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00:00:00For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
00:00:28Welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room, my name is Bill Finley, I'm a correspondent
00:00:32for the TDN.
00:00:33I also cover horse racing on Sirius XM Radio, along with Dave Johnson.
00:00:38I said y'all last week, I'll say you guys this week.
00:00:40Hey you guys, I'm Randy Moss with NBC Sports and the Buyer Speed Figures, ready to roll.
00:00:47Greetings, I'm Zoe Cabman with First Racing and XBTV and I'm looking forward to getting
00:00:53down in the warmth and the sunshine of South Florida in just a couple of days, along with
00:00:59Randy.
00:01:00Oh, you think you are?
00:01:01I'm in Minnesota.
00:01:02Nobody invited me.
00:01:03Guys?
00:01:04You can come, you're just going to wait for Speedo.
00:01:09Okay, I'm a little bit hurt, but anyways.
00:01:12All right, so it's a long way to go to the Kentucky Derby, but whenever there's developments
00:01:17that are Derby related with the three-year-olds, we always pay a lot of attention to them,
00:01:21even though it's only January.
00:01:23So there was a Kentucky Derby prep on Saturday at the fairgrounds, the LeCompte.
00:01:29Track Phantom beat Nash, who was a horse that got such a lot of hype early on in his career
00:01:35and really hasn't lived up to it.
00:01:37Track Phantom got a 90 buyer figure, he looks like he's a pretty good horse and we'll be
00:01:42hearing more from him.
00:01:43I'm sure he'll follow that road to the Risen Star and then likely to the Louisiana Derby.
00:01:48I'll start with you, Zoe.
00:01:49What did you think of Track Phantom?
00:01:51I mean, he was good.
00:01:52We'll get to Randy in a little bit because he wasn't the fastest horse of the day at
00:01:58the fairgrounds, but he's three for three around two turns.
00:02:01And one thing that Steve Asmussen, his trainer, does so, so well is develop horses.
00:02:07He talks about loving the fairgrounds three-year-old program moving forward that almost got him
00:02:13the Derby last year with Epicenter.
00:02:16You know, 74, 81, 88, 89, and a 90 buyer speed figure.
00:02:21This is atypical Asmussen training.
00:02:25He's a guy who knows how to get horses right.
00:02:27He knows how to keep them right and keep them going.
00:02:30He is progressing in every single start.
00:02:34He was impressive.
00:02:35Rosario knows him well.
00:02:36He was in perfect rhythm with him the whole way through.
00:02:40And he looks like he's going to be a force to be reckoned with.
00:02:43Is he the best three-year-old in Asmussen's barn?
00:02:45I don't think so, but he's certainly a damn good one.
00:02:49Yeah, and this win was accomplished as we expected it to be in a completely different
00:02:55fashion from his win earlier in the meeting in the Gunrunner Stakes.
00:02:59In that race, he was pushed through very hot fractions by a horse named Next Level and
00:03:04survived and kicked on through the stretch and managed to win anyway.
00:03:09For the LeComp, Next Level was a scratch.
00:03:13So really, he figured to set an uncontested pace, a pretty comfortable pace, which he
00:03:18did.
00:03:19The only real question mark was the one that Bill alluded to.
00:03:22Which Nash would we see?
00:03:24Would we see the Nash that won so impressively at Churchill Downs in wire-to-wire fashion
00:03:29with a big buyer speed figure of 97?
00:03:31Or would we see the Nash that was well beaten by Track Phantom in the Gunrunner?
00:03:35Now, they rode Nash fairly aggressively out of the gate.
00:03:40He was side-by-side with Track Phantom, but he just didn't have enough early speed to
00:03:43stick with Track Phantom.
00:03:44Nash had a great trip.
00:03:48They asked him the question at about the 516th bolt aggressively.
00:03:51He couldn't gain an inch on Track Phantom.
00:03:54Track Phantom closed his last quarter after a fairly soft pace at about 24-4.
00:03:59Looked pretty good doing it, and he's obviously on the short list of leading contenders for
00:04:06the Kentucky Derby.
00:04:07But as Zoe said, is he the best horse even in Steve Asmussen's barn?
00:04:12Bill, I don't think he is.
00:04:15Well, we'll find out down the road.
00:04:18He got a 90 buyer number, and he was not the fastest three-year-old of the week, of the
00:04:25weekend.
00:04:26There were two others that ran 94s, and two horses that we really got to keep an eye on.
00:04:32Now, it's hard to break your maiden in late January and win the Kentucky Derby, but these
00:04:38were horses that really ran exceptional races.
00:04:41The first one is Hall of Fame at the Fairgrounds, a $1.4 million gunrunner.
00:04:48It was his second lifetime starting, won by 10.25.
00:04:51He gets a 94 buyer.
00:04:52And then out at Santa Anita, May Munn, a Amir Zaidan-Bob Baffert combination, a $900,000
00:05:00horse by Frosted.
00:05:01He wins by 7.5 lengths and also gets a 94.
00:05:05Randy, was one of these better than the other?
00:05:10Is it too late for them to merge as among the better Triple Crown candidates?
00:05:15What's your thoughts?
00:05:16No.
00:05:17I mean, I think what we've seen in recent years is that horses can make their debuts
00:05:20in February, like Justify, much less January.
00:05:24So I really liked the way Hall of Fame looked.
00:05:28Joel Rosario rode him.
00:05:31He was very aggressive early in the race because there were horses crowded to his outside and
00:05:36Joel wanted to maintain inside position into the first turn and the pace got just a little
00:05:41bit out of hand.
00:05:42They went 46 and change.
00:05:44He was right on the inside of the pace setter, went on with it down the backstretch, a very
00:05:49fast pace by Fairgrounds standards, even for stakes company, right, especially for made
00:05:54in special weight company.
00:05:56And yet he kicked on at the top of the stretch, drew off and won by 10 lengths with that 94
00:06:02buyer speed figure.
00:06:03I think, my opinion, he is definitely a better horse than Track Phantom, who of course got
00:06:10a 90, as you mentioned later in the LeCompte.
00:06:12A couple of interesting things to note about Hall of Fame.
00:06:14He is the rare, maybe so far the unique, horse trained by Steve Asmussen to be owned by Coolmore.
00:06:22Now Coolmore has shown an attachment to gun runners.
00:06:25They've paid a lot of money for some gun runners.
00:06:27They have Sierra Leone with Chad Brown, who is a gun runner.
00:06:31Maybe they chose Asmussen because out of all the trainers out there, Steve obviously has
00:06:36had the most success with gun runners through his connection with Winchell.
00:06:40There's also a new owner in the Coolmore partnership.
00:06:43They're always looking for new blood, new money, like George Von Opel of Westerberg.
00:06:47Now you add in a guy named Kuldeep Singh Rajput from Singapore, who is just getting into the
00:06:53horse business in Singapore, in Australia.
00:06:56This is the first horse I could find that he is a owner of in the United States.
00:07:01He's joined forces with the Coolmore people in the purchase of this horse.
00:07:05And I think it's an exciting horse down the road.
00:07:07And they're pointing to the risen star for this horse.
00:07:11So Asmussen apparently has no qualms about running Track Phantom against Hall of Fame
00:07:18and not trying to separate the two to keep them both at the fairgrounds.
00:07:22All right, Zoe, why don't you tell us more about Maimon, who ran out your way at the
00:07:26Great Race Place?
00:07:27Well, the first time I saw Maimon was at the Ocala two-year-old sale last year.
00:07:33Jesse Longoria sold him.
00:07:35He basically broke the track record breezing.
00:07:38He worked in nine and three, which is now the new standard down at OBS, which is absolutely
00:07:45insane.
00:07:46And he did it nicely.
00:07:47I can remember going to see him.
00:07:48Now, he was only a $50,000 yearling who blossomed into a $900,000 two-year-old.
00:07:56So congrats to Jesse Longoria, who conditioned him, did such a good job getting him sold.
00:08:03And he was as advertised for Bob Baffert.
00:08:06Now, the track was a little bit wet.
00:08:10I'm not sure what the actual listing was.
00:08:12It was probably fast, but we did get some rain on Saturday.
00:08:16So he was splishing through a little bit of mud there when he just absolutely galloped
00:08:21to the front, 21 and change, 43 and change, and drew off to win as he pleased.
00:08:27He's a very good horse.
00:08:29We'll talk a little bit about Bob Baffert, Nama Zedan, and the Churchill downs a little
00:08:33bit later, but it doesn't look like Churchill is giving up anytime soon with regards to
00:08:39banning Baffert.
00:08:40So we'll have to see where Maimon does go.
00:08:43I still feel they're all gonna stay in Bob's barn, but there's no question that he is a
00:08:48very good horse.
00:08:49Who did he beat?
00:08:50Again, you can only beat who you run against, but he did look like the real deal with Son
00:08:55of Frosted.
00:08:5694 again, like you said.
00:09:00Do you want to remind you once more that the TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
00:09:05The 2024 Horses of Racing Age Sale will be held on Friday, April the 26th, following
00:09:12the conclusion of the April Spring Meet.
00:09:14Spring already feels great.
00:09:17And speaking of the Spring Meet, tickets go on sale February the 20th for the Keeneland
00:09:21April Meeting, which runs from April the 5th to the 26th.
00:09:25We'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.
00:09:32At Keeneland, a horse will always be measured in hands.
00:09:37Hands that see, that sense, that speak.
00:09:47Hands that hold our sport to a higher standard.
00:09:51Not for our sake, but for theirs, for the love of the horse for generations to come.
00:10:00The TDN Writer's Room also brought to you by the Fast Sires at Windstar Farm, the sponsor
00:10:05every week of our Fastest Horse of the Week segment.
00:10:09We have a nice little segue here.
00:10:10This week, the sire we're going to talk about happens to be Always Dreaming, two-time Derby
00:10:15winner, Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.
00:10:17He won the Florida Derby by five lengths, if you recall, in the fastest time of the
00:10:22race since Aladar had won it in 1978.
