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00:00:00For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
00:00:28And welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room Podcast.
00:00:31My name is Bill Finley, I am a correspondent with the Thoroughbred Daily News, and I'm
00:00:35the co-host of the Down the Stretch Radio Show on Sirius XM Radio.
00:00:38Hey Bill, Zoe, I'm Randy Moss, NBC Sports.
00:00:41Lucy was ready for her star turn.
00:00:43Since I've got the bookcase behind me and not her couch, I figured I'd give her a little
00:00:48face time here, but I'm ready to roll.
00:00:52She looks a little bit peed off there that she's not, you know, center, sprawling out
00:00:57on her love couch.
00:00:58She's peed off that I lifted her off of her love couch and brought her over here, yeah,
00:00:59that's what she's upset about.
00:01:00This is her being upset.
00:01:01I'm Zoe Cavan with First Racing and XBTV, and I like the new look.
00:01:02It looks like you're well lit there, Randy.
00:01:03You're almost glowing.
00:01:04Yes, I've got what you call the little ring, the little ring light right here.
00:01:05Yeah.
00:01:06The magic ring.
00:01:07I'm prepared, Zoe.
00:01:08Always.
00:01:09Well, it's working for you, Randy.
00:01:10It's a good look.
00:01:11I want to remind you that this week and every week, we're going to be talking about the
00:01:12You guys aren't here on the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic states like I am.
00:01:37It was a nasty weekend.
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00:03:02On a day when it was a bit grey and a bit muddy, Saudi Crown owned by FMQ Stables, their
00:03:08lone horse here in the US, a big Saudi-based Prince Bandar, has a lot to do with them.
00:03:15In fact, he came and visited him in Saratoga this summer.
00:03:19So good to see that kind of ownership trying to be bigger and better stateside.
00:03:24I'm sure they're going to buy a lot more horses and we're going to see an awful lot more from
00:03:28FMQ Stables.
00:03:30But Saudi Crown, is he the best?
00:03:31He was the best on that day.
00:03:33He definitely was helped by a very good front-running ride.
00:03:37Florent Giroux is very oh-so-good at taking horses to the lead, nursing them along and
00:03:43having just enough to last.
00:03:45Dreamlike.
00:03:47No real excuse there for him or for El Miracalo.
00:03:49Was it the best PA Derby we've ever seen?
00:03:53Probably not, but he definitely deserves a chance in the Classic.
00:03:56Yeah, there's a lot of points to be made here.
00:03:59I don't think it was necessarily a biased racetrack, but obviously that kind of a sloppy
00:04:05track is going to favor speed horses more than it does come from behinders.
00:04:09He set a legitimate pace in the race as opposed to his previous win in which he was allowed
00:04:15to kind of walk the dog, as they say on the front end.
00:04:18And that 105 buyer speed figure fast, I don't think it necessarily does him justice looking
00:04:23at the running time.
00:04:24I thought it was a hell of a performance by Saudi Crown and maybe even, given the conditions,
00:04:29an even better performance by Dreamlike, who came from well back in the pack, beating just
00:04:34a half length, six lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
00:04:38Now when you spin this forward, if they choose to go to the Breeders' Cup Classic with Saudi
00:04:43Crown, they're going to be confronted likely with a scenario in which they have Arabian
00:04:49Knight to deal with from the Bob Baffert stable on the front end.
00:04:54Both horses confirmed one-dimensional front runners.
00:04:58Obviously the presence of Arabian Knight would not help Saudi Crown's chances in the race.
00:05:03That may be something that Brad Cox takes into consideration.
00:05:07And when you look at Dreamlike's possibilities of going on to the Breeders' Cup Classic,
00:05:11he ran a classic level performance, I thought, in the Pennsylvania Derby.
00:05:17But Dreamlike is co-owned by Mike Rapolle and Vinnie Viola.
00:05:21They already have Forte and Bright Future pointed for the Breeders' Cup Classic, the
00:05:26same ownership group.
00:05:28So would they throw a three-year-old in there as one of three horses from the stable in
00:05:34the Classic?
00:05:35Or would they just take their time and point for his four-year-old campaign?
00:05:38I think the latter, given that scenario, is probably a more realistic expectation.
00:05:46Zoe, Randy and I have thrown our two cents in there.
00:05:49We say go for it.
00:05:50Go win the Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:05:52Do you agree?
00:05:53That's where he belongs?
00:05:54Oh, yeah.
00:05:55Absolutely.
00:05:56Absolutely.
00:05:57I mean, I don't see why the top three shouldn't.
00:05:59And who cares about the ownership?
00:06:00Rapolle's got 500 horses.
00:06:02I mean, they're all going to run against each other at some point or another.
00:06:06Just go.
00:06:07The more, the merrier.
00:06:08I'm looking forward to a big Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:06:10And the thing that I think we forget about Saudi Crown is how lightly raced he is.
00:06:15His Jim Dandy was his first try around two turns.
00:06:18He even got beat by a champion that day.
00:06:20This is only his second start around two turns.
00:06:23I think he's just getting better.
00:06:25Maybe he's one of those that hasn't quite peaked yet.
00:06:27Yes, he's going to be up on the engine and have a front-running style.
00:06:31But depending on the draw for the Breeders' Cup Classic, if he gets a wide draw, there's
00:06:36no reason I don't think why he couldn't lay off the pace.
00:06:39All right.
00:06:40So we know he's not going.
00:06:41Well, I'm sorry.
00:06:42We don't know whether or not he's going to the Breeders' Cup or not.
00:06:45We do know with Sealing Crusher, the winner of the cotillion, the race for three-year-old
00:06:50Phillies, that it's unlikely that she will go after winning this.
00:06:54They have to put up $100,000.
00:06:55She's a cowbred to supplement her.
00:06:57Trainer Doug O'Neill has been quoted saying that's probably not going to happen.
00:07:00Kind of a similar race to the Pennsylvania Derby.
00:07:04The clear speed, I think, Pat, on the back to me and Randy, I think we both nailed this
00:07:09one last week.
00:07:10She would go to the front under Edwin Maldonado, the noted front-running rider.
00:07:16And again, she got the job done over Pretty Mischievous, who never runs a bad race.
00:07:20And she now moves on.
00:07:22I don't know where she's going to go from here.
00:07:24But this is a nice horse, Randy, five for six lifetime.
00:07:27She's graduated from cowbred races, has now won two graded stakes races in a row.
00:07:32And I think she's got a bright future ahead of her.
00:07:34Yeah.
00:07:35She's a very nice horse.
00:07:36We can pat ourselves on the back for picking her, but the bottom line is we got lucky.
00:07:40We got lucky it was a sloppy racetrack.
00:07:42I don't think she beats Pretty Mischievous if the racetrack is fast, right?
00:07:47Getting off to a comfortable lead in the slop, the visual coming down the stretch of a clean-faced
00:07:54ceiling crusher and Pretty Mischievous absolutely covered in mud, her entire front half.
00:08:01And still Pretty Mischievous makes a heck of a race out of it.
00:08:04Good effort for both horses.
00:08:05I agree with Doug O'Neill not to press on and go for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, because
00:08:12the Breeders' Cup Distaff is like a murderer's rope right now.
00:08:16This is just the older horses.
00:08:17Don't count the three-year-olds.
00:08:19Right now, you're looking at Ness Clairier, Idiomatic, who beat both of those horses last
00:08:24time out, Secret Oath, Search Results, a Dare Matter, maybe a Mowray.
00:08:28I mean, those are tough, tough older horses to try to go against.
00:08:34Maybe they'll give Pretty Mischievous a shot since she's so consistent, but I'm not sure
00:08:39I would even do that if I was good off, and I might just wait for her four-year-old campaign.
00:08:43But a good effort, Zoe.
00:08:44I want to interject something in here.
00:08:48I mean, speed on a sloppy racetrack is never a bad thing, but I mean, I went through the
00:08:52charts, and as you mentioned earlier, I do not think there was a track bias.
00:08:55So that's my opinion.
00:08:57So I don't think with Ceiling Crusher or Saudi Crown, if anybody's out there saying, oh,
00:09:01they just speed horses in the slop, that's why they won.
00:09:04Yeah, I'm not saying that's what you said, but I think that would be underplaying their
00:09:09accomplishment.
