Final Furlong's Horse Racing fan blog

In the El Camino Real on Valentine's Day, my sweetheart Chocolate Candy delivered a win to swell the hearts of his supporters. Although this previously confirmed come-from-behinder was a bit too fresh too early, landing in an unaccustomed position on the lead with a lot of stretch left to cover, Chocolate Candy turned the challenge into an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility.

In a season notable for visually impressive three year olds with questionable speed, Chocolate Candy laid down two fast mid-race quarters in :23 and :24. The heat melted Axel Foley, who faded to fourth, while Chocolate Candy persevered through the final furlong and repelled two late charging rivals.

Despite winning four out of his past five races, Chocolate Candy has attracted detractors

Continue reading "Fresh Chocolate Candy Wins El Camino Real Derby"

Oy.

The particular soap opera slant of the Animal Planet's new reality show "Jockeys" makes me cringe.  There's soap opera in horse racing, but Jockeys doesn't just churn up a lather around the personalities inside horse racing for enhanced dramatic effect; it's often illogical about the way the business functions.  

The examination of the rise of a young jockey vis a vis the struggle of the veterans to hang onto their position is a legitimate enterprise. However, Jockeys implies that all of Joe Talamo's wins are a personal defeat for Aaron Gryder, same as the Steelers killing the Cardinals. Not to mention, I watch this thing and think "Aaron Gryder? Aaron Gryder?" That's random. I guess Jockeys needed to assign its pre-determined roles to the jockeys willing to participate, and some of the casting is strained.

Continue reading "Jockeys!"

Old Fashioned is wearing me down.  When Derby prep season started I admired Old Fashioned but rooted on Chocolate Candy, Hello Broadway and Capt. Candyman Can, among others.  I still do like those three very much.  But at the moment, Old Fashioned seems to actually want the Derby more than anyone else, and since none of his connections are among the crowd I customarily root against (I'm a race fan with personal likes and dislikes, way more than a lover of "the action"), I may as well cry uncle.  He seems to want it so much and have so much talent that I want it for him. His focused intent in every race reminds me of Invasor. I always felt it would kill Invasor to lose, which happened to him only once. I feel the same way about Old Fashioned.

Continue reading "Old Fashioned Wins Smartly"

Larry Jones has informed the Louisiana Times-Picayune that he's closing up shop as a public trainer after Breeders Cup 2009. His decision is definite. The good news is that nobody besides Larry Jones believes his decision will stick.

The popular and colorful 52-year old, famous as the trainer of Hard Spun, Eight Belles, Proud Spell, and this year's potential three year old star, Old Fashioned, talks of retirement as if he's overdue for the rocking chair, but the real problem is that Jones has become worn out by the price of success. As the demand for his services have increased and his operations have expanded, Jones was becoming a Todd Pletcher-style trainer/racing manager/executive - an achievement about which most trainers can only dream. Jones hates it.

Larry Jones is seriously hands-on. This means getting on his horses-in-training himself. Trailer the horse himself, drive the trailer too. Know his exercise riders and grooms not only by name (Deidre and Corey), but be familiar with and supportive of their individual career ambitions. (Both aspire to be trainers some day.) This homespun style of operations was going the way of the dodo as Jones' barns filled with more and more top quality runners. Hard as he works, he can't be everywhere at once or do everything. But he doesn't feel like Larry Jones unless he can. The big time has made Jones feel old and tired.

Continue reading "Larry Jones Says He's Done After 2009 - Is this Just Adios and Not Goodby?"

"Kip Deville is not a people person. He's a race horse, he doesn't like to be petted, he doesn't like all that funny stuff around him. He's like a man, he wants to show up on the big days and he's all race horse, as you could see today."
Rick Dutrow

"“Coming down the stretch, I wasn’t even thinking about the (other horses)—I knew we would have enough,” Velasquez said. “There’s always plenty of horse with him. He’s going to be tough to handle wherever we end up.”"
Cornelio Valesquez

Having won the Grade 1 Turf Handicap in one of the numerous notable races that went off at Gulfstream Park last weekend, and having pushed his bankroll past $3 million dollars, the self-reliant Kip Deville is now pointed towards the Dubai Duty Free in March. Trainer Rick Dutrow's goal is to get his unflappable six-year old gray the male turf horse Eclipse award for 2009. If there were a lifetime achievement turf horse Eclipse, Kip would smoke the competition. As it stands, he's a sure bet for the Hall of Fame and to have more than one graded stakes named after him some day, but I'd love for him to get an Eclipse Award and be officially celebrated in his own time.

