Let’s begin with the long awaited return of Rachel Alexandra in the $412,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park. From one point of view, the reigning Horse of the Year’s trip to the Jersey Shore seemed like an unsavory money-grab. Watching the race unfold without any drama or doubt about which runner would win on the television sets in the Saratoga clubhouse, some might have difficulty finding the love that they had for the filly last September. Being at Monmouth in person might have been a better experience. The track cracked its all-time high mark for betting, abetted by the horse’s presence.
Through no fault of her own, Rachel Alexandra has been cast in the role of a carpetbagger. The New York Racing Association has bent over to appease the ego of Jess Jackson short of boosting the purse for the Gr.1 Ruffian Stakes. Rachel Alexandra is sheltered on NYRA property so that she can be close to her mentor Steve Asmussen,. A ball cap in Stonestreet colors, paying homage to last year’s Woodward, will be used as a giveaway during the meet. If the message that NYRA dearly needs Rachel Alexandra this summer to help with marketing of the Spa meet isn’t being communicated properly, someone isn’t paying attention.
On Tom Amello’s backstretch-based Trackfacts TV show yesterday, Kling said the filly’s performance on Saturday had convinced him more than ever that she was merely a backstretch boarder. The veteran writer, an astute handicapper, must have loads of intuition to accomplish his job in the manner he does. But he gave little reason that anyone could take to the bank, let alone to the betting windows.
In a Blood-Horse Magazine story titled “Rachel Has to Work in Lady’s Secret Victory,” Jason Shandler confirmed Kling’s impressions that the filly may not be the competitor she was. Yet, many readers that left comments to the Saratoga Diary on bloodhorse.com were insistent that this observation was illusionary. “Seeing it was 103 degrees with a heat index of 110, I say Bravo to Team Rachel,” wrote someone with the handle of LuckySon. “She received a 110 speed figure which is nothing to sneeze at,” reader Nina added.
If a race between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta is a tease, it’s the most ridiculous tease that anyone ever constructed. On the same type of television program that Kling appears on, Hayward said NYRA would sweeten the pot if the showdown was possible. But he also admitted that it was a remote possibility. He, himself, hadn’t talked to the connections. Only NYRA Board Chairman Steve Duncker had spoken to the Mosses. Why waste time on the impossible when there are fires to put out?
“I love where her mind is at right now,” Asmussen said about Rachel post-Lady’s Secret, not alluding to New Jersey. “We’ll assess her condition when she goes back to the track, discuss everything with Mr. Jackson and go from there,” the trainer said, confirming that the Personal Ensign Stakes on labor day weekend was one of the races they’d consider. Doesn’t his quote sound like boilerplate?
Now, let’s end with a heart-warming story. Hearts go out to the owners of Bail Out the Cat for watching as their Sanford Stakes favorite broke from the gates like a sleepwalker. Twenty paces into the race and Allan Garcia was out of his stirrups; all hopes dashed for trainer Rick Violette. But it’s hard to feel sorry in any sort of fashion considering the winner’s connections.
Carolyn Scisney, the owner of Sanford winner Maybesomaybenot, came by her horse the old-fashioned way. Her husband bred him. He then gave the horse to her so that she would feel special. Carolyn, in turn, gave 25 percent of the horse to their daughter-in-law Karen. Karen is suffering with lupus. The Scisneys thought that owning a part in a horse like Maybesomaybenot might raise her spirits. Definitely so, definitely not, until yesterday.
A gelding in the barn of Mike Maker, the horse is the first horse the Louisville, KY couple has raced at the Spa; the first that they thought might be something. “The buildings get taller when you cross the Hudson,” the late Woody Stevens warned outsiders. But Maker believed otherwise. “The owners are the nicest couple you’d ever want to meet,” the trainer said, hoping the step up from a Maiden Special Weights victory at Churchill Downs to a Grade 2 stakes at Saratoga wasn’t sightseeing.
Well, to make a long story short, the rise in company didn’t interfere with destiny. Maybesomaybenot took his place along Secretariat and Affirmed as a Sanford Stakes winner, rewarding the daughter of a sharecropper in a way that she never imagined. Fingers are crossed now that he’ll race in the Hopeful. If he wins that, the Scisneys’ hope will be Breeders’ Cup-bound. Stranger things have happened, including a loss by Man O’ War in the race that Maybesomaybenot won.
“If the Lord does nothing more for me, I’ll be alright,” remarked Anthellor Scisney. How’s that for a man with perspective?
Vic Zast is writing a Saratoga Diary on bloohorse.com. You can read more from him at Facebook and Twitter.
27 Jul 2010 at 09:38 am | #
Welcome back HorseRaceInsider! Missed you the past couple of days. Don’t know about RA; her performance Saturday--excuses about heat indices aside--was less than stellar against questionable competition. I’ve loved her since her Martha Washington win. That freckle, that stride; her head bob when changing leads. How could anyone not be smitten? She can’t help her connections. Sure wish Mr. Wiggins still trained her. <sigh>
Thanks for the back-story on Maybesomaybenot. Who do you like in the Haskell?
27 Jul 2010 at 10:14 am | #
Mr. Zast: Quoting you, “The track cracked its all-time high mark for betting, abetted by the horse’s presence.” True, but why leave out and ignore a real fact? FYI, which all turf writers have disregarded for decades, the purses for Saturday totaled $1,198,460. The attendance was 12,859 and they wagered on-track $931,065; thus, the per capita wager was a mere $72 and Monmouth received in takeout from these patrons per capita about $14.48, or a total of a $186,213. Now, Monmouth needed to collect via their signal fee $1,012,247 from off-track wagering just to cover the purses, forget about the days operating expenses and cost. Assuming that the off-track crowd wagered $72 per capita, Monmouth needed only 69,907 people to wager $72 each; think that many did.
As I have stated numerous times, Monmouth Park is going to achieve a record loss this year with their stupid shortened meet and excessive purses.
When are you turf writers going to step forward and call a spade a spade? If you haven’t noticed, as predicted by me, Saratoga is killing Monmouth in per capita wagering, total handle, and everything else, as anyone with a number two pencil could figure out.
Asmussen per you says, “I love where her mind is at right now.” Gee, this guy can read horses minds.” What a dumb comment, and you print it!
27 Jul 2010 at 11:10 am | #
Whoops, I goofed. I understated the facts: The off-track bettors do not deliver a profit of $14.42 per person (if they wagered $72 per capita) the track gets about $3.60 per off-track bettor who wagers $72, thus Monmouth needed a bit over 280,000 people to wager each $72 - no problem, right?
27 Jul 2010 at 11:38 am | #
<Saratoga is killing Monmouth in per capita wagering, total handle, and everything else, as anyone with a number two pencil could figure out.>
Here’s something your Number two pencil can’t compute. Attendance has been a disaster and by judging what people were spending for none discretionary items, it is going to be a long hot summer in Saratoga. If you like no lines at the window come on up!
27 Jul 2010 at 12:24 pm | #
Tim: Stick to the facts: a) attendance at Saratoga has surpassed Monmouth, b) per capita wagering at Saratoga far exceeds such at Monmouth, and c) total handle at Saratoga is way superior to what Monmouth is getting.
Whether Saratoga is profitable or not (it probably will not be) is irrelevant when comparing Monmouth’s stats to Saratoga’s stats.
BTW, you won’t see me at Saratoga, as I do far better wagering on Philadelphia and Delaware races. It is real money I am wagering, and I won’t wager on two-year-old blue blood thoroughbreds who are here today and gone in a couple of months. I’ll take a thoroughbred that has raced several times and has shown pretty clearly what it is capable of.