00:09:10Right.
00:09:11Well, what I said was, and I'll stand by it, I don't think Ceiling Crusher would have beaten
00:09:16Pretty Mischievous on a fast track.
00:09:19I thought the slop helped her just enough to beat Pretty Mischievous.
00:09:23But I agree, I do not think it was a biased racetrack in the classic handicapping sense.
00:09:28And I'm with you on that stance, but it's so much harder for horses to close when they've
00:09:33got mud clods splattering them in the face, they've got water coming back at them.
00:09:38It's a lot harder for horses to close into that than it is on a fast track.
00:09:42Ceiling Crusher is by Mr. Big, his first grade one winner out of a dynaform of wear.
00:09:48So his first grade one winner, I think we miss saying Always Dreaming with Saudi Crown,
00:09:54was his very first, not only grade one winner, but also his first graded stakes winner.
00:09:59So they have to be extremely happy with that.
00:10:02Ceiling Crusher got a brilliant ride by Edwin Maldonado.
00:10:05She's not nominated to the Breeders' Cup.
00:10:08Why people don't pay the $400 as a foal?
00:10:10I think it's $400.
00:10:12Just to nominate them right off the bat, I've got no idea if she's beyond me, because right
00:10:16now it costs an absolute fortune.
00:10:18So Doug O'Neill said it's her Breeders' Cup.
00:10:21That was her Breeders' Cup on Saturday, and she won it, and they should celebrate that.
00:10:28One more thing that I would like to say about the cotillion.
00:10:32Congratulations to Jessica Paquette for becoming the first female in the history of the sport
00:10:37to call a grade one race.
00:10:39And the people giving this poor woman a hard time on social media and everything, get a
00:10:43freaking life, would you?
00:10:45Come on, man.
00:10:47She's doing a great job, and she really deserves credit for what she's accomplished there.
00:10:52And she called the two races on the undercard also that I was going to bring up, the Park's
00:10:56Dirt Mile and the Turf Monster.
00:10:59We talked about it last week.
00:11:00Gunite had an absolutely perfect trip in the Park's Dirt Mile, sitting second, clean-faced
00:11:06all the way around, behind an 18-to-1 shot.
00:11:09And on the topic of there not being a classic track bias despite the slop, Nimitz Class
00:11:14runs him down from behind, a very honest, hard-knocking horse who also is not nominated
00:11:21to the Breeders' Cup.
00:11:22They would have to pay a $100,000 supplemental fee or nomination fee to run Nimitz Class
00:11:28in the Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.
00:11:30No word yet as to whether that would be a plan or not, but I think Gunite was exposed
00:11:35a little bit.
00:11:36I don't know what they're going to do with him now.
00:11:38He doesn't seem to really want to go the two turns.
00:11:41I'm not necessarily sure he even wants to go the mile.
00:11:45And on the Turf Monster, we'll talk about the winner a little later.
00:11:48It's very unfortunate.
00:11:49But the heavy favorite, Rose is for Deborah, finished third.
00:11:52I think you can just completely draw a line through that race.
00:11:55I understand why they wanted to go ahead and run the race on grass, but with the bog and
00:12:01all the rain that you were talking about, Bill, it was a bottomless turf course.
00:12:04Those were top-level sprinters.
00:12:07They went 5.8 of a mile in 1.01.
00:12:11$5,000 flaming horses can run 5.8 of a mile in 1.01 or faster.
00:12:16So I don't think she handled the course at all.
00:12:18And hopefully, I hope, Chris Clement and Miguel go ahead and push on and give her another
00:12:23chance against the boys at Santa Anita in the Turf Sprint.
00:12:29The other story, another big race on the day was the Greenwood Cup.
00:12:32We're going to be joined later in the Green Group segment, the Green Group Guest of the
00:12:36Week segment by Doug Cowens.
00:12:38That's where I'm going to get picked on by Zoe and Randy for saying that the horse should
00:12:42run in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:12:45But what an amazing performance, 25 lengths.
00:12:47So we'll talk more about that a little bit later on the show.
00:12:49But I wanted to bring up another thing.
00:12:52Paco Lopez always manages to be in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
00:12:57And Zoe, as a former jockey, you can only see it in the replay, maybe the last second
00:13:02or so of the race.
00:13:04But while the winner is out there winning by 25 lengths, he's on riding with Biden,
00:13:08who is the clear second choice, the chalk exacta.
00:13:11He's got second all wrapped up, and he pulls the horse up about five strides before the
00:13:16wire.
00:13:17You know, boy, did the betters who had that exacta or the owners who lost out on the second
00:13:23place money versus third place money.
00:13:26Jockeys just can't do this.
00:13:27And Paco, come on.
00:13:28You've got to do better than that.
00:13:29We haven't...
00:13:30We've got to do better than that on Tuesday when we're recording this.
00:13:31No word yet out of the park stewards.
00:13:34But I hope they go pretty tough on Mr. Paco Lopez here and give him a pretty healthy suspension.
00:13:40That was just unconscionable what he did.
00:13:42Well, to Paco's credit, he did ride that horse down the lane and he reached back and smacked
00:13:48him a good few times.
00:13:50And I think he thought, which is silly, that he had it wrapped up.
00:13:54So he wrapped up and he got napped.
00:13:56I mean, it's just one of those things.
00:13:58He did ride that horse to where he thought he was clear and coasted in.
00:14:01It was a sloppy, wet day.
00:14:04No one wants to see a horse beaten up on.
00:14:06He should have checked around a little bit more and just guaranteed and perhaps he should
00:14:12pay the owner.
00:14:13I don't know.
00:14:14$19,000 is an awful lot of money to a normal person, should I say.
00:14:18And that was the difference between second and third.
00:14:21That's a lot of money.
00:14:22Yeah.
00:14:23And there's a whole lot of money that the betters put through the windows that they
00:14:27were victimized by, you know.
00:14:30In Paco's defense, he may have never been in a race in his life where he finished second
00:14:34and he was 25 lengths behind.
00:14:36So he was probably wrapping up a little bit on the horse, thinking he had second already
00:14:41invented.
00:14:42Exactly.
00:14:43Yeah.
00:14:44It was just a mental mistake.
00:14:45But I do think, Bill, I agree.
00:14:47He's got to get at least a week's suspension.
00:14:49Oh, I'd give more than that.
00:14:51Okay.
00:14:52All right.
00:14:54Now, Zoe Cadman and his job, she wouldn't have made that mistake.
00:15:00I saw her.
00:15:01She always rode hard to the wire.
00:15:02So maybe I've been told that Paco will never ride that horse again.
00:15:08The owners, for obvious reasons, are not happy.
00:15:10But I'm still trying to find out more information about what the park stewards do.
00:15:14But I'm with you, Randy.
00:15:15If it comes out with a $500 fine, that's not going to be good.
00:15:19I do want to remind you that the TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
00:15:23Well, I'm home, which means only one thing.
00:15:26The Keeneland September sale is in the books.
00:15:29And what a sale it was.
00:15:31The 12-day auction produced results largely in line with 2022's record setting.
00:15:37Renewal growth sales reached just under $400 million.
00:15:42The average was up over last year and they sold 30 horses, 30 individual horses for $1
00:15:50million or more.
00:15:51Approved supplements to book one for the Keeneland November breeding stock sale held this year
00:15:56from November the 8th through the 16th are still being accepted.
00:16:00And the print catalog deadline for entries for the Keeneland November Horses of Racing
00:16:05Age sale, this is a standalone sale held the Friday after the November sale, are due on
00:16:11Monday, October the 2nd.
00:16:13We'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.
00:16:20At Keeneland, a horse will always be measured in hands.
00:16:27Hands that see, that sense, that speak.
00:16:35Hands that hold our sport to a higher standard.
00:16:39Not for our sake, but for theirs.
00:16:43For the love of the horse for generations to come.
00:16:49For the love of the horse for generations to come.
00:16:52For the love of the horse for generations to come.
00:16:57For the love of the horse for generations to come.
00:17:17The Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover presented by the TCA takes place
00:17:23at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington from October the 11th through the 14th.
00:17:28Horses will compete in one or two of 10 riding sports with preliminary competition taking
00:17:34place on October the 11th and the 12th.
00:17:37Top five in each sport will come back for a finale championship on Saturday, which will
00:17:43also be live streams.
