach Lassie to bark.

Jockeys may not be able to ride a boxcar with both doors closed. They might also look as if they are mating a football. A few camp followers would rather steal a dollar than earn two.

Got any other favorites out there you'd like to share?

HARK THE HERALD, ANGEL SINGS

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

HARK THE HERALD, ANGEL SINGS

Back in my newspaperman days (1967-73) my first assignment was to cover the racing beat at Fair Grounds for the New Orleans States-Item, the pm daily not to be confused with today's Times-Picayune. The SI is no more but memories persist.

One such is the 1967 Louisiana Futurity which was contested on Christmas Eve. Heavy favorite Hark The Herald won easily. My story next day came with one of the best headlines I've ever seen.

You see, Hark The Herald was trained by Angel Barrera. Thus, Hark The Herald, Angel Sings.

Angel was one of three Barrera brothers who escaped Castro's Cuba and made their way to the United States. Laz we all know as the tutor of the last horse to win the Triple Crown, Affirmed.
He's in the Hall of Fame and deservedly so.

Oscar Barrera might more properly be relegated to a Hall of Shame. His shenanigans turned New York racing on its head in the 1970s. Barrera- trained horses routinely went from claiming races to stakes races. Oscar's charges seemingly defied all logic. He might win three races in one week with the same horse! Whatever secret ingredients they might have needed was a secret the trainer took to his grave.

Angel spent his adult life on the Fair Grounds-Detroit rotation and kept a low profile. Every morning you would find him outside his barn under a pork pie hat and sunglasses, running cold water over the ankles of one of his runners.

You don't see much of that these days. Sherrill Ward and Forego come to mind as similar practitioners of a long gone therapy.

Ward in fact became embroiled in a medication controversy involving San Roque who finished second in the 1969. New Orleans Handicap. Several trainers were cited when traces of a new and powerful pain-killer Talwin were detected. Those implicated were all veterans with clean records and the case eventually was dropped. A trainer patient enough to run cold water for hours out of a hose is not usually a medication trainer. Ward's many backers were relieved.

DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION

Monday, December 22, 2008

DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION

Did you happen to notice that there was no Peb cartoon on the cover of Daily Racing Form on October 25, Breeders' Cup day? Evidently not many people were aware of its absence for the first time in the history of Breeders' Cup.

The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. The 82-year-old Frenchman (a dual US citizen) graced the pages of the paper for five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world.

The still lively octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years completed two Kentucky Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and others at Belmont and Aqueduct.

Peb's body of work earned him an Eclipse Special Award in 1980. His whimsical, impish humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. Race fans started the day with a smile when they picked up Daily Racing Form and saw Peb's work on the cover.

His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.

Peb's art adorns the walls of the world's top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one at Gallagher's Steak House, just down W. 52nd Street from the offices of the Morning Telegraph, antecedent of Daily Racing Form. It depicts a mob of well known celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You won't miss Josephine Baker.

Still, it's a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legions of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector's edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.

Peb has a few new irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won't need to stand in any baguette lines.

DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSION

Did you happen to notice that there was no Peb cartoon on the cover of Daily Racing Form on October 25, Breeders’ Cup day? Evidently not many people were aware of its absence for the first time in the history of Breeders’ Cup.

The Form chose to cut ties with beloved artist Pierre Bellocq, citing financial reasons, late in the Saratoga meeting. According to Peb, two DRF employees traveled to his home in Princeton, NJ to deliver the news that he was through. The 82-year-old Frenchman was offered a year’s salary as severance after five decades as the preeminent sporting artist in the world. He also was asked, he said, to sign a promise that he would not “trash” The Form in public.

Not being the type of person to trash anybody, the octogenarian is currently painting a mural at Del Mar. He has in recent years done two Derby themed murals at Churchill Downs and another at Belmont Park

Peb’s whimsical humor brought to life the unique world of Thoroughbred racing. A racing fan started the day with a smile when he picked up The Form and saw Peb’s work on the cover.

