BABY, it's really, REALLY HOT outside!

"SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Trainer Todd Pletcher said horsemen "prepared for the worst" because of temperatures that reached 97 degrees on opening day at Saratoga Race Course.

The fears proved unfounded as both thoroughbreds and fans handled the uncomfortable conditions well on Friday."

http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Track-s-start-sizzles-1537494.php#ixzz1T8kXhYSX
Photo courtesy of Times Union 7/22/2011 Saratoga

Our country has been plagued all year by some ridiculous weather records: rains, snows, ice, hurricanes, tornados....and now a record heat all across the nation.

This is where they old saying comes into play "You can please some of the people some of the time...."

Last week during some of the opressive heat waves, some fans of the TVG Community boards were absolutely livid that horses should be "forced" to run in such temperatures. In particular, at Saratoga. On that particular race day, I recall the temperature was reportedly 94* with a mere 26 or 27% humidity. One poster said "If that (heat) was the case, Lone Star and Lousiana Downs wouldn't have run--even in October!" I agree, most of FL, TX and OK would cease to run at all if that was a tremendous factor. It is summer, people, temperatures get hot, unpredictable and remain less than stable. Racing happens in summer.

Racing also happens when it's snowing and frozen, when it's muddy and raining, and when it's beautiful and perfect in spring and fall. Can we limit horse racing to just those two seasons? HARDLY!

Horses do pretty darn well in most conditions if they are prepared properly. Obviously a horse turned out in a pasture isn't a racehorse ready to run. A horse left alone in a pasture is not the same as a horse in a shedrow who is in race training. I'm not saying it never happens to a racehorse, but it's more rare than the average person would think. There are more heat-related issues with people than with racehorses on any given day. Sudden, severe changes in temperature are what bother any living being.

It's my belief that most people don't want to have to run a horse in the heat. Let's face it, we'd all be like slumbering dogs if we didn't have to earn a living. Most animals find a shady spot in their domain and wile away the stuffy hours. Certainly can't blame them. But they are not all athletes, not conditioned for such events, not fit and prepped, not racehorses.

It certainly can and occasionally does happen after or during a race, that a horse suffers a heat-related issue. When I have personally witnessed it, it was after a race when a horse was galloping back to be unsaddled, never during a race. I have to admit it's a horrible event to have to see.

Heat sickness or heat stroke is no joke. Not for humans or horses.

In truth, the appearance of a heat stricken horse is very ugly; they have no physical control of their bodies and are experiencing massive dehydration muscle weakness and temporary neurological decline, which nearly always results in the horse making several lunges, staggering, and flailing and then falling. A billion years of genetics won't let the horse forget that if he's down, he's prey. They will fight to stay on their feet.

Generally once a horse is thoroughly cooled down emergently, allowed to catch his breath and stand in a few moments time, he is able to make it back to the barn on his own power and be treated with IVs and other necessary medications and comforts.

What I can tell you is that I've never seen a fit, healthy horse exhibit such symptoms that came from a reputible barn. Racehorses are usually fed oral electrolytes all year long, not just in the summer. Obviously they are fit, in peak health, and have trained well prior to a race.

Most racehorses get a nice cool bath before going to the receiving barn. They might get another shower in the barn, another in the paddock, and another after unsaddling; all this before they head back to the barn. I applauded Colonial Downs last July as they have hoses placed every 20 yards or so at the unsaddling area for immediate use. And they are utilized!!

Spectators stand in the air conditioned grandstand, hardly able to take a deep breath in the heat and humidity, slurping a beer and wolfing down a plate of nachos, watching the athletes post-race heaving and sweating and those who don't understand, think the racetrack is killing horses. Simply not true.

Horses do what we ask of them. Some race days are undoubtably much harder than others. Personally, it is not a lot of fun taking a horse over to run in the heat, but I don't think it's too much to ask. It's the spectators that need to learn to acclimate and understand it's part of the business.

Surviving the Odds

If ever God meant for two horses to remain on this earth, it was this scrawny bay mare and her foal.

This mare and foal, along with 18 other equines were being cared for at a farm in Calumet, Oklahoma. These sad souls were being brought back into condition along with a herd of other rescued horses and a donkey.

Yes, she is a skinny mare of unknown origin. Her colt is by god knows what. It doesn't matter now. Cats are said to have nine lives, this mare has used at least two. She survived a freakish tornado on May 24 along with her colt, while the other horses perished. Can you imagine that feeling the caregivers had? Finding all your horses dead--but a couple somehow managing to survive? Unimaginable.

