Here's everything I know. You Broken Down Horseplayers shouldknow it, too: Now that Alysheba returned to form in winning the Iselin Handicap onSaturday at Monmouth Park and Cryptoclearance won the Hawthorne GoldCup, the $3 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs Nov. 5should be great. Bet Twice, Cutlass Reality, Ferdinand,Precisionist, Seeking the Gold, Waquoit, Gulch, Talinum and a fewothers are dreaming of that big race.
The Breeders' Classic figures to be one of the best of all time.Alysheba will be the favorite. How about Jose Santos getting bumped off Gulch in favor of AngelCordero in the Iselin, then getting 10 percent of $303,690 when herode Cryptoclearance to victory? Jockeys play musical saddles.Santos was bumped off Crypto after finishing third in the Preaknessin favor of Laffit Pincay for the Belmont. When Santos was back ingood graces, he bypassed Crypto. Impressive jockey Wesley Ward is on his way to Italy where he'llsign a contract to ride. John Galbreath, past president of Hialeah Park, former owner of thePittsburgh Pirates and owner of the Darby Dan Farm that housed manychampions, died July 20.
Galbreath's Roberto, a fine sire and winner of the 1972Epsom Derby in England in 1972, died Aug. 2. Graustark, a strongKentucky Derby threat until he cracked a bone at Keeneland in 1966,was humanely destroyed Aug. 21. Both were on the Darby Dan Farm inOhio.
Does bad luck come in threes? The BDH have a bit better chance at Toronto's Woodbine than inIllinois. At Woodbine, the take from win, place and show is 15.60percent (17 percent in Illinois); daily doubles and exactas are 22percent (20.5 in Illinois); and trifectas 24 percent (25 inIllinois). I can't wait to see horses run on the synthetic Equitrack atRemington Park in Oklahoma. Horsemen say thoroughbreds almost flyover it in workouts. I have a hunch racing will be very formfulbecause that strip doesn't change. There won't be such a bias asthere is at most tracks. Remington opens Thursday.
That type of track is used in England for training so horses canbe ready when the thoroughbred season opens. Heretofore, snow andice prevented training in the winter. Equitrack doesn't freeze. I can't help but express my feelings about Arlington Park'sintertrack betting at Ditka's. It has everything for a bettor withthe exception of a sure winner. They even have a no smoking areathat Lynne Durocher, in charge of public relations for Ditka's,pointed out for a BDH who thought he was overlooked.
Another BDH, who saw me taking notes, said: "Dave, you arewriting bad things about this place. Erase them all. This place iswonderful." Attendance at Arlington Saturday was 2,807. Chicagoan Joe Navigato, assistant to Hawthorne track president TomCarey, will be a steward at Balmoral's thoroughbred meeting openingOct. 9.
Navigato was a steward here not too many years ago. Don'tbelieve those crazy rumors that Balmoral will move its meeting toHawthorne. I'll miss the stories the late Art Rooney used to tell me atKentucky Derby time. Forty years ago Rooney bet with both hands. Hemade enough money to get a richer place in life. He owned and bredhorses. I never heard one person knock Rooney, a grand old man whopassed away last week. I'll never forget when I ran my horse Shaffie against thequarterhorse champion Stella Moore at Gulfstream Park 25 years ago.I had no chance. Stella Moore was a runt, but she could fly. TheTexas owner came into the paddock with a fistful of hundreds andasked, "Where's the guy who owns the other horse?"
"I'm the guy," I said.
"How much do you want to bet?" asked the Texan. I told him$10,000.
"OK, you're down."
"Who are you betting?" I asked.
"Stella Moore, of course," he answered.
"Heck, so am I," I told him.
Oh, did he get mad. Stella Moore beat Shaffie by six lengths.
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