| Weekend Stakes Races (Major Graded, or local Stakes) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26 Malibu Stakes, 3yo, $300,000, Grade I, 7F, Santa Anita Park La Brea Stakes, 3yo fillies, $300,000, Grade I, 7F, Santa Anita Park W.L. McKnight Handicap, 3&up, $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-2M (T), Calder Sir Beaufort Stakes, 3yo, $100,000, Grade II, 1M (T), Santa Anita Park Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, Grade III, 7F, Calder Stage Door Betty Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, Grade III, 1 1-16M, Calder SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27 San Gabriel Handicap, 3&up, $150,000, Grade II, 1 1-8M (T), Santa Anita Park |
Recent Racing News...
To Pay or Not to Pay (Op Ed from Whitey)
Many a horseplayer in the great Northeast have been suffering
from "Signal Interuptus" since October. An ongoing dispute
between a middle-man company called TrackNet has kept some
of the stronger meets away from said players. First it was the
complete blackout of the Churchill Downs Fall meet. Then, when
the Fairgrounds raised the flag in early November, another top
flight track went unavailable to many viewers, and nearly all
handicappers in major markets such as NJ and PA.
The day after Christmas, Santa Anita joined the powerhouse
group of tracks not available to horseplayers, and at the
beginning of the new year when glorious Gulfstream Park opens,
the final twist of the knife will be dealt.
What's the problem? Well, apparently TrackNet and its partners
want a greater share of the host handle percentage (the money
taken by simulcasters on host track racing). Also (and this is
unverified), they want to offer smaller racing venues a lesser fee
for their signals. Some estimates say its a 20% swing on both
ends.
Over the past few years, nearly every time a major signal opens
for their meet, a new percentage is argued over. Usually, this
standoff lasts a week, maybe two, before one side gives in. In all
cases, the horseplayer, the lifeblood of the sport suffers. The
current situation has gone on far longer than traditional disputes.
Stewards View...
The Sport of Kings is in NO position to turn away business, or
customers. Throw in the fact that the country is suffering from a
major economic recession, and it could be argued that this
decision by TrackNet's top brass could not come at a worse time.
I've said it before and will say it again, short of lighting the
horseplayer on fire, there isn't much more racing executives could
do to dissatisfy their customer base. That's just the way it is.
At the Wire...
Our belief here at Whitey's Pub is that shortly after Gulfstream
opens, someone's line in the sand will be erased. With handle
down at the Fairgrounds roughly 30% already, and Churchill
Downs refusal to even post their Fall figures, something will be
done. The 17 or so 'little guy" tracks that make up the Mid-
Atlantic Region of those refusing to pay the additional fees will
have suffered everything TrackNet can throw at them.
Somethings got to give in early 2010.
The good news is that tracks like Tampa Bay Downs, Calder,
Philadelphia Park, and Aqueduct are basking in additional
revenues. Sure, players want to play the best, but more than
that, players want to PLAY. Whitey has been around the game
for nearly 40 years, and this opinion is nearly indisputable.
The faster those sitting behind desks and not standing in front of
mutuel lines realize this, the more money everyone will ultimately
make.
In other news...
ZENYATTA SECOND, RACHEL SEVENTH IN AP
FEMALE ATHLETE OF YEAR VOTING
Unbeaten on the racetrack, the Champion mare Zenyatta experienced an
honorable first “defeat” on Tuesday when the Associated Press named her
second on its list of top female athletes for 2009. Only tennis star Serena
Williams finished ahead of Zenyatta.
The horse that Zenyatta will vie with for 2009 Horse of the Year honors,
Rachel Alexandra, also made the AP’s list, checking in at number seven.
“It’s been an unprecedented year for our sport with not one, but two females
distinguishing themselves as all-time greats. Their historic campaigns
transcended horse racing and captured the attention of sports fans around
the world. I’m eager to see which Thoroughbred will be voted Horse of the
Year at the Eclipse Awards on January 18.”
