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00:00For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
00:28Welcome to another edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News Writer's Room.
00:31It's a special one.
00:32It's our Thanksgiving edition.
00:34My name is Bill Finley, and I'm a writer for the Thoroughbred Daily News.
00:37I also co-host the Down the Stretch Show with Dave Johnson on Sirius XM Radio on Saturdays.
00:44How's everybody doing?
00:45How y'all doing?
00:46I'm Randy Moss, NBC Sports.
00:47I was going to give thanks for finally getting head-on replays, but we don't have them.
00:50We're going in race week four of no head-ons for the Breeders' Cup World Championship,
00:55so fingers crossed that I can get those soon.
00:57Working on that for your Christmas present, Randy.
01:01Zoe Kavman here with First Racing and XBTV, and I'm going to dive completely off topic
01:06right now.
01:07Randy, you can help me out with this guy.
01:09I went to the Rams game last night, Rams and Eagles, and it was great.
01:15I don't profess to know a whole lot about football.
01:17Who's the Barkley guy that plays for the Eagles?
01:21He was amazing.
01:25The which guy?
01:26Saquon Barkley.
01:27Oh, Saquon Barkley is the best running back in the NFL.
01:29He was amazing.
01:30He basically won the game for the Eagles last night.
01:36If you want to really be blown away, Zoe, and anybody else that doesn't know that much
01:39about football, go to YouTube and put in Saquon Barkley Jump, and watch the move that he made
01:48about three weeks ago while carrying the ball, and you will be absolutely astounded.
01:53He was amazing.
01:54I was like, who is this guy?
01:57He basically carried the whole team.
02:00I wish I had him on my fantasy team, but alas, I don't.
02:03All right, guys, I had a good idea.
02:05Let's talk about horses while we're at it here.
02:09The big story last week, and I'm so glad that we had Mark Cornett on, one of the co-owners
02:13of White Aberio, because he was really revealing.
02:17White Aberio came back on Friday, and he said, they're just not looking for a win.
02:21They want to see him really dazzle them, and really prove that he's back, as opposed
02:27to the horse that struggled so much earlier in the year.
02:29He says, if he only wins by a couple lengths, he might even retire him.
02:33They got exactly what they were looking for, a very powerful performance, won by 10 and
02:39change.
02:40Now he's on track for the Pegasus World Cup.
02:42Are there better horses out there?
02:43Maybe, but right now, it's hard to think of any, especially if he's going to come back
02:47to that form that he had when he won the Breeders' Cup Classic, Randy.
02:51Yeah, I believe Mark Cornett told us that the Japanese had expressed some interest in
02:55standing him at stud, and they were trying to decide whether they're going to keep him
02:58racing until then, or just go ahead and pull the plug on his racing career now.
03:03That race on Friday was going to be the determining factor, and I think he certainly passed all
03:08the tests.
03:09Now you pointed out, Bill, that there wasn't much in there against him.
03:12He was a one to five favorite.
03:13It was a short field.
03:14It was seven furlongs.
03:16He wins by 10 and a quarter lengths.
03:18Looked really strong the last quarter of a mile, as you would expect.
03:22The initial buyer speed figure preliminary comes back at 94.
03:25I wouldn't pay any attention to that.
03:27It could have been 98.
03:28It could have been 101, 102.
03:29It doesn't really matter.
03:31It's immaterial.
03:32It was just the way he ran, the way he looked, the way he came back, having not run since
03:37the Metropolitan Handicap, the way he came back to form.
03:40And Zoe, I think it's pretty exciting if this horse is going to be back to where he was
03:43before.
03:4468 days, winning by 10.
03:46I love the call by Pete Aiello, as advertised.
03:51And that was exactly what he was supposed to do, winning by 10.
03:55He was asked down the lane by Arad Ortiz, just simply put, because they wanted him to
04:00get something out of it.
04:01And it's easy winning wrapped up and snugly by two, but you want to know if the horse
04:07still has the want to do it.
04:10So the fact when he pushed a button and said, let's go, boy, he took off.
04:14He looked like the white Abario of old.
04:17Really good run.
04:20It's also interesting that we assume that he was going to go from this race to the Harlins
04:25Holiday, which is the main prep for the Pegasus World Cup.
04:28And I talked to Mark just the other day, and if you read today's Thoroughbred Daily News,
04:32he says he's still considering the Harlins Holiday, but he's more likely to run in the
04:37Mr. Prospector.
04:38He says he just loves that way of two sprints, getting him set up for a very best effort
04:44at a mile and an eighth, which of course is the distance of the Pegasus World Cup.
04:49Makes perfect sense to me.
04:50He was talking about how it worked real well, getting him ready for the Whitney next year.
04:53So that's where we may see him next, which is a little bit of surprise, but his logic
04:59really made sense.
05:00Yeah.
05:01I mean, he's got to be, Mark's a great guy, but being a horse trainer, he's got to be
05:08kind of hard to train for because he does call an awful lot of the shots.
05:13And I think that's probably why him and Safi get on so well, because Safi knows how to
05:18handle everything that's going on around him because he's dealt with him for a long time.
05:23Mark's got big ideas and they do often plan out, but he plans.
05:27He's a planner.
05:28That's a great point.
05:32So the other big race over the weekend that really impressed me was the Chaluky Stakes
05:36at Churchill Downs.
05:37And this is a two sharp is a very fast horse.
05:41We knew that coming into the race, she had run buyers of 96, 94 and 98.
05:46So she goes out and wins her first ever stakes victory in the Chaluky, I think in that Philly
05:51and Mare sprint division in 2025.
05:54She's going to be right up there with any of them.
05:56And so I want to ask you a question.
05:58I saw this was so unusual in his previous start, excuse me, in her previous start, she
06:03won by six and a quarter lengths.
06:04And what do they do?
06:05They put blinkers on her.
06:08I've never seen something like that.
06:09It used to be a matter of fact, Randy, wasn't there a time back when we were a young bucks
06:12that you couldn't wear change to blinkers after a victory?
06:16Well, you have to get special permission, I think, from the stewards in order to change
06:20after a victory.
06:21It's not that it can't be done, but it's rare that they allow it.
06:26Yeah.
06:27She does have a habit.
06:28I didn't actually check the blinkers.
06:30They weren't very big and I'm not sure if one cup was bigger than the other.
06:34But if you watch her, especially even this time, she does have a habit of just drifting
06:39out.
06:40And as fast as she's going, she is drifting out.
06:43You can see one rain a little bit baggy, but man, she's quick.
06:46She's quick.
06:4744 and four.
06:48And to keep on going and win like she did, she is good.
06:52But I firmly believe those blinkers are maybe just to keep her a little bit straighter.
06:57I'm not sure, but that's the only thing is you sure as hell don't need it to go any faster
07:01than she's going.
