HorseRacingNation.com NewsWire

Triple Crown Fever – I’ll Have Another

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:32:58 GMT

“No kidding around ... I have not had a case of Triple Crown Fever this bad since 1989.”

Not hyperbole, but rather a sincere statement I made yesterday on Facebook and Twitter. More than a hundred comments later, I realize that the power of the Triple Crown is profound. Whether those who commented on my statement agreed with me or not, and there were plenty of both, the passion with which they flooded in helped me realize what June 9, 2012 may very well mean to thoroughbred horse racing. Forget Tiznow winning back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Classics, or Zenyatta going for a perfect 20 to close her career. Sorry. If I’ll Have Another wins the Belmont Stakes, it will be the biggest racing story in 34 years. Period.

The magic of the Triple Crown, magic that has gone unfulfilled for an eternity, trumps all. And you know what … I’m with the people on this one. I’m excited, and I’m ready to talk I’ll Have Another every day with my peeps for as long as we need to. This is a really good horse. All doubts on that fact were decimated in the last 100 yards of one of the better Preakness e

The Battle for Seattle

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:28:37 GMT

24 hours after racing gained a new hero in I'll Have Another, and a new great rivalry in him and Bodemeister, Emerald Downs will hold a little showdown of their own, as a pair of talented Harbor the Gold geldings, Noosa Beach and Hollywood Harbor, are set to vie for the title of King of the Pacific Northwest in today’s $50,000 Governor’s Handicap.

The 6-½-furlong Governor’s Handicap is the first stop, and only sprint stakes for older horses en route to the track's showcase event, the $200,000 Longacres Mile on August 19.

Many racing fans are already familiar with the quality of Jeff Harwood’s Noosa Beach. He has controlled the handicap division at Emerald Downs with an iron hoof the past few years. The two-time defending Horse of the Meeting is the track’s all-time leader in stakes wins and has nine victories in his last 11 stakes appearances. The now 6-year-old Noosa Beach has been away since a valiant 2nd place finish to Awesome Gem in the 2011 Longacres Mile, but trainer Doris Harwood said she’s confident he’ll be ready to roll come Sunday.

Hitting the Jackpot Pick 5 or: How I learned to love I’ll Have Another

Sat, 19 May 2012 21:02:51 GMT

Let me get this out of the way right now … I’m not a big bettor. That probably will come as a surprise to many of you, as closely as I follow the sport, and as often as I write about it, but it’s true. I live, eat, and breathe thoroughbred horse racing, but wagering is only one part of the game I enjoy. I rarely bet on a weekday, and wagering even $100 on a race card usually only happens on a few big race days a year. A yearly total of betting for me never reaches three thousand. I guess you could say, I am the poster child for betting with my head, not over it. So today, when I shelled out $108 to cover my selections in the Preakness Day Jackpot Pick 5, it represented one of my biggest bets of the year. I “went for it” for two reasons.

First of all I won yesterday. Yes I know it was Friday, but it was an excellent Pimlico Special/Black-Eyed Susan card, and it was my first day of betting since the Derby. By winning yesterday, I felt like it was OK to risk a little more if there were some good bets. That’s one thing I’ve learned to do … not to make a losing day worse by trying to get it all back by betting

Horse Racing Nation picks the Preakness

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:40:35 GMT

In a brazen display of handicapping confidence, the cream of the Horse Racing Nation crop have decided to lay their reputations on the line and try not only to pick the winner of the Preakness, but also nail down the entire superfecta of racing's Middle Jewel. Are 25 heads better than one? We shall soon see, with the hope that the consensus of our selections plays out on the racetrack. And if we are right, our sport will move one step closer to our first Triple Crown in more than a third of a century, as somewhat surprisingly, the HRN group has tabbed the Derby winner, I'll Have Another as a solid overall top pick, while current favorite Bodemeister is only the place pick. Also of note, if your name is note I'll Have Another, Bodemeister, Creative Cause, or Went the Day Well, our experts say no Preakness for you. Without further ado, here is how Horse Racing Nation sees tomorrow's big race …

… Leaving us with the consensus Top 4 of:

1. I'll Have Another

2. Bodem

Racing's Newest Rivalry? 2012 Preakness

Thu, 17 May 2012 21:33:49 GMT

The eleven horse field of Saturday’s Preakness can be easily separated in three distinct groups: the favorites, their main competition, and the rest. While the majority of the field falls in to the latter bunch, there are only four horses that comprise the first two groups. Bodemeister and I’ll Have Another will undoubtedly be the two favorites, while Creative Cause and Went the Day Well will be considered their primary competition. A win by anyone but one of these four would represent a major surprise in Baltimore. Considering the excellent races both Bodemeister and I’ll Have Another ran in Louisville, it’s no wonder that bettors will be hammering them down at the windows. A repeat of the pair running 1-2 in either order at Pimlico would go a long way in solidifying their place as the cream of their generation, as well as, laying a foundation for a terrific new rivalry. But is this scenario likely to happen on Saturday? Recent history would say chances are not good.

