Millions drown at Santa Anita

The rain in Southern California, which has forced the cancelation of racing on Thursday and Friday, is forecast to persist through the weekend, the synthetic track at Santa Anita is again useless and it is highly unlikely that the Western portion of Saturday’s Sunshine Millions program will be run as scheduled. By the time this is over, the cost to Santa Anita in lost racing days will probably exceed the cost of installing the synthetic surface recklessly mandated in 2006 by the California Racing Board.

The absence of Santa Anita from the betting menu will also be problematic for those who are gathered this weekend in Las Vegas for two major handicapping tournaments, the National Handicapping Championship and the World Series of Handicapping.

The chaos resulting from the failure of the drainage system goes beyond lost racing days at Santa Anita. Horses there are prevented not only from racing but from training. Though Magna Entertainment, owner of both Gulfstream and Santa Anita, absorbs the cost of transportation, 14 horses shipped from Florida to California for the bi-coastal Sunshine Millions will have traveled some 6,000 miles and missed training without having been afforded the opportunity to compete in lucrative races to which they had been pointed.

Although Ginger Punch, champion older mare of 2007, is entered at Gulfstream in the Sunshine Million’s Distaff, the event will lose the Sunshine Millions Classic, worth $1 million, and three other races. The Florida-bred versus California-bred competition, is also washed out.

The races, Santa Anita officials said, would be rescheduled, in which case they would lose valuable television exposure.


Daaher returns at Gulfstream

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the 2007 edition of the $500,000, Grade I Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park with 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor, the eventual Dubai World Cup winner and will follow the same course with four-year-old Cigar Mile winner Daaher, who may be one of the more exciting prospects of the new season.

Daaher is among 18 horses nominated to the Feb 2 Donn as is the seven-year-old gelding Brass Hat, winner of the race in 2006.

Daaher emerged as a star on the rise during the second half of the 2007 season with three straight victories. The Canadian-bred son of Seeking the Gold is expected to use the Donn as a tune-up for a trip to the Middle East.

Brass Hat went to Dubai after his Donn victory in 2006, finishing second in the World Cup to Electrocutionist, although later disqualified in a controversial medication ruling. Trained by William (Buff) Bradley, the son of Prized had mixed success in six starts last year, highlighted by a victory in the Massachusetts Handicap and a close-up second last out behind A.P. Arrow in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs.


Can you say hypocricy?


Earle Mack must have found a white hat while cleaning out a closet.

The long-time owner, who has raced several stakes winners, successfully lobbied for legislation that orders the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop rules regulating horse sales in the state and has this week issued a statement t in support of a similar movement in California. Mack, however, has not always practiced what he preaches.


From New York Magazine:

“Our nomination for most sweetly quaint sentence ever about an FBI inquiry into the business dealings of a powerful politician: "Mr. Bruno bought two mares from Mr. Mack." The former is, of course, Joe Bruno, the state's top Republican; the latter is Earle Mack, a fellow Thoroughbred enthusiast and a former ambassador to Finland (okay, now it's turning into P.G. Wodehouse). The Albany Times Union followed the money, as today's Times reports: Bruno bought the mares from Mack for $50,000, bred them, and auctioned off the three resultant foals for $425,000 (nice, um, flip?). The buyer of one of the foals, at $105,000, was, you won't be shocked to hear, Mr. Mack. There's nothing illegal about the transaction, of course, except the persistent impression that Mack, a major GOP donor, either (a) is the world's most eccentric businessman or (b) wanted to make Bruno very happy. In either case, here's a question: Why can't all political scandals be about horses? Let the noble animal, at least, confer some dignity on the participants.”


Showdown renewed at Aqueduct

Registration for the New York Racing Association’s popular on-line contest, Showdown, which begins on Feb. 14, is open.


Initiated at Saratoga in 2001 as Saratoga Sudden Death, to which we all can relate, Showdown requires daily selection of one horse to finish first, second or third – sounds easy, but isn’t. The last person standing wins. The purse depends upon the number of participants. The entry fee is $10.


Aqueduct: Jan. 26

On a card heavy with what appear to be chaotic scrambles, one play.

Race 1: Ty’s Ridge