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Hi again,
friends! Do you like my new
word?
Today
I'm going to (1) rate
Canadian race tracks for playability (2) coin a new word to apply to the changing world of horse
racing and (3) regale you
with the extraordinary good luck of a horse owner/player I just wrote
about in my last column, proving again that good luck often comes in
three's. I hope the racing gods
are being kind to you, too, putting you on the winning side of
photo-finishes!
So
... up, up and away! (Except in
a hot air balloon. That ride
over the horsey corn maze next month has been
cancelled because balloon rides have been grounded as a result of a
recent fire accident. But you can still have fun on the ground figuring
out how to get through that puzzle of dueling horses carved in a corn
field near Stonewall when it opens next month. Special two-for-one deal at the Downs! Details on that below, too.)
Oh
yes, in response to so many of you complaining to me about Woodbine, I
asked Woodbine whether there's any chance the track will re-install
old-fashioned dirt. Their
response is below.
RATING CANADIAN TRACKS:
Most playable?
I
guess you'll have to believe me when I tell you that my rating of
Canadian tracks has nothing to do with being a "homer." I'm rating these tracks as a
player. Here's how I rank them:
1. Assiniboia Downs. Yes, the home track is the most
playable--and I'm pleased I'm able to say this objectively. I like the
"few surprises" aspect. When longshots
win, there is usually a way of figuring out why they did. Fields are generally full, pools are
increasing and the $5,000 guaranteed minimum payout in the pick-7 has
added the lure of large payouts. (Carryover into tomorrow's pool is $11,300.)
2. Hastings. Plagued by short fields but fairly
consistent performers. Superfectas offer good returns.
3. Northlands. The bullring aspect makes it
imperative horses get a good trip.
Often a race is lost out of the starting gate. Lately, even cheaper horses getting
the lead have a tendency to go all the way.
4. Woodbine. Inconsistent because of
Polytrack. Very cautious spot
plays occasionally offer good rewards:
horses that shorten to a sprint race after showing good early
speed in a route race, horses with outstanding pace numbers.
5. Fort Erie. Too many questions. Horses that look
really, really bad on Woodbine's Poly often get a new life here but
it's uncertain which ones will and which ones won't.
MY NEW WORD: Polyunfortunate
I've
been thinking about this for some time but Lava Man's terrible performance in the $1 million Pacific
Classic at Del Mar last
Sunday has solidified it. I've
coined the word "polyunfortunate"
to describe misfortune or negative aspects associated with horses
racing on Polytrack and other synthetic surfaces. In case it didn't
strike you immediately, it's a play on the word "polyunsaturate" used to refer to oil in food
products.
Tens
of thousands of dollars were wagered on Lava Man, defending champion of
the Pacific Classic, with a reasonable expectation he was talented
enough to take to a third track surface, Polytrack. He wasn't. He finished sixth and a $48 horse, Student Council, won. As his jockey, Corey Nakatani, said of Lava Man afterward: "He
was never travelling up underneath me."
In other words, floundering. Polyunfortunate.
Other
applications for my new word:
• Veteran
California trainer Bob Baffert left his California roots and headed to
Saratoga in upstate New York because he and his main client, Ahmet Zayat,
felt Polytrack was giving their 2-year-olds problems. Polyunfortunate.
• Trainers at Del Mar say
workouts on Polytrack don't mean much because the surface plays
entirely differently in the afternoon after it heats up compared to
morning workouts when it is cool.
Polyunfortunate.
• Fort Erie used to be a
reliable track to play because many horses came from the
dirt track at
Woodbine and bettors had a feel for how the horses would perform on
dirt. But now that Woodbine is
Poly, a new element of uncertainty has been
added to Fort Erie, making it
less playable. Polyunfortunate.
• Some horses at Woodbine suffer
breathing problems after racing over their
synthetic surface and must
have their breathing passages scoped.
Riders are
being urged to use masks. Polyunfortunate.
• After the historic Blue Grass Stakes
in Keeneland was run in fractions more
fitting for a harness race, most
racing commentators dismissed that race as
meaningless. Polyunfortunate.
