[Miss Woodford]

Most tracks in the US have instituted cushioned whips, which basically feel like a slight tap. Jocks actually don;t like it because the horse can hardly feel it, so they have to tap the horse more often to get a response. When used correctly the whip is just an aid, no different than the hands or the voice.

[Miss Woodford]

Does racing really need terrestrial coverage? A sport like darts is thriving because of the way it is marketed and that is covered only on satellite channels (obviously betting without the BDO which is on its [expletive]). If your product is good enough, and you market it correctly, then it will still thrive. Live Premier League football hasn’t been shown on terrestrial television for almost 20 years.

You’ve been taking for granted the coverage you have. The ONLY non-cable TB racing we have is the Triple Crown and a very small part of the Breeders’ Cup. That’s 4 days, 6 or 7 races. Plus another 5 or 6 races on ESPN if we’re lucky and they aren’t preempted by poker or something. Anything else requires digital cable, and there’s no way to attract new players that way.

[Miss Woodford]

Jonathan Sheppard is up there for sure.
American steeplechase champions he’s trained:
Athenian Idol (1973)
Cafe Prince (1977, 1978)
Martie’s Anger (1979)
Flatterer (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986)
Jimmy Lorenzo (1988)
Highland Bud (1989)
Mixed Up (2009)

Major racing wins
Steeplechase:
Colonial Cup Steeplechase
(1975, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2009)
New York Turf Writers Cup Handicap
(1979, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994,1997, 2000, 2001, 2006)
Royal Chase for the Sport of Kings Hurdle
(2002, 2007, 2008)

Flat racing:
Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (1982, 1983)
Diana Handicap (1993, 2008, 2009)
Man o’ War Stakes (2001, 2002)
Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap (2001, 2002)
United Nations Handicap (2002)
First Lady Stakes (2008)
Humana Distaff Handicap (2009)
Vinery Madison Stakes (2009)
Jenny Wiley Stakes (2009)
Chicago Handicap (2009)
Arlington Handicap (2009)
Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (2009)
Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes (2009)
Valedictory Stakes (2009)

Breeders’ Cup wins:
Breeders’ Cup Grand National Steeplechase
(1988, 1989, 1992, 1999)
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (2008)
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (2009)

Racing awards
U.S. Champion Steeplechase trainer by earnings (1973-1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2007)

Great article on the man http://www.drf.com/news/article/110095.html

[Miss Woodford]

Algebra? The rest of the foundations for modern mathematics?

I thought that was the Babylonians.

Algebra comes from the Arabic al-jabr. The Babylonians invented the concept of zero, among other things, but the Golden Age of Islam produced much more.

[Miss Woodford]

Islam has undoubtedly been responsible for exporting the most sophisticated and divine cultural influences of any other other nation in the World.

Sorry, Ken, but I can’t think of ONE.

Algebra? The rest of the foundations for modern mathematics?
Some of the most impressive architecture in the world?
Preserving the works of the great Greek and Roman writers/philosophers through the Middle Ages?
Advances in printmaking and shipbuilding?
Great poetry, art, and literature?
The Godolphin Arabian, Darley Arabian, and Byerly Turk?

The whole concept of fundamentalist Islam emerged in the late 19th century by disgruntled political groups in the Ottoman Empire, and the whole era of colonialism only strengthened it. Prior to that, the Islamic world was far more progressive than Europe.

[Miss Woodford]

Wahabbism as practiced in Saudi Arabia != mainstream Islam as practiced in Turkey, Indonesia, the Balkans, Malaysia, the United States, etc. It’s like judging every single Christian based on the beliefs of the fring Evangelicals.

[Miss Woodford]

You are correct, I think I got my Sans and Santas mixed up . Either way she’ll be staying close to home for her first few races of the year.

[Miss Woodford]

Nobody watches the Superbowl for the football! We watch it for the comercials. When they’re paying millions of dollars for a 30-second spot you’ll actually get creative and one-of-a-kind ads, some funny, some horrible, some cute (Budweiser Clydesdales). And The Who at half-time. And the Super Bowl Party with pre-game barbecue. People who don’t care one bit about football (including myself) still tune in. The Super Bowl basically reflects America in our fat, drunken, comercialized glory.

[Miss Woodford]

I see what you mean . Why is Coolmore getting into this mess, then?

