The current organization representing horse people drew the ire of many rank-and-file owners and trainers in South Florida when its board said it would not oppose efforts by Gulfstream Park’s owner, The Stronach Group, to seek legislation decoupling, or separating, the Hallandale Beach track’s pari-mutuel permit from its slot machine permit. In other words, decoupling would permit The Stronach Group to end live racing at Gulfstream Park while still operating their slots casino. Under the current law, Gulfstream Park must have live racing for a minimum of 40 days a year to maintain their slots permit. The horsemen's organization board said they agreed to the controversial position out of a need to get Stronach Group's help in securing workers' compensation policies for exercise riders.
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The issue of decoupling came to a head during a heated horsemen's meeting on Jan. 15, one week after Gulfstream Park distributed a press release saying the horsemen's organization supported decoupling legislation. At the meeting, according to published reports, Keith Brackpool, an advisor to company owner Belinda Stronach, said the company would commit to live racing into 2028 if decoupling legislation passed. He made no guarantees about the future if the bill does not pass.
At one point during the meeting, which was attended by the horsemen's organization board members, leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. asked for anyone to stand up if they supported decoupling. No one stood, according to individuals who attended the meeting.
"This isn't just a Florida issue," Vaccarezza said. "Owners and breeders in Kentucky and New York count on those three or four months of winter racing to get their horses ready for Keeneland and Churchill or Belmont Park and Saratoga. And this affects the agricultural industry because of the hay, feed, straw and everything that racing supports. The damage this could do if Gulfstream closes is enormous."Comment -
Thanks Batt. Good luck !Your Eclipse champion Straight No Chaser blazed through another head-turning workout this morning at Santa Anita, covering five furlongs in a best-of-72 :59.20. He continues to train exceptionally well and we couldn’t ask for more than he’s been showing us of late. Be sure to watch the second video for all of trainer Dan Blacker’s thoughts on the breeze as well as more detail about the plan between now and the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in three weeks.https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/b...8443232861.mp4[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Straight No Chaser Workout Report[/COLOR]
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Makes perfect sense to me as well. IMO much more important to build with smaller steps and lesser purses in the beginning. A solid mindset means so much . I like it !Speaking of......
[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Caldera Breeze Report
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Caldera worked very strongly this morning at Oaklawn, covering five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.80.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas told us afterwards that Caldera couldn’t have breezed any better. As you’ll see in the accompanying clip, he pulls away from his workmate pretty easily.
Your colt’s next target will be the $400K Sunland Derby at Sunland Park on Sunday, Feb. 16. Note that this race will be contested over 1 1/16 miles again this year (it was run at 1 1/8 miles prior to last year).
Between the Sunland Derby, G2 Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds and G2 Rebel S. at Oaklawn, the Sunland race will almost certainly be the easiest of the three spots. Considering Caldera is just coming off a maiden win, this will give him a chance to test deeper waters without jumping all the way in first time against winners. We’ll also be able to get last-out jockey Rafael Bejarano in this spot (he’s committed to riding Southwest winner Speed King in the Rebel, no surprise) and the timing—a week earlier than the Rebel—will allow us a bit more wiggle room as we plot out subsequent races on the Derby trail. The Risen Star, in addition to likely coming up tough, will be run over 1 1/8 miles—something Caldera should eventually relish, but he’d probably benefit from another race for foundation before trying that trip.
Click here to view nominations for the Sunland Derby, though note that most connections who have horses with Triple Crown aspirations tend to be pretty liberal with their nominations, so the nominations won’t tell us much about the final field. Caldera was also nominated to the Triple Crown before the deadline this past Monday.
Another son of Liam’s Map, Burnham Square, was an impressive winner of yesterday’s G2 Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream—hopefully we can add to the sire’s success in a couple of weeks.
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Hey STR: hope thing are good down your way? have you read about the decoupling issue down in FLA. I don't understand too much of what's going on but the Stronach group is threatening to shut down operations at Gulfstream Park if the decoupling is not instituted. Any thoughts on the subject? THX in advance.