• In the past, stories in the Daily
Racing Form centered on the quality of horses
and how they stood up
against each other. Now the talk
is less about pedigree
and more about about
trying to figure out whether horses will like the synthetic
stuff. Polyunfortunate.
YOUR OPINION WANTED:
Ban Breeders' Cup on
Poly?
Next
year, the Breeders' Cup Championship races will be held at Santa Anita
which will be the first time these classic races will be held on a
synthetic surface, Cushion Track.
Many horses will be racing over this surface for the first
time. Will this detract from the
importance of the races? Are you
happy with this additional element of uncertainty? Should synthetic
tracks be barred from hosting the Breeders' Cup? Email your responses to: theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com
GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN THREE'S: Talk about luck!
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The
Downs cleaning
staff was cleaning up the big pile of horseshoes under the table Ken Porter was sitting at
Friday on the third floor.
First, his group's longshot horse beat the favourite in a race
the previous Sunday (and merited a story and pics
in my last Insider). Then on
Friday, his group's other horse, a first-time starter by the name of Western Performer, got a lucky
break in the fourth race when the overwhelming favourite in that race
was scratched. That resulted in
his horse winning. Then, to top
off an already-great day, his entry was drawn from show-parlay entries
to win the designation of "Friday's Fantastic Fan," winning
the opportunity to make a trophy presentation in
the Winners' Circle in the fifth race.
Porter, a one-time junior football player, said winning two
football championships was exciting but didn't come close to the
excitement of the last week.
"It's awesome," he said. He bought lottery tickets,
too. But, as everybody knows, a
streak of luck comes in three's. Buying lottery tickets was
over-reaching.
FUN 'N' GAME$: Honour roll for Harvey; $10 gets $249
Look for Harvey Muth's name on the Downs'
Show Parlay Honour
Roll posted on the main floor tomorrow. Playing at the Dakota Hotel OTB Saturday
Harvey turned his $10 into a whopping $249 by letting his money ride
from race three
to five at the Downs.
At the track on Saturday, Christine
Melnyk, increased her imaginary $10 to $157. The cream of other winners last week:
• Friday's InstaFrame
Fantastic Fan: Ken
Porter's name was drawn from
show parlay entrants last Friday to
play the big-shot and make a Winners' Circle presentation. (See story
above.)
• First and worst: Three winners shared $50 Sunday for
correctly predicting the
first and last place finishers in Fort Erie's eighth
race. Play "first and
worst" free
every live race day.
• Who's winning the newspaper
selector's race? Through the turn in the
75-day race, George
Williams
of the Free Press has an 18-length lead over the Sun's Bill Bilous 156 to 138.
POKER COUNTDOWN: 10 poker-playing days left until
the grande finale that will send someone to Las
Vegas and the World Series of Poker at the
Rio Casino. Play free at the Downs
every Friday and Saturday after the races. Last Friday's winners included Ron Zurba
($100), Tom Papaioannou
($50) Phil Cook ($25). Saturday's
winners were Wayne Misko ($100), Jamie Penner ($50) and Nester Ragasa
($25). Top two each day will get
a seat in the Sept. 23 finale. (Want a seat at the tables? Play show parlay
challenge.)
WOODBINE SPEAKS OUT:
"No dirt"
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A
few readers have told me the best thing that could happen to Woodbine
is their re-installing a dirt track. Is that likely to happen? I asked Sean Pinsonneault, vice-president, wagering
services.
Here is his response: "I
am little surprised by the feedback you received. We have been
experiencing great acceptance of the surface both from horsemen and
bettors. Our field sizes have increased, the wagering is up, the
payouts are up, there are fewer cancellations and the surface has
proven to be much safer for horses than traditional dirt tracks.
The industry
as a whole is rapidly moving toward synthetic track surfaces (CA, IL,
KY, etc.) as well and that should help with handicapping as horses will
move from similar synthetic surfaces rather than having as many dirt
tracks in the mix. We have been adding material to the track this year
to continue to help in its consistency and resiliency to extreme
weather conditions. That work was just completed 3-4 weeks ago and
maybe those changes contributed to the response.