00:17:45No ticket is required.
00:17:47The event is free for all.
00:17:50Do take a look at the entry list and see your former racehorse or former broodmare.
00:17:54This is a new division at the rrp.org slash entries.
00:18:00I'm really looking forward to that, Bill.
00:18:03Yes, and we're also looking forward to Santa Anita opening on Friday for the fall meet,
00:18:07which concludes with the Breeders' Cup running of the Breeders' Cup running of the Breeders'
00:18:12Cup towards the end of the meet.
00:18:16Zoe, good to see Santa Anita back.
00:18:20The Breeders' Cup firmly on the horizon.
00:18:25I thought I should catch up with general manager Nate Newby right here at Santa Anita to find
00:18:30out what's going on.
00:18:34Nate, how are you doing?
00:18:36Doing well.
00:18:37I'm looking forward to Friday and opening day.
00:18:39You know, autumn meet is always fun, especially on a Breeders' Cup meet year because, you
00:18:43know, six weeks we start off with the first two weekends just packed with steaks and then
00:18:48we get into Breeders' Cup pretty quickly, so it'll be a fun meet.
00:18:51We won't be bored, that's for sure.
00:18:53It looks like things are shaping up for Breeders' Cup already because I can see you've got half
00:18:57the grandstand out there on the apron already.
00:19:00Yeah, a lot of the temporary build is done.
00:19:02We try and do as much as we can in the summer and the offseason.
00:19:05We've got a few more things to do, but we'll be ready to go.
00:19:08What new wages can we expect?
00:19:10Is there a new one that's an old one coming back, one of my faves?
00:19:14Yeah, I'm a big fan of it, too.
00:19:16Pick 6 is coming back with a $1 minimum, so it's a little bit different, but it finds
00:19:21that happy medium, I think, for the larger bankroll players and the poor players.
00:19:25Play it for a buck, it's a little bit cheaper, but I still think we'll get some carryovers
00:19:29and the traditional format's definitely popular, so we're excited about that.
00:19:33And then we've got another new bet, the All-Turf Pick 3, focused on the turf racing out here
00:19:37in California.
00:19:38I think we have the best year-round turf racing in the country at Santa Anita, so we're going
00:19:42to highlight that and do a $3 Pick 3 on the last three turf races every day.
00:19:48What else can we expect from Santa Anita other than great weather and great racing?
00:19:52Well, we've been working on the facility all summer, so it looks fantastic.
00:19:56We're ready to show it off to the world.
00:19:58If you're in the paddock starting opening weekend, we've got two new, brand new video
00:20:02screens in the paddock, the big boards.
00:20:04So those have been replaced, they look great, and we're excited, plus some other amenities
00:20:08around the track.
00:20:10We've got an 88-year-old building, so we had to put some work into it this summer and have
00:20:16it ready to show off to the world in November.
00:20:18Thanks so much, Nate.
00:20:19We're looking forward to it.
00:20:20Thank you, Zoe.
00:20:25So let's go now to Mountaineer Park, where there was TD Thornton, my colleague at the
00:20:29Thoroughbred Daily News, did some good reporting on a story that came out of there, and it
00:20:33really struck a nerve with a lot of TDN readers, you can tell by the feedback it got and the
00:20:37number of hits it got on the internet.
00:20:39A jockey by the name of Jose Leon was fined $100 for apparently, he said he's denied it,
00:20:46but apparently they have pretty concrete evidence that during a workout a horse was acting up
00:20:52and he smacked it across the face with a whip.
00:20:55And the story is not so much that he apparently did this.
00:21:00I mean, look, it's not right, but it's not the first time something like that has ever
00:21:04happened.
00:21:05The story which TD Thornton hit upon was that the Mountaineer stewards fined him only $100
00:21:11for this.
00:21:12And we were just talking about the appropriate penalty for Paco Lopez for his ride in the
00:21:17green car.
00:21:18I mean, this is a totally different situation.
00:21:20But Zoe, you take this, because again, you know, your jockey's perspective, clearly a
00:21:24lot of TDN people and a lot of people out there were upset that a jockey could do something
00:21:29like this.
00:21:30And that was the fine, that was the penalty, $100?
00:21:34First of all, you got to put it into context.
00:21:36And thanks for doing that in your piece with the trainer, Justin Jensen, actually speaking
00:21:42up.
00:21:43Now, from what I could find out, Justin's a former jockey, he's a trainer, just started
00:21:47training last year.
00:21:48So, you know, he doesn't really want to burn any bridges or really make anyone completely
00:21:53mad and upset at him, but good for him for standing up for this situation.
00:21:58Now, I understand what happened.
00:22:00The horse is working.
00:22:01He bolted.
00:22:02He blew the turn.
00:22:03The jock may have tapped him across the face just to try and straighten him up.
00:22:07That's fine.
00:22:08I am okay with that.
00:22:10But apparently this jock has a little bit of a temper.
00:22:13He jumped off the horse and two people, Justin himself and also the outrider, saw him strike
00:22:19this horse smack square across the face.
00:22:22And there is absolutely no excuse.
00:22:25It's chicken shit.
00:22:26You can't do it when you're on the horse.
00:22:28You've got to get off, hold the horse and smack him.
00:22:31You're an absolute chicken shit.
00:22:33And they should throw the book at him.
00:22:35That's pretty much how I feel about it.
00:22:38I have no sympathy for him whatsoever.
00:22:42That is an absolute chicken SH1T move.
00:22:46Randy?
00:22:47We ended up topping that.
00:22:49Oh, hey, I second that emotion.
00:22:53Sorry.
00:22:54Definitely.
00:22:55I'm going to bring another facet into this discussion.
00:22:58And it didn't go unnoticed by me that West Virginia is one of maybe two or three states
00:23:06where HISA is not overseeing racing, all the lawsuits that have come up.
00:23:11Now, I'm not really sure exactly what HISA's role might have been in something like this.
00:23:16But one of the reasons HISA was created was to make sure things like this, I think, don't
00:23:21happen and that the penalties meet, the punishment meets the crime.
00:23:25And I was Googling around.
00:23:27And this is kind of ironic.
00:23:28This is what the West Virginia Racing Commission Chairman Ken Lowe Jr.
00:23:33told the TDN a while back, I think last fall, about HISA.
00:23:38He said, it's a federal statute crafted by elitists within the racing industry whose
00:23:43interests aren't aligned with the realities of small circuit racing in West Virginia.
00:23:48No, Mr. Lowe, it's not.
00:23:50It's something, whether you like it or not, that is intended to make this a better sport
00:23:54and to make the rules better for racing.
00:23:56So I don't know if you guys want to comment on that or not.
00:23:58But I just thought it was ironic that something like this happens in a non-HISA state.
00:24:02Well, if you're going to badmouth HISA and say that it's for elitists, by elitists, and
00:24:10that your rules in West Virginia are just fine and you don't need HISA, and then you
00:24:16turn around and find this guy a measly $100 for beating a racehorse, you're pretty much
00:24:22undermining your own argument, I think, at that point.
00:24:26Another story out of Parks on Saturday, and this is a tough one.
00:24:30Nobody Listens won the Turf Monster stakes.
00:24:33Randy talked about that a little bit earlier.
00:24:35An Indiana bread that was a $40,000 OBS purchase, winning his first career-graded stakes race.
00:24:43These were obviously connections from a smaller circuit and don't normally play at this level.
00:24:49A feel-good moment took a 180-degree reversal the next day when co-owner Matt Kwiatkowski
00:24:56posted to his Facebook account that the horse died.
00:24:59All things a freakish trailer accident.
00:25:02Something happened.
00:25:03Dave Grennan of the Racing Forum reported that the horse was spooked by a noise from
00:25:08a truck and somehow fell and sliced an artery or something like that.
00:25:12I mean, I don't know much, what else much to say about this other than, you know, tragic
00:25:17story and, you know, my heart goes out to these people.
00:25:20Matt posted on his Facebook account, we love and cherish every moment we shared with him.
00:25:25You know, obviously they loved this horse to death and just a sad, sad story.
00:25:30Yeah, the owner said they didn't want to get out of bed in the morning.
00:25:33They were so upset by it.
