Entries tagged with “Breeder's Cup” from Picture This

Jess Jackson’s and Steve Assmussen’s experiment with Curlin, who finished 2nd to 2006 Breeder’s Cup winner Red Rocks, proved inconclusive at best.  Not that Curlin ran a bad race (as if he ever could do that), he just didn’t run a great race.  He didn’t run an effort that would propel Curlin on to France to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.  It remains to be seen how he comes out of this race.

Red Rocks wins the Gr. I  Man O' War at Belmont.

“We didn’t see that late kick from him today,” said owner Jesse Jackson, “I don’t know if that was because he is still getting used to the turf or what… My feeling right now is that he needs another turf test.”

Steve Assmussen seems a little less sure, saying,” We’ll just evaluate how he came out of the race.  I don’t want to rush to judgment … We’ll monitor his condition.”

Again Curlin didn’t have a bad race, it was just not a typical Curlin race.  It was a strangely run race as well.  Sudan and Mission Approved decided to get into a speed duel for the 1st mile, running an opening quarter in a ridiculous 22.69 for a 1 3/8 race.  They opened up 10 lengths on Red Rocks, running in 3rd, who had 3 to 5 lengths on Curlin, running fourth, down the backside.  Red Rocks got the jump on Curlin, and Curlin couldn’t get closer than a length to the winner. 2004 BC Turf winner Better Talk Now finished ½ length back in 3rd - the Breeder’s Cup winners finished 1-2-3. 

Curlin chases Red Rocks, Better Talk Now not even in picture yet

The crowd of 8,428 gave Curlin a warm reception in the paddock, and applauded him on his return to be unsaddled. The question remains - did Curlin like the turf, and just needs to adapt? Or did he run second on a surface he hated, and did it on class alone?

It seems Mr. Jackson and Robby Albarado want to give Curlin another shot on the grass.  Assmussen seems less inclined - but he will do what the man who pays the bills wants to do.  Jackson already said if it doesn’t work out they’ll go back to dirt.  What Jackson doesn’t want is to have his star “run on plastic.”  He is not a fan of synthetic surfaces, he feels horses have been running in turf and dirt for hundreds of years.  The Arc idea is his way of avoiding Santa Anita and it’s “plastic” track.

Mr. Jackson is a throw-back to the olden days of horse racing - recalling the days when he saw Seabiscuit running, and of bidding against the same horse as Bing Crosby at the sales.  I was listening to Jess Jackson in the press box, talking about what it is he wants for his horse.  He wants to do more than beat up on the same bunch of horses for the remainder of the year.  He wants to keep running his horse as long as he’s sound, and when he looks into your eyes and speaks to YOU, you come to understand what he wants, and that it’s more than a just line of  bullshit. He really wants to showcase his horse, and to show that horses can be bred to be sound, and have stamina.  That it’s not about the stud deals - some claim he couldn’t get a big deal because Curlin’s pedigree isn’t commercial enough - but as Jackson stated “I don’t need the money.”

Jess Jackson, majority owner of Curlin

Maybe if the turf experiment doesn’t work, maybe there is an alternate path for the Curlin crew.  If they are so opposed to running on Santa Anita’s synthetic surface of this year’s Breeder’s Cup, perhaps there is another race they can aim for, if they want to make their champion an international star.  It’s on the other side of the world - the Japan Dirt Cup.  It is at the end of November, and best of all, it’s run on dirt, a surface on which Curlin dominates. 

Kip Deville wins the pot in the Poker Handicap

The 4th Breeder’s Cup winner running this weekend at Belmont was the 2007 Mile winner, Kip Deville.  But as usual, Kip Deville was a true professional, and basically toyed with the field in the Grade III Poker Handicap on Sunday.  The field included Steppenwolfer, 3rd place finisher in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

Kip Deville wins the Poker Handicap easy

Steppenwolfer was the looker in the paddock and the post parade - I loved his neck, and he was a very powerful looking individual - too bad he didn’t run a lick, and he finished last.

But Kip Deville is well on his way to make another run in the Mile, and might become one of the few back-to-back winners of a Breeder’s Cup race.

Photographing this year's Breeder's Cup World Championship was indeed a bit challenging, to say the least. This was the first year the races were spread over 2 days and it was raining for both those days. Friday was by far the worst day, with relentless rains most of the day. The racing gods were in rare humor, deciding to wreak havoc with Monmouth's special weekend. The track, through no fault of the track superintendent and his crew, resembled the swampy bogs of northern New Jersey. And the turf wasn't much better.

Garrett Gomez aboard Midnight Lute captures The TVG Sprint on a sloppy track 

Aside from the unpleasantness of photographing in conditions such as these, it plays havoc on one's equipment.  It is extremely difficult to keep your camera dry, even using a sleeve (a plastic L-shaped bag, fits over the lenses and camera body). It was inevitable for some moisture to get into the camera. The first thing that started going haywire was the play back, I couldn't check what I had just shot. Then the shutter was getting glitches. I was never so glad for a race card to be finished, just to get the camera, and myself, out of the weather. 

Saturday was not as bad, the rain was lighter. And a baseball cap helped keep rain off my glasses, so I could finally see what I was shooting. The track was less soupy, but still quite a quagmire. Unless on the lead, the jockeys and the horses got pelted with mud, and came back looking the same brown color. The rain did finally stop and by 4:30, we could see sun peeking through the clouds.

The cruelest part of this weekend is that on Sunday, it was a lovely, bright, sunny day. Oh, those racing gods and their quirky sense of humor. 

It is really amazing what we will do for something we love to do. Neither rain nor snow nor dark of night, nor the heat of summer, nor the bone-chilling winter winds Aqueduct will stop our desire for the perfect shot.

What is wrong with us?