In the twelve editions of the Preakness so far in the 21st century, there has not been a single ru

Who Am I ???

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:59:52 GMT

*Bred in Florida, I shared my grandsire with arguably the greatest Triple Crown winner of all-time.

*I began each of my three seasons of racing among the pink flamingos.

*In my finest season, I raced 19 times, with 9 wins, including 7 stakes victories.

*I was a stakes winner in each season on the track, with my first stakes win coming at Atlantic City and my last coming at the Big A.

*While there was a seven furlong spread from the shortest to the longest of my races, my victories only had a 3 ½ furlong spread.

*My trainer won multiple training titles on the Jersey Shore.

*In one of my biggest wins, I defeated a Hall of Fame performer by two lengths while toting 125 pounds.

*I was winless at 1 3/16 and 1 1/4 miles, with my last attempt at ten furlongs coming in a historic race at Saratoga.

*Well traveled, I won stakes races at eight different tracks.

*I raced exactly the same amount of times at two, as I did at four.

*Was I a prima donna? No, I prefer to the say I was the master of my domain.

You should know by now … Who Am I ???

2012 Preakness Preview

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:06:10 GMT

1. I'll Have Another 5-2 (Flower Alley-Arch's Gal Edith, by Arch) Doug O'Neill – Everyone wants a Triple Crown winner. It's been 34 long years since Affirmed won a spirited battle with Alydar to become the 11th horse to complete the feat. Little did anyone know at the time that a third of a century later we would still be waiting for the 12th. So can I'll Have Another get it done? Yes. Maybe. It will not be easy, but he has a chance. As good as he has been this year, the thing I like best about him is his freshness, and he absolutely seems to be thriving at the perfect time for trainer, Doug O'Neill. His ability to find the perfect position early will be put to an extreme test by the talented speed of Bodemeister. It will be up to the Derby winner and Creative Cause to go after him at the right time if they want to defeat him. I like I'll Have Another as much as the other two, and I want to see a Triple Crown winner as much as everyone else.

2. Creative Cause 6-1 (Giant's Causeway-Dream of Summer, by Siberian Summer) Mike Harrington – So t

Bodemeister scares off speed from the Preakness

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:17:02 GMT

All it took was just one look. Citing his good looks, the health of his coat, and his healthy appetite, trainer Bob Baffert made the decision that many were hoping for this morning by saying yes to the Preakness for Zayat Stable’s prize sophomore colt, Bodemeister.

“I see no reason not to take him (to Baltimore for Saturday’s Preakness),” said Baffert.

This morning was the first chance the multiple Preakness winning trainer had to see the son of Empire Maker since the morning after his strong second place in the Derby. With exercise rider George Alvarez in the irons, Bodemeister turned in a 1 ½ mile gallop over a muddy Churchill Downs’ oval that clearly pleased his camp.

Owner Ahmed Zayat did not attempt to check his emotions this morning, saying “All went perfect as planned. Very happy and healthy colt, Go Bode Go!!”

While the news was good for his connections, as well as his many fans, the addition of the colt who threw down some of the fastest early fractions ever seen in the Derby, was not as welcome to some.

It did n

Anatomy of a perfect Kentucky Derby trip: Trakus

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:36:10 GMT

What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? Speed, talent, staying power, and courage are all prized qualities for a racehorse, but are those assets that really pay off on the first Saturday in May? Sure, all of those things can help a horse prove victorious in the most magical two minutes in sports, but as much as anything, in this age of twenty horse fields in the Run for the Roses, it is racing luck that decides the big race. One thing you simply don’t hear anymore is, “he won the Derby despite of his trip.” And for good reason, with all that horseflesh jammed into the starting gate, and all that traffic throughout the key points of the race, it has become near impossible for a horse to recover from trouble. Did 2012 Kentucky Derby winner, I'll Have Another receive a perfect trip on the way to collecting the trophy? You better believe it … check out this revealing video from my friends at Trakus, as you ride along with Mario Gutierrez for the entire mile and a quarter.

Wasn’t that fun? Let’s run down the I’ll Have Another checklist of a winning, and a perfect, trip in Americ

Summer Front moving in for the Peter Pan

Fri, 11 May 2012 21:41:01 GMT

A solid field of 12 sophomore males make up a very interesting Saturday afternoon feature at Belmont Park tomorrow in the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes. There will be at least one scratch in the traditional steppingstone for the final leg of the Triple Crown, however, as we know Teeth of the Dog, and probably Zetterholm will sit it out to point for the Preakness. The favorite, and deservedly so, will be the Brereton Jones owned and Larry Jones trained, Mark Valeski. Narrowly defeated in his first two attempts around two turns, the son of Proud Citizen enters the Peter Pan in fine fettle after consecutive strong performances in the Grade 2 Risen Star and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. He recently skipped the Kentucky Derby to instead find something a little easier. Mission accomplished, but this 1 1/8 mile affair is far from a pushover.

A number of promising candidates lie in waiting to upset the New Orleans shipper in hopes of making a statement over the track in advance of the Belmont Stakes. The one that most interests me will be the attractive bay colt,