00:25:35And as part of the freakish nature of what happened, I don't remember exactly whether
00:25:42it was the trainer or who was actually driving the trailer, but there was a loud noise and
00:25:48they could tell, they could tell that there was something going on in the back end of
00:25:52the trailer.
00:25:53But, I mean, coincidentally, unfortunately, they apparently were driving through a construction
00:25:59zone and there was no way to quickly pull the trailer off the side of the road and
00:26:04jump out and get back in back and see what was going on.
00:26:07And by the time they could, it was too late.
00:26:10So it's just really unfortunate.
00:26:12Just, I mean, the worst, horrific, basically.
00:26:17I can't even think about it.
00:26:19Trailer fires, trailer accidents, these things happen more often than you would imagine.
00:26:26If you think of everything horses go through, it's just horrific.
00:26:29Well, no surprise, Turf Paradise track in Phoenix, Arizona, they announced last week
00:26:35that they're not going to reopen for this year.
00:26:38And another one, Bikes to the Dust, a small racetrack, albeit in a big market.
00:26:43And, you know, this is a bad story for horse racing because we're losing so many racetracks
00:26:48here in some respects.
00:26:50You know, this is understandable.
00:26:52And one of the things I wrote in the TDN is, you know, I don't know how any racetrack
00:26:57outside of San Anito and Del Mar, which gets huge handle, possibly makes it without slot
00:27:02machines anymore.
00:27:03And you're trying to run a small racetrack.
00:27:05You have no revenue source from there.
00:27:08But, you know, a bad story for horse racing.
00:27:11They're talking about maybe being able to race at Arizona Downs.
00:27:14I'll start with you, Randy.
00:27:15I think we talked about this before, and I want to go back to something you talked about.
00:27:19You said you went there several years ago, and even several years ago, the place was
00:27:23a disaster.
00:27:24You described it as just crumbling to the ground.
00:27:26They were just doing nothing to take care of the place.
00:27:29Yeah, it was horrible.
00:27:30It was absolutely awful.
00:27:31And I'd heard nothing but great things about Turf Paradise.
00:27:33But, you know, the track has been beset by so many controversies.
00:27:38The owners were two brothers, Jerry and Ron Sims, who wound up going at each other tooth
00:27:44and nail legally.
00:27:46Accusations flying back and forth.
00:27:48The Arizona Racing Commission had its own issues with favoritism and things like that.
00:27:54There were so many things going on at Turf Paradise, apart from what was happening on
00:27:59the racetrack.
00:28:00And the one brother, Ron Sims, accused Jerry Sims of siphoning money that was supposed
00:28:07to be used for the racetrack to his legal fees.
00:28:10Now, whether that's legitimate or not, I have no idea.
00:28:13But I can tell you that having been there, there wasn't any money going into the facility
00:28:17at all.
00:28:19And my wife and I were there for 30 minutes and just turned around and left.
00:28:24I mean, Turf Paradise is obviously not big enough to crack the trifecta of closed racetracks.
00:28:32Hollywood Park, Hialeah, and Arlington Park.
00:28:36But, you know, I just made a list of all these racetracks.
00:28:38I've got on the bookshelf back here, I've got a 1969 American Racing Manual.
00:28:44And I thought, you know, let's just go back.
00:28:46I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of names of racetracks that were running back then that
00:28:50aren't anymore.
00:28:51And it was amazing.
00:28:52So many little minor racetracks.
00:28:55But also, you know, some decent racetracks that we don't think about much anymore.
00:28:59Your ex-Sarbans in Atlantic Cities, Garden State, Liberty Bell, Rockingham, Suffolk,
00:29:05Bowie, DRC, Hazel Park, Sportsman's Park, Golden Gate, soon-to-be Bay Meadows.
00:29:11So you just have Turf Paradise on the list.
00:29:14Well, what's that?
00:29:15And Calder.
00:29:16Calder, a.k.a. Gulfstream Park West.
00:29:20Yeah.
00:29:21Yeah, it's a shame.
00:29:24And in the news, in fact, just yesterday, Jeff Metz, a trainer out here not only in
00:29:29Phoenix, Emerald, and also has a small string here at Santa Anita, he's going to hang up
00:29:35his shingle and he's going to become a stall man here at Santa Anita because with the closure
00:29:40of Golden Gate imminent and the closure of Turf Paradise, you know, Golden Gate and Turf
00:29:45Paradise do an awful lot of business together.
00:29:48He's going to be out.
00:29:50His small stable just can't support him here in Southern California.
00:29:53So he'll be the new stall man at Santa Anita, which is good because he's a face that
00:29:58everybody knows and he's entrenched in the business.
00:30:01So it'll be good for Santa Anita to have him there taking over from Bobby Troja.
00:30:05But it's just another trainer leaving the game.
00:30:08His daughter Zoe is going to take over.
00:30:10So good luck to her.
00:30:11But, you know, with with tracks closing, horsemen are hanging up their shingles.
00:30:17By this time next year, we likely will not have Golden Gate or Turf Paradise, which will
00:30:22leave the Southern California circuit out on an island.
00:30:25One thing about those two tracks is they were the place you would go with horses if you
00:30:29couldn't make it in Southern California.
00:30:31Now, what are they what are people going to do with those horses that just aren't up
00:30:35to par for Santa Anita and Del Mar?
00:30:38There's been a push for a four day racing week here.
00:30:41So, I mean, you could have those horses run on a Thursday.
00:30:44I'm guessing.
00:30:45I mean, that's what we're hoping for at Santa Anita is to get back to four days.
00:30:51Yeah. And one of the reasons why four days is necessary is because there is a horse
00:30:55population crisis in Southern California.
00:30:58I mean, they're doing pretty well with wagering numbers.
00:31:01But I mean, that's you know, I mean, I don't know how much longer that level is
00:31:06sustainable. I mean, that's one of the reasons why they thought there might be a
00:31:09silver lining with the closing of Golden Gate.
00:31:11You remember, guys, way back at the first of the year, we had Lou Sella come on as a
00:31:17guest, Oaklawn Park, and Lou made a comment then that kind of raised my eyebrows a
00:31:23little bit. And I thought, maybe that's a little bit extreme.
00:31:26But Lou said, I believe he used 10 years.
00:31:29It may have been even five years.
00:31:30But I think he said that he said, mark my words, within 10 years, there will not be a
00:31:36racetrack existing in America that doesn't have some sort of revenue from alternative
00:31:43gaming. Yeah.
00:31:45He may be right. Randy, I think you're right.
00:31:47That might might be five years.
00:31:48I mean, I'm there's who's even left at this at this point with Turf Paradise getting
00:31:54ready to close. So, boy, the game has changed.
00:31:57And sometimes when it comes to the dependence on slot machines and casino revenue, not
00:32:03necessarily for the better.
00:32:05The TD and Writer's Room is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.
00:32:09We've talked about the big day Saturday at Parks, Pennsylvania Derby, Cotillion.
00:32:13Don't forget, because we've talked about it a lot.
00:32:15It were also the two races for Pennsylvania Sired, Pennsylvania Bred.
00:32:19Two-year-olds, the two stakes races, both $150,000.
00:32:23The Prince Lucky went to Even Money Favorite Notice of Action.
00:32:25The Implies Stakes went to Aoife's Magic, Fortify Favorite, daughter of Smarty Jones.
00:32:32But there was also another big Pennsylvania bred that won last weekend.
00:32:36We talked about Nimitz Class, right?
00:32:38Catching Gunite to win the Parks Dirt Mile.
00:32:41Nimitz Class, also bred in the state of Pennsylvania by Arrowwood Farm.
00:32:46To learn more about owning and breeding in Pennsylvania, email info at pabred.com.
00:32:53The PA Horse Breeders Association presents the Pennsylvania Stallion Series.
00:32:58Six races for PA Sired, PA Bred two-year-olds at Parks.
00:33:02Two $100,000 contests at five-and-a-half furlongs.
00:33:06On August 21st, PA Day at the Races.
00:33:09September 23rd, PA Derby Day.
00:33:12As two races at six-and-a-half furlongs, both with a $150,000 purse.
00:33:17And in December, two races going long, each worth $200,000.
00:33:21For more, go to pabred.com.
00:33:24The TDN Writer's Room.
00:33:26Also brought to you by the Fast Sires at Windstar Farm.
00:33:29The weekly sponsor of our Fastest Horse of the Week segment.