His talent was not limited to horses. He was hired by Daily Racing Form owner Walter Annenberg to draw cartoons on the editorial page of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was once nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He also joined his son Remi, a cartoonist in his own right, in helping create an international circuit for amateur riders.

Peb’s art adorns the walls of the world’s top racetracks and numerous private collections, including one of Gallagher’s Steak House, just down W. 52nd from The Morning Telegraph. It depicts a mob of recognized celebrities partying in the famed eatery. You.won’t miss Josephine Baker.

Still, it’s a pity that Peb did not get the sendoff he deserved. His legion of fans would have filled Saratoga to say good-bye. A collector’s edition would have sold out thousands of Daily Racing Forms. T-shirts of the elfin Gallic humorist would be all the rage.

Peb has a few irons in the fire at the moment with various racing entities. He won’t need to stand in any baguette lines.

TIME IS ON MY SIDE, YES IT IS

It will soon be the 19th anniversary of Sunny Blossom’s setting a new track record at Santa Anita in the Palos Verdes Handicap, six furlongs in 1.07.1. He flew the colors of Santa Barbara Stables, a band of racing enthusiasts rounded up by your humble scribe to try our luck with the big boys.

In the Los Angeles Times the next morning columnist Allan Malamud scoffed at that record as nothing more than a fluke on a super fast track. Basic handicapping skill said otherwise and I said so in a note to Allan. A decent claiming horse also won at six furlongs that day and needed 1.11 and change to do it. I pointed out to Allan that I had never seen such a spread over the same distance on the same day anywhere, let alone Santa Anita. Nobody else ran faster than usual that day, only Sunny Blossom.

To my delight, Allan wrote in his next column that I had persuaded him. Journalists are not readily found apologizing for the record. That no one has equaled that feat since is all the testimony needed that it was indeed an extraordinary performance.

How the landscape has changed since that golden after in 1989. Allan Malamud died much too young and the Los Angeles Times now barely acts as if racing exists.

I got to thinking the other day about track records of other horses in my care. Champion Speightstown could motor and equaled the six furlong standard of 1.08 at Saratoga.
Champion Chilukki sped a mile in 1.33.2 at Churchill Downs. Speightstown was bought at Keeneland for $2 million; Chilukki was a weanling when I bought her dam. Now that was luck!

Harmony Lodge was a great Gr. I performer who did not set any records but came close on occasion. This spring I found Broadway Hennessy and bought her because I thought she was the spitting image of Harmony Lodge, also by Hennessy. She broke the 5 ½ furlongs record at Golden Gate Fields first time out.

Sunny Blossom was found at Woodbine and there were plenty more speedy Canucks to be had at the right price. Slyly Gifted won the 11 furlongs Canadian Derby two weeks after taking the Longacres Derby at 1 3/16 miles. Both records still stand.. He was ridden by the ill-fated Ron Hansen whose body washed ashore in San Francisco Bay some years later in an unsolved murder case.

Bold Laddie was the first stallion project that I was involved in. The smallish son of Boldnesian broke down in a quest for the British Columbia Derby by the Jawl family of Vancouver Island. Bold Laddie’s progeny won over $10 million and he sired more than 30 stakes-winners, huge numbers for that part of the world’s limited opportunities.

Bold Laddie passed on stamina as well as speed. Lil Ol Gal set a world record for 3 ½ furlongs at two. I bought her for John Franks as a 4-year-old and she went on to win Woodbine stakes.

Laddie’s Prince was another versatile sort who set standards three times at two miles or longer.

Our latest speedster is Home For Harlan who broke the 6 ½ furlongs mark at Woodbine. He found the Toronto surface more congenial than his first few tries in California. He won again the other day in 1.08 and change.

After I bought him his trainer evidently was talking smack about my purchase, implying that I was either stupid or dishonest. It’s a good thing that the finish line speaks louder than jive,
He who laughs last, laughs best.