00:10:24Always Dreaming ran that nine furlongs in 147.47, less than three quarters of a second
00:10:31off of Arrogate's track record.
00:10:33Then, of course, he went on to Kentucky, son of the underrated Bodie Meister.
00:10:36He wins the Kentucky Derby as the nine-to-two favorite over Irish War Cry and McCracken
00:10:42in Classic Empire.
00:10:43He won it by over two-and-three-quarters lengths with Johnny Velasquez.
00:10:46He stands at stud at Windstar Farm for $5,000, and his best son happens to be our Fastest
00:10:56Horse of the Week, Saudi Crown, Pennsylvania Derby winner who came back in the Louisiana
00:11:01States at the Fairgrounds on the LeCompte Undercard.
00:11:05His prep for the Saudi Cup, his next start penciled in because he is owned by a Saudi
00:11:10Arabian owner.
00:11:11Saudi Crown went wire-to-wire in the Louisiana States for a buyer's speed figure of 105,
00:11:18just a titch below his lifetime best of 106.
00:11:22Saudi Crown, son of Always Dreaming.
00:11:25That is our Fastest Horse of the Week and our Spotlight Siren.
00:11:31All right.
00:11:32Well, it was a quiet news week until all of a sudden it wasn't.
00:11:36Two major stories dropped within the last 48 hours, and the first one we'll get to is
00:11:41an announcement from Bob Baffert and Amr Zedan.
00:11:44They are dropping the remaining cases against Churchill Downs Incorporated related to the
00:11:49disqualification of Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby.
00:11:57Sure, this just didn't happen out of the blue.
00:11:59So what is behind it?
00:12:03The statement they put out could not have been, not only was there no bitterness or
00:12:08anger, it was just filled with love for Churchill Downs and isn't everybody great and yada,
00:12:18yada, yada, yada.
00:12:20It looks to me like this is an olive branch from Baffert and Zedan because I think they
00:12:25knew whether they were told directly by Churchill or whether they just figured out, they were
00:12:30not going to let Baffert back into the Kentucky Derby with this lawsuit hanging out there
00:12:35until it was adjudicated.
00:12:37But then no sooner had this announcement came out than Churchill made a statement saying
00:12:42this change is nothing for 2024.
00:12:45These horses still have to be out of his barn by January 29th.
00:12:48He's still banned for the Kentucky Derby himself.
00:12:53But maybe this is about 2025.
00:12:56I just don't think it's a coincidence.
00:12:58I don't think Baffert and Zedan woke up one morning and say, hey, you know what, let's
00:13:01make nice with Churchill Downs.
00:13:04So my guess is Bob Baffert will be reinstated for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
00:13:13I'm not guessing over that.
00:13:15I don't think we can guess about that.
00:13:18I'm glad.
00:13:19I mean, it's over.
00:13:20It needs to be over.
00:13:22I wish it had happened sooner and we'll just have to wait and hear what happens.
00:13:28Hopefully, this is the last time we'll have to talk about it.
00:13:31Right.
00:13:31I mean, they certainly wound through the court system enough.
00:13:34I made a mistake last week when I pointed out that I thought there were hard feelings
00:13:40from Churchill Downs Incorporated about the lawsuits and all the legal fees that Churchill
00:13:45Downs had had to pay.
00:13:47And I thought that they felt that the continued lawsuits were an indication that Zedan and
00:13:54Baffert weren't taking enough responsibility.
00:13:57I still believe that the lawsuit that was pending by Zedan and Baffert, I think I indicated
00:14:03it was against Churchill Downs Incorporated.
00:14:05It was actually an appeal against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and not CDI.
00:14:11So I want to get that out of the way.
00:14:13The last time we have to talk about it, I think everybody came to the realization, right,
00:14:19that look, certain things that people within horse racing, trainers, owners within horse
00:14:24racing, I think sort of accept.
00:14:27Number one, 21 picograms per milliliter of blood, 21 trillionths of a gram could have
00:14:34absolutely no impact on the way Medina Spirit ran.
00:14:37Number two, it was unintentional.
00:14:39It was not an attempt by Bob Baffert to circumvent the rules and gain some sort of advantage.
00:14:44Number three, it was most likely an ointment for a skin rash and not an injection of beta
00:14:50methadone.
00:14:51And number four, the KHRC rules were intended to prevent the injection of beta methadone.
00:14:59I'm not sure the KHRC even realized when they wrote the rules that there was actually an
00:15:03ointment with beta methadone.
00:15:05But in the end, knowing all of this, the judges declared that it didn't make any difference.
00:15:11That trace constitutes positive was the rule.
00:15:14Beta methadone was in the horse's system.
00:15:17Ergo, the horse must be disqualified.
00:15:20So that was the bottom line through numerous appeals.
00:15:24I really don't think it would have changed regardless of a venue, even if they had gotten
00:15:29it out of Kentucky.
00:15:30So I'm glad we've got all that behind us now.
00:15:33And Bill, I agree with you.
00:15:34I think it was a surprise that CDI, to me, extended it to 2024.
00:15:39And I'll be shocked if they extend it to 2025.
00:15:44Yeah, that would be surprising.
00:15:46We'll see what happens now.
00:15:47But I think sometime after the Derby this year, we will get an announcement from Churchill
00:15:51that welcoming Bob Baffert back, maybe not exactly with open arms, but that he can race
00:15:56there again.
00:15:57So how about this?
00:15:58Finally, finally, something out of the Saudi cop about maximum security only took him four
00:16:05years to figure out what they were going to do.
00:16:08But we're recording this on Tuesday.
00:16:12And just this morning, we got a press release from the Saudi Arabian Jockey Club.
00:16:17And basically, they haven't officially disqualified maximum security or sanctioned Jason service
00:16:24just yet.
00:16:25They said they're now sending the case to what they call a stewards committee.
00:16:29But basically, 90% of the press release was about all the things that that service did
00:16:36and maximum security and met all the drugging and everything like that.
00:16:40So, I mean, the stewards committee is not going to say, oh, never mind.
00:16:45We're going to let this result stand.
00:16:48It's always seemed a little bit strange to me that you could suspend or disqualify a
00:16:54horse over a drug issue when they did not test positive before or after the race.
00:17:00But obviously, the Saudi Arabians played by a different set of rules.
00:17:03And with a different judicial system, I don't think there was a whole lot anybody on the
00:17:09side of maximum security could do about it.
00:17:12But just like you guys said about Baffert and Churchill Downs, I guess this isn't technically
00:17:17over until we hear from this so-called stewards committee.
00:17:20But we know exactly what they're going to do.
00:17:23But I guess like just like the Baffert thing, thank goodness, this is finally getting to be
00:17:29resolved.
00:17:29And I'll never understand why it took them four years to figure this out.
00:17:34That stewards committee may take another four years.
00:17:35We don't know how that works over there in Saudi Arabia, right?
00:17:39We complain over here about how slow the wheels of justice can turn for positive tests for
00:17:44Baffert, for Todd Fletcher, et cetera.
00:17:47It's nothing like the four years over there.
00:17:49Even Gary and Mary West, the owners of maximum security, at one point were just like, come
00:17:54on.
00:17:54I mean, one way or the other, just get this over with.
00:17:57Let's have some closure on this.
00:17:59So we'll see if we actually get it soon, Zoe.
00:18:01Merry Christmas, Jeff Bloom.
00:18:03I mean, you go from a $3.5 million payday to a $10 million payday.
00:18:09I hate to say it, Luis Saez, I hope you saved some of that money from your payday because
00:18:14it looks like he's going to have to give it back.
00:18:17So we'll have to see.
00:18:19But yeah, it's got to be a good day for Jeff Bloom.
00:18:22And Midnight Mizzou, who is in the broodmare barn right now.
00:18:26Absolutely.
00:18:29Randy, Tom Hammond got announced this week that he's getting a special Eclipse award.
00:18:34Very well deserved for somebody who's a real pro and has been a great racing broadcaster.
00:18:38And I'll just bring you in on the conversation.
00:18:40I know you've worked closely with Tom over the years.
00:18:42I'm sure you have a lot of nice things to say about him and are very happy to him.
00:18:47What was your thought when Tom Hammond got this award?
00:18:50Oh, absolutely deserved.
00:18:52I mean, Tom got his first break with NBC Sports in the very first Breeders' Cup, the 1984
00:18:58Breeders' Cup.
00:18:59And one of the ways that besides the fact that he's, you know, a Hall of Fame level
00:19:04broadcaster, one of the ways that he ingratiated himself to the producers back in 1984.
00:19:10He pushed hard for an interview before the Breeders' Cup Classic with Bill Allen, the
00:19:18owner of Wild Again.
00:19:20And at first, the producers, and it was actually Pete Axfilm, who was part of the telecast,
00:19:26said, no, no, no, no, no, we don't.
00:19:27That horse has no chance.
00:19:29We don't need to talk to that guy.
00:19:30It's a waste of time.
00:19:32You know, let's focus our efforts on horses that actually have a chance.
00:19:36And Tom stuck up for himself and said, no, look.
00:19:39They're putting up a $600,000 supplemental fee for a horse that's going to be 30 to one.
00:19:43This is a question that has to be asked.
00:19:46And so the producer sided with Tom and said, OK, you talk to Bill Allen.
00:19:52And lo and behold, Bill Allen said, not only are we putting up the money, we think he's
00:19:55going to win and we're betting on him.
00:19:57And it became one of the big stories of the entire 1984 telecast.
00:20:02And of course, we know what happened after that.
00:20:04Tom went on to be the voice of Notre Dame football, call NFL playoff games, call NBA
00:20:12games, one of the top broadcasters in America.
00:20:14And one of the big things about Tom and horse racing is that as a native Kentuckian, he
00:20:21knew so much about all these other sports and Olympics as well.
00:20:24He was a voice of many top Olympics games, but he knew more about horse racing as a Kentuckian
00:20:31than he even did about all those other sports.
00:20:34One more quick story.
00:20:35My first derby with Tom on the set was in 2012 for I'll Have Another.
