This might be my second to last post ever. I mean EVER. Might do one more after Derby. We'll see. Here is what I know:
This year's version of Road to the Roses is awful. Churchill Downs has stripped it down to a meaningless and boring exhibition. Maybe it will be like it used to be next year? I won't hold my breath.
I'm sitting on 280 points and rank 23rd with my stable. What does that mean? I have no freakin' idea.
Many of you were shut out of setting a stable because the timeline to start one was short and it was a bit confusing this year. I don't really think you are missing out on anything.
Please still contribute to Old Friends. If we somehow still raise $100 that would be great.
After Derby maybe we just e-mail/tweet how many points we earned and declare a winner that way? Whatever.
Goldencents is my Derby horse. I'm not even going to look at the Racing Form this year. Boom.
Let's go out on a great song, covered by great band, in front of a great audience. Enjoy Derby.
Apparently there is no way to start a league. I can't even find a way to find a compiled leader board. Also, I have nothing beside my point tally (though I know it's zero and nothing telling me where I rank). Nice.
In related news, I have changed my mind on this revamp of the Road to the Roses. I'm not liking anything about it. If anybody has any good ideas let me know.
Orb looked good taking the Florida Derby. Lines of Battle also looked the same in UAE Derby. Nothing really stood out for me in either race.
Loved the grit of Revolutionary in the Louisiana Derby. Lots of traffic issues for horses so I don't know what to make of some of those behind. I had Palace Malice and he had significant trouble.
Continue to donate to Old Friends even without our beloved league.
Other News:
Animal Kingdom was very impressive in the World Cup Classic. I love the Dubai World Cup. The whole card is amazing and exciting. They put on a great show there.
D. Wayne Lukas, Calumet Farm, Gary Stevens, Shug McGaughey, Phipps Stables are all prominent in this year's prep races. Is it the 1980s?
I did not see the Kevin Ware injury. I did not watch any replay and never will watch it. I didn't watch the Nerlens Noel injury and never will. I don't watch replays of horse or jockey injuries. Really not a fan of replaying such events.
Your song of the day is Little Fluffy Clouds by Orb. I've always loved this track. Let's go to Sparks! I just dated myself.
Make sure you create your stable by Thursday night. This year there is not late registering as it's a new format and a shortened season.
I just created my stable and it appears as if there is no way to form a league. I'll keep investigating, but so far I haven't found any glimmers of hope. If this is the case, that's not good for us. I really enjoyed having our own league. It made things a bit more fun and helped us keep up with our donations to Old Friends.
If the above is indeed true we have have to get creative on how to create a makeshift league and track who is in, how much money we raise, who wins, etc. My guess is an Excel Spreadsheet will be involved. Welcome to rotisserie league 1995.
At any rate please sign up a stable and make a donation to Old Friends. Thanks to everyone who has already donated. We are off to a good start this year.
I probably won't preview nor post the entries for races this year since we don't need to set our stables. But I'll try to have everyone's favorite Monday Morning Hot Walk posts.
Songs will be involved with posts. Might go with a race tie-in, but am thinking of just posting songs/videos that are pure joy as Derby is pure joy.
How about the Go-Go's live in concert in 1981 at a high school gym in Los Angeles playing an early version of 'Vacation'? Pure joy.
So if you haven't heard yet, the Road to the Roses site has been updated. You can now go in and set your stable. You have until March 28th to do so. The first races are March 30th (Florida Derby, UAE Derby, and Louisiana Derby). Setting up your stable is very easy this year. I don't think it could be much more user-friendly. Let's limit one stable per participant.
I will set my stable sometime this week. After I do I will set the league up and send out the code information so you can join. I'll try to get that our early, but I could get start over-analyzing my picks and it might take until the 28th. At any rate, if you don't join the league by the first races it's fine. The points you earn from your stable will still count.
AND REMEMBER: This is a charitable fundraising league. We play for a purpose and it's Old Friends Equine. It's easy to donate the suggested 'league fee' of $10 on the right side of this blog. Someone donated within day of me posting the new donation widget. Thank you!
Let me know if you have any question along the way. Feel free invite a friend to join us. It's all for a good cause. Have fun setting your stables.