Many people lost their lives, their homes, pets, all their posessions in a tremendous storm that cut a swath through west central Oklahoma. Recently I made a road trip to Las Vegas via I-40. Just about the time you see the Calumet exit sign you see the devastating remains of the vegetation and buildings that used to be there. Mother Nature at her worst.

Last year at this time, the mare had just been rescued from an overturned truck filled with horses headed for the Mexican border for slaughter. How do I know this? Because I was there just minutes after the wreck took place. I was only 30 seconds from the location after I heard about it on the radio, on my way to work last May. I was the second person on the bloody scene and immediately got a co-worker and a friend to show up and we helped lead, hold and load horses to a recovery farm.

Fast forward 12 months. Tornado. Found with her two-month old foal pinned behind a crumpled up metal gate and sheet of roofing with cuts all over them both. All her herd mates dead. God only knows what they physically went through. Besides all the physical changes she endured, what are the chances she'd survive two traumatic events???

She still could use a few hundred pounds but she's nursing a foal and she never had a chance to really fatten up properly. Poor little girl! Hope she and her foal find a family to love and remain safe from any future disasters.

Prairie Meadows Stewards: EXCELLENT DECISION

Everyone talks about stewards' rulings, everyone. Including me. I don't always agree with results, but because I don't gamble, own, or train, the results don't really affect me. And I happen to be one of those kinds of people who like to see and figure out the mechanism of an inquiry or a ruling. How did it happen, what steps (or lack thereof)precipitated the result?

At any rate, the article published last week at Bloodhorse.com is a good look at one of those really easy things to control in racing.

The Iowa Racing Commission's stewards should be praised for revoking the trainer's license of a Mr Joseph Nealon. Why? No, not because he's gotten a dozen rulings (he hasn't), or has a drug ridden past (not that I can tell). No, it's because he can't apparently train his horses!

And by train, I mean prepare his horses for racing. Quite frankly, the poor mare he ran on May 24 is lucky to have been pulled up and only vanned off after the first 3/8 of a mile. She'd only shown one, ONE, legit work of 3/8 in :38 for her debut 1 mile 70 yard MSW event. From all accounts she was in severe distress and was wisely pulled up by her apprentice rider after three panels.

In four starts over a period of 23 months, she was beaten over 205 lengths. It's not her fault! She obviously isn't fit, it's not even a question if she's got drive or a competitive nature. I can't imagine being so desperate for a mount that I'd have accepted a call on her.

So the question is, what is her "trainer" thinking? He's been licensed since 1992 in the midwest circuit of MN, KS, IA, NE and Oklahoma either as owner or trainer. But I do use the term 'trainer' lightly in this case. He clearly has no idea of what he's doing.

When questioned him prior to racing the mare after only one prep work, he absolutely assured the stewards that the horse was indeed fit and ready to run, to be competitive. After the horrid result and the possibilities of what could have transpired, the stewards were then faced with the only option they had, which was to give Nealon the opportunity to voluntarily surrender his trainer's license. The conditions were that if he did so, that his current IA owner's license would not be affected. Mr Nealon turned the offer down and instead, agreed to take a trainer's license test the following morning. He showed up for the test, but then refused to take it.

Clearly, this man isn't a trainer in the traditional sense, in that he's not got a barn full of horses with clients and that this was a fluke episode. I would assume that this man trains from the farm, which is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. I don't know if the man has other horses, but I would tend to think that considering the severity of the decision, that if any other horses were in his barn, that they showed similar patterns in their racing history. This could be his one and only horse. I cannot imagine what that poor mare puts up with when she's been asked to be a racehorse with obviously no prep. my question would be how did he get his first license? Did he ever have any practical experience? Does IA racing law allow a trainer to automatically be licensed as a trainer if they are only training their own horses? Is it a case of a knowitall? Certainly when you run a horse four times over a course of about 26 months and get beat about 205 lengths, clearly you are missing a very vital part of horsemanship.

Who knows if this mare ever had a chance to be a racehorse. She certainly never did get a fair shot in this man's care. I'm all for people trying to cut back expenses, but not at the expense or fitness level of the horse.