Other female athletes making the AP’s top 10 list were Kim Clijsters
(tennis), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), Diana Taurasi (basketball), Maya
Moore (basketball), Bridget Sloan (gymnastics), Jiyai Shin (golf) and Erin
Hamlin (luge). Only tennis, basketball and horse racing were represented by
two entries on the list.
To Pay or Not to Pay (Op Ed from Whitey)
Many a horseplayer in the great Northeast have been suffering
from "Signal Interuptus" since October. An ongoing dispute
between a middle-man company called TrackNet has kept some
of the stronger meets away from said players. First it was the
complete blackout of the Churchill Downs Fall meet. Then, when
the Fairgrounds raised the flag in early November, another top
flight track went unavailable to many viewers, and nearly all
handicappers in major markets such as NJ and PA.
The day after Christmas, Santa Anita joined the powerhouse
group of tracks not available to horseplayers, and at the
beginning of the new year when glorious Gulfstream Park opens,
the final twist of the knife will be dealt.
What's the problem? Well, apparently TrackNet and its partners
want a greater share of the host handle percentage (the money
taken by simulcasters on host track racing). Also (and this is
unverified), they want to offer smaller racing venues a lesser fee
for their signals. Some estimates say its a 20% swing on both
ends.
Over the past few years, nearly every time a major signal opens
for their meet, a new percentage is argued over. Usually, this
standoff lasts a week, maybe two, before one side gives in. In all
cases, the horseplayer, the lifeblood of the sport suffers. The
current situation has gone on far longer than traditional disputes.
Stewards View...
The Sport of Kings is in NO position to turn away business, or
customers. Throw in the fact that the country is suffering from a
major economic recession, and it could be argued that this
decision by TrackNet's top brass could not come at a worse time.
I've said it before and will say it again, short of lighting the
horseplayer on fire, there isn't much more racing executives could
do to dissatisfy their customer base. That's just the way it is.
At the Wire...
Our belief here at Whitey's Pub is that shortly after Gulfstream
opens, someone's line in the sand will be erased. With handle
down at the Fairgrounds roughly 30% already, and Churchill
Downs refusal to even post their Fall figures, something will be
done. The 17 or so 'little guy" tracks that make up the Mid-
Atlantic Region of those refusing to pay the additional fees will
have suffered everything TrackNet can throw at them.
Somethings got to give in early 2010.
The good news is that tracks like Tampa Bay Downs, Calder,
Philadelphia Park, and Aqueduct are basking in additional
revenues. Sure, players want to play the best, but more than
that, players want to PLAY. Whitey has been around the game
for nearly 40 years, and this opinion is nearly indisputable.
The faster those sitting behind desks and not standing in front of
mutuel lines realize this, the more money everyone will ultimately
make.
In other news...
ZENYATTA SECOND, RACHEL SEVENTH IN AP
FEMALE ATHLETE OF YEAR VOTING
Unbeaten on the racetrack, the Champion mare Zenyatta experienced an
honorable first “defeat” on Tuesday when the Associated Press named her
second on its list of top female athletes for 2009. Only tennis star Serena
Williams finished ahead of Zenyatta.
The horse that Zenyatta will vie with for 2009 Horse of the Year honors,
Rachel Alexandra, also made the AP’s list, checking in at number seven.
“It’s been an unprecedented year for our sport with not one, but two females
distinguishing themselves as all-time greats. Their historic campaigns
transcended horse racing and captured the attention of sports fans around
the world. I’m eager to see which Thoroughbred will be voted Horse of the
Year at the Eclipse Awards on January 18.”
Other female athletes making the AP’s top 10 list were Kim Clijsters
(tennis), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), Diana Taurasi (basketball), Maya
Moore (basketball), Bridget Sloan (gymnastics), Jiyai Shin (golf) and Erin
Hamlin (luge). Only tennis, basketball and horse racing were represented by
two entries on the list.