VIVE LE GUINNESS

Jonathan Sheppard’s habit of feeding Guinness to Forever Together drew plenty of comment when she romped home in the Breeders’ Cup filly race on turf. Seasoned Cup watchers remembered a similar dietary tactic employed by Clive Brittain in winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf with the glorious runner Pebbles.

Irish jockey Pat Eddery exuded confidence about Pebbles defeating colts all week long.
“Never mind the Guinness,” he told me one chilly morning at Aqueduct. “If you’re a betting man, empty your pockets on her.”

Eddery certainly rode as if his pockets were empty, squeezing through a miniscule gap to pip a startled Strawberry Road and Steve Cauthen. Guinness by a head, you might say.

Not a very ladylike drink, that, but one that can get you safely past the winning post without worrying the authorities.

A few years later, I was in England on a tour with former Daily Racing Form columnist Wally Wood who hosted a tour to the Prix de la Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. He let me tag along, gratis, as long as I could pick a winner or two for the busload of pilgrims.

I say “pilgrims” because we decamped in Canterbury to enjoy some sport in Wally’s home country. We went off to Lingfield which offered racing on a newfangled surface called Polytrack. On a raw day we spent most of the afternoon in the bar, braving the elements just long enough to engage in a punt with the bookies.

I was off my game until the last race, a two-mile handicap. Who was in the field but a Clive Brittain runner by Jupiter Island. Brittain had trained that horse to win a Japan Cup.

Obviously, this fellow knew a little bit about training for stamina. The Brittain runner went off l8-to-1 and came home a galloping winner. I wish I could remember whether the race was on dirt or Poly but, never mind, we got the money and caroused our way through every country pub we could find.

Chaucer would have approved.

We sailed on the Dover-Calais ferry on a sunny autumn day—a Canadian World War II veteran sang “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover”-- as we sailed towards the Normandy coast.

We hit Paris with a replenished bankroll. Cash Asmussen let us know that he would not be beaten aboard Suave Dancer; every Englishman at Longchamp that day laid it in on Generous who looked clearly over the top.

Our gang filled their saddlebags at 6-to-l on Suave Dancer while Cash conducting a press interview in French and English, one of the coolest things I’ve seen a jockey do after a big race.

FROM WEANLINGS TO "WINLINGS"

Autumn weanling sales take the stage in a few days. Buying young horses for resale a year later is a specialized skill. Now and then I give it a go and have a pretty good track record from small numbers.

In each of the years l998-2000 I bought only one weanling. Two of them were bought with a racing career in mind. The third was earmarked for a pinhook. The results were wildly successful, to say the least.

In l999 I purchased a filly by Cat’s Career for $38,000 at Keeneland. She was out of a mare by leading sire Storm Cat. She earned $280,000 at the races as Galatea Cat..

The next year I spent a measly $3500 to acquire Fourth Floor. I knew the family intimately, having for a brief period owned his half-sister, eventual Gr. 1 winner Lazy Slusan. Fourth Floor was a running machine who earned over $340,000 before being claimed.

Class of 2000 found us procuring a son of Langfuhr named Paradise Dancer for $l0,000.
He failed to grow and we took it on the chin when we sold for only $7,000. He has made almost $600,000 and is still campaigning in stakes company.

Still, you can hardly do better than buy three horses for $5l,500 and see them go on to earn $l.2 million.

Self interest forces me to persuade you to have me try to do the same for you. There is a huge supply to choose from and all expectations point to a buyer’s market. The climate for resale next September seems likely to be more optimistic than the current chaos in the financial markets.

CUPS RUNNETH OVER

Four Star Sales had a number of Breeders’ Cup contestants run well at Santa Anita before shipping back to Kentucky for sale at the upcoming auctions at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland.