I don't know
if that helps, but there are absolutely no plans to change back to a
dirt surface, not just because of the millions and millions of dollars
it would take to convert back but more so because of the benefits that
we have experienced above." -- Sean Pinsonneault
HORSEPLAY TIP OF THE WEEK:
"Play the gray
horse"
Just a joke, of course, brought on by the fact someone
mentioned I'd run out of salient tips and, in desperation, would advise
readers to "play the gray horse." No, the tip pit is seemingly
bottomless. Today's
edition: You know you have a
winning attitude when you don't get upset by near-misses, bad rides and
bad decisions. You just move on. The essence of horse-racing IS bad
rides, near misses and decisions not everyone is happy about. And, besides, no one likes a whiner.
SWEET OR SOUR? How
about both? Executive-sous chef Cheryl promises you'll love it! Tonight at the Chinese
all-you-can-eat Taste the World buffet in the Terrace Dining Room from 5 to 8
p.m. $14.95. Full tasty
menu. Next Thursday: Greek.
NEW WINNING LUCKY NUMBER$ for this week: Did you pick
up a free Lucky Number card for August when you were at the track on Derby
weekend? If the number on your
card matches one of these numbers, you're a winner! $25
winner: 5690 $10
winners: 7211, 6501 $5
winners: 5538, 8481, 6680, 5799, 6039. Claim your prize at www.assiniboiadowns.com. See additional lucky numbers worth up
to $200 posted weekly on the Lucky Numbers page on the website. Next Lucky Number distribution days: Sunday, Sept. 2 and Labour Day Monday, Sept.
3.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Two-for-one deal on corn maze
Murray's
Maze near Stonewall, featuring two super-giant dueling horses carved
into a 15-acre corn field, will open Friday, Sept. 7. There are
all sorts of other activities there as well. Admission is normally $7 for adults,
$5 for kids. But, starting tomorrow,
the Downs will offer a
two-for-one deal. Tickets
available at Guest Services.
Special events this
weekend: Vegas, Tour, Derby
• SATURDAY MORNING: LAST CHANCE!
Popular
Backstretch Breakfast Tour at 9:30
a.m.
with visits to restricted areas: press box, jock's room, mingling with
horsemen in backstretch kitchen, visiting horses and questioning
a trainer. Free.
Sign up at
885-3330 or go to Guest Services tomorrow.
• SATURDAY AFTERNOON: NOT-TO-MISS
SIMULCAST EVENTS!
Canadian Derby at Northlands Park in Edmonton will feature
the top two
finishers in the Manitoba Derby against Alberta's best. See the match-up in
Allan Gray's Barn
Notes. Also, it's $1 million Travers Stakes day at Saratoga,
featuring Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.
• VEGAS TRIP GIVEAWAY: The fourth Las Vegas trip of the season will be
awarded Saturday to the winner of the horseplayer tourney. Sign up by
Friday 9 p.m. at the track or OTB. (Cost: $20 for those who pre-qualified,
$50 for those sho didn't.) Rules: Bet imaginary $2 win/place on Downs races.
Highest bankroll wins trip.
• SUNDAY:
Championship
Day at the Downs features
$30,000 Harry Jeffery Stakes.Don't forget to bring your VIP Party Card to get stamped!
Looking ahead: Mascot
Race, Deal or No Deal, Yearling Sale
FRIDAY: Friday night social, down in the Finish Line after the
races featuring Roadshow Sound, finger food specials, pool tables. Free admission.
LABOUR DAY LONG WEEKEND: Super
Family Fun Day with
the famous Mascot Race, the popular Deal
or No Deal,
lucky number distribution and more. Live racing goes Friday
and Saturday
at 7 p.m., Sunday and
Monday at 1 p.m.
TUESDAY SEPT. 4: The annual Yearling Sale in the
grandstand
at 7 p.m. That's preceded by a $9.99 buffet
special at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome--and it is lots
of fun! Pick up a free
YEARLING
SALE catalogue at the track.
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