Racing selections 072113 Sunday Racing is a game all about the future- perhaps more so than any other sport- stakes and sales are geared to look forward- the offspring of champions or the near champion are for the most part our future champions -give or take a generation- the anticipation of the nations’ best two year olds parading to post at fashionable Del Mar or historic Saratoga or at Kentucky’s fall series of races etc. reinvigorate the fan/gambler/casual race goer and other interested parties- a baseball or football fan is almost like a walking encyclopedia of batting averages and pennant winners from the days of Connie Mack to Sparky Anderson - and are aware that the Royals beat the Cardinals 4 games to 3 in the ‘85 series- horse fans are primarily interested in the next foal -the next race -the next wager- the next scratch- the next winner- This may be because a 20% winning average puts a horseperson in the dynamic of the Norse Gods- one scratches their head in wonder that a steed like Dunaden lost 15 or 16 races- so fierce are the wars waged to get to the end zone first- the French bred colt by Nicobar, was the very essence of superiority in stride and confidence-in attitude and conformation -a beacon by which to navigate the stormy seas of racing’s almost impossible ocean of odds stacked against anyone profiting from their racing experiences save spiritually- but I shouldn’t cast my vote for everyone -exceptions seem more numerous than the mean- but the point however beleaguered I make it is that racing as I get older and see things thru the glow/misery of my golden years is an extremely difficult way to survive- perhaps this bout of melancholy is brought on by another hollow experience trying to figure races at Saratoga something I’ve failed very miserably in the 40 odd years I’ve been trying- just too many good horses and a good horse which can come from any of the worlds four corners makes picking winners at Saratoga a job for chalk players or mystics attached to ET’s telephone to Planet X- Every year I gather up what is left of my wits and pretend I will know how to figure the “ponies” at Saratoga- and by the end of the 1st or 2nd day I’m tapped out and on the bench wondering why I was ever born!?- But as I pointed out at the beginning of this paper- forget about today it has come and gone and we await the dawn and fresh horses and new opportunity’s to unravel- Dunaden, was a superb horse -a cross of Delta Judge and Crepello perhaps - but as lovely as he was, he was beaten time and again -an astonishing bit of racing statistic- which brings me to the doorstep of new wonder filly “Princess of Sylmar” a lass I sort of disparaged in my last post directed to the gentle reader- she ran away from her foes in the CCA Oaks & now joins the select who have won both NYRA Oaks and the Kentucky Oaks! - it would be nice to say something slick like “she is the exception who proves the rule” but a better old saw is that “a good horse can come from anywhere“- and the pedigree attached to Princess of Sylmar, will leave no one breathless, what does it matter-for she does- Majestic Warrior x Storm Dixie x Catienus - a pedigree person may rationalize this extraordinary genetic jump by saying something like well she is crossed AP Indy x Storm Cat etc.-- blah blah blah-- Her paperwork is not as grim as I talked myself into believing it was- after all she is inbred to mightiest Secretariat 4x5 thru the usual sources of Weekend Surprise and Terlingua, the former dam of AP Indy and the latter dam to superior stud supplier Storm Cat- there is also hard knocking Dixieland Band 4x3 thru daughters including G1 type Spinning Round, in turn she is grandam to Majestic Warrior, who may be a Coolmore stallion- and winner of the famed Hopeful in 2007- his career was short but he has made an auspicious beginning as a stallion- a lot of that has to do with Princess of Sylmar, who won the Kentucky Oaks, at odds longer than Jumbo’s proboscis - she is housed in the gilt edged barns of agent Pletcher, currently the “horse whisperer” deluxe- Following her glorious Saratoga victory, agent