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Should races run on Polytrack be taken seriously--or just as novelties? That's my question of the week. Email your opinions to theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com.
I'm asking this question because, for the second year in a row, the Blue
Grass Stakes on Keeneland's Polytrack last
Saturday produced results not even vaguely consistent with dirt
performances. Not one winning
horse from three previous stakes races run on dirt--the Fountain of
Youth, Louisiana Derby and Tampa Bay Derby--was even close to
contending. Those horses finished
9th, 10th and 11th on Keeneland's Poly. The most highly-regarded of the trio, Pyro, finished 10th. It was remindful of last
year's molasses-slow Blue Grass in which three of the top four finishers
went on to dismal performances on the Kentucky Derby dirt. So, I've relegated the Blue Grass to the
novelty category as long as it's run over Poly. What about you? And see if you know the answer to
this: How many times has the favourite running on Polytrack in a Grade 1 stakes
race won the race? You may be
shocked at the result, revealed below.
Also
this week:
• Feeling "frisky" today? Then today may be your winning day,
according to a
hormonal study below.
• Is Stretch a grinch? He just banned racetrack whining! Can he enforce it?
• Can horses be offended? Don't
answer that question until you've read "My Most
Memorable Moment"
• Will Peruvian-owned Tomcito
perform well
enough Saturday to get into the
Kentucky Derby?
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Beautiful
etched-glass trophies
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So,
with the snow finally melted away and the potholes not quite as deep as
usual, here we go with just two weeks left--TWO WEEKS--until horses are
called to the post for the Down's 50th season of live racing. I'm placing a future-wager that says
this milestone year is going to feel really special, one in which you may
consider having a race named in honour of
someone's birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. The 50th anniversary trophies are
magnificent--as you can see in this picture! Also, remember the honoured
person gets to make a Winner's Circle presentation and receives an Insta-Framed photo of the special occasion with the
"50th" logo beautifully etched into the glass in the frame.
DOES WINNING DEPEND
ON YOUR HORMONES?
High testosterone equals higher
profits, study shows
Hey,
guys! Raging hormones, notably
testosterone, may be the difference between you having a great day at the
races and having a so-so day. At least
that's the interpretation one gets reading a British report this week
about similar risk-takers--stockbrokers who play the stock market. Saliva tests on the study group showed
the brokers produced better, more profitable results when their testosterone
levels were high than when their levels were low. They played the market with more
confidence, the report says. Low
testosterone produced indecision and uncertainty. Makes sense to me, actually. Some days I feel I can do no wrong and
make big bets with amazing clarity; other days I get wimpy even trying to
find a $2.10 show horse. That may
explain the difficulty of having back-to-back winning days. After a testosterone "high"
one day, the next day your body may be taking a breather.
POLY CONFUSION
Startling stat: Favourite has NEVER won Grade 1 stake
If
you bet the favourite, Pyro, in the Blue
Green Stakes on Keeneland's Polytrack last
Saturday and lost, don't take it badly.
No favourite has ever won a Grade 1 stakes race on any
Polytrack surface in the U.S.
Thirteen favourites have run; 13 have lost, as DRF racing writer Steven Crist has pointed out. That's a startling stat, considering
the fact that classy horses are consistent performers, usually more
reliable than cheaper horses. Synthetic Polytrack, polyunfortunately,
changes everything. The winners of
the Fountain of Youth, Louisiana Derby and Tampa Bay Derby finished in a
three way photo in the Blue Grass--for 9th, 10th and 11th. Pyro was the
10th place finisher. "It's puzzling," veteran player Charlie
Tax said after the Blue Grass. "It's frustrating for
players," said former Downs clocker Everett
Shade. As a Pyro supporter, I was
disappointed, but I was wary enough about the surface not to key him.
So
how do you play Poly? You have to
wait until a horse has raced over it at that particular track and you
play turf horses on it. That's
what I did Saturday: the
second-place finisher, Cowboy Cal, had shown good early pace on
the turf. The winner, Monba ($19.60), had won on Keeneland's Poly last fall. As for the horses that finished third
and fourth? I was just as confused
as everyone else. Just feel
relieved the Kentucky Derby is still being run over old-fashioned dirt
(and I predict--always will). I
just put a line through the Blue Grass and considered it a
"novelty" race, with no particular value for wagering on the
Kentucky Derby. And what do you
think? Email me: theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com
NO-WHINE POLICY
Stretch gets tough with horse
selectors
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Grinch
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If
your horse stumbles out of the starting gate or a seagull drops a load of
you-know-what on your horse's head in the stretch, causing him to veer
out and lose the race, the last person you'll get any sympathy from now
is blogger Stretch. With ruthless determination, he has
instituted a "no whine" policy for five race selectors who will
be engaged in a "battle royale"
starting tomorrow on his Bettor's
Blog. If one of their
horse selections jumps his shadow, has to avoid a fallen horse, rears in
the starting gate or has his jockey lose his stirrups, tough luck. (Maybe that should be "tough
love?"), Stretch doesn't want to hear as much as a whisper about
it. He will only allow selectors
to add this curious line to their stories: "I'm adding this horse to my
Stable Mail" (so they can bet it
next time).
