Horse Society Magazine

The Preakness was not going to be outdone in the surprise department by the Derby this year… Rachel Alexandra became the first filly to win The Preakness since 1924!

Calvin Borel rode the filly to his second victory in the Triple Crown thus far. His last horse, Mine That Bird (as well all know, this years Kentucky Derby winner) took second, but not without a fight to the finish, with Rachel Alexandra winning by a lead. Borel is planning to ride what he calls “The best horse in the country right now (Alexandra)” at Belmont, however her status in the race is still unclear.

Stumbling out of the gate Rachel Alexandra stuck her head out around the first turn and wouldn’t give way.

Just like any good female Rachel Alexandra had some big challenges to overcome, her owners weren’t even going to enter her in the race. They thought fillies should only race against their own gender… guess the saying proves right.. “Anything you can do, I can do better”.

-Stacey Leasca

-Stacey Leasca

Hope you got a phone call into Ms. Cleo and her psychic network, or at least talk to your really intuitive friend yesterday before placing your bets because Mine That Bird pulled off one of the greatest underdog rallies of the past 100 years of derby history. To make this story even more unbelievable Mine That Bird is a Gelding, and is the first Gelding to win a derby since 1929.

Sent at 50-1 odds Mine that Bird ran through the muddy track to win a 6 3/4 length victory (according to the NTRA his usual margin of victory is just over a length). This small horse with only 2 previous starts before him was squeezed out of the starting gate before finding his spot on the rails. Luck was not the only thing on Birds side, he also had famed jockey Calven Borel to steer him in the right direction.

God I love a good surprise!!

A huge congratulations to our friend, and new Hall Of Famer Bob Baffert and his horse Pioneer Of The Nile for their impressive second place finish.

Dear HSM blog readers,
This is my open love letter to you because without you, there would be no Thoroughbred Racing.

My entire life I have been an animal lover. I must admit I am one of those girls who would pamper her pooch (my golden retriever Tucker lived a better life than most people, my horse Tourist ate only the finest foods, apples from organic farms and carrots grown fresh at my moms, and when sick I literally slept in the barn with him). I’ve always loved all animals, big and small, and I will not wear fur and I have not eaten meat since I was 9. Currently living in Madrid, Spain I am not able to bring myself to see a bull fight, regardless of how beloved it is by the majority of Spanish people. So when recently presented with the follow question I gave the following answer;

“So if you love animals so much how can you love horse racing?”

I looked at the British girl asking the question and told her I never really thought about it before. I certainly would not put bull fighting in the same category of Thoroughbred racing. But I am not naive, and I do not turn a blind eye to all the issues which our beloved sport has had to face recently, on the contrary I find it a better soution to face the problems not run from them.

 To her I said, we are improving, and furthermore we are misunderstood.  In the past year the sport has banned steroid use, many racetracks are going green (see this months issue of the magazine for further information on this), becoming a member of NTRA is quickly becoming harder to get in to than Harvard Law, and when we retire our racehorses they have a better retirement than most Americans can dream of! We are a misunderstood sport and are rarely focused on by the mainstream media, and when the media spotlight is on the sport it is usually for a rare and tragic event. What is never mentioned is all the charitable giving programs many farms are associated with. It’s no wonder the majority of people do not understand that the horses in the sport are more often treated as royalty. Yes we have issues, but name one organization that doesn’t.

So this is what I say to you horse lovers, keep your heads held high and do not be ashamed to say “I love Thoroughbred racing!” You love it for the events, the friends, the fun, the fashion and of course the horses! Keep going to the races and checking the stats and be proud of what our sport is accomplishing. Good Luck and have a Mint Julip for me!

Muchas Besos In Madrid,

-S.L.

(note: Spanish horseracing season opened last Sunday… keep reading for updates!)

A big congratulations and a good luck to our friend Bob Baffert for being 1 of 11 National Hall of Racing Hall of Fame finalists.  According to a press release from the Hall of Fame;

“Baffert, 56, has won eight Triple Crown races, seven Breeders’ Cup races and trained 10 champions. He led the nation in earnings three consecutive years, 1998-2000, and through 2008 ranks fifth in career purse earnings with $134,822,227. Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and the Preakness (gr. I) but failed to complete the sweep of the Triple Crown series in the Belmont Stakes. Baffert did win the Belmont with 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given, who also won the Preakness, the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) and the Travers Stakes (gr. I). Baffert has trained approximately 160 individual stakes-winning horses and has won 254 graded stakes.”

Keep a look out in Late April to see if Bob makes it in 2009!

-S.L.

Being a younger sibling is hard enough. The constant competition for attention and the need to get out of your older siblings shadow can seem like a never ending uphill battle (believe me, I’ve been trying to get out of my older sisters for 24 years). But when your older brother is one of racing’s most beloved horses of all time, well that shadow seems to cover the sun.

