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00:00:00For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
00:00:28Good afternoon, it's Wednesday, March 15th at 2.30 p.m. in the East Coast, and welcome
00:00:33to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room podcast.
00:00:36I'm Bill Finley, I'm a correspondent with Thoroughbred Daily News, and I also do the
00:00:40Down the Stretch show on SiriusXM radio, and I want to remind you that our podcast is sponsored
00:00:45each week by Kima.
00:00:46Hey guys, I'm Randy Moss with NBC Sports, and also I'm on the Buyer's Speed Figure team
00:00:52as well.
00:00:53Zoe Cameron with XBTV, First Racing, and Santa Anita.
00:00:56There is no Doodle in the background, I'm at OBS sales, we just got done with day two
00:01:02of the Breeze show, I'm obviously representing Mr. Nile Brennan, the barn is right over here,
00:01:07and it was cold early, but it's starting to warm up, it's going to be a lovely day here
00:01:11in Ocala.
00:01:12Yeah, Zoe, you look like you're checking in from the North Pole with that parka on and
00:01:16everything, it must be chilly in Ocala today.
00:01:19I took off layers already, it was really cold yesterday.
00:01:23Stay warm, Zoe.
00:01:24So speaking of Florida, last weekend in Florida, not too far from Ocala, at Tampa Bay Downs,
00:01:30the biggest race of the week was the Tampa Bay Derby, everybody getting excited, of course,
00:01:34about the road to the Triple Crown, and the main attraction was Tappitreese, we've now
00:01:40decided that is indeed the pronunciation of...
00:01:43Trice.
00:01:44Trice, okay, Tappitrice, okay, there we go, thank you, Randy, you've been the official
00:01:52source on that from day one.
00:01:55He did win, but it was a race that a lot of people looked at from kind of opposite views,
00:02:01some didn't like the race at all, some thought it was actually quite good, some were in between,
00:02:07he only got an 88 buyer number, that's nothing to write home about, and the way the race
00:02:12developed, it looked like he was beaten almost the entire way until maybe about the 16th
00:02:19ball, when he finally took off, he was hard ridden for about five-eighths of a mile by
00:02:24Luis Saez, so it was not a win that was comfortable, it wasn't like Forte the week before, where
00:02:30you could just say, wow, everything went perfect, it was a win that I thought was, you know,
00:02:37hard-earned, I think he'll move forward off of it, was it good enough to win the Kentucky
00:02:41Derby?
00:02:42No, but he didn't have to win the Kentucky Derby in March at Tampa Bay Downs, he's got
00:02:46eight weeks from there to go.
00:02:47Randy, what did you think?
00:02:48Well, I think there's such a divergent opinion about the race, because there are different,
00:02:54legitimately different ways that you can look at it.
00:02:58The figure, no, was not that good, but Taput Trice was visually very impressive once he
00:03:05got into gear, and that wasn't until about the quarter pole, you pointed out Luis Saez,
00:03:11he was slapping him on the shoulder in the run to the first turn, because even though
00:03:15he didn't really brake that slowly, he just had absolutely zero interest the first part
00:03:21of the race, zero speed, whether it's interest or whether it just takes him a while physically
00:03:26to get going, I don't know, but Saez was really riding him for a lot longer than you would
00:03:32like to see a good horse have to be ridden.
00:03:35He's obviously got a ton of talent.
00:03:38My primary concern for Taput Trice, as it pertains to the Kentucky Derby, is that in
00:03:44a 20-horse field, horses that do well in the Kentucky Derby, come from behinders, tend
00:03:50to be horses that are handy, that because a hole develops, and Zoe would know more about
00:03:56this than either of us, in the Derby, it doesn't last very long, because you have so many horses.
00:04:01You have to have a horse that's almost immediately responsive to hit those holes when the opportunity
00:04:07presents themselves.
00:04:09And Taput Trice in the Tampa Bay Derby looked anything but immediately responsive.
00:04:15He looked like the kind of horse that you're going to have to park on the outside and hope
00:04:18that you don't go six or seven wide and just let him gather up a full head of steam, and
00:04:24it's awfully tough to win the Kentucky Derby like that.
00:04:27I think that's why people were looking at him or talking about him as more of a Belmont
00:04:31horse, that and the fact that it's Todd Butcher and the son of Taput, than a Kentucky Derby horse.
00:04:37Zoe, what'd you think?
00:04:38Yeah, and Todd's already mentioned that he's most probably his Derby horse as well, which
00:04:43never instills the greatest of confidence in anyone, if you're talking before the Derby
00:04:48about the Belmont.
00:04:50I think he's like a bicycle.
00:04:52You have to pedal.
00:04:53You know, we'll hear from Kieran a little bit later, Kieran McLaughlin, who's the agent
00:04:57for Louis Saez, and he's going to pretty much say the same thing.
00:05:01And what you mentioned about the hole and having to be handy, the hole's going to be
00:05:06moving a little bit faster than he is.
00:05:08If you're pedaling and pedaling and you can't get to the hole, it might be close, and then
00:05:12you've really got to drop down a gear and pedal some more.
00:05:15And I'm not sure he's got the gears.
00:05:18You need a horse that can be stopped and be handy, or you're going to run a mile and three
00:05:22eights, which may be fine, because he's definitely bred to run the distance.
00:05:27He's out of a Dunkirk mare.
00:05:28He ran second in the Belmont Stakes.
00:05:30He's by Taput, like you mentioned, one of the most successful sires in siring Belmont
00:05:34winners.
00:05:36But yeah, he's going to come running late.
00:05:38He's just going to need a trip and all the luck in the world.
00:05:41And that's what the closest need in the Kentucky Derby is luck, and he's going to need it.
00:05:47Now, I agree with everything both of you said, but my point was, is this necessarily going
00:05:55to be the same horse in the Kentucky Derby that he was in the Tampa Bay Derby?
00:05:59You've got a Hall of Fame trainer who's got eight weeks and one more race in the Bluegrass
00:06:05to make adjustments and to tinker with this horse.
00:06:10And you know, does it have to happen?
00:06:11No, I wouldn't pick him if the Derby will run tomorrow.
00:06:13I wouldn't pick him either.
00:06:15But I think he's going to become the first Saturday in May, a much better, more focused
00:06:21horse than he was in the second Saturday in March.
00:06:23Possibly.
00:06:24I mean, he's had three starts and he's been that way in each of his three starts, but
00:06:27that doesn't mean that doesn't preclude the possibility that he's going to improve between
00:06:32now and the first Saturday in May.
00:06:33We've done this a lot over the years.
00:06:36And if there's one thing we've come to understand, it's that we never know as much in mid-March
00:06:42as we think we know about these Kentucky Derby horses.
00:06:45We don't know how much they're going to improve.
00:06:47Yeah, you definitely hit the nail right on the head.
00:06:50What's going to help him, I think, you know, we don't even know if these horses are going
00:06:53to make it to the Derby, knock on wood, they all do.
00:06:57But I think a little bit of action and horses getting wound up, that actually might help
00:07:02him lay a little bit closer and get him a little bit more into the bridle.
00:07:06So if it's going to help anyone, the pomp and circumstance, perhaps it will help him
00:07:11tap it thrice.
00:07:14The other big news on the road to the Kentucky Derby was the defection of Arabian Knight.
00:07:19He is not seriously injured or anything like that.
00:07:22They're talking about a summer campaign with him.
00:07:24But Mir Zahdan, the owner, and Tim Yatim both said that, you know, just things weren't perfect
00:07:30and you need things to be perfect to go into the Kentucky Derby.
00:07:34First of all, I mean, a shame, because this horse is so talented and we were really looking
00:07:40forward to what he could do.
00:07:41But I can't say I'm the least bit surprised something was going on with this horse.
