March 2008 Archives
Is there any doubt?
After all the hype, and the what if’s, and the if-something-goes-wrong so-and-so-can-pull-it-off , Curlin effortlessly powered down the Nad Al Sheba stretch to show HE IS THE BEST HORSE IN THE WORLD!
In the desert night of Dubai, Curlin stalked the pace, staying out of trouble in the 3 and 4 path. Robby Albarado knew what he had, he was patient, and with 400 meters to go, pulled away with ease to win by 5+ lenghts. Japan’s Asiatic Boy and Well Armed ran a respectable 2nd and 3rd, but they were no match for the class of Curlin.
Curlin’s owner, Jess Jackson, will come back to the US with his champion, and attempt to make him the richest horse in the world. His win today earned him 3.6 million dollars, and put him 3rd on the all-time north american money earners, behind Cigar and Silver Charm. Two more races plus a win in the Breeder’s Cup Classic would put him over the 10 million dollar mark in earnings. Not too shabby.
Curlin can do wonders for racing. Curlin has the power to draw fans to the tracks - they will come to see the BEST HORSE IN THE WORLD. And thank you, Mr. Jackson, for thinking of the racing industry, and the racing fans. Thank you for not rushing your champion into the stud barn, like so many others do. Thank you for keeping your champion around, and racing him against the world.
Curlin - THE BEST HORSE IN THE WORLD!
The racing gods are pleased ….
This past week it was announced that 3-year old champion filly Rags to Riches, winner of the 2007 Belmont Stakes, was being retired. She re-injured her right front pastern, which she initially injured in the Gazelle Stakes, where she finished 2nd.
Rags to Riches thrilled us as she dueled with the 2007 Horse-of-the-Year Curlin down the Belmont stretch, and in my opinion, was the most exciting stretch duel in New York since Affirmed and Alydar.
She made history by becoming the first filly to win the Belmont in 102 years. I feel privileged to have been able to photograph this piece of racing history. I was very much anticipating Rags’ return to the track, to see what this daughter of A.P. Indy would show us as a 4-year old.
Alas, it was not to be. The most we can hope for in the future is to see her sons and daughters on the track, maybe with their mama’s big blaze, leading the way down the stretch. She is to be bred to Giant’s Causeway, and it will be a year until we see if her foal inherits it’s mama’s looks.
Chiao Bella ….
Well, it sure was an interesting day at Aqueduct yesterday for the running of the Grade III Gotham Stakes. The track was a sloppy mess after two days of rain. If it wasn’t raining, there was fog. Now as miserable as it is to shoot in the rain, it is positively frustrating to shoot in the fog, because no matter what you do with your camera, the picture is going to look … foggy. This is what I had to send out …
Visionaire runs down Texas Wildcatter
To use a cliché, the fog was soupy nightmare, not only for us crazy photographers, but for announcer John Imbriale, who declared “The three-year olds have disappeared … as they move up the backstretch … in the fog … ” We knew they were still running because they were tripping the electronic timers as they passed.
Then suddenly out of the fog appeared Texas Wildcatter, 4 ½ lengths in front, with a 16th of a mile to run. But closing with each desperate stride was Team Valor’s Visionaire, who won the Gotham by half a head. It was a gutsy win over a horrendous track. We’ll probably see The top two again in the April 5th Wood Memorial.
Some who were expected to do something, but did squat, were Giant Moon, Roman Emperor, and the favorite, Saratoga Russell, who never ran past 6 furlongs and finished 8th. Why he was the favorite is beyond me - didn’t even peak my interest looking at his past performance. The bettors got it wrong on this one, and his connections plane to keep him short. I expected Roman Emperor to do something in the slop, considering his talented daddy won the Belmont Stakes on this kind of track. I guess the apple fell real far from the tree in this one. New York -bred Giant Moon had a hissy fit over the surface, couldn’t handle it at all.
At least the Kentucky Derby hopefuls and wanna-be’s are starting to get sorted out.
Declaring My Derby Horse ...
That said, I am officially declaring my Kentucky Derby horse. Right here, right now.
Pyro
Pyro takes the Louisiana Derby copyright 2008 EquiSport Photos
Down at the Fair Grounds racetrack in Louisiana, Pyro again shows why he is a top Derby contender. After showing an explosive turn of foot in last month’s Risen Star stakes, the Derby hopeful overcame traffic trouble to again assert his dominance, and his explosiveness against wanna-be’s in the Louisiana Derby, coming home 3 lengths ahead of 60-1 pacesetter My Pal Charlie. There were some in the press box who thought part of Pyro’s traffic problems were a direct cause of Shaun Bridgmohan’s ride. These nameless few thought this was the second bad ride in row. I think Shaun was waiting for a hole to open up so he could move his horse off the rail. Luckily that whole opened up, but waiting for a hole to appear can be disastrous when you are in a race with 19 other horses, as he will be in the Derby.
Pyro is now 3 for 6, his 3 losses coming to War Pass, the 2007 Juvenile Champion. These two won’t face each other until the Derby, and so far War Pass has just won an allowance race at Gulfstream this year. Granted, he blew the field out, which is what he was supposed to do, but I always have suspicions regarding front runners winning a 1 ¼ mile. Granted, recently War Emblem has done in 2002, and Winning Colors has done it. But they had things exactly their, able to control the pace without being pressed. Which is why I believe a horse like Pyro will get to turn the tables on Was Pass in the Derby.
Let’s not forget the ladies …
Right before the boys went at it, it was the fillies in the Fair Ground Oaks. The top two fillies in the country were running, 2007 juvenile filly champ Indian Blessing and Proud Spell. I have been following Proud Spell since she started her career. She is 4 for 6 in her young career, her only 2 losses were to Indian Blessing.
Proud Spell finally turns the tables copyright 2008 EquiSport Photos
Trained by Larry Jones (Hard Spun) and ridden by Gabriel Saez, Proud Spell turned the tables on her rival by pulling away in the stretch to win by 2 ½ lengths, finishing almost ½ a second faster than Pyro in the following race. Indian Blessing to her usual position on the lead, with Proud Spell stalking her. At the top of the stretch, Saez sent her and she overtook a tiring Indian Blessing.
She should be making a stop at Keeneland before going to the Kentucky Oaks the first Friday in May.
Isn't it great that we have racing in NY - otherwise, what the heck would I be doing! We had the $75,000 Added stakes The Stymie today at Aqueduct. This was the race were Daaher was going to show that his aweful performance in the Donn Handicap was a fluke. Because after all, at the end of 2007 Daaher was the hot horse after routing Breeder's Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute in the Cigar Mile in November 2007. Yeh - his Donn was just an aboration - he was so much better than that.
Not today he wasn't.