Nicanor, first full blooded brother of Barbaro has finally been introduced to the world. For those of you who were in a coma or living under a rock a few years ago, Barbaro was the horse set to win the Preakness after a huge win at the Kentucky Derby in 2006, but sadly shattered his leg during the race. After a year in recovery and literally thousands of cards and prayers from people new and old to the sport, Barbaro suffered a massive infection in the wound and had to be put down.

On January 31^st Nicanor made his debut to the racing world at Gulfstream Park, only to finish 10^th. He stumbled out of the gate and even grabbed his left quarter (he hit his left back hoof with his front). Some were disappointed as the expectations for Nicanor were extremely high. But not this little sisters, o no, I knew better. 

Yes it’s true older siblings might get the brains in the family. According to an  article in Time Magazine by Jeffery Kulger “Birth order seems to influence behavior in several ways. Families bestow greater resources and attention on the first-born. A Philippine study found that later-born siblings weigh less than earlier-borns.  According to a Norwegian study, the eldest child enjoys on average a three-point IQ advantage over the next eldest sibling. These advantages might explain why eldest children are overrepresented among board directors, M.B.A.s and surgeons”

However, according to the same article, “Within families, the youngest children tend to have to struggle for attention — and in doing so resort to subversive behavior. This isn’t always to their disadvantage. Some of the most famous satirists have been later-borns — Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain and Stephen Colbert”.  And yeah this is dealing with humans, but really we are all part of the same I-want-attention animal kingdom.

“Even mammals, warm-blooded in metabolism and—we like to think—temperament, can play a similarly pitiless game. Runts of litters are routinely ignored, pushed out or consigned to the worst nursing spots somewhere near Mom’s aft end, where the milk flow is the poorest and the outlook for survival the bleakest. The rest of the brood is left to fight it out for the best, most milk-rich positions” (Time).

 The article also points out us younger kids are more likely to provoke people, and engage in dangerous sports, so Nicanor may just take a big risk or two his older bro may not have. Give him time, not to say don’t expect anything, but don’t expect Barbaro. Love Nicanor for Nicanor.  After all younger siblings do grow slower than their older sibling counterparts. Maybe he will surprise us all.

-S.L.

O baby it’s cold outside and here at HSM we can’t wait for spring! Derby fashion is in full swing and we have the pictures to prove it. Last week our Fashion Editor Jordan Calloway put together a spectacular fashion story with a little help from Neiman Marcus, Dolce Villa Hotel and Lex Diamonds.

Somwhere over the rainbow.... are these sexy dresses!

 Bold color is still the trend for spring 2009. Look for a to die for burnt orange sheath dress from Piazza Sempione in our March/April issue alongside a jewel tone blue body hugging number from Zac Posen. Any of the above pieces by Marc Jacobs would fit right in. The bold color choices and stunning hats by Heavenly Halos of England were beautifully showcased by the all white décor of Dolce Villa Hotel in Providence Rhode Island.   

Halos for saints...and sinners

Don't be a sucker!

What to buy with your winnings

 These stunners are hard to come by…. even more reason you should already be wearing it.

–Stacey Leasca

Here’s reality: the world is in an economic crisis, and Thoroughbred racing is showing signs of a slowdown.  Betting is down 7% from last year. However, considering the climate and the fact that there were 35 less race days in 2008, we should think of that as only a mere 7%. How do we get out of the slip in 2009? Frankly, we need a superstar.

Without attention-grabbing antics, where would professional sports be? They maintain the audience’s interest…keeping you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what will happen next. Football has Tom Brady’s love of models, basketball has…well, pretty much everyone in the sport making themselves into spectacles.  For Thoroughbred racing, we need look no further than Sheikh Mohammad of Dubai. The Sheikh has spent over 1 billion dollars on race horses in a quest to, as the giant billboard at Godolphin Stables states, “BRING THE RACEHORSE HOME”.  1 Billion…that’s 1/37^th of the 37 billion Gross Domestic Product of The United Arab Emirates.

Thoroughbred racing loves a good underdog, and even with all his money, Sheikh Mohammad is still just that.  Yes, he has won some races and had some great showings, but none of the Sheikh’s horses have won the most widely known and possibly most prestigious race, the Kentucky Derby. That distinction for the past 3 years has been held by Floridian horses, with Big Brown, Street Sense and Barbaro.

Not only has the Sheikh got the underdog part down, he also has the rivalry part too. His contention with Irish billionaire John Magnier has cost the industry a pretty penny. According to Dan Roth of Portfolio Magazine, “[Magnier's] company, Coolmore, is a brand name in its native Ireland as well as the largest stallion manager in the world. Magnier’s pursuit of horses with the most prized bloodlines for stud income has kept him in heated competition with Sheik Mohammed, who is looking for the best racers. Now the Sheik has set his sights on reaching the top of the stallion business in America, and the rivalry between the Irish and the Arabs—as the industry shorthand goes—has grown hostile. Coolmore won’t send its best horses to race in Dubai, and for the past two years, the Maktoums have refused to send their mares to Coolmore stallions or even to buy any horse with Coolmore bloodlines. In 2005, (Richard) Santulli brought to auction two yearlings sired by a fashionable Coolmore stallion. In the past, either of these young horses would have guaranteed a bidding war between Magnier and the Maktoums. This time, Sheik Mohammed didn’t lift a finger. Magnier ended up buying both horses for a fraction of what Santulli thought they should have brought in”.