00:33:33And how about this for a little dovetail?
00:33:36The Fastest Horse of the Week is by a stallion that stands at Windstar Farm.
00:33:42The Fastest Horse of the Week, of course, was the Pennsylvania Derby winner, Saudi Crown.
00:33:47Who ran a 105-fire speed figure.
00:33:50Well, Saudi Crown happens to be a son of Always Dreaming, the Kentucky Derby winner.
00:33:56The winner of the Florida Derby also ran the fastest time in the Florida Derby, 147.47, since Aladar.
00:34:04It won it in 1978 in just three-quarters of a second off Arrowgate's track record.
00:34:09So, Saudi Crown, the Fastest Horse of the Week, 105.
00:34:13Sired by Always Dreaming, who stands at Windstar Farm.
00:34:21The TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by The Green Group.
00:34:24A tax accounting and advisory company specializing in the thoroughbred industry.
00:34:29For more information, go to www.togreenco.com.
00:34:34Tell Lynn Green we said hello.
00:34:37And welcome in now, the Green Group Guest of the Week.
00:34:39It's trainer Doug Cowens.
00:34:41And he trains next, the winner of the Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia Park slash Parks over the weekend.
00:34:47For my money, one of the most interesting horses in the game.
00:34:49One by 25 lengths.
00:34:51And Doug, a lot of people were asking you and your owner afterwards,
00:34:55any chance you would be motivated to go from this race into the Breeders' Cup Classic,
00:35:01try the big boys in the division?
00:35:03You've been adamant, saying the answer is no.
00:35:05Why is that?
00:35:06Well, the answer for me is no.
00:35:08Because, you know, one, I put together a five race plan for the horse at the beginning of the year,
00:35:15or the end of last year after he won the Thoroughbred Care Alliance.
00:35:20The reason that we chose to start running him in these marathon races
00:35:25is the fact that he loves the pace scenario, the tempo of the race.
00:35:30So for me to switch him, shorten him down to a mile and a quarter,
00:35:35where the pace scenario is going to be much faster,
00:35:38I'm taking away exactly what the horse likes,
00:35:42and it's just not what I'm looking for right now.
00:35:45I see Randy nodding his head.
00:35:47Yeah, that's every one of my notes here.
00:35:50Let me cross all these points off that I was going to make.
00:35:53I'm about to say exactly what I think.
00:35:56So, you had two big wins on Saturday, and they couldn't have come more differently.
00:36:02First of all, your horse wins by 25 lengths.
00:36:06You can't imagine any scenario where something can be so one-sided.
00:36:11And then that night, your Ohio State Buckeyes managed to pull off an unbelievable win
00:36:17at the last possible second in their game, obviously against Notre Dame.
00:36:22So congratulations on both counts.
00:36:24I want to take you back to August of 2022 at Keeneland,
00:36:29when you put in a claim slip for this horse.
00:36:32What were you thinking at that time,
00:36:35and how has the horse surprised you since then, if he has?
00:36:40Well, at that time, let's go back to the winter at Turfway Park.
00:36:45The horse made a couple appearances there at Turfway Park in the winter,
00:36:49where I'm stabled, watched the horse go in both races.
00:36:53He exited two races that were extremely tough.
00:36:58A lot of horses came out of those races and won some stakes.
00:37:03At that point, I seen him in at Keeneland for a tag,
00:37:05talked to Mike Foster and said,
00:37:07I really think you should take a shot on this horse.
00:37:10I had no intentions of running the horse in marathon races at that point.
00:37:14That was not the plan.
00:37:16That came later on.
00:37:19Mike was all for claiming the horse.
00:37:22We took a shot, and the rest is history.
00:37:24Wow, what a shot you did take.
00:37:26But I think a lot of people have forgotten that this horse is a very good two-year-old.
00:37:31I mean, he won an allowance race by 11-plus lengths.
00:37:34He ran in Essential Qualities Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
00:37:37It's not like you were just clunking down 62.50 for an old beat-up claimer.
00:37:43This horse was cut out to be a very, very good horse.
00:37:46Is that something that you like to look at,
00:37:48look at a bit of back class moving forward when you go into reach for a claim?
00:37:52Well, absolutely.
00:37:54Specifically with that horse, all the races that he had exited
00:37:57before he went into the claiming race were very tough races,
00:38:02including the ones you're talking about as a two-year-old.
00:38:05I think they knew that the horse had a lot of talent.
00:38:11I think they probably took a shot that day.
00:38:14Wesley likes to win at Keeneland.
00:38:16I think he just took a shot with the horse that day.
00:38:18One other thing before Bill jumps in.
00:38:20I want to commend you for not listening to Bill and sticking to your guns,
00:38:25for not running this horse in the Classic.
00:38:27You guys promised last week you'd be nice to me.
00:38:32You know your horse and know exactly where he is,
00:38:36and it's not often a plan comes together.
00:38:39I mean, it's not over yet.
00:38:42Let's not put the cart before the horse.
00:38:44But you planned five races.
00:38:46You're looking towards number five.
00:38:48That's a hard thing to accomplish.
00:38:51Oh, I know, and I keep reminding the owner
00:38:54and the whole team around the horse that you really have to enjoy the horse
00:38:58because there are a significant amount of times that you put a plan together,
00:39:03and the plan never comes together.
00:39:05It doesn't work, and everything is falling into place with things,
00:39:11and the horse has actually stayed healthy, which is hard to do.
00:39:15We just keep crossing our fingers every day that we can make one more race
00:39:19and one more day with him because he's been quite fun.
00:39:22Very cool.
00:39:23Sorry, Bill.
00:39:26So you tell me it was Bill's idea for me to run in the Endurance?
00:39:29Absolutely, yes.
00:39:30You'll be as charged.
00:39:32Well, let me just say my piece here, Doug.
00:39:34Look, you're a trainer.
00:39:36I respect you've done a great job with this horse,
00:39:38and I'm not second-guessing you or anything,
00:39:40but I kind of think what do you have to lose?
00:39:42I mean, if you lose the race, you go back to plan A next year.
00:39:46If you win or run second or third, my goodness, I mean, the money,
00:39:50the doors it opens up, I mean, maybe I'm just getting carried away
00:39:53because I'm such a fan of the horse.
00:39:55Well, I don't want to put any ideas in your head, Bill,
00:39:58but if I was to take a shot in any of the Breeders' Cup races,
00:40:02it would probably be the mile-and-a-half turf race
00:40:04because the horse really likes the distance,
00:40:06and he's shown he likes the turf, too.
00:40:09I've never – I think the horse will run on either surface.
00:40:12He's just put me in a position not to take him off the dirt at this point,
00:40:16but if the opportunity arose or I was going to take a shot,
00:40:20it would be in the mile-and-a-half turf.
00:40:22So, Doug, this horse has understandably given you more media attention
00:40:27than you've ever had before, but you're not just a flash in the pan.
00:40:30I mean, you've been around for a while.
00:40:32You've won at least a couple dozen stakes races in your career,
00:40:35most of them on the Ohio Circuit.
00:40:38What has this horse meant to you and owner Michael Foster?
00:40:43Well, you know, Mike's been a long-time client of mine,
00:40:47probably 15 or 20 years.
00:40:50We've won other stakes before, but nothing like this.
00:40:55And it's been fun, and we just keep reminding each other every day
00:40:58that just ride the wave because the horse is fun
00:41:02and hope he stays healthy because we all know in this game
00:41:05how those things can come to an end real fast.
00:41:08It's been quite a ride.
00:41:09Tell me a little bit about your jockey, Luan Machado,
00:41:12and he got quite emotional.
00:41:14I remember watching him after his win at Saratoga.
00:41:16How was that winning at Saratoga, and how was it for you?
00:41:20What kind of a guy is he?
00:41:23Well, Luan is a guy that's been with me for a long time.
00:41:28He breezes a lot of horses a couple times a week for me,
00:41:32gives me a lot of input.
00:41:34He's a really underrated rider,
00:41:36but I think you're going to see him take off here at Keeneland and Churchill
00:41:40now that he's got a little success.
00:41:43Even Saturday he flew back from Philly, made a later race at Churchill
00:41:48and won a $140,000 allowance race.
00:41:52But me and him are very close, and he gives me a lot of feedback,
00:41:57and we get together.