Welcome to the Pub's Horse Racing section. Your
Pubmaster has been in and around this game for nearly 40
years. As a young patron on Saturday afternoons at
Monmouth Park, to a valet at MPJC through college, to the
GM of two of Philadelphia's successful OTB's in the 90's, and
finally as a television host of The Racing Channel, The Racing
Network, At the Races, and PhoneBet TV to name a few.
Please feel free to visit the site of an old colleague at
HorsePlayerPro.com
For those new to this clubhouse, you can expect a lot of info
on upcoming races, and a nice section we are looking forward
to pass along, "This Day in American Racing History". Most
of the stuff will come courtesy of the NTRA, but you never
know who will also provide commentary. Thanks for
stopping in, and best of luck with the ponies!
Pubmaster has been in and around this game for nearly 40
years. As a young patron on Saturday afternoons at
Monmouth Park, to a valet at MPJC through college, to the
GM of two of Philadelphia's successful OTB's in the 90's, and
finally as a television host of The Racing Channel, The Racing
Network, At the Races, and PhoneBet TV to name a few.
Please feel free to visit the site of an old colleague at
HorsePlayerPro.com
For those new to this clubhouse, you can expect a lot of info
on upcoming races, and a nice section we are looking forward
to pass along, "This Day in American Racing History". Most
of the stuff will come courtesy of the NTRA, but you never
know who will also provide commentary. Thanks for
stopping in, and best of luck with the ponies!
| "This Day in American Racing History" Dec. 25, 1934: Santa Anita Park opened in Arcadia, Calif. A five-year-old mare, Las Palmas, won the inaugural race, the California-Bred Handicap, before a crowd of 30,777. Dec. 26: 2002: Julie Krone became the first woman to ride the winner of a Grade I stakes race in the state of California when she piloted the reformed claimer Debonair Joe to victory in the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita. Dec. 27, 1982: English trainer Michael Dickinson saddled 12 winners, a record. Dec. 27, 1987: D. Wayne Lukas set a single-season record for stakes wins by a trainer, 92, when he saddled High Brite to win the Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita Park. Dec. 27, 2004: Sylvia Bishop, the first African American woman licensed as a Thoroughbred trainer in the U.S., died at age 84. Dec. 31, 1966: Ogden Phipps’ Buckpasser, trained by Eddie Neloy, won the 13th consecutive race of his three-year-old season after taking the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park. He was voted Horse of the Year and also took top three- year-old and handicap horse honors for 1966. Dec. 31, 1982: After a year-long battle for leading rider honors, Pat Day edged Angel Cordero Jr. by two races, which he won after chartering a plane to fly to Vinton, La., where he rode Dana’s Woof Woof and Miltons Magic to victory during the evening program at Delta Downs. Day won the title—his first—with 399 wins to Cordero’s 397. Dec. 31, 1989: Jockey Kent Desormeaux set the world record for most number of wins in a single season, 598, when he rode two-year-old East Royalty, trained by Phil Thomas Jr., to victory in the tenth race, the Inner Harbor Stakes, at Laurel. He surpassed the old record, set by Chris McCarron, by 52 wins. Jan. 1, 1942: Racing in California was officially canceled. On Dec. 16, the West Coast military authorities had requested that Santa Anita Park postpone its meeting indefinitely due to war conditions. Jan. 1, 1975: Secretariat was represented by his first Thoroughbred foal, a filly named Miss Secretariat, born in Kentucky to the mare My Card. Jan. 2, 1945: As the end of World War II approached, racing throughout the U.S. was banned indefinitely at the request of James F. Byrnes, War Mobilization Director. While Thoroughbreds could not be transported in the U.S. for racing purposes, the Office of Defense Transportation subsequently approved the shipment of racehorses to tracks that were more than 