While there are plain bad folks who are getting caught cheating for this or that, repetetively disrespecting rules and regulation--not having a horse ready to run is just as bad, in my opinion, as the other 'bad' players. It robs the wagering public, it cheats the horse, there could have been a horrible disaster from an unfit, tiring mare, putting lots of equine and human lives at risk in an already dangerous sport.

I'm not bashing the man, I don't know him. I hope he has another hobby he can try. Like, Backgammon.

Getting My Preak On......? Well, no....

It's Preakness Eve 137 and I am simply not up for it yet! That's right, I am still not caught up recordings off what I recorded from Derby madness, and to tell you the truth, I'm not all that excited this year about getting my Preak on...wait, that was last year's catch phrase.

Kegasus. Oh, right. The nipple-pierced hairy frat guy slugging down a horn o'plenty. Twenty bucks for all you can drink ale? Wow. What college-aged kids and other partying adults would let that hot value pass them by? Other tracks and marketing gurus have criticized the Kegasus mascot as well as the "Preak" slang from '10. I am not sure why. Is it a secret that fans get rip roaring drunk and party like it's 1999? Does it really matter to the bottom line that it's a college $20 bet or that it's a $20 bet from someone wearing a Rolex? True, we need permanent fans that are regular, that the industry can count on. But nobody is going to debate what the grand total is Saturday evening.

Either side of the racetrack, it's still wagering dollars. It's probably going to be the usual Preak Party, and frankly, who cares? It will likely be sloppy and muddy and there will be wet beer drinkers slushing and slopping all over that hallowed turf infield. Hopefully nobody will bail off the Porta Potties as in years prior, but I am sure there will be some "Funniest Home Video" moments. I'd be counting on Slip and Slide, Twister, Pictionary and good old gambling! Those crazy wild days are SO far behind me, thank my lucky stars.

But you know, this year's race just isn't grabbing my heart and passion and getting me all wrapped up in the fervor. Is it because every time a nice colt wins the Derby, and you get your hopes all wrapped up to perhaps witness something that hasn't happened for 30 years, and you're sure you'll get disappointed because he'll likely get beat (as they have since 1978 with Affirmed), and then it's just another pumped up big purse race for overspeculated three year olds. Is that it? I don't know.

If you read my blog you know I love this sport with everything I have and I'm always all over the media and the broadcasts. I'm just not excited this year is all. Sure, I have other things to do this Saturday. Detail my truck, vacuum, make some new jewelry, mow my pasture, bathe a couple hairy Australian Shepherds, you know, the usual. Would I rather be donning a dress and hat on Saturday? Yes. Yes, I would. Would I rather BE at Pimilico? Yes, I believe I would. Am I going to get out of this funk?

Just to get me possibly inspired, I think I will root for Animal Kingdom, to at least give us a 66% chance of getting another Triple Crown winner. However, the hardboots and the pedigree analysts, everyone that is employed in this industry will have their own opinion and prediction. Just as it always is!!

Talk to me Saturday night. Best of luck to all and Godspeed.

Derby Aftermath and Other Thoughts

A new attendance record set at Churchill Downs. Over 164,000 screaming fans arrived! That is AMAZING news! An astonishing $46 million plus bet on the Derby alone! Excuse me, what? There was that much discretionary money floating around Saturday? Seriously?

Horse racing is dying? Not that day, and certainly not in Lexington.

Now, I realize that probably half or more of the lucky attendees that Saturday were first timers, people who usually only watch one of our major racing days about as often as they attend church. Okay, I kinda stole that thought from another blogger...but yes, Virginia, some people only attend church on Christmas Day and Easter. And yes, Virginia, some of those people go to the races or watch them on TV only on Kentucky Derby day or Breeder's Cup day.

Let's face it, people love to party! When I strolled into the local simulcast pub here in Oklahoma City on Derby Saturday in my polka-dotted spring dress and matching hat, the regulars whooped and hollered and I casually said "I missed my plane to Churchill", (they laughed) and I ended up as the only hat-wearing female in the room! I liked it! My boyfriend and his buddies commented nicely and enjoyed my enjoyment of the afternoon's festivities. I met the usual attendees but the place was packed with new faces strictly for the Derby. At post time, all TV's went to the Derby and there was suddenly volume in surround-sound. It was electric even in that small venue. For some fans, watching all the pre-race and race on broadcast TV is the only way they can connect. Internet wagering and/or simulcast wagering isn't available in every state as some might expect.

