Second Chances: Gulfstream Maiden Watch

--Steve Sherack

TDN’s Racing Editor Steve Sherack reveals a pair of Gulfstream maidens that need to be on your radar.

Silverton Hill’s BIG BLUE SPIRIT (GB) (c, 3, Invincible Spirit {Ire}--Blue Sail, by Kingmambo), a debut second behind subsequent G3 JRA Killavullan S. hero Nephrite (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) for trainer Kevin Prendergast at The Curragh Sept. 25, stamped himself as one to watch following a very promising U.S. debut at Gulfstream Dec. 29 (TDN Video).

Favored at 9-5 while stretching to a mile on grass for conditioner Darrin Miller, the bay was up against it as soon as they sprung the latch, checking shortly after the break. With Johnny Velazquez aboard, the 85,000gns TATOCT yearling purchase quickly rushed up along the rail to reach contention, but had to tap on the brakes once again after finding some traffic on the clubhouse turn. Eighth through a half mile in :49.10, Big Blue Spirit raced under cover while under a tight hold on the turn for home, was finally angled out for run in mid-stretch and came charging late between horses to gamely get the nod for second.

Big Blue Spirit, out of a full-sister to G1 Poule D'Essai Des Pouliches heroine Bluemamba, has been entered in the sixth race at Gulfstream Park Saturday, a 1 1/8-mile $51k maiden special weight on the lawn (Bris PPs). With a five-furlong bullet at Payson in the interim, he is certainly worth a bet at 6-1 on the morning-line.

The bar was set high for COLONIAL FLAG (f, 3, Pleasant Tap--Silk n’ Sapphire, by Smart Strike) even before she set foot in a starting gate.

Skara Glen Stable, W. S. Farish and ENL Stables LLC went to $475,000 to acquire the 3/4-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf victress Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) as a Keeneland September yearling, and she was backed at odds of 9-2 in her Jan. 14 unveiling negotiating a mile on the Gulfstream weeds (TDN Video).

Trained by Michael Matz, she was outsprinted early and settled in eighth while saving ground through fractions of :23.91 and :49.63. Loaded for bear on the far turn, Colonial Flag had nowhere to run once they straightened for home, forcing jockey Julien Leparoux to check hard. The situation didn’t get any better until deep stretch, but once finally clear, the dark bay looked like she was shot out of a cannon to report home fifth, beaten only 3 1/4 lengths.

Better luck next time.