And we're back. Happy Derby Season everyone! I was a little anxious there for a while that this year's Road to the Roses was not going to happen. When they finally announced it I was initially frustrated about the shortened timeline. However, after reading the setup I think it will be good. Though I liked the old season as it kept me engaged with prep races for longer time, (I can only name 2-3 offhand this year) it was also a bit unwieldy. There were so many horses to consider, supplemental drafts, power horses, etc. By the time we made it to the big prep races there were numerous 'contenders' that had turned out to be pretenders and were never heard from again. With this shortened season we'll be focusing only on the major and final prep races and have smaller stables to work with. It should keep the casual fan engaged so they will know all the key horses and prep races while also providing a challenge in selecting horses for fantasy stable nerds.
The Road to the Roses website will be updated and ready on Friday March 22nd and the first races will be on Saturday March 30th. Our league information will soon be available in the top right corner of this blog (right after I set my winning stable). I'll let you know when it's up. We will again be playing for charity. Our dedicated charity is Old Friends Equine, a thoroughbred retirement farm in Kentucky. Check out their website and make sure you submit your 'league fee'/donation of $10 via the widget on the right side of this blog. It will take a couple minutes to donate and all proceeds go directly to Old Friends. I will set up our definitive donation goal after we know how many people we have in our league.
If you know of other people who would like to join please pass the word. More participants equals more fun (or something like that) and it all supports a good cause. As always, feel free to chat it up via the comments on blog posts or through Twitter. You can check out my Twitter feed on the left. What, you aren't on Twitter yet? Facebook is soooooo 2010.
So get ready to set your stables, be on the look out for upcoming league info, make your donation, and let's get some chatter going about this Derby season. Happy Derby!
Congratulations to ULhothot for winning this year's edition of the Old Friends League. As a rookie he took an early lead months ago and never looked back. I'm guessing he's hooked and will join us again next year.
Thanks to everyone who donated to our charitable cause. We actually exceeded our goal. Nice.
Hope everyone had a great Derby. We again our annual party out here in the City of Roses and it was loads of fun.
I look forward to the league again next year. Till then...
Have fun getting the party started with Oaks. We reached our donation goal. Thanks to everyone who donated. Have a great weekend. I'll do a league recap early next week. Until then...Happy Derby!
138th Running of the Kentucky Derby $2,219,600 (gr. I, Race 11, 6:24 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/4 Miles (Dirt) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, Odds
1. Daddy Long Legs (KY), C O'Donoghue, 126, A P O'Brien, 30/1
2. Optimizer (KY), J K Court, 126, D W Lukas, 50/1
3. Take Charge Indy (KY), C H Borel, 126, P B Byrne, 15/1
4. Union Rags (KY), J R Leparoux, 126, M R Matz, 9/2
5. Dullahan (KY), K J Desormeaux, 126, D L Romans, 8/1
6. Bodemeister (VA), M E Smith, 126, B Baffert, 4/1
7. Rousing Sermon (CA), J Lezcano, 126, J Hollendorfer, 50/1
8. Creative Cause (KY), J Rosario, 126, M Harrington, 12/1
9. Trinniberg (KY), W Martinez, 126, B Parboo, 50/1
10. Daddy Nose Best (KY), G K Gomez, 126, S M Asmussen, 15/1
11. Alpha (KY), R Maragh, 126, K P McLaughlin, 15/1
12. Prospective (KY), L Contreras, 126, M E Casse, 30/1
13. Went the Day Well (NY), J R Velazquez, 126, H G Motion, 20/1
14. Hansen (KY), R A Dominguez, 126, M J Maker, 10/1
15. Gemologist (KY), J Castellano, 126, T A Pletcher, 6/1
16. El Padrino (KY), R Bejarano, 126, T A Pletcher, 20/1
17. Done Talking (KY), S Russell, 126, H A Smith, 50/1
18. Sabercat (KY), C S Nakatani, 126, S M Asmussen, 30/1
19. I'll Have Another (KY), M Gutierrez, 126, D F O'Neill, 12/1
20. Liaison (KY), M Garcia, 126 , B Baffert, 50/1 Also Eligible:
My Adonis (KY), E Trujillo, 126, K J Breen, 50/1
Last big races are this weekend. Should be fun. We then have the home stretch of Lexington, Jerome, and Derby Trail.
Big props to Four Roses Stable (small batch and single barrel are both divine) and Shall We Play A Game for significant donations to our Old Friends Trust. With their big help we can easily reach our goal of $220. Let's do this people.
After this weekend there will be one more supplemental draft where you can pick up two more horses. Choose wisely.
I've been chasing points where I hope others aren't and so far that hasn't worked out. Still some time for a big score.
So many easy ways to go for your song of the day (Midnight Crooner, Scatman, Heavy Breathing). But here's what I'd say at the betting window: "Oaklawn, Race 11, give me $100 exact box, #10 w/Kentucky bred Ricky Skaggs. Then add Ashley Monroe with 'em in a $50 tri box. Let it ride."