Oklahoma does not allow internet wagering accounts, but we do have simulcasting at our tracks and off track sites. While we have local live racing going on in Oklahoma City currently, it is a mixed breed race meet (Quarter Horses, Appaloosas and Paints) and they have Saturday evening post times. We celebrated the festivities at the simulcast location. Remington Park did offer a Ladies Hat contest during the day, there were many other specials of food and drink available as well as being able to reserve a table upstairs and watching all the racing from their 47 foot big screen TV amid fabulous food and fashion. True, you don't have to get dressed up to enjoy a Derby but it sure is fun! I have read many a derby day story from all over the country on Monday, which was refreshing and nice to see. From senior centers to lavish NYC restaurants, and of course massive attendance at Churchill Downs.

I have yet to watch the pre-race and Derby coverage from any of the networks (NBC and Versus and wagering channel TVG)that I recorded on DVR. (Where does the time go?)What I have heard though is that during the story of hot girl jockey Anna Napravnik (and in the first minutes of the story of her) NBC quickly showed two films of races where Anna went down on two mounts, the horses injured and other jockeys trampled. There was NO warning, no "if you're squeamish you might want to look the other way" kind of suggestion, nothing. I am appalled at this decision. In the recent wake of Eight Belles tragic and life ending injury to her at the Derby in 2008, the constant PETA marches since then, the hopeful drug and medication reform hovering over the industry, that NBC could have possibly thought those two clips were in remote good taste. OMG! Completely inappropriate.

This is not to say "Hey, let's gloss over the fact that horses die and jockeys get hurt". Not at all. Nobody hates horses breaking down, no matter to what degree, more than horsemen do. And it doesn't help to know if you race a horse long enough, at some point you're going to haul one off. Whether is't life endangering or not, you will have one pull up badly...it's just a matter of time.

As good a horseman as Derby winning trainer H Graham Motion is, he has probably experienced it in some form or another. However, Mr Motion is also one of the only TWO trainers licensed in this country to never have a drug violation on his history. That is saying something. I'd venture to say that because of his training methods (he works his horses at the track then takes them home each afternoon for a couple hours of "horse time" in the paddocks. Bravo Graham, bravo!) his horses will continue to perform well, stay as sound as possible, and run their eyeballs out for him.

Of course not many horses CAN be trusted to be turned out, so you have to know your horses and of course always be prepared for a disaster of any magnitude to occur. Because racehorses are especially attuned to a routine, those horses that Graham trusts to turn out and freshened their minds and bodies every day can continue to enjoy this rare opportunity in racehorse training methods. Kudos once again to Mr Motion.

And so the the world has a new hero to root for in the Preakness and Belmont: Animal Kingdom. At the Thunder Roadhouse (Oklahoma City) simulcast restaurant, we could not tell who the front runners were in the derby, even though the TV sound was deafening, so was our 100 or so fans. The camera shot was so far away trying to capture all the remaining stretch runners, we couldn't see the colors of the saddle towels...yet more than a couple of people had the winning longshot coupled in their exotic bets. Personally, I didn't see him as a winner but felt pretty confident that no favorite would win. In fact, I liked everything past post 10 or 12.

This field had been knocked about in the press for a good week prior. Nobody could really pick out one horse to back, rather "all the longshots". A longshot on this derby day was anything more than 5-1! Imagine that! I was rooting for one of the "story" horses: Pants on Fire and Mucho Macho Man.

Now it's Preakness Eve and I've still not caught up on my DVR recordings of the Derby, and it would appear that I will also DVR all the Preakness prerace stuff and bank it for a nice stormy spring evening soon. Yes, soon......

Wait, what? How does wrong horse/wrong form start?

Just like I posted last week, I've seen and heard some oddball events happen at tracks, but this is one of those things that was easily prevented and should NEVER have happened.

Read this!
04/16/2011 1:17PM
GULFSTREAM:Misidentified horse with wrong form allowed to run in opener
By Mike Welsch

Cannot believe the stewards allowed number 11, Onesteptogo, to compete in the first race. Apparantly (sic) Onesteptogo was mis-identified as stable mate Walkamileinmyshoes when he made his debut at Calder on Dec. 27. Onesteptogo actually finished second in his first start but was listed in the Racing Form and track program with the form of Walkamileinmyshoes who dwelt at the break and raced last throughout, beaten 20 lengths. Despite sporting glaring and eroneous form, Onesteptogo was permitted to start and was bet to 2-1 only to falter late and finished far back behind the 50-1, wire to wire winner County Trick. Thankfully avoiding a potential mountain slide of complaints from patrons had Onesteptogo won with the wrong form.

