Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
00:28And welcome to the TDN Writer's Room podcast.
00:30My name is Bill Finley.
00:31I'm a correspondent for the Thoroughbred Daily News, and I also co-host the Down the
00:35Stretch radio show with Dave Johnson on Sirius XM Radio.
00:39This is an unusual shot for me.
00:42I'm Randy Moss with NBC Sports.
00:44I'm in a car at BWI Airport at the cell phone waiting lot.
00:49Here's my steering wheel.
00:51I'm in a red Mustang convertible.
00:53So at least I got that going for me here, even though this looks kind of weird with
00:57the shadows and all that stuff.
00:59And you are an absolute trooper.
01:01You are better than me.
01:02I probably would have found a local bar somewhere, honestly, if it was me doing this.
01:07I mean, come on, Randy.
01:08I should have thought of that.
01:09The clock was ticking though, Zoe.
01:10I had to pull over real quick.
01:11It's probably happy hour somewhere.
01:12You know that, right?
01:13It's always happy hour somewhere, right?
01:14It's definitely four o'clock somewhere.
01:15All right, I'm Zoe Cameron with First Racing, and we're ready to talk greatness.
01:27Yeah, it's going to be a lot to talk about, and I want to remind you that this show is
01:30brought to you each and every week by our good friends at Keeneland.
01:34Just a few minutes.
01:35We're recording this on Monday.
01:37Just a few minutes ago, they drew the field.
01:39As no surprise, it's their field of nine, with Muth as the eight to five favorite.
01:44We're going to hear from Bob Baffert, his trainer, a little bit later on in the podcast.
01:48Mystic Dan, five to two.
01:50Randy, I was one of the ones that was on the Mystic Dan, kind of bandwagon, but I gave
01:56him a good shot in the Kentucky Derby.
01:59But after that race, where he had such a perfect trip, and matter of fact, the thorough graph
02:06speed figure numbers, no surprise, he ran the third fastest race in the race because
02:11of Sierra Leone and Catching Freedom.
02:15Not Catching Freedom, I'm sorry, Forever Young, went so far wide on the turn.
02:20But anyways, I can't come back with him because he had such a perfect trip, and I think the
02:27Baffert horses and Muth, and then a little bit to a lesser regard is Imagination, six
02:33to one.
02:34I think Bob Baffert's going to have a big day on Saturday.
02:37All right, Bill, well, I'm going to go with Muth in here.
02:40Bob's record basically speaks for himself.
02:43He knows how to win this race.
02:45He's won the Derby five times, and then he won the Preakness five times, and three other
02:49times he's won the Preakness, so that's a total of eight.
02:53Before, he won a few single Preaknesses.
02:55We were wondering, does Bob know how to win the Preakness without running in the Derby?
03:00But yes, he most definitely does.
03:02And Muth has been working absolutely lights out, and it's a freshness case for me.
03:07There's absolutely no knock on Mystic Dan whatsoever, and if anyone ever thought that
03:12Kenny McPeak was not going to go, you were definitely on someone.
03:17There is no way in God's green earth that Kenny McPeak was not going to run in the Preakness.
03:22The horse has gone through a battery of tests.
03:25They've tested him from top to bottom, blood and all.
03:29Everything they could probably test for, they've tested for, and he's passed everything with
03:32flying colors, and he's already embedded in that magical stall at Pimlico right now.
03:38So Mystic Dan is going to be a tough competitor, and I'm going to quote Bob on something he
03:42told me a long, long time ago.
03:44Because I asked him, I'm like, why do you always seem to win the Preakness after you've
03:49won the Derby?
03:50He said, well, the simple fact is, the best horse most of the time wins the Derby.
03:56They're fit, they're home to the nines, and they're focused, and that's usually what the
04:01Derby winner comes in as, because you have to get them to a certain point to win the
04:05Derby.
04:06And he said, that's pretty much the key, just roll on in there and don't do a whole lot
04:11with them.
04:12Yeah, when you say that there's no way Kenny McPeak was going to miss the Preakness, right?
04:20When you're handicapping this race, and you know that Mystic Dan had a perfect trip in
04:26the Kentucky Derby, that's one thing.
04:29But it also troubles me a little bit, because I think they feel sort of an obligation to
04:37come back in two weeks and run in the Preakness, right?
04:41And trainers, as we all know, can talk themselves into seeing whatever they want to see.
04:48And initially, Kenny was talking about how, as a two-year-old, he tried to bring the horse
04:53back in two weeks in the Kentucky Jockey Club.
04:56It didn't work at all.
04:58The horse got sick coming out of that race.
05:01And he was saying that, for that reason, he's tried to steer away from the two-week thing.
05:08That worries me.
05:09And what we've seen recently, like way back in the day, in the 80s and in the 90s, you
05:16had the occasional red bullets and deputed testimonies that won the Preakness not having
05:21run in the Derby.
05:22But back then, those were second-tier horses that were trying to jump into the Triple Crown
05:29and the Preakness, mostly Maryland-based horses, but some others.
05:34And that's why they had such a poor record.
05:36Now we've seen trainers with horses like Cloud Computing and Early Voting, who were pointing
05:43at one point for the Kentucky Derby and might have possibly been able to run in the Derby,
05:49but were withheld to wait for the Preakness for various reasons.
05:53And the freshness factor has been very, very tough to beat.
05:56So for that reason, I'm with you guys.
05:59I think the two weeks for Mystic Dan, compared to more rest for both Muth and Imagination,
06:08and for that matter, Tuscan Gold, is going to give them an advantage in this spot over Mystic Dan.
06:14Yeah.
06:15And I know exactly what Zoe meant by that, because she was handicapping McPeak, I think,
06:22more than the horse himself.
06:24Kenny is a very aggressive trainer.
06:26He won the Preakness with a filly just a couple of years ago.
06:29And he goes, you know, he thinks outside the box and he's not afraid to run.
06:34I mean, he'll throw a 50-to-1 shot in a race.
06:38You know, just to see what would happen.
06:39So I think I know what you're saying, Randy, but I think this is, you know, McPeak just
06:45believing in his horse and believing that this is really not such a big obstacle, which
06:50is refreshing to see, you know, if Sierra Leone won the Kentucky Derby, would he necessarily
06:57have run in the Preakness?
06:59I mean, it's all hypothetical, but the way things are going, you have to ask that question,
07:05especially with the trainers like Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher that, you know, just love
07:11having time in between the races, the four, five, six weeks.
07:14So Randy, another topic you brought up, I think I want to go back to.
07:19I think Tuscan Gold is the danger in this race.
07:24He's 8-1 in the morning line.
07:26And I'm going again by trainers.
07:28Chad Brown has figured this thing out with passing.