Let’s face it. Thoroughbred racing is the sport of $1,000 Mint Juleps, huge hats and even bigger personalities.  We need the exciting presence the Sheikh brings, just as badly as we need some good press. Who knows, maybe this may be the year that the Sheikh will be gettin’ lucky in Kentucky.

Source: Portfolio.com

HSM January/February contributor, Bill Finley discusses his love of Big Brown, and his Loath of Big A

-Bill Finley
Covering Big Brown’s brief career was a joy. He was a writer’s delight, a brilliant and charismatic horse surrounded by people who had trouble keeping their mouths shut. The only bad part was Aqueduct.
That was Big Browns home for much of his 3-year-old season. Trainer Rick Dutrow stables there, which meant any time you wanted to see Big Brown you had to go to the Big A. Aqueduct is a terrible place. We all like to romanticize about horse racing, that it is a beautiful and noble sport, the Sport of Kings, if you will. The horses are powerful yet graceful and they compete in places that have great history (Saratoga), great ambiance (Del Mar) and a lot of class (Keeneland). Aqueduct has none of these.
When Aqueduct is open, New York racing takes a big drop down in class. It features the circuit’s worst racing and anyone who goes there goes there merely to be bet. There are no racing fans at the Big A, just people who are boxing the 5-8-9 in the next race, hoping they leave the place with enough left in their pockets to get on the subway. But Dutrow loves it there. With the quality and number of horses he has, he surely could get stalls at Belmont, home to most of New York’s top trainers.
The Belmont stable area is picturesque, with tree-lined streets, grassy knolls and a welcome lack of concrete. The backstretch Aqueduct has a decided lack of anything remotely charming. But Dutrow will never leave.
He says that’s because he loves the racing surface at Aqueduct, which he says is the best among the many dirt tracks in New York to train over. I wonder if it’s really more about him being in his element there. Rough around the edges, Dutrow is an Aqueduct kind of guy. He seems uncomfortable around racing’s gentry and more at home with the Big A’s blue-collar, no frills persona.
It was Big Brown who never fit in at Aqueduct. He belonged at Belmont. He belonged in the same stall that Secretariat or Citation once inhabited, not one that had a $10,000 claimer in it before his arrival and after his departure. He should have grazed over the same patch of grass that Seattle Slew once nibbled on. There is no grass at Aqueduct.
Oh, well, I guess Big Brown didn’t care. I did. I’ve always hated the place.

You have on your fabulous hat, gorgeous glimmering jewelry and you know all the horses by name, you are ready for the races! But when you get there you forgot one thing, you have never bet on a horse race before. If one were to ask me I would be honest and say I pick my bets like I pick my college basketball bracket; based on their jersey colors and mascots. HSM thought contributor Jessica Paquette would be a much better help.

Welcome to the Race

– Jessica Paquette

Ask ten different people how they handicap a horse race and you will get ten different answers. From studying complex figures to simply picking a name or number, everyone has a different way that they go about handicapping a race.

I personally have always tried to combine an extensive knowledge of pedigree with what I like to think is some good, old-fashioned horse sense. I spent my high school years sneaking Daily Racing Forms into class and would stay up at night studying Bloodhorse’s annual Stallion Register instead of doing my Algebra homework, which is why I could easily rattle off the lineage and siblings of my favorite horses but struggle with anything beyond basic math.

For someone getting ready to make their first wager, it can be an intimidating process. Along with the basic “win: (come in first), “place” (second) and “show” (third) wagers there are a handful of exotic, complicated bets as well. An “exacta” is choosing the horses that finish first and second, a “trifecta” is picking the top three and a “superfecta” is the top four. By telling the clerk you would like to “box” these wagers, the horses can come in any order and if you picked them, you win!

The best advice ever given to me about handicapping a race is to go with your gut. If a horse you dismissed on paper looks like a million bucks in the paddock, maybe give him a second thought. That being said, if a horse that looked like a lock on paper shows up in the paddock looking a washed out, lethargic mess perhaps rethink your plan. Don’t talk yourself out of a bet or try to really convince yourself that you should like a certain horse.

Having worked as a handicapper at Suffolk Downs for three seasons so far, I have learned one major lesson. Horses can’t read the Daily Racing Form. They don’t know they are a 1-9 favorite and in theory cannot lose. That’s why they run the races – anything can happen.

Good luck and I hope all your tickets are winning ones.