00:07:44He had that gap with no workouts, I think it was 19 days, Baffert slash Yatim never
00:07:50even bothered to even nominate either San Felipe or the Rebel.
00:07:55So, you know, there's something was quite was amiss with this horse.
00:08:00And of course, now, you know, at least Forte is the, as we speak, the obvious heavy favorite
00:08:06in the Kentucky Derby.
00:08:07Obviously, that can change between now and Derby Day.
00:08:09But Randy, you know, it's a shame to lose Arabian Knight, but again, not least bit surprised.
00:08:13You know, I mean, based on his normal work pattern, he missed one workout before the
00:08:17weather interruptions at Santa Anita.
00:08:20So that's obviously a cause for concern.
00:08:22You heard all kinds of rumors.
00:08:23He had a temperature, this and that.
00:08:26But it's unfortunate now that he's out.
00:08:29If you went back five weeks or so ago, the top three three-year-olds probably most people
00:08:35would think in Bob Baffert's barn were Arabian Knight, number one, and now he's out.
00:08:40Newgate, number two, now he's out.
00:08:42And National Treasure, number three, who didn't make the San Felipe because of a sore foot.
00:08:46Now, he has come back to work well.
00:08:49He worked Tuesday, this Tuesday, March 14th.
00:08:52He worked six furlongs on 111 and four.
00:08:54I just texted with Tom Ryan of SF Racing, who told me that all systems are go with National
00:09:00Treasure and he's likely to run next in the Santa Anita Derby or the Bluegrass with Reincarnate
00:09:06penciled in right now in number two pencil for the Arkansas Derby.
00:09:11Those things can obviously change.
00:09:12But the Baffert, now Tim Yak team three-year-olds have undergone a bit of a shuffle there.
00:09:17Yeah, and don't think Zidane with Arabian Knight didn't want to get there.
00:09:20I mean, they must have tried everything and they just finally pulled the plug.
00:09:25So we'll get to see him fight again, which is great.
00:09:28But this just wasn't a case of sour grapes or I don't want to play.
00:09:33It was a case of we don't have enough time.
00:09:35Yeah.
00:09:36And also, as Randy kind of mentioned, I mean, at one point, this is how, you know, how much
00:09:41fast things can change on the road to the Kentucky Derby.
00:09:44At one point, it looked like Bob Baffert had seven or eight just monsters getting ready
00:09:48for the Derby.
00:09:49I mean, he's if National Treasure does make it back, it's really him and Reincarnate.
00:09:56That's it.
00:09:57I don't see anybody else coming out of the woodwork.
00:09:59So, you know, the Baffert fortunes have definitely taken a shift.
00:10:03And remember, along with that, Cave Rock, they've taken him out of consideration as
00:10:08well.
00:10:09He's just not ready yet.
00:10:10It took him a little while to get him ready after he was put away after the Breeders'
00:10:15Cup Juvenile last year.
00:10:17So the other action last weekend involved a really nice performance from Siegfried Oath
00:10:23and the Azari.
00:10:25And I didn't think she had a prayer against Clare Eyre.
00:10:28I just think I thought Clare Eyre was a much better horse, faster horse.
00:10:32And you know, Wayne was talking up about how great she's doing.
00:10:35But Wayne always, Wayne Lucas, always going back 40 years has been saying this horse has
00:10:40never been doing better, etc.
00:10:42Louise Sias, as we checked in with Karen McLaughlin, took off of Siegfried Oath to
00:10:47ride Tappet Trice.
00:10:48Am I going to get this right?
00:10:50Trice.
00:10:51Trice.
00:10:52Okay.
00:10:53In the Tappet Bay Derby.
00:10:55Yeah, that expensive Tappet horse trained by Todd Pletcher.
00:10:59And anyways, but I thought, Randy, I don't know who got the fastest buyer figure of the
00:11:05week.
00:11:06We're going to find out a little bit later in that segment.
00:11:07But the star of the week was Siegfried Oath.
00:11:10She was really good.
00:11:11She'll go in now to the Apple Blossom.
00:11:12I assume she'll be a pretty solid favorite there, having beaten Clare Eyre.
00:11:16And you know, Wayne Lucas, 87 years old, still gets the job done.
00:11:22Amazing.
00:11:23I mean, I shared your sentiments going into the Azari.
00:11:26The way Clare Eyre ran in the Breeders' Cup, Distaff defeated Siegfried Oath in that race.
00:11:31And you know, the way she was really clicking, it looked like that Clare Eyre was definitely
00:11:36the horse to beat.
00:11:37But if you watch that race, you watch the Azari, and you didn't know anything about
00:11:40those horses, you would have thought Siegfried Oath was one to nine, the way she won that
00:11:45race.
00:11:46Tyler Gafleon just sat on her until about the eighth pole, and then maybe the 316th
00:11:51pole, and then finally gave her a nudge, and she went on and opened up.
00:11:55I mean, she was a more dominant winner over Clare Eyre than even the margin would indicate.
00:12:02Now, obviously, for the Apple Blossom, I think we can expect Clare Eyre to step up her game
00:12:08a little bit.
00:12:09I don't know if it's Oaklawn Park, I don't know if it's the spring of the year, but the
00:12:13best races visually that Siegfried Oath has run, if you look at her past performances,
00:12:20were at Oaklawn Park last year, and then, of course, the Kentucky Oaks after that.
00:12:24I have a theory on that.
00:12:27She's a busy, busy filly, like D. Wayne Lucas doesn't miss any dances.
00:12:32This is the beginning of the year.
00:12:34She's never going to feel any better than she feels now.
00:12:37So last year, she made nine starts in 2022.
00:12:40Wayne's not scared of anyone.
00:12:42He's not missing any dances.
00:12:43He wants to go to them all, and I think maybe it took a toll on her.
00:12:47We're early in the year.
00:12:49She's six for 14 lifetime.
00:12:51She got a trouble-free, hassle-free trip over a track she loves in the spring of the year.
00:12:57Spring is in the air, spring in a step.
00:12:59It's funny, I didn't get to watch the race live because I was in the paddock watching
00:13:03the horses come over for the grade one hold a mile, and I saw Barbara Bankey, and I was
00:13:09like, oh, oh, how did you run?
00:13:11And she was like, oh, not good.
00:13:14We were bottled up the whole way with Clairie Eyre, and we couldn't get out in time, and
00:13:19she came running, and she was second, and Secret Oath got the jump on us and ran away.
00:13:24So I put that all in my little brain and went back and watched the replay later, and I'm
00:13:29thinking, even if Secret Oath didn't get the jump on her, I'm not sure they were beating
00:13:33her on that day at that time.
00:13:36Yes, Clairie Eyre was bottled up.
00:13:38She weaved through traffic under Joelle Rosario, but she never got stopped.
00:13:42She kept riding, and the margin of victory was about the same at the quarter pole.
00:13:47So Secret Oath was absolutely amazing and just fantastic for the coach.
00:13:53It's good to see that.
00:13:54And the Applebossom is probably not going to get any tougher.
00:13:57I mean, I think Clairie Eyre is probably going to be your toughest competition for the Applebossom
00:14:01because Brad Cox says that Amore, who won the Beholder Mile you're talking about, is
00:14:05going to run next, most likely, in the La Troyenne on Kentucky Derby weekend and skip
00:14:11the Applebossom.
00:14:12Really?
00:14:13That's really interesting because she was good at Santa Nita.
00:14:18What did you guys think of the Beholder Mile?
00:14:20Oh, I mean, fun to dream.
00:14:21I thought she was home free at the 8th pole.
00:14:24What a gamer she is.
00:14:26Yeah, I mean, you watch that race, and then in the back of your mind, you know it's Bob
00:14:29Baffert.
00:14:31And so she opens up at the top of the lane, cruising at the 8th pole, you think this is
00:14:34over.
