His Ashes Were Laid to Rest at the Finish Line

To Alan Seewald, who died suddenly this Spring, the Haskell was to be his Kentucky Derby. Seewald’s last wish, which he expressed to his wife Kate the day before he passed, was that Uptowncharlybrown run in the Haskell. As the trainer of Uptowncharlybrown, Seewald knew that he had the kind of talent needed to compete in New Jersey’s most important race. He also saw, in this powerful son of Limehouse, the best horse to ever set foot in his barn. In a career that spanned four decades, it was Monmouth Park that Seewald called home, and at Monmouth, the Haskell is the big one. So it would be the big race for his big horse. Suffering a fatal heart attack in his sleep, on the morning of April 12, Seewald would not live to see the big day. Despite his death, and subsequent transfer of Charly to the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin, the first part of his wish will come true, however. Uptowncharlybrown will be one of eight three-year-olds to line up in the starting gate for Sunday’s one million dollar Haskell Invitational. Uptowncharlybrown will have his work cut out for him, when he takes on a deep field that includes juvenile champion and Preakness winner, Lookin At Lucky, and Kentucky Derby hero Super Saver. Derby runner-up Ice Box, Preakness runner-up First Dude, and the up-and-coming Trappe Shot also figure to receive heavy attention from the bettors. Rounding out the field will be two salty colts in Afleet Again, and Our Dark Knight, who like Charly, may have what it takes to pull off an upset. Is Charly good enough to get the job done? I think he may be. Uptowncharlybrown won his first two starts for fun before losing his last four starts in the Sam F. Davis, Tampa Bay Derby, Lexington, and Belmont Stakes. In each of those races, Charly was competitive, but not able to take home a big prize. Frankly, he will need to run his career best to win the Haskell, but it is certainly within his reach. In this crop of sophomores, without a major stand out, Charly is already not that far from the top. Not blessed with any racing luck in his last four races, it may just come down to things falling his way at Monmouth. Charly will have thousands rooting for him on Sunday. Foremost among them will be his large ownership group that race under the name Fantasy Lane Stable. A nicer group of owners you will never meet. I have been lucky enough to get to know some of them, and I am clearly better off for being able to call them friends. Folks like Jennifer Weigand, Patrick Sheehan, and John Popovich would literally give you the shirt off their backs, if that is what you may need. They deserve this, and they will get a big win someday with one of their horses. Why not Charly in the Haskell? No matter how Charly fares in the Haskell, The spirit of Alan Seewald will be at the finish line waiting for him in more ways than one. I know somehow he will be there to see the horse he loved, run in the race he yearned to win, and there is good reason to feel this way. In a fitting ceremony, Alan Seewald’s ashes were laid to rest at the Monmouth Park finish line. You can bet that this writer will be pulling for Charly to be the one to reach that finish line first. I ask you, how can you do anything but root for Uptowncharlybrown in Sunday’s Haskell?

Belmont Stakes Blues

No Triple Crown this year. So what. We have not had a sweep in 32 years, and I am used to living without one, and now we do not have to worry about being disappointed by the Derby and Preakness winner going down in New York. The Triple Crown should be reserved for the crème de la crème. If we do not have that this year, than so be it, there should be no Triple Crown winner. Personally, I am not going to cry about it, nor am I going to talk about the Belmont as less of a race because there is no opportunity for a Crown winner. The Belmont is still the Belmont, which is one of the most important races in our nation. This year’s edition will be sans a Derby or Preakness winner, which will guarantee a trio of classic winners in 2010. That could make things very interesting later in the year, say in the Travers, with the three winners hooking up. Without a standout, the Belmont promises to be a very interesting race from both a competitive standpoint as well as a wagering opportunity. I know I am already looking forward to betting against the favorite. Here is a list of horses currently looking at the Belmont Stakes, with my earliest of morning lines: Ice Box   2-1 Fly Down   4-1 First Dude   6-1 Dublin   10-1 Make Music For Me   12-1 Devil May Care   15-1 Uptowncharlybrown   15-1 Game On Dude   15-1 Drosselmeyer   20-1 Stately Victor   20-1 Stay Put   20-1 Setsuko   20-1 New Madrid   20-1 Superstars and world beaters? No, but doesn’t this still look like a pretty interesting race? I will be looking forward to the Belmont Stakes as usual, plus the fabulous card that Belmont puts together for the day. If you want to sing your Belmont Stakes Blues, do it someplace else. ZATT is all in!