00:20:41And you get this, as I think I explained in the press release, you get this jolt of adrenaline
00:20:46when Tom slides into the host seat and you hear that voice.
00:20:49It's like, oh, all right, now we're in the big time.
00:20:52But the race was run and Tom had this old legal notepad where he had all his handwritten
00:20:57notes, right?
00:20:58Jack Whitaker was the same way when I worked with Jack Whitaker back in the day, old school
00:21:02handwritten notes.
00:21:05And I'll Have Another crosses the finish line and wins it.
00:21:08And there's probably six or eight or 10 key points that I've got in my mind that need
00:21:15to be mentioned about I'll Have Another.
00:21:19And no sooner do they cross the finish line, Tom's got his nose right up on the TV monitor,
00:21:24not looking at his notes.
00:21:25I'm watching Tom.
00:21:26Boom, boom, boom, boom.
00:21:28Comes out with every one of those key points perfectly, absolutely concisely encapsulated
00:21:36everything that needed to be said about the horse.
00:21:40And I'm like, what am I going to talk about?
00:21:42I'm watching Tom and I'm like, holy crap, that is impressive.
00:21:47And that's just a glimpse of what I came to expect and what Tom brought to the table as
00:21:53the host of the Derby and the Breeders' Cup and all those other big races.
00:21:57It's just like me when I follow Randy.
00:21:59I'm like, OK, well, there's one.
00:22:01I'll mark that one off.
00:22:03Let me mark that one off.
00:22:04Oh, and down the rabbit hole, I'll mark that one off.
00:22:07OK, yeah, well, what he said will be great.
00:22:09Thank you very much.
00:22:12The TDN Writer's Room brought to you by the PHBA.
00:22:16If you've been living behind a rock, that's Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.
00:22:20And it could be a big Pegasus weekend for Pennsylvania breds.
00:22:23First of all, guess who got into the Pegasus World Cup and drew postposition number one?
00:22:29A big advantage.
00:22:30Nimitz class, Pennsylvania bred, new ownership, also in the Pegasus World Cup turf.
00:22:35I'm very busy.
00:22:37Chad Brown tackles that one.
00:22:39So two big chances in Pegasus races coming up this Saturday.
00:22:44Meanwhile, the $200 fee for foals of 2022 for this year's PSRPA Breed Stallion Series
00:22:50is due January 31st.
00:22:52If you miss that deadline, again, the fee will go up to $500.
00:22:56If you're interested in breeding in Pennsylvania, check out the 2024 Stallion Breeding, Stallion
00:23:01and Boarding Farm directory.
00:23:04It's available at the PHBA website.
00:23:06That would be www.pabred.com.
00:23:13PA Bred, I think we've built a brand at this point.
00:23:17The state of Pennsylvania has the best breeders program in the entire United States.
00:23:25Angel of Empire wins the Arkansas Derby and wins it clear.
00:23:29Caravelle in the Breeders' Cup turf sprint.
00:23:33Pennsylvania and the PHBA have the best state bred program in the country bar none.
00:23:37The best breeders awards and stallion awards in the country.
00:23:41The rumbling started early and only intensified.
00:23:46With performances that sent shockwaves across the nation.
00:23:57At the center of it all.
00:23:58Epicenter is at the top of the three-year-old class in the run.
00:24:02Happy Travers.
00:24:03Epicenter, three-year-old champion by not this time.
00:24:07Coolmore America, home of champions.
00:24:11Well, two years ago this week, the connections at Epicenter were getting ready to open.
00:24:16The Eclipse Award is champion three-year-old.
00:24:18In 2022, Epicenter won the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby, the Jim Dandy, the Grade One Travers Stakes.
00:24:24He finished second in the Derby and the Preakness.
00:24:26Randy, what are your thoughts on Epicenter?
00:24:28He ran the highest buyer speed figure of any horse of his generation.
00:24:32Ran a 112 buyer speed figure.
00:24:35Subsequent to the Triple Crown.
00:24:37He was obviously a top class resource.
00:24:40Trained by Steve Asmussen.
00:24:41Owned by Ron Winchell.
00:24:43When Asmussen says he's never won the Kentucky Derby,
00:24:47he knows what it feels like to win the Kentucky Derby.
00:24:50Because he thought he was going to win the Kentucky Derby with Epicenter.
00:24:53As the horses were charging down the stretch.
00:24:55And all of a sudden, this horse comes bursting up the inside.
00:24:57And Steve's like, who is that?
00:25:00Rich Strike.
00:25:01He's like, who?
00:25:03Anyway, Epicenter would have been a Kentucky Derby winner in most years.
00:25:09And I'm looking forward to seeing sons of Epicenter run on the racetracks.
00:25:13At a racetrack near you soon.
00:25:15Epicenter's first falls are arriving now.
00:25:17The best son of not this time.
00:25:19He stands at Coolmore for a fee of $40,000.
00:25:23Meanwhile, as always, the TD and Riders room is brought to you by the Green Group.
00:25:28A tax accounting and advisory firm specializing in the thoroughbred industry.
00:25:33And specifically designed to save you money on your taxes.
00:25:39And welcome in now this week's Green Group guest of the week.
00:25:42It's Michael Ivarone, who is poised to have a huge day at the Pegasus World Cup.
00:25:47Several horses in, including Masterpiece in the Pegasus World Cup.
00:25:52Turf and O'Connor in the Pegasus World Cup.
00:25:55Michael, welcome back.
00:25:57We haven't talked to you in a long time.
00:25:59And that's because in about 2013, IEH Stables, which you ran, Big Brown, etc.
00:26:05Very successful.
00:26:06The plug was pulled on that.
00:26:08And you came back around 2017.
00:26:10So two part question.
00:26:12Where were you in the meantime?
00:26:13And what brought you back to racing?
00:26:15Yeah, so when I left in 2013, you know, obviously, I ran a syndicate at the time.
00:26:20And we were unwinding the syndicate.
00:26:23And I wanted to essentially come back.
00:26:26I just didn't know when.
00:26:27But I wanted to come back, not as a syndicate.
00:26:29I wanted to come back kind of with only my own money.
00:26:31Just have a couple of partners.
00:26:33Very much low key.
00:26:35More for the entertainment than a business side of it.
00:26:37So I had to wait for the right time.
00:26:40And I went back into the securities industry for, you know, an extended period of time.
00:26:44And I felt in 2017, I talked over with my wife and we felt it was a good re-entry point.
00:26:50So that's when we dipped a toe in, per se.
00:26:55All right, Michael.
00:26:55So congratulations on your resurgence in the sport.
00:26:59I got to ask you this because it's one of the first questions that people ask when they
00:27:04see the Michael Iveron of 2023 and 2024.
00:27:09I don't remember the exact date.
00:27:11It was a Pegasus World Cup.
00:27:13We were doing it on NBC.
00:27:15And our set is right next to the paddock walkway where the horses come onto the racetrack.
00:27:20And we're about a half hour before air killing time.
00:27:22And I look up the paddock walkway and I see a guy coming down the paddock walkway.
00:27:27It's got kind of like a white Elvis jumpsuit, low cut chains, medallions, big sunglasses,
00:27:35scantily clad woman on each arm.
00:27:38Walking down the paddock walkway.
00:27:39You make me feel like Tony Moon in Vegas when I came down on a parachute.
00:27:44You don't see this very often at the stuffy American racetracks, right?
00:27:48So I called Jerry Bailey.
00:27:50I said, come over here.
00:27:50Come over here.
00:27:51You got to see this.
00:27:52So we look up paddock walkway.
00:27:53He says, wow.
00:27:54He said, who is that?
00:27:55And I said, I think it's Ivor Roan.
00:27:59And Jerry said, no, no, no.
00:28:01And you got a little bit closer and you look up at us and say, Randy, Jerry,
00:28:06the Michael Ivor Roan that we were all accustomed to seeing,
00:28:09and I don't think I'd seen you since Big Brown, you know, Court Vision, I Want Revenge,
00:28:15was the sort of the financial guy, right?
00:28:19In the Giorgio Armani custom suits, very well dressed.
00:28:24What is the difference?
00:28:26You look like you're having so much fun between the Michael Ivor Roan that we see now
00:28:31and the Michael Ivor Roan that we saw back then.
00:28:35Well, let's start here.
00:28:36The last part of your question said the well dressed in the Armani outfit.
00:28:41I kind of see it better now, but it's a difference of opinion, right?
00:28:44No, I'll tell you what the real story was.
00:28:46So when I ran the syndicate, I was enmeshed in a lot of Wall Street investors
00:28:52and I don't know where it all came from, but somehow this Armani or this, you know,
00:28:59plaid suit had always been a part of Wall Street and how you're supposed to look
00:29:04and how you're supposed to act and how you're supposed to behave.
00:29:07And I'm not really quite sure where that all came from.
00:29:10And I look now and I look at some of the most successful people in the world.
00:29:14And, you know, you look at Mark Zuckerberg, who probably doesn't even own a suit.
00:29:16You look at Elon Musk and how they have changed and how times have changed.
00:29:22And I just don't think there's a mold anymore.
00:29:24And, you know, when I met my wife, she was she's very much in the fashion.
00:29:30So I first tried on something that I thought was kind of outrageous and ridiculous.
00:29:35And, you know, I was against wearing it out.
00:29:39I wore it out.
00:29:39I got compliments.
00:29:41Some people looked at me like I was crazy, but I started to feel more comfortable with it.
00:29:45And I felt like I could express myself at an older age when,
00:29:50for whatever reason, as a younger age, I felt like I needed to be molded.
00:29:54And it's just something I'm comfortable in my skin.
00:29:56And I feel like it's fun.
00:29:58And I know some people just they don't like it.
00:30:01Some people, they love it.
00:30:02And, you know, the good news is I don't have to answer to anybody anymore.
00:30:05That's the best part of not being part of a syndicate.
00:30:07So I kind of do it my way.
00:30:09And I feel like the way I dress now and go to the racetrack, it's all about fun.