07:05She's supposed to be quick, right?
07:06Richard Rigney stepped up and bought her for $925,000 as a yearling.
07:12And now her next start's being penciled in.
07:15We talked about this race last week, the La Brea at Santa Anita.
07:19Grade one, seven furlongs, day after Christmas.
07:22We talked last week about the Sandy Bottom and Tamara being pointed for that race as
07:26well.
07:27And who knows what else might be out there lurking in the weeds.
07:29Maybe Bob Baffert's got one.
07:30Who knows?
07:31But the La Brea, especially if two sharp can make it to the race, is going to be absolutely
07:35fantastic.
07:37And what really strikes me, this is kind of a rabbit hole, of course, but the pedigree,
07:45right?
07:46How good is Candy Ride, Ben?
07:48He was maybe the most underrated racehorse for the last 25 years.
07:52And now he's been one of the most underrated stallions.
07:54I mean, not only has he been sensational himself as a stallion, he was the sire of Gunrunner,
08:00who's now, of course, the sire of Sierra Leone, the Breeders' Cup Classic winner.
08:04He was the sire of Twirling Candy, who's had nine grade one winners and continues to really
08:10be strong as a stallion.
08:13And he was also the sire of Vekoma, who right now is the number two sire in America among
08:18first crop stallions.
08:20So Candy Ride continues to make his presence felt, and he's still standing at stud at Lane's
08:26End Farm.
08:27What a cool racehorse he was, because he had horrific problems with his feet.
08:33And for him to do what he did throughout his career with having not great feet was absolutely
08:41amazing.
08:42And just the heart, everything that he showed, he has passed on for generations so far.
08:49So yeah, really cool story, Twirling Candy.
08:53Very, very good.
08:54Too sharp is the real deal.
08:56The TDN Writers' Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
08:58Make plans to attend the three-day January sale, which will be held from January 13th
09:04to January 15th.
09:05I can attest, it's usually pretty chilly right about then, so bring your warm wellies.
09:11Keeneland's January Horses of All Ages sale is noted for high-quality broodmare prospects
09:16and short yearlings, and for being the final opportunities for breeders to obtain stock
09:22as the breeding season nears.
09:24We'll be right back after this message from Keeneland.
09:54For the love of the horse, for generations to come.
09:59This week's fastest horse of the week is brought to you by Timberlake, another of the fast
10:02sires at Windstar Farm.
10:04He was fast right from the beginning of his racing career.
10:06He broke his maiden by nine and a quarter lengths, was a TDN Rising Star, then he won
10:10the Champagne Stakes, then as a three-year-old, he won the Rebel Stakes.
10:14And now Timberlake joins Practical Joke as the only grade one winning two-year-olds by
10:20Into Mischief, currently standing at stud.
10:23Timberlake actually begins his stud career next year at Windstar Farm, standing for a
10:27fee of $20,000.
10:30That might even entice Justin Timberlake to buy a mare and breed to his namesake.
10:34Meanwhile, that fastest horse of the week won Friday's featured race at Churchill Downs.
10:40Run Carson took an open allowance at five and a half furlongs on the turf by a length
10:44and a quarter under Flavian Pratt at a time of 101.65.
10:50That was good for a 100 buyer speed figure.
10:53Run Carson's on a roll in his race before that.
10:55He won the Carl Place Stakes in New York, running six furlongs in 106.85.
11:03He's the son of McLean's Music, owned by NBS Stable.
11:06That's Art Newheidel, John Valentine, and Daryl Shaw, trained by Kelsey Danner.
11:09He was Pratt's 52nd graded Stakes winner of the year as he closes in on Jerry Bailey's
11:14record of 55 in a year.
11:16And you may be wondering, we've talked a lot about Carson's run, the West Point Turf Star,
11:23named by Terry Finley after Carson Yost, the inspirational young man who shares the
11:27same affliction as the late Cody Dorman.
11:30Run Carson is a three-year-old who began his career almost exactly a year after Carson's
11:35run.
11:36So is Run Carson named in honor of Carson Yost?
11:40Actually, no.
11:41The original owner of Run Carson is Tom McCrocklin, whose dog is named Carson.
11:48And Carson the dog apparently likes to run.
11:51The horse Run Carson can run also, and he is our fastest horse of the week.
12:00Now we welcome in the Gainesway Guests of the Week, and it's Everett Dobson.
12:04You know the name because he's been in the news recently.
12:06He was appointed the new chairman of the Jockey Club, quite a big job, and one of the most
12:10important ones in all of racing.
12:12Everett, welcome to the TDN Writers Room Podcast brought to you by Gainesway.
12:16Let's see.
12:17So you don't get paid.
12:19Everybody's going to think they can do a better job than you, and it's a thankless job.
12:25Why'd you take it?
12:29That's a good question.
12:30It's funny you mention that because I just finished nine years on the greatest stakes
12:34committee.
12:35The last four is chairman of that committee.
12:36My wife said, now wait a minute, you're going to go from that to that?
12:40You're a glutton, right?
12:41So no, I just have a calling, I guess.
12:45I was asked to do it, and I feel like I would be capable of doing it and qualified to do
12:51it, so here I am.
12:54So Everett, as these guys know, I can get pretty long winded, but bear with me here.
12:59I'm going to try to set this up properly because I think this is really remarkable.
13:03We all know horse racing is facing its share of challenges, and rightly or wrongly, there
13:07are certain elements within the sport, and I'm sure we'll get into this, that have been
13:11highly critical of the old guard influence of the Jockey Club.
13:17This feels almost like a changing of the guard.
13:20The previous seven Jockey Club chairmen, dating back almost a century, were each born into
13:25fabulous wealth, mostly Harvard or Yale grads, mostly from families prominent in thoroughbred
13:31racing.
13:33You weren't raised in the elite Northeast corridor.
13:36You were raised in Cheyenne, Oklahoma, population 771.
13:40You're not an Ivy Leaguer.
13:42You graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
13:47You created wealth, and your family's horse racing background doesn't date back to man
13:52of war.
13:53Your family didn't build Belmont Park.
13:56You got into thoroughbred racing in 1996.
13:58I'm not denigrating inherited wealth.
14:02Your predecessors were good men who contributed to the sport in a lot of different ways, but
14:06the news articles state that Stuart Janney, the outgoing chairman, recommended that you
14:11be his successor.
14:13Do you get a chance that this, do you get a sense that this may indicate a recognition
14:18that new ideas and a fresh approach in the sport might be helpful?
14:23Well, I think there's something to that.
14:26I mean, you're right.
14:29I'm coming to you from Oklahoma, a resident for many years.
14:33I do have a farm in Kentucky and spend a fair amount of my time there.
