Who Am I ???

*I was classically bred in Kentucky. Who knows how good my sire would have been if his career had not been cut short. *A favorite with the bettors, I was favored in nearly 80% of my races and I won more than 60% of the time.. *Undefeated as a juvenile, my largest margin of victory came in my first career start. *In my biggest career victory, I left the Kentucky Derby winner well behind. *My elderly trainer worked for my well known owners for many, many years. *My Kentucky Derby story was that there was no story. *I finished 3rd in my final career start, which was the richest race I ever ran in. *I never ran on turf or synthetics, and my worst career race was on a sloppy track. *I ran in six different states in my career and I was victorious in each of those states. *My conditioner was best known for his fillies; I may have been his most talented colt. *I was bet down to below even money in more than half of my races including a Triple Crown race. You should know by now … Who Am I ???

Who is Your Derby Dark Star???

As the days leading to the Kentucky Derby wind down, we all start to form allegiances to the horses we will back in the big race. Whether we show it in the form of our wagering dollars or not, we all want our pick to do well when the gates spring open. It is a big thrill to see a horse we like cross the Churchill Downs wire first, even if the only connection is that of a fan. If you are like me, you will have more than one horse that you root for in the Derby, and a few of those, will be horses not favored to win. Derby dark horses if you will. But given one of the most famous upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby, it seems there may be a better name for these horses. Let’s scratch the dark horse and instead call them dark stars. Of course this moniker comes directly from the 1953 Kentucky Derby champion Dark Star. Dark Star was a brown colt by Royal Gem out of the Bull Dog mare, Isolde. Owned by Harry Guggenheim, trained by Eddie Hayward, and ridden by Henry Moreno, Dark Star was the 5th choice at just under 25-1 in the eleven horse Derby field. The speedy colt had won the Derby Trial just days before, but was not paid much attention, largely because of the presence of the Gray Ghost. Native Dancer was more than a champion, he was a national hero. A television star and a Horse of the Year as a juvenile, the undefeated gray colt entered the starting gate as an overwhelming 7-10 in America‘s most famous race. In one of the most surprising upsets ever seen, jockey Henry Moreno guided Dark Star from an outside post to a wire-to-wire win, holding off the Ghost in a furious stretch run to prevail by a diminishing margin. The photo revealed Dark Star had held on by a head. Race fans everywhere were stunned. The Derby would be the only time in 22 career starts that Native Dancer would be defeated. It was nothing for wins for racing‘s star after that day. He rebounded quickly with a win in the Withers, and then exacted a small level of revenge over his Derby vanquisher in the Preakness. Dark Star would tire to finish a distant fifth that day and never again would win a big race. Native Dancer would go on to win the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, as well as, the Dwyer Stakes, Arlington Classic, Travers Stakes and the American Derby. Thereby cementing is place as an all-time great in American racing. How was Native Dancer beaten? As an old friend would say…“Reason tatters the forces tear loose from the axis.” Whatever you may call it, upsets happen, and Dark Star did defeat Native Dancer in one of the most famous Run for the Roses ever run. Can it happen this year? Other than the Derby favorite, Eskendereya, and the two colts who will be nearest to him in odds, Lookin at Lucky and Sidney’s Candy, I think you can consider everyone else in the race as a potential dark star. It is very possible after the first three choices, everyone in the field will have double digit odds. That leaves 17 legitimate opportunites for this year’s Derby to produce a Dark Star like result. Of course many of those 17 will not turn out to be legitimate. It is our job to separate the pretenders from the real contenders. Maybe we will find a one day upsetter, like Dark Star, or maybe they will go on to greater futures. For now I am only worried about one race. I have begun the process and my Dark Star top five includes Awesome Act, Endorsement, Mission Impazible, Setsuko, and Super Saver in no particular order. I ask you all…Who is your Derby Dark Star???