07:32I guess Tuscan Gold didn't have enough points to get into the Derby, but taking a horse
07:37that didn't run in the Derby and getting them to peak in the Preakness, he's won it twice
07:42with that pattern and finished second last year.
07:45So, you know, handicapping Chad Brown and what he's good at, I think that horse is very
07:50dangerous in here.
07:51Oh, I completely agree.
07:53I wouldn't be surprised to see him win, honestly.
07:56I mean, I thought he ran a very good race in the Louisiana Derby.
07:58Muth is a deserving favorite, you know, doing what he did in the Arkansas Derby and getting
08:04back on track.
08:05And he had a little bit of a layoff coming into the Arkansas Derby.
08:08Imagination is going to run to the level of his competition, right?
08:12I mean, he'll probably be right there with Muth at the finish.
08:15That's the way he is.
08:17He loves to try and give poor old Bob another heart attack every time he runs.
08:22Every single time.
08:24You know, so, I mean, this is a really good Preakness.
08:27I wish we had Sierra Leone.
08:29I wish we had Forever Young, the Japanese horse, to come back again.
08:32It would make it a sensational Preakness.
08:33But you got those three horses that all have a very strong chance in this race, I think,
08:40to finish ahead of the Kentucky Derby winner.
08:43It's going to be a very good betting race, indeed, which makes it a good race.
08:47Last year, it was a good betting race.
08:50I'm still parched that Blazing Sevens didn't win because I was all over him like a rash.
08:55I had him in every single wager I could possibly have him.
08:59I was going to fly home first class for a change.
09:02I mean, you're used to it, Randy, but I'm not.
09:04You got me confused with Jerry Bailey.
09:09He's the first place.
09:10Oh, that's right.
09:11Yeah.
09:12I mean, Comfort Plus or Coach.
09:13I think first class is overrated.
09:16So, Zoe, I wanted to ask you this because you see Baffert in Santa Anita virtually every
09:21single day.
09:22And he has been so good about not showing any bitterness or animosity about his whole
09:29situation with the Kentucky Derby.
09:31He said all the right things in the interview coming up with him.
09:35It's more of the same.
09:36You know, he's obviously doesn't want to get into any more kind of controversy.
09:41Having said that, as well as, you know, Bob, don't you think he would, you know, this one
09:44would be extra special after just like last year?
09:49He wins it and he can't run in the Derby.
09:53Considering the circumstances, do you think that he might put this kind of Preakness win
09:57above some of the others?
10:00Probably not above the horses that he won the Derby with.
10:04No.
10:05No.
10:06I mean, ultimately, Bob's in the business of winning Kentucky Derbies and Preakness
10:11is always icing on the cake and it's marvelous.
10:14But he is in the business of winning a Kentucky Derby.
10:17And that is the bulk of his business.
10:20If you saw what he bought at the two-year-old sales this year, that is the bulk of his business.
10:26He wants to get back there and drop the mic.
10:30And I don't blame him.
10:31The TDA Writer's Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
10:36It was a big weekend in New York for Keeneland sale grads.
10:40Ant Aquarian won the grade three Peter Pan.
10:43Joey Freshwater won the grade three Run Happy Stakes.
10:47In 2023 alone, September grads have won 202 graded stakes and 37 grade ones.
10:55That's a lot.
10:56All right.
10:57Make plans to attend the Keeneland September sale.
10:59It does start on September the 9th.
11:01I will be there with bells on and we'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.
11:07At Keeneland, a horse will always be measured in hands.
11:17Hands that see, that sense, that speak.
11:25Hands that hold our sport to a higher standard.
11:29Not for our sake, but for theirs, for the love of the horse, for generations to come.
11:39This week's fastest horse of the week brought to you by my man, Hugh Phils, one of the fastest
11:44sires at Windstar Farm.
11:46And after this year's derby, we can now say that his 105 buyer speed figure in the 2023
11:53Kentucky Derby in defeat is now faster or equal to every derby in the last 16 years.
12:00We can up it by one at Windstar.
12:02They say two Phils is hard spun.
12:05Take two.
12:06Two stakes wins, just like his sire.
12:08They won the same derby prep, the Jeff Ruby Stakes Stakes, with the same 101 buyer speed
12:15figure.
12:16And he finished second in the Kentucky Derby, just like hard spun did.
12:19The four-time stakes winner by combined 26 links, two Phils, now stands at Windstar Farm
12:24for $12,500.
12:28Now fastest horse of the week, no surprise, trained by Charlie Appleby.
12:32He was shut out perhaps on Kentucky Derby weekend, but he was back in business with
12:38Silver Knot.
12:39Also, he had nation's pride in the man o' war at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting this
12:45past Saturday.
12:46Silver Knot up on the engine all the way around and ran a 106 buyer speed figure.
12:53That's the same figure that First Mission ran in the Alisheba one week previous, one
12:57on dirt.
12:58Now this one on grass.
12:59Silver Knot, good often, Charlie Appleby, our fastest horse of the week.
13:08The TD and Riders Room is always brought to you by the Green Group, a tax accounting and
13:13advisory firm specializing in the thoroughbred racehorse and breeding industry, and especially
13:19specializing, is that right?
13:22Especially specializing in saving you money on your taxes.
13:26We welcome in now the Green Group guest of the week is none other than Hall of Famer
13:30Bob Baffert.
13:31He's going to have a big weekend, presumably at Pimlico because he's got two very good
13:35horses in the Preakness.
13:37Mooth is the eight to five morning line favorite.
13:39Imagination is in there at six to one.
13:41Bob, thanks for joining us.
13:42My first question is, between Mystic Dan and your horses, do you have an advantage
13:48because you're fresh, you missed the Derby, no fault of your own of course, and now you're
13:54coming in with rested horses going against a horse that had to fight the war two weeks
13:58ago?
13:59It's hard to really answer that because it's a good question, but I'd rather come in there
14:06with a good horse than a fresh horse.
14:08I think all the horses that I won the Derby with, that I won the Preakness with, they
14:13were in the zone, they were doing well, and I'm sure Mystic Dan wouldn't be there unless
14:17Kenny thought he was doing really well, so I don't think it's an edge.
14:24I think we're coming off a little bit of a layoff, but I think the trip is more important.
14:31So, Bob, we know you were happy to see Kenny get his first Kentucky Derby win.
14:35He said you gave him a nice congratulatory phone call, spent a half hour or so with him
14:41on the phone, but it's human nature when you're watching the Kentucky Derby and you know that
14:48your horse beat that horse in the Arkansas Derby fairly decisively to kind of do the
14:54what if in your mind.
14:56How did you reconcile all that watching the Derby?
15:01When you have 20 horses, Randy, you don't know what's going to happen.