00:30:14And I can assure you that 99.9% of the time,
00:30:18I look like I'm a bum coming out of the gym, not dressed like that.
00:30:22Are you having as much fun as it looks like you're having?
00:30:25I think I'm having way more fun, way more fun.
00:30:28You know, right now, life is in a great place for me.
00:30:33You know, my kids, they're grown up now.
00:30:35They all have, you know, amazing jobs.
00:30:38They live in New York City.
00:30:39I got a place down here.
00:30:40So we bounce around between New York and Florida and Puerto Rico.
00:30:45And when I get to the racetrack now, it's just just pure fun.
00:30:50We know we move in groups, have some new terrific friends.
00:30:55And for us, it's just about having the best time we possibly can.
00:30:59And, you know, some people love it.
00:31:02Some people hate it.
00:31:03But at the end of the day, it's as long as we're having fun.
00:31:05I don't have to answer to anybody else.
00:31:07Mike, I absolutely applaud it.
00:31:10I really do.
00:31:11Now, if we could just get like Randy and Bill to just unzip
00:31:15just a little bit like you are right now.
00:31:18It's not quite the same.
00:31:20Take it off.
00:31:20Take it off.
00:31:21Take it off.
00:31:22And what I really want you to do is find something in your closet
00:31:26to dress Randy in this weekend for the Pegasus,
00:31:30because I think he needs an upgrade in his suits for NBC.
00:31:33Do you have something for him?
00:31:34I think the issue is if I put Randy in my clothes,
00:31:37I'm finished because he's just going to rock it.
00:31:39I know it.
00:31:41I'm going to own it.
00:31:43And then I'm kind of stuck.
00:31:44You know, the whole world's going to be seeing him in my clothes.
00:31:47Now, not only that, my wife will never let me wear the same outfit twice.
00:31:51All kidding aside, though, people have like this idea that you're
00:31:56this massive playboy with all these girlfriends.
00:31:59But you and your wife, Jules, are very much together.
00:32:03Can you just explain the family dynamic between you two and your kids
00:32:07for people that may think that you're some playboy
00:32:10with seventeen hundred girlfriends or something?
00:32:13Yeah, no.
00:32:14My wife and I spend pretty much every minute of every day together.
00:32:18Work life, regular life, social life.
00:32:21We are never apart.
00:32:22We travel together.
00:32:23We live together.
00:32:25She's number one on a pedestal.
00:32:27She's way up there.
00:32:29And I'm fortunate just to be around her.
00:32:31But as far as our friends are concerned,
00:32:34she loves having pretty people, sweet people.
00:32:37And she is very much a girl's girl.
00:32:40So when we have these events, she wants the girls to be glammed up
00:32:45and she wants them to feel the best they possibly can feel about themselves.
00:32:47And there is no other girlfriend.
00:32:50This is no other.
00:32:51You know, there's no playboys here.
00:32:53There's no weird stuff that should be on playboy.
00:32:55It's it's just it's just she loves to surround herself with beautiful people.
00:32:59It's just it's just she loves when people feel good.
00:33:02And, you know, if I hold hands with another girl, you know, we're friends.
00:33:07That's it.
00:33:08It's nothing weird.
00:33:09It's just it's us being social and just being fun and how everybody else perceives it.
00:33:16That's that's kind of up to them in their imagination.
00:33:18But unfortunately, break their hearts.
00:33:21It's imagination.
00:33:24So how about this?
00:33:25Let's stop talking about clothes and start talking about resources.
00:33:29OK, because that is the main reason, of course, we wanted Michael on today.
00:33:33Michael, you not only have you come back, especially in the last year or two,
00:33:38you've come back at the highest level now.
00:33:40Like I said, you have a bunch of horses in on the card.
00:33:43Where are you acquiring these horses?
00:33:46Who's giving you advice?
00:33:47And what is sort of the overall game plan for Ivorone Stables?
00:33:52So I'm using the same playbook I kind of use
00:33:57when I ran IH and I'm trying to focus on horses that have run.
00:34:04We're trying to buy horses for events that even make sense.
00:34:09Right.
00:34:10So so the Pegasus is like a big deal.
00:34:12We live down here now.
00:34:13We bought a house right on Palmetto's estate.
00:34:15So the training facility is right next door.
00:34:17So I have, you know, a bunch of horses training.
00:34:20But what I'll do is I'll say, you know, the Pegasus, we're having 40 friends fly in.
00:34:24It's a big deal.
00:34:25It's a big event.
00:34:26I'll look in advance and I'll say, OK, which races are run on Pegasus Day?
00:34:30And I'll try to find horses for those specific races.
00:34:34And I'll only look at horses that are proven.
00:34:36So I have a handful of agents that I'm working with.
00:34:39I don't want to reveal names because they get jealous about each other.
00:34:42But I'm using, you know, probably seven or eight different guys.
00:34:45They're always bringing me opportunity.
00:34:47And if if if I buy them, I'm usually buying them for a particular spot
00:34:53or particular race or particular event.
00:34:55And that's really what I'm doing.
00:34:57This is purely fun for me.
00:34:59This is, you know, I'm very much heavily back in Wall Street.
00:35:03You know, I'm managing a very large fund right now, significant dollars.
00:35:07It does take up most of my time.
00:35:10So the horses are now just my social thing.
00:35:12I'm doing it for fun.
00:35:13So I'm buying them for events.
00:35:14And if I get lucky enough and get a superstar for the Derby again,
00:35:18that would be the best thing that could ever happen.
00:35:19But it's really for me, it's event to event.
00:35:22Just enjoy it socially, have fun, ruffle a few feathers, you know, the basic stuff.
00:35:30And you don't care if you ruffle any feathers or not.
00:35:33That's that's that's that's very obvious.
00:35:35And it's it's kind of refreshing.
00:35:37What one big difference you've already mentioned that you have nobody to answer to.
00:35:42Now, back when you had IEAH, you had all these investors that had
00:35:46maybe different agendas and things like that.
00:35:50How much did you want to get away from that particular model
00:35:54when you got back into the thoroughbred business?
00:35:57Well, picture this.
00:36:00It's the morning of the Kentucky Derby.
00:36:03You have one hundred and twenty five members of our investment group
00:36:08at Churchill Downs or at the hotel in which you're staying.
00:36:12You wake up at six o'clock in the morning.
00:36:14You get a phone call from your agent telling you that
00:36:17your horse is being scratched from the Kentucky Derby that morning.
00:36:21Now, keep in mind, we had just won the Kentucky Derby the year before.
00:36:25Whoever gets to even run in the Kentucky Derby, let alone win the Derby,
00:36:28Kentucky Derby, let alone have a chance to run the following year.
00:36:32And I can tell you that having a conversation with one hundred and twenty five or one hundred
00:36:37and fifty people that day was so incredibly difficult that it
00:36:43at at no moment did I get a chance for me even accept or even understand myself what just happened.
00:36:50And it felt like the worst thing in the world for them.
00:36:54And it was one of the worst things in the world for me to have to tell them why we're being scratched.
00:36:58And from that moment forward, it kind of sucked the life out of me because
00:37:03nobody cared or asked me the question, why did the horse scratch?
00:37:07Is the horse OK?
00:37:09It was more of a question of what does that mean to us financially?
00:37:12What does it mean to my investment?
00:37:13What does it mean to my money?
00:37:15And I would say to them, I can't control it.
00:37:18I'm not going to put a resource on the racetrack that has the opportunity or
00:37:21possibility remotely of breaking down.
00:37:23Nobody really cared about that.
00:37:25And at that point forward, it was that made it very difficult for me.
00:37:29That was the moment where I said to myself, I'm very knee deep in this thing,
00:37:33but I need to somehow find my way out of this because at the end, this is not what I want.
00:37:38I don't want to have to sit there and answer to people why a horse is being scratched for
00:37:43his own safety in comparison to the cost of that horse or what their investment
00:37:47would have been worth before or after.
00:37:50That was a changing point for me.
00:37:53And for people who don't remember that, that was I Want Revenge you're talking about,
00:37:57who would have been the favorite in what became Mind That Bird's huge upset win in 2009.
00:38:04Exactly.
00:38:05So you get out of the game.
00:38:07What did you do in the interim between then and now?
00:38:11What has Michael Iverone been up to?
00:38:14Well, crazy story.
00:38:15The money manager that had been a very integral part of IEH was arrested for running up basically
00:38:29a Ponzi scheme in which I had significant dollars invested in that scheme, which I
00:38:34thought he was managing my money.
00:38:36So I had given him a majority of my personal assets.
00:38:39And one day I got a phone call basically saying they were gone.
00:38:44You know, I was pretty much at ground zero and all the hard work and everything I did
00:38:50in the investment world to put myself in a good financial position was basically
00:38:54pulled out from underneath me.
00:38:55So I was basically, Jules and I were eating baked potatoes for six months.
00:39:01If we could afford a baked potato, we were eating baked potatoes.
00:39:03That's how bad it was.
00:39:05So then I had to regroup.
00:39:08I had to go back and take the Series 7 exam and go back to what I always knew and go back
00:39:13to my roots and rebuild a business in the securities world.
00:39:17And, you know, it was difficult, but God willing, it took me a couple of years.
00:39:22And I caught a couple of really good breaks with a couple of really good deals.
00:39:26And I ended up better than I ever was.
00:39:27So everything is meant to be.
00:39:31It obviously was something that I think back.
00:39:35And I said I needed to get myself out of the syndicate, which that happened.
00:39:39The money that was taken from me, water under the bridge, it just made me stronger.
00:39:43I went back.
00:39:44I built a better business.
00:39:45And that's the difference.
00:39:46And I couldn't have bought a resource if I wanted to until I rebuilt myself.
00:39:51So that was what was basically filling that gap.
00:39:54That's what I was doing was putting myself back together.
00:39:57Michael, in the Pegasus Turf Masterpiece, the official trainer is listed as Sidney Dutrow.
00:40:03I understand that's because Rick just didn't have time to get all his I's dotted and T's
00:40:07crossed to get his Florida license.
