Rachel Alexandra, Papa Clem in Haskell Works

[two gun sid]

BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra had her final workout July 27 at Saratoga as she continues to prepare for her next start in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park on Sunday, Aug. 2.

Over the training track at Saratoga, Rachel put in a four furlong breeze of :49.26, sixth fastest of 23 works this morning. She is scheduled to ship down from Saratoga to Monmouth Park on Friday morning and school that afternoon with the horses for the sixth race. After becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes, Rachel is looking to be just the second filly to win the Haskell, following Hall of Famer Serena’s Song, who won the mile and an eighth contest in 1995.

A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro from the Roar mare Lotta Kim, Rachel Alexandra has won her last seven starts. In addition to taking the Preakness two races back, she was a dominating winner of her last start in the grade I Mother Goose (19 1/4 lengths) on June 27.

One of Rachel Alexandra’s Haskell challengers also put in final final work July 27 as Papa Clem headed to the Monmouth Park track and breezed in 1:14.60 for six furlongs.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51850/rachel-alexandra-papa-clem-in-haskell-works

[two gun sid]

1. Summer Bird Puts in Final Breeze for Haskell

elmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Summer Bird put in his final work for the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I), breezing five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 July 26 with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard.

The Birdstone colt was on the track at approximately 9:45 a.m. The surface was muddy and sealed after overnight rains swept through the area. Monmouth Park clockers got him going the first quarter in :26 and the half in :49.

“He had a good strong work and he galloped out strong,” said Tim Ice, who conditions Summer Bird for Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman. “Everything was great. I couldn’t be happier.”

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51837/summer-bird-puts-in-final-breeze-for-haskell

[two gun sid]

2. Mine That Bird in West Virginia Derby Work

Mine That Bird breezed through a four-furlong workout at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort on July 27. The track’s clockers recorded a time of :49 4/5 as the Kentucky Derby winner continued his preparations for Aug. 1, $750,000 West Virginia Derby (gr. II).

The gelded son of Birdstone came out on the track at 6:55 a.m., just as sun was rising over the foothills of the Appalachians." He was really sharp, we got just about exactly what we wanted out of him," said Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr., Mine That Bird’s 45-year-old trainer.

"We’ll walk him on Tuesday and gallop him on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday," Woolley said. "This racetrack going to fit him pretty well, we think. The track was as big a factor as anything in our decision to come to the West Virginia Derby."

John Perez, a 35-year-old jockey from Mountaineer, was aboard for the workout. Perez was raised in nearby Chester, rode his first race at Mountaineer 20 years ago and, interestingly, breezed Curlin before he was transferred from trainer Helen Pitts to Steve Asmussen and became a two-time Horse of the Year.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51848/mine-that-bird-in-west-virginia-derby-work

[two gun sid]

3. Racing's Pricing Problems

Merely shrinking thoroughbred racing, as I proposed in my last post, would not, in itself, be enough to sustain the health of the industry, especially when racing is faced with a malevolent mix of (1) tough competition from casinos for the gambling dollar, (2) shorter attention spans in Generations X, Y, Z and whatever else followed us baby boomers, (3) decreasing discretionary income for most Americans, and (4) the continuing blots on our image from drugs, breakdowns and the neglect of horses (a special thanks to Ernie Paragallo for keeping that one in the news).

But there are some things we could fix, especially in the area of pricing. A more coordinated industry, and one that has racing as its primary focus (as contrasted, say, to Churchill Downs Inc.'s apparent focus on online bet-taking) could take some important steps that would attract more fans to live racing, increase handle, both on-track and off, and provide a fair division of revenue as between the track owners and the content providers, i.e., owners, trainers and jockeys.

1. Why Aren't Race Tracks More Like Casinos?

One of racing fans' persistent complaints is the nickel-and-diming by track management for admission, reserved seats and parking, combined with the outrageous prices for very ordinary food. Most casinos, in contrast, offer free admission, often with a refund of some part of public transportation costs for those arriving other than by car. I can take a bus from NYC to Atlantic City for $35 round trip, then have the casino hand me $25 in cash when I arrive. Try that at your local race track; actually, I have; the Long island Railroad charges me $12 for a round trip from Penn Station to Belmont, and I've never seen a NYRA staffer waiting at the station to hand me $5 or $10 back, even in the form of a betting voucher. Parking at most casinos is free, though a few might charge $5, often refunded if you're a regular. And if you're playing at a casino, the drinks are free -- well, a $1 tip is expected, but that's a lot cheaper than the $6-plus beers at most race tracks. True, the restaurants in most casinos are no bargain if you're paying in cash, but again, if you're a regular, you'll be accumulating "comp" points that you can use to lessen the damage by paying all or part of your restaurant bill.

