Twas the Thursday Night Before the Belmont...

"All of them run a mile and a half. Some of them just take a little longer."

~D.Wayne Lukas

Douglas Injured in Tragic Spill

Rene Douglas is a name quite familiar to Virginia racing fans. He's appeared at Colonial Downs quite often over the years. My recollection is that after races as I'd play the role of that annoying geek standing along the rail looking for an autograph, he'd stop by and chat with me about the race.

I sure hope that he can recover from this accident that most likely has taken his career. I also hope that Jamie Theriot can overcome the anguish he must feel over his role in this unfortunate event.

Theriot was on the rail, and he nudged his horse, Sky Mom, out directly into the path of Born To Be. The video shows Born To Be's head jerk madly to the left as if part of his bridle had become entangled with Theriot or Sky Mom. Born To Be immediately tumbled head over heels and landed unconscious on top of Douglas. It's sad to note that in addition to Douglas' serious injury, Born To Be had to be euthanized after the race.

Such a thrilling and dangerous sport.

If you wish, you can view the Arlington Matron at Bloodhorse. Thankfully, they don't replay the accident, but one view is horrific enough.

From The Press Democrat

DOUGLAS MIGHT NOT WALK AGAIN:

According to the Chicago Tribune's Neil Milbert, Rene Douglas, one of most accomplished jockeys in Arlington Park history, underwent seven hours of spinal surgery early Sunday morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and, according to his agent Dennis Cooper, a member of the surgical team of specialists said "he might never walk again."

"It doesn't look good," Cooper said Monday. "They won't be a million percent sure until the swelling goes down and that isn't expected to be until about 10 to 14 days. His fifth and sixth vertebrae were compressed, his ribs were broken and there was damage to his neck, but the main damage is to the spinal cord.

"The doctor told me he had feeling and movement in his upper body but not in his legs. They're hoping that the contusions and swelling (affecting his spinal cord) is what is causing the paralysis, but they don't think so. We're hoping for a miracle."

The six-time Arlington jockey champion sustained the injuries at the track on Saturday riding Born to Be in the Grade III Arlington Matron Handicap. Born to Be had just emerged from the stretch turn, boxed in behind the leaders, when she was bumped by Sky Mom on her inside and clipped heels with front-running Boudoir.

Born to Be fell and was knocked unconscious and rolled over onto Douglas.

The 42-year-old rider lay motionless on the track for several minutes before he was taken by ambulance to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.

After doctors there examined him, he was placed in an induced coma, flown by helicopter to Chicago and admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Douglas' wife, Natalia, flew to Chicago from Ft. Lauderdale after learning he was seriously injured, and he was awakened from the coma so they could speak late Saturday.

Cooper said surgery began about 2:30 a.m. and continued until 9:30 a.m., with Douglas in critical condition.

Born to Be was euthanized, a track spokesman said Sunday.

Our prayers go out to Rene and his family.

Diving In

Diving In

The weekend will feature four exciting races in on the springboard to the Kentucky Derby. Here’s a look at the fields in the races along with selected odds. Click any hyperlink to learn more than you ever dreamed.

Santa Anita Derby I (Santa Anita)

· Chocolate Candy

· Z Day

· Unbridled Roman

· Pioneerof the Nile

· Mr. Hotstuff

· Feisty Suances

· Take the Points

· Cape Truth

· Gallant Son

· The Pamplemousse

Strong field. My favorite horse, Chocolate Candy, steps up to challenge the two clear favourites, The Pamplemousse and Pioneerof the Nile. Don’t discount Feisty Suances.

1. Pioneerof the Nile 2. Chocolate Candy 3. The Pamplemousse

Wood Memorial I (Aqueduct)

· I Want Revenge

· Lord Justice

· Cellar Dweller

· Atomic Rain

· West Side Bernie

· Imperial Council

· Just a Coincidence

· Lime Rickey

Is I Want Revenge for real? He should get a stiff challenge from Imperial Council and either West Side Bernie or Atomic Rain.

