The Fine Art of Eating Crow

I must admit, I woke from bed yesterday morning rather excited at the prospect at once and for all seeing what Drosselmeyer could do. He has been a horse I have been following and liking since last Fall. The Dwyer would be the race where he would leave all excuses in the rearview mirror. I pictured a stalking trip and a powerful explosion at the top of the lane that would carry him six lengths clear of the rest of the field. The impressive win would send him onto the Belmont as one of the horses to beat. Things went exactly as planned, except for one small detail, it wasn’t Drosselmeyer who impressively blitzed the field. Rather it was the Nick Zito trained, Fly Down who now looks like a legitimate up-and-comer, and one that may have a say come four weeks from now in the Belmont Stakes. Ever the optimist, I took the opportunity of being so wrong, to revisit a favorite recipe of mine for last night’s dinner.  The recipe follows... Here is what you will need: -1 large crow (de-feather the crow only if you want to take the easy way out) -4 tablespoons butter or margarine -2 tablespoons flour -1/2 cup clear stock -1/2 cup white wine seasoning -The rest of that bottle of wine (for rapid consumption) Cooking Instructions: -Melt butter or margarine in a heat-proof Dutch oven. -When hot, sauté the crow gently all over until it's golden brown. -Remove the bird. -Add flour, stock and wine, blend smoothly. -Bring to a boil and add seasoning. -Return bird to the Dutch oven and cover. -Cook in preheated 350 degree oven, turning bird while cooking, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bird is tender. Many of you may never need to eat crow, but if you are like me, and eating crow is far from an unfamiliar occurrence, then by all means try this recipe and enjoy!

No Derby, Drosselmeyer to Dwyer

When you possess the kind of hand that WinStar Farm held in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, there is sure to be some success and some failure. One of their colts, Endorsement, was injured in a recent workout, while another talented colt running for WinStar, Rule, did not train his best and was taken out of Kentucky Derby consideration. Yet another of their runners, American Lion made it to the race, but was never a factor and finished 11th. It was not that long ago that WinStar was hopeful that another of their young stars, Drosselmeyer would enter the Kentucky Derby with a real chance to win. It did not happen. Drosselmeyer was likely the best horse in the Louisiana Derby, but lacked racing room at a key juncture of the race. The bad luck resulted in a 3rd place finish, and left the son of Distorted Humor on the outside looking in on the graded earning’s list. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

The Middle Jewel Takes Shape

Eight days from race day, and the Preakness field still has questions, but it is much closer to taking shape than it was a couple of days ago. At this time, here are the 14 sophomores I see as most likely to line up in the Preakness starting gate, along with my rating of each: 1 Lookin At Lucky 3-1 Isn’t the 2009 two-year-old champion is due for a fair chance. A grinder who has run well in every start, had no chance in the Derby after the first quarter mile. Needs only that elusive good trip to wear down the Derby winner down the lane, and prove he is still a champion. 2 Super Saver 5-2 The Derby winner has the tactical advantage of being near or on the lead. He has been well handled this year and appears to be in the midst of peaking at the perfect time. He will be the one to pass if you want to win the Preakness, and will have every chance to head to New York as a Triple Crown contender. 3 Caracortado 15-1 California bred gelding was up against slow paces and a rough trip in his last two. The talented colt has been freshened and is doing well for his assault on Baltimore. May get a perfect middle of the pack trip to strike as they straighten out, and if he appreciates a return to the dirt, could be the one to pull the upset. 4 Noble’s Promise 10-1 Solid colt returned from bad luck in the Arkansas Derby to run big at Churchill. He looked strong and full of run on the turn, but then hit the distance wall in the stretch. The 1/16 mile shorter distance of the Preakness should help, but the route is still a question. ***Latest News - Noble's Promise will skip the Preakness and run in England instead, via Ray Paulick.*** 5 Hurricane Ike 12-1 The Derby Trial was a big performance in his second dirt try. If the change to dirt is a reason for the apparent rapid improvement, he could prove a dangerous new shooter. The Preakness will be another huge step up for the Sadler trainee, but his last makes him quite interesting. 6 Paddy O’Prado 8-1 One of the talked about horses, he ran a big race in Louisville. Not that long ago he was a maiden, but now he may be have progressed enough to be a major threat against anyone. I wonder if he moved up in the slop, but he must be respected off his recent form. 7 Dublin 15-1 D. Wayne’s main hope was a threatening presence at the quarter pole, but once again faded a bit when the real running began. He must be considered a threat on his best, but until he proves to me that he can get a distance, I can not make him one of my top selections. 8 Schoolyard Dreams 20-1 Derek Ryan trained colt defeated the Derby winner just a few races ago, but then disappointed in the Wood Memorial. He has been freshened since then and if he can improve just a little bit, may prove to be horse with a chance in the stretch. 9 Jackson Bend 20-1 Steps in as the only LaPenta/ Zito colt to make the trip to Baltimore. Hard trying little guy deserves another chance after the Derby craziness. I still see the distance as the main drawback to his win chances once again. 10 Aikenite 25-1 Pletcher’s other entrant showed improvement in the Derby Trial, but I believe that was mainly due to the shorter distance. 1 3/16 should prove tough for the son of Yes It’s True, who probably will have a future rallying in one-turn races. 11 A Little Warm 25-1 New shooter went from a stakes win sprinting to a solid effort in the Louisiana Derby. Not sure if he can make another big jump up against these at the Preakness distance, but he should be involved in the early stages. 12 First Dude 30-1 Lightly raced and distance bred, this colt may still have a future, but it is hard to see it happen in the Preakness. This Dale Romans' second string colt looks destined to run much like you would expect a second stringer to run. 13 Pleasant Prince 30-1 The horse who ran close to Ice Box several times seems to be moving in the wrong direction. His connections tried hard to qualify him for the Derby, and it did not work. Now I am afraid they are left with a non-fresh horse with little chance in here. 14 Northern Giant 40-1 Lukas is famous for taking a flyer in Triple Crown races, and that is all that this horse appears to be. I can’t recommend off his Arkansas Derby performance, in which his lack of class seems to have been on display.

