Friday Four-Pack 5.8.26
An incredible Oaks Day experience. A needed change for the Celtics. Youth sports gone wild. MutStack notes!
Owner’s Note from MutStack Owner, Dave Portnoy:
No note from Dave this week. Sorry to see Go Go Greys’ Miss Apples scratch from her debut Friday at Belmont, er, Aqueduct. The Big A closes for good on June 28, and I need to get there before it does.
The greatest event experience of my life.
That’s how I would describe Oaks Day at Churchill Downs last Friday. Lovely Grey Day.
Multiple Finals Fours…Radio Booth for the Red Sox clinching a World Series at Fenway…front row for some huge UConn basketball games…three feet from Eric Church at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den before anyone really knew who Eric Church was…I’m probably missing a few.
But this topped them all. And given my age, it’s likely to remain in that spot until they bury me in the ground.
It’s hard to exactly put the experience into words. I’ve included a photo gallery of the day here as a primer.
The pictures tell the story better than I can.
As an owner of a horse in the Oaks, My Boss Dave and Go Go Greys had access to an owner’s box right next to the Churchill Downs Winner’s Circle. There was one Travers Day at Saratoga where I sat at a picnic table in the middle of the backyard, which I’m pretty sure was for track employees to take their smoke break. It was tucked between some white tents and the men’s room - I never saw the track the entire day. Those were the worst seats I’ve ever had for a race day.
These were the best - Suite #8 - right next to the freakin’ Winners’ Circle. The first trainer I saw in there was Cherie DeVaux, and I should have bet Golden Tempo right then. Bill Belichick and Jordon were among the stars who walked by during the day.
So you're sitting in these outrageous seats, right on the track. You have access to this dining room inside with great food options - they even did a changeover for more food and dessert as you got closer to dinner. You have access to the brand-new, $10 million paddock. You have a waitress coming into the box every 30 seconds to ask if you need anything. You have WiFi that never seemed to go out and, unlike some tracks and casinos I’ve been to, didn’t block any other apps or betting sites. Could not ask for a better set-up to bet and watch the racing.
And as we get closer to the race, Dave tells me I’ll get to walk with Team Go Go Grey across the track and then be part of the walkover with the horses for the Oaks. It’s implausible to be able to write that sentence and even more implausible that it actually happened.
I’m guessing Dave was the only owner who took selfies with fans on the walk back. Fans cheering for him, Lovely Grey, Go Go Greys, Rico Bosco, Elio, Jersey Jerry…the entire walk back there. It was a good reminder that racing on social media is not real life, and in real life, it’s much better.
You go from the track into the paddock for “Rider’s Up,” and the place is jammed. As the horses walk to the track, you’re right behind them, going back to the seats to watch the race. Just a completely surreal 45 minutes and overall day at the races.
As for the Grade I Kentucky Oaks, Lovely Grey hated the dirt, but she kept trying. Dave and Elio noticed it right away, watching the replay - she clearly pulls her head back when she had dirt kicked in her face. But it sounds like she came out of the race well, and I can’t wait to see her in Saratoga later this summer.
It’s no surprise that Oaks TV viewership and Oaks betting set records. The total handle on Friday’s card was $89 million, up 18% (!!!) from the prior record set in 2024. Primetime was a big factor, but so was Dave having a horse in the race. People want to bet with Dave on sports, racing, whatever. The impact of both he and Go Go Greys was felt on Friday night. I have no doubt he and his stable will have a positive impact on racing fandom in the United States.
A true 1 of 1 experience. Can’t thank Dave enough for his generosity in inviting a life-long racing fan along for the big day. Amazing. The entire Go Go Greys team was awesome. My handicapping and betting were not, but I’ll chalk it up to sensory overload of an amazing experience.
I’ll get back to complaining about racing later in this newsletter, but to open it here, a chance to celebrate the sport. Thank you, Dave. #thankyoukirk
Meanwhile, the Celtics have some issues. The Triple Crown needs an update. WEEI’s new afternoon show is terrible. And much more.
All ahead in Friday Four-Pack #171
A friendly MutStack reminder that Sunday is Mother’s Day. Make sure you do something nice for your mom.