00:14:35And Amore just showed continued improvement, continued determination, and just ran her
00:14:42down on the wire.
00:14:44She's getting better and better with each race she's been running.
00:14:47Well, but fill in the blank, because her last three starts have been for Brad Cox, and he
00:14:52didn't exactly take Amore off of a 4% trainer.
00:14:56The horse was trained by Todd Pletcher.
00:14:58So, you know, Brad Cox, he's got this ability to bring out the very best in horses, and
00:15:03he certainly has done it with this filly as well.
00:15:06So we'll see how she does down the line.
00:15:08And you talked about the La Troya, and we learned last week that Nest will be in there
00:15:12as well from Mike Rapoli.
00:15:14So that's shaping up to be a terrific race.
00:15:18Yeah, and it will be a terrific race indeed.
00:15:21But I believe we were trying to figure out how to pronounce it.
00:15:24So I watched her all summer when my racehorse had her, and we got all the works, and it
00:15:29was Amore, as everybody says.
00:15:31It's Amore, like love.
00:15:35So kudos to the New Connections, Hunter Valley Farm.
00:15:38We'll have a little piece on them just a little bit later on, but it really was fun to see.
00:15:44It really, really was.
00:15:45It was a good race.
00:15:46And Baffert's filly, Cowbird Horse of the Year.
00:15:49Fun to dream.
00:15:51She's a lot of fun to watch and easy to root for.
00:15:54The TDN Writers Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
00:15:58If you have a calendar ready, mark your calendars for the April Selected Horses of Racing Age
00:16:03Sale on Sunday, April the 30th.
00:16:06Kicking off Derby Week in the bluegrass in fine fashion.
00:16:10Entry deadline for print catalog is April the 3rd.
00:16:13Approved supplements will be accepted up until sale day.
00:16:16We'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.
00:16:22If this place could talk, it would roar.
00:16:29It would say, this is a racing.
00:16:33This beating heart in the heart of horse country.
00:16:37Steady and strong beneath the roar.
00:16:41Reminding us why.
00:16:43For the love of the horse.
00:16:46For generations to come.
00:16:49The best two-year-old by legendary sire Quality Road.
00:16:54In the back, a million five.
00:16:55Very, very impressive debut.
00:16:58Cantering home could not have been more impressive.
00:17:01Coast to coast to the American pharaoh.
00:17:04He's the real deal.
00:17:05Undefeated and unchallenged at two.
00:17:08He's just too good.
00:17:10He wins the Breeders' Cup Jubilee.
00:17:12Cornish.
00:17:15Cornish.
00:17:16The newest champion to Coolmore America.
00:17:20The TDM Racer's Room is brought to you by Coolmore.
00:17:24At OBS sales.
00:17:26Let's talk about what's going on at Coolmore.
00:17:28Uncle Moe had his 12th grade one winner over the weekend.
00:17:32We already mentioned her once with Amore, winner of the grade one.
00:17:36Behold a mile.
00:17:37Uncle Moe's six stakes winners in 2023.
00:17:40Rank him second among all North American sires.
00:17:43So far this year.
00:17:45Amore's dam.
00:17:46Margaret Ray is going back to a Coolmore sire this year.
00:17:50But this time she will visit their first year stallion epicenter.
00:17:56So some interesting news out of Equibase.
00:17:58And each month they release these figures on how the betting is going.
00:18:03And it's important stuff for the industry.
00:18:05And basically through the last couple of years.
00:18:07Racing has done fairly good.
00:18:09It's held its own.
00:18:11Sports betting came in.
00:18:13It hasn't wiped anything out.
00:18:14But all of a sudden in 2023.
00:18:18They're down 6.22% on the year.
00:18:21If that holds up.
00:18:23It'll be the worst year for betting on the sport.
00:18:25So far as year over year decline.
00:18:27Since 2010.
00:18:29And on top of that.
00:18:31It's not just all we've gotten off to a bad start.
00:18:33Something since October of last year.
00:18:37The numbers were fine going into October.
00:18:41And then they went into a tailspin.
00:18:44October was bad.
00:18:46November was bad.
00:18:47December was bad.
00:18:48January, February.
00:18:49So, you know, in this day and age.
00:18:51Purses are so dependent on casinos and slots and instant racing.
00:18:55I don't think this is something that everybody's going to be jumping off the roof over.
00:19:00But it is alarming.
00:19:02And it is somewhat odd.
00:19:04You know, what is going on here?
00:19:06And, Randy, I tried to find some answers to this.
00:19:09I really couldn't find anything concrete.
00:19:12One thing about racing.
00:19:13This data of how much is bet.
00:19:16Who gets rebates, etc.
00:19:18Is not available.
00:19:19They just don't make it available to you.
00:19:21But I think it almost certainly has to do something.
00:19:24The computer bettors.
00:19:25They get these huge rebates.
00:19:28And it's just a guess on my part.
00:19:31But I got to think that they've cut back on their betting.
00:19:33For one reason or another.
00:19:35Do either of you have any explanations for this?
00:19:38We're trying to explain a phenomenon with one hand tied behind our backs.
00:19:45Proverbially.
00:19:46Because there's not any transparency in the industry about the CAW, CRW, whatever you want to call them.
00:19:53Computer-assisted wagering.
00:19:54Computer-robotic wagering.
00:19:56That's such a huge part, apparently, of all the betting done in this country.
00:20:02I don't know why the industry doesn't insist on more transparency in this particular situation.
00:20:10Because now we're at a spot where, obviously, as you pointed out, there is a drastic difference.
00:20:17You can draw a line from January to September of last year and then forward.
00:20:24From January to September last year, the handle was up one half of 1% for the year.
00:20:30It was kind of up and down a little, but it was fairly steady at one half of 1%.
00:20:36October down 5%, November 4.5%, December 7.5%, January 7%, February 5%.
00:20:44Very consistent since October.
00:20:46All down between 4.5% and 7.5% each month.
00:20:52Like you said, there is no logical explanation based on any of the metrics that are made available.
00:21:02Per race day, so far this year, it's down 8.5%.
00:21:06Per race, it's down 9.5%.
00:21:09It's distressing, largely, because we don't have any idea what's behind it.
00:21:15I'm just going to read a few things from Pat Cummings on his think tank.
00:21:20Because Pat's on top of this.
00:21:23He knows more about it than probably any of us.
00:21:25This is what he specializes in.
00:21:27He's talking about the large betting teams, the CRW, and their impact on the sport.
00:21:33According to his blog, he said that Naira has restricted the CRWs from placing wind pool bets within 2 minutes at the start of races at Naira tracks.
00:21:48They have also banned the CRWs from playing the late pick 5, pick 6, and cross-country pick 5 when offered.
00:21:56He goes on. I'm going to have to read this verbatim.
00:22:00Talk about some of the records that he could find.
00:22:04He found one from the CHRB.
00:22:06According to the CHRB, the largest CRW team betting on racing in that state is a group that's called Elite Turf Club 17,
00:22:16which handled $20.4 million in 2018 and $22 million in 2019 at Del Mar.
00:22:24But the handle grew to, listen to this, $60 million at the Seaside Oval in 2021.
00:22:32Now, this is just California, and it's almost scary to think.
00:22:36I mean, it's good for on-track handle and everything else.
00:22:41But at the end of the day, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
00:22:45So here's another. Jerry Brown from Thorograf texted me after I wrote the story.
00:22:50Here's what he had to said.
00:22:52He says, handle is down because CAW is tapping out non-CAW players faster.
00:22:57They have a finite amount to lose, and the faster they lose it, the less churn.
00:23:00In effect, CAW is taking money away from the players and the tracks.
00:23:04I know a lot of guys who have cut way back are stopped entirely, like me.
00:23:07Some just play contests.
00:23:09So, you know, and Pat Cummings, if you get a chance, if you're viewing our show, please check out Pat Cummings' Racing Think Tank.
