The Racing Gods Speak

On Easter Sunday, there is a meeting taking place. The pantheon of greats convene about what is going in the world of sports. Our Lord designates the best in their area to oversee games on Earth. He has plenty on his plate taking care of all of His children. These professional have some things to say today, and it may be worth a listen to get yourself in check.

The Racing Gods have all seated, and you may know some of the members. Seated to the far left is Bobby Frankel, Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Ben Jones, Henry Cecil, and the newest member, H. Allen Jerkins. “I’m your warm and fuzzy chairman, Charlie Whittingham. So with out further delay, and wasting more time. Sit back, shut-up, and let’s get moving. Here are a list of things we want fixed right now, or there won’t be a Triple Crown winner for 100 years.”

 

Social Madness

We know this is waste of time, but a needed waste of time. The future of the sport depends on getting out the message in real-time and not reading it weeks later. The “Eagle” stands up and speaks to a room which could hear a pin drop. “Now, what the hell is all of this comparison stuff? People guise their stance as a “debate,” and act as if they are the judge. What the hell are you thinking? Every runner did what they had to do to win, and you can’t tear them down. No more of this crap, or we’ll banish Facebook from the forum.” It’s fair to ask a question of who you liked and why, but not to be slammed by a know-it-all? Everyone sees it different, and give me a call when you can tell by bloodlines what horse will enjoy the kick back, the 100,000 fans, the noise, getting cut off at the half, or being trapped on the rail. Racing is a world within a world, and there are no wrong answers, unless Richard Dutrow starts talking.

 

Guess Who’s Back?

There are people who make things happen, watch things happen, and wonder what happened. Then there are the few who stand up and do their thing. They couldn’t care what you think, and they get results. I once heard about a New York tough guy setting a record of pissing people off. Welcome back, John Parisella. No matter how he does is irrelevant. He’ll bring color and enthusiasm. “Kick things up a notch, John. The sport needs a little action.”

 

How do you say his name?

Muumuu? Mustafa? Mama Mia? Naaah. How about Mubtaahijj? Trainer Mike de Kock is a genius. He doesn’t take crap, and only brings them ready. I don’t know what to make of this desert runner, but if the UAE Derby is any indication. I think we have our hands full while we’re arguing about a bunch a talented runners yet to be tested. The way he kicked off the rail and opened up by daylight took me back. Ever since they took him off the turf, he found his way. Winning easily going 1 3/16, wrapped up the last 1/8th is good enough to take seriously.

 

If you’ve been under a rock

Keeneland has gone back to dirt after the ‘poly experiment” that began in 2006. With the dirt oval in full effect, you can use the following on your tickets and thank me later:

Trainers

Ken McPeek

Wesley Ward

Chad Brown

Todd Pletcher

Al Stall

Mike Maker

Kellyn Gorder

Dale Romans

D. Wayne Lukas (Good for a bomb or two)

Nick Zito (Same as Mr. Lukas)

 

Riders

James Graham

Jose Lezcano

John Velasquez

Rajiv Maragh

Julien Leparoux

Shawn Bridgmohan

Corey Lanerie (claimers)

Paco Lopez

Cisco Torres

B.J. Hernandez

 

“That is all we have right now. Oh, don’t worry. If I need to take you aside and have a meeting. Rest assured I’ll be there. Just treat everyone fairly, and let’s not get in the habit of judging the outcome of races on paper. That’s why they run them. Keep an open mind these next weeks, or that Derby Fever bug will bite like a rattler. Read all you can, but don’t get caught up in what happened last year, or the last ten as a barometer of finding winners. Each year is different, records are meant to be broken, three-yr.-olds with no two-yr.-old season can win, and horses can’t read. They don’t know where they were foaled. Just don’t let the bright lights get in your eyes this close to the race.” Best of luck, and we’ll be watching.