15:04I mean, if we would have broken slow or something, that's water under the bridge.
15:11What happened a couple of weeks ago, a week ago, it doesn't matter now.
15:16It's who got the trip, and I think Mystic Dan figured on the top five, and he got the
15:23trip, and that's what he needed.
15:24He needed to get the trip, just like some horses didn't get the trip in there.
15:28And so the Derby with 20 horses, that's what makes it so exciting, and it was exciting
15:33to watch, you know, and so for it to come down just noses apart.
15:38I mean, we haven't seen that since Cavanier, you know, and I was wrong into that deal.
15:45There was a lot of bumping and jostling, and you know, you mentioned that the Derby was
15:49separated by just pretty much a head between the top three.
15:53What were your thoughts of the aftermath of the photo and everything that happened afterwards?
16:00I mean, I didn't, when you watch it live, Zoe, I didn't really see anything, and it's
16:06the Derby.
16:07There's always, at the end of the race, they're tired.
16:09They're just laying it out there, and there might have been a little rubbing going on,
16:15but it's, I've seen, it's just a tough race.
16:19We have 20 horses.
16:20It's going to happen.
16:21There's probably, there were 13 fowls probably committed the whole race around there.
16:26That's the way the Derby is.
16:27I've been in there with the best horse and got completely wiped out, and you just walk
16:32away like, I didn't get the trip, and it's all about the trip, the Derby.
16:37Well, Bob, we just had the draw.
16:41What did you make of the draw?
16:43You got the four-hole with moose, and then you get the nine on the outside with imagination.
16:48Well, yeah, it's all right.
16:51I think they're decent draws.
16:56They're not bad.
16:57Every time I draw the one there, it makes me sick to my stomach, and I end up winning
17:01the race.
17:02Sometimes, you can overthink the draw.
17:03I think that the break is so important, no matter where you draw.
17:07Bob, every trainer in the country dreams of winning the Kentucky Derby, yourself included,
17:13but lately, a lot of trainers have seemed to de-emphasize the preakness.
17:18We see so many horses going from the Derby to the Belmont.
17:21I get the impression that, I'm sure you put the Derby number one, but you seem to really
17:25love the preakness, maybe more so than some of your contemporaries or some of your rivals.
17:32What is it about the preakness that you like this race so much?
17:35Well, when I got into the game, Bill, when I went first time in 1996 for Cavalier, the
17:45preakness was still huge.
17:46All the good horses, you went to the preakness, the second leg.
17:50All three legs were so important.
17:53That's when people were tuned in, watching, looking for the next Kentucky, I mean, the
17:59Triple Crown winner.
18:02It was always, you felt like you had to be there and compete and see if you could win
18:08that race.
18:09It's a very important, very historic, traditional race.
18:13It looks like Muth is going to be the favorite for the preakness, Bob.
18:17Take us through his three-year-old season.
18:21He ran a good race in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
18:24He caught fierceness on one of fierceness's best days.
18:28Take us through what's been going on with him now, his entire three-year-old season
18:32up to now.
18:34Well, we were pointing, we ran him in the, he won that stakes, scoring 7.8s.
18:44Then I was really wasn't sure where I was going to run him next, and I thought the Arkansas
18:48Derby would be a great spot to ship and run.
18:53It's a big race.
18:55He handled that very well.
18:59We're fortunate to win that, and he came out of it well.
19:01He looked like he handled it well.
19:03Really the distance didn't bother him at all.
19:08You're always wondering.
19:09He had great two-year-old form.
19:11He was cautious.
19:12He was a really good two-year-old, and he got beat in the Breeders' Cup by a really
19:20good horse that day.
19:23He's come back, and he's just keeping his form.
19:25He hasn't regressed, which you want to see in a three-year-old.
19:30What kind of trip does he need to have a winning race, Bob?
19:34I know we were all jostling around with Juan Hernandez this morning.
19:37He came up to speak to you up in the grandstand.
19:40What kind of trip does he need?
19:44Like any horse, you need a clean trip.
19:46You want a trip where you want to brake well and get him in good rhythm.
19:52That's the whole thing is get your horse in a nice rhythm, relaxed, and when they turn
19:56for home, you hope when he asks him to run, there's something in the left to finish the
20:03race.
20:04That's all you can ask for.
20:06Bob, Zoe, Randy, and myself have done a lot of talking about the triple crown spacing.
20:11As I'm sure you're aware, this is a topic that gets hotter and hotter every year.
20:16We even had to wait on Kenny McPeak to the last minute to see if Mystic Dan was going
20:20to run.
20:22How are you on the spacing?
20:24Is the two weeks, three weeks, is that set in stone?
20:27Do you think that's something we shouldn't mess with, or should there be more time between
20:30the races?
20:32Well, I mean, I grew up, when I came into the third world, that's the way it was.
20:38I'm a traditionalist.
20:39I think it gives it more meaning if you do win the triple crown.
20:44I'm not saying this because I've already won the triple crown, but I know it was so hard.
20:48I went through it five times, and every time I walked away there, you know, but I really
20:54feel that, you know, if you did it at the spacing, it would be, if they would have been
20:59spaced out, you'd probably have more triple crown winners, you know, if you, if they had
21:03more time.
21:04So it might be easier, I think, you know, if you had, you still need a superior horse.
21:11And that's what the triple crown is all about.
21:13And I finally won it, but I won it with two superior horses.
21:18So you've got not just Muth, but as we pointed out, you have imagination going.
21:23Four of his last five races have been decided by either a nose, a head, or a neck.
21:30We've all seen horses that sometimes have a tendency not to want to separate from their
21:36competition.
21:37He's had good competition, obviously.
21:41What do you do with imagination to sort of rectify that kind of thing?
21:48I think a lot of it, Randy, is that he's just mentally immature.
21:53And I can see since that Sandy to Derby, he's progressed, he's getting, he's getting stronger,
22:02and he's been working with Muth his last two hours.
22:04And Muth, you know, to hang with Muth is pretty, pretty tough.
22:09And he's been hanging with him pretty well.
22:10And so I really think that Muth is helping him, you know, if he's going to get beat,
22:17he might get beat by his workmate, you know, because he knows what he's dealing with.
22:22So hopefully he gets next to him and says, Hey, I remember you.
22:26Well, let's talk Frankie, Bob, because Frankie rides imagination.
22:33When he rode imagination in the Santa Anita Derby, he was looking for his seventh in a
22:38row at Santa Anita.
22:40He'd already beaten you once with your own horse, with Kinza, with Nothing Like You,
22:45with a sensational ride in the Oaks.
22:47What does Frankie bring to the table?
22:49Not only is he fun, but he seemingly is always in the right spot.