Pletcher bemoaned that his filly was not getting the respect she deserves and that her victory at the spa will forever rectify such snubs- - Princess of Sylmar might someday get to visit the best stallions in the world- Giant’s Causeway or Frankel? Or the latter’s virile dad Galileo? But there is more racing to occupy the “princess” for the time being- perhaps a struggle with Royal Delta will ensue before to long- the latter won her stakes at Delaware and now seems to be back on the beam- nay sayers’ might conclude the “Princess” beat chopped liver in the CCA Oaks “a couple of 40K yearlings” a disgruntled gambler was overheard complaining as he tore up his ducats- The broodmare sire array for Princess of Sylmar- (I suppose she is named for the smog ridden north San Fernando valley bedroom community, outside of downtown Los Angeles- a haven of gas stations and taco stands, Sylmar now has a determined race filly carrying the civic pride high around the nation ovals-) Catienus>Dixieland Band>Drone- unbeaten in 4 races and a source of speed and sire of Flip Sal>Perfect Solution, and there is the pedigree rub for he won but once in 12 tries- the all-important 5th dam of POS was Roann placed in the Pan Zareta stakes- her sire was Roman Patrol, a son of ultra classy and handsome Roman- every so often a good horse harkens back a few generations, discarding what to some may be sharecropper roots, to sit in the chamber of the royals- the female family of POS is the 22-d platoons of broodmares- the lassies along the tail female were served by such luminaries as Jet Master & Perfect Solution and Papa Redbird & Fresno as well as Roman Patrol and Syrian- Meanwhile the Irish Oaks was taken down by Chiquita, a daughter of high flying stallion Montjeu- another triumph for the powerful male line of Sadlers Wells- Chiquita had run 2nd in the French Oaks- she stems from family 21-A ….her gsv figure is 65.22 and Princess of Sylmar has a gsv grade of 60.24- For Sunday, the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga stands out and this may have been the one race Man O War lost when he was turned north in a race that was running south- this enabled Upset to get a running start and by the time the big red horse got pointed in the right direction -the acreage like that which stumped Zenyatta 80 years afterward, ran out- and the greatest champion of the roaring twenties met his only defeat- my hat pin fell to Jake’s Magic Hat -a bay 90K purchase out of Tico Breeze - who in turn never could win a race as hard as she might have tried- the family returns to Golden Spike, later dam of hard hitting Track Barron- who won the Woodward Stakes- hopefully Jake’s Magic Hat will pull out a rabbit and nail another step up for the Matchem line at the finish line- Arapaho 1-6 2-1 3-4 4-4 5-1 6-7 7-2 8-4 9-1 10-9 Arlington 1-3 2-6 3-1 4-5 5-3 6-2 7-1 8-6 9-9 Beulah 1-1 2-1 3-4 4-3 5-6 6-2 7-5 8-4 9-6 Calder 1-4 2-6 3-3 4-2 5-7 6-1 7-5 8-5 Canterbury 1-2 2-9 3-2 4-4 5-3 6-2 7-7 8-8 9-1 10-3 Charles town 1-7 2-4 3-6 4-7 5-1 6-1 7-6 8-6 9-2 Del mar 1-9 2-1 3-2 4-8 5-8 6-8 7-4 8-2 9-1 Ellis 1-1 2-3 3-3 4-2 5-3 6-8 7-3 8-6 9-12 Emerald 1-5 2-6 3-3 4-7 5-1 6-7 7-4 8-1 9-2 10-2 Tula fair meadows 1-4 2-2 3-10 4-8 5-8 6-6 7-1 8-9 9-3 10-5 11-6 12-5 Fort erie 1-3 2-4 3-2 4-2 5-7 6-1 7-2 8-4 9-7 10-9 Gulfstream 1-7 2-6 3-1 4-1e 5-2 6-3 7-2 8-5 Hastings 1-1 2-3 3-5 4-2 5-7 6-3 7-6 8-6 9-7 Los Alamitos 1-4 2-7 3-6 4-3 5-3 6-5 7-5 8-5 9-3 Louisiana 1-6 2-6 3-6 4-7 5-5 6-6 7-11 8-2 9-1 Monmouth 1-2 2-3 3-6 4-9 5-4 6-7 7-6 8-8 9-3 10-7 11-2 Mountaineer 1-9 2-8 3-8 4-7 5-8 6-9 7-7 8-5 9-10 Parx 1-9 2-7 3-3 4-1e 5-1 6-5x9x10 7-2 8-1 9-1 Prairie meadows 1-5 2-7 3-6 4-2x8 5-2 6-1e 7-3 8-1e 9-9 Presque isle 1-4 2-8 3-7 4-1 5-2 6-4 7-2 8-3x7 Ruidoso 1-1 2-2 3-3 4-9 5-5 6-7 7-7 8-1 9-5 10-2 11-8 Sandy downs 1-3 2-1 3-2 4-1 5-4 6-1 Saratoga 1-5 2-1 3-4 4-2 5-1 6-4 7-5 8-3 9-5 10-3 Thistledown 1-1 2-7 3-3 4-4 5-4 6-7 7-4 8-8 Woodbine 1-1 2-2 3-1 4-4 5-1 6-1 7-3 8-6 9-8 10-3 h. Watnik @2013
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 05:39:59 +0000
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