00:41:59He really gets along with this horse because he's got great hands
00:42:02and a good clock in his head.
00:42:04The horse doesn't have to be in front.
00:42:06He can be anywhere in the race just as long as he gets in his rhythm.
00:42:09Luan sets a good pace for the horse.
00:42:13He seemed to be lucky enough to do that every time too.
00:42:16Doug, as Randy mentioned, you've flown a little bit under the radar,
00:42:19but nonetheless you have a very good record.
00:42:21You're winning about 23%, 24% on the year.
00:42:24Tell us what has been your secret to success,
00:42:26and you've been very consistent in having a great year.
00:42:29What's it all been behind all that?
00:42:32Well, I think the secret to my success is the relationships that I've built
00:42:36with the clients.
00:42:39Most of my clients are long-time clients.
00:42:42Most of my employees are long-time employees of mine.
00:42:46Most of them, almost every one of them has worked there 15 to 25 years.
00:42:53Those are the secrets to making this work, and everybody has an input.
00:42:57It's not just me going in there in the morning saying,
00:42:59this is what we're going to do, this is how we're going to do it.
00:43:02I'm bouncing things off these guys all the time.
00:43:05My assistant's been with me 15 years,
00:43:08and placing them where they can win no matter where that is,
00:43:12recognizing what that horse can and can't do,
00:43:14and trying to position that horse to get him in the winner's circle.
00:43:17Well, Doug, I don't know how Mike Foster names his horses,
00:43:20but you and Mike had your hands on another really good horse not that long ago,
00:43:26and his name was Next Shares.
00:43:30You only had the horse for a couple of starts.
00:43:32You ran him as a maiden in the width of anticipation at Saratoga
00:43:35in a second lifetime start and finished a really strong second.
00:43:39Then the horse was sold by Mike, and they switched trainers to Richard Baltus,
00:43:42and the horse went on to make $1.8 million.
00:43:45How disappointing was that, and how much does this help make up for that?
00:43:51Well, Randy, one thing I'm going to tell you is
00:43:53I never drive in the rearview mirror any decision I make in this game,
00:43:57and that fits right in there with that.
00:44:00I purchased that horse as a yearling, picked him out as a yearling for Mike,
00:44:04got him going.
00:44:06He was a grass horse and strictly a grass horse,
00:44:09and in this area there's not a lot of grass.
00:44:12I made his first start at Ellis Park, ran it very game second,
00:44:16and they came to us and wanted to purchase the horse.
00:44:20They end up making offers that you can't refuse sometimes,
00:44:23and that ended up being one of them.
00:44:26I got to train him for one more race for the Connections,
00:44:29and I took him to Saratoga and just barely lost a grade two up there
00:44:33and had to turn him over.
00:44:35Now that was disappointing, losing and having to turn him over.
00:44:39Wow, and he really turned out to be a really, really cool horse.
00:44:43Doug, when can we expect you out west?
00:44:45When are you bringing next out?
00:44:47Do you need a rider in the morning?
00:44:48I mean, it looks like he could be a hound to gallop.
00:44:51Oh, he's easy to gallop.
00:44:53So is that an offer I can have that you're going to get on the horse for me
00:44:56every day?
00:44:59Sure.
00:45:00For free?
00:45:01It's easy.
00:45:06I really don't know when we're going to come
00:45:08or how we're going to do it just yet.
00:45:11Obviously, he'll fly out there.
00:45:14I'll probably contact Buddy Fife here in the next two weeks
00:45:17and make a plan to get him out there.
00:45:21Want to make sure he exits this race in good order first.
00:45:24He hasn't been back to the track yet.
00:45:27So as soon as all that takes place
00:45:29and maybe even get through one breeze with him here
00:45:31and make a plan to bring him out there at that point.
00:45:35Does he have any quirks?
00:45:36Is he an easy horse?
00:45:38What are his favorite things?
00:45:40He is a little bit of a quirky horse.
00:45:43He spends a lot of time going to the track in the morning.
00:45:47He likes things his way.
00:45:49And just like you notice in the race, he likes to get into a rhythm.
00:45:52He likes to do that in the morning too, even just walking.
00:45:55So he takes a little stroll before he goes to the track
00:45:58and gets in a little rhythm in the shed row.
00:46:01And when we go to the track,
00:46:02he's got to stop about 842 times to look at things.
00:46:06So it's about a 45-minute trip to the track.
00:46:10And you never know where he's going to stop
00:46:12or how long he's going to stop.
00:46:13But, you know, I guess he's allowed to with what he's done.
00:46:18And, you know, when he starts galloping,
00:46:20he likes to get into a nice little rhythm just like he does in the race.
00:46:24But fun horse to be around, quiet in the stall.
00:46:27Just a neat horse to be around.
00:46:29Well, we want to thank Doug Cowens for his time this morning
00:46:31on the TDN Writer's Room podcast.
00:46:32He was the Green Group guest of the week.
00:46:34Next, the winner of the Green Room Cup by 25 lengths.
00:46:37I'm just curious.
00:46:39And I'm just talking loud.
00:46:41I wonder if that's the biggest margin of victory
00:46:43in a graded stakes race since Secretariat's Belmont.
00:46:45There's really no way we can find that out.
00:46:47But keep that out.
00:46:48Keep that in mind.
00:46:49It's a possibility.
00:46:50Doug, thanks so much for your time.
00:46:51And best of luck with next.
00:46:52We'll see him for the Thoroughbred After Care Alliance
00:46:54Breeders' Cup week at San Antonio.
00:46:56Thanks for having me on, guys.
00:46:57It's been fun.
00:46:58As the Green Group guest of the week,
00:46:59William Doug Cowens, the trainer of next,
00:47:02will receive a free one-hour tax consultation
00:47:05from the Green Group.
00:47:06To find out more about how the Green Group
00:47:08can not only help Doug, but can help you
00:47:10with anything equine-related in the world of taxes,
00:47:13go to www.greenco.com.
00:47:18Are you paying too much in taxes?
00:47:20The Green Group can help.
00:47:22There's a reason the most successful owners, breeders,
00:47:24and horsemen select the Green Group as their tax advisors.
00:47:27They save you money and share successful strategies.
00:47:31Over the past 40 years, the Green Group founder,
00:47:33Len Green, has owned and bred some of the best racehorses
00:47:37in the history of the sport,
00:47:39like Eclipse Award-winning champions,
00:47:41Jaywalk and Wonder Wheel.
00:47:43His DJ stable competes at the highest level
00:47:45and has received the game's most prestigious honors.
00:47:48Len Green's in-depth, hands-on industry knowledge,
00:47:51combined with cutting-edge tax-saving strategies,
00:47:54has produced positive results for his clientele
00:47:57and has made the Green Group the top-rated accounting
00:47:59and tax firm in the thoroughbred business.
00:48:02For a confidential and complimentary consultation,
00:48:05contact us at 732-634-5100
00:48:09or visit our website at www.greenco.com.
00:48:14The Green Group, proven strategies to save you taxes.
00:48:18Liam's Map, a two-time Grade 1 winner
00:48:21with six consecutive triple-digit buyers,
00:48:24including a 114 to win the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
00:48:27He's already taking the lead as a sire
00:48:30with Grade 1 winners Basin, Wicked Whisper,
00:48:33Colonel Liam and Juju's Map,
00:48:35plus multiple six-figure yearling sales
00:48:38and two-year-old sales up to $1.2 million.
00:48:41Proven on the track, proven in the sales ring.
00:48:44Liam's Map, only at Lane's End.
00:48:48The TDN Writers' Room is brought to you by Lane's End.
00:48:51The Lane's End Stallion of the Week is Liam's Map.
00:48:54What a year it has been for Liam's Map,
00:48:57who has had nine individual Maidens' Specialweight winners
00:49:01this summer alone,
00:49:03led by undefeated stakes winner Houdet
00:49:06and Deterministic, who was a TDN Fantastic Rising Star
00:49:11on debut at Saratoga for trainer Christophe Clement.
00:49:15Clement also trains Turf Sprinting filly Roses for Deborah,
00:49:18who Randy just spoke about,
00:49:20who has four wins on the year thus far,
00:49:23including the Grade 3 Caress.
00:49:25We're going to toss out her effort in her last.