1. I Want Revenge 2. Imperial Council 3. West Side Bernie

Illinois Derby II (Hawthorne)

· Nowhere To Hide

· Giant Oak

· Lord Justice

· Toccet Rocket

· His Greatness

· Perfect Song

· Free Country

· Musket Man

· Al Khali

· II Postino

· Knight Shot

Early on, everyone was a Giant Oak fan, but he has disappointed. I’ve been hoping for Free Country to break out, but he’s been disappointing. Musket Man has looked promising.

1. Al Khali 2. Musket Man 3. Giant Oak

Bayshore III (Aqueduct)

· Hatfield

· Counter Move

· Lyin’ Heart

· Capt. Candyman Can

· Rocketing Return

· Not For Silver

· King Puma

· Gato Go Win

· Yano

· Taqarub

Capt. Candyman Can should have no reason to lose, and he won’t.

1. Capt. Candyman Can 2. Gato Go Win 3. Counter Move

In our little contest. !Xabbu still leads after a surprisingly strong weekend. With so many front-line races this weekend, more movement can be expected.

Rank	Score	Stable	Player	Hometown
1	109	!Xabbu	Thomas Ryder	Roanoke
2	83	Antilles Stable	Elizabeth Ryder	Roanoke
3	83	Poop Man, Caped Crusader of Muck	John Wallace	Berryville
4	83	Schanuci	John Ryder	Blacksburg
5	63	Clifton Pond	Rebecca Ryder	Lexington
6	67	Driving in Circles	Joey Ryder	Blacksburg
7	25	Spontaneous Combustication	Andrew Ryder	Vienna

Lambs

As we get hip deep in our little fantasy season, there are five races to consider this weekend. After going through and peeking at them, I’ve concluded that real movement in fantasy point totals is a distinct possibility. This is an unusual week. Not too many of the front-line horses are racing. Desert Party in Dubai is the most intriguing. Dunkirk and Quality Road get a lot of hype. Big Drama makes his much-anticipated return in The Swale. Aside from those four, the fields are quiet this weekend.

The real point movement will no doubt come in the trainer and jockey categories. Garrett Gomez is aboard two top contenders in the Florida Derby and Swale. Psst...Europe is a rabbit for Dunkirk. Here’s a McPeek. Click on the links and you may go somewhere.

Mar 28 2009 Florida Derby I

1 Toby the Coal Man (KY)

Julien R. Leparoux
Nicholas P. Zito

10/1

2 Quality Road (VA)

John R. Velazquez

James A. Jerkens

2/1

3 Casey's On Call (FL)

E. T. Baird

Alec Fehr

15/1

4 Dunkirk (KY)

Garrett K. Gomez

Todd A. Pletcher

9/5

5 Sincero (FL)

Elvis Trujillo

Manuel J. Azpurua

20/1

6 Theregoesjojo (KY)

Kent J. Desormeaux

Kenneth G. McPeek

5/1

7 Danger to Society (KY)

Mario Madrid

Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.

6/1

8 Europe (KY)

Christopher P. DeCarlo

Todd A. Pletcher

20/1

9 Stately Character (KY)

Rene R. Douglas

Gerald Procino

20/1

My Pick: Quality Road...Got to go with the VA horse. Plus, rabbits are tricky.

Mar 28 2009 Swale II

1 This Ones for Phil (FL)

Garrett K. Gomez

Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.

3/1

2 B Z Warrior (KY)

John R. Velazquez

Todd A. Pletcher

5/1

3 Sabi Sabi (FL)

Jose Lezcano

Edward Plesa, Jr.