$750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I, Race 11, 6:18 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/8 Miles (Polytrack)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds
1. Heavy Breathing (KY), C Lanerie, T Pletcher, 12-1
2. Gung Ho (PA), E Prado, M Maker, 30-1
3. Prospective (KY), L Contreras, M Casse, 10-1
4. Hansen (KY), R Dominguez, M Maker, 6-5
5. Russian Greek (KY), M Mena, G Dorochenko, 50-1
6. Dullahan (KY), K Desormeaux, D Romans, 6-1
7. Politicallycorrect (KY), E Trujillo, W Ward, 30-1
8. Midnight Crooner (KY), G Gomez, B Baffert, 15-1
9. Holy Candy (KY), J Rosario, J Sadler, 30-1
10. Howe Great (KY), J astellano, G Motion, 6-1
11. Ever So Lucky (KY), J Leparoux, J Shepphard, 12-1
12. Hero of Order (KY), E Martin Jr., G Dorochenko, 12-1
13. Scatman (KY), S Bridgmohan, M Lauer, 12-1
All will carry 123 pounds.
$1 Million Arkansas Derby (gr. I, Race 11, 5:45 p.m.), 3YOs, 1 1/8 Miles PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, ML Odds
1. Cozzetti (KY), J Lezcano, 118, D L Romans, 15/1
2. Stat (KY), J R Velazquez, 118, T A Pletcher, 10/1
3. Najjaar (KY), C H Borel, 118, D C Peitz, 15/1
4. Jake Mo (KY), M C Berry, 122, A Milligan, 30/1
5. Secret Circle (KY), R Bejarano, 122, B Baffert, 5/2
6. Isn't He Clever (KY), R Albarado, 122, H Dominguez, 6/1
7. Optimizer (KY), J K Court, 118, D W Lukas, 30/1
8. Atigun (KY), T J Thompson, 118, K G McPeek, 30/1
9. Sabercat (KY), C S Nakatani, 122, S M Asmussen, 15/1
10. Raconteur (KY), C P DeCarlo, 122, T A Pletcher, 15/1
11. Bodemeister (VA), M E Smith, 118, B Baffert, 9/5 Blinkers Off: Isn't He Clever, Bodemeister
Quite a few big races on tap this weekend. Keeneland opens today. We are one month away from The Day.
Your song of the day comes courtesy the #5 horse in the Wood Memorial. One of the weirdest and coolest bands ever. Great music, awesome theme and every album cover they the had was amazing. Good luck this weekend.
$750,000 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I, Race 6, 2:30 p.m.), 3YOs, 1 1/8 Miles PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer, ML Odds