14:38And so I think as much as anything, it is a recognition that the sport is evolving and
14:45it's changing.
14:46It's not the legacy sport that we knew from 100 years ago or even 25 years ago.
14:53And so hopefully my perspective is going to be from a business background.
14:59It's going to be from obviously my ownership and the breeding and the racing side of the
15:04sport as well.
15:06But also I have, you know, I have involvement and investment in NBA basketball teams.
15:12So I will have a perspective on that.
15:14So I think it's the recognition of that.
15:17And Stuart, I think Stuart Janney and I had a long, a lot of conversations about my capabilities
15:22and what I might bring to the sport as well as the other stewards.
15:26And all of them I know well and or most of them I know well and the rest I will get to
15:30know well.
15:31But I think it was, there is a recognition that the sport is evolving and changing.
15:36And hopefully I can bring those perspectives that are going to matter in the future.
15:41Well, Everett, you're a horse owner.
15:43You also mentioned the NBA.
15:45How do the two intertwine and how would you hope to perhaps change the sport, knowing
15:51your background in the NBA along with horse racing?
15:58Well, I think if there's if there's some lessons learned, if you will, is that the NBA, for
16:02the most part, speaks with one voice.
16:06The NBA has their disagreements.
16:09That's not going to shock anyone.
16:11But most of those disagreements are held behind closed doors.
16:15I think I think in my my perspective that the sport of horse racing needs to have more
16:21positivity and hopefully I can bring that and set the negativity on the side for a while.
16:28I think we can collectively grow the sport together.
16:32And I'm looking and frankly, looking forward to having those conversations with all the
16:37constituents that matter.
16:38And frankly, everybody matters.
16:40I really believe that this sport will be benefited by listening and learning from, you
16:47know, not just my fellow stewards in the rooms that I'm going to be having those
16:51discussions, but around the around the industry.
16:54I mean, I plan to listen to a lot of people from California, a lot of people from the
17:00Midwest. Certainly, Kentucky is a driving force in this sport right now.
17:04So everybody has a perspective.
17:06I want to hear it and I want to bring I want to coalesce around those that perspective
17:11and bring this sport, you know, frankly, to the next level.
17:15So, Everett, with this new job, you are obviously going to be much more involved with
17:19HISA than maybe you would have in the past.
17:21It has been a pet project of the previous administration of the Jockey Club.
17:27Stewart Janney and Jim Gagliano did a great job getting it go into from just a bill to
17:32a law. Although, of course, we have all these lawsuits.
17:36And people trying to say that's unconstitutional.
17:39But nonetheless, what do you think they've done well and what do you think they've done
17:44wrong? Well, I think, first of all, let me take a step back.
17:49I'm a I'm a big proponent of HISA.
17:51I have been from day one.
17:53And I and I don't come at that because I was kind of reluctant in the early stages of
17:59getting on board, if you will, because of the nature of the federal oversight.
18:04But when we had, you know, the events in 2019 and I saw that the that the individual
18:13issues around the country were going to be, you know, continue to be individual issues, in
18:17any case, state issues.
18:19I became a proponent of HISA.
18:22The good news about HISA, it's likely going to be settled once and for all once the
18:27Supreme Court rules, hopefully in June of this year, if not sooner.
18:30So we're going to have the law of the land.
18:33What it's done, what it's done best is bring uniformity across state bound by boundaries,
18:39in my opinion, that uniformity is going a long ways towards the health and safety that we
18:44all understand and and have recognized, particularly over the last few years.
18:48But what it's done wrong is I don't know if you could say it's done anything wrong, but
18:53it's a natural growth.
18:54It's a natural evolution.
18:56You know, we're obviously all familiar with the provisional suspension issue that has now
19:04suddenly become front and center.
19:06And that's a good thing.
19:08A review of that was necessary.
19:10So I don't I don't necessarily want to criticize any particular areas of HISA,
19:14particularly in my position right now.
19:17But I do I do think it is, you know, we need to understand that this is not surprising
19:22that there's some growing pains and HISA will be better in the future.
19:26I'm a big believer in that.
19:30That's exactly what we've we've tried to convey as well.
19:34This will be a much shorter question, I promise.
19:37Rightly or wrongly, as I mentioned before, there are certain elements that have been
19:42highly critical of the old guard at the Jockey Club.
19:44I think you know who I'm talking about.
19:45Everybody else on this podcast probably knows who I'm talking about.
19:48Mike Rapola, have you sat down with Mike to talk about some of these things?
19:54And what's your opinion about some of the things that Mike says that he's trying to do
20:02to help benefit the sport?
20:04Well, you know, I mentioned that I have plans to meet with everybody.
20:10Oddly enough, Mike was at the Breeders' Cup.
20:12I was at the Breeders' Cup and we were able to spend three hours together in a private
20:16room and had a great conversation.
20:20Very little did we disagree on.
20:21There are some things that I think are in terms of prioritization.
20:27I think we may have a disagreement on a few of those things.
20:30But Mike comes at it from a similar approach that I do.
20:36In that, he comes at a lot of the issues from a business background.
20:41So, you know, rather than just looking at it from this is the way we used to do it.
20:47Business is all about change.
20:49Business is about growing and being better.
20:51So on that, Mike and I agree.
20:53Style, we're a little bit different.
20:55But that's OK.
20:58We laugh about that.
21:00But I do think I think Mike is like a lot of people in the sport that wants to see some
21:06improvement and some help.
21:07And, you know, I need to remind everybody, I'm a I'm just one of 12 stewards until August
21:13of next year. And that's when I'll presumably assume the chairmanship.
21:18So. But in the meantime, I'm going to be listening to Mike Rapoli and a lot of people
21:22that have strong opinions like Mike does.
21:25Do you think he can be an asset to you and the Jockey Club?
21:28Oh, sure. Yeah.
21:29No, I don't think there's any question about that.
21:31And and, you know, I and I did ask Mike if he could if he could maybe have a, you know,
21:39we could have a conversation in advance of some of his some of his positions.
21:43And I think he's I think he's on board with that.
21:44But Mike, Mike and I have known each other a long time.
21:47So I actually sold Mike a horse 12 or 13 years ago.
21:52And so I know I've known Mike.
21:55I respect Mike.
21:56I think he's got a lot of things that are that he's saying that are that are spot on now.
22:01His tactics, you know, sometimes might differ with a little bit.
22:05But regardless, we need Mike.
22:06We need the Mike Rapoli to the sport.
22:09You've got nine months.
22:10You basically have a whole pregnancy before you take over next August.
22:17So what would be you obviously going to have a list of a to do list, a top 10 things, a
22:24top 10 list of things that you want to be done?
22:26What would be at your number one right now looking forward to basically when you're about
22:33to give birth?