00:40:09But you guys together with IEH, and it's not just Big Brown.
00:40:13You had so many good horses, enjoyed so much success.
00:40:17What is your current relationship with Rick?
00:40:19And will he once again become your main trainer?
00:40:23My relationship with Rick has always been good.
00:40:26I mean, I never had an issue with Rick.
00:40:28We had our disagreements back in 2008, 2009 over certain things, which obviously a lot
00:40:37of information was put out about that.
00:40:39It was pretty public.
00:40:41But that was business.
00:40:43Rick and I personally have always gotten along through the whole thing.
00:40:47I was heartbroken for the guy.
00:40:49I thought his penalty was severe.
00:40:52I was so happy that he was reinstated and how the world works, just strange things.
00:41:01So going back to the spring, right after the Kentucky Derby, Safi had issues where they
00:41:08weren't allowing him to run in different jurisdictions.
00:41:11So at the time, I knew I had to move Masterpiece.
00:41:14And Mark Coronet, who owned Guayta Barrio, he had to move him as well.
00:41:20So we talked about a few different trainers who we're going to send our horses to.
00:41:24And we both agreed that Rick was probably at that time the best option because he did
00:41:29not have a large amount of horses under his care.
00:41:33And we felt that these two particular horses would get extra special attention.
00:41:37And we agreed to move them there.
00:41:39I had sent Rick a text right before the Derby.
00:41:43I said, what do you think of these two horses?
00:41:47He says, are they for sale?
00:41:49I said, actually, no, we're going to send them to you to train.
00:41:52And he called me in 30 seconds.
00:41:54He about had a heart attack.
00:41:55He was over the moon.
00:41:57And of course, Guayta Barrio has gone on to do incredible things.
00:42:00And hopefully, Masterpiece can tag along and win a race.
00:42:04I've been trying to win so desperately.
00:42:07So I have a two-pronged question for you.
00:42:10You mentioned that you reside in South Florida.
00:42:14You've got great fondness for the Pegasus and the undercard races for the Pegasus World Cup.
00:42:18You buy horses specifically to target those races.
00:42:23How frustrating has it been that so far you've had more success elsewhere than you have had
00:42:29on Pegasus Day?
00:42:31And what kind of chances do you think you have of turning that around this year?
00:42:35When we say elsewhere, I have more success elsewhere than on Pegasus Day.
00:42:39I haven't had an inkling of success on Pegasus Day in any race.
00:42:45I don't know what the numbers are, but I've been running in Pegasus races.
00:42:50I've never won a Pegasus race.
00:42:51I've run in the Pegasus race every year, whether it's a dirt or the turf.
00:42:58But I haven't even come close in those races.
00:43:00I have not won on the undercard.
00:43:03So I literally feel like it's become an enigma for me.
00:43:06So now it's a battle right now just to even get a moment of excitement.
00:43:10I don't have to win.
00:43:11I just want to have my heart race for a second.
00:43:14I don't know the answer to it.
00:43:17I know last year, O'Connor, post position 12 is tough.
00:43:21I mean, it takes a super special horse to win from that post position, as we know.
00:43:26And I feel like last year he was never engaged.
00:43:30The turf race that O'Connor ran in last year, he had post 11.
00:43:36He actually just, there was a wall of horses.
00:43:38There was just nowhere for him to run.
00:43:40But I do feel like this year, I feel like the difference is these horses are coming
00:43:44into their races off of wins.
00:43:46And I feel like they're coming in with momentum where last year,
00:43:50in the Harlins holiday, O'Connor ran a decent fourth, but nothing to write home about.
00:43:55I wasn't even sure he was going to get invited.
00:43:56He was in the second group of invites.
00:43:59And Masterpiece was coming off of a pretty significant layoff.
00:44:02And it was the first time running for Safi.
00:44:05So I just wasn't sure last year that we were coming in the best way we can.
00:44:11This year, I know the horses are doing the best they've been.
00:44:16How that stacks up to the horses they're running against, I can't answer that.
00:44:20But I know that the horses are both set to run huge races.
00:44:24I just don't know how that compares to other horses if they run huge races.
00:44:29You run nine horses on Pegasus Day.
00:44:33Nine.
00:44:34You talked about O'Connor.
00:44:36Who, in your opinion, other than the three big stakes races, is your likeliest winner?
00:44:41Who are we pinning our hopes on?
00:44:43So actually, we entered nine.
00:44:46Only, I'd say I wound up on three also eligibles.
00:44:51And one, we switched to the stake on Sunday.
00:44:54So we're actually running now four, unless we draw in from the also eligibles in those
00:45:01other three races.
00:45:02So we're running four.
00:45:03So we're running in the Hooper with Steel Sunshine.
00:45:08He is a really, really nice horse.
00:45:11He kind of ran in spots in the Harlins holiday.
00:45:16I guess we got a cat here coming to visit us.
00:45:18So he ran a very good fourth, only beaten less than two lengths in that race.
00:45:25Two turns is not his game.
00:45:27So I think a one turn mile hits him right between the eyes.
00:45:30But I was super surprised to see Baffert is sending over his horse for $150,000 grade
00:45:36three that had run second in the grade one Malibu.
00:45:38So obviously, that horse is going to be heavily bet.
00:45:41Obviously, his horses are always fit.
00:45:42I think that's a tough spot.
00:45:44I think if I was to choose which horse I think I have the best shot in, I really believe
00:45:52it's Masterpiece.
00:45:55The conversation I had with Rick, and obviously, fingers crossed, he said he is five lengths
00:46:02better than he was before he ran in the Red Smith, and he won that race.
00:46:07And he said he's just the happiest horse in his barn right now.
00:46:10And with good confidence, when Rick tells me how well a horse is doing, they usually
00:46:15run those kinds of races.
00:46:17And I think he offers us the best chance.
00:46:22O'Connor's got a great post.
00:46:25I think the race is going to set up nicely for him.
00:46:28I just think that with him, naturally, he has to get out of the gate.
00:46:32Well, he has to break somewhat with the field.
00:46:34He has to be within striking range.
00:46:36I think he's going to do a great job.
00:46:38He has to be within striking range.
00:46:40I think if there's a pace in front of him and he's within seven or eight lengths, he's
00:46:43got a good enough turn of foot where he can put himself in the right place.
00:46:46But again, that's a very good field.
00:46:49There's good horses in that race.
00:46:51So I'm cautiously optimistic that he's going to fire his best shot.
00:46:56I know Safi's very high on him right now.
00:46:59We were very high on him last year.
00:47:00He actually thought he was the best horse in the barn.
00:47:02He thought he was a more talented horse than Skippy.
00:47:04So I'm very, very cautiously optimistic.
00:47:08I just don't know, is his best race as good as their best race?
00:47:13But I think Masterpiece, I think he's the horse that I'm banking on breaks this curse.
00:47:23So before Bill, let me squeeze in one more style over substance question here.
00:47:28Do you and your wife have your Pegasus outfit already picked out and ready to roll?
00:47:34I feel like Elvis.
00:47:36I feel like I'm in Elvis mode again.
00:47:41I think I got this one.
00:47:42I feel good about this one.
00:47:44Yeah.
00:47:46I had the private tailor come in and snug it up.
00:47:48And yeah, I feel like I feel like you guys are going to like this one.
00:47:54So you were a fit Elvis.
00:47:56You weren't just Elvis.
00:47:57You were a fit Elvis.
00:48:00There's a big difference.
00:48:02The gym has become my passion.
00:48:04The gym has become one of my passions for sure.
00:48:07Yeah.
00:48:07No, I think I feel good about this one.
00:48:10I think Jules gave it a good look.
00:48:13Like, you know, she kind of sitting there with her mouth open for a second.
00:48:16Like, wow.
00:48:17Okay.
00:48:17Okay.
00:48:18So that's a good it's a good, you know, it's a good judge.
00:48:21If Jules likes it, I feel pretty confident it's going to work out well.
00:48:24You know, if you look over my right shoulder, Michael, you'll see my Bert Reynolds on my
00:48:29piano.
00:48:29I was wondering, I might need a Mike Iveron, you know, do you think you could do that?
00:48:36Yeah, we can have it on display because Sue just loves the Bert Reynolds.
00:48:39She might prefer the Mike Iveron.
00:48:42I'm not, I'm not resting until I have a Madame Tussauds somewhere.
00:48:45You know what I mean?
00:48:47And not in a Giorgio Armani suit.
00:48:49Okay.
00:48:49It's going to be like a purple one with the chains, no shirt.
00:48:54And by the way, by the way, the no shirt thing is kind of a cute little
00:48:59story.
00:49:00So there was, I put on a suit that was really, really super form fitting.
00:49:05And I put on a white dress shirt underneath it.
00:49:09And the white dress shirt was not super form fitting.
00:49:12So I felt it looked, everything looked a little blousey, like nice tight suit, nice blousey
00:49:17shirt underneath it.
00:49:18So anyway, I said to Jules, I said, maybe I just don't wear a shirt.
00:49:22So she can't wear a suit without a shirt.
00:49:24I said, I can kind of do whatever I want now.
00:49:26I don't have an answer to.
00:49:27So anyway, I wear the shirt without the suit.
00:49:30I wear the suit without the shirt.
00:49:32Two weeks later, we're watching the UFC outcomes, Conor McGregor.
00:49:37And he's wearing a suit without a shirt.
00:49:39And now all of a sudden, everybody's wearing suits without the shirt.
00:49:42So it's either me or Conor.
00:49:43So one or the other.
00:49:47I'm betting it was me.
00:49:49I would bet on you as well.
00:49:52As I didn't really say before, you keep things interesting.
00:49:55You keep things fun.
00:49:57Sometimes we don't have nearly enough of that in horse racing.
00:50:00So thank you.
00:50:01Thank you for being our guest of the Green Group, guest of the week.
00:50:03And best of luck on Pegasus Day, breaking that offer that you certainly are looking
00:50:09forward to getting over Saturday at Gulfstream.
00:50:11Mike, thanks so much.
00:50:13Any of you guys quickly in passing think we have a shot?