1. Creative Cause (KY), J Rosario, M Harrington, 6/5
2. Liaison (KY), R Bejarano, B Baffert, 8/1
3. Holy Candy (KY), A Quinonez, J W Sadler, 8/1
4. I'll Have Another (KY), M Gutierrez, D F O'Neill, 5/2
5. Longview Drive (KY), R A Baze, J Hollendorfer, 12/1
6. Paynter (KY), M Garcia, B Baffert, 12/1
7. Senor Rain (IN), E Flores, P Miller, 15/1
8. Midnight Transfer (KY), M E Smith, C Gaines, 10/1
9. Blueskiesnrainbows (VA), J Talamo, B Baffert, 20/1
10. Brother Francis (KY), G K Gomez, J M Cassidy, 20/1 All carry 122 pounds.
Blinkers Off: Creative Cause, Blueskiesnrainbows
$1 million Wood Memorial (gr. I, Race 9, 5:15 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/8 Miles (Dirt) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, Odds
1. Alpha (KY), R A Dominguez, 123, K P McLaughlin, 5-2
2. Casual Trick (KY), C S Nakatani, 123, N P Zito, 20-1
3. My Adonis (KY), E Trujillo, 123, K J Breen, 8-1
4. Teeth of the Dog (KY), J Bravo, 123, M R Matz, 15-1
5. Street Life (KY), J Alvarado, 123, C C Brown, 4-1
6. Gemologist (KY), J Castellano, 123, T A Pletcher, 8-5
7. Tiger Walk (KY), J R Velazquez, 123, I Correas IV, 15-1
8. The Lumber Guy (NY), C H Velasquez, 123, M E Hushion, 8-1
$500,000 Illinois Derby (gr. III, Race 9, 5:46 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/8 Miles (Dirt) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Romancing the Gold (PA), I Ortiz, Jr., 122, J C Englehart
2. Hakama (KY), J Pimentel, 122, M J Trombetta
3. Ring It Up (KY), L Wade, 122, C Richard
4. Currency Swap (FL), S Bridgmohan, 122, T M Pompay
5. Pretension (NY), J Santiago, 122, C W Grove
6. Skyring (KY), R A Vazquez, 122, D W Lukas
7. Saturday Launch (KY), C A Emigh, K G McPeek
8. Z Rockstar (OK), Q Hamilton 122, D K Von Hemel
9. Fastestwhogetspaid (ON), I Ocampo, 122, B Williamson
10. Frankie Is Rock (KY), E E Perez, 122, R Aguilar
11. Our Entourage (KY), E Castro, 122, T A Pletcher
12. Morgan's Guerrilla (KY), R Napravnik, 122, M J Maker
13. Done Talking (KY), S Russell, 122, H A Smith
14. Slamit (FL), C Hill, 122, T A Ice
Also Eligibles:
Explain (KY), F C Torres, 122, B H Cox
Arm Force (KY), E Castro, 122, E G Harty
Defiant Flyer (TX), S B Martinez, 122, L P Davis
$250,000 Bay Shore Stakes (gr. III, Race 8, 4:38 p.m.), 3YO, 7 Furlongs
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Trinniberg (KY), W Martinez, 120, B Parboo
2. Perfect Trippi (FL), C S Nakatani, 116, D L Romans
3. Copy My Swagger (KY), D Cohen, 116, D Jacobson
4. Phil Dancer (PA), C H Velasquez, 120, R E Reid Jr.
5. King and Crusader (MD), M J Luzzi, 120, R E Dutrow Jr.
6. Hardened Wildcat (KY), J Alvarado, 120, C C Brown
7. Maan (KY), J Castellano, 116, E Kenneally
8. How Do I Win (KY), J R Velazquez, 116, T A Pletcher
Here's a list: horse racing, basketball, bourbon, bluegrass music, country ham (hell, throw in coal and tobacco for good measure). If you are a Kentuckian you should either love, like, have an affinity for or at least appreciate all those things. If not you need to turn in your native card.
Still stuck at $70 in our charity venture. We can do better than this people.
Union Rags and El Padrino hooking up in the Florida Derby along with Take Charge Indy and others is going to be fun.
The Louisiana Derby is being run on Sunday. That's a good idea Fair Grounds.
Remember if you haven't picked up horses in the 1st supplemental draft yet this weekend might be a good time to do that.
Great to hear Bob Baffert is recovering well from his health scare. Love Bobby B.
I have a dream: At the end of the big game on Saturday I just hope that whatever happens the fans, the bands, the cheerleaders, the teams are smart and civil enough to join arm and arm and join in a rendition of 'My Old Kentucky Home' just at they first did in Knoxville in 1983. It's a pipe dream, but it's my dream.
Our song today was written by the great Florence Reece during the Harlan County, Kentucky coal mining wars of the 1930s. If you haven't seen the film Harlan County USA...you must. It's an amazing document of an important part of Kentucky history. Good luck this weekend.
$1 million Florida Derby (gr. I, Race 11, 5:40 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/8 Miles (Dirt) PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer 1. Fort Loudon (FL), L Jurado, S Gold
2. News Pending (KY), R Maragh, D Romans
3. Take Charge Indy (KY), C Borel, P Byrne
4. Neck 'n Neck (KY), E Prado, I Wilkes
5. Z Camelot (KY), J Bravo, D Romans
6. Union Rags (KY), J Leparoux, M Matz
7. Bartolome (KY), J Castanon, J Garoffalo
8. El Padrino (KY), J Castellano, T Pletcher
9. Reveron (KY), E Trujillo, A Bezara All horses will carry 122 pounds
Louisiana Derby
Fire Alarm, Miguel Mena, 20-1
Windsurfer, John Velazquez, 12-1
Finnegans Wake, Corey Lanerie, 15-1
Flashy Sunrise, Rajiv Maragh, 30-1
Cigar Street, Shaun Bridgmohan, 7-2
Shared Property, Leandro Goncalves, 10-1
Mr. Bowling, Robby Albarado, 2-1 (entry)
Mark Valeski, Rosie Napravnik, 2-1 (entry)
Arm Force, Julien Leparoux, 20-1
Comisky's Humor, Richard Eramia, 20-1
Z Dager, Shane Sellers, 8-1
Rousing Sermon, Mike Smith, 6-1
Hero Of Order, Eddie Martin Jr., 30-1
Afford, James Graham, 15-1
This guy knows a guy who looks like the lead singer of Spin Doctors
I'm still in a great mood. This could end anytime so enjoy it while it's here.