00:23:17It's got some very interesting statistics on this, including the betting on the Gotham, the Xacta.
00:23:24Now, remember, these guys bet at the very last second.
00:23:28That's what the advantage they have.
00:23:29They get to see what is in the pools.
00:23:32Over a course of 51 seconds, the winning Xacta with Race came on top, went from $138 to $0.75, down to $81.25.
00:23:43And up to those last 51 seconds, only 41% of the total pool was bet at that time.
00:23:51So, you know, and this is something I don't know how racing deals with this problem because on the one hand, these guys bet so much money.
00:23:58You can't ban them.
00:24:00You can't make them go away.
00:24:01Racing needs that handle.
00:24:02At the same time, though, just like Jerry Brown said, you're running the risk of they're making everybody else go broke.
00:24:10If you divide up the pie and all the biggest slices go to two or three mega computer bettors, what's left for everybody else?
00:24:20And, you know, are we going to get to the point someday, Randy, where they run everybody else out and these guys are betting against one another?
00:24:30Well, you know, there's a lot to be said about all this.
00:24:35I share Jerry Brown's sentiments, but it's just coincidence that this began in October.
00:24:44And before October, everything was just fine.
00:24:46And suddenly in October forward, it's very consistent.
00:24:50You know, in your article, Bill, you talked to Marty Wolf, friend of ours, who knows a lot about this stuff, too.
00:24:57And he theorized that maybe coinciding with October, we don't know because there's no transparency.
00:25:04Some of the racetracks increase their fees, their source fees, their simulcast fees to the CAWs.
00:25:10It can be 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, depending on the track and their stature.
00:25:14Normally, it's about 3 percent.
00:25:17You know, that could conceivably have caused something like this.
00:25:20If we knew, if we had more data, we could maybe make a better guess about it.
00:25:25As far as bettors being tapped out competing against the CAWs, I don't really think that that's an issue personally.
00:25:34Because from what, from everything I've read and everything I understand, the CAW people don't make a great deal of profit on their wagers.
00:25:44Really, what they're trying to do is just break even, as close to break even as they can so they can bet a lot of money and then collect on the rebates.
00:25:55It's the rebate that is what drives those people and not necessarily trying to beat the races showing a profit.
00:26:03So I don't think necessarily that they're pulling money out of the pockets of people that are betting against them.
00:26:10I just, I don't know what to think.
00:26:12Now, there have been some changes, as Zoe pointed out, but NIRA started its restrictions in July of 2021.
00:26:20So all of 2022 was with those restrictions and the handle was going just fine until October.
00:26:26The only track in America that bans CAW or CRW betting is Oaklawn Park.
00:26:34They will not participate in it.
00:26:36They won't allow them into their pools, directly into their pools with a computer hookup.
00:26:41They want to protect their on-track bettors because Oaklawn does more on-track than any major racetrack in America.
00:26:49It's a mystery.
00:26:51Zoe, what's going on in First Things First this week?
00:26:54Oh, First Things First, we've got something fun for you.
00:26:58So we did mention, we're talking a lot about love in this show.
00:27:01Amore winning the Grade 1 Beholder mile.
00:27:04And I had a couple of good friends in town, Adrian Regan and John Wade.
00:27:08And I caught up with them directly after the race.
00:27:21Oh, Jesus!
00:27:26Unbelievable.
00:27:27Unbelievable.
00:27:29We've got Adrian coming in here.
00:27:31He's showing up, taking all the cash.
00:27:33All of the cash. He's taken all the money.
00:27:35You got her, she's now three for three.
00:27:37I mean, how bloody exciting is this?
00:27:39Unbelievable.
00:27:40Unbelievable.
00:27:41You know, we bought her first and we weren't really thinking about the run side of it when we bought her.
00:27:49You know, but then Fergus came in.
00:27:52I remember we were at the sale, Fergus said there might be a bit of run left in her.
00:27:55A bit?
00:27:56Yeah, yeah.
00:27:57First win in the Hunter Valley Colors, in a Grade 1 event, right here at Santa Anita.
00:28:01Yeah, there you go.
00:28:02What's better than that?
00:28:03It doesn't get delivered here.
00:28:04All right, come on, let's go have a drink.
00:28:05Let's go.
00:28:06Come on.
00:28:17How awesome.
00:28:18You used to work for Bob?
00:28:20Yeah.
00:28:21When he had Silver Charm?
00:28:22Yeah, and really quiet, yeah.
00:28:24Pretty good.
00:28:25I know Bob was good to me.
00:28:28You know, Bob was very good to me out here.
00:28:31Cheers, lads.
00:28:38There are a million reasons to be at Santa Anita this weekend.
00:28:42Let's start off with Friday.
00:28:43Free admission.
00:28:44General parking.
00:28:45Free food.
00:28:46Free water.
00:28:47Free food.
00:28:48Free water.
00:28:49Free food.
00:28:50Free water.
00:28:51Free food.
00:28:52Free water.
00:28:53General parking.
00:28:54$3 beers.
00:28:55I like that.
00:28:56And $5 margaritas.
00:28:57On Saturday, we have the $40 Handicapping Challenge.
00:29:00And you can win entries into the next $500 Handicapping Contest.
00:29:05Even if you can't get to Santa Anita, you can bet.
00:29:08And you can bet on First Bet.
00:29:10We have the new Coast to Coast Pick 5 races from Santa Anita.
00:29:13And at Goldstream, the $18,000 Pick'em Contest, as well as the $7,500 Show Viva.
00:29:21You can play in Santa Anita's free online game by selecting one horse per day
00:29:26to compete for prize money across six different categories.
00:29:30A million reasons to be at Santa Anita.
00:29:33The Lane's End Stallion of the Week is Catalina Cruiser, the son of Union Rags,
00:29:38who was represented by his first crop of juveniles this year,
00:29:42with several of those two-year-olds preparing to sell at the OBS March Sale next week,
00:29:47where Zoe is right now.
00:29:48Five-time Graded Sticks winner Catalina Cruiser has had yearlings sell for up to $320,000.
00:29:55And he stands at Lane's End for a fee of $15,000 this year.
00:30:00Yeah, and guys, those two-year-olds look really good.
00:30:03I mean, Catalina Cruiser was fast, right?
00:30:05And he was a scopy-looking horse, stood over a lot of ground.
00:30:09I just ran from the breeze show right now.
00:30:11One just whizzed by me, went 10 flat.
00:30:15A half-sister to How Great is Nate, who, of course, we just saw lose the jockey.
00:30:19So plenty to love about the Catalina Cruisers.
00:30:23They're scopy, they're fast, and they look like they'll go two turns.
00:30:26I got someone here that wants to actually get in on the action over here.
00:30:30Meet Rugby and Stephanie Brennan.
00:30:33Rugby is just itching for his TDN debut.
00:30:38I got a cookie here.
00:30:39Come on, Rugby. Hold on.
00:30:42This is Stephanie Brennan.
00:30:43They've got lots of horses here in the Niall Brennan shed row.
00:30:46And Rugby is...
00:30:48Oh, come on, Rugby. Don't be a chicken.
00:30:52There you go.
00:30:53I thought you'd have to have a good look at that.
00:30:55Two thumbs up for Rugby.
00:30:57Yeah, two thumbs up for Rugby.
00:30:58Meanwhile, we'll check in on what else is going on at Lane's End.
00:31:02Catalina Cruiser.
00:31:03He won seven of nine starts coast-to-coast with six triple-digit buyers
00:31:09and five dominating graded stakes wins,
00:31:12including a record in the grade two True North stakes,
00:31:15a son of leading fifth crop sire Union Rags,
00:31:19a $370,000 yearling with an imposing physical,
00:31:24and one of the best of his generation.