00:50:15You think we're alive in this race or what?
00:50:19Yes.
00:50:19I mean, I agree with you.
00:50:21I think Masterpiece probably has the best shot of the two.
00:50:25But O'Connor's not without a shot either.
00:50:27So yeah.
00:50:28All right, guys, if we win, if we win, the party's going to be on.
00:50:33And if we lose, if we lose, the party's going to be on.
00:50:37All right.
00:50:38I'm in.
00:50:40Let's go.
00:50:41All right.
00:50:42All right, guys.
00:50:42Thank you, Michael.
00:50:45Guess what?
00:50:45The fun is not over for Michael Iverone.
00:50:47As the Green Group guest of the week, Iverone will now receive a free one hour tax consultation
00:50:55from the Green Group and Lynne Green.
00:50:57Let's see how he's dressed for the tax consultation.
00:50:59For more information on how the Green Group can save you money on your taxes,
00:51:03go to www.greenco.com.
00:51:07Randy, you think he can write off those outfits as a business expense?
00:51:12That's a good question for Lynne Green.
00:51:13If it's possible, Lynne Green will know the answer to that.
00:51:17I bet he can.
00:51:19Are you paying too much in taxes?
00:51:21The Green Group can help.
00:51:23There's a reason the most successful owners, breeders, and horsemen
00:51:26select the Green Group as their tax advisors.
00:51:28They save you money and share successful strategies.
00:51:32Over the past 40 years, the Green Group founder, Lynne Green,
00:51:36has owned and bred some of the best racehorses in the history of the sport.
00:51:40Like Eclipse award-winning champions, Jaywalk and Wonderwheel.
00:51:44His DJ stable competes at the highest level and has received the game's most prestigious honors.
00:51:49Lynne Green's in-depth, hands-on industry knowledge,
00:51:53combined with cutting-edge tax-saving strategies,
00:51:55has produced positive results for his clientele
00:51:58and has made the Green Group the top-rated accounting and tax firm
00:52:01in the thoroughbred business.
00:52:03For a confidential and complimentary consultation,
00:52:06contact us at 732-634-5100
00:52:10or visit our website at www.greenco.com.
00:52:15The Green Group.
00:52:16Proven strategies to save you taxes.
00:52:23In this week's edition of First Things First,
00:52:25I thought I would take a look back, guys,
00:52:27at the history of the Pegasus World Cup
00:52:31as we go back to 2017, the inaugural edition.
00:52:35And it was a featured matchup between the young upstart Arrogate
00:52:40and Kentucky Derby winner, California Croman.
00:52:42It did not disappoint.
00:52:44Arrogate won by four and three-quarter lengths
00:52:46and California Croman could only beat three home that day.
00:52:51Move on to 2018.
00:52:53We saw Gunrunner Swansong, a winning one,
00:52:56making his final start before a brilliant start at stud.
00:53:012019 was City of Light.
00:53:03Fresh off his Breeders' Cup dirt mile victory,
00:53:06he went out a winner for trainer Michael McCarthy.
00:53:10In 2020, Mucho Gusto gave Hall of Famer Bob Baffert
00:53:15his second win in the Pegasus,
00:53:16with Mucho Gusto taking the honors.
00:53:20In 2021, Nick Sko showed his heels
00:53:23after his Breeders' Cup classic romp.
00:53:26And in 2022, Life is Good was just great,
00:53:29getting the best of the 2021 victor, Nick Sko.
00:53:33And in 2023, it was the ill-fated Art Collector
00:53:38who had a big payoff of $30 for Hall of Famer Bill Mott,
00:53:42taking down his very first win in the Pegasus World Cup.
00:53:46Who will win in 2024?
00:53:49We'll have to wait and see.
00:53:50Come and join us at the Pegasus.
00:53:57Huge card out at Golfstream on Saturday,
00:53:59as we know, will be covered on NBC.
00:54:01Randy Moss will be behind the microphone
00:54:03with his crew, Jerry Bailey, et cetera,
00:54:05telling us what's going on from beautiful Golfstream Park.
00:54:10Not enough time to go over all the races.
00:54:11Let's just do the three Pegasus races,
00:54:14which start with the 10th,
00:54:16the World Cup Philly and Mayer Turf.
00:54:18And most of these races are pretty competitive,
00:54:22kind of head scratchers.
00:54:24The better is going to have a good time
00:54:26trying to figure some of these out.
00:54:27I guess, and I'll start with Randy on this one,
00:54:29because it's a buyer figure question.
00:54:33Star Fortress, that 104 buyer in the Cardinal States,
00:54:37first time over from Europe,
00:54:39first time for Cherie Devoe,
00:54:41that figure just blows the field apart,
00:54:44one by 10 lengths.
00:54:45I have no reason to believe it's not real.
00:54:48I have no reason to believe that horse
00:54:49won't run back a similar race.
00:54:51And if that's the case,
00:54:53probably Star Fortress is your winner, Randy.
00:54:57Yeah, there is reason to be
00:55:01somewhat skeptical that Star Fortress
00:55:04will run that number back, okay?
00:55:06The number's legit.
00:55:07I mean, you don't win by 10 lengths
00:55:09in a graded stakes race on turf.
00:55:11It just doesn't happen.
00:55:12It was the Cardinal Stakes of Churchill Downs.
00:55:15But the race was run over that,
00:55:18what at the time was a very funky
00:55:20Churchill Downs turf course.
00:55:22It was the only turf race of the day.
00:55:24All the rest of them were taken off the turf.
00:55:26The course was initially rated as good.
00:55:28Riders were complaining,
00:55:31as they have been about the Churchill turf course,
00:55:33that it was loose and it was,
00:55:35horses had trouble with it and things like that.
00:55:37So I think what you see with turf courses
00:55:41that are like that,
00:55:43or kind of like you see with sloppy dirt surfaces,
00:55:46margins tend to be exaggerated.
00:55:49So, and when margins are exaggerated,
00:55:52speed figures tend to get higher.
00:55:55I'll be surprised if Star Fortress
00:55:57runs back to that 104.
00:55:58I'm not saying she can't win,
00:56:00but if she is the favorite
00:56:02based on that 104 buyer speed figure,
00:56:04then I think from a value standpoint,
00:56:07she would be a bet against kind of favorite,
00:56:09just for the reasons that I said.
00:56:11And it is a very, very good race,
00:56:15as you pointed out.
00:56:16There's a lot of horses in here
00:56:18that have a legitimate chance to win.
00:56:19Mission of Joy, I was really impressed with at Keeneland,
00:56:22but she draws an outside post position
00:56:24that's going to be disadvantageous.
00:56:26So you could have four or five, six horses in there.
00:56:29They would have a legitimately strong chance to win.
00:56:33Oh, it's a superb betting race.
00:56:35And I'm with you.
00:56:35Star Fortress is going to be overbet for Cherie Deveaux.
00:56:40That was a visually impressive race,
00:56:42indeed, on the 23rd of November.
00:56:44But there's many ways to go.
00:56:45This is a race loaded with speed as well.
00:56:48So if you like one of the speed horses,
00:56:51AKA Ruby Nell,
00:56:52she's not going to be alone on the front end
00:56:54by any way, shape or form.
00:56:57I'm actually rather looking at full count for this year
00:56:59for Brittany Russell,
00:57:01who tends to win just about everywhere she goes.
00:57:04She won by three quarters of a length at Goldstream.
00:57:07She has a win over the track.
00:57:09She's proven at longer distances.
00:57:11She doesn't need the lead.
00:57:12She can be tactical.
00:57:14And you get that guy, Javier Castellano,
00:57:16who pops up in these big races
00:57:19and is still one of the best riders
00:57:22in the nation right now.
00:57:23So I think she's going to be a little bit of a price
00:57:26if you're looking for a bit of a price
00:57:28in what could well be the best betting race on the day.
00:57:32I'm going to take an exact back and forth.
00:57:35Didia and Fluffy Socks.
00:57:38That's what I'm going with.
00:57:40I think the best race of the day
00:57:42is not the Pegasus World Cup.
00:57:43I think it's the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational
00:57:46because you've got Integration in there
00:57:48who was so impressive in the Hill Prince.
00:57:51Granite has only run against three-year-olds
00:57:53trying older horses for the first time.
00:57:55You have Batone, who won the race last year.
00:57:57O'Sheen Murphy takes the mount,
00:57:59though doesn't appear to be in very good form right now.
00:58:02You have Web Slinger, who runs a good race
00:58:05every single time out for our friend John Green
00:58:07from DJ Stables.
00:58:09But I think most of the attention
00:58:10is going to go to Warm Heart for Aidan O'Brien
00:58:13and Ryan Moore.
00:58:14Boy, has this horse been all over the globe.
00:58:16Hong Kong, Santa Anita, Great Britain, Ireland.
00:58:19But what you have to look at
00:58:21is the Philly and Mayer Turf,
00:58:23second beating the neck behind Innsboro,
00:58:25then came back and ran in Group 1 in Hong Kong.
00:58:29This is sort of a strange time of year, Zoe,
00:58:31for Aidan O'Brien to bring a grass horse over
00:58:34because usually their seasons end in late November
00:58:37and they don't gear them up
00:58:38until the seasons get going again in April or May.
00:58:42But again, Randy, as well,
00:58:46you can comment that 105 buyer figure
00:58:48in the Breeders' Cup Philly and Mayer Turf
00:58:50points us out for her to be the fastest horse.
00:58:53Zoe, what about Warm Heart?
00:58:55She's good.
00:58:56She ran a bang up race against the boys.
00:58:58Now a lot of people will be thinking,
00:59:00is she at the end of her rope?
00:59:01She's done a lot of traveling.
00:59:03We know that Aidan knows how to travel these horses
00:59:06and just does it so well.
00:59:08Ordinarily, she'd be put away for the season,
00:59:11but this will be her last start.
00:59:12And this is why the Pegasus races are so important.
00:59:15It enables horses to get one more start
00:59:18in before they go to the breeding shed.
