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Horse racing: Industry struggles for attention |
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3/27/2006 1:55:40 PM |
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It was last weekend, abounding with some nice Kentucky Derby preps on a Saturday afternoon, and ESPN's show finally got on, seemingly an hour after the scheduled start of a four-race afternoon. Many of our stars, some with great credentials, would be running, against each other and some pretenders.
The holdup wasn't the World Series, but the first year of the (World Classic Baseball) and it took the wind right out any enthusiasm for racing. The racing industry's long-held paranoia went into affect again, as soon as the scheduled time for our sport elapsed and you could still see the Dominican Republic and Cuban squads squaring off, in the seventh inning.
Now who could have set up such a mess? The announcers at the ol' ball game finally said that the racing show -- made up of the Gotham, San Felipe, Rebel Stakes plus the Tampa Derby -- could be seen later. But by then, we all knew that there would have to be some taped replays and that wasn't what we had come to expect.
But April is upon us and that means, the big networks will be in action, showing the heavies of the racing world. There will be the Florida Derby (April 1), Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby (April 8), plus the Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes (April 15). Not many Kentucky Derby winners skip those four and networks don't usually hold off telecasts of those races. Several combinations of those races used to be on one day, which prompted media references to "Super Saturday." Nowadays, a real racing fan might see it as a "Spring Showdown."
Several top 3-year-olds already have dropped out of the picture. Coronthian, who was disqualified after winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes, has been sidelined and you can figure that some others will skip America's greatest horse race after the Big Four events.
The Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman, in his Derby Watch series, lists Hutcheson Stakes winner, Keyed Entry and last year's ace, Private Vow, as losing favor after running poorly in the Gotham and Rebel Stakes. Of the Gotham runners, third-place finisher Sweetnorthernsaint, based in Maryland, indicated some ability to run longer than the Gotham's one mile.
Depending on how Discreet Cat comes out of the UAE Derby, run yesterday in Dubai, the connections are considering some kind of trip back to the United States. He was bought for a reported seven figures, after winning a maiden race impressively at Saratoga. The new owner is Sheik Mohammed al Maktoum, chief officer of the ruling family of Dubai. Sheik Mohammed, who has spent untold millions of dollars for horses at the American auction, has made no secret of his desire to win the Kentucky Derby, but the Form last week quoted his racing manager, Simon Crisford, as saying the colt might skip Churchill Downs and try the Preakness first. His only race since Saratoga was an allowance in Dubai on March 9.
Discreet Cat won the UAE Derby so easily that it semed like trip to Louisvillle is inevitable. After the race, an English bookmaker promptly made him the Kentucky Derby favorite. Sheikl Mohammed and family have 250 horses in training.
Gulfstream Park's Florida Derby, traditionally the best Kentucky prep, is set later this year and it may have cost some quality because trainers used to run them again after the Florida Derby. The race, next weekend, will feature Barbaro, winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, going against First Samurai, who was placed first in the Fountain of Youth after Corinthian was disqualified. Flashy Bull, third in the Fountain of Youth, is considered a contender, along with Sharp Humor, winner of the Swale at Gulfstream Park.
As of this weekend, Brother Derek is the Kentucky Derby favorite and certainly tops among Santa Anita Derby horses. He won the San Rapael and Santa Catalina Stakes and seems best of a half-dozen or so good ones from the West Coast. A. P. Warrior, winner of the San Felipe while Brother Derek waited, may be a real challenger. Others in the West Coast headliner are Point Determined, Bob and John, plus Sacred Light.
The Arkansas Derby became a fixture in the last two years - after Smarty Jones won - and there's a good one this year in Lawyer Ron, winner of the Southwest and Rebel Stakes. Also a possibility is Achilles of Troy. The owner sacked the trainer in time to send him out in the Gotham, only to have him experience all sorts of bad luck.
The Wood Memorial at Aqueduct has as likely starters the Tampa Bay Derby winner, Deputy Glitters, plus the 1-2-3 Gotham finishers, Like Now, Keyed Entry and Sweetnorthern Saint.
At Keeneland, where the Bluegrass will be run, count on seeing Bluegrass Cat, second in the Tampa Bay Derby and First Samurai, as the top two.
No matter what sort of attention the horses get now, it all leads up to the Kentucky Derby, and for five weeks, the Triple Crown will claim a little time in the spotlight.
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