Eclipse Voters Have Some Explaining to Do

By Alan Carasso

   Listen, I am not the smartest guy in the world. I don’t pretend to believe that my opinions are always correct. These aren’t sour grapes. But this year’s Eclipse results were among the most disturbing and unbelievable outcomes that I can remember in the handful of years that I’ve had the honor of casting a ballot.
   First of all, to the eight percent of voters from the various blocs who did not return their ballots, shame on you. Presumably, there were some extenuating circumstances, but if I represented one of the voting blocs, I’d make sure I found out just why.
   Let’s start with the night’s slam dunks. Havre de Grace was a deserving Horse of the Year and champion older mare, and Thoroughbred racing is thrilled to have its queen back for a 5-year-old campaign. The juvenile divisions were formful (though who thought Stephanie’s Kitten over My Miss Aurelia made sense?), and the fact that Royal Delta was not a unanimous selection for 3-year-old filly is nothing short of embarrassing, with no disrespect to Awesome Feather and Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty. The turf divisions went the direction of deserving favorites, and among the human categories, kudos to the voters who gave the nod to Bill Mott, who was quick to credit his sweep of both Breeders’ Cup Classics as the key to his victory.
   Now, the grayer areas. Let me preface this by saying I am a fan of Thoroughbreds and I appreciate a top performance as much as the next guy. But the results from remaining divisions were puzzling, at a minimum. I’ll begin with the least objectionable of the remainder--the 3-year-old colts. By virtue of his win in the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom became just the fourth winner of that race to earn a championship in the last 10 years, and he narrowly outpointed the luckless Caleb’s Posse. The latter was clearly the best sprinter of his age group (and arguably the best sprinter, period), and this voter–and 110 of my colleagues–thought he’d earned the award with wins in the GI King’s Bishop S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, earning figures in each of those events far superior to Animal Kingdom’s Derby. But, you know what? I can live with that result.
   It was a good night for California and Cal-breds Monday. In hindsight, I probably didn’t give Amazombie the credit he deserved for his 2011 campaign, but I still voted for Caleb’s Posse, and I almost wish they’d gone in the Sprint with him to settle this one on the track. The fact that Amazombie won is less surprising to me than the margin of victory. As an aside, I declared that Regally Ready would win the Turf Sprint when he won down the hill at Santa Anita last winter, but was he a better or more talented sprinter than Jackson Bend, who didn’t even get a spot on the ballot? Um, no. I’ll get to the other Cal-bred at the back end of this.
   In preparing to interview Adam Lazarus for a TDN Take Two piece back in October, I reviewed Musical Romance’s record and was struck by her consistency, if not her brilliance. Looking ahead, I thought if you could get past Turbulent Descent in the F/M Sprint, anyone else could win it and why not her? So, when Adam said it was going to take a Powerball jackpot to motivate him to supplement her, I was seriously bummed. Then, when trainer Bill Kaplan posted on his website that they reasoned the F/M Sprint was a chance of a lifetime, I told almost everyone I knew to bet her. Apparently, I don’t know all that many people, because she was 20-1 on the big day and I cashed a nice ticket (thanks, Steve D.!). Now, I am thrilled on a personal level for Adam, more than I can say in words. That Musical Romance not only won the Eclipse, but swamped arguably more accomplished rivals was, to me, the night’s biggest surprise and upset. That said, heartfelt congratulations to Adam!
   And now to Acclamation, who not only won older male but was closest to Havre de Grace in HOY balloting. Wow. What can I say? This blows me away. I love a good turf horse, and his relentless running style led to five wins from seven starts, including the GI Pacific Classic. A great season? No doubt about it. A championship campaign? Can’t see how. In his one trip beyond the borders of California, Acclamation was 10th of 10 in the GIII Charles Town Classic. I’d have gone for Game on Dude, who was one game dude all season long, ahead of Acclamation, but I voted for Tizway. Frankly, I’d have included Tizway in the slam dunk category going in. OK, he was down the field in West Virginia as well, but he returned to run a monster race in the GI Met Mile and silenced his critics by seeing out the nine furlongs of the GI Whitney H. Both races earned Beyers north of 110. Acclamation didn’t run anything close to that. Tizway missed the Jockey Club Gold Cup and was training extremely well for the Breeders’ Cup Classic when he suffered a career-ending injury. The emotional toll it exacted on owner William Clifton and trainer Jim Bond was palpable in phone conversations with each the day of the injury.
   But this isn’t about tears or sentiment or voting with one’s heart. I voted for the fastest horse in training in 2011, whose season was cut short. In the end, I couldn’t take that away from him. Criminal Type and In Excess (Ire) completed the Met Mile/Whitney double in consecutive years in 1990 and 1991, but it hadn’t been done since, and for that, I felt he deserved top billing. He, in fact, got my vote for Horse of the Year.
   Eclipse Award voting can be a very personal exercise, with a wide range of opinions. Here’s hoping it’s never this confusing or disappointing again.

The OTHER Horse of the Year...

-Sarah Andrew

In 2011, Havre de Grace delighted racing fans at five different tracks, from her thriller-diller showdown with Blind Luck in the GII Delaware Handicap (video) to her GI Woodward S. performance at Saratoga, in which she gave the boys a proper trouncing (video).

I have fond memories of photographing the tall, bay daughter of Saint Liam. She is both photogenic and charismatic- I spent as much time admiring her as I did photographing her on the morning of the Woodward. After Havre de Grace's Woodward victory, her jubilant connections brought her back to a little grazing area, where she posed this way and that and treated photographers to a photo session in the fading summer light.

At Monday night's Eclipse Awards, the connections of Havre de Grace accepted the award for Horse of the Year. Owner Rick Porter said, "As many of you know, I've seen the lowest of lows in horseracing. And I've seen a lot of highs. But nothing rivals Havre de Grace. She is the most deserving horse. She is the perfect racehorse, as [trainer] Larry [Jones] has said. She has a great demeanor, an absolutely gorgeous body, a heart as big as America and more ability than any horse that I have ever owned. She puts fire in my belly every time she races. She is just an amazing horse and fits the name Harbor of Grace."

 Just three days earlier, another Thoroughbred with a heart the size of America was awarded Horse of the Year honors. He raced in Australia under the name Hurtle (pedigree), but he's much better known as Neville Bardos. The Danzig grandson didn't show much talent on the turf, and was destined for slaughter, according to trainer and rider Boyd Martin. Neville was purchased for $850, and began his second career as an event horse.