22:56I love about Frankie, like all the great jockeys, you do not have to give him any instructions.
23:03He knows what he has to do.
23:04He knows a horse really well.
23:08And he'll just ask you if, you know, the horse is doing well.
23:12So, and I think he's sort of figured him out in the Santa Anita Derby.
23:16He thought the horse in the lead, if he would have just lasted a little bit longer, he maybe
23:21would have been different.
23:22I don't know.
23:23You know, he got, he did get beat by a nice horse.
23:25And so it's one of those things where he likes, you know, this horse is, you know, gotten
23:30the competition, it'll come back, look like he was beat, came back.
23:34But I think he's just getting better with every race.
23:36And hopefully, you know, he's going to have to improve if he's going to win.
23:41And I think he has improved.
23:45And so I think I'm coming in there with two nice horses and just looking for it's going
23:50to be a good race.
23:51There's just nice horses in there.
23:53Bob, once upon a time, we went through this long period where if horses sold for a bundle
23:59at the yearling sales or the two year old sales, just about every one of them didn't
24:02work out.
24:03Now we have your horse costs $2 million.
24:07He's a grade one winner, Muth.
24:08Sierra Leone costs $2.3 million.
24:11He's a grade one winner.
24:12Flightline cost a million.
24:14Do you agree that people have gotten better at this over the years and that these really
24:19expensive horses more often than not do pan out?
24:22And if so, why is that?
24:23Well, I remember I purchased Forestry.
24:27He was a topper in the July sale and he turned out to be a really good horse.
24:32So it can happen.
24:33I think a lot of horses, you know, it depends.
24:36They go through like they're like athletes.
24:38Muth, when he was a two year old, he was just outstanding.
24:41I mean, he was he was a no brainer.
24:44He was just had great pedigree, moved beautifully.
24:48So that's.
24:49So you've been on both ends of the spectrum, right?
24:53When you started off, when you when you first made your big splash in the Kentucky Derby
24:58and in the Triple Crown, it was with the Calbrad and Cavanier.
25:01And then you came back with Silver Charm and then the fish real quiet.
25:06We always said back then, man, if you ever got, you know, these, you know, these really
25:12expensive yearlings, there's no telling what he would do.
25:16Do you pinch yourself a little bit now when you think back to where you were in ninety
25:19six, ninety seven, ninety eight, compared to all the big blood stock you have in your
25:24barn now?
25:27Well, the business has changed, Randy.
25:30You can't buy real price for seventeen thousand anymore.
25:33Everybody is more educated.
25:35I remember when Lucas came in there, he just took he just came in there and, you know,
25:39when you come from the quarter horse world, you know, we have a certain eye for speed
25:42and whatever.
25:43And when I came, my first Derby I ever bought was 30 slews.
25:46He won the Breeders Cup, you know, sprint.
25:49So it's just it's people are there.
25:53They're figuring out what we like and what we like to buy.
25:55So everybody's just competing now against each other.
26:00You're very active at the sales and you've been supremely active this year already at
26:06all the two year old sales.
26:07What is the one key thing without giving anything away that you like to see from a horse when
26:12you're looking at it?
26:16Without giving anything away?
26:18Come on, Bob.
26:19Hey, you know, I have a secret.
26:24I have a certain feel in my eye for a horse that I've had, you know, and sometimes I can't
26:32explain it.
26:33I just see something.
26:34I go.
26:35It's just there's something about it.
26:36And so I think from experience, from buying horses, things have worked out a lot of his
26:42experience.
26:43So it's just from buying horses.
26:45I know.
26:46Well, that's not going to work.
26:47It's not going to look like that.
26:49You know, so it's like you're going to make mistakes and hopefully you learn from your
26:53mistakes and from your from the good ones that you purchased.
26:58But it's still difficult.
27:00And you're you know, you're not going to be right every time.
27:03But we we try to stay pretty close.
27:06Bob, at one point, it looked like Moot might be the second string on your barn and that's
27:12no knock on him.
27:13But you had Nysos who just looked like absolute freak.
27:17Can you give us an update on him?
27:18How's he doing?
27:19And when might we see him at the races again?
27:21Yeah, he's I'm still taking my time with him.
27:24I just want to give him more time.
27:27It's just he's a horse that is so talented.
27:30And so I just let him grow into himself.
27:33So there's really no rush.
27:35How are the two year olds looking?
27:39We're barely just getting them going.
27:41It's it's it's hard to really get a line on them.
27:46So far, everybody says I'm getting good, you know, good info on good intel.
27:52The intel is great.
27:53And until they work five, eight, you never know.
27:59For people that don't know and don't know your operation in Southern California, can
28:03you just explain how your team works, not only at Santa Anita, but also over at Los
28:09Alamitos with Mike Marlow?
28:11Yeah, what I do is like I keep around 48 horses at Santa Anita and I'll keep another
28:20when we're max another 50 at Los Alamitos.
28:24Those are horses usually that we freshen up or two year olds that come in because, you
28:30know, a lot of I really don't start out with that many two year olds people think I do.
28:34I probably start out with 30, maybe 35, 40 colts and that's it.
28:40And so I try to keep my numbers down because I want to be able to they're easier to
28:44manage that way.
28:45And so it's when they're ready to come to Santa Anita, I have Mike Marlow down there.
28:52He used to work for Wayne Lucas.
28:53You know, Farrow came from there.
28:56Justify, he'll tell me, hey, this one's ready to make the move.
29:01This is a good horse and Mark Marlow, he's usually pretty on when he tells me we have
29:05somebody special there, he's probably really on because he's told me that with with
29:12Farrow, Justify and all the good horse that went through there.
29:16Bob, you've got some of the wealthiest owners in the game, some of the most loyal owner
29:20and the owners in the game and not just the guys that are new guys, but the guys that
29:24have been with you for decades.
29:26How do you juggle them all?
29:28How do you manage somehow to keep everyone happy?
29:31I mean, to me, it seems impossible.
29:33Well, I mean, everybody, it's equal opportunity and in my in my barn, so the horses, they
29:41know that I'm going to do the best job for them.
29:42I'm going to protect them.
29:43I'm going to take care of their investment and their horses.
29:47And so and we have a good, friendly rapport.
29:49We have mutual respect for each other.
29:51And you have to have that.
29:53Well, Bob Baffert, I want to thank you very much for being the Green Group guest of the
29:57week this week.
29:58Hopefully you'll have a big weekend in Baltimore at the Preakness, and it's going to be a lot
30:02of fun, Bob.
30:03Thanks so much for joining us.
30:04So, Bill, who do you like in the Preakness?
30:06Mooth.
30:07I'm not saying that just because I'm talking to you.
30:10I like Mooth.