00:59:20She has a date with Justify,
00:59:22which is going to be a fabulous cover
00:59:25for this daughter of Galileo.
00:59:27She's the best Philly in this race against the boys.
00:59:30She gets a break in weight, which is five pounds.
00:59:33I think a lot of people in America
00:59:35don't take into account weight
00:59:37as much as they do in Europe.
00:59:39It is a major factor,
00:59:40especially going over a distance of ground.
00:59:43Ryan Moore thinks she'll have no problem
00:59:45with the tight track.
00:59:46She had no problem handling the tight track at Santa Anita.
00:59:50No problem handling the firm turf course at Santa Anita,
00:59:53which will be just as firm there at Goldstream Park.
00:59:56And, you know, listening to Aidan O'Brien's comments
00:59:59about her, you know, he makes me laugh.
01:00:02If you ask him about any horse,
01:00:04he's got such a mind on him.
01:00:06He's like, oh, geez, why do lads,
01:00:08they wanted to go and pass over there with her.
01:00:11And she's training really well.
01:00:12And Ryan likes her.
01:00:14And Justin gets on her.
01:00:16And Rachel gallops her.
01:00:17And Freddie fed her a mint.
01:00:19And Peter walks her in the morning.
01:00:21And he just goes on and on.
01:00:22He knows all his help.
01:00:24He's just got the most maniacal mind
01:00:27you've ever heard of in a trainer
01:00:29to remember all of these people
01:00:32surrounding his fantastic team
01:00:34and every little nuance that they do with the horse.
01:00:37Warm heart is the one to beat.
01:00:39She's in the warmth of Florida.
01:00:41And yeah, she's the one to beat.
01:00:43I hope I didn't wax too lyrical on her.
01:00:45Your turn, Randy.
01:00:47Obviously, she's a very good filly.
01:00:49Obviously, the boys are very happy with her.
01:00:51I think her post position is, you know, whatever.
01:00:54That's English.
01:00:55You sound English, not Irish.
01:00:58True.
01:00:59All right.
01:00:59Let's talk about the fig, first of all.
01:01:03When I kind of mentioned Star Fortress' 104 buyer
01:01:07and how, you know, there were serious reasons to believe
01:01:10that she probably wouldn't duplicate that.
01:01:12It's not really the case with Warm Heart,
01:01:15except for the trip that she got
01:01:17in the Breeders' Cup filly mare turf
01:01:19running second to end spiral.
01:01:20She had post position number two
01:01:22and Ryan Moore worked out a rail trip
01:01:25around all three turns for Warm Heart
01:01:28at Santa Anita in the filly mare turf.
01:01:30With this post position,
01:01:32it's unlikely that Warm Heart is going to get
01:01:35that kind of trip.
01:01:36Highly unlikely.
01:01:37So you can look at that 105 fig
01:01:40and you can maybe expect,
01:01:41I would say, a 100, let's say.
01:01:44But even that looks like on paper
01:01:47it would be good enough to win.
01:01:48On paper, the three horses, I think,
01:01:50have a chance to win on numbers,
01:01:52would be Warm Heart.
01:01:56Integration, almost hit in spiral.
01:01:58Integration, trained by Shug McGehee,
01:02:00who has had three outstanding career races,
01:02:03three for three lifetime,
01:02:04and visually very impressive.
01:02:07And then Cheryl Spite, the old pro,
01:02:10who runs well no matter how high
01:02:12they seem to pitch him
01:02:13and where they seem to take him.
01:02:15Maybe a mile and an eighth is just a touch
01:02:17beyond his optimal distance,
01:02:19but he's a fighter
01:02:20and I wouldn't be surprised at all
01:02:22to be Cheryl Spite,
01:02:23to see him right there in the mix
01:02:25coming to the wire.
01:02:25But I do think Warm Heart
01:02:27is definitely the horse to beat.
01:02:31Pegasus World Cup Invitational ends the day,
01:02:33the 13th race on the card.
01:02:35I have no idea what to do here.
01:02:37I honestly,
01:02:38I'll look at this race 20 times
01:02:40and I'll come up with nine different scenarios
01:02:43about who can win.
01:02:45National Treasure will be the favorite
01:02:46and I think a deserving one,
01:02:48but I've never liked this horse
01:02:50ever since he stole the race in the Preakness
01:02:53with that soft fractions, 48 and four, et cetera.
01:02:56And then he didn't do anything
01:02:57until the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile,
01:02:58where he ran his eyeballs out
01:03:00to almost beat Cody's Wish.
01:03:02So with him,
01:03:02I don't know which National Treasure
01:03:04is going to show up.
01:03:05With apologies to our friend,
01:03:06Michael Ivarone,
01:03:07O'Connor got a perfect trip
01:03:09in the Harlins Holiday,
01:03:11saving every bit of ground under Tyler Gafleon.
01:03:15Hoist the Gold won the Cigar Mile last time out,
01:03:17but is stretching out to a mile and an eighth
01:03:20and it looks like that's going to be a problem
01:03:22for that horse.
01:03:23Maybe First Mission,
01:03:24second last time out behind Trademark,
01:03:27beating a nose in the Clark,
01:03:28but it is Brad Cox and Luis Saez,
01:03:30looks like an improving horse.
01:03:31I think if you put a gun to my head now,
01:03:34that's who I would pick.
01:03:35But from a handicapping standpoint,
01:03:38I think it's a very difficult race.
01:03:40Zoe, what do you think?
01:03:42I mean, I like National Treasure in here
01:03:45just because I think he's possibly
01:03:48the best horse in the race.
01:03:50Have I been in love with National Treasure?
01:03:51I don't think anyone has been in love with him.
01:03:54We'll watch his work on the XBTV Work of the Week
01:03:57in just a moment,
01:03:58but I can tell you this much,
01:04:00he's never been training any better
01:04:02than he is now.
01:04:03The mile and eighth is questionable.
01:04:05If it wasn't at Goldstream Park,
01:04:06I'd say it might be problematic,
01:04:08but we know that speed does carry
01:04:11and it carries a distance of ground
01:04:13at Goldstream Park.
01:04:14We know that Bob has been very good in this race.
01:04:18He's won it twice before.
01:04:19And I think National Treasure is one to beat.
01:04:22It's California speed,
01:04:23the speed of the speed.
01:04:24You've got Pratt riding
01:04:25and they'll have to come and catch him.
01:04:27The overriding story of this race before,
01:04:31and I think it's going to be the same after,
01:04:35is that you can expect
01:04:36a very contentious early pace, right?
01:04:40And here's why.
01:04:40You've got Hoist the Gold
01:04:41ridden by John Velazquez.
01:04:43Velazquez has been on Hoist the Gold three times.
01:04:46Before he got on him for the very first time,
01:04:48Johnny watched video of Hoist the Gold
01:04:50and came to the conclusion
01:04:52that the horse was not being ridden aggressively enough
01:04:55at the start of his races.
01:04:57That the horse liked to be put right into the race,
01:05:00if not on the lead, setting the pace,
01:05:02then right there.
01:05:03And that's the way Velazquez has been riding him.
01:05:05And it has made a big difference
01:05:08in the way the horse has been running.
01:05:10He rode him that way in the Cigar Mile.
01:05:12He got a huge buyer speed figure
01:05:14to win the Cigar Mile, very fast fractions.
01:05:16It was a speed biased racetrack that day, okay?
01:05:20It was a muddy track.
01:05:21Speed and rail were dominating that day.
01:05:23So you can discount that a little bit.
01:05:25But the point is,
01:05:26he's going to be ridden that way
01:05:29in the Pegasus World Cup.
01:05:31Velazquez also knows National Treasure
01:05:33because he rode him in the Preakness to a wire to wire win.
01:05:37And I think Johnny knows
01:05:39that National Treasure runs best with the early lead.
01:05:43And that's another reason why I think Johnny
01:05:45is going to be extremely aggressive
01:05:46to try to get the lead from National Treasure early.
01:05:49But can he?
01:05:51Is he fast enough?
01:05:52We didn't think National Treasure was fast enough
01:05:54to set the pace by himself in the Dirt Mile.
01:05:57Zozos was in there.
01:05:58Some other speed horses were in there.
01:05:59And yet Flavy and Pratt just sent the heck
01:06:01out of him leaving the gate.
01:06:03And National Treasure beat them all to the lead,
01:06:05set a fast pace and nearly won it.
01:06:08Both horses are going to be on the engine leaving the gate.
01:06:10Very fast paced.
01:06:11First Mission probably gets the best trip
01:06:15from a stalking perspective.
01:06:18Sitting just a little bit off the pace,
01:06:19he might get first run on those two leaders
01:06:21if they start to back up.
01:06:23And here's a name I mentioned 25 times before
01:06:25on this podcast.
01:06:26He'll probably be too little too late, as always.
01:06:29But Señor Buscador, the stretch runner,
01:06:32who was second against the bias in the Cigar Mile
01:06:35to hoist the gold,
01:06:37is going to be running again from off the pace.
01:06:40He's going to have plenty of speed
01:06:41to help set up his closing kick.
01:06:43No, Gulfstream Park is not the kind of track
01:06:46that you would expect Señor Buscador to succeed over.
01:06:50But maybe, maybe, finally,
01:06:52the pace is going to be fast enough
01:06:54and the situation is going to be just right.
01:06:56For Señor Buscador to win one of these big races, we'll see.
01:07:00Randy, who do you think you've mentioned more on the podcast?
01:07:02Señor Buscador or two fills?
01:07:06It's a dead heat, I think.
01:07:07Derma Sotagaki.
01:07:11That's another one, too.
01:07:12Yes.
01:07:13Well, good for Randy.
01:07:14He's loyal to his favorite horses.
01:07:16Yes.
01:07:17We can say that much.
01:07:18So guys, this is obviously not the best Pegasus
01:07:22that we've ever seen.
01:07:23And, you know, it's an ongoing problem
01:07:25with all these horses being retired early.
01:07:27I mean, just about everybody that mattered,
01:07:30except White Aberio from last year was retired.
