I’m looking forward to the Southwest (Grade 3) to see Old Fashioned and Silver City run. I like them both, but am giving the nod to Old Fashioned. 
Well crap. Maybe Old Fashioned isn’t pointed to the Southwest after all…
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=13922
Old Fashioned is at Oaklawn already, has been putting in some great works there - tomorrow will be his last, and is fully on schedule to start in the 1-mile Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest on MONDAY Feb. 16.
It’s projected to be a field of maybe 9 (the max would be 10) including stakes winners Old Fashioned, Silver City, Flat Out and Loch Dubh.
NTRA/DRF Feb 6 2009 “Old Fashioned’s Southwest foes taking shape”
Per the NTRA website they list this as being aired on ESPN @ 5:00 PM ET - however a quick check of the ESPN Guide with TV suggests otherwise with Pitt vs. UCONN for Big East basketball 
In regards to TV coverage of the Road to the Kentucky Derby it’s thin, sadly, despite some really good races on the horizon …
NBC Sports via USA Network: Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 4 at 5:00 PM (ET)
As an aside NBC Sports also has the TV rights to the Louisiana Derby (G2) for March 14 but has already indicated it will not exercise those right to air it
ABC Sports: none prior to the airing of the Belmont Stakes (G1)
CBS Sports: none
ESPN/ESPN2: as follows
3/21/2009
Turfway Park:
Lane’s End S. (G2)
Rushaway S.
ESPN 5:00 PM (ET)
3/28/2009
Gulfstream:
Florida Derby S. (G1)
Swale S. (G2)
ESPN 5:00 PM (ET)
Oaklawn:
Arkansas Derby (G2)
ESPN 6:00 (ET)
4/18/2009
Pimlico:
Federico Tesio S.
ESPN2 5:00 (ET)
TVG Network: the most noted prep race they have exclusive coverage for is the April 11th Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 1) to be aired on TVG at 5:00 (ET)
Wow, that’s crappy coverage.
Sheikh Mo’s Vineyard Haven will make his first start in 2009 on Thursday (2/12) … Vineyard Haven entered in UAE Guineas:
Thursday’s $250,000 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3) at Nad al Sheba. The final field, along with riding assignments, for the about one-mile event will be announced on Tuesday. Twelve horses hold early entries for the U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas.
TVG Network has been airing racing from Nad al Sheba and this will be too . Their live coverage starts at 10:30 EST on Thursday.
The Dubai Racing Club does a very good job of showing race replays on their website.
Steve Haskin, The Blood-Horse for Feb 9th gives his latest Top 15 List
(abridged)
Top 15 - (Horse/Trainer)
- Old Fashioned/Larry Jones
- Pioneerof the Nile/Bob Baffert
- Patena/Rick Dutrow
- Giant Oak/Chris Block
- Hello Broadway/Barclay Tagg
- Friesan Fire/Larry Jones
- Capt. Candyman Can/Ian Wilkes
- Flying Pegasus/Ralph Nicks
- Poltergeist/Donnie Von Hemel
- Stardom Bound(f)/Bobby Frankel
- Vineyard Haven/Saeed bin Suroor
- I Want Revenge/Jeff Mullins
- Chocolate Candy/Jerry Hollendorfer
- Silver City/Bret Calhoun
- Haynesfield/Steve Asmussen
Thursday (2-12-09) will mark the opening of the first Future Wager Pool setup by Churchill Downs. The biggest payoff was those who backed Funny Cide in 2003’s Pool 1 and were returned for their $2 win wager (only) a sweet $188
Wagering on Pool 1 starts Thursday at noon Eastern and ends Sunday at 6 p.m.
Pool 2 in the 2009 Future Wager is set for March 12-15, with Pool 3 set for April 2-5.
The morning line odds - which shift until the close - are determined by Churchill linemaker Mike Battaglia. The horses in this pool and ML at opening are as follows in alpha order:
Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1
Program No., Horse, M/L
- Beethoven 15-1
- Big Drama 30-1
- Capt. Candyman Can 10-1
- Chocolate Candy 50-1
- Flying Pegasus 30-1
- Friesan Fire 12-1
- Giant Oak 15-1
- Haynesfield 50-1
- Hello Broadway 50-1
- I Want Revenge 50-1
- Midshipman 12-1
- Notonthesamepage 30-1
13. Old Fashioned 10-1 - Papa Clem 20-1
- Patena 20-1
- Pioneerof the Nile 12-1
- Silver City 50-1
- Stardom Bound 12-1
- Taqarub 30-1
- The Pamplemousse 30-1
- This Ones for Phil 12-1
- Vineyard Haven 12-1
- West Side Bernie 50-1
- Mutuel field (all other 3-year-olds) 5-2
Oh now this will get interesting! Just approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission:
Feb 10, 2009 ‘Churchill Downs to offer exacta wagering in Kentucky Derby Future Wager’
Churchill will not offer exacta betting in Pool 1 of the 2009 Derby Future bet, which opens its four-day run Feb. 12, but Derby Futures Exacta betting will be available in the two remaining pools scheduled to run March 12-15 and April 2-5.
The mutuel field (#24) can be used in only one position in the exacta. A bettor cannot place a wager on 24-24, or all/all.
More on one of the Derby hopefuls whose owner is well-known in racing and in business
SF Chronicle Feb 11, 2009 “Jenny Craig strategy based on sweet-sounding horse”
(excerpts)
One thing continues to be missing, however.