30:13And these two knocked Mystic Dan before the Derby, so.
30:18We did.
30:19It's going to be tough.
30:20The Derby winner is always tough.
30:22Right.
30:23Once again, Bob, thanks so much for your time.
30:25And good luck at the Preakness, and maybe we'll see you at the Belmont at Saratoga as
30:28well.
30:29And good to have you back on the Triple Crown Trail.
30:32As the Green Group guest of the week, trainer Bob Baffert will receive a free one hour tax
30:38consultation from Lynn Green et al at the Green Group.
30:42For more information on finding out what the Green Group can do for you, you don't have
30:47to be in the horse business.
30:48It helps to be in the horse business.
30:49But give them a call or log on to www.greengroup.com.
30:55When it comes to the horse industry, tax laws are complicated and unique.
30:59That is why most people overpay on their taxes.
31:02Why not get a second opinion from the top rated accounting and tax firm in the thoroughbred
31:06industry?
31:07With over 800 clients in the horse business alone, the Green Group has the expertise to
31:12save you taxes.
31:13There is a reason the most successful owners, breeders, trainers, vets, and horsemen use
31:18the Green Group as a source of income.
31:21We save you taxes.
31:23Over the past 40 years, the Green Group founder, Lynn Green, has owned and bred some of the
31:28best racehorses in the history of the sport.
31:30His DJ stable competes at the highest level and has received the game's most prestigious
31:35honors.
31:36Lynn Green's in-depth, hands-on industry knowledge combined with current-edge tax-saving
31:40strategies produces positive tax-saving results for clients.
31:44Take advantage of this opportunity.
31:46The Green Group will give you a complimentary and confidential review of your tax return.
31:50Contact us at 732-634-5100 or visit our website at www.greenco.com.
32:00I can't get it out of my mind.
32:02I saw him down at OBS for the T-Roll sale.
32:04His breeze was spectacular.
32:06He's a great guy.
32:08He's a great guy.
32:10He's a great guy.
32:12He's a great guy.
32:15His breeze was spectacular.
32:17And then, top of the sale.
32:19Everything he did in his career.
32:21Breaking his main sprinting on the dirt.
32:23Very, very impressive debut.
32:25Winning a grade one, stretching out.
32:27Breezing through the stretch.
32:29He's the real deal.
32:31And then the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar.
32:33He's just too good!
32:35Cornish wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile!
32:37And then going on and being a champion two-year-old.
32:39Extremely difficult to do.
32:41Obviously, Quality Road has done enough
32:43for all of us to understand what he's doing.
32:45I thought Wasted Tears was a very, very good
32:47management mare.
32:49She obviously won the Ginny Wiley stakes.
32:51Also a course record holder in the Ouija board.
32:53So, really good female family.
32:55Good sire line.
32:57Was delighted with him physically
32:59and was excited to breed to him.
33:01It's very important for us to breed physical to physical
33:03and try to get the best physical cross.
33:05We're very happy with the foal we've gotten.
33:07He's got a great natural shape to him.
33:09Great hip. Got a lot of power behind.
33:11Very nice balance to him.
33:13Plenty leg. You always like to see
33:15a horse have enough leg.
33:17Also, he's a very intelligent foal.
33:19You know, pricks his ears.
33:21Has good presence to him.
33:25This is a Cornish filly
33:27out of Anima Gemella.
33:29Been a standout since she was born.
33:31Very strong. Very well made.
33:33Good mover.
33:35Really everything we were hoping for.
33:39You know, he's got a really sharp eye.
33:41Good shoulder and neck set.
33:43Nice top line. I like the way he finishes out
33:45behind. But he really sort of travels over
33:47the ground smoothly and just has
33:49a real sharpness to him about his body.
33:51It's exactly what I was hoping for.
33:53I mean, we all know that hopes and dreams are not
33:55actually what they always pan out to be.
33:57So, when they pan out, you're double down.
34:00In this week's edition of First Thing First,
34:02I caught up with jockey Mike Smith
34:04and Phil D'Amato to discuss
34:06the Santa Barbara Stakes.
34:12Musical Rhapsody takes down
34:14the Santa Barbara Stakes, and I have
34:16trainer Phil D'Amato to my left,
34:18but we're going to start with a rather
34:20perspective on the Santa Barbara Stakes.
34:22So, we're going to start with
34:24the Santa Barbara Stakes.
34:26We're going to start with a
34:28rather perspiring Mike Smith
34:30to my right.
34:32What did you tell me when you came up here?
34:34How tired you are?
34:36She just pulls so hard. She's not very big at all,
34:38but she's just tough and she loves to run.
34:40She really loves her job.
34:42When she gets amongst them, she gets pretty aggressive
34:44and she just wants to beat up on them.
34:46So, she wears you out a little bit.
34:48She's 880 pounds.
34:50I mean, I feel like I'm about the same size
34:52as her and probably weigh about the same.
34:54Mike, what is the key to riding
34:56a small little filly that pulls?
34:58Phil's really got her going well.
35:00His crew at the barn, they've got her to relax a lot better.
35:02Since the first time I rode her, she's even,
35:04believe it or not, she's even a whole lot better.
35:06He's got her doing well and about as good as a little filly
35:08could do. I just pointed her in the right
35:10direction and got her out. I might have got her out a little
35:12too soon. It's a quarter of a mile
35:14is a long way for her to be in front.
35:16She'll run down anything, but you've got to time it right.
35:18Did you know you timed it right, Mike?
35:20I didn't mean to time it
35:22that close.
35:25Thank you, Phil. I appreciate it.
35:27All right, Phil. You mentioned how tough
35:29she is. What kind of filly
35:31is she like in the morning, then?
35:33She's like she is in the
35:35afternoon and the morning.
35:37It's just a perfect fit because
35:39Mike's so good with these strong horses,
35:41getting them to take a deep breath and
35:43relax and finishing. Ever since
35:45I put him on her, he's done just
35:47that and gotten the most out of her.
35:49Hopefully, she's got two
35:51in a row and hopefully she can keep
35:53rolling. Does she have any quirks about her other than
35:55she pulls like a train?
35:57She's a very straightforward
35:59good training filly.
36:01Again, she's a small little thing, but
36:03I don't think she knows it.
36:05A lot of attitude to
36:07her, but very straightforward.
36:09Small, but mighty. Well
36:11done, Phil. Thank you. Musical Rhapsody
36:13takes down the Santa Barbara Stakes.
36:15Many thanks
36:17to Mike and Phil
36:19for that. That filly, yes,
36:21she did literally weigh in
36:23at 880 pounds
36:25and she now is an
36:27absolute little beast.
36:29Small things do come in good packages.