She’s probably hoping for a nice card. Maybe some flowers. And for you to hit the blue Subscribe button. It’s free - like it has been for the last 3+ years.
On how the Celtics should move forward…
The people demand a terrible thumbnail. Change the coach or trade a star player? Seems simple to me.
On this travel baseball fight…
Seriously, we have to cut the crap with going after youth sports umpires and referees.
This scene from Mississippi last weekend is extreme, I get it, but the point remains that this has to stop. I mean, this video is INSANE. Turns out this is reportedly the COACH in the altercation.
We live in a day and age where you can make as much money delivering for DoorDash as you can umpiring or refereeing a youth game. Probably make more, actually. More and more officials are choosing that route, thanks in part to parents who think just because you paid for travel ball, you’re getting MLB umpires. And the officials don’t want to deal with them or aggressive coaches. Due to this mass exodus of officials, you’re seeing game postponements and delays all over the country.
I think the cost to play these sports raises the stakes for parents and coaches. That and the time commitment of, in many baseball and softball leagues, giving up every weekend to get to games that could be hours away. Trust me, I get it.
A few weeks ago, I watched an opposing coach scream at an older umpire because he said he had a bad view of the play - meanwhile, the coach had the same view and just disagreed with the call. It got to the point that the coach had to be removed from the dugout in a 10U travel game.
I have no idea what led to this ugly showdown in the video above, but I know it just made me mad. And I wanted to comment on it. Especially beating the shit out of this old umpire while he’s on the ground.
“But Mut, there are some terrible officials and umps.” You’re right. But complain to the other parents you’re watching the game with. If it’s really bad, I guess say something to the league or the coach. Well, not this coach, I guess. Just don’t be the parent who has to be asked by your coach to quiet down. No one wants to see that, especially your kids.
And please don’t be this guy, or the guy who goes on the field during a kid’s game. Because after all, it’s still a kid’s game. /endsportsdadrant
On modernizing horse racing’s Triple Crown…
I wrote this long blog after the news broke on Wednesday that Derby Winner Golden Tempo would bypass the Preakness and target the Belmont. It’s the third time in five years that a healthy Derby winner is not going to Maryland to contest the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Racing is filled with people who refuse to move forward; they want to live in the past and don’t understand that things do, in fact, change. So I should not be surprised that so many of the rebuttals to this blog have been focused on one of two themes.
Changing the Triple Crown would impact the legacy of the 13 horses that have previously won it.
Nope. Their legacy remains intact if the Preakness is pushed back a week. Or two weeks. Human beings have brains (well, most of us), and we’re able to have two thoughts at once. What those horses did was great, and if the Triple Crown schedule is changed, that accomplishment will still be great. And if it’s changed and another horse wins all three TC races, it will not be the same. This seems pretty easy for my dumb brain to understand. Larry Bird played most of his career without a three-point line. His legacy is not impacted by current NBA teams jacking up 25 3’s a night. Or by other players having more 3s than him. What he did stands the test of time, rules, etc. The same will go for Secretariat, Seattle Slew (RIP Neumy), Justify, etc.It’s supposed to be hard. Spacing out the races will make it too easy.
100% disagree. I believe that if you space out the races, more of the top horses will run back in them. The competition will be tougher, making it just as hard to win; maybe harder. When Justify won the Preakness in 2018, the field was full of horses that didn’t really belong. The 5th - 8th place finishers in that race went on to win a grand total of five races the rest of their career. By pushing the Preakness (and Belmont Stakes) back, you give the connections of all these horses more of a schedule to map out over the course of the spring and summer. I don’t think it’s easier with space.
And it would be SOOOOOOOO much better for promoting the sport. We had record TV ratings for this year’s Derby - wait til’ those fans tune in and see no Golden Tempo in the Preakness. Shit, right now only one horse from the Derby looks possible for the Preakness, and that’s 70-1 longshot Ocelli. He ran a wild third in, but will enter the Preakness with zero lifetime wins. Zero.
Seems likely we’ll get change as soon as next year, with the Preakness and Belmont each pushed back a week. Good. I’m happy to take the ‘L’ if we get another year of the Derby winner and most of the Derby runners skipping the race. But I doubt that’s the case.
