Derby Prepping 3.9.24

Tampa Day Derby in focus. Some assorted thoughts on racing.

Yes, we will give our handicap of this week’s lone Kentucky Derby Prep. It’s below if you want to skip to it. But I’ll warn you, it’s not that creative.

With only one prep on the schedule, just a couple of racing items to discuss from a fan with a Substack.

This is an important time for horse racing.

Equine safety, rightly, has become a major focus. And one we have to get right to ensure the future of the sport. Trainers are under more scrutiny than ever, thanks to HISA (Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority) oversight. CAW groups are allowed to drain value out of huge betting pools across the country, hurting the average customer daily. And as a betting product, customers are leaving for the ease and entertainment value of now-legal sports betting. Or just plain leaving.

There are a lot of issues to discuss.

So I find it crazy that America’s Turf Authority, The Daily Racing Form, does not have a general columnist on staff to opine about them.

Or at least some sort of opinion branch to the publication. Even a Letters to the Editor section. Boy, what an old man sentence to type.

DRF has excellent reporters and handicappers on staff. Race coverage is solid. But no main voice on racing matters.

Is it a financial thing? Is it a business thing - as in not wanting to be critical of the sport and potential sponsors? And there is a lot to be critical of.

I’m thankful for the opinions on HRT (Horse Racing Twitter). And for guys like Charles Simon. And Steve Byk’s show, where many of the biggest voices in the sport choose to voice their opinions on big stories. There is good stuff out there, that’s not the issue.

But there should be something from The Daily Racing Form.

I have to go back 10 years in the DRF achieves, but I’ll use the lede of this Steve Crist column as an example.

Having heard in the opening minutes of the latest board meeting of the New York Racing Association Reorganization Board that Aqueduct Race Track is is a “dirty and dangerous” place, I headed out to the Big A last Saturday to see if this is in fact the case.

It is not – but Aqueduct, like NYRA itself these days, is indeed a dysfunctional mess.

Crist’s voice was and is an important one. He used his platforms over the years to both criticize and defend the sport when needed. He fought for the horses and the horse player. His various podcast appearances are must-listen. But he’s retired.

I guess the days of The Daily Racing Form having a major voice in the sport might be too.

There’s a chance I’m living in the past here and DRF is no longer a powerful player in the sport. But they produce a racing product that thousands of people still use every day. And when you go to DRF.com, it’s impossible to find opinion pieces on the biggest stories in the sport.

That’s hard to believe. It’s disappointing. And it’s bad for racing.

Is anyone trying anything new?

Real question - regarding broadcasting racing, the presentation, is anyone doing anything different?

Yes, we have racing in 4K now. It looks better.

I mean the actual broadcast.

On TV, in-house feeds, anything. I am generally curious, are there people trying new things? Who are they? Please let me know.

Not saying the current product is bad just looks the same as it did 20 years ago: only in high-def. Sometimes.

Desk chatter…post parade…desk chatter….another look at the field…on-track reporter…handicapper….desk chatter final thoughts….loading…race…reaction…commercial…and repeat.

Is this the only way? Is there a better way? Is there a track out there crushing it with something new? Using new stats? Display? Format?

Let me know.

There’s another trainer who can write!

Look out, Chuck Simon!

Trainer Rusty Arnold got hit with a suspension this week. He did not take it quietly.

He wrote a very well-written response to the penalty, which came from one of his horses testing positive for a trace amount of Tramadol metabolite, a human painkiller.

On January 27, 2024, I was informed by email that I was facing a possible controlled-substance violation for Figgy’s post-race test following her victory in a December 27 maiden race at Turfway Park. (That’s 31 days after the race - so much for HISA and HIWU vowing to be much quicker in turning around lab results.)

Tramadol is a human painkiller for which there are almost 30 million prescriptions in America. In Europe, a survey of 90 wastewater plants in 18 countries found Tramadol in 100 percent of the wastewater samples, according to research published in 2013.

Figgy had a finding of less than 3 nanograms (parts per billion) per milliliter only in urine. Researchers who have studied Tramadol and its metabolites in horses recommend a conservative no-effect threshold level of 50 ng/mL in urine, determining that anything below that has no impact on performance.

I am accepting my penalty and will move on. However, I do 100 percent deny giving or instructing anyone on my staff to administer Tramadol to Figgy.

And then he took aim at the aforementioned HISA.

HISA has become a dictatorship. They are the judge, jury and executioner. Whether with open eyes or out of ignorance, they have let their enforcement arm throw common sense and fairness out the window.

How is it that the NBA, NFL and MLB all have a players’ union and have representation in the rule and penalty policies of their leagues and horsemen have no representation in HISA policy? And don’t tell me we have real representation through HISA’s horsemen’s advisory group.

If you’re a racing fan and have a few minutes, it’s a must-read. I’ve heard multiple trainers talk about the HISA issue on Steve Byk’s show. It does not sound like a lot of fun right now, trying to navigate the new landscape with HISA.

I complain all the time about how rough we have it as horseplayers. Sounds like trainers are dealing with their own issues when it comes to the game.

A great read from Arnold.

As for Saturday’s Derby Prep -

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If I had to guess, Tampa Bay Downs is the next new track I’ll visit for the first time. Easy to get to from Boston. Good weather. Turf racing. Racing, poker AND golf???? Sign me up.

Grade III Tampa Bay Derby
1 1/16 M
Points: 50-25-15-10-5

Yeah, there is not a lot for me to say here.

I’m excited we get Jason Beem on the call for a big day at Tampa. The All-Stakes Pick 5 looks like a good sequence. Home game for our guy Barry Spears, he’ll be active on X.com.

But the race? Eh.

Win Contenders
It will be an upset if either DOMESTIC PRODUCT or NO MORE TIME doesn’t win the race. NO MORE TIME took late money last time in the Sam F. Davis, then went right to the front and never looked a loser. In a Holy Bull with no pace, DOMESTIC PRODUCT was closing late but could not get to the winner. Based on class, speed, and the field today, it is one of those two in the top spot.

Underneath
He won’t be 15-1 thanks to the connections, but GOOD MONEY figures to run better second-time out. Working well for this and gets Irad. Maybe HEARTENED was always going to be better on the dirt. Gets an inside post. The maiden STURDY is cutting back from 9F and had no pace to run at last time. Of the three, he’s most likely to get into the trifecta.

In the end, there is enough pace in here with GOOD MONEY, EVERDOIT and potentially GRAND MO THE FIRST to keep NO MORE TIME company up front. That should set things up for DOMESTIC PRODUCT. I think most people will lean this way too, so when he goes off favored it won’t be a surprise.

I just can’t come up with anything clever. If you can, let me know in the comments below.

5-7-10-4 for me. Would use only the top two in the Pick 5, and would weight it more on DOMESTIC PRODUCT.

There is no Derby Prep next week, so back in two weeks for the Louisiana Derby and the Jeff Ruby Stakes.

Good luck if you’re playing today. Safe trips for all.