36:31I want to remind you, the Santa Nita
36:33will be back this coming Friday,
36:35Saturday, and Sunday. If you're
36:37looking to gamble and watch the Preakness,
36:39not only can you do that at Pimlico,
36:41but you can also do that at the
36:43Great Race Place and do it there too.
36:45So the story of Tyler Gaff
36:47Leone and Sierra Leone and the
36:49bumping and pushing and lugging in
36:51of the Kentucky Derby has
36:53not gone away. And here's
36:55how it was resolved,
36:57finally, by the Churchill Downs
36:59stewards. As we remember, they did
37:01not hang the inquiry
37:03in the Kentucky Derby. All three
37:05of us were in unanimity about
37:07that was a huge blunder
37:09not to put the inquiry
37:11up. Randy Moss said they blew
37:13it big time. That's what he had to
37:15say on the show last week.
37:17So now, a few days later, they
37:19meet with Tyler Gaff Leone and
37:21lo and behold, they fine him
37:23$2,500. Now,
37:25here's what I don't quite get.
37:27If he didn't do
37:29something so bad that the horse
37:31should have been disqualified,
37:33how do you justify a fine?
37:35I mean, I know you sometimes can do
37:37that, but they seem to be talking out of
37:39both sides of their mouth.
37:41If they had put the inquiry up,
37:43if they had taken the horse down,
37:45then maybe they do give him a fine.
37:47But I find it kind of
37:49contradictory that
37:51they decide not to take the horse down
37:53and because of that,
37:55would say, well, Tyler didn't do anything wrong.
37:57They didn't take the horse down. Oh, yeah,
37:59Tyler did do something wrong. We're fining him $2,500.
38:01So, yeah,
38:03it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
38:05No, nothing about this thing makes a whole lot of sense
38:07No, nothing about this thing makes a whole lot of sense.
38:09They blew it
38:11from start to finish.
38:13Now,
38:15I'm a big fan of
38:17situations
38:19in which you don't
38:21penalize the horse player
38:23necessarily if there's interference
38:25in a race that didn't affect the outcome
38:27of the finish. Leave the number
38:29up and then fine
38:31the jockey or even suspend
38:33the jockey in that matter and don't
38:35don't
38:37penalize the betters
38:39for something like that.
38:41But in this case, the two horses
38:43finish this far apart.
38:45I mean,
38:47if you completely ignore
38:49what happened from the quarter pole
38:51to the finish and you
38:53just look at the Heisman's stiff arm
38:55there right at the wire and they finish
38:57a nose or a half a nose
38:59apart, that's enough
39:01justification right there for
39:03a disqualification.
39:05But then you had all the other stuff before that
39:07that was much worse than just the little thing
39:09right at the finish line where he
39:11sticks his arm out.
39:13There's a lot of things about this whole
39:15thing that just really
39:17drive me bat
39:19you-know-what crazy.
39:21First of all,
39:23something's really got to be done about
39:25this in the thoroughbred industry, right?
39:27There were
39:29$75 million
39:31that were wagered in the Kentucky
39:33Derby on the exacta,
39:35the trifecta, and the
39:37superfecta.
39:39As we sit here right now,
39:41this could never happen in any other business
39:43or any other sport. We don't
39:45know if the stewards
39:47took a vote.
39:49If they did take a vote,
39:51was it unanimous? Was it three
39:53to nothing to leave the number up?
39:55Was it two to one?
39:57We have no idea. And it's like this
39:59at every racetrack in America.
40:01Nobody ever knows
40:03who voted what.
40:05Was it a unanimous
40:07verdict or not?
40:09To be honest with you,
40:11their deliberations
40:13should actually be
40:15live broadcast
40:17to the racetrack
40:19and to the simulcast players
40:21as the stewards are in the room
40:23trying to figure out what's going on.
40:25If the stewards call the jockeys,
40:27which is silly to begin with, but if they call
40:29the jockeys to ask the jockeys
40:31what happened, that should be
40:33public.
40:35That should be taped and should be a matter of public record.
40:37If they
40:39call the riders in
40:41the next day to talk about
40:43what happened during the running of a race,
40:45there should be a complete transcript or it should be
40:47videoed. All of this should be
40:49transparent. But here we don't even
40:51know if they took a vote.
40:53And if they did take a vote in the stewards' room,
40:55who was in favor and who wasn't?
40:57And this is the
40:59Kentucky freaking derby we're talking
41:01about here. You talk about
41:03a lack of transparency. My god.
41:05We're
41:07screaming out for it in this sport.
41:09Some transparency.
41:11That's the biggest race
41:13in the
41:15world, basically.
41:17It is the biggest race and they went through
41:19this with maximum security. They never
41:21offered a statement. They never let
41:23anything out.
41:25Think they didn't learn something
41:27from that? I just don't understand.
41:29I'm fining Tyler Gaffione
41:31$2,500. When they said
41:33he fined him, I'm like, oh, maybe he's got
41:35to give the $500,000 back
41:37because that was the difference
41:39between second and third. That's a fine
41:41that I could live with. Yeah, give the guy
41:43$500,000 because
41:45he was probably mugged. They should have
41:47flip-flopped them. It was ridiculous.
41:49Zoe, as
41:51the next rider, did Tyler do
41:53anything wrong? It seems to me that he was
41:55doing everything under his power to
41:57keep that horse from stop
41:59to not lug in, but it
42:01was out of his control.
42:03I mentioned last week, the only
42:05thing harder than riding a horse that
42:07lugs out is one that lugs in
42:09and he lugs in bad. Next time
42:11you see him, he better have some better equipment
42:13on rather than just a D-bit.
42:15It really wasn't Tyler's
42:17fault, but you can't touch
42:19a horse. You can't touch a horse
42:21in the running of the race. I'm sorry.
42:23That's an instant disqualification
42:25touching another horse.
42:27I don't care if it's by accident or not.
42:29In your whip, touching the
42:31other horse, you can't do that.
42:33It's insane.
42:35I also want to
42:37remind you guys that
42:39in the case of maximum security,
42:41they never hung an inquiry in that race either.
42:43No, no.
42:45It took a John Korn who finished
42:47their 16th or something.
42:49They did not learn
42:51a thing.
42:53It certainly
42:55doesn't seem like it.
42:57Hopefully, there's no controversies coming up
42:59in the Preakness this weekend and
43:01see if the Maryland stewards
43:03can get the job done.
43:05I have confidence that they will.
