August 2008 Archives

Forget the boys - the girls ruled yesterday at Saratoga.  The best 3-year old fillies in the country met to fight it out in the Grade I Alabama.

And what a thrill these ladies gave us - an all-out down the stretch battle between the Larry Jones trained Proud Spell, and Gadolphin owner Music Note. 

Music Note (left) battles Proud Spell 

I was yelling on the photographer's platform, "C'mon little girl! C'mon!  Do it!"  And down the stretch they ran, Proud Spell was NOT letting Music Note get by - no way,.  She dug in and prevailed by a head.

I will admit a bias towards Proud Spell.  I've been following her since last year.  I was a fan of her daddy, Proud Citizen.  She is the essence of eficiency, never running worse than 3rd.  She was the best of the best yesterday, the best fillies in the country ran 1-2-3 (Music Note 2nd, and pace setter Little Belle running 3rd).  

Gabriel Saez celebrates aboard Proud Spell

This is what racing is all about - the best meeting the best to do batttle where it counts - on the track, as these ladies did, not a continuing battle of words, as the connections of Big Brown and Curlin continue to do.  All this jive talking about who's horse is faster.

A bunch of blow hards I say.  They talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.

It seems to me the connections of Big Brown are desperately seeking a turf race to designed for them to run their colt in.  Anything so as not to have to face Curlin, on the dirt, where Curlin rules.  Michael Iavarrone keeps talking about these well laid plans for Big Brown, like these "plans" are on a set-in-stone that cannot be changed.  And Jesse keeps talking about the doubt in running Curlin in the classic on the new, and yet untested synthetic suface of Santa Anita, home of this year's Breeder's Cup. 

Hey guys!  PLANS CAN BE CHANGED!  IEAH is probably concerned with a Big Brown lose before the Breeder's Cup Classic my decrease his stud fee.  Jesse Jackson is concerned about running Curlin on an untested "plastic" surface, and damaging his "legacy" or something as such.  I say put up or shut up.

I briefly spoke to Jerry Bossert, who covers horse racing for the New York Daily News, regarding an article he wrote last week in the paper, in which I am in total agreement over, where he basically says that boths camps - for all their trash talking - are basically ducking each other.

Did someone say "Quack!"