8/1

4 Custom for Carlos (KY)

Kent J. Desormeaux

Eddie Kenneally

4/1

5 Brave Victory (KY)

Julien R. Leparoux

Nicholas P. Zito

4/1

6 Big Drama (FL)

Eibar Coa

David Fawkes

2/1

My Pick: This Ones For Phil...too much Drama for Big Drama

Mar 28 2009 UAE Derby II

1 Regal Ransom

Garcia Alan

bin Suroor Saeed

4-1

2 I Am The Best (GB)

French R L

Al Raihe Ali R

30-1

3 Lelah Dorak (KSA)

Prado E S

Resaque Badar

15-1

4 Muy Ponderado (ARG)

Smith W

Jbin Shafya Mubarak

50-1

5 Desert Party

Dettori L

bin Suroor Saeed

1-1

6 Redding Colliery

Egan J F

Brown Herman J

8-1

7 So Shiny (ARG)

Jara F

Barton Jerry

20-1

8 Ra Junior

Spencer J P

Meehan Brian

20-1

9 Balcarce Nov (ARG)

Marwing W

Brown Herman J

20-1

10 Jose Adan

Durcan T E

bin Suroor Saeed

12-1

11 Soy Libriano (ARG)

Ajtebi A

bin Shafya Mubarak

10-1

12 Naval Officer

Kinane M J

Barton Jerry

6-1

13 Paso de Gloria (ARG)

Supple W J

bin Shafya Mubarak

30-1

My Pick : Regal Ransom...too much hype for Desert Party

Mar 28 2009 San Miguel

1 Triumphant Flight

Espinoza V

2 Flashmans Papers (GB)

Bejarano R

3 Turk

Rosario J

4 Gotmymojoworkin

Garcia M

5 Reynaldothewizard

Flores D R

6 Charlie's Moment

Sorenson D

My Pick: Flashmans Papers

Mar 29 2009 Sunland Derby

1 Valid Stripes

Lanerie C J

2 Santamonicacanyon

Flores D

3 Advice

Velazquez J R

4 Dumar

Contreras L

5 Mayor Marv

Espinoza V

6 Scorewithcater

Baze M C

7 Mythical Power

Gomez G

8 Kelly Leak

Smith M E

9 Mine That Bird

Lambert C T

10 Infernal

Villa M A

11 Mark S the Cooler

Nakatani C S

12 Smokin' Legend

Espitia J

My Pick: Advice

In our contest, !Xabbu continues to lead the way, although his lead has gradually evaporated. Poop Man and Antilles are in hot pursuit. Clifton Pond is making a strong bid while Schanuci and Driving in Circles are spinning their heels. There is no reason for Spontaneous Combustication other than he may have thought this was some new form of SCRABBLE!

Rank	Score	Stable	Player	Hometown
1	90	!Xabbu	Thomas Ryder	Roanoke
2	79	Antilles Stable	Elizabeth Ryder	Roanoke
3	79	Poop Man, Caped Crusader of Muck	John Wallace	Berryville
4	67	Clifton Pond	Rebecca Ryder	Lexington
5	58	Driving in Circles	Joey Ryder	Blacksburg
6	57	Schanuci	John Ryder	Blacksburg
7	17	Spontaneous Combustication	Andrew Ryder	Vienna

Belmont Revisited, Contest Results

One advantage to waiting so long to write a summary of the Belmont Stakes is I'm able to compile quite a list of reasons, excuses, and conspiracy theories that have been floated for Big Brown’s loss. Injury and illness have been ruled out, but we're still left with the following most popular items:

• The quarter crack bothered him during the race.
• The missed training and enforced rest due to the quarter crack left him too antsy and difficult to handle around the barn for the last couple of weeks. Much different than his usual easy-going nature.
• The excessive heat (90+ degrees) bothered him.
• The race was fixed by the mafia.
• Big Brown was too lightly-raced and lacked the fitness and maturity horses develop through racing.
• Big Brown lacks competitive fortitude. When things didn't go his way going into the first turn he basically packed it in for the day.
• Big Brown was rank during the race and never relaxed.
• Not enough stamina in the pedigree.
• No steroids since April.
• Kent Desormeaux’s an idiot and all that maneuvering on the first turn was completely unnecessary.
• Rick Dutrow’s an idiot and trained Big Brown too lightly after the Preakness.
• The Racing Gods do not appreciate hubris. While they have no problem with quiet confidence on the part of a horse’s connections, they take a dim view of people who completely disregard the part the Racing Gods and racing luck can play in the outcome of a race.