In less than five years, the fiery chestnut went from being a slow racehorse to the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse of the Year and a 2012 Olympic hopeful. But along the way, Neville faced an obstacle like no other. In May 2011, he was in a barn fire that took the lives of six horses. Neville suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, but with the help of his devoted owners and a dedicated veterinary team, his miraculous recovery led him to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England in September, where he finished seventh to cap off a year of unimaginable highs and lows.

I have photographed the team of Neville Bardos and Boyd Martin at both Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and the World Equestrian Games. The pair always sports serious game faces, and can be seen from a mile away, thanks to Neville's blaze, which crosses his face at a rakish angle.

The horse was named for Neville Bartos, a character in the Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read books (and subsequent movie). But Neville the horse is living a life that is beyond cinematic.

Congratulations and best wishes for future successes to the connections of Horse of the Year Neville Bardos AND to Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. There is nothing quite like the heart of a Thoroughbred...

A Guide to Horse Racing iPad Apps

--Brian DiDonato

Get an Apple iPad over the holidays and want to know how you can use it for horse racing and sales? I tried out all the major horse-related apps out there, and while there's a definite lack in quantity, there's no shortage of quality. There are sure to be many new apps introduced over the next few years as tablets become more and more popular, but until then, see below for some of the best apps that are currently available.

All apps featured in this post are free.

Equineline Sales Catalog offers everything you could possibly want for viewing and editing sales catalogs from Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and Standardbred auctions around the world. The features are endless and right on the money--this app was clearly designed by someone who knows what auction buyers, sellers and spectators want and need in an interactive catalog. Once you've downloaded a catalog of your choice from the extensive list of offerings, you can view each page as you normally would, but with a streamlined ease that a regular hard copy can't match. What further sets the app apart from a standard catalog are the ways in which it allows one to mark, edit and categorize pages. The user can add free-hand notes, highlights, underlines or sticky notes. It's also possible to add letter ratings or rate an offering by conformation or veterinary information. Various indexes are available as well as a search function. You can add horses to short lists too, turning each list into its own mini catalog. The app gives you the ability to email annotated pages, and you can even view breeze videos for 2-year-old sales. The only minor issue I had with this app has to do with its writing/highlighting functions. I found it a bit hard to accurately mark exactly where I wanted on a page--using a stylus might correct this.

Equibase Today's Racing is one of several apps featured here that is made for the iPhone, but that runs on the iPad. Touch the "2x" button on the bottom right corner of your screen for a double-sized view that doesn't quite take up the whole iPad screen, but does the job. The graphics of such apps are blurred a bit when blown up, but not enough to have any impact on functionality. The Equibase app offers entries for North American races for the current day as well as the next day, and includes owner, trainer and jockey info as well as morning line odds. There's also a link to purchase handicapping data. Results are available for the previous day as well as the current day, and detailed charts are offered in addition to quick results. Video replays are available for subscription holders. The app also lists scratches and changes for each track for the current day--something that could be very useful when taking your iPad to the track. While this app won't wow you with sharp graphics or features, it's perfectly suitable for looking up what you need to know on the fly.

Racing Post's app, also intended for the iPhone, features European cards and results with significant detail. The race cards include past performance information that can be customized, which is a nice added bonus. Cards are available for the upcoming race day through whatever day is available--usually about a week or so. Results go back about six days and include a fair amount of information. The app's news section lists top stories in chronological order with the most recent news at the top. There's also a video feature section that isn't updated as often. European users can use the app to access and bet through their William Hill account, and there's a link for streaming William Hill radio. This is a useful app for accessing  European racing information regardless of your location, but only European users will have the luxury of taking full advantage of its functionality.

Daily Racing Form TicketMaker helps you structure exotic wagers using the breakthrough methods outlined in Steve Crist's "Exotic Betting." This is another app intended for the iPhone, so it's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it's a very useful tool that gets the job done. It's easy to sort runners into the A, B, C, and X categories and to adjust parameters, and the "callout" function would be useful when placing a bet with a teller at the track. You can also save tickets or email them to yourself or others. The TicketMaker app features a link to the DRF website, but it would be better to simply access the site on Safari--the in-app browser does not address issues of incompatibility between iOS and flash-driven content, so the only difference is a smaller screen. Either way, no Formulator without using some sort of third-party app--I've tried it using the GoToMyPC app and it works well enough.

Hollywood Park's iGoRacing app is only really useful when Hollywood is running, but it is a very aesthetically pleasing app that takes full advantage of the iPad's high resolution screen. Entries, results and changes are available during the meet, and workouts are updated each day for both Hollywood and Santa Anita. There are also some handicapping resources which are a bit more geared to the novice, including a bet calculator for determining the cost of a given wager. One of the app's more appealing functions is live streaming video, which is something hard to come by due to the flash issue on iOS. With a load of information presented in an excellent format, this is a must-have app for the Hollywood Park enthusiast.

The Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup apps haven't, of course, been updated yet for 2012, but both appear like they'll be very useful when the time comes. Don't forget to check them out during the spring and fall respectively.

It's also worth noting that while there is no TDN app, all features on the TDN website are fully functional with Safari. The newsletter itself looks great on the iPad either in Safari or in iBooks, and video replays are compatible with iOS.

Kauto Star, Superstar

--Gary King

It's very difficult, and ultimately unfair to compare horses across different generations. Who really knows if a modern great such as Sea The Stars would have beaten a past legend like Nijinsky II. At the end of the day, it’s almost impossible to remain objective and very often the heart rules the head--for me more than most. However, this is often where the beauty lies.

In my opinion, Kauto Star is the finest National Hunt racehorse of my generation. For those of you who don’t know, Kauto Star won his fifth G1 King George VI Chase at Kempton in Britain, Dec. 26.

Kauto Star is what jump racing is all about. The sport remains extremely popular in Britain and Ireland, and has the ability to make the front pages--highlighted in Friday's TDN. It appears to be part of the social fabric, with the perception being that the smaller owner/breeder has a greater chance of competing against the game’s biggest players. Eight out of ten people on the street in Britain and Ireland would be able to name a jumper, with Kauto Star being the public’s favorite.

He is a unique animal, and his talent shows no signs of abating as he nears the ripe old age of 12. His record breaking achievement at Kempton tops an illustrious career, which also includes two G1 Cheltenham Gold Cups, two G1 Tingle Creeks and four G1 Betfair Chases. I can’t even begin to fathom what this would translate to on the flat. Let’s just say it’s unprecedented.

It has been a privilege to witness Kauto’s remarkable exploits since his unveiling in 2003. His lifetime record of 40-23-7-4 is testament to his ability and remarkable consistency. Denman, Imperial Commander and Long Run have all challenged and briefly surpassed, but none of these horses have been able to match Kauto’s sustained class.

Kauto possesses an extraordinary combination of attributes, something that is rarely seen in the jumping sphere. He has all the quality of a flat horse, combined with the gritty determination and will-to-win of an old fashioned chaser. He did miss a few fences in his younger days, but his jumping has generally been top-notch over the years.

Kauto Star                             Priceform.com

Long Run got the upper hand in last season’s G1 Cheltenham Gold Cup, and may well get his head in front again in March. The steep climb to finish and left-handed track should play to the strengths of the young pretender. However, it would take a brave man to back against the rejuvenated Kauto Star. Many people had written him off, including myself, after he failed to sparkle in a disappointing campaign last season. However, like all great champions Kauto showed that he had a couple of big fights left in him. Could he possibly have a few more up his sleeve?

Time nor tide waits for no man/horse, and the day will come when Kauto Star no longer reigns supreme. He will be replaced and other great horses will go on to challenge his records, and maybe even eclipse them. However, it's extremely unlikely that I will ever see the likes of him again.

Thanks for the memories, Kauto. It has been a privilege.

It Takes a Village: One Mare's Journey Back to the Bluegrass

-Sarah Andrew

Since January 2010, I've photographed well over 2,500 horses in need. I volunteer my time, skill, and camera equipment, and I try to put a face to the "unwanted" horse population. In addition to local rescues and farms, I visit Camelot Auction in Cranbury, NJ every Thursday and photograph the horses who were sold to the feedlot the night before. A group of dedicated horse lovers networks these horses every week, sharing the horses' photos and descriptions everywhere from feed stores to Facebook. The grassroots volunteer effort has made an impact; since November 2009, no horses have shipped to slaughter from this auction. Over 2,800 horses sold privately and have been given one more chance to get out of the slaughter pipeline.

Although there is no way to track every horse and it is unrealistic to believe that they all found their perfect owners, there are countless success stories of horses who found appropriate homes. This is the story of one of those horses.

In mid-April 2011, when Derby Fever was in full swing, I photographed Hip #241, a bay Thoroughbred mare with a big left knee. She was a big-bodied girl with an elegant head adorned by a crooked heart-shaped star. She wore a hand-me-down halter that belonged to another broodmare. Being a sucker for a bay with a pretty face, I spent a little time with her after I did my photos. She was gentle and her doe eyes gave her a look of polite bewilderment.