00:31:26There's only one Catalina Cruiser now standing at Lane's End.
00:31:32What makes Woodford special is the attention to detail.
00:31:36Everyone on the team is doing their job.
00:31:39They're well-qualified.
00:31:41They show up to work, and they work hard, and they care about the horse.
00:31:44And I think that's a reflection on John Gleason's program.
00:31:49He gives me good information.
00:31:51He has a very good understanding of the horses' well-being,
00:31:55where they're at physically and mentally.
00:31:57In equine nutrition, there's a triangle.
00:31:59Management, genetics, and nutrition.
00:32:02And John's criteria to accomplish that is at the highest pinnacle.
00:32:09I started breaking quarter horses for people when I was 15.
00:32:12You know, people would send me quarter horses to break,
00:32:14and that's all I've done.
00:32:15You know, I don't hunt, I don't fish.
00:32:17I focus on training the horse.
00:32:18I think about training the horse.
00:32:20It's eating dinner, laying out the food,
00:32:23I think about training the horse.
00:32:24It's eating dinner, laying in bed before you go to sleep.
00:32:28And if you roll over in the middle of the night, I think about the horse.
00:32:30And, you know, it's all consuming.
00:32:32I think to be successful, it has to be.
00:32:37The TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by Woodford Thoroughbreds.
00:32:41Discover the Woodford edge.
00:32:43Woodford is a 1,000-acre world-class facility at Reddick in Florida,
00:32:47just around here somewhere.
00:32:49I don't really know my directions around Ocala,
00:32:51but the Woodford consignment's here somewhere and Reddick's just down the road.
00:32:55They do a great job breeding and selling their own stock,
00:32:59as well as offering breaking and training services to outside clients.
00:33:03It's setting up to be a big spring for Woodford.
00:33:06Derby hopeful Rocket Can and Oaks hopeful Mimi Kazushi were both bred by Woodford,
00:33:12while Oaks-bound Hoosier Philly and Derby hopeful Curly Jack were both trained by Woodford.
00:33:17Is this where I drink?
00:33:18We're doing the Woodford drinking game.
00:33:20I need a drink.
00:33:21All right.
00:33:22Also, while we're talking about Woodford, Extra Heat.
00:33:26She is near and dear to my heart.
00:33:29She passed away last week at age 24.
00:33:32She was a Hall of Famer.
00:33:34Woodford purchased Extra Heat privately through the Classic Star Dispersal in 2006,
00:33:39and she spent much of her brood year career there.
00:33:43Condolences to Woodford.
00:33:45For me, guys, we started our career at the same time.
00:33:48I'm going to age myself.
00:33:50When I was a bug girl at Arlington Park, it was the year 2000.
00:33:54I was 26.
00:33:56Extra Heat was just coming on the scene.
00:33:58She'd won her first five races.
00:34:00I was small, like 100 pounds, 20 pounds from what I am now, and she was teeny.
00:34:05And I watched her throughout her whole career.
00:34:09And I don't know.
00:34:10I just kind of bonded with her.
00:34:11I just thought she was the most awesome little filly.
00:34:14She really was, Zoe.
00:34:15Won 25 black-type races in her career.
00:34:19And one of the most amazing parts of the story was she's won for $5,000 at Timonium
00:34:25for trainer John Salzman Sr.
00:34:27So, you know, what a neat horse, beloved on the Maryland circuit,
00:34:32and very sad to see her pass away.
00:34:36So Extra Heat was obviously very fast.
00:34:38The fastest horse of the week segment.
00:34:41How's that for a segue there?
00:34:42It is presented by the fast stallions at Windstar,
00:34:44such as the stallion who was the stakes winner at 2, 3, and 4
00:34:48and has his first foals hitting the ground this spring.
00:34:51We'll get to that later.
00:34:52But first, the fastest horse of the week.
00:34:54This is the first week in 2023 without a single triple-digit buyer.
00:34:58So the horse at the top of the list is going to be one unfamiliar to most.
00:35:01Malibu Star, who won a starter allowance on Tuesday at Parks Racing by 12 lengths
00:35:08with a buyer speed figure of 98.
00:35:10He now has back-to-back 98 buyers.
00:35:13Five weeks ago, he won another starter at Parks by 9 lengths.
00:35:17Now, the horse may be running against starter company right now,
00:35:20but Malibu Star, 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro,
00:35:23was meant to be a pretty good horse.
00:35:25He was originally a Keeneland September yearling for $450,000,
00:35:29began his career with Bob Baffert in 2019 for Gary and Mary West.
00:35:33He's a half to Arabian lion, a 3-year-old Baffert has right now.
00:35:37And if you look on his pedigree page, you might recognize his third dam,
00:35:40personal ensign.
00:35:42Malibu Star is the fastest horse of the week.
00:35:45And now, what about that Windstar stallion?
00:35:48Independence Hall was an undefeated juvenile,
00:35:51set a new stakes record in the Nashua Stakes,
00:35:53got a 101 buyer in that race.
00:35:55The son of Constitution the next year got a 105 buyer in the Fayette.
00:35:59That was actually his 4-year-old before retiring to Windstar Farm last year.
00:36:05Independence Hall's first foals hitting the ground now.
00:36:08Look at them. Very nice.
00:36:10And he stands at Windstar for a fee of $10,000.
00:36:18The Green Group is an accounting and tax consulting advisory firm
00:36:21specializing in the thoroughbred industry with more than 500 clients
00:36:24in the horse business, plus proven strategies to save you taxes.
00:36:27You can learn more at www.greenco.com.
00:36:31Welcome in now, the Green Group Guest of the Week,
00:36:34Jockey Agent Kieran McLaughlin.
00:36:36He works for Louie Sias, and of course, you know him very well as a trainer
00:36:40who had a great career doing that as well.
00:36:42Kieran, welcome.
00:36:43And there was a little news in your camp within the last couple weeks.
00:36:47You were nominated for the Hall of Fame the first time you got on the ballot.
00:36:51Your reaction to that?
00:36:52It's a great honor just to be on the ballot.
00:36:55It's a life dream of mine,
00:36:58but it's a team effort by so many people,
00:37:02and it's just an honor to be on the ballot.
00:37:04So, Kieran, I know here we are mid-March.
00:37:07I know fans as well as trainers, jockeys, and agents
00:37:12are kind of focusing on the first Saturday in May,
00:37:15the first Friday in May, Derby Oaks.
00:37:18Let's look at a couple of your top contenders right now.
00:37:22Tappit Trice, who obviously was very impressive winning the Tampa Bay Derby,
00:37:27and now Instant Coffee, I guess, coming up in the Louisiana Derby.
00:37:31Your thoughts on those two right now as they stand.
00:37:34Yeah, both of them are very nice Colts.
00:37:37We're happy that they're split up for now,
00:37:39and we'll get to see another race by both of them
00:37:42before we have to make a decision May 6th.
00:37:46Kieran, what kind of input does Luis Saez have?
00:37:50Because you two work as a team,
00:37:52but you have a little bit of an edge from other jocks, agents, I think at least,
00:37:55because you've been a trainer.
00:37:57Obviously, you're nominated to the Hall of Fame, so congratulations.
00:38:00But do you two huddle together and get together
00:38:03and discuss these horses and make decisions like that?
00:38:06Because you've made some tough decisions in the past.
00:38:09Yes, we do.
00:38:10When it's a Wednesday at Gulfstream, allowance races or maiden races,
00:38:16we don't huddle up.
00:38:17But when it comes to the grade ones and the big races,
00:38:21we definitely talk a lot about each situation.
00:38:25Kieran, I want to go back to all your derby mounts,
00:38:27the horses you have lined up.
00:38:29Randy Metz in Instant Coffee and Tapatrice,
00:38:31but you're also, Luis is the regular rider of Angel of Empire in Litigate.