22:36Well, you know, I I'm going to answer that question, starting with how I approach those
22:43kind of topics, I think this in any organization, whether it's a breed registry or a
22:51business, a long term outlet, the outlook is is necessary.
22:56And paramount to success.
22:58So in every in every successful endeavor I've had, I've had a 10, 15, 20 year outlook on
23:05that endeavor. And I'm going to try to bring that to the jockey club.
23:09So when you when you say that in terms of what am I what is what am I going to do right
23:14off the bat? The right off the bat is it is a 10 or 15 year project for me.
23:19So there are initiatives that will be near term, undoubtedly.
23:23But I want to leave this sport better than I found it.
23:26And the only way I can approach that is to try to come up with the long term vision for
23:32the sport in collaboration with the people of the sport.
23:36And I really sincerely mean that is this is the vision of Everett Dobson, maybe maybe just
23:43one person. But the vision of the sport, the vision, the vision of the constituents in the
23:48sport makes us all stronger.
23:50So but you can look around, you can quickly look around and see what see some of the
23:56things that we really need to focus on.
23:57And I'll start with California racing.
24:00This sport, this sport needs California racing.
24:03And it's not a it is a California issue.
24:06But California needs our help.
24:08We need to roll up our sleeves, go to work, tackle big problems, talk to the, you know,
24:13the influencers in California about the how the industry can can improve California
24:20racing. You know, we've got a full crop decline.
24:24That's not that's not sustainable long term.
24:26We need to we need to see it plateau and then hopefully come up the economic reason for
24:31people to come back into the sport as breeders.
24:34So those things are targets that are some of some of which are near term, but many of
24:39which are going to be longer term in nature.
24:41And I really believe that if we again, I come at it from a world where, you know, next
24:49next month or next quarter is irrelevant when you're trying to accomplish something over
24:53a 10 or 15 year period.
24:54And spoken like a Hall of Famer.
24:56Did you guys know that Everett is in the Wireless Hall of Fame?
24:59And that's a big deal.
25:02Inducted last year, a true Hall of Famer.
25:05Wow. Congratulations, you guys did your homework.
25:11I thought it was super interesting.
25:12Population in Oklahoma to wireless.
25:15Yeah, I was very honored to receive that induction this past year.
25:19So. Everett, I'm sure you had many a discussion with your predecessor and you will
25:27probably have a lot more as we go ahead.
25:31What is the most important thing?
25:33What was the best piece of advice Stewart Janney gave you so far?
25:37Well, you know, Stewart, I'm sure he is a big believer in health and safety and, you
25:45know, I know the controversy around the approach that he took to get us to this health
25:50and safety area.
25:53But I think that in his view of the world, that's table stakes.
25:57And so to not compromise in that area, I think is the best advice that he's given me.
26:02And I don't think we're going to start seeing a compromise in that area now.
26:08But it's a different.
26:09You think of it like this.
26:10Everything leading up to the resolution of HISA is a different world than the world after
26:18the resolution of HISA.
26:19And we're still in that transition.
26:23Still arguing and bickering about it a bit, but we will get through it.
26:27I hope that we have HISA and I hope that's the law of the land.
26:30But if, you know, if Stewart's legacy is largely going to be around the health and safety
26:36issue. So Thoroughbred Racing, unfortunately, doesn't have a commissioner and you won't be
26:45that commissioner.
26:46The Jockey Club is influential, but it doesn't run the sport of horse racing in America.
26:52It's much more complex.
26:53Do you see your role as being more or less a facilitator of some of these ideas that
27:00you're talking about and some of these hopes for the sport to get people all in the same
27:04room, maybe rowing in the same direction?
27:07Yeah, no, that's that's an excellent point and an excellent question.
27:13By not having a commissioner, the chairman of the Jockey Club, and the chairman of the
27:16Jockey Club, and the chairman of the Jockey Club, and the chairman of the Jockey Club,
27:20by not having a commissioner, the chairman of the Jockey Club maybe has to work a little
27:24bit harder.
27:25It would be easier if we had a commissioner and the commissioner made a ruling and that
27:31was the end of the ruling and that was the end of the day.
27:32But we're a breed registry that has significant businesses.
27:36So I kind of view, first of all, I think my role is to really understand the businesses
27:42of the Jockey Club.
27:44And frankly, the business of the Jockey Club doesn't end with that.
27:48You know, it has two very important non-profit elements being the Grayson Jockey Club Research
27:55Foundation and the Backstretch Initiative for our workers on the backs of two very
28:02important elements of the Jockey Club.
28:06Beyond that, the commissioner has to, in my view, the commissioner has to put, or excuse
28:10me, the Jockey Club chairman needs to put the Jockey Club in the position to be a resource
28:16and an enabler helping the sport and helping everybody from Churchill Downs to the hot
28:23walker that is on the backstretch.
28:26We need to do everything we can to facilitate and enable and support the sport.
28:32That doesn't mean we put our head in the sand and are not prepared to make hard decisions
28:36when those decisions need to be made.
28:39That's one thing I'm very capable and very much a believer of.
28:44Just because they're tough doesn't mean you shy away from them.
28:47But at the same time, I want to see a Jockey Club that enables the sport, helps the sport,
28:52brings it to the next level.
28:54This sounds like a full-time job.
28:56You've got your finger in an awful lot of pies.
28:58Where are you going to find the time to do all this, Everett?
29:01You're a busy guy.
29:04I am.
29:05I am.
29:06Thank you, Zoe, for reminding me of that.
29:08I don't know.
29:12There is one element of coming on board in August versus currently, and that is that
29:20I've got a few things that I'm going to elevate and bring along in my business world that'll
29:24help me assign the time that I need.
29:30You're right.
29:31It's going to take some time.
29:32To do it right, I need to be committed to the timing element.
29:39Everett, I want to get back to your interest in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
29:42I know horse racing and NBA basketball is something that you cannot possibly compete.
29:48It's the ultimate apples to oranges situation.
29:50But the NBA is wildly successful, and the main reason is because it's a star-driven league.
29:57My great-grandmother knows who LeBron James is, that sort of thing.
30:02Yet in horse racing, as soon as our horses become prominent, as soon as they decide that
30:08they are going to become more valuable as sires, they're done.
30:13They're done racing.
30:14Justify ran six times in his life.
30:17So did Flightline.
30:19I know the economics of the sport are all in favor of that, but I think it's such a
30:23hindrance to the ability to grow the sport when a Flightline races six times.
30:28Any thoughts on that situation?
30:30Is there any magic wand that can be done?
30:34Not in the current environment on that front, but I will point out there's some bright spots
30:39within the sport.
30:40You know, I mentioned I just came from the Breeders' Cup, and you guys were there, I'm
30:43sure.
30:44I think I saw everybody.
30:49Randy, I thought the telecast was wonderful.
