In Albany: The ($$$) inevitable

It appears that common sense is gaining ground in Albany, at least in regard to the current New York City OTB mess is concerned. Otherwise, the status is quo.

Press release

Governor David A. Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced today that they have directed their staffs to work with Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City (NYC) OTB to craft a solution that would allow NYC OTB to continue operations. The Board of Directors of OTB voted in February to cease operations by June 16, 2008, at which date the Corporation will be insolvent and the City would be required to infuse cash into it in order to continue to operate. The Governor said that discussions have already commenced among the State, New York City, the Legislature and NYC OTB.

“NYC OTB provides good paying jobs to its 1,500 workers,” said Governor Paterson. “Given the current economic downturn, it is especially important that we take steps to ensure the financial viability of this venture because of the importance of these jobs to these 1,500 families and to the broader economy. In addition, OTBs should generate significant excess funds that local governments can use to provide needed services and reduce property taxes.”

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said: “It is clear that this is an important issue that should be addressed. I agree with Mayor Bloomberg that NYC OTB cannot expect the City to provide financial support during these tenuous economic times. The plan that we adopt should include an alignment of the economic interests of the tracks and the OTBs in order to succeed.”

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: “Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee Chair Gary Pretlow, the Assembly Majority and I will work closely with the Governor, the Senate and New York City to address immediate concerns and come up with a plan for the long term viability of OTB. I see no reason why NYC OTB cannot contribute to the revenues of New York City and the State and be a successful operation that continues to provide good jobs for the 1,500 men and women it employs.”

NYC OTB pays out approximately $90 million annually to New York based thoroughbred and harness racing tracks in return for broadcasting live signals of their races at its facilities. In addition, NYC OTB pays approximately $17 million annually in fees and surcharges to New York City and an additional $17 million to New York State.

“By charging less money from NYC OTB while it gets back on its feet financially, all of the entities that benefit from OTB will benefit in the long run,” said Governor Paterson. “I will ask the Legislature to look not only at the short-term fix that will be needed to stabilize OTB’s operations, but at long-term changes that can make all six of the State’s OTBs more profitable and productive. I am confident that with the cooperation of all affected parties, a solution will be reached that puts NYC OTB on sound financial footing in order to avoid the scheduled close-down date in June.”

Breeders’ Cup Challenge expands to Ascot

From Breeders’ Cup Ltd.

Breeders’ Cup officials announced on Wednesday that the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, a series of qualifying races for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, will for the first time be expanded to Europe, with three “Win and You’re In” races scheduled at Ascot Racecourse in England on September 27 and televised on the BBC and TVG networks. The additions bring the total 2008 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series races to 53 from 24 races in 2007.

The expansion to Europe marks the third continent and third non-US venue to host a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race. On April 27, Sha Tin Race Course in Hong Kong will hold the Champions Mile. Its winner will earn an automatic qualifying position into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile. This is the second expansion of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series in 2008. After running 24 Challenge races at six racetracks in the U.S. in 2007, the 2008 schedule will be run at 13 North American tracks including seven races in Canada at Woodbine Racecourse. Each Breeders’ Cup Challenge winner gains an automatic starting position into a corresponding divisional race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 races and purses totaling a record $25.5 million. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held on October 24-25 at the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live on ESPN.

The three new races, all run at one mile on the turf, will be held at the Ascot Festival are: the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1), sponsored by Sony, for 3-year-olds and up; the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile (G1) for 2-year-old fillies and the Juddmonte Royal Lodge (G2) for colts and geldings.

The Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s most prestigious mile races, is an automatic qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile. The Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile is an automatic qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Juddmonte Royal Lodge is a qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Since its inception in 1984, 29 horses from Europe have won Breeders’ Cup races.

Three Breeders’ Cup Mile winners, Miesque in 1987, Barathea in 1994 and Ridgewood Pearl (GB) in 1995, ran second in the Queen Elizabeth II.

“Ascot is one of the world’s greatest racing venues, and for centuries has been the hallmark of the finest competition in international racing,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. "It is an honor and a privilege for us to be able to include these tremendous races from Ascot in this year's Challenge."

Charles Barnett, Chief Executive at Ascot, said: "Ascot is delighted that the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Royal Lodge and Fillies' Mile will this year be a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge in the run up to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. From our point of view, with the additional profile and coverage that this will give them in the United States, this is excellent news for our sponsors, especially for Sony, who we recently announced as new backers of the QEII.”

"We would like to think that this will have a positive effect on nominations for the three races as they are perfectly positioned as launch pads to the new turf races at the expanded Breeders' Cup World Championships, and for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Europe's undisputed Mile Championship and the highest rated race in the world over that trip in 2007, consistently produced runners that go on to contest the Breeders' Cup Mile."

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge begins in the U.S. on July 5 with races from Monmouth Park. Breeders’ Cup Challenge races will be televised on ABC, ESPN, TVG and HRTV in more than 120 countries. Monmouth is one of seven new North American markets and tracks that will hold 2008 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races. The others are Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash.; Suffolk Downs in Boston; Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., Calder Race Course near Miami and Woodbine in Canada. Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course, Arlington Park, Del Mar, Keeneland and Santa Anita will also host Challenge races again this year.

In its first year the Breeders’ Cup Challenge had 14 winners who competed in the 2007Breeders’ Cup World Championships; four horses won - War Pass (Juvenile), Ginger Punch (Distaff), English Channel (Turf), and Curlin (Classic).

The return of Louie Roussel

From Churchill Downs

Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory stepped onto the one-mile track at