Bill Handleman: Heaven is a Bettor Place

Heaven is a bettor place today with the passing of a gem of a guy, Bill Handleman. One of the Jersey Boys when we hit the road to cover the Derby or the Preakness or the Belmont, or any old race at Monmouth Park during the past 30 years, there was no one more passionate about horse racing, no one more dedicated, no one who came so close so many times to the biggest score ever than Bill. Yes, he scored huge with a $100,000 jackpot at Penn National in 1995, but just watching him at the races was a sight to behold. With more tough beats than anyone should endure (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating), Bill could always explain what prevented him from cashing a ticket, and used every excuse in the book hundreds of times. Was that really the point? No. He loved the game, and loved to be a player. And that's what I'll always remember about Bill: A passionate player who dearly loved the game, and made everyone around him feel like it's OK to get into it. Win or lose. Be a player!

How about this? On Feb. 10, at Fair Grounds: Gold Square LLC’s Handleman made the pace and increased his margin in the final furlong to win Friday’s $41,000 six-furlong allowance sprint by three-and-a-quarter lengths at the wire.

Hi Ho Pimlico

Get your Preak off!

Before we get started with Preakness fever, this new ad/marketing/promotion campaign trying to show the youth of America how hip Pimlico/Maryland Racing/Frank Stronach's bankrupt tracks are is laughable. What can you people be thinking? Don't answer that! It won't work. Let people bring their own coolers into the infield and they will come. If you choose not to go back to that route, so be it (it's probably safer, anyway). But don't lure them with hipster talk. It's insulting.

Now, on to the Preakness: Here's a rundown of potential Preakness runners who will be out to beat Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and thwart a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

From the Derby, winning trainer Todd Pletcher says he hasn't ruled out Mission Impazible. Huh? He'd really risk having Super Saver get beat by his own stablemate? Too much celebrating Saturday night, Todd.
Then again, he said he's likely to send Aikenite to the Preakness. Gotta wonder if that's gonna happen.

Other Derby runners who might show up in the Preakness are Paddy O' Prado, Dublin and Jackson Bend. Remote but still possible are Ice Box and Lookin At Lucky.

Potential new shooters, according to Pimlico's top PR man Mike Gathagan, include A Little Warm (second, Louisiana Derby); Bushwhacked (second, Lexington Stakes); Caracortado (fourth, Santa Anita Derby); Hurricane Ike (Derby Trial winner), Pleasant Prince (third, Derby Trial); Schoolyard Dreams (fourth, Wood Memorial) and Turf Melody (fourth, Illinois Derby).

By the way, in case you missed it, Calvin Borel already has predicted a Triple Crown for Super Saver. After winning the Derby for third time in four years, clever Calvin said Super Saver is the horse that's gonna do it, sweep the Derby, Preakness and Belmont and become the first to sweep the races since Affirmed in 1978.

Super Saver will not have an easy time winning the Preakness in what could be a full field of 14. Stay tuned.

Greetings from beautiful Belmont Park!

It's Sunday, May 2, and post time for the first race. Just thought I'd put a digital in between the chain link fence to catch the break. I caught it. My dog, Sammy, was impressed, too.

With the Sham washed out, and no other Kentucky Derby prep races of note, here's this week's Top 10 list of Derby contenders (photo is Eskendereya crusing to victory in the Fountain of Youth):

Lookin At Lucky

Eskendereya

Conveyance

Rule

Discreetly Mine

Jackson Bend

D'Funnybone

Dublin

Tempted to Tapit

Radiohead

The Sham is set for Saturday, although rain could be an issue at Santa Anita's-soon-to-change-from -Pro-Ride-synthetic-surface-to-DIRT, while the Gotham on good ol' dirt could see Bob Baffert's Tiz Chrome show up.

Ticket to Ride (Beatles, 1965)

A huge day for Kentucky Derby preps, but lots to catch up on regarding Rachel vs. Zenyatta. As expected, Rachel Alexandra was voted Horse of the Year and the final balloting wasn't close. Yes, Zenyatta was awesome in the BC Classic, but Rachel was awesome just about ALL YEAR!


Now, the two great ladies of racing are being given a ticket to ride into history if they do meet on April 9 at Oaklawn Park in what is being billed as a ``Race for the Ages''.


Both are on the same training schedule, turning in workouts on Thursday _ Rachel in Nawlins' and Zenyatta in California. Both are set for their first starts of 2010 on March 13 _ Rachel at Fair Grounds and Zenyatta at Santa Anita.


Both will then be pointed to Charles Cella's track in Hot Springs after the owner offered to raising the purse of the $500,000 Apple Blossom to $5 million.


After a day of wrangling, in which Rachel's owner Jess Jackson put trainer Steve Asmussen up to making comment that Rachel wouldn't be ready for the race, Cella changed the date and all is fine. Zenyatta's owner Jerry Moss was stunned at first _ not that Jackson said he wasn't sending his filly _ but that he was countering with a 3-race series between the two. ``What the hell is he talking about,'' Moss told me when I informed him of Jackson's proposal the night it happened.