43:07The TDN Riders Zoom
43:09brought to you by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders
43:11Association. On Friday night,
43:13Niecy Marie was saying the champion
43:15Pennsylvania bred three-year-old
43:17filly. On Saturday,
43:19she showed why. She became the newest
43:21PA bred graded
43:23stakes winner with a last-to-first
43:25run in the bogey stakes at Aqueduct
43:27to grade three to get up
43:29in the final strides. Congratulations
43:31to Niecy Marie and all of Pennsylvania will be
43:33watching as the PA bred and PA
43:35sired Uncle Heavy
43:37runs in the Preakness stakes on Saturday.
43:39Uncle Heavy is by Pennsylvania sire
43:41Social Inclusion. Remember him?
43:43Trained by Butch Reed
43:45and bred by Butch's sister-in-law
43:47Barbara Reed. For more
43:49information on breeding and racing your
43:51very own Pennsylvania bred, visit
43:53www.pabred.com
43:55and click on the
43:57stallion and boarding farm directory
43:59at the top of the home page.
44:01Any further questions, call
44:03610-444-1050.
44:05610-444-1050.
44:07The state
44:09of Pennsylvania has the best breeders
44:11program in the entire
44:13United States. When you buy a yearling
44:15it's a little bit like buying a lottery ticket.
44:17We are trying to provide the lottery ticket
44:19that the likelihood is to
44:21hit the jackpot. Angel of Empire
44:23wins the Arkansas Derby and wins it
44:25clear. Uncle Heavy
44:27late, it's a photo finish!
44:29Pennsylvania and the
44:31PHBA have the best state bred
44:33program in the country bar none.
44:35The winner, Uncle Heavy. He's a three-year-old
44:37bred in Pennsylvania.
44:41SFX music
44:43SFX music
44:45SFX music
44:47SFX music
44:49And they're off in the
44:51breakfast!
44:53SFX music
44:55SFX music
44:57SFX music
44:59And they're off
45:01at the Pegasus World Cup!
45:03SFX music
45:05SFX music
45:07SFX music
45:09And from PA, we talk The First Grand Three, and yeah, you are hearing me correctly.
45:25I didn't say pre, I said three.
45:28Listen to this.
45:29The TDN Writers Room is brought to you by The First Grand Three, a trio of races that
45:34kicks off with this week's Preakness, and is followed by the California Crown on September
45:39the 28th at Santa Anita, and then followed by the Pegasus World Cup on January the 25th
45:46at Goldstream Park.
45:47That's all part of a $25 million plus racing series for owners, jockeys, and fans.
45:56There's a $7.5 million in bonus opportunities for owners, and fans, that's very important,
46:03and you can win up to $5 million in The First Grand Three Pick'em Challenge.
46:08For more information, visit Preakness.com slash First Grand Three.
46:13All right, so weekend racing last week.
46:16I love these races at Goldstream, with the, have the preps for the Royal Ascot races,
46:22and there are two, one for fillies, one for males.
46:25The filly race was won by our friend John and Glenn Green from DJ Stable, with a horse
46:30by the name of Bullitt, who ran his eyeballs out, thought he was very impressive.
46:34Matter of fact, on paper, I looked at him, he's by War Front out of a Tappet mare, and
46:39I said, can this guy really win at five furlongs?
46:41Well, not only did he win at five furlongs, he won very impressively, and as you were
46:46talking about the First Three, First Grand, First Grand Three, I was texting our friend
46:54John Green, and I said, is he definite for Royal Ascot?
46:57He says, not definite yet, we've got to work out some plans, but just like you said, Kenny
47:02McPeak was going to run in the Preakness, they're going to run in Royal Ascot, how could
47:06they not?
47:07And then you have the other end of the spectrum, where you had a $9,000 OBS by the name of
47:12Gabaldon, won the race for Colts, don't know what the plans are for that horse, trained
47:17by Jose D'Angelo, but I just think it's a really good and very clever concept, and boy,
47:24if I can get some odds, find out what the bookmakers can give me over in England on
47:28Bullet, would you Zoe, and see if I can get a bet down on her.
47:32Let me think, a $425,000 War Front filly that just won really impressively, when you think
47:40about last year when the Golden Palm was first introduced, and we saw, what's his face go
47:48over there?
47:49Why can I not think of it?
47:50George Weaver.
47:51George Weaver, sorry George.
47:53Yeah, Crimson Advocate.
47:54Yes, she won it last year and she went over and was successful.
47:58Now, a lot of the horses coming from America are going to be ground dependent, and you
48:02never know what you're going to get pretty much till the week of the race.
48:06This past week in England has been summer, and this is the only few days of summer that
48:12they've had for six months.
48:15So there's no telling what they're going to get in June, but Bullet was extremely impressive
48:20coming from dead last and just slingshotting around the field.
48:24She took the lead at the eighth pole and drew off to win by two and three quarter lengths,
48:29and that's the type of horse that you need to go over there to Royal Ascot with.
48:33As far as Galbadon, he's got speed, and that's not a bad thing either.
48:38I'm not sure when you look at him and then you look at some of the monsters that won
48:43at Keeneland for Wesley Ward, how that figures, because Wesley had a few runaway winners that
48:51will be going to Royal Ascot as well, and they'll all be running against one another.
48:55But yeah, these two are win-in-your-in races.
48:58It's extremely clever.
49:00We had a race at Santa Anita last week, which is a win-in-your-in pretty much for the grade
49:05one Coral Eclipse.
49:06Now, it doesn't look like Little Red Feather are taking Gold Phoenix, but it is a very
49:11innovative idea by First Racing and Aidan Butler to get these things and people talking
49:17about it, because these are the races that people in America have never seen anything
49:22like it, going to Royal Ascot or going to Sandan.
49:25It's a whole different type of racing that once you've got a taste of it, you want more.
49:33In the Colts division, Galbadon was 16 to one.
49:37The runner-up, Reach for the Rose, was just under 10 to one.
49:41I'll be honest with you, I would like it a lot better if Bullitt had run faster than
49:47the boys.
49:48She actually ran three-fifths of a second slower than the male division, but she also
49:54broke a bit slowly and was next to last in the nine-horse field.
49:59She was visually very impressive and lost a lot of ground.
50:02You can't just go.
50:03I know I'm a time guy, but you can't always just go by final time when you're looking
50:08at these horses.
50:09Well, we mentioned earlier that the Peter Pan was won by Antiquarian, Todd Pletcher
50:15the trainer.
50:16Arcangelo won the Peter Pan last year and came in to win the Belmont afterwards.
50:21Nice enough horse.
50:22I wish I owned him.
50:23I don't think he's going to be a major threat in the Belmont.
50:25I think Pletcher might win the Belmont with fierceness.
50:28We have no idea.
50:29He hasn't had much to say, but that horse's nature of running a good race every other
50:34race and the fact that he might be able to get loose and lowly on the lead in the mile
50:40and a quarter, that takes him getting used to the mile and a quarter Belmont stakes.