30:51I think the ratings were good.
30:53So I was thrilled with what I saw there.
30:57If you look at the Kentucky Derby this year, Kentucky Derby's ratings were exceptional.
31:02Some of the best television ratings we've seen in a year.
31:05The interest level for that particular racing event is sky high.
31:10Why is that?
31:11Well, there's compelling storylines around that that start with the horse, certainly,
31:18and we need more horses of that stature.
31:21It would be great to see the horses go on and compete.
31:26But we've got to, we can't, I don't think we should look at the negativity around that
31:31and say, oh, we just, we can't, you know, we've got to, if we can't solve that, then
31:37we just throw in the towel.
31:38And frankly, that's probably one of the toughest things to solve for, simply because the economics
31:44of the stallions at that, you know, they're very fragile to begin with, and the economics
31:49are so enormous for those stallions coming up to, you know, coming off the track and
31:53going to the breeding shed that it's a tough equation.
31:56So, my view is let's promote the sport around the positives that have worked and what we're
32:03seeing working, and hopefully the economics of the sport, you know, play themselves out
32:08in the favorable position.
32:12Your two previous, your two predecessors in this job, Stuart Janney and Denny Phipps,
32:18held a job for a combined 41 years.
32:20So, I hope you're, I hope you're ready for some staying power here.
32:26I'm going to thank you in advance.
32:30Yeah.
32:32I, you know, I look at, I look at this job like I look at everything in my life.
32:38If I'm enjoying it, if I'm working around, if I'm working on something I really enjoy
32:43and I'm working with people I really enjoy working with, then I'll have the energy.
32:49But I don't, we'll see how long, see how long it lasts for me.
32:53But, you know, I just turned 65 and I enjoy this.
32:56That's all I know right now.
32:58So, we'll see.
33:00So, Everett, one last question from me.
33:02The Jockey Club was involved in an initiative that turned out to be controversial about
33:08possibly limiting the number of mares that each stallion can be bred to during the course
33:15of each breeding season.
33:17That was ultimately dropped.
33:19What's your opinion about that particular topic going forward?
33:24Well, my opinion, I'm glad you asked the question, actually.
33:27My opinion is that the discussions need to continue.
33:32It's one of the most important initiatives that a breed registry, not just in the United
33:37States, globally, needs to confront.
33:40Now, I am fairly novice at understanding the science around this, but I do have, we have
33:48had enough conversations at the steward level to understand this issue is still very important.
33:54Now, how we approach it in the future is likely going to be different, but it is still, on
34:00a global basis, it is a very important subject and I would be disappointed in you if you
34:06believed that we weren't focused on it because we will continue to have these discussions.
34:11We will continue to talk about it.
34:14My style is to engage the constituents around the sport that are affected by it and we'll
34:21continue to have those discussions.
34:23Well, Everett, thanks so much for joining us this week as a Gainesway Guest of the Week.
34:28Good luck on your job coming up with the Jockey Club as the new chairman.
34:32Sure, you'll do great and I'm sure you've got some really good ideas to help the sport
34:36and let's go, let's get it done.
34:40Very good.
34:40Hey, thanks for having me, guys.
34:41I look forward to the challenge.
34:44The TD and Writer's Room now also brought to you by Gainesway Farm, which has added
34:48four new stallions this year, including the dual grade one winner, Mooth, who will stand
34:54for $35,000 and has been very popular among the breeders at Gainesway's open houses,
34:59which are going on right now.
35:01Really, he's been popular since Mooth was a two-year-old and he breezed nine and three
35:06fifths seconds at the OBS sale.
35:09It was a success right out of the gate.
35:12Broke his maiden in his first start.
35:13Of course, he went on to win the American Pharaoh for Bob Baffert at age two and then
35:17the Arkansas Derby at age three.
35:18The only son of good magic who won a grade one at ages two and three.
35:24So Zoe, every time we talk to you, you're at a sale of some kind.
35:26Do you remember Mooth at that particular sale?
35:29I mean, he's hard not to forget.
35:32Even Ray Charles could have seen Mooth at that sale.
35:35He was phenomenal.
35:36His nine and three work was effortless.
35:38Top Line sold him.
35:40It was a fabulous pinhook, actually.
35:41I think they bought him for $190,000 and sold him for $2 million.
35:48And at the time, you know, Mooth's other sibling had not started yet.
35:52And it kind of was like, oh, really?
35:55And then he came out and did what he did.
35:57But he was a showstopper at the sale.
35:59Absolutely.
36:02It's a domineering display by the ultra-talented McKinsey.
36:05McKinsey in a dominant performance.
36:09One, two, all two, a million two hundred thousand.
36:14Chancer McPatrick proves best.
36:17Chancer McPatrick wins the champagne impressively.
36:20It is going to be all Scottish last week.
36:23She wins the brazette easily.
36:34PA Bread, I think we've built a brand at this point.
36:37It's excitement at every step.
36:41Roses for Deborah just set a new track record.
36:44On average, for the past decade, Pennsylvania paid over $28 million a year
36:49in breeders awards, restricted races and owner bonuses.
36:53Plus, PA Bread shine on the world's biggest stage.
36:56Just three states have bred more Breeders' Cup winners.
36:59Learn more at pabread.com.
37:02As usual, the TD and Writer's Room also brought to you by the PHBA,
37:06the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.
37:08Before long, the new Pennsylvania Stallion and Boarding Directory
37:13will be available online for 2025.
37:16You'll have to watch for that.
37:17When you see it, you will notice that Pennsylvania will have eight new stallions for 2025.
37:23A reminder, we talked about it last week.
37:25They are Alejandro, the son of Kirtland, out of Rachel's Valentina,
37:28who herself is a daughter of Rachel Alexandra.
37:32Enticed, who previously stood at Darley's Jonabelle
37:36and has produced several stakes winners out of his first couple of crops.
37:39Imposing, who has that Ron Winchell pedigree by gunrunner out of Untappable.
37:45That's a horse of the year out of a champion.
37:47Tyson, Canada, not America.
37:49Canada's champion older male of 2023.
37:52See, when I screw up, I just keep going.
37:53I don't redo it.
37:55And Zozos, a grade one placed son of Munnings.
37:59As part of the Pennsylvania program,
38:01registered Pennsylvania bred sired by a Pennsylvania stallion
38:04can receive 40% in Breeders' Awards
38:06and up to 40% in owner bonuses for placing first through third.
38:09To learn more about that lucrative program,
38:12go to pabred.com or you can call 610-444-1050.
38:17Well, the CHRB had a big meeting last week
38:20and we've been talking a lot about the troubles
38:23of what's going on in Southern and Northern California.
38:26Usually at these kind of meetings,
38:28people try to paint a rosy picture.
38:31Everything will be fine.