Huh? Grin and bear it? Bite your tongue? Suffer in silence? With a few strokes on his computer keyboard,
Stretch has obliterated every horseplayer's familiar lament: Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Can this
be achieved? It's something, to my
knowledge, no other writer has ever tried to enforce. Can horseplayers survive the zipping of
their mouths? Will this lead to
uncontrollable sobbing? Stretch is
taking horseplayers into a hinterland of unknowns. He's the Grinch who stole Whining. Help, Mommy! Yes, Mommy, good old Mommy. She always
lends a willing ear to whining.
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What was playing on the radio the year
Assiniboia Downs was born?
Wear My Ring Around
Your Neck
Elvis Presley
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Second satellite
ever sent into space: March 1958
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The
trainer:
Phil Hayek
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The horse
that took offense:
Poker Derby (1984)
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"MY MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT"
Call me cheap, will ya? I'll
show you!
Northern Spike was a great horse, no doubt about it—winnineg four stakes races in the early 1980's including the Golden Boy--and even getting recognized in the Guiness Book of
Records for tying the world record for a 4-furlong dash (:44.2
seconds, April 23, 1982) but his stable mate, Poker Derby, although
bringing only $400 in the yearling sale because he looked so
ungainly, was no racing slouch either, having won five races as a
3-year-old. And the horse wasn't about to let some CBC cameraman forget it. As Stewart
Hayek, brother of Northern Spike's trainer, Phil Hayek,
recalls in his most memorable moment: CBC sportscaster Scott Oake had come out to the stables to interview
his brother about Northern Spike when the CBC cameraman asked whether he
was peering into Northern Spike's stall. "No," he
was told, "that horse is a $2,500 claimer." To which
the cameraman responded: "Yeah, he looks cheap." Them's was fightin'
words. "Immediately and almost if he understood,"
recalls Hayek, "Derby lunged out and grabbed the cameraman by
his CBC jacket, yanked back and
tore the entire jacket in half, then chewed on the piece of jacket as
he stared at the scoundrel." It
was the one and only time anyone could recall the horse ever going
after someone like that. Which may tell you
something about being on your best manners if you take a backstretch
tour this summer.
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CONTEST WINNERS BY
THE DOZEN!
Loads of weekend winners shared
cash/vouchers
Friday night poker:
Welder Felix Berthelette ($100)
and pressman Dean Wasnik ($50) also
earned seats into the September finale that will send someone to Las
Vegas for the qualifying round of the World Series of Poker in 2009. Third was handicapper Shawn Gorrie who received $25.
Show parlay challenge:
Printer Terry Pagee received $25
in betting vouchers.
Death by Stampede Saturday afternoon: Marshall Posner, manager of
website design firm Web Wizards--a Downs corporate sponsor--picked up
$100 in wagering vouchers for outplaying Joyce Davidson and 30
other entrants.
Santa Anita merchandise draw: homemaker Joyce Davidson, retired
railway worker Mel Davidson and teacher Jim Roberts.
Double Play Saturday night: Many winners, the biggest of which were
exercise rider Steven Gaskin and electrician George Newbury
who shared $150 in betting vouchers for correctly predicting a show horse
and the total of the top three finishers at Mountaineer Race 5. Carrryover to
Saturday: $25 in the show pool.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "If you're afraid to lose,
you'll never win," Toby Callet, private clocker and author of
a Florida handicapping newsletter, speaking at a presentation on workouts
in Las Vegas. (Shown via DVD to Assiniboia horseplayers
last Saturday in the Finish Line.)
He had bet $2,000 to win on Barbaro
winning the Kentucky Derby because the published 6f workout leading up to
the race really ws a workout of 1 3/8 mile or
so, indicating a huge stamina edge.
TIP O' THE WEEK: Heed this advice. Play a show parlay.
Playing
a show parlay may be the most important thing you've done in your
life. Really. Trust me in this.
You'll know why in due course.
And, by all means, enter "show parlay challenge"
tomorrow (Friday). You need the
practice.
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Grilled salmon with sour cream sauce
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SAVOUR FRENCH CUISINE TONIGHT in an all-you-can-eat buffet in
the Terrace Dining Room from 5 to 8 p.m.--only $14.95. Chicken au champagne, grilled salmon with
sour cream sauce, tourtiere turnovers, bacon
spinach shallot quiche and much
more including full salad bar and creme
brulee heading a lavish dessert table. Next
Thursday's theme: New
Orleans
UPCOMING EVENTS: Tourney deadline 9 p.m. Friday
Tomorrow
(Friday) at 9 p.m. is the deadline to enter Saturday's Player's Choice
Horseplayer Challenge for cash prizes and a chance to play in next
month's $1,000 winner-takes-all tournament with only 12 players. More.
Peruvian-trained Tomcito races
Saturday: In the $325,000 Lexington Stakes on Keeneland's confusing Polytrack and must finish first
or second to be guaranteed a berth in the Kentucky Derby. Tomcito, purchased
for only $7,500 at a Keeneland sale, has been highly touted in some
quarters as a big Derby contender.
He did have a nice closing kick in the Florida Derby where he
finished third.
New tracks: Pimlico begins today 12:10 p.m., Emerald Downs begins tomorrow
(Friday) 8 p.m. Remember: Santa Anita ends soon. Only two weekends left.
NEXT INSIDER: What's new for Assiniboia Downs' 50th season of live
racing?
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