So take your pick from the above list or come up with a reason of your own. Whatever the reason or reasons we're still left Triple Crownless for another year. But let’s give the winner some props. That was a fine race run by Da’Tara and a very heady ride by jockey Alan Garcia. And how about Shoeless Nick Zito? His Belmont record just keeps improving. Denis of Cork put in a good run to finish a respectable second, and Ready’s Echo and Anak Nakal finished in an exciting dead heat. An abbreviated chart is listed below.

Belmont S. - Grade: 1
Winning Time:2:29.65

Pgm	Horse	Jockey	Win	Place	Show
6	Da' Tara	Alan Garcia	79.00	28.00	14.80
4	Denis of Cork	Robby Albarado		5.40	4.10
9	Ready's Echo	John R. Velazquez			6.20
8	Anak Nakal	Julien R. Leparoux			7.60

Race Comments: DA' TARA angled in after taking the lead in the early stages, opened a clear advantage on the first turn, raced uncontested on the front while moving to the three path on the backstretch, dug in when threatened briefly on the turn, drifted out after being struck left handed with the whip at the three-sixteenths pole, straightened away when the rider switched to the right hand whip in midstretch and edged away under steady urging through the final eighth. DENIS OF CORK was unhurried early, moved out entering the backstretch, raced in the middle of the pack while four wide for seven furlongs, split rivals while gaining midway on the turn, advanced four wide at the top of the stretch, took up chase after the winner in upper stretch but was no match for that one while clearly best of the others. ANAK NAKAL was bumped by BIG BROWN and carried out on the first turn, angled in a bit approaching the backstretch, raced within striking distance in the three path for seven furlongs, moved between horses when asked for run midway on then turn then closed gradually to gain a share. READY'S ECHO was outrun for a half, saved ground leaving the far turn, swung six wide nearing the quarter pole and failed to menace while improving his position late. MACHO AGAIN was rated in good position between horses, angled to the rail on the far turn, lodged a mild rally along the inside to reach contention at the top of the stretch, but failed to sustain his bid. TALE OF EKATI pressed the early pace from outside, tracked the winner while five wide along the backstretch, raced just behind that rival into upper stretch and steadily tired thereafter. GUADALCANAL stumbled and checked at the start and never reached contention while saving ground throughout. ICABAD CRANE was never a factor while four wide. BIG BROWN steadied and broke outward at the start, moved up inside, steadied sharply while rank in the opening quarter of a mile, steadied and was taken to the outside bumping with ANAK ANKAL on the first turn, swung seven wide moving into the backstretch, stalked the leaders while continuing wide for seven furlongs, was asked for run when tapped left handed on the far turn then dropped back abruptly midway on the turn and was pulled up approaching the quarter pole.

In the 12ARFTCHC Jeane Marie was the only person who picked Da’Tara, so she made a bold move to pass Gordon and wind up in third place in the contest. Peter picked Denis of Cork to widen his lead over Jacqueline coming down the stretch. He finished with a very nice total of $256.30. Congratulations to Peter for winning in his first attempt at the contest. Not an easy thing to do in this company.

So another year, another contest, another Triple Crown miss. Tune in again next spring when the whole process cranks up again with new heroes, villains, horses, and stories. In the meantime the racing on the track continues. Some of this year’s horses have already returned to the track. Smooth Air and Pyro won their return races. Court Vision, Adriano, and Kentucky Bear tried the turf at Colonial Downs yesterday with mixed success. Look for Big Brown to reappear in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in early August. Shoeless Nick will probably have some of his horses in the Travers at the end of August. Lots of good stuff yet to come.

Until next year,

May the horse be with you.

And also with you.
Lift up your bridle.

We lift them up to the jockey.

Let us shower tokens upon the jockey, our commander in the field.

It is right to give him thanks and blankets of flowers.