Remembering ... Street Sense

Kentucky Derby Day. There is nothing else quite like it in the world. For a dark bay colt named Street Sense, it was the day of crowning achievement. Sent off as the 9-2 favorite in the field of 20, Street Sense was poised to add his name to a most sacred scroll of victors in American racing. The early stages would have his supporters a little concerned, however. Soon after the start, the son of Street Cry eased to the inside rail and relaxed near the rear of the oversized pack. After the first half mile, Street Sense was in 19th place, more than fifteen lengths off the strong pace set by Hard Spun. The juvenile champion remained patient on the rail with rider Calvin Borel up the backstretch, moving off the rail only briefly to pass Storm in May before resuming a rail riding trip. Street Sense began his amazing rally on the far turn and started passing horses as if they were standing still. Street Sense and Borel would keep true to the rail and it remained open as if it was ordained from a higher power. He deftly got off the rail to go around Sedgefield turning for home and now just had the stubborn Hard Spun to deal with. He accelerated on the leader, and the race was his by the eighth pole. Street Sense powered home to an impressive Kentucky Derby win with an overjoyed Borel celebrating before they even hit the wire, waving his right arm and pumping his fist. It was the first Derby win for Borel and owner James Tafel, and the second for trainer Carl Nafzger, but this day was about the horse. Already a champion, Street Sense became the first BC Juvenile winner to win the Derby, and he did it in smashing style. A smashing win at Churchill Downs was nothing new to Street Sense. He had been solid in all of his first four starts, but with only one win to date, he was not made one of the favorites in the 2006 BC Juvenile. The one win was in an Arlington Park maiden race, and it was the first time I saw him in person. In that race, there were three stakes quality juveniles in the mix. I was thoroughly impressed as Street Sense stalked fast fractions and easily wore down his opposition with a 1 ¼ length score in his second lifetime start. The win over future stakes horses Izzie’s Halo and Piratesonthelake stamped Street Sense as a horse to watch in my mind. The trio was 13 lengths clear of the rest of the field, furthering my belief that this would be a key race. Two third place finishes ensued as Street Sense was beaten in a sloppy edition of the Arlington Washington Futurity and then weakened after making a huge move in his first try around two-turns in the Grade 1 Breeder’s Futurity at Keeneland. They might not have been wins, but they set him up perfectly for a run in the most important race for two-year-olds. And perfect it was. His Breeders Cup win was a majestic thing of beauty. Street Sense rocketed through on the rail to win the Juvenile by a whopping ten lengths. It is the largest winning margin in the Juvenile's 26 year history and second largest ever in the Breeders' Cup. The other 13 juveniles were left in the dust and Street Sense was an overwhelming winner of an Eclipse Award a few months later. It was always easy for me to root for Street Sense. He was handled by good people and there was a real sense of consistency to the group. Trainer Carl Nafzger was always one of my favorite trainers, which I am sure is true for a lot of people after Unbridled’s stretch run in the 1990 Kentucky Derby. Nafzger’s number one client has been James Tafel for many years, and their long running relationship has produced many fine runners, but none quite like Street Sense. It was Tafel that bred Street Sense, and in fact it was his idea to breed his Dixieland Band mare Bedazzle to the young sire Street Cry in the first place. Joining the Tafel and Nafzger team was popular rider Calvin Borel, who credits Jim and Gus Tafel, as well as Nafzger, for a lot of the success he has enjoyed. So consistent and loyal is this team, that Borel rode Street Sense in every single one of his thirteen career starts. A stat rarely seen in this day and age, and I for one appreciate this sense of loyalty and teamwork. That consistency proved to be a good thing for their charge. It bothers me a little when Street Sense is mentioned as strictly a Churchill horse. I saw him run in 1:15 and change for 6 ½ furlongs that day when he broke his maiden in what proved to be a stakes quality field, proving that he could run very fast when needed.  That was just the beginning for Street Sense who would go on to beat the quality runner Any Given Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby, and lose the Blue Grass by a desperate nose on Keeneland’s new Polytrack surface before his Derby win. After the Derby he came within a whisker of winning the Preakness, when he looked like he had the race won before the superstar made one final lunge that nipped him at the wire. Rested for a few months, Street Sense would win the Jim Dandy in easy fashion, before winning for the final time in a hard fought Travers. As you can see, Street Sense was far more than a one track wonder. His two biggest wins may have come at Churchill, but that is where the biggest races were. He proved to be a star on far more occasions than only those two races. Unfortunately, Street Sense’s only sub-par performance would come in his final race, Curlin’s 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic. In the end, Street Sense won six of his thirteen starts with four more second place finishes. He brought home a check in every single start to the tune of more than $4.3 million in earnings. He was retired after his three-year-old season after two very successful years on the track and sent to Darley Stud’s Jonabell Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. His first foals are yearlings in 2010. I believe that Street Sense will prove to be an outstanding sire, based on his racing talent, conformation, and breeding. I also believe that Street Sense is not remembered for the outstanding horse that he was because of the result of his final race. Yes, Curlin won easy, and Street Sense labored home a will beaten 4th , (the only time in his career he was out of the money) but remember the track was a sloppy mess that day, and going into that final race he was well respected. Street Sense was the race favorite, while Curlin was the fourth choice. If that race was run on a fast track, who knows how Street Sense would be remembered. I remember you Street Sense. Photo by Sue Kawczynski