“Sid’s dream was to win the Kentucky Derby,” she said.
Sid Craig died July 21 - five days before Chocolate Candy, a horse he and Jenny bred and own, made the second start of a career in which he has blossomed into a legitimate Kentucky Derby candidate.
Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Chocolate Candy can take another step toward Louisville when he runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.
Chocolate Candy represents a strategic switch in the Craig operation, focusing on breeding instead of buying to acquire a top thoroughbred.
Jenny Craig grew up in New Orleans, and her brother, Edwin Guidroz, trained horses at the Fair Grounds there.
“We used to go to the track frequently,” she said. “I always loved horses.”
She met Sid Craig in 1970 after he had formed a chain of women’s salons named Body Contour. They married in 1979, sold his company, moved to Melbourne, Australia, and developed Jenny Craig, Inc. That company grew into a multinational business with more than 600 centers in four countries and was purchased by Nestle SA in 2006 for $600 million.
Mike Watchmaker (like him or hate him) from the Daily Racing Form has a solid rundown of the questions with the horses listed in the Future Derby Pool. It’s worth a look at no horse without some reservations - including my favorite
DRF 2-11-09 “Questions seem to loom larger this year”
example - note the number represents the alpha order
- Old Fashioned - He’s undefeated, and no matter what future book vehicle you look at, he is currently the favorite for this Derby. And barring the bizarre, he’ll be the favorite among the individual betting interests in this pool, too, although it’s very hard to understand why anyone would really want to take a meager price on anyone in a wager like this. While he is one of the few of his generation who seems to have the potential to supersede the mundane, his reputation was really built on only one race, his romp in last fall’s Remsen. Sure, he won that race easily, and the fact that he was still able to earn a 100 Beyer going 1 1/8 miles at that time bodes well for what he might be capable of when more physically mature. But the field behind him in the Remsen was weak, and he walked on an easy lead through slow fractions. In fact, he has never faced adversity or a quality opponent, so there are big question marks here to go along with all the potential.
- Pioneerof the Nile - Earned an important two-turn stakes win at 2 when he got up to win the CashCall Futurity, often an attractive point on the resume of any Derby hopeful. In this case, his CashCall was not respected because it was so slowly run and visually weak. If you’re a fan, hope that the betting public remains fixated on that race or gets hung up on the fact that the Derby might be his first start on dirt, because his comeback win in last week’s Robert Lewis Stakes was a strong effort accomplished with a powerful finish. It’s another plus for him that only Armageddon could stop his owner and trainer from running him in the Derby.
As assumed the horse Mr. Fantasy (owned by West Point Thoroughbreds) is named for the 1967 album by Traffic. What’s spooky is that per West Point “Originally we were going to go with Sultan of Dubai, but one of the partners liked Mr. Fantasy better.”
For those too young to recall: this is ‘Traffic’ and the famed song ‘Dear Mr Fanasty’ with Steve Winwood on lead vocals who would leave Traffic to join Blind Faith with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.
Winwood, with gobs of talent, would in addtion to Traffic, Blind Faith, Spencer Davis Group, and the band Go also have several solo hits in the 1980s.
GREAT album. Should be in every serious collector’s collection!
More on Winwood:
Old Fashioned put in his last workout this morning before Monday’s Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.
His was the fastest at five lurlongs of 9 going that distance: 1:00.40 vs. the 2nd fastest being Sky Blue Sky @ 1:02.40
Old Fashioned came onto the track shortly after it opened for training at 6:45 a.m., and loosened up by backtracking to the wire while accompanied by a pony ridden by his trainer, Larry Jones.
He eagerly went into his work at the five-furlong pole and was even-paced around the turn with clockers following him through fractions of 23.80 seconds for the opening quarter, 36.40 for three furlongs, and 48.40 for the half-mile. Jockey Terry Thompson sat chilly throughout the move. Old Fashioned galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.40.
The Southwest looks to be his to win - with ease.
Excellent update! Thanks Glimmerglass!!!
Sorry, I was blinded by the low spark of high heeled boys…
Is Big Drama even racing now?
He certainly piques my interest. I’d like to see how he does against some of the “big” time opposition.
Not at the moment however he’s (almost) guaranteed a starting gate at Churchill based upon earnings. No 3-yr old debut yet as he kicked himself in the shin thus nixing him from starting in the Holy Bull. He’ll have to do a prep somewhat sooner but I wouldn’t be shocked if its a non-graded race.
Valentine’s Day at Golden Gate Field’s …
$200,000 El Camino Real Derby - Grade 3
Race 8 - off at 4:15 p.m PST
Disatance: 1 1/8 Miles
Surface: All Weather/Tapeta
PP. Horse, Jockey
- Aquicksting (CA), Michael Martinez
- Raising Memo (CA), Saul Arias
- Axel Foley (KY), Michael C. Baze
- Massone (KY), Frank T. Alvarado
- Merus Miami (KY), Corey S. Nakatani
- Rendezvous (KY), Roberto M. Gonzalez
- Chocolate Candy (KY), Russell A. Baze
Each assigned 121 pounds
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3872002]
Sheikh Mo’s Vineyard Haven will make his first start in 2009 on Thursday (2/12) … Vineyard Haven entered in UAE Guineas[/QUOTE]
The UAE 2000 Guineas is contested over 1,600 meters (about one mile) on the dirt and will be the sixth race of seven on the card.
The race will be shown live on TVG at 1:05 p.m. EST today (Feb 12)