Curlin was the featured performer and it pained us (and millions of others) to see him falter in the final yards.
It’s unlikely that defeat did any harm to his half-sister Deputy who is selling under our banner at Fasig-Tipton on November 2 in foal to Curlin’s sire, the mighty Smart Strike.
Deputy’s 2008 colt by Fusaichi Pegasus precedes his dam into the ring.

Munnings did not reproduce his stellar early form in the Juvenile but should bounce back and become a 3-year-old to reckon with.. Another Fasig-Tipton offering is his dam, La Comete in foal to his sire, Speightstown.

City Style garnered fourth money in the Juvenile Turf. His dam Brattothecore sells at Keeneland as Hip 2970, in foal to the young Sunday Silence stallion Hat Trick.. I had the pleasure of purchasing both Brattothecore and her damsire Katahaula County. We privately purchased the pair for under $50,000.

Brattothecore was bred by Bill and Susan Stewart in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. They are among the very few breeders still active in that area and their stress on quality has produced a number of fine horses who thrived outside the province. The interior of BC is cowboy country and it takes true grit to spend the winter foaling mares.

We recall visiting the Stewarts some years back when the mercury dipped to about 30 below zero (Celsius or Fahrenheit, take your pick at that level) and the couple spent the night in the foaling barn. It snowed that night belt buckle deep to a tall cowpoke I was somewhat more comfortable in the farmhouse.

Good sense prevailed a few years later and they relocated to the charming border town of White Rock, BC.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Four Star proudly presents Honey Ryder, the leading money winner at Fasig-Tipton with some $2.8 million in earnings. She sells in foal to Giant’s Causeway.

Stablemate and fellow Grade I millionaire Panty Raid further grace our consignment. The American Oaks victress sells as a broodmare prospect.

Stakes mares Final Fling, Graeme Six, Truly Blushed, Wild Chick, Bold Passage, and Devil House round out our stellar collection.

High Fly is a 2008 half-sister to She’s All Eltish from the second crop of Florida Derby (G I) winner.

COLLECTUS INTERRUPTUS

One would think by now that I could remember to check my ticket each time I make a bet. An alert mutual clerk once helped me locate an errant winning ducat during the Keeneland spring meet. It seems that I had neglected to pick it up from the machine and the next player had it included in his stack of new bets. It would have cost me $700 had we not recovered it.

Last week I was on the chase of the $3 million Belmont Pick-6. I put in a $500 ticket using three horses in the first leg. As is my habit, I then boxed those same three horses, winning I thought, about the same $500. It’s a good way to hedge and I happily set off to collect. But it seems that the clerk had not punched the trifecta for Belmont, but rather for Keeneland. I failed to notice it because I did not check my ticket.

I offer this as a cautionary tale that might save you a bundle one day. Certain habits you just have to create like flossing, seat belt usage, checking your pari-mutuel tickets.

MAKING THE GRADE

Our fingerprints were evident last weekend when some major Breeders Cup preps were contested. We supplied strategy for breeding two of them, Frizette (G 1) third place finisher Gemswick Park and the Gr 3 third Carnacks Choice.

Gemswick Park is out of Queen’s Park (Relaunch), a filly of modest talent but good enough to win black-type in Winnipeg at my recommendation. She is from one of the foremost families in the stud book and is worth a small fortune.

Carnacks Choice is a son of Ellesmere (Tabasco Cat), another average racer who was shipped off to Fort Erie to become stakes-placed. I had bought Ellesmere when she was the first yearling into the ring at Saratoga.

Gemswick Park and Carnacks Choice demonstrate the importance in assessing residual value. Not everyone is good at it. We thrive on it and have the record to prove it.

Four Star Sales marketed two-year-old star Munnings who finished second in the Champagne (G 1). His dam is included in Four Star’s stellar Fasig-Tipton consignment November 2.

Grade 1 winners Honey Ryder and Panty Raid head the parade of high class mares which also includes graded performers Final Fling and Graeme Six.