We have $70 in our in our fundraising efforts. We have 22 stables in
our league. Don't need to be a math major to understand there's a
discrepancy here. It supports a good cause, it's fast, it's easy, it's
secure, it all goes straight to Old Friends, you can do it anonymously,
etc. Let's get it done people.
Remember to pick up three more horses in your stable between now and Derby Day. The supplemental draft opened this last Monday so it's your chance to enhance your stable.
Derby preps will be on NBC Sports Network Saturday. No information on what they are showing, but something will be on. Great marketing there.
Two decent races this weekend in the Sunland Derby and Spiral Stakes. Sunland is a grade III race....with an $800,000 purse. Slots, slots, slots!
And now your song for the weekend. Something fun, reference a prep race, some Derby tie-in, ah-ha. So see that #5 horse in the Sunland Derby? I hear this song and BOOM I'm magically in Louisville, Kentucky in the spring of 1993. Remember that Derby Sea Hero Stables? Of course you do. Good luck this weekend.
I hope those cigarettes are gonna make you cough.
$800,000 Sunland Derby (gr. III, Race 12, 5:45 p.m.), 3YOs, 1 1/8 Miles PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Castaway (KY), R Bejarano, B Baffert
2. Ender Knievel (KY), J R Velazquez, T A Pletcher
3. Stirred Up (VA), M Garcia, B Baffert
4. Isn't He Clever (KY), L Contreras, H Dominguez
5. No Spin (KY), C Hill, T A Ice
6. Daddy Nose Best (KY), J R Leparoux, S M Asmussen
7. Tequila Factor (KY), M Hernandez, C L Wilson
8. Justanoldsong (KY), R Eikleberry, D Wolochuk All carry 122 pounds.
$500,000 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III, Race 10, 5:45 p.m.), 3YO, 1 1/8 Miles (Polytrack) PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer 1. Russian Greek (KY), C S Nakatani, 123, J Hollendorfer
2. Red Jack (KY), M Pedroza, 123, D W Lukas
3. Heavy Breathing (KY), J Castellano, 123, T A Pletcher
4. Went the Day Well (NY), J R Velazquez, 123, H G Motion
5. Holiday Promise (KY), J Alvarado, 123, T A Pletcher
6. All Squared Away (KY), L Contreras, 123, P Miller
7. Ill Conceived (PA), S Elliott, 123, J C Servis
8. Coach Royal (KY), F Jara, 123, J Sallusto
9. Tizanexpense (KY), V Lebron, 123, M J Maker
10. Mr. Prankster (KY), R Napravnik, 123, M J Maker
11. Stealcase (KY), R Maragh, 123, M E Casse
12. Handsome Mike (KY), J Rosario, 123, D F O'Neill
Gulfstream is apparently our fave Derby prep series. Surprised. New poll is up.
Secret Circle did what he was supposed to do in the Rebel and I like what I saw. He sat in 3/4, cruised a while and was confident to weave through traffic around the far turn and take control. Beyer Figure of 92 might be a little lower than what I'd like, but still within range.
Optimizer! Wow. Anyone care to comment on that blazing stretch run to nail place?
Top two in our league continue to be ULhothot and People of Iowa's Stable, but The Esper Rose and Morning Dew Stable took big leaps this week.
Derby Love has now been updated for 2012. It's one of my favorite Derby blogs, but I'm biased because Sea Hero Stables (who runs the site) was my college roommate at UofL. However, it's new and improved and definitely worth checking out. And there's a chance to see 19YO Kentucky Bred. Man, I need to work out more.
Brown Squirrel Stable alerted me of NBC possibly asking Churchill Downs to move Derby later into the evening in the future. I actually love the idea. Love Breeders' Cup under lights and the Dubai World Cup is an awesome spectacle. Just scared to death to have that many drunk people in darkness. Infield would be out of control.
Vinery Racing Spiral, Rushaway, and Sunland Derby up this weekend. Still miss Spiral Stakes being called the Jim Beam Stakes and am still amazed it was once call Galleryfurniture.com Stakes.
Had a great weekend. Best thing that happened? Hmmm....Oh, I found out UPS doesn't disrespect or hate me. Thank you UPS.
Enjoy Kentucky bred Nappy Roots singing bout the world, but still never forgetting where they are from.
.JPG)
.JPG)
