ACROSS THE BOARD by Steve Davidowitz
for TrackMaster - February, 2010

Not So Random Notes And Comments To Start A New Racing Season.

* If you want a quick peek into what is wrong with Frank Stronach's stewardship of his racetrack holdings, all you have to do is look at the way his company has mishandled one of his best innovations, The Magna 5.

First, the five-race bet was set to be re-introduced on January 30 after several months of inactivity - a decision that also can be questioned considering the momentum the bet had gained in 2009. Designed to be completed within a single hour and to involve three or four Magna owned or related tracks (Laurel, Gulfstream, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields), it surely seemed odd that Magna could not work out a deal with another track or two to continue the bet when a Magna track closed for the season. But that is only a hint of the issue that is at the bottom of this story.

First, back to the January 30th attempt to re-introduce the bet. CANCELLED. Derailed by stormy winter weather in Maryland last weekend. To understand why this cancelation occurred, we have to know that Magna uses Laurel as the betting hub for the bet. Thus, a Laurel cancelation automatically means a cancelation of the Magna 5. That is the problem.

There was and is no NO BACK UP PLAN in place. No plan to switch the betting hub to GP, or SA, or GG for the Magna 5. No alternate race to be substituted for the Laurel race in the event of a Laurel cancellation!

While Magna has no control over the weather, terrible winter weather in the Northeastern corridor led to the bet being canceled again on February 6. There was no back up plan yet in place even after the cancellation of the prior week.

Of course, not even a back up plan would have saved the February 6th Magna 5, given that a rainstorm also forced the cancellation of Santa Anita's February 6 card. But that is not the point. The lack of planning was still in evidence, front and center.

Fact is, the choice to install a Pro Ride racing surface at Santa Anita as a last gasp effort to undo the damage caused by the faulty Cushion Track of 2008, does not speak well for other important decisions made by Mr. Stronach. At the bottom line, there is one underlying fact that best describes Stronach's stewardship of his vast racetrack holdings: NO BACK UP PLAN. Not for himself, not for his tracks, not for the horsemen who race there and not for the horseplayers who despite it all, want to play the game.

* If Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra do meet at Oaklawn for the pumped up $5 million Apple Blossom stakes at 1-1/8 miles on April 3, I do not expect Rachel Alexandra to be at full power and will predict now that Zenyatta will have her for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This despite Rachel's natural edge in early speed over the stretch running Zenyatta. Frankly, I never have seen a horse of any age or sex that wins races from far behind the pace who is so completely immune to the way the pace scenario unfolds. That is Zenyatta.

* The Tapeta track designed and developed by the great horse trainer Michael W. Dickinson is the best of the synthetics and deserves NOT to be lumped in with the failed Pro Ride at Santa Anita, the dirt-Cushion track hybrid in play at Hollywood Park and the various versions of Polytrack at Keeneland, Turfway Park, Woodbine and Arlington. I also think that Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai would not have put Tapeta into its billion dollar Meydan Racetrack if he had any worries about the way the Dickinson surface would handle the wild swinging weather conditions that annually hit the Arabian Peninsula.

* I love the $2 basic unit for the Pick Six, the $1 for the Pick Four and Pick Three and the 10 cent Superfecta. I hate the 50 cent unit of play for any and all multi race wagers as much as I dislike the $1 unit for the Pick Six that some tracks insist upon using. As a tangential matter, I also think ALL payoff possibilities should be displayed in traditional $2 units. When we bet a buck, I think all but a few horseplayers can figure out that the $2 payoff needs to be divided by two.

* With the inability to see Santa Anita and Gulfstream on TV due to Cox Cable's decision only to broadcast TVG and not HRTV, I was caught watching Beulah Park races on Wednesday February 3. Shocked was I to see jockey Jorge Collazo, Jr. whip Star Crazy twice inside the final 1/16 mile while that horse was en route to a 26-3/4 length victory in a $5K maiden claiming route! More to the point, why didn't the Beulah stewards fine this rider his winning fee for his insensitive handling of this willing runner.

* Speaking of "why". . . Why does Tampa Bay race caller Richard Grunder — who sees a horse race as well as any race caller in America — act as if he is trying to reach the high notes in the Star Spangled Banner whenever he is calling a Tampa Bay Downs race? Richard is a truly good guy, a fine jockey's agent and as stated, his good calls would be easier on the ears with a modest tonal adjustment. By way of example, Larry Collmus, the regular announcer at Gulfstream and Monmouth Park (and sometimes Suffolk Downs too) used to have a similar issue but became one of the top track announcers in the country by making a conscious effort to achieve a less piercing tone.

* Was anyone not impressed by GRASSHOPPER'S facile allowance win at Gulfstream on Wednesday, February 3. The field was loaded with solid stakes horses and Grasshopper won a close verdict with plenty in reserve. Grasshopper only needs to stay free of nagging injuries to win Grade-1 stakes this year.

* Pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training next week, and while that usually perks me up as much as Triple Crown season, I am a devout Mets fan who is prepared for another dismal performance in 2010. Jason Bay was a good addition, but there are too many holes and major question marks to expect anything but another losing year. Based on the moves they made during the offseason, my pre spring training picks for each of the six baseball divisions are: Yanks, Twins, Mariners; Phillies; Cubs; Giants. My two wild card teams are the Rangers and Braves and my longshot potential surprises for each league are the Orioles and Reds.

* Who says that February is a dead month for sports once the Super Bowl is over? Here we are with the first serious round of Triple Crown preps this weekend and next; Major League Baseball teams reporting to their spring training bases in Florida and Arizona, Pro and College Basketball in full flight along with the National Hockey League and now we have wall to wall coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on free and cable TV. Frankly, it would be good to see American Bode Miller put in a strong performance this time around on the snowy hills of Vancouver. This will be Miller's fourth Olympics and the last time we saw him in Turin four years ago, he did not take the experience seriously and fell apart in all of his races. Without over reaching, I think the Mens' Downhill Run is a serious challenger to the Kentucky Derby's claim as "the most exciting two minutes in sports."

* Speaking of the 136th running of the (always exciting) Kentucky Derby, which will be run on Saturday May 1 at Churchill Downs, Futures Pool #1 is scheduled to open February 12-14. At present, I only have eight top prospects, plus five on the margins, with at least two dozen more to come from stakes being run at Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Oaklawn and the Fair Grounds during the next month, including a few this weekend.

My top eight plus five, in order of present preference, are:

LOOKIN AT LUCKY, the sleekly built Eclipse Award winning 2 year old of 2009.

LENTENOR, the full brother to Barbaro who like his brother, showed excellent acceleration in a route race on the grass as a probable prelude to his test on dirt next month. This is a real racehorse.

BUDDY'S SAINT, who was an impressive winner of the 9 furlong Remsen last fall.

ESKENDEREYA, a beautifully bred colt who looked like a Derby prospect last fall and has returned in good form.

DROSSELMEYER, promising winner of an allowance route at Gulfstream.

AMERICAN LION, a stakes winner at Hollywood last fall.

VALE OF YORK, under-appreciated winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile who, unfortunately, is training in Dubai.

SUPER SAVER, a good winner of a 2 year old stakes at Churchill last fall.

Add to those above, TAHITIAN WARRIOR; CONVEYANCE, TIZ CHROME; ICE BOX and SETSUKO. . .Some of these prospects are big prices in the Las Vegas Derby Futures and may be reasonable playing options to the 'Field' in Pool #1.

Good luck and Good Handicapping,

//STEVE DAVIDOWITZ

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