38:32We're going to do this.
38:32We're going to do that.
38:34Which made it to me just stand out that Aiden Butler,
38:37who is in charge of the racing operations,
38:40both in Florida and California,
38:42he had some very scary things to say
38:46about the current state of California racing and its future.
38:49Now he's been arguing for the same thing
38:51that they've been arguing for for a year or two now
38:54of basically merging the North and South,
38:57which has not happened because the Northern tracks
39:00after Golden Gate Fields went out of business
39:03have been running at the fair tracks.
39:04Here's some of the things he said.
39:06He said racing in California is heading towards a disaster
39:10if Santa Anita and the Northern California thoroughbred
39:12interests continue to compete with overlapping meets.
39:16Then he happened to say, where was that other one?
39:23He described, he said if right now what's going on
39:27with both tracks cutting purses,
39:29both North and South is described as suicide.
39:33I guess the whole question though is the same
39:35that we've been asking for years.
39:37What can be done about it
39:38short of getting some sort of funding
39:40from casinos or HHR machines, Zoe?
39:44But it's scary.
39:46And I'm sure a lot of people out your way
39:49are very worried about what's going on out there.
39:51Yes, I mean, that is the answer.
39:54It has been an unmitigated disaster on both sides.
39:58Nobody's winning.
39:58We've reached an impasse on negotiations, basically.
40:04The South isn't winning.
40:05The North isn't winning.
40:06I believe they have a CAF meeting on December the 10th
40:10to try and finalize some kind of a situation.
40:14I don't know what's going to happen,
40:16but impasse would be the definite word.
40:19We have come to a dead end
40:21where it's not good for anyone up North.
40:24And I totally feel for the horsemen up North
40:27and it's not good for anyone down South.
40:30I'm not an expert on this,
40:31but it is a scary situation to watch from the bylines.
40:35When we last talked about this,
40:39the Northern California horsemen and breeders
40:42were very much all in on establishing a major track
40:49in Pleasanton to take the place of the closed Golden Gate.
40:54What's happened, though, is that Pleasanton
40:56has dramatically underperformed in betting.
40:59The Southern California bettors
41:01don't seem to be particularly interested
41:03in betting on Pleasanton races,
41:04at least not as much as they were betting
41:06even on Golden Gate.
41:08So now you've got, I think, more of an opening
41:12for Southern California to maybe be able to say
41:15to the Northern California horsemen,
41:16look, we tried this and what's happening
41:21is not only not working for us in Southern California,
41:23it's not working for you in Northern California.
41:27So we got to try something different.
41:28They're talking about a fund to help pay
41:32for transportation of horses back and forth
41:35Maybe something can get done,
41:37but it certainly needs to get done.
41:40Randy, I think the whole premise started with
41:43they thought when they closed down Golden Gate fields
41:45that the Northern California horsemen
41:47would come en masse to Southern California.
41:49They even made, because some of the horses
41:51would be too cheap to compete at Santa Anita,
41:54they even made plans to run cheaper races
41:57at Los Alamitos for thoroughbreds,
41:59four and $5,000 claimers.
42:01But it didn't work the first time.
42:04Maybe one or two trainers came, but nobody came.
42:08Maybe it'll get so bad at Pleasanton.
42:11I believe the average handle was $700,000.
42:14And of course, they have no slot money, no casino money.
42:17If that keeps up, they're gonna be running
42:18for four and $5,000 a race.
42:21So maybe they'll be forced to do something.
42:23But right now it looks like the Northern California horsemen
42:25have kind of dug their heels in and said,
42:27we're happy up here, we're gonna make this work.
42:29Yeah, the prospect of Northern California horsemen
42:32coming to Southern California
42:33was really considered like a fringe benefit.
42:38Look, if Golden Gate was making a lot of money,
42:41they'd still be open.
42:42They'd still be racing.
42:43They were losing a lot of money.
42:45And that's primarily why First Racing
42:47cut the cord with Golden Gate.
42:48I mean, you don't lose money for so long.
42:50And they thought, okay, well, if we do close Golden Gate,
42:53then maybe the fringe benefit will be
42:55that we'll get some of these horses
42:56to help fill lower level races down South.
42:59And we'll have bigger field sizes, better betting.
43:02It'll be a win-win for everybody.
43:03But obviously that hasn't come to pass.
43:05Zoe, do you have any optimism?
43:08I wish I did.
43:10A lot of the horsemen in Northern California
43:12are older as well.
43:13I mean, they've got families, they've got homes up there.
43:17It's hard to uplift everything
43:19and just come down here for a few months, a year.
43:23It's expensive.
43:24I mean, the cost of living North to South
43:27is ridiculous on both sides.
43:29And then to have to keep two homes
43:31and go backwards and forwards,
43:33it's hard enough for the people at Santa Anita
43:35that are making the hundred mile commute down to Del Mar
43:39as it is, let alone going from North to South.
43:42So I wish I had an answer.
43:46I really do.
43:47And to Aiden Butler's credit, he acknowledges that.
43:50He said, look, I know you don't want to move.
43:53I wouldn't want to move if I were you.
43:55But maybe we can sit down together
43:57at a negotiating table
43:58and we can come up with some solution,
44:01whether it be horse transportation or whatever,
44:03that can help alleviate some of those concerns
44:06and can make it as much of a win-win as we possibly can.
44:08But that's TBD.
44:11Do want to remind you that the TDN Writers' Room
44:14is also brought to you by XBTV.
44:16And this week's XBT Work of the Week is Stay Hot,
44:20one of the best names in horse racing.
44:22He works in company with his Peter Ayrton stablemate,
44:25Tariff, on Sunday morning at Santa Anita.
44:28That's Stay Hot on the inside.
44:30He'll go a half mile in 47 and 4.
44:33You don't get much easier than this.
44:35He was the winner of the La Jolla Handicap.
44:38I almost said La Jolla because I'm reading it.
44:40The La Jolla Handicap this summer at Del Mar.
44:44And he finished second with not great trips
44:47in a pair of grade twos,
44:50the Del Mar Derby and the Twilight Derby.
44:52And we'll see him this Saturday.
44:54Maybe he's going to break through
44:56in that grade one Hollywood Derby.
45:24Get smart, bet smart with XBTV.
45:55The Gold Standard and Racing Partnerships.
45:57Visit westpointtb.com.
46:01The TD and Writers' Room also brought to you
46:03by West Point Thoroughbreds.
46:05We talked about Carson's Run a little bit earlier,
46:07the Horse of the Week run.
46:08Carson, no relation, right?
46:10Well, Carson's Run will close out his very strong
46:13three-year-old campaign on Saturday
46:16at Del Mar in the Hollywood Derby.
46:18He'll bring Dylan Davis with him for the mount
46:22for trainer Christoph Clement.