[Miss Woodford]

I wish Gio would try the turf in Europe or Japan rather than the Tapeta. Tapeta is a totally different surface than the Santa Anita ProRide, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll handle the shipping and the new environmet all that well. I’m hoping for at least one decent prep from him.

Apparently the miler Furthest Land is off to Dubai as well, even though he did terribly in his comeback race a few weeks back. BC winners historically have rarely won their next race out, so there’s still hope for him. Even though he won the "Dirt" Mile, he can stretch out fairly well.

With $6 million, maybe $10 million up for grabs, just about every good synth runner in the US are aiming for the DWC. Zenyatta excepted, of course. We’ll likely see her in the Big Cap at Santa Anita, with the Santa Margarita as a prep race.

[Miss Woodford]

Why does it matter if Arabs own the club? As long as they keep it successful and don’t screw over the fans, I don’t see the big deal. We’re fine with them propping up the flailing sport of horse racing, why not football?

[Miss Woodford]

Parlay
Shut out
Straightaway
Nickel claimer-$5,000 claimer, lowest level at most tracks
Backstretch
Backside
Clubhouse turn
Wire-to-wire
Jugheads-term of endearment for Standardbreds
Longears-term of endearment for mules (yes, mules have recognized races in California)
Tip sheet
Indiana pants-pacing hopples

[Miss Woodford]

Far more people in the US have heard of Rachel Alexandra than have heard of Zenyatta, because most people only watch racing during the Triple Crown, where Rachel won the Preakness. Most Americans know the last 5 or 6 winners of the Kentucky Derby (at least Funny Cide, Smarty Jones, Barbaro, and Mine That Bird), but nobody outside of racing knows the last 5 Breeders’s Cup winners. People know who Seabiscuit and War Admiral were due to the movie, and Man O’War because he’s Man O’War, and they can probably name Citation and Secretariat. Ruffian, Barbaro, and Eight Belles are remembered because of the media attention on their deaths. Other than a few regional favorites (the pacer Dan Patch in Indiana, Pepper’s Pride in New Mexico, Omaha in Nebraska), that’s it.

[Miss Woodford]

This is how the majority of harness stakes work-the eliminations/"legs" are held the week(s) before the final, and typically the top 3-4 finishers from each go on to the final. Often there’s a "consolation" race for the unplaced horses with a smaller purse. There’s a few stakes that are still run in multiple heats (Kentucky Futurity, Little Brown Jug), and many races at state/county fairs are run this way.

Given that the majority of Thoroughbreds don’t race every week, you’d have to spread the elims out 3-4 weeks prior to the final. That’s how Quarter Horse stakes as well as certain Thoroughbred futurities typically do it.

[Miss Woodford]

1/9 favorites (that’s as low as they’ll go at most tracks here) aren’t all that uncommon, usually when a good horse is in at the same class level that they keep winning at, or if a horse is a crowd favorite. This provides an excellent opportunity for finding a huge overlay in the rest of the field.

[Miss Woodford]

Some Americanisms:
Bridgejumper
Working with the dogs up
Two-minute lick
A Silky Sullivan finish (named after this horse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT_YxcoDhtY)
Morning glory
Acey-deucey
Black type
Mud-runnin’ fool
Sealed
Coupled
Steeplethon
Bomber
Bug-boy
Carryover
Got his goat
Bullring
Cheap speed
The Spa, The Big Sandy, The Big A, The Twin Spires, Old Hilltop (Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct, Churchill, Pimlico, respectively)

[Miss Woodford]

Excellant post Media Gecko.
There is NO formline to suggest Zenyatta is a 140+ horse.
What had Gio Ponti done before his Classic performance? Is Twice Over a real top class racehorse? He won a fair Champion Stakes, though Sariska probably ran below form. Can see he may have improved a pound or two, but given his previously exposed form, nothing significant. The form of this years Classic is not outstanding.

So all you are basing 140+ on is how easily she won. Many horses win easily, does not mean they have stones in hand. Just because a horse wins a lot of (comparitively) weak group 1’s; does NOT make her form any better than one who’s won fewer races.

Gio Ponti won 4 excellent Grade 1s on the turf, his recent loss coming on a Belmont track which would be labeled "soft to heavy". Gio’s competition was likely not at the same level as in Europe, but he is the certain Eclipse Champion Turf Male, and possibly Champion Older Male.

[Author]

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