Each week, the feedlot horses are usually available until the Saturday after the auction. As of Thursday morning, nobody had bought the bay mare. This was her auction description: "#241 15.3 hds 6 yr old mare led thru sweet in the pen no other info given $375.00 (note: this mare has a big left knee)"

Tattoo research revealed that her name was Indian Delight, and she earned $134,560 on the track, running against the likes of Life At Ten, Sugar Swirl, Indyanne, Secret Gypsy, and Persistently. Her last race was in May 2010.

Thursday night, she was still available. Nervous about the mare's welfare, I called TDN Vice President Sue Finley, who assured me that together, we would find her a home. Friday morning rolled around, and the mare was still available. The TDN staff pooled their funds and together, we paid the purchase price for Indian Delight.

Many phone calls were made that week. Through the network of wonderful TDN readers, a few farms offered a home for Indian Delight. With the help of many horse advocate friends, the mare's transportation and a month of quarantine were scheduled. Horses who have entered the auction circuit are recommended to be placed in temporary isolation care to make sure they have not caught any diseases in their travels.

On Kentucky Derby Day, I visited Indian Delight in Pennsylvania at the isolation care facility. She had already picked up a little weight, and her shaggy winter coat was almost gone. The bay mare still had her doe-eyed expression, but this time she looked a little less bewildered by her surroundings.

At the end of her stay at the farm, transportation was again arranged and "our" mare headed to Kentucky to live at Fallbrook Farm. Although they were not the owners or breeders of Indian Delight, Mr. and Mrs. Randal generously offered to take her into their care.

The week before the 2011 Saratoga meet opened, I drove out to Kentucky to visit Indian Delight at Fallbrook. As I headed down up driveway, I could not help but smile at Fallbrook's gently rolling hills of bluegrass and beautiful barns. My smile turned into an ear-to-ear grin when I saw my friend Indian Delight peek her head out of her stall. Gone was her winter fuzz, and it was replaced by her gleaming summer coat, resplendent with dapples. She was the picture of health, a wonderful model for my photos.

Summer turned to fall and the air got cold. In December, I made my way back out to Kentucky to visit Indian Delight, who was sporting a healthy, shiny winter coat and a custom nameplate on her halter. She is still comfortable on her knee. I was delighted to see her in her large paddock, happily rolling, grazing, and playing with her equine friends. Her look of bewilderment from the auction barn is gone, and it has been replaced by a look of contentedness.

This is a story of a lucky mare, but it's also a story of the generosity of the horse community. So many people reached out and played a part, big or small, in finding the best home possible for this mare. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped in the true spirit of horsemanship, and got Indian Delight to Fallbrook, where she is the queen of the farm. It took a village to help one mare get back to the Bluegrass.

It's All About Confidence

--Gary King

The power of confidence in determining market conditions cannot be underestimated. Confidence, or the lack thereof, often encourages irrational behavior and unpredictable decision making. The Thoroughbred industry is no exception. The industry is based on many tangible factors and sound fundamentals, but confidence and opinion appear to dictate.

The results achieved at auctions over recent months highlight this point. Gross, average and median figures soared to record levels in many instances, which was a welcome relief, but somewhat unexpected. Of course, there were several unique factors at play, including quality dispersals at Keeneland November, but much of it was simply down to market confidence. The ball got rolling at Fasig-Tipton in August and just kept on rolling.

What has changed so much in the past 12 months? The short answer is not a whole lot. The industry is still plagued by a number of inherent weaknesses, and the wider macroeconomic environment remains unstable. People just wanted to invest in horseflesh in the latter part of 2011, whether that be weanlings, yearlings or breeding stock. The majority of this was fueled by domestic demand, aided by the usual strong international presence.

Despite the recent upturn, it’s important to prevent complacency setting in. Industry participants have had a tendency to bury their heads in the sand, although this mentality has changed slightly in recent times. Several critical issues need to be addressed, sooner rather than later. Personally, I find the growing reliance on slot money a most worrying development. Gaming companies, that supplement purses in the first few years to gain acceptance will not continue to prop up racing--and why should they? This whole dependency reminds me of the Irish racing industry’s reliance on government funding a few years back. It’s an unsustainable model, and the industry would be better served using it as a crutch while searching for self-financing solutions.

Without question, the recent sales have been a tremendous boost after a few tough years. Breeders, owners, et al. are looking to 2012 with renewed optimism. However, market confidence is very fickle and tends to ebb and flow. The industry has and always will be sensitive to fluctuations due to its very nature. Saying that, a largely self-financed model that promotes quality over quantity would reduce the negative ramifications associated with these swings.