46:23Carson's Run, of course, won two legs
46:25of the New York Turf Triple.
46:27He took the Saratoga Derby
46:28and the Jockey Club Derby at Aqueduct.
46:31West Point and owner Steve Boucher, good news,
46:34plan to continue campaigning.
46:36Carson's Run next year as a four-year-old.
46:39So some other things that are happening this week.
46:41Now I've got to preface this by saying
46:43we're recording this on Tuesday
46:46and we're going to talk about Barnes,
46:48who's going to run at Churchill Downs on Wednesday.
46:51So by the time you view this broadcast,
46:53this podcast, you'll already know the result.
46:57We don't know the result beforehand,
46:58but I still think it's worth talking about
47:00because first of all, it's so good
47:02to see Bob Baffert back at Churchill
47:04to know that this is finally behind us.
47:07I'm even wondering, Zoe,
47:09but the fact that he's bringing
47:10a $3.2 million purchase by Into Mischief,
47:15maybe that he wants to not only just come back to Churchill,
47:18but put on a little bit of a show
47:20and say, hey, remember me?
47:22I used to bring 10 of these a year into Churchill Downs
47:24for the Derby and everything.
47:26It'll be interesting to see the horses named
47:29after Jimmy Barnes, the very capable assistant.
47:32And we'll all be having our eyes on that race on 11-27.
47:36Has there been any scuttlebutt about him,
47:38about how good he is?
47:39He's pretty good,
47:40but I'm not sure he scared anyone off in this race.
47:44This is a full field and it just,
47:46it's, I mean, you can't make this up.
47:49You couldn't even write a script this good, could you?
47:51I mean, this is the first horse that he runs back
47:54for the same ownership as the ill-fated Medina Spirit
47:58and the whole controversy for that.
48:01And he brings this horse back in,
48:02a $3.2 million Into Mischief purchase at the Fazek sale.
48:07He's good.
48:08I'm delighted they've named him after Jimmy,
48:10but this is a good race.
48:11I'm just pulling it up right now.
48:13He draws post position number three.
48:15He's a six to five morning line favorite.
48:17Bob's had a lot of success at Churchill Downs,
48:21even in the undercard races, let alone the Derby,
48:23but you got some good horses in here.
48:27Barnes will be the favorite in there,
48:29but Caribbean Dream draws post position number seven
48:33by Tappet out of Golden Mischief.
48:35There's a few other ones in there.
48:37Darren Miller's got a nice twirling candy in there
48:40that I've heard good things about.
48:41You never discount Steve Asperson.
48:43So it's not a slam dunk,
48:45but it'll be super interesting.
48:48Caribbean Dream is trained by Brad Cox.
48:50He's got a good workout pattern.
48:52I mean, Cox just unveiled a nice two-year-old
48:55first-time starter at opening weekend at the fairgrounds
48:58to a big two-turn maiden win.
49:00Cox is probably loaded with all kinds of horses
49:02that we'll see popping up,
49:04along with Baffert and Pletcher and Chad Brown
49:07and the usual suspects.
49:08Also in this race is an interesting horse.
49:11You mentioned the twirling candy counter elite.
49:13There's a horse or excuse me, sinister counter elite.
49:16There's a horse that's 30 to one in the program
49:19by the name of Sinister Smile, trained by Michael Pooch,
49:24a son of Practical Joke,
49:25who breezed a half mile in 46 and three
49:29at Churchill Downs in late October.
49:31So there's plenty of talent in here.
49:33I agree with you.
49:34Barnes hasn't scared anyone off.
49:37Not at all.
49:40Well, maybe next week we can report on how he did
49:42looking back on it.
49:44The weekend racing action,
49:45it's a big weekend, obviously,
49:47with Thanksgiving and Black Friday,
49:49then the Saturday afterwards.
49:50But well, race is not really,
49:53a lot of people are not talking about.
49:55It's one that I want to talk about
49:57is the in-reality stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
50:01What an unusual story rated by Merritt
50:04is owned and bred by St. Elias Stables.
50:07And you would think that, okay,
50:08so he's by gun runner out of some great mayor.
50:12He's by battalion runner.
50:15Which I don't know very little about,
50:18but he has just been slaughtering these horses
50:21in this Florida sire bred,
50:24Florida sire stakes down at Gulfstream.
50:29They've not gone to anything other than into these races.
50:32They haven't been tempted to run them against open company.
50:35They will next year.
50:37But this horse, I know he's not beating open company,
50:39but he is awfully good.
50:41I could very much see him being the favorite
50:44in some of those races,
50:44like the Fountain of Youth in Florida Derby next year, Randy.
50:47Well, he's won his three lifetime starts
50:49by a total of 19 and three quarters links.
50:51Buyer speed figures 92, 93, 99.
50:55When he broke his maiden first time out with that 92 buyer,
50:57we talked about him on this podcast.
50:59He's an interesting story in that it's Vinny Viola, right?
51:03St. Elias Stable.
51:05Vinny actually raced the sire battalion runner
51:08who was from the same three-year-old crop
51:10as Always Dreaming, the Kentucky Derby winner
51:12that Viola co-owned.
51:14Battalion runner didn't make it
51:15into the triple crown that year.
51:17And then he had some setbacks a little bit later on.
51:20He's standing for only $2,500 at stud.
51:23He's not breeding many horses,
51:25but Viola and his wife reportedly have a bit
51:29of a soft spot for battalion runner.
51:31They bought this mare Banner Waving
51:33for only $19,000 to breed to battalion runner.
51:37And they kept him in Florida
51:38instead of bringing him up to Saratoga.
51:40They kept him down there with Michael Yates.
51:42Just to have kind of a fun horse
51:44to sort of maybe promote battalion runner a little bit.
51:48And lo and behold, I don't think anyone, Zoe,
51:51could have expected a horse
51:52that's got this kind of ability.
51:53And this segment brought to you by Florida Thoroughbreds.
51:57Thank you very much, Randy Moss.
51:59Yeah, Bill, we went down this rabbit hole
52:00with battalion runner a few weeks ago,
52:03and he's really thrown some very good horses
52:06from a very small crop.
52:08Did he really get a 99 the other day?
52:10Because visually, I didn't think he was that impressive
52:14because he was asked all the way to the wire,
52:17but he's sure good amongst Florida Thoroughbreds.
52:19I don't know how he's going to stack up
52:21when he jumps out of that division,
52:24but nobody is beating him
52:26against Florida Thoroughbreds right now.
52:29Now he gets two turns for the first time,
52:31and he's back in against the horse
52:32that we mentioned last week,
52:34trained by Safi Joseph, Neo Equos,
52:36who was second to rated by Merritt
52:38and both the Dr. Fager and the Affirmed.