Okay, because I'm a "need to know" kind of person, and because I haven't seen any comments from Gulfstream on this could-have-been-a-bigger-disaster, what the heck happened? What are the steps that caused this? Stewards scratch a horse because it doesn't have a tattoo prior to running, because the horse doesn't have enough works or recent works, or because an owner isn't licensed....why in the world wouldn't they have scratched this horse? When did THEY know about the erroneous PPs? What if he would have gotten claimed? Were the four works really his?

Obviously from the get go, the Equibase people 'attached' the works and other first time starter information to the wrong horse initially and forgot to 'unattatch' it when it was discovered. Someone dropped the ball there. Since I don't know how Equibase and the racing office work together, I can only surmise it's a clerical error that could have easily rectified...but I can't say for sure.

Back in the days where the DRF was typeset by hand I could see how this could accidentally go to print, but not these days. I can totally see where an uniformed groom can bring the wrong horse to the paddock (also necessitating a late scratch), especially when two horses look the same [to him], or the groom is new at the barn, or is left to his own devices (yes, it happens). In fact, I would not be surprised if this is how it all began...two horses of the same age, same physical description and coloring could have been sent out for a work on the same day at different times (or even together) and misidentified to the clockers. Both horses could have easily trained under the opposite names up until tattoo time when they would have been scrutinized more critically by the horse identifier. I just keep visualizing this whole scenario and how it came to be.

(Little back story: I once worked with a guy new to the track (I know, horrors!) and he was rubbing a stout, laid back dark brown gelding with a white blaze and four white socks. Incredibly, he mistook him for a very slight and very psycho chestnut filly with no white--leaving his horse on the hotwalker while I went searching for MY filly!)

I can't get the information about whether this horse at Gulfstream was announced to the public or not, or was posted in-house and over the TVG network, but frankly, allowing this horse to run even if they did that should have never happened. Do you ever watch people at the track? Most people, I've noticed in my life, do NOT read signs. They do not pay much attention to anything posted anywhere unless it smacks them right between the eyes. Something has to be HUGE and unavoidable for most people to pay attention, and even then can be dismissed. So I would guess that anybody who bet on that horse with the wrong PPs was not paying full attention to the information. Mike Welsch said "....faltered late and finished far back....Thankfully avoiding a potential mountain slide of complaints from patrons had Onesteptogo won with the wrong form."

I think that Gulfstream should repay any ticket wager on this horse in full back to all wagerers and owes all of its public an apology and explanation.

Santa Anita Stewards Make Only Choice

Weird stuff happens in horse racing every now and then. Yesterday's third race at Santa Anita was one of those oddballs.

California has been plagued by a shortage of horses for a couple of years now. You'd think a 10k claimer for 4-year-olds going a mile would draw a little more interest, but it was carded as a six horse field, a late scratch cut it down to five. Predictably, the favorite won fairly handily with the second betting choice clearly second best. That's when the race falls apart, literally.

One horse got in position in the first turn and either bolted or lugged out to the point of being pulled up and eventually vanned off. Another of the unfortunate horses was battling deep stretch, fell, and was also vanned off. Not a pretty picture. The problem is that only three horses finished the race, and it was a Superfecta race. How do you pay it out at this point?

The stewards deliberated for several minutes trying to figure out how to pay it out! I don't think I can recall a similar instance in my several decades of working in this industry. I'm sure the stewards had to consult with the rulebook on this one. In the end, they paid the Trifecta the way the order stood, with the Superfecta paying to "all" since no horse actually finished fourth or fifth.

I didn't personally see the race, and apparently no replay was shown. I hope Martin Pedroza is okay as well as the two horses involved.

Please understand that I'm not avoiding commenting on the two DNF horses, it sickens me that this happened. I am not more concerned with the payout than I am with the lives of these horses--but because wagering is the basis of racing, we have to look at both perspectives. Perhaps I've learned to be unemotional about it after all these years, but my head is not in the sand. I don't forget or ignore tragic breakdowns or spills, but I also don't let them put me in a funk. I love horses and I love racing, in fact I cannot imagine life without horse racing. But I do know that the negative experiences go hand and hand in this industry and you either deal with it the best you can, or you get out.

I choose to stay in.