300 miles beyond U.S. borders. The ban was not lifted until May, causing the rescheduling of the Triple Crown races. Jan. 2, 1997: Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. posted his 8,500th career victory aboard Tacomolly during the seventh race at Santa Anita Park. Jan. 4, 2005: Churchill Downs announced that the Kentucky Derby purse would be doubled to $2 million. Jan. 4, 1946: Canadian-born jockey George Woolf, known as “The Iceman” for his coolness in the saddle, died after falling head first from his mount, Please Me, during a race at Santa Anita Park the previous day. He was 35. During his career (1928-1946) Woolf had 3,784 mounts, 721 wins, 589 seconds and 468 thirds, with earnings of $2,856,125. Since 1950, Santa Anita Park has annually presented the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award to a rider who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. Jan. 5, 1944: A bill permitting off-track betting was introduced in the New York State Assembly. Over the next several decades, a series of bills would be introduced in favor of OTB, which finally gained legal sanction in New York in 1970. Jan. 5, 1980: Spectacular Bid began his undefeated four-year-old season, winning the Malibu Stakes by five lengths at Santa Anita. The gray colt finished his 1980 campaign a perfect nine-for-nine. Jan. 6, 1998: Bill Mott was named to take over 1997 undefeated two-year-old Favorite Trick, replacing trainer Patrick Byrne, who accepted a job as a private trainer for owner Frank Stronach. |
A perfect trip among
the field of 12 in the
Preakness for Kent
Desourmeax once
again. At the top of
the stretch for the 2nd
race in a row, Big
Brown put the hammer
down and drew away
for an easy cantering
victory...
Chart
the field of 12 in the
Preakness for Kent
Desourmeax once
again. At the top of
the stretch for the 2nd
race in a row, Big
Brown put the hammer
down and drew away
for an easy cantering
victory...
Chart
Three weeks later,
Da'Tara pulls off the
upset victory in New
York. The big story of
course was Big
Brown's dismal effort,
being pulled up in
shame at the top of
the long Belmont
stretch, and Dutrow's
classless behaviour
afterwards.
Chart
Da'Tara pulls off the
upset victory in New
York. The big story of
course was Big
Brown's dismal effort,
being pulled up in
shame at the top of
the long Belmont
stretch, and Dutrow's
classless behaviour
afterwards.
Chart
Jeremy Plonk is another fan of
the game I had the pleasure to
work with on TR and ATR. He
was the Senior Editor for HP
Magazine, writes and researches
for ESPN and the NTRA, and
recently launched
HorsePlayerPro..
the game I had the pleasure to
work with on TR and ATR. He
was the Senior Editor for HP
Magazine, writes and researches
for ESPN and the NTRA, and
recently launched
HorsePlayerPro..
| This Guy Knows Racing... |
Big Brown became only
the 7th undefeated
Kentucky Derby
winner, and did it from
post #20 on May 3rd.
A perfect trip got him
in position for an
incredible explosive
stretch drive, to
completely dismiss his
19 rivals.. Chart
the 7th undefeated
Kentucky Derby
winner, and did it from
post #20 on May 3rd.
A perfect trip got him
in position for an
incredible explosive
stretch drive, to
completely dismiss his
19 rivals.. Chart
| ~Racing with Whitey's Pub~ |
| Published Writing by Whitey via HorsePlayer Magazine |
The Ultimate Derby Party (May 2004)
The Great Cigar (March 2004)
Racing with the Media (January 2004)
Current Champs in the 3 Triple Crown Legs
| ...Two Furlong Quick Hitters |
| 2008 Kentucky Derby |
2008 Preakness
2008 The Belmont
| Links for the Horse Player |
Winner of 16 in a row- Cigar
| The Racing Network Crew "Off the Air" Party Outside the great crew of production professionals with TRN, the Network also featured Joe Kristufek, Rolly Hoyt, Jeremy Plonk, Mike Curci, Ellie Sarama, Kimber Goodwin, Barbara Foster and of course The Maven- Dave Gutfreund among others. Many still commonplace faces in both the T-Bred and Harness industries. |
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| OUTDATED |