I find it hard to believe that race tracks actually make money by charging for parking, once the cost of paying the parking lot attendants is figured in. And whatever pittance the tracks do make would be far offset by increased handle from those fans who resent the charge and don't bother to go. Similarly, free admission seems an obvious winner; every additional fan attracted by the freebie will certainly contribute more in betting handle than whatever he/she would have paid at the gate. Even if general admission is only a couple of bucks, that's enough of a deterrent to keep a lot of people away. And if you want to have a clubhouse that exudes higher class, why not do that by having a dress code (in Kentucky, anyway, that could be "church or business attire," a phrase one doesn't often encounter on the coasts), rather than a fancy admission price. Rich -- and not-so-rich -- horse owners get into the track for free, but guys on Social Security who want to hang out with friends and make the occasional $2 bet have to pay -- what's wrong with that picture?

http://businessofracing.blogspot.com/2009/07/racings-pricing-problems.html

[KamaAina]

4. Mom and Republican Stepdad will likely be there

their weekend place is just down the road from Monmouth. R.S. is a serious railbird to boot!

[two gun sid]

5. I hope they have a good time seeing Rachel.

[aaronbees]

6. I hope she gives those colts a world-class whoopin'

I just want to see Rachel further stamp her greatness into the track. She's a freak. There's a lot of buzz around Munnings, but I just don't see him winning this although he's improved tremendously. I hope RA wins by 5 with Summer Bird up for second.

[aaronbees]

7. Mine That Bird Eyes Second Derby

It's a great racing weekend with the WV Derby, Haskell, and Jim Dandy all on tap.

Full Story: http://www.drf.com/news/article/105961.html

Mine That Bird eyes second derby
By Marty McGee

Mine That Bird will face just five rivals in the West Virginia Derby.

CHESTER, W.Va. The marching band is leaving the field. Halftime is over. And everyone is returning to their seats for what should be an exciting second half.

Indeed, the rest of the 2009 racing season gets under way in earnest this weekend, when the three winners of the Triple Crown events Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra, and Summer Bird return to action in major stakes in the Eastern U.S.

Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner, will be an odds-on favorite when he faces five other 3-year-olds in the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park on Saturday. A little more than 24 hours later, Rachel Alexandra, the superstar filly who won the Preakness, will be favored over Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner, and six other 3-year-olds in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on Sunday.

Both the West Virginia Derby and Haskell are expected to produce major contenders for the summer summit, the Aug. 29 Shadwell Travers at Saratoga, where the top local Travers prep, the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy, will be run Saturday. Warrior s Reward, Kensei, and Charitable Man are the principals in the Jim Dandy, which, like the West Virginia Derby and Haskell, is run at 1 1/8 miles.

....

[aaronbees]

8. Rachel Alexandra....

best horse in the world? I think so. She was brilliant today winning the Haskell and won for fun.

Video already up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1EG0zf8sk - enjoy! She's stamping herself as one of the all-time greats, and it's a pleasure to see her run.

[trumad]

9. Best horse in the world would haverun the Belmont;...

[aaronbees]

10. Hey, it would have been nice to see her there

But she just trounced the Belmont winner, and Summer Bird actually ran a good race today.

[trumad]

11. Thing is--- a mile and 1/2

no way.

[two gun sid]

12. I don't think she's a mile and a half horse either...

but, when is she ever gonna have to go 12 furlongs again? Used to be that we liked to test our best at that distance and they actually wrote races for that distance. The JC Gold Cup used to be contested at a mile and a half. Not anymore. 1 1/4 miles is the distance is how horses are measured today.

She is the best horse in the world. Or Zenyatta is. I'd just like to see them go in the same race.

[Kingofalldems]

13. I heard she is going to have a match race

with a fillie or mare on the West Coast. True?

[two gun sid]

14. No match race....

never happen. I think everyone would like to see RA and Zenyatta hook up in a race but I doubt you'll see another match race between such big name horses after the Ruffian-Foolish Pleasure disaster.

[two gun sid]

15. I should add that because of running styles...

Zenyatta would be at a serious disadvantage in a match race. Horses that can get the lead going into the first turn almost always win a match race. Rachel would get the front and Zenyatta would never catch her. If they ran out in Cali on the synthetic surface maybe Rachel wouldn't like it but, hell, it ain't gonna happen.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Good. Saw the Ruffian race---horrible.