00:49:28At Keeneland September, Liam's Map yearlings,
00:49:31there were 26 of them,
00:49:33sold for an average of over $150,000,
00:49:36led by a $600,000 Colt.
00:49:38Liam's Map stands for just $40,000
00:49:41this year at Lane's End.
00:49:44Well, a huge weekend of racing coming up.
00:49:46It's that time, all these last-minute Breeders' Cup prep races.
00:49:49There are 17 graded stakes races slated to be run over the weekend,
00:49:54five winning you're in.
00:49:56At Aqueduct, the highlights will be the Joe Hurst,
00:49:58the Vosburgh, and the Woodward.
00:49:59Sad to see that as a Grade 2 race,
00:50:01but certainly understandable.
00:50:03Breaks my heart as somebody who grew up
00:50:05worshiping the big stars that used to run on races like that.
00:50:09Churchill Downs, the Lucas Classic, the Ack Ack,
00:50:11Santa Anita, just a couple races to mention.
00:50:14Awesome, again, the Santa Anita Sprint Championship,
00:50:16the City of Hope Mile, the John Henry Championship,
00:50:18the Zenyatta Stakes.
00:50:20Zoe, you're going to be busy out there.
00:50:22First of all, let's zero in on Cody's wish in the Vosburgh.
00:50:25He's coming back off that disappointing performance
00:50:28in the mile and eighth Whitney,
00:50:29where he answered the question that Bill Mott asked him to answer,
00:50:32whether or not he was a mile and eighth horse, and he's not.
00:50:36So he's going back to seven furlongs in the Vosburgh.
00:50:39It is still seven furlongs, isn't it?
00:50:40It's not six furlongs.
00:50:41Yes.
00:50:42Okay, seven furlongs.
00:50:44He's going to run against a small field.
00:50:46He should murder the competition based on what's going on there,
00:50:50but it'll be good to see him back in the entries.
00:50:52And then, of course, Mott's next move,
00:50:55I assume, will be going to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile,
00:50:57where even though he won it last year, much like Gunnite,
00:51:01I'm still not sure two turns are really his thing,
00:51:04but he was good enough and classy enough to win it last year.
00:51:07So we'll learn a lot this weekend at Aqueduct with Joe Hirsch.
00:51:11Rebels Romance, last year's Breeders' Cup Turf winner,
00:51:14who's had just a disastrous year, was seventh in Dubai
00:51:18and then came back and ran in the Bowling Green at Saratoga
00:51:22and fell during the race,
00:51:24will be the big name for Charlie Appleby and Godolph,
00:51:27and we'll see if he can get back on track.
00:51:29But, Randy, anything in particular you're looking forward to this weekend?
00:51:32I think Whirligoddess is going to come back against the boys again
00:51:35to go against Rebels Romance.
00:51:37A lot of the other usual suspects are expected to go in the Joe Hirsch.
00:51:41In the Woodwards, Zan Dunn is an expected starter
00:51:45trying to tune up for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:51:47He's been a horse, obviously, trained by Chad Brown,
00:51:49that hasn't been winning, but he's been running well.
00:51:51He was second in the Met Mile.
00:51:53He was second in the Whitney behind Wada Barrio.
00:51:55Of course, he was beaten a length and a half in the Kentucky Derby.
00:51:58There's a three-year-old law professor.
00:52:00Al Geers from England is supposed to come over as well
00:52:04for the Woodward as sort of an experiment
00:52:07to see if he can handle the American dirt,
00:52:09maybe go on to the Breeders' Cup Classic.
00:52:12So, yeah, all kinds of races on both coasts.
00:52:15But Santa Anita is really looking good this weekend, though.
00:52:18Yeah, Bill mentioned 17 graded stakes this weekend.
00:52:21Five of them are automatic qualifiers to the Breeders' Cup,
00:52:25and there are nine graded stakes at Santa Anita.
00:52:28We start on Friday with the Grade 3 Chillingsworth.
00:52:31It looks like Ida will be the overwhelming favorite in there.
00:52:35I don't know how many she's won in a row.
00:52:37It's six or seven, but she's a perfect four for four
00:52:40at Santa Anita for Hall of Fame at Bob Baffert.
00:52:43The Grade 1 Awesome, again, does headline the big races at Santa Anita.
00:52:48That, of course, is a winner you're in.
00:52:50Practical Moves is going to go in there, I checked with.
00:52:54Yeah, I did check with Tim Yaktin
00:52:56because I know there was an allowance race next Friday,
00:52:59and who knows if that's going to go.
00:53:01He did say the plan is to go, so that's very good.
00:53:05He comes in with a good series of works
00:53:07and looks like he's going to face the usual suspects.
00:53:10Skinner will be in there. Slow down, Andy. Bye-bye, Bobby.
00:53:13Interesting enough, a lot of horses are shipping in here to Santa Anita.
00:53:18We already have your favorite, Randy.
00:53:21White Abario is here, expected to work on Thursday.
00:53:24He's going to train up to the race.
00:53:26Sorry, Bill, but he's training up to the race.
00:53:28Asmussen is shipping in four in here tomorrow, which is—
00:53:33No, he's coming in today, Tuesday.
00:53:35Claire Eyre, Society, Echo Zulu, and a couple of other ones are coming in.
00:53:42And so people, I think, have learned over the years that it's good to come in.
00:53:46Asmussen's the leader of this, to come in early and get not one,
00:53:51but two or three works over the racetrack.
00:53:53You don't have to run here, but I think he's made the mark
00:53:56that it's good to have some training over the track here at Santa Anita.
00:54:01We'll have the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.
00:54:04Had a good conversation to Bob Baffert yesterday morning,
00:54:07and I'm like, what's the Arabian Lion doing?
00:54:09What are we doing? Are you going to run?
00:54:12He's like, well, I was a little down on him,
00:54:14but he worked him yesterday in a 46 and change.
00:54:17I'm like, how can you be down on him now?
00:54:19He's like, oh, that track was so good this morning.
00:54:22So he's on the fence about that,
00:54:24but he did say that he has Speedboat Beach,
00:54:27who we've not seen since last December, waiting in the wings.
00:54:31Now, bear in mind, we're shooting this on Tuesday.
00:54:33The entries are not out, but he kind of hinted towards him,
00:54:37perhaps running in there.
00:54:38We'll have CZ Rocket, Dr. Scheivel, American Theorem.
00:54:42But I think Bob Baffert, if those two go forward,
00:54:44he could really hold the keys to that race, City of Hope.
00:54:48The Zenyatta Stakes, which is one of the Dirt Dozen 12,
00:54:51that's on Sunday, Adair Manor.
00:54:53Looks like she'll be the tour de force in there.
00:54:55Are you still on her, Randy?
00:54:57No, I think she's, yes.
00:54:59I mean, she just, add her to the list,
00:55:01the murderer's row list that I was talking about.
00:55:03I mentioned her along with Clariere and Nest
00:55:06and Secret Oath and Idiomatic, yeah.
00:55:09Who do you like in The Awesome Again?
00:55:13I, you know, I'd be interested in Practical Move.
00:55:17I mean, is Defunded going to go?
00:55:20I think so.
00:55:21Okay.
00:55:22I mean, yeah.
00:55:24Yeah, well, it'll be interesting to see
00:55:26if Practical Move can bounce back off of the bench
00:55:29and can win The Awesome Again.
00:55:31He's another Breeders' Cup Classic course
00:55:33based in California.
00:55:34It's, yeah, so it's going to be interesting.
00:55:37Yeah, it's going to be a good week.
00:55:38Guys, let's go back to the Joe Hirsch.
00:55:40In Rebels Romance, as I said, it's been a lost year for him.
00:55:44But do we look at this and say, it's Charlie Appleby,
00:55:47of course he's going to run a big race?
00:55:49Or do we say, you know, look, you know,
00:55:51maybe this is one of the rare Appleby horses
00:55:53you can take a stand against.
00:55:54Anyone got an opinion on that?
00:55:56Anytime you fall in a race, I have an opinion.
00:56:00It's, I want to see a couple coming back.
00:56:03It's a tough thing to fall down in a horse race
00:56:05and get up and be the same mentally, horse or human.
00:56:09So, I mean, that's kind of the way I'm looking at it.
00:56:12Did he go down or did he just lose his rider?