Who Am I ???

*I won more than half of my lifetime starts during my two year racing career. *Unraced at two, my first stakes win came in May of my three-year-old season. *In my most memorable race, I narrowly missed out on a Hollywood script type of ending. *I was bred in Kentucky but I never raced there. *Half of my stakes wins came on the turf, and half came on the dirt. *Champion runners and sires, Bold Ruler and Ribot, were both in my immediate family tree. *My number one jockey was a Hall of Famer but not native to the United States. *I was bred to the horse that defeated me by a neck in a grade 1 stakes, and together we produced a graded stakes winner. *All of my races were in the same state until the final race of my career. *In my final career start, I gave the winner 14 pounds in the slop, went very wide, and lost by one length. *My Eclipse Award came at the conclusion of my four-year-old season. You should know by now … Who Am I ???

On This Date in History - Secretariat

37 years ago today, May 5, 1973, The great Secretariat stepped on to the Churchill Downs racetrack. For Big Red it was an ultimate chance for redemption in the nation‘s biggest race. The powerful colt who had been named Horse of the Year as a juvenile in 1972, was coming off a stunning loss in the Wood Memorial. The defeat, in which he finished 3rd to stablemate Angle Light, and Sham, the top notch colt trained by Pancho Martin, rendered the invincible colt beatable. Secretariat was still favored to win the Kentucky Derby, but there were many now who thought the Penny Chenery owned chestnut would struggle to win the Run for the Roses, and that Sham was just the horse to usurp his throne. Sham would run a marvelous race in the Derby, but it was Secretariat who proved to be a champion for all times. Ridden by Ron Turcotte, he would drop far off the pace early on as Sham stayed close to the early lead. Secretariat steadily passed horses on the backstretch to become a menacing presence on the turn. Meanwhile Sham, with a quick thrust that would have proved victorious in almost any other Derby, moved in to take over the lead from pacesetter Shecky Greene. As Sham took command, there was Secretariat still gaining on the outside. The Lucien Laurin trainee collared Sham early in the stretch, and the battle would wage. The rest of the field had been shed away, as the two star colts flashed their brilliance. There soon would be no doubt as to who was the most brilliant. Big Red slowly put away his rival and powered home 2 ½ lengths clear of Sham. Secretariat was more than ten lengths clear of 3rd place finisher Our Native, and the final time for the 1 ¼ miles was 1:59 and 2/5, the fastest in the storied history of the Kentucky Derby. Five weeks later on June 9, Secretariat would put away Sham for the third time, winning the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner in twenty five years.

What if Eclipse Awards Went Out Today?

Admittedly handing out awards barely more than 1/3 of the way through the year is a tad bit silly, but hey, I can be silly once in a while...Let's have some fun! Horse of the Year - Quality Road Older Male - Quality Road Older Female - Zenyatta 3-year-old Male - Super Saver 3-year-old Female - Blind Luck Turf Male - General Quarters Turf Female - Tuscan Evening Sprint Male - Kinsale King Sprint Female - Mona de Momma 2-year-old Male - Lou Brissie 2-year-old Female - Twelve Pack Shelly Let the debate begin!