Look, I love the crab cakes. I love the Preakness; we’ll handicap it plenty next week. But it’s hard to get excited about the 2026 edition, thanks to everyone from the Derby passing the race.
Additional thoughts on the Derby winner below in the notes.
On your weekly MutStack Notes…
⚾ Before the Sox lost to the Rays on Thursday night, vibes were VERY high on Dirty Water after that sweep of the Tigers. Can see some signs of life, finally. Watch and subscribe on YouTube - then go listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
🌹 #19 Golden Tempo 36-1 🌹
“Deep, deep, deep closer ran well this year in the Fairgrounds prep series. Never off the board in four career starts, just has NO early speed and will need a perfect trip to close home through traffic and win Derby 152. Keeneland works for this have been solid, and another that I could use on the bottom of tickets, but not as a win candidate. USING UNDERNEATH DEEP”
I did not expect a complete pace meltdown. The horses that were 14th, 12th, and 10th after a mile ran 1-2-3 in Derby 152. Golden Tempo and Jose Ortiz needed a perfect trip to get there, and they did. One hesitation, one sliver of traffic trouble, and Renegade wins. Renegade ran the best race. He got blasted coming out of the gate and still ran a huge. Credit to Irad Ortiz for keeping the horse locked in after that rough start. Danon Bourbon ran a huge race given the pace, and he appears to have real talent. My pick, Commandment, broke slowly and was wide all day. He took a decent bump in the lane, and it was not his day.
A thrilling Derby - and it’s just too bad we won’t see a bunch of these runners back next week for the Preakness.
🏇🏻 Travis Stone’s call of the Derby was an A+. I wish the whole country could see/hear this live on Derby Day.
🏇🏻 I loved the primetime Oaks. I could easily see flying in to go to Oaks Day, then staying in the area for Derby, but not fighting the 150k fans at the track. Also, the Churchill renovations rock
🏇🏻 CAWs still suck - more on that tomorrow on the Barstool blog.
🎙️ Boy, is Rich & Ken with Ted Johnson a bad show. So bad that even the Boston Globe trashed it last week (after we did). Listened to quite a bit this week. The most bizarre thing I heard was the opening to Tuesday’s show, when they did 15 minutes on the Odyssey movie trailer and some generic, bad. movie talk. A close second was a call they took 10 minutes into their show on Thursday from a gentleman who sounded 80 years old, praising Mike Thomas for bringing Rich back to radio. In between that, you had bad production songs, Rich and Ted taking turns trying to one-up each other in their ill-preparedness for a four-hour talk show, and Ken's fake laughter. One minute, Rich is telling you the only way to get in touch with the show (because social media is too much for him) is to leave a voicemail - then a few minutes later, he’s giving out the number and begging fishing for calls.
Ted Johnson used to come in at 3 PM and stay til the end of the show. Now he comes on at 2 PM when the show starts, but leaves at 5 PM. On Thursday, guest Tom E Curran was on the phone trying to address Ted directly, and Rich had to tell him on the air that Ted had left the studio. What the eff are we doing, here???
A really unlikeable show, with an unlikeable host. And co-host. Poor Ken.
🏀 The new, expanded, 76-team NCAA Bracket is as disgusting as I feared.
👀 Yes, there are new Vrabel/Russini pics. But I don’t understand the media's push saying that, all of a sudden, he can’t coach the Patriots. Something was going on for a while, and we got confirmation this week. At this point, he’ll be here.
👀 But yeah, fascinated to see what she says when she speaks, and I guess that could change things depending on what she says.
Feels like that’s enough Stack for this week.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the MutStack Moms out there. My mom reads and then corrects my grammar. Love you, mom! Do something nice for your mom. That’s an order. 💐💐💐
Good luck with all your bets this weekend. And thanks for reading. And watching.
Do something nice for Ellen on Sunday and wish her a happy Mother’s Day from all of the Mutstack audience.
And oh, by the way...way to put a screeching halt to the one show gaining some groundswell: Ken & Curtis. One reason to tune in on Saturdays, and was getting mentioned more and more during the week on TGHS...better cut that thing off and make Laird the third awkward wheel on the Afternoon Drive Titanic of Boston Sports Radio...