But enough, the race is one for now. I am not sure it will happen, but I hope it does: There are still many days to go before these superstars show up for the race, and all must go perfectly in both camps for the race everyone is asking for actually happens.


Wouldn't it be something if one or both lost on the 13th _ after all, Rachel hasn't run since the Woodward in early September and Zenyatta hasn't run since the Classic in early November. Let's hope it doesn't happen and them we'll have one of the most anticipated races _ other than the Kentucky Derby or a Triple Crown attempt _ in many, many moons.



And then it's on the Kentucky Derby on May 1: Heading into today's Derby preps, here's my Top 10:

1. Lookin At Lucky

2. Buddy's Saint

3. Jackson Bend

4. Rule

5. Eskendereya

6. Dave in Dixie

7. Conveyance

8. Dublin

9. Super Saver

10. Radiohead

The In Crowd (Dobie Gray, 1973)

This is a stretch, for sure, but Ladies Day, or Breeders' Cup Day 1 was all about gray: With absolutely no buzz whatsover (these were championship races?) we were looking for the extra betting edge and went for the Grady Lady-Pick 5. What? We'll it worked: With a total of 5 grays in five of the six Breeders' Cup races Friday, we had two winners and a runner-up: Tapitsfly ($21.60 to win) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf; Beautician ($9.40 to place) in the Juvenile Fillies; Forever Together ($2.40 to show) in the F&M Turf; Informed Decision ($8.80 to win); and Careless Jewel (zip, last in the Ladies Classic). A profit on the day.

On Saturday, we'll go gray again but there's not much: Summer Movie in the Juvenile Turf (these races are so riveting _ lol _ I don't even know if he made the field); Silver Timber and California Flag in the Turf Sprint; Zensational in the Sprint; Mastercraftsman in the Dirt Mile; and Monzante in the Turf. No grays in the Classic, so I'm going with Gio Ponti, with a small wager on Richard's Kid.

Let It Be (The Beatles, 1969): Take A Mulligan, Gary

On the day before the two-day Breeders' Cup commences at Santa Anita, Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player _ he owns a 20,000-acre breeding farm in his native South Africa_ was presented with the Breeders' Cup's newest gimmick (excuse me, "award") for Sports and Racing Excellence.
The golfer then hit his opening drive into the rough with this: ``We need more horses like Rachel Alexandra and Sea The Stars to come and compete. Don’t hide them away. Don’t make excuses about tracks. We need these champions to compete against each other."
C'mon, Gary. Breeders' Cup CEO Greg Avioli put you up to this, right? Why else would you make such a ridiculous statement? In golf, yes, the best show up for the majors. All the time. Every year. You know. You did.
Horse racing? Not the same. You know it. European star Sea The Stars has his own story (breeding, you know), but this is a direct shot at Rachel Alexandra and her owners, wine baron Jess Jackson and his longtime pal, Harold McCormick. To accuse them of hiding Rachel, making excuses about tracks and then saying ``we need champions to compete'' ... well, Gary, you haven't been paying attention.
Rachel Alexandra: 8-for-8 this year, a-race-a-month campaign until her third win over boys (big boys) in the Woodward Stakes in September. And as for her absence from the Breeders' Cup, Jackson's two-time Horse of the year Curlin did not like the surface last year in the Classic, and he made it clear many months ago he did not like ``plastics.'' Anyway, Rachel already has earned the right to be ranked among the best fillies ever (right up there with Ruffian).
So, Gary, how does not running against Zenyatta, a synthetic sensation running on her home track, affect Rachel's accomplishments? Where was Zenyatta when there were several chances to go against Rachel on dirt?
See? Racing has created yet another conundrum with a rush to synthetics despite lack of proof it will cut down on breakdowns. If the Breeders' Cup were on dirt, would Zenyatta take on Rachel? Of course we want champions to compete (the Breeders' Cup tried to lure Rachel to the Classic by increasing the winner's share, remember?). As you say, Gary, you'd never back down from Nicklaus or Palmer, and if you lose you lose. But there is quite a bit more that goes into deciding whether a horse should run in a particular race at a particular track.





So, let's look at what the Breeders' Cup has done to make this one of the least compelling Breeders' Cups ever (and thank you Jerry and Ann Moss for Zenyatta in the Classic, at least). They scheduled the event at the same synthetic track two years in a row without waiting for feedback from owners, trainers, etc. They wanted their two-day event to become a 14-race festival that would bring out the Hollywood stars and create a buzz. It ain't happenin, folks. Of the 14 races that could see a maximum of 190 horses compete, only 3 of the 14 fields are full and 42 starting gates will be empty over the two days. And with racing's No. 1 lady waiting for her 4-year-old campaign, and Zenyatta going against the boys, Friday's Ladies Classic(that's no lady, that's my wife!) will have a field of 8 out of a possible 14.
A thought: When the Cup is held at Churchill Downs in 2010, it should be a one-day event with eight or nine races. Enough buffoonery.