SARATOGA DAILY NOTEBOOK
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005
by Dick Powell
When you run three weeks of a meet at Saratoga and you only have one race
taken off the turf, you have to consider yourself very fortunate. And yet,
business here is dangerously low and those storms that you hear on the horizon
might not have thunder and lightning in them.
Betting on Saratoga is down on track, up off track in New York, and down big
out of state. The final tally is a 4.5 percent decrease in overall business. Two
predictable factors have caused the downturn in business — which is worse than
it seems with the good weather we have had.
First, the detention barn situation and the resulting bad publicity about it
at the beginning of the meet have kept trainers from shipping in here like they
used to. We have had a few shippers but not as many as you would think,
especially considering how weak the field sizes have been. High purses and short
fields usually get trainers out of town to consider shipping in here but the
logistical nightmare of the detention barn has reduced the number of those
willing to try.
Short fields lead to lower betting with fewer exacta, trifecta and superfecta
combinations available. Multiple Pick 3’s and 4’s help, but not enough. You knew
the racing office was in trouble when they were writing juveniles going two turns
on the turf in July; something that has never happened before. If it weren’t for
the good weather and the large number of turf races being run, this meet would
get ugly real fast.
The second reason for the downturn in business is NYRA’s curious and
imprudent decision to sever relationships with 10 rebate shops even though none
of them were connected to the “Uvari” indictment in January of 2005. Any hope
that big bettors were still going to bet NYRA races through other outlets has
not materialized. By the end of the Saratoga meet, out-of-state simulcast handle
on NYRA races will have dropped by $200,000,000.
Amazingly, NYRA still sends it signal to some rebate shops so it’s not like
they are against all rebate shops in general. Just the ones they wanted to stop
doing business with.
Wednesday’s card is a perfect example of how tenuous this meet has become.
The day starts off with not one but two steeplechase races including one for
$30,000 claimers. Then, there are five other turf races carded on both turf
courses.
It’s great to schedule lots of turf races but it’s usually an indication of
main track races not filling. It tears up the course, which then becomes a
problem in the second half of the meet. If we get heavy rain in the meantime,
Wednesday will be a washout.
Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey sent out CARRIAGE TRAIL (Giant’s Causeway) in the
2ND race, a two-turn turf event for maiden juvenile fillies. She was
impeccably bred with a hot sire on top and a stakes-placed dam on the bottom.
She broke dead last and usually at this point the rider, in this case, Jerry
Bailey, will try to let the filly run free and use the race as an educational
experience. There’s no point in putting the pedal down being so far behind
early.
Bailey followed the game plan to a “t” but Carriage Trail, on her own, was
able to pass horses willingly and was in the race on the far turn. Despite a
slow pace, the speed was starting to back up and Bailey went three wide turning
for home and then powered through the lane to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths.
Carriage Trail races in the colors of Stewart Janney III, whose father bred
and owned the immortal Ruffian (Reviewer). Giant’s Causeway, who had a sharp
winner on Friday with juvenile filly Win McCool who won going six furlongs on
the main track, continues to impress as a sire of versatile horses that can do
just about anything.
WILD STORM (Chi) (Hussonet) put on quite a show before the 7TH race. The
Chilean-bred mare just missed in her last start here last year and was wound up
tighter than a drum. She acted up in the paddock, on the way out to the track,
in the post parade and during the warm-up. She broke well in the race for Jerry
Bailey but tired with about three furlongs to go. A stakes winner in Chile two
years ago, she’ll bear watching to see if she settles down next time out. You
can imagine what she was like in the detention barn this morning.
You don’t get many chances to go 13 furlongs on the Mellon turf course in
stakes company and Phil Serpe took full advantage today with ROUSING VICTORY
(Victory Gallop) in the John’s Call S. At the end of his three-year-old
campaign last year he was a good second in the Lawrence Realization S. (G3)
going 12 furlongs and he returned to the races here with a good third going
shorter.
With that race over the course and a win here over the course last season,
Rousing Victory looked like he was sitting on a big one for Serpe, who only has
two wins from 20 starters but a second and nine thirds.
“He needed his last race,” Serpe said. “I brought him into his last race
really easy, and just wanted to get him back racing. This race was more up his
alley. He stepped up and we can move forward now. I have to go back and look at
our options. He’s a runner, but I don’t think he needs to go a mile and a half
or a mile and five-eighths.”
Rousing Victory was able to sit off modest fractions and then pounce turning
for home to an easy 4 1/4-length win over Stage Call (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) for
Javier Castellano.
Edgar Prado won two of the last three races and now leads Johnny Velazquez 24
to 21 in the rider standings. Prado missed Saturday and Sunday while Velazquez
only missed Saturday but Edgar has taken the lead decisively. Todd Pletcher was
shut out again today and his only winner from week three was PATH OF THUNDER
(Thunder Gulch) in a division of Thursday’s De La Rose S. Steve Asmussen won the
first race today and now trails Pletcher 9 to 14.
Horses To Watch
2ND – WARRIOR GIRL (War Chant) rallied for third behind a monster winner
despite being bumped around on the far turn. Debut runner should be much tougher
next time out.
6TH – INDY (A.P. Indy) made his turf debut and chased a very fast pace. He
made a good middle move on the far turn before tiring late in his first start in
645 days.
Wednesday Preview
5TH – Every year Nick Zito starts a lot of debut runners and pops with one.
His strike rate first time out is only 8 percent, but FABLED (Tale of
the Cat), who is out of a Forty Niner mare, is training well and gets Gary Stevens.
7TH – In the first division of the Yaddo H. for New York-bred fillies and mares, IF
IT’S MEANT TO B (David) caught yielding turf in her first start on the lawn
then ran in a Grade 3 stakes here last out. On Wednesday, she is well spotted and
could upset at a big price.