Just to make my position as clear as possible, let me give you as short an opinion on 1st racing as I can. They are only interested in making money for the family and will destroy anything that tries to get into their path. They are not from this country. They could care less about American horse racing EZ.
That is a fact derived from their previous actions in Md. , what we see in Calif. and now in Fla.
Now that we are clear on that here are a few facts:
They did all they could do to make one terrible decision after another in Maryland, which they recently sold. The state stepped in to buy it and changes will start with the newly built Pimlico in 2026.
At least those terrible decisions cost them money. And plenty of money. IMO, Good.
You see where California racing stands these days. Another gem that 1st racing ( who seemingly would have been better off naming themselves last racing, as that is what is going on wherever they go it seems), ran into the ground and is now needing major help to survive. And now, they turn their attention to Florida where they are demanding that casino and racing days no longer be tied together. Why? So they can run casino only which we all know is a can't lose proposition and say to hell with horse racing, which was what allowed casinos to exist in the first place.
The old adage, " promises made, promises kept", does not apply in these cases.
In the simplest terms, all this in all three states is nothing more than a money grab that will ruin anyone's livelihood that is attached to horse racing in those states. They do not care if you, or anyone associated with horse racing eats tonight, or has a place to sleep. It's all about the money and them grabbing all that they can.
A sad situation EZ. What probably needs to happen, just like in Maryland, the state will most likely need to buy them out and maybe build a new facility or revive an existing old one so that the Canadian based company can sell the land for windfall profit and leave.
I would not worry too much about the end of Florida racing. New York, Kentucky and marquee racing jurisdictions won't allow it to occur. All the best horses from those places head south in the winter to avoid the cold racing tracks and surfaces they need to train on. That will not end. Too much money there EZ.
Just know that this has nothing to do with greedy horsemen and that sort of nonsense. And I think you know that if it did, I would tell you that. This is all about the current ownership and the thirst for more money. Period.
Hope that makes sense EZ. And great to see you back in here man. Don't be so scarce. You are one of the founding posters of this thread.
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THX STR for the good words and the take. Makes sense. As for being scarce lately in the horse racing forum Football season is my time off from the game. Probably hit the ground running again sometime no later than April with the Derby season heating up and the commencement of the Keeneland Spring meet. THX.Comment -
Hey STR: Just saw a message from HRN and they said R. Dutrow has a horse on the derby trail. Captain Cook just scored in the Withers. By Practical Joke out of an Indian Charlie Mare. Look like he will stay in NY to try and qualify for the big race. Thought I would pass it on. GL to Rick and the connections.Comment -
Report: Stronach hires racing exec to explore sale of 1/ST tracks
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^ Hope they can sell their assets to peoples interested in preserving The game and of course making a profit too.Comment -
I don't know who runs the video.... but geez keep it steady...
Caldera Additional Breeze Video
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[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Real Savvy Video Update
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Check out this video of Real Savvy taken last Friday at Wavertree Stables. As you’ll hear from farm trainer Ciaran Dunne, your colt had his first easy breeze back last week and seems to be doing extremely well. He’ll have a few more works at the farm before he’s ready to ship back to the Clement barn.
Boy I'm looking forward to him getting back to the track!
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[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Black Tie Optional Video Update
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Enjoy the accompanying video of Black Tie Optional (Stylishly ’23) training this past Friday with fellow MyRacehorse prospect Native Brew (Yaupon). Wavertree Stables trainer Ciaran Dunne has focused in recent weeks on getting the youngsters accustomed to the starting gate, and both colts have handled the process well. Ciaran feels they now have enough foundation in that regard so they’ll be prepared for further gate schooling when they graduate to the racetrack. We would expect both colts to start breezing in the next couple of weeks.