00:56:14I don't know exactly.
00:56:16I know he clipped heels.
00:56:18I never got to see it.
00:56:19Okay, but anyway, I, you know,
00:56:23what I think you have to look at, Bill,
00:56:25you have to have some questions, obviously,
00:56:27because things haven't gone swimmingly
00:56:28for Rebels Romance so far this year.
00:56:30But who's he running against?
00:56:32And right now, there's nothing in there,
00:56:35I think, that would really frighten you that much.
00:56:38I mean, right now, the Naira Racing Office,
00:56:40which is, like, the best in the business, by the way,
00:56:42Andrew Burns, et cetera.
00:56:45Atomo from the, at Homo, whatever you say it,
00:56:48from the Chad Brown Barn.
00:56:49The Speed Horse Astronaut, Grand Sonata,
00:56:52Pioneering Spirit, Soldier Rising,
00:56:54Christophe Clement can run pretty well.
00:56:56Stone Age is now trained in America.
00:56:58I think Chad Brown.
00:56:59Therapist, Warlike Goddess.
00:57:01I mean, Warlike Goddess hasn't quite been the same
00:57:03in her last few starts.
00:57:05So, there's really nothing in there that you would say,
00:57:07oh, I don't know if Rebels Romance can beat this guy or girl.
00:57:12So, I think he's the worst to beat.
00:57:15Zoe, you had that nice European accent.
00:57:17So, I'm dubbing you our European expert,
00:57:20as Randy and I are born in the USA.
00:57:23God, Bruce Springsteen turned 74 years old the other day.
00:57:26What does that make me feel?
00:57:28Oh, my God.
00:57:29I saw him in high school, back in Princeton, New Jersey,
00:57:33and never mind what year that was.
00:57:35Anyways, Zoe, what's going on
00:57:38with Arc de Triomphe this weekend?
00:57:40It's the Arc, and it's the premier race in Europe
00:57:44for three-year-olds and up, basically.
00:57:46And it looks like it's going to be a field of 14.
00:57:49I know that the forfeit stage came out today, Tuesday.
00:57:53There were 14 left in.
00:57:54Emily Upjohn is out.
00:57:56She'll be the point to Champions Day again,
00:57:59much like last year.
00:58:00There's a chance she could come over to the Breeders' Cup,
00:58:03which would be really, really good to see her.
00:58:05The King George won, too, will be in there.
00:58:08Huckham and Westover, a very good friend of mine,
00:58:11our friend at the TDN, Dan Ross,
00:58:13says, bet Westover like he can't lose.
00:58:16Said, if you can get 8-1 on Westover,
00:58:18just get it and get me a piece of it as well.
00:58:22He absolutely loves Westover for Rafe Beckett.
00:58:25Westover came in with a very, very nice gallop,
00:58:29I think yesterday, and all thumbs up for him.
00:58:34Huckham is looking good,
00:58:35and he bids to become the first 6-year-old
00:58:38to win the Arc de Triomphe.
00:58:40A lot of people have said around me
00:58:41that 3-year-olds haven't had such a good record,
00:58:44but I went back and looked,
00:58:46and they're kind of about the same.
00:58:49I mean, we're going to have the Aidan O'Brien horse
00:58:52that won the Ledger, Continuous.
00:58:55That looks like where Frankie's going to land,
00:58:57I do believe,
00:58:58and he's looking to become the first horse
00:59:00to win the St. Ledger and the Arc in the same year.
00:59:03And Continuous ran in the French Derby
00:59:06and was beaten, I think, 15 lengths
00:59:08by the horse who's the favorite right now
00:59:10in the market for the Arc de Triomphe,
00:59:12a horse called Ace Impact,
00:59:14who is a 3-year-old.
00:59:16Yeah, undefeated, 5-for-5.
00:59:18Jean-Claude Rouget is the trainer
00:59:20who won the Arc three years ago,
00:59:22and Bill will love this.
00:59:23Rouget purposely has not run this horse
00:59:26since August the 15th,
00:59:28because he said, quote,
00:59:30Fresh horses win the Arc.
00:59:32So he's coming in the Arc
00:59:34off a very unusual training pattern,
00:59:37and they're talking about it over there.
00:59:39He could really change
00:59:42some of the historic records
00:59:46that you have to do this to win the Arc,
00:59:47you can't do that to win the Arc, for example.
00:59:50No horse has won the Arc in 33 years
00:59:54that didn't previously have a mile-and-a-half race
00:59:58under his or her belt.
01:00:00Ace Impact, the 3-year-old,
01:00:01has never run a mile-and-a-half.
01:00:04So there's reasons to bet on Westover
01:00:07instead of Ace Impact,
01:00:08if you're looking for them.
01:00:10But Ace Impact right now,
01:00:11I think is the early market favorite over there.
01:00:14I don't think I've ever heard
01:00:15Jean-Claude Rouget sound so excited about a horse.
01:00:19He is super, super excited about him.
01:00:23So maybe this is the year.
01:00:25What are we going to call it?
01:00:26It can't be the Curse of Apollo.
01:00:28What could it be?
01:00:30Impact of Rouget?
01:00:32I'm not sure.
01:00:33Yeah, but what's his dosage index?
01:00:35How about that?
01:00:37I'll leave that to Randy.
01:00:39No, I'll leave that to Bill.
01:00:43We mentioned Practical Move earlier.
01:00:45We'll go forward in this weekend's Awesome Again.
01:00:48Well, the TDN Writers' Room is brought to you by XBTV,
01:00:51and the workout of the week is Practical Move.
01:00:54Here you go, guys.
01:00:55Practical Move worked five furlongs
01:00:57at Santa Anita Sunday morning in 59-4.
01:01:01The Tim Yak Teen trainee won the San Felipe
01:01:04and the Santa Anita Derby
01:01:05in his only two starts this year,
01:01:07but has not had a race since being scratched
01:01:10from the Kentucky Derby with a fever
01:01:12the Thursday before the race.
01:01:14This is Practical Move on the outside,
01:01:16finishing up very nicely indeed
01:01:18and galloping out strongly,
01:01:20and he will go towards the Awesome Again
01:01:23this coming weekend.
01:01:25This is Practical Move.
01:01:56All the thrills.
01:02:00Fraction of the bills.
01:02:05Experience the power of the partnership.
01:02:11Change your life, make new friends,
01:02:13and compete at the highest level of thoroughbred racing.
01:02:18West Point Thoroughbreds,
01:02:19the gold standard in racing partnerships.
01:02:22Visit WestPointTV.com.
01:02:25To the TDN Riders Room,
01:02:27brought to you by West Point Thoroughbreds,
01:02:29who had a big maiden winner this past week
01:02:31at Churchill Downs.
01:02:32Stretch Ride won a maiden special weight race.
01:02:36Anytime you can do that at Saratoga
01:02:38or at Churchill Downs in the summer or fall
01:02:40with a two-year-old,
01:02:41you've got a horse to keep an eye on.
01:02:43That's Stretch Ride from West Point Thoroughbreds.
01:02:45West Point also wrapped up its shopping
01:02:47at the Keeneland September Sale.
01:02:50They have a large group available
01:02:52at every price point.
01:02:53They purchase yearlings from anywhere from $100,000
01:02:57all the way up to the $3 million sale topper.
01:03:01You can go to WestPointTV.com.
01:03:03Click on the Available Horses tab
01:03:06to see which of their 2023 purchases
01:03:09are still available.
01:03:10And don't forget,
01:03:12joining a West Point partnership
01:03:13can vault you into the world
01:03:15of instant camaraderie, Bill.
01:03:17Yes, it can.
01:03:18No doubt about that.
01:03:25Well, that's a wrap on this week's show.
01:03:27I want to thank my partners each week,
01:03:29Randy Moss and Zoe Cabin.
01:03:30Our Green Group Guests of the Week,
01:03:32Doug Cowens,
01:03:33our co-producers, Katie Petruniak
01:03:34and Anthony LaRocca,
01:03:35and our editors, Alia LaRocca
01:03:37and Nathan Wilkinson
01:03:38and Lucy, who got good screen time this week, Randy.
01:03:42There she is.
01:03:44There she is, our mascot, Lucy.
01:03:46We'll talk to you next week.
01:03:47Thanks for tuning us in.