00:38:35Now, I don't know who's going where necessarily,
00:38:38but there must be some conflicts coming up.
00:38:41Among that group, are there any of those horses you will not be riding now?
00:38:44It's impossible.
00:38:45April 1st, Angel of Empire's Arkansas Derby,
00:38:49and it's a big day in Florida, so we might be stuck in Florida.
00:38:54And Litigate's supposedly going to Louisiana Derby
00:38:59where we ride Instant Coffee.
00:39:01So we've already talked about Tapatrice a little earlier in the program
00:39:05and his win in the Tampa Bay Derby.
00:39:08I want to get your thoughts on what you saw in that race from Tapatrice.
00:39:13Because I know as a trainer, I mean, you watch so many horses
00:39:17and you're so good at analyzing and looking at that particular,
00:39:21at every little thing that we all look at.
00:39:24And Luis had to ride Tapatrice pretty hard for most of that race.
00:39:31What did you make of that and the horse's development?
00:39:34I want to hope that he gets out of the gate a little better next time.
00:39:38But being that he was slow to break and was last,
00:39:42we stayed out of trouble.
00:39:44We went wide, but he did stay out of trouble.
00:39:47And I never thought he was going to win until the 16th pole when he was there.
00:39:53But he's got a beautiful stride, a great mind for tapping,
00:39:57and obviously Luis has worked him a few times,
00:40:00and now that's the second time that he rode him.
00:40:03So he likes him a lot, and he just needs to get out of the gate
00:40:09a little bit better, hopefully.
00:40:11Is it encouraging that all that happened and yet he was able to win anyway?
00:40:15Yes, I was pleasantly surprised at the finish
00:40:19and that he ended up winning by a couple of lengths.
00:40:22So he's got all, he marks all the boxes for sure.
00:40:28Let's talk about Luis Saez's boxes.
00:40:30You've been around a long time.
00:40:32You were a jockey agent before you were a trainer,
00:40:34which I didn't realize, but we had this conversation once.
00:40:38What does Luis bring to the table?
00:40:40Because he seems such a level-headed young man
00:40:42that's been through such a lot already.
00:40:45The death of his brother, he won the Derby, he lost the Derby.
00:40:48He just seems to keep smiling.
00:40:50Yeah, he does.
00:40:51He's pleasant to work with.
00:40:54We work well together.
00:40:55He never is upset about anything.
00:40:58He's never raised his voice.
00:41:00So it's great to work with him.
00:41:02And if I ask him to get up at 3.30 and drive to Louisville from Lexington
00:41:07to mark a secret oath, he just says,
00:41:09okay, can you text me and make sure I'm awake?
00:41:12And he's there.
00:41:14So he doesn't complain.
00:41:15He's a very talented jockey.
00:41:18He surprises me sometimes the way how strong he finishes
00:41:22and how the horses run for him.
00:41:24And he stays out of trouble.
00:41:26And he puts them in the game.
00:41:28He breaks very well from the gate usually.
00:41:31And he has them forwardly placed most of the time.
00:41:35So he stays out of trouble.
00:41:37Is that something you took into consideration when you took his book?
00:41:40Because you've been around a lot of jocks and you've seen a lot of jocks.
00:41:44Were there some that you were like, oh, my God, I can't work for that guy.
00:41:47That'll be a nightmare.
00:41:48No, really, he's a top rider.
00:41:51And when Richard Depas said he was going to retire and would I be interested,
00:41:56I pretty much jumped at it just because of what a great job it is
00:42:01and how talented he is.
00:42:03And it just is a little bit easier than dealing with everything
00:42:07that trainers have to deal with these days.
00:42:10Kieran, he's got the misfortune of crossing the finish line first
00:42:13in the Kentucky Derby in 2019, but, of course, being disqualified.
00:42:17Now, that was before you were his agent.
00:42:19But whether you've had conversations with him about this or not,
00:42:23considering that he's one of, what, only two jockeys maybe in the history
00:42:26of the Kentucky – two or three jockeys in the history of the Kentucky Derby
00:42:29to cross the wire first but not be awarded the win,
00:42:33do you think that makes the fire burn even brighter in him right now
00:42:38to get back there and get into the winner's circle in the Derby?
00:42:41Yes, for sure.
00:42:42I mean, that's tough.
00:42:43When he handled it great, he doesn't bring it up.
00:42:46He's not one to look back on anything.
00:42:49He's always looking to next Saturday and the next Saturday and certain horses.
00:42:54But he definitely – everybody in the industry wants to win the Kentucky Derby.
00:42:58And for him, I'm sure that he wants to win it more since he lost it.
00:43:03So, Karen, when you made the decision to switch from training horses
00:43:07to being a jockey's agent, it took a lot of people, I think, by surprise
00:43:11because you were near the top of your profession,
00:43:14witnessed your Hall of Fame nomination, but you just pointed out yourself
00:43:18there's a lot of things that go along with being a trainer.
00:43:21I don't think some people really appreciate the challenges
00:43:25of being a trainer in the 21st century.
00:43:27What are some of the things that you miss the most about training
00:43:31and some of the things that you don't miss at all?
00:43:35I miss the horses.
00:43:36I mean, I've been around horses since I was 10 years old,
00:43:39and I love being around horses.
00:43:42And I love being around the owners and my help.
00:43:46But the regulations, the expense of H-2B visas and trying to get help
00:43:51and all this HISA now happening is a headache for everybody
00:43:56that's training horses.
00:43:58So I don't miss that.
00:44:00Karen, what's the hardest part about your job now?
00:44:03Is it making the decisions?
00:44:05You had a tough decision with Art Collector.
00:44:07Is that one of the hardest parts?
00:44:10Yes, it is.
00:44:12And like we're talking about the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks
00:44:16and other big races, those are the decisions that are very tough, yes.
00:44:20But we're lucky to be in a position that we have a chance to make those calls.
00:44:27Karen, speaking of that, another conflict came up just last week
00:44:31where you were the regular riders we talked about for Tappett-Trice
00:44:34and also Secret Oath, where you won,
00:44:36Luis won the Kentucky Oaks on.
00:44:38They come up on the same day, Secret Oath in the Azari at Oaklawn Park.
00:44:43Even though they both won, so there was no wrong decisions there,
00:44:48but to have to take off a filly of that caliber who you won
00:44:53the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on, how difficult was that?
00:44:56And has Wayne given you any indication that maybe he'll give you
00:44:59the mount back down the road?
00:45:02Throw in Frank's Rockette too and Gulfstream the same day.
00:45:06So we lost two very nice fillies.
00:45:09But at derby time, you're always trying to get to the Kentucky Derby.
00:45:14And Wayne was hard on me when I first called him
00:45:17and told him that we're not going to be able to ride her.
00:45:21He said, you're riding the second best one for Todd.
00:45:24What are you thinking about?
00:45:26And I said, yeah, you're probably right, but things happen.
00:45:29And we have a great relationship.
00:45:31So he got after me a little bit thinking I was making the wrong decision,
00:45:36but then he was fine.
00:45:37He was happy we won and he won and I was happy he won
00:45:41and Frank's Rockette won also.
00:45:43So everybody was happy and maybe, yes, there's a chance I'm sure
00:45:48that we could get back on her someday if Tyler gets tied up.
00:45:53So in your decades as a trainer, you obviously dealt on a daily basis
00:45:59with jockey agents, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
00:46:03How has that helped you now you're on the other side?
00:46:07And now you're the one that's having to occasionally spin a trainer
00:46:11or deal with the trainer in a situation.
00:46:14Yeah, I was the easiest trainer to deal with for ages.
00:46:17I felt like because I just felt like there's so many top riders where I was.
00:46:22If one can't ride a horse, I'll get the next one.
00:46:25And so I was pretty easy and it's great.