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Man, Batt. Listen to every word this man says. He is one of the best assets in your stable.[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Real Savvy Video Update
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Check out this video of Real Savvy taken last Friday at Wavertree Stables. As you’ll hear from farm trainer Ciaran Dunne, your colt had his first easy breeze back last week and seems to be doing extremely well. He’ll have a few more works at the farm before he’s ready to ship back to the Clement barn.
Boy I'm looking forward to him getting back to the track!
Horse is everything he says it is at this point. He looks fabulous! And the mental side. Awesome.Comment -
Remember the big kid in school that was cool but a complete oaf? Like Lumpy on Leave it to Beaver. That is the Stylishly baby. Watch him drop the bit on the way to the gate. Thinks he is finished. And Did you see when the other horse switches his tail and hits him in the face near the end. Lololol.
That's great !
He is new favorite baby of yours. He truly made me LOL.Comment -
As always I enjoy your insights! and have to go back and take a closer look to learn a little more!Comment -
by army mule..turfway
R1 #3 lalily (12-1) @ 5:55..
R6 #3 cassiopeia (2-1) @ 8:25
by liam's map ..turfway R4 #8 world of wonder (5-1) @ 7:25Comment -
R6 #3 cassiopeia (2-1) @ 8:25
Talk about a hunch bet. Check out my avatar.
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Synonymous with my recent results. SCRATCHED.Comment -
[COLOR=rgba(77, 76, 76, 0.9)]Sweet Voyage Update
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Sweet Voyage has remained in good order at HighPointe. Trainer Jeff Hiles has opted to continue using that uphill synthetic surface over the last week and plans to breeze Sweet Voyage on Wednesday, which will be her final prep work leading up to our target race on February 12th. She will be entered this coming Wednesday as well.https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/b...8632621841.mp4
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by army mule..gulfstream R1 #1 grade a (4-1) @ 12:20Comment -
She looks alive in this race. Don't let the poor trainers stats fool you. This guy knows what he is doing with babies. I would expect this horse to run well and be prominent early.
On a side note, did you see the 2nd time starter #3 that went off 120.00-1 first time out and finished 3rd. Stepping up off that but you don't see that very often.Comment -
my unbiased choice would be #4 smooth claret (6-1)..
think it's interesting JV would hop off #7 considering she didn't run so bad first out ..showed speed vs open msw at baq in sept which matches up pretty well vs these ..I know ..I'm a traitor lol..probable be sorry when the AM scampers home 1st ..I think that ultimately she's going to be a sprinter and trying to get a little stamina while maybe picking up minor spoils underneath
I didn't notice the 120-1 ..certainly made some people happy who spread out underneath in triples and supers that dayComment -
I could not argue with the 4 horse. Barclay is so solid. And he never trains for speed. That was all the horse on that 1st race. Maybe JV worked her when she went 58 4/5ths last month. That isn't Barclays style either. That was all from the horse. I don't care what any %'s might say, he is excellent.Comment -
I thought I would post that Rich Dauer who was the 2nd baseman for the Balt. Orioles in the late 70's and early 80's passed away it was announced on Monday. He was 72. He won a world series ring in 1983 with the O's as their 2nd baseman and was with the Astros as the 1st base coach in 2017.
I never got to know Rich well, but we spent a couple of years sitting next to each other at Timonium during the summer meets. Pretty sure I posted about that in here. I know I have somewhere in SBR.
Rich was a super friendly guy. Really welcoming to talk to. He was a quiet kind of guy but when you got to know him a bit, he loosened up and was quite a character. Funny, smart, and he loved going to the track and watching the races for about half the day card before he had to leave for the ballfield for home games.
It's funny, but years, decades removed from the game, some memories and recollections still make me smile and remind me of how much fun it was and how lucky I was to get a chance to talk to all the different people I was so blessed to be able to.
Rich Dauer would be near the top of any list in my mind.
Heck of a guy. Rest in Peace Rich.Comment -
I would've thought that about him also and good additional point ..works pretty steady going back a ways and besides the fast one you mentioned all pretty conservative ..certainly doesn't need blazers off what she did in her debut and probably the way barclay tagg prepares themComment