Continue reading "Kip Kip Hooray - It's Another Day At the Office for Kip DeVille with a Win at Gulfstream Park"

I'm verklempt. Hurray for Albertus Maximus's win in the Donn Handicap. He ran just like his pop, a complete professional, and has really moved up in the world. He's now owned by Shadwell Stables (which paid a substantial sum for him), trained by Invasor's trainer, Kieran McLaughlin, and pointed towards the Dubai World Cup. I could listen to McLaughlin say nice things about Albertus Maximus all day. Congratulations also to the almost too-aptly-named runner-up, FinallyMadeIt, a horse who was partially paralyzed behind at birth, and who has successfully propelled himself from sprinting to going long. FinallyMadeIt runs his heart out and is a joy to watch.

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I didn't know what to expect from Nicanor's first start, but I never considered that he'd grab a quarter out of

Continue reading "My Baby! Albertus Maximus Wins the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. Next Stop, Dubai."

Today, three days after the second anniversary of Barbaro's death, Barbaro's full brother goes in a maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park.  Gulfstream's given this event a marquee spot, sandwiched between two important stakes races - the Holy Bull for three year olds on the Derby trail, and the Donn Handicap for top flight older horses.  I have a good feeling about Nicanor, who has come on in his training the past few weeks, but with Barbaro's own jockey, Edgar Prado, aboard for the occasion, the pressure is unbearable.  I can't even watch between my fingers. 

The Donn Handicap that follows Nicanor's outing will come as a relief.  Entered is the good-looking Breeders Cup Dirt Mile winner, Albertus Maximus.  Albert the Great was a favorite of mine in his heyday and a true New York horse, winning, among others, the Jockey Gold Cup (by nine), the Suburban and the Dwyer.  He earned $3 million before he was finished, and is underappreciated, in my humble opinion.  I was ridiculously touched when I learned that Tracey Farmer still owns him.  Albert the Great stands today at Pin Oak Lane Stud in Pennsylvania.  He's had some nice offspring - most notably the speedy but flaky NobizlikeShowbiz.  Albertus Maximus gave Albert his first Breeders Cup winner, and Albertus not only looks like his handsome daddy, he's honest like him.  Einstein is a terrific animal too, but I'll root for him next time, when he's back on the turf. 

Continue reading "Tell Me When It's Over - and Go Albertus Maximus"

In yesterday's Hutcheson, Capt. Candyman Can showed he's got a learning curve when he was able to settle down, drop back off the pace, then come on easily in the lane to dispose of Hello Broadway.

I wonder if the connections really wanted Hello Broadway to run on the front end. He seemed to be pulling a bit, but then sort of treaded water as they neared the wire, without actually appearing spent. Capt. Candyman Can had more momentum, but neither jockey was all over their horse.

If Hello Broadway couldn't stay with the leader at this distance, as the Equibase chart reports, it doesn't seem as if stretching out further is only going to improve him, as some, including me, expected.  While it's hard to determine, with both jockeys seeming to conserve

Continue reading "Capt. Candyman Can Could in the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park"

This is a tough race for a fan like me.  In here are three potential Derby horses for whom I can feel a personal rooting interest:

Breakwater Edison, by Lemon Drop Kid:   Lemon Drop Kid was the first handicap division horse I followed back in 2000 when I became a serious fan of the game.  He gave me a lot of thrills, and helped raise my all time favorite jockey, Edgar Prado, to prominence.  Still, I consider him underappreciated. I'd love to see him get a breakout star among his offspring.

Hello Broadway:  Hello Broadway is half brother to NobizlikeShowbiz and is trained by Barclay Tagg of Funny Cide fame.  Tagg has remained in the spotlight with other top class horses such as Nobiz himself, the fleet and talented turf horse Showing Up, and last year's gritty Tale of Ekati.  The taciturn Tagg is not a cuddly personality, but his is a feel-good story.  His breakthrough as a big money trainer happened only after reaching his sixties, and for a man who grumbled about joining the Derby fray back in the days of Funny Cide, he sure got over it in a hurry.  Nobody needs to twist Tagg's arm anymore to get him to march along the Derby trail. 

Continue reading "Friday's G2 Hutcheson at Gulfstream Features Potential Kentucky Derby Contenders"

Big Brown has won the 2008 Eclipse Award for Three Year Old of the Year. No brainer, he won the Florida Derby, two out of three Triple Crown races, the Haskell Invitational and the Monmouth Stakes. The rest of the TC class of 2008 did very little. Which is why the honor feels a little bit ho hum.

I'll never forget the cluster of supposed contenders behind Big Brown and Eight Belles as the Derby field rounded Churchill's far turn - barely a one lifted a leg, and the few that mustered a pulse lacked the speed to make the effort pay off. Same story - minus the tragic Eight Belles - in the Preakness two weeks later. Three weeks after that, with Big Brown eased before reaching the stretch, the class of 2008 really showed their stuff as the Belmont Stakes was won by the front-running but slow moving Da Tara and only Dennis of Cork managed a mild rally behind him.

Continue reading "Big Brown is Three Year Old of the Year; Nicanor Carries the Expectations of the Friends of Barbaro"