00:46:29I'm learning who not to give a call to that I can't get off of.
00:46:33So there's certain people that you just can't get off the call.
00:46:37I'm a little reluctant to give them a call unless I want to ride that horse for sure.
00:46:42So I'm learning about certain people.
00:46:46Will other trainers bust your balls, Karen?
00:46:49Yeah, some of them do.
00:46:50Do they get on you?
00:46:51Yeah, they do.
00:46:52Some of them do, but not too much really.
00:46:54It's not bad at all.
00:46:56I get along with most everybody.
00:46:58Yeah, I have one more question.
00:46:59I can remember a conversation that I had with you back in 2019.
00:47:04It was when Mike Smith was supposed to ride Omaha Beach.
00:47:07And he was scratched the day before the Derby.
00:47:10And he picked up the ride on Cutting Humor for trainer Todd Pleasure.
00:47:14And I didn't know at the time that you were a jockey agent before you were a trainer.
00:47:19And you looked at me incredulously.
00:47:21And you're like, that's the right call, Zoe.
00:47:23They took Corey Lannery off last minute and put Mike Smith on,
00:47:27hot on the heels of winning the Triple Crown on Justify.
00:47:30And I asked you what you thought.
00:47:32And you were like, of course.
00:47:33That's the right call.
00:47:35And you still stand by that.
00:47:37Yeah, it's a tough call at times.
00:47:39But you've got to go with the best rider on the day for the big races.
00:47:45The best available rider you have to try and get.
00:47:48Do you have a bird in the background?
00:47:50I hear lots of cheeping.
00:47:51Are you in an aviary?
00:47:53No, but I'm just in our neighborhood.
00:47:56Ah, the birds are singing.
00:47:59Yes, they are.
00:48:01It's nice down here.
00:48:03Well, birds and all.
00:48:04We want to thank Kieran McLaughlin for joining us this week as the Green Group Guest of the Week.
00:48:09Going forward with Luis Saez, best of luck, Kieran.
00:48:11And thanks for giving us some minutes of your time.
00:48:13Yeah, thank you for having us.
00:48:15Thanks.
00:48:16As this week's Guest of the Week, Kieran McLaughlin will receive a free one-hour tax consultation
00:48:21from the Green Group, an accounting and tax consulting advisory firm specializing in the thoroughbred industry.
00:48:27Again, you can learn more at www.greenco.com.
00:48:31Are you paying too much in taxes?
00:48:33The Green Group can help.
00:48:35There's a reason the most successful owners, breeders, and horsemen select the Green Group as their tax advisors.
00:48:41They save you money and share successful strategies.
00:48:45Over the past 40 years, the Green Group founder, Len Green, has owned and bred some of the best racehorses in the history of the sport.
00:48:53Like Eclipse Award-winning champions, Jay Walk and Wonder Wheel.
00:48:56His DJ stable competes at the highest level and has received the game's most prestigious honors.
00:49:02Len Green's in-depth, hands-on industry knowledge combined with cutting-edge tax-saving strategies
00:49:08has produced positive results for his clientele and has made the Green Group the top-rated accounting and tax firm in the thoroughbred business.
00:49:16For a confidential and complimentary consultation, contact us at 732-634-5100
00:49:23or visit our website at www.greenco.com.
00:49:27The Green Group, proven strategies to save you taxes.
00:49:31Here in Pennsylvania, we're proud of our breeding program, the best in North America.
00:49:36But we're also proud to be leaders in this industry.
00:49:39The PA Horse Breeders Association is funding cutting-edge research at PenVet to detect gene doping in thoroughbreds.
00:49:46And we endorsed the SAFE Act to help protect the most vulnerable horses.
00:49:50Plus, we're pleased to support the aftercare programs set up by our horseman's groups.
00:49:55Just a few of the reasons why you should join us in Pennsylvania, the premier place to breed and race.
00:50:01The TDN Writer's Room is also brought to you by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, the PHBA.
00:50:07Horses already nominated for the 2023 two-year-old Pennsylvania Stired, Pennsylvania Bred Stallion Series are now live on the PHBA website.
00:50:16But it's not too late to nominate your two-year-old.
00:50:19In fact, if you do this before March 31st, the nomination fee is only $500.
00:50:24After that, it goes up to $1,000.
00:50:26So now is the time to learn more and get involved.
00:50:30You can visit pabred.com for more information.
00:50:34So we have on the show now the fastest horse of the week.
00:50:37I want to introduce a new segment this week only, the dumbest criminal in horse racing.
00:50:43And the slam dunk inaugural winner of the dumbest criminal in horse racing goes to Ron Paolucci.
00:50:49Those of you who follow the Ohio circuit, the guy would win races by the dozens at Mahoning Valley, Beulah Park, Riverdown, etc.
00:50:58He actually was also the part owner of a filly that won the 2013 Breeders' Cup juvenile fillies by a disqualification.
00:51:06So it came out last week that he has pled guilty to two counts of tax fraud and tax evasion.
00:51:12He's facing up to eight years in prison.
00:51:15Here's what Ron did.
00:51:17And you don't have to say allege because he's pled guilty to it.
00:51:20From 2014, 2020, he took the withdrawals, the withholdings out of his employees' paychecks for taxes, Social Security, etc.
00:51:31And basically put the money in his pocket, $13 million.
00:51:38On top of that, he failed to report his own income and tried to get away with making $17 million that he didn't pay any taxes on.
00:51:47And the reason I call him the dumbest criminal is because if you're going to commit a crime, have some chance of getting away with it, would you please?
00:51:54Did he really think the IRS was not going to figure this out?
00:51:58Oh, you took $13 million out of your employees' paychecks and we never saw a penny of it.
00:52:05Anyways, I don't really know the guy.
00:52:07He was a little bit of a loudmouth, I think it's fair to say.
00:52:10He complained in 2018, said he was getting out of racing and didn't get out of racing after all.
00:52:14But he is going to be spending some time at the Graybar Hotel.
00:52:18I wonder how much of that $13 million wound up being funneled into the horse business to support his stable.
00:52:24We've all seen owners come and go, guys that come in and they have these huge stables.
00:52:28And then all of a sudden, seemingly overnight, they just disappear.
00:52:31And ironically, like a month ago, I was looking at some old charts and stuff and I came across Looch Racing.
00:52:36And I thought, wow, I haven't heard of Ron Pagliucci in a long time.
00:52:39I wonder what happened to him.
00:52:41Yeah, now you know why.
00:52:43Now we know.
00:52:44Yeah, he was a big horse player too.
00:52:46He was a big Express, one of their premier players.
00:52:50So a lot of that $13 million definitely, I can almost guarantee, got funneled right back in.
00:52:56So thanks for that, Ron.
00:52:58We appreciate that.
00:52:59That's great.
00:53:00Give it back.
00:53:01We just wish you had gotten it in a different way.
00:53:04Yes, exactly.
00:53:06Well, is there any reason why you can't bet on your ADW from prison?
00:53:10I mean, you know, is there any rules or laws against that?
00:53:13Funding might be a problem.
00:53:16Yeah, I would say so.
00:53:18All right, so let's segue to another subject.
00:53:20And those of you who don't follow steeplechase racing may not know that much about the Cheltenham Festival.
00:53:26But it is huge.
00:53:27It is the biggest couple of days.
00:53:29It's like Royal Ascot for steeplechase racing.
00:53:32I mean, it is absolutely huge.
00:53:34And there are a couple of really good stories at Royal Ascot this week.
00:53:38Zoe and Randy, you guys paid a whole lot more attention to this than I did.
00:53:42So take it away.
00:53:43Go ahead, Zoe.
00:53:44He's already gone with Royal Ascot.
00:53:46It was Cheltenham, like Royal Ascot.
00:53:49I mean, the main story going in, we'll get to Honeysuckle.