52:40In fact, the one, two, three finishers
52:42from those two races
52:43are coming back to run on Saturday.
52:46Weekend's Action also includes
52:47a bunch of two-year-old races,
52:49some good ones at Churchill Downs.
52:51The ninth on Saturday is the Golden Rod Stakes
52:53for two-year-old fillies, grade two.
52:58Who else but Brad Cox.
52:59Good cheer, the horse is one.
53:01His last two by four and three quarters
53:03and by 17 lengths.
53:06He won the Rags to Riches
53:07by four and three quarters.
53:08I would think that he would definitely
53:10be the favorite in there.
53:12I'm more interested
53:13in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes
53:15because among other things,
53:16it's gonna be the answer to the question,
53:18what's going on with Jonathan's way?
53:20He really didn't run well
53:22in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
53:23after looking so good in the Iroquois,
53:25trained by Phil Bauer,
53:26owned by Robert Rigney Stable.
53:29He could still be,
53:30he's gotta prove himself in here,
53:32but he could still be one of those horses
53:34we're talking about next year,
53:36but he does need a bounce back race, Randy.
53:40Yeah, I mean, I couldn't see any real excuse
53:43for him in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
53:44Of course, I haven't seen a head-on replay,
53:46so I don't know if anything else happened to him
53:48that you couldn't see on the pan shot,
53:50but it's not like he ran way off form.
53:53He got a 90 buyer speed figure in the Iroquois
53:56and he comes back with an 86
53:59in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
54:00So he was only about a length and a half
54:02or two lengths off form there.
54:04It looks like on paper,
54:06he would be a pretty solid favorite in this spot, Zoe.
54:08I have no problem taking Jonathan's way again.
54:11We don't know what really happened at Del Mar.
54:14He had to ship across the country.
54:15Maybe he woke up with a headache.
54:17I believe he's a very, very good horse indeed,
54:21and I fully expect him to bounce back.
54:23I'm delighted that Joel Rosario is back aboard him
54:27and he's without question the horse to beat in that race.
54:30As for the Phillies race,
54:32yes, Good Cheer is definitely the one to beat in there,
54:37but what about the Philly drawn down on the rail?
54:40Elkatant, Eklatant, the daughter of intermischief.
54:47Her numbers are a little bit below those of Good Cheer,
54:51but her debut race at Keeneland was pretty eye-catching.
54:57I certainly could not throw her out.
55:00It's another Brad Cox.
55:02Eklatant has the rail and comes off a race at Keeneland
55:06in which she was right up on a 21.73 opening quarter mile.
55:12You would expect Eklatant to go to the lead.
55:14Good Cheer is a horse that comes from a little off the pace anyway,
55:17and she won rags to riches despite having a slow break from the gate.
55:22She broke a little sluggishly in there.
55:25Good Cheer is going to be a pretty solid favorite,
55:28but maybe Brad Cox's other one will make some noise as well.
55:31One more thing about Jonathan's Way,
55:32if there's any concern anybody has about
55:35maybe now he's going the wrong way after the Breeders' Cup Juvenile,
55:39he came back and worked at Churchill in his first work back after the Breeders' Cup,
55:4458 and four for five-eighths of a mile.
55:48It looks like Jonathan's Way is still Jonathan's Way.
55:51Shouldn't be a problem.
55:52There's going to be a big weekend of racing at Delmar with a couple of grade ones.
55:56The PPs are not yet out on Tuesday, so we are a little bit handcuffed there,
56:01but Zoe Kamen always knows what's going on in California, Southern California racing.
56:06Zoe, why don't you just give us an overview of what's going on at Delmar this weekend?
56:09Well, I think we already tipped the hand on a couple of grade ones there.
56:13The grade one Hollywood Derby will be on Saturday,
56:16and while I don't have PPs, I have some probables here.
56:20Chatelers, Formidable Man, Heartheaded, Stay Hot.
56:23We already saw that XBTV Work of the Week for trainer Peter Ayrton.
56:27We'll see what kind of trip he can get.
56:29Twirling Point, Donegal Momentum perhaps, Rothschild, King of Gosling, and then Carson's
56:36Run, who will...
56:37Do you think he's going to go off favor over perhaps Stay Hot, Randy?
56:44I'd have to see the PPs, Zoe.
56:47OK, so that's the grade one Hollywood Derby.
56:49And then, of course, we have the Matriarch Stakes on Sunday.
56:52The grade one, the Matriarch, Stay and Scam, Omaha Girl, Mufi, who's been very good down
56:57there for Jonathan Thomas, Nadette.
56:59H.E. Bullets, perhaps the most interesting for me because she was pulled from the sale
57:05by trainer Richard Boulters because they want to run her.
57:09So she's going to be in there.
57:11Aspen Grove, Sacred Wish, perhaps Gina Romantica, an Aussie girl.
57:16And then, of course, we have the two-year-olds, Cecil B. DeMille on Sunday.
57:20Laszlo, Katie's Angels, Sabertooth, Scipio, Polly Kitten perhaps will be in there.
57:28And then there should be the boys in here.
57:30The Jimmy Durante, Sea Runner, Kassaloo, Super Speed, Will Then, Resolve, Acquitted, Tequila
57:39and Therapy, Chili Philly, Origami, and C'est La Vie, Charlie.
57:45Those are the probables for this weekend's stakes.
57:48Now, whether they all run, I'm not sure, but it's always a fun weekend down there
57:53at Del Mar for that turf festival.
57:55So how long is the matriarch?
57:58Is it a mile?
57:59I'm pretty sure it is a mile.
58:02H.E. Bullet ran a hell of a race in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
58:08I mean, she was right there slugging it out, turning for home.
58:11And she's proven that she can go a mile, especially when she gets her kind of trip
58:16on the front end and who's going to outrun her.
58:17She's going to be tough to beat, even if Gina Romanek is there.
58:21Yeah.
58:21And she loves Del Mar as well.
58:23She does really well down there, and she's been doing super.
58:26So that was perhaps the most interesting one.
58:28And Kassan's run and Stay Hot in the grade one for the boys.
58:32Stay Hot's had a horrible trip his last couple of runs.
58:36We'll see if he can get some redemption for Ayrton.
58:39All right.
58:39So we'll bring you up to speed next week when we can review those races.
58:43That's going to be a wrap for this week's show.
58:46I want to thank so much my partners, Randy Moss and Zoe Cabin and our producers and editors,
58:51Katie Petruniak, Sue Finley and Anthony LaRocca and Elia LaRocca.
58:56Sue got a mention again this week.
58:58All right.
58:59That's it for this week's version.
59:00Thanks for listening.
59:02Thanks for tuning in.
59:03Thanks for viewing.
59:04Everybody have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
59:06Don't eat too much turkey.
59:07And we'll see you back at the races next week.