Derby Dozen & Oaks Eleven

Inside of three weeks now. Excitement is building. Will we have our first Triple Crown winner in 32 years? Will another Oaks winner use it as a springboard to the Preakness or Belmont? These questions and many more will be answered in the coming days. The most exciting two minutes in sports and its filly counterpart are almost upon us. The wait is almost over. If I sound excited, it’s because I am! Let’s get ready to get Down and Derby!!! Here is how I rate them less than 21 days from kickoff, Ladies first… 1 Devil May Care Back in top form; Pletcher has the horses to sweep the Oaks and the Derby. 2 Blind Luck I thought she was the best of the juvenile fillies, she’s still the one every horse has to beat. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Zenyatta is the Master

As I watch my favorite golf tournament with great interest, I take the time to marvel at the ability of these incredible golfers. The Masters is the perfect name for the greatest golf tournament on earth. Perhaps I appreciate their unbelievable skill just a wee bit more, because I am very familiar with what it takes to play the game well. I am a very good golfer and can play more proficiently than 99% of the world, but truth be told, I can not hold a candle to the men I am watching today. Men like Lee Westwood, Phil Mickleson, and Tiger Woods are true masters. Appreciation of this mastery, and understanding of how truly special what they can do with a golf club and ball, is something as a young man I envied. Now with a little more age, and perhaps wisdom, I find nothing but positives in watching the best in my game. For a myriad of reasons, such as amazing innate talent, a great work ethic to hone their craft, an inner peace and confidence, the courage to excel, I could go on…these greats of the sport are marvelous examples of how one of God’s creatures can reach levels of greatness that boggle the mind. I do not know how many of my readers could care less about the sport of golf, and I apologize for rambling about the game, but in watching the Masters this weekend, I find a strong correlation between these stars and a certain dark bay mare that ran on Friday. You might be familiar with her. Her name is Zenyatta, and she also boggles the mind. Watching her gives us a better understanding of the perfection that we can find in the world. Zenyatta is a master of Thoroughbred horse racing. What she can do with rider Mike Smith on her back is simply better than what other horses can do. Watch a typical stakes race anywhere in the world and you will see marvelous athletes doing what they do best. In beautiful rhythm, they run with speed and grace unlike anything else on earth. These stakes horses do it better than 99% of their breed, but truth be told, they can not hold a candle to Zenyatta. Like comparing Tiger Woods to myself on the golf course, Zenyatta is in another stratosphere. I hope we all take the time to marvel and appreciate what we have for as long as she is on the racetrack. We may never see another like her. She is a perfect 16 for 16, but more importantly, what she can do is perfection. What makes her so phenomenal? I don’t know. It is a myriad of qualities too intricate to calculate, that have all come together to create Zenyatta. On this weekend, one of my favorite weekends of the year because of the Masters golf tournament, I find joy and admiration, appreciation and marvel in Zenyatta. She is a true master, or maybe I should just take that one step farther…Zenyatta is the master.

Derby Day in the Natural State

D. Wayne Lukas once ruled over the Derby-Preakness-Belmont landscape with a confident and steady hand that saw him win an incredible 13 times. Such a consistent threat in the Triple Crown races was Lukas, that he once won six consecutive crown races with Tabasco Cat, Thunder Gulch, Timber Country, and Grindstone in 1994-96. His last win came in 2000 with the longshot Belmont winner Commendable. In the ten years that have passed since the Hall of Fame trainer last found himself in a Spring classic winner’s circle, legitimate opportunities have been notably slim. Lukas hopes to end that streak with either of two colts that he has starting in today’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. In Dublin and Northern Giant, Lukas has a two-prong attack that could well send him onto Louisville on a winning note, and possibly a return to Triple Crown glory. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here