00:53:53Let's start with Constitution Hill first.
00:53:56Was Constitution Hill.
00:53:58Here's basically the jumping Frankel.
00:54:01If you think that Frankel was undefeated, Constitution Hill is a perfect six for six.
00:54:07Now, hopefully, once we get all the video together, we'll be able to show his last jump where he jumped from the wing.
00:54:15Now, I've been down here at OBS all week, and we watched it on a phone in the grandstand.
00:54:20Myself and Dave Hanley.
00:54:23Who else was there?
00:54:24Jerry O'Dwyer was there.
00:54:27We watched it on the phones, and he was simply amazing.
00:54:32It's almost like Frankel when he won the Guineas.
00:54:34That was his sixth start.
00:54:35This is his sixth start.
00:54:36He is absolutely sensational.
00:54:38And the good thing about Constitution Hill is we can all get behind him, or we can talk about this next year and perhaps the year after.
00:54:46Because he'll go jumping fences next year.
00:54:48He's just a hurdler right now.
00:54:49He was simply sublime.
00:54:52Yeah, I got a chance last year.
00:54:54I don't follow jump racing either, Bill.
00:54:56I got a chance to go to Cheltenham as a guest of Michael Dickinson, who's Mr. Cheltenham, and his wife, Joan Wakefield.
00:55:02And it blew me away.
00:55:04It was unbelievable.
00:55:05It was an experience of a lifetime.
00:55:07Really, it should be on the bucket list of every horse racing fan, whether you follow jump racing or not.
00:55:12And while I was there, I got a chance to see Constitution Hill run last year.
00:55:16And so I've been following him ever since.
00:55:18He's the jump Frankel.
00:55:20He's the jumping flight line.
00:55:22So in the Champions Hurdle Tuesday, opening day at Cheltenham, 60,000 people there on a Tuesday.
00:55:29It's one of the biggest races of the short meeting.
00:55:32And he was running against the best jumper in Ireland.
00:55:38Very tough competition in the Champions Hurdle.
00:55:41And he won by nine widening lengths.
00:55:44And that was the smallest margin of victory so far in his career.
00:55:49His other margins, 12, 12, 14, 17, and 22 lengths.
00:55:54And I know when you're going two miles over fences, you know, the margins are going to be elongated and spread out and such.
00:56:00But still, I mean, this horse is an absolute freak.
00:56:04And you talk about height.
00:56:06There was more height before this race than there was flight line before the Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:56:10And this horse really lived up to it.
00:56:12And it was one of the best 60 minutes of racing you will ever see.
00:56:17Because a half hour after Constitution Hill won the Champions Hurdle, an eight-year-old mare named Honeysuckle ran the last race of her career.
00:56:26She's the Zenyatta of the jumping set.
00:56:29She started her career 16 for 16, just like Zenyatta.
00:56:33Then she lost two races earlier this year.
00:56:36They wanted her to go out on top.
00:56:38They had one last race.
00:56:39They wanted it to be at Cheltenham.
00:56:40They didn't want to run against Constitution Hill.
00:56:42They'd won that race two years in a row.
00:56:44But they didn't think they could beat Constitution Hill.
00:56:46So they wanted to give her a chance at least to go out on top.
00:56:50And, Zoe, a dramatic victory.
00:56:52Wasn't a dry eye in the house.
00:56:54Owner, trainer, jockey crying in the winner's enclosure, standing ovations.
00:56:58It's what makes horse racing so great.
00:57:00It does.
00:57:01And it gives me chills just thinking about it and thinking Honeysuckle.
00:57:05And everyone was all out to retire her off her last race.
00:57:09Everyone was up in arms that they weren't going for another Champion Hurdle.
00:57:13She's won the Champion Hurdle twice.
00:57:15And this was her second Mayor's Hurdle.
00:57:18The fact that she's run four years in a row at Cheltenham is,
00:57:22she's a winner already.
00:57:24She was just incredible yesterday.
00:57:26And, you know, there was an angel looking back.
00:57:28She's trained by Henry the Bromhead.
00:57:31And a lot of people over here stateside might not know the Henry the Bromhead's
00:57:36son, Jack the Bromhead, who was fatally killed last year whilst pony racing
00:57:41at just age 13.
00:57:43They named a race for Jack yesterday.
00:57:45And I was listening to a great interview with Henry the Bromhead this morning on
00:57:50the Nick Luck show.
00:57:52And he said it was like there was an angel looking down.
00:57:55When they were leading her back down the hill,
00:57:58there was a tiny little rainbow at the corner of the grandstand.
00:58:01Wow.
00:58:02Just gives me chills.
00:58:04It was a fabulous day of racing.
00:58:06But that was the pinnacle.
00:58:08Yes, they would love to have little Jack back.
00:58:10And it was just a shame.
00:58:11But it was a fantastic day of racing.
00:58:14It could not possibly have gone any better for Heather and Henry the Bromhead.
00:58:19Really, my heart goes out to them for what they went through.
00:58:22But honeysuckles sure as hell made it all better yesterday.
00:58:28The TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by XBTV.
00:58:32And, oh, boy, what a tool it is.
00:58:34The XBTV work of the week is Sibelius,
00:58:38who worked in 48 and 4 last Friday at Gulfstream,
00:58:41the five-year-old train by Jerry O'Dwyer.
00:58:43I've been sitting next to him all morning here at OBS.
00:58:46He's already in Dubai after winning his last two starts,
00:58:51including the grade three Mr. Prospector.
00:58:53He will go forward in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
00:58:56We get a little bit of everything here on the TDN Writer's Room.
00:58:59According to Jerry, Wednesday morning,
00:59:01he ate up everything after a long flight over to Dubai,
00:59:05went out and jogged.
00:59:06They've been training him for the long walks in the sand on the way to the racetrack.
00:59:11And we look forward to seeing him in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March the 25th.
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00:59:59The XBTV.
01:00:00The XBTV.
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01:00:10Westpoint Thoroughbreds.
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01:00:26for a fraction of the cost of trying to do it on your own.
01:00:29For more information, go to westpointtb.com.
01:00:33Now, West Point had their latest winner on Friday with Accidental Hero,
01:00:37who broke his maiden for Steve Asmussen at Turfway.
01:00:40I'm at OBS. We've seen a couple of days of Breeze shows.
01:00:44We've got one more tomorrow on Thursday, and we're just about to get started.
01:00:47West Point will be here. Terry Finley is walking the grounds as we speak.
01:00:52If you'd like any information on syndication, contact Debbie Finley at debbieatwestpointtb.com.
01:01:00So speaking of OBS, that factored into the Remy Bullock cartoon this week,
01:01:05and he's got a horse that is behind everybody else in the stretch,
01:01:08and the owner and trainer are kind of giving each other a look.
01:01:11He says, well, we know we'll never lose a one-for-a-long race.
01:01:14For all those who have spent millions on a horse, after going only one-for-a-long,
01:01:19it's a risky game. A lot of people are good at it, but sometimes it can backfire.
01:01:23So that's this week's Remy cartoon.
01:01:25Well, guys, as you know, I've been at OBS, and they got a new track here at OBS for the first time.
01:01:30Randy, you mentioned Michael Dickinson, so you've obviously heard of his Peter Footings.
01:01:35That's laid down here in OBS, and I can honestly say I've never seen a fairer kind of surface that's laid down.
01:01:42We've had fast times, we've had good times, and we've had a safe breeze show thus far.
01:01:47So kudos to OBS for getting in probably one of the best tracks in the nation here.
01:01:51It's going to be a fantastic week.
01:01:53All right, Zoe, you stay warm down there and bundle up in Florida.
01:01:57Again, it looks like this is OBS at the North Pole.
01:02:00Anyways, everybody, thanks so much for tuning us in this week.
01:02:03We'll be back next week on the TDN Writers from OBS.