50:44Randy, did you see anything in Antiquarian that gets you too excited?
50:49Well, I mean, arguably, he ran the best race of his life.
50:54On numbers, he ran just as fast as he did in the Louisiana Derby just against easier
50:59competition.
51:00Well, he had a 92 buyer in the Louisiana Derby finishing sixth in that race, losing by four
51:06lengths.
51:07And then he comes back and he beats a decent field.
51:09The Wine Steward's a pretty nice horse.
51:10It was the second start of his three-year-old season.
51:14He had that really good second place finish in the Lexington Stakes.
51:18But to me, Antiquarian looks like sort of an Ohio Derby, Iowa Derby kind of horse, really
51:28instead of a Belmont horse.
51:32But I'm sure he'll run in the Belmont because he won the Peter Pan.
51:35It's going to be super interesting to see what kind of horses are running in the mile
51:40and a quarter race at Saratoga, the Belmont Saratoga.
51:44It's going to be a completely different race.
51:47I don't know.
51:49I couldn't tell you.
51:51Well, Sierra Leone, of course, is laying in wait.
51:56That's a big layoff in between the two races.
51:59So it will perhaps get the, maybe we can get all, if Mooth wins on Saturday, do you think
52:07he will go back in the Belmont, Randy and Zoe?
52:10I do not.
52:11Why not?
52:12Because, Bob, maybe the mile and a quarter would make it a little bit more likely to
52:16Zoe's point.
52:17It'll be interesting to see what happens.
52:19But it just hasn't been Bob's MO with horses that don't win the Preakness necessarily to
52:25come back.
52:26Like National Treasure didn't.
52:29Back in the day, he had horses that, point given, that lost the Kentucky Derby, came
52:37back and won the Preakness, and were extremely impressive in the Belmont stakes.
52:40But I would think he probably would reset, start thinking about the Breeders' Cup Classic,
52:47and take him back to California and figure out the best way to get him from point A to
52:52point B from his barn at Santa Anita.
52:56Just my opinion.
52:57I don't know.
52:58It's going to be a whole different race going a mile and a quarter.
53:03I can see a lot of people wanting to prove their horses over the classic distance, the
53:09Kentucky Derby distance of a mile and a quarter.
53:13So it's going to be really interesting to see who runs.
53:16It's going to be, usually, you know, horses going into the Belmont and you're looking
53:20towards a stud career.
53:21I'm not knocking the Belmont by any means, but it's not really an American blazing thing.
53:28Say, hey, my horse won the Belmont.
53:30I'm going to breed all my mares to the horse that won the Belmont.
53:33That doesn't really happen.
53:34But at a mile and a quarter, it's going to be a really good race.
53:38TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by XBTV.
53:42Last week, we showed you a joint work between Mooth and Imagination as they prepared for
53:47the Preakness stakes on Saturday.
53:49And this week, we're going to do the same.
53:51Take a look at these two.
53:53Mooth is on the rail and Imagination is on the outside working six furlongs in 1-11
53:58and 4.
53:59Now, last week, they worked 1-11 and 2.
54:03And we heard from Bob and the comment about these two workmates and perhaps that Imagination
54:09needs to learn a little bit.
54:10Now, when you look at the rider on Mooth on the inside, he's got a double handful feet
54:15on the dashboard.
54:17That is laser focus from Mooth and he is like that every single time he works.
54:23And then you've got Imagination getting niggled at and just asked a little bit, but he's keeping
54:27up and he's keeping up with his buddies like, I can do it.
54:30I can do it.
54:31I can do it.
54:32And they're rolling down the lane and they hit the wire together.
54:35And then Mooth is still cruising on out and Imagination is still going along, but they
54:41finish head and head.
54:42So I mean, visually, yes, Imagination did that much better, but that's the type of work
54:46course he is.
54:47I mean, Mooth and then Imagination on the outside.
54:50He's getting there slowly, but surely, I think he's learning.
55:16All the thrills.
55:30Fraction of the bills.
55:35Experience the power of the partnership.
55:40Change your life, make new friends, and compete at the highest level of Thoroughbred racing.
55:48West Point Thoroughbreds, the gold standard in racing partnerships.
55:51Visit westpointtb.com.
55:55TD and Writer's Room is also brought to you by our friends at West Point Thoroughbreds.
56:00They had a big runner-up finish in the Man O' War Saturday at the Belmont at Aqueduct
56:06Meet when Ohana Honor ran down Nation's Pride right at the end to take second behind, of
56:12course, our fastest Horse of the Week, Silver Knot.
56:16Very strong effort at a mile and three-eighths for Ohana Honor, who previously had a five-length
56:21win at Keeneland just before that in his first start ever at a mile and a half.
56:26He's a five-year-old son of Otter Code.
56:28Also, final boss appreciated the added distance on Sunday in a sharp allowance win for West
56:35Point going two turns on the turf at Santa Anita.
56:39West Point co-owns that with Michael Talla.
56:41This Saturday, looking ahead, Jackson Traveler will seek to win the Maryland Sprint for the
56:47second time on Preakness Day at Pimlico.
56:50For more information on West Point and how they can vault you into the world of instant
56:55camaraderie, www.westpointtb.com.
57:06Well, it's time to say goodbye, but before we do, I'm just kind of curious, what kind
57:10of car did you rent, Randy?
57:11Oh, I want to see.
57:14OK, I'll show you.
57:15It's it's sort of a kind of a bad day for me.
57:20I lost my phone at the airport.
57:22But as a consolation prize, check this out.
57:27Whoa.
57:30Thank you, Hertz.
57:32Red convertible Mustang.
57:34So Randy can put the lid down and let his hair blow in the wind.
57:39Yeah. And on a horse racing telecast or podcast.
57:43There you go. Oh, Mustang.
57:44Yeah. Red Mustang convertible.
57:47You can do a lot worse than that.
57:48All I need now is Lucy with her head hanging out the window.
57:52Well, Hertz did you proud.
57:54That's some car.
57:55Anyways. All right, everybody.
57:57Thanks so much for listening and tuning in this week.
58:00I want to thank our producers, Katie Petruniak, Anthony LaRocca and Leo LaRocca.
58:05And also, of course, Bob Baffert, the Green Group guest of the week
58:08and my partners, Zoe Cabin and Randy Moss.
58:11Have a great time at the Priebus and we'll be back next week.
58:14Ready? Talking about who won the 149th running of the Middle Jewel of Triple Crown.
58:19That's horsepower right there.
58:21Randy's got horsepower and there'll be no hiding, Randy.
58:24I'll be able to find you at Pimlico.
58:26I'll just look for the red.
58:28Yeah, that will put you home, Zoe, with that car.