01:07:33And then also with the Saudi Cup right around the corner,
01:07:37you know, even for three million dollars,
01:07:40there's some impediments
01:07:41to getting the best horses into this race.
01:07:43The Scarnock Group does a great job every year
01:07:45getting a full field.
01:07:46It makes it a great betting race.
01:07:48None of this is their fault
01:07:50because, you know, like I said, everybody's been retired.
01:07:53But I'm just wondering if there aren't some things
01:07:55they can tinker with to perhaps
01:07:59be at a little bit stronger draw.
01:08:00And I'm wondering if this race shouldn't be moved up
01:08:03in the calendar two or three weeks.
01:08:05And if that was the case,
01:08:06there would be plenty of time after the Breeders' Cup
01:08:09and more time in between
01:08:11the Pegasus World Cup and the Saudi Cup.
01:08:13And, you know, they've lost two horses to the Saudi Cup
01:08:16that may otherwise have been here.
01:08:17Saudi Crown, who won at the fairgrounds over the weekend,
01:08:20and White Aberio, who, you know,
01:08:22the minute he won the Breeders' Cup Classic,
01:08:23they said no to this race
01:08:25and that they're going up to Saudi Arabia.
01:08:27I don't know if that would help or not,
01:08:29but I do think that's something
01:08:29they should at least look at.
01:08:32Because again, you know,
01:08:33everybody wants seven, eight weeks in between races
01:08:35and you got to give the trainers what they want.
01:08:40I'm not sure it would help, to be honest,
01:08:43if you moved it back a couple of weeks.
01:08:45I mean, if you consider that the year-end goal
01:08:49for most trainers with older horses
01:08:51is the Breeders' Cup Classic,
01:08:52and that's the final what they've been pointing for,
01:08:55and then they run well in that
01:08:57and they're going to plan for a next year campaign,
01:09:01they give their horse a little break after the Classic.
01:09:05And the little break that they can give the horse
01:09:08and then they have time to gear up
01:09:11for whatever races they're going to point for.
01:09:14So I think it's not going to work
01:09:16because these horses have the break
01:09:18and if you move it up two weeks,
01:09:19they're not going to be ready.
01:09:21That's my point.
01:09:23I don't know what Randy thinks about that,
01:09:25but I don't think moving it up two weeks
01:09:27is going to help your case.
01:09:29It's hard, yeah.
01:09:29It's kind of hard to say, I think.
01:09:32First of all, this is kind of an unusual situation
01:09:36because both Saudi Crown and Guayabario
01:09:39now have Saudi Arabian ownership
01:09:42and they specifically wanted to make sure
01:09:44that their horse was targeting the Saudi Cup.
01:09:47And Rick Dutrow, I mean, I know Bill loves this,
01:09:51Rick Dutrow likes the gap
01:09:54between the Breeders' Cup Classic
01:09:56all the way into February for the Saudi Cup.
01:09:59He thinks that is what is going to give Guayabario
01:10:02the best chance to win.
01:10:04So I don't know in this particular scenario
01:10:07if moving the race up to early January
01:10:09would have made a difference or not.
01:10:10Purse-wise, first racing obviously cannot compete
01:10:14against the National Treasury of Saudi Arabia
01:10:17or the National Treasury of Dubai
01:10:19coming up a little bit later.
01:10:20So that's a moot point to even think
01:10:23that you can compete head-to-head with those races.
01:10:25And one more point,
01:10:28this will really be more of a question
01:10:29for Belinda Stronach, okay?
01:10:32The Pegasus World Cup and everything that surrounds it
01:10:36is more to Belinda and to first racing
01:10:41than just the horse races, okay?
01:10:43If you've been there for the Pegasus,
01:10:45they've done an amazing job
01:10:47in making it a social and cultural event.
01:10:51I think they may even prize that a little more highly
01:10:57than the type of fields that they're getting,
01:10:59let's say, for the Pegasus World Cup,
01:11:01missing out on a horse or two.
01:11:03And I don't know the thinking
01:11:06behind having this major social event in Miami
01:11:10in late January where it is right now
01:11:13as opposed to early January just after Christmas
01:11:17and just after New Year's,
01:11:18they may think that it's better off being in late January
01:11:22to attract all the beautiful people
01:11:24in the social calendar and all that
01:11:25that the Pegasus World Cup has come to represent.
01:11:28Oh, and one more thing.
01:11:29Let me go down a rabbit hole one more time
01:11:31and invoke the name of my favorite horse one more time.
01:11:34Any ideas where they come up with the name Señor Buscador?
01:11:38Ooh, no.
01:11:39No, Randy, we don't.
01:11:42Señor Buscador is Spanish for Mr. Prospector.
01:11:47Get out of here.
01:11:49How about that?
01:11:49Mr. Prospector shows up in the pedigree
01:11:52of both the Sire Mineshaft and the Dam Roses Desert.
01:11:57And when the owner, Joey Peacock, was naming the horse
01:11:59and he sent out emails to his family
01:12:01with the pedigrees and said,
01:12:02here, somebody come up with a good name.
01:12:04It was his future daughter-in-law that said,
01:12:07wait a second, I see Mr. Prospector.
01:12:10What's the Spanish word for Mr. Prospector?
01:12:13Señor Buscador.
01:12:14There you go.
01:12:15That's so cool.
01:12:16Zoe, I give up.
01:12:18We just can't keep up with, compete with this guy.
01:12:20It's just, it's, forget it, you know.
01:12:22Who do you like in the fourth race?
01:12:23I like the two.
01:12:24Randy, tell a story about that fascinating story
01:12:29about something or other.
01:12:30I don't mind a rabbit hole.
01:12:31I'm bringing a bulldozer next week.
01:12:35But Randy, I tell you, your wealth of knowledge is,
01:12:40and I'm saying this without tongue in cheek.
01:12:43It's really quite amazing.
01:12:46You can come up with Señor Buscador's name
01:12:49being from Mr. Prospector, but good for you.
01:12:51It's fun.
01:12:52I do want to remind you that the TDN Writer's Room
01:12:55is brought to you by XBTV.
01:12:57I already mentioned it.
01:12:58The XBTV Workout of the Week is National Treasure,
01:13:02who turned in a zipping four-hour-long work
01:13:05in 46 and 4 for Bob Baffert on Saturday.
01:13:08As we watch him come down the lane,
01:13:10you can see Eric with his feet on the dashboard.
01:13:12Now he's working him solo.
01:13:14He works him solo an awful lot
01:13:16because he is a keen horse,
01:13:17and I have never seen him look as good as he looks here.
01:13:21He's tracking another horse in front of him,
01:13:24trying to catch him,
01:13:25and he pulls him up on the gallop out.
01:13:26That is a terrific work for National Treasure,
01:13:30who is the morning line favorite
01:13:31in Saturday's grade one $3 million Pegasus World Cup
01:13:36at Gulfstream Park.
01:13:44All the thrills.
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01:14:35The TDN Writer's Room also brought to you
01:14:37by West Point.
01:14:38The TDN Writer's Room also brought to you
01:14:40by West Point Thoroughbreds.
01:14:42West Point empties the barn this weekend.
01:14:44Pegasus Cup especially.
01:14:46We mentioned integration as a leading contender
01:14:48in the Pegasus World Cup turf.
01:14:50West Point Thoroughbreds.
01:14:51It's his first grade one appearance.
01:14:53Plus they have Giant Game and Signature.
01:14:56That's in the Fred Hooper on the undercard.
01:14:59That's a grade three race.
01:15:00And Brigadier General will run at Oklahn Park.
01:15:03They resume racing this weekend in the fifth season stakes.
01:15:07Integration, as we mentioned before,
01:15:08is a perfect three for three.
01:15:10And he is a key contender in the Pegasus World Cup turf.
01:15:14If you are interested in joining a West Point partnership
01:15:18and vaulting into the world of instant camaraderie,
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01:15:26Well, that's a wrap on this week's show.
01:15:28I want to thank my partners, Randy Moss and Zoe Cadman.
01:15:31I want to thank Michael Iverone,
01:15:33who will definitely be the best dressed person
01:15:35at Gulfstream Park.
01:15:37On Saturday afternoon,
01:15:38that's worth the price of admission alone,
01:15:40just to see what outfit he shows up in.
01:15:43Also, our co-producers, Katie Petruniak, Anthony LaRocca,
01:15:47and our editors, Aaliyah LaRocca and Nathan Wilkinson.
01:15:50Okay, Zoe, where's your dog, Randy?
01:15:54Oh.
01:15:56I don't know where Doodle is.
01:15:58There we go.
01:15:58There's Lucy.
01:15:59Hi, Lucy.
01:15:59Hi, Lucy.
01:16:00Hey, Lucy.
01:16:00Hey, Lucy.
01:16:01I'm all alone.
01:16:01Lucy.
01:16:02She moved.
01:16:03She moved, yes.
01:16:05Barely, 10%.
01:16:08That's the most movement I've seen from her
01:16:10since we've been starting to do the podcast.
01:16:12Hang on a second.
01:16:13Doodle's chasing squirrels outside.
01:16:16Not that he can eat his kingdom, but he's chasing something.
01:16:19Oh, hold on.
01:16:21Doodle, hold on.
01:16:22Look at Lucy.
01:16:23She's adorable.
01:16:24Her moment in the spotlight.
01:16:27One more.
01:16:30There's Doodle.
01:16:31I should have kept Lucy over here.
01:16:33She could have barked at Doodle.
01:16:35And I have no idea where my dog is.
01:16:37Just avoiding me somewhere in the house.
01:16:39So anyways.
01:16:40Your dog is not a lap dog, right?
01:16:43Well, she can't be, yeah.
01:16:44But anyways.
01:16:45All right, guys.
01:16:46Thanks so much for joining us.
01:16:47We'll catch up with you next week.
01:16:48We'll recap the Pegasus and all the fun races from Gulfstream Park.
01:16:52Bill Finley for the entire crew.
01:16:54See you next week.
01:16:55See you in Florida.