Let’s Win One for Alan Seewald

“Alan had an incredible soft side to him that everyone loved. All you had to do was pay him a compliment and he would have this big smile, lower his head, turn on heel and walk away saying he had to do some work or something. He didn’t like the attention. (Jennifer laughs) … I really will miss him!” -Jennifer Weigand, a Fantasy Lane Stable Owner. There is a lot riding on tomorrow’s Lexington Stakes. For some, it is a final opportunity to earn enough in graded stakes to enter the Kentucky Derby. For others it is an opportunity to win a big race at one of America’s most beautiful tracks. But for one horse and his myriad of connections, it offers the unique opportunity to honor a man. A good man that deserves to be honored. Trainer Alan Seewald passed away this past Monday, in his sleep, at the age of 62 years young. It was a shocking and saddening blow to his family and to all of the many people that knew him on the racetrack. His horse, Uptowncharlybrown, is running in the Lexington Stakes tomorrow at Keeneland, and a win would serve to celebrate the life and work of Alan Seewald. “Losing Alan Seewald this week was not only a devastating blow to his family, but his FLS family as well. He was held in very high regard and I don’t think you could find a more honest, genuine, passionate, all-around wonderful person to be around at the track.” -Patrick Sheehan, a Fantasy Lane Stable Owner. Alan Seewald was born January 15, 1948 in Brooklyn, New York. He received his trainer’s license at the age of 36 and has been a solid trainer on the New Jersey racing circuit for the past 26 years. This Spring, Alan Seewald was closing in on 1,000 career wins from his 5,700 plus starts. Growing up in New Jersey, I always liked to see his name as the trainer of a horse I was liking. His horses were ready to win. My favorite Seewald horse was a hard knocking New Jersey horse named Teddy Drone. I remember seeing Teddy win a fast allowance race at Monmouth Park early in his career. Seewald kept this horse healthy for a long career and Teddy would go on to win 31 times in 89 races. He won many small stakes on the East Coast, and when he was sharp he could give the big boys a run for their money. Teddy Drone was around for years, was easy to love, and in retrospect you have to give a lot of credit to his trainer, Alan Seewald. Seewald trained a lot of good horses over the years, but Teddy Drone is one I personally will never forget. Alan Seewald was much more than just a trainer, but that is how I knew him, and how I admired him. He is survived by his wife Kathleen, sons Ryan and Shane, and grandson Blake. “We enter Uptowncharlybrown in this weekend's Lexington Stakes with a heavy heart after losing this wonderful man way too soon. This will be a very sentimental and emotional race for us all and should good fortune shine upon us Saturday afternoon, and Charly wins the race, it will certainly be done in Alan's honor. I think it would be a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much of himself to this sport, his horses, his owners and most of all, his family. He always acted in the best interest of the animals and we would all love to see Charly cross the wire first, to pay tribute to all of his efforts.” -Patrick Sheehan Is Uptowncharlybrown worthy of this responsibility? Yes. In his career, Uptowncharlybrown, has won half of his four career starts. His first win came last December in his career debut. In that race, Charly romped by 9 lengths. He followed that up with a 6 length score in Tampa Bay’s Pasco Stakes. Charly has not found success in graded stakes yet, as he finished 3rd in the Sam F. Davis Stakes in February, and is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby five weeks ago, but it should only be a matter of time. Neither race was too disappointing, as he was closing fast down the middle of the track in the Davis, and then had little chance when bottled-up on the rail all the way around in the Tampa Bay Derby.  A race in which he only beaten less than three lengths. Seewald had decided to run Charly in the Lexington, because of how well he felt the son of Limehouse was doing since his last race. “Losing Alan was such a shocking, devastating blow to all of the partners. A win in the Lexington on Saturday would substantiate for everyone exactly what Alan saw in Charly from the very first time he saw him in the sale last year. Alan thought the world of him, believed he had the potential to be a champion and never wavered from that opinion of Charly. A win for Charly would be one more for the “Good Guys” in racing and a perfect tribute to Alan’s Legacy – you do right by the horse and he will do right by you. Win or lose, we can all learn from Alan’s patience, understanding and dedication to his horses. He was a great trainer in his own right and we will miss him dearly.” -Jennifer Weigand I do not know if Uptowncharlybrown will win tomorrow’s Lexington Stakes, he is certainly one of the ones to beat, but what I do know, is that he deserves to win. I know I will be rooting hard for him. Alan Seewald was a good trainer and a good man, who has left this world too soon. To Uptowncharlybrown, Linda White, Alan’s assistant who has taken over training duties, and the entire Fantasy Lane Stable team, I say let’s win one for Alan Seewald. Linda White, Uptowncharlybrown & Alan Seewald Photo by Kate Seewald

Derby Prep Day the 13th

It looks like I picked a good day to start writing for Youbet.com. If you like the greatest of horses returning after several months on the sidelines, if you like crucial preps with countless major candidates for the first Saturday in May, if you like the thrill of many of the greatest athletes in the world giving it everything they possibly have to cross the finish line first, then friends, today is a day for you. What has Zipse at the Track (you can call me ZATT for short) so excited? Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, the greatest female horses I have ever seen (sorry Ruffian) make their long awaited and agonizingly anticipated returns today in the New Orleans Ladies and the Santa Margarita Handicap respectively. Any day these magnificent horses hit the track it is an instant holiday, and today they both will run. Peaking the interest even more, this will be their only appearance before the big one on April 9. Not taking a backseat to the older females, are three excellent fields of prime Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the Rebel Stakes, San Felipe Stakes, and the Tampa Bay Derby. In these three major preps, no less than 13 of my personal Top 30 horses from the Kentucky Derby master list will be in action today. You may have already guessed that I am expecting Rachel and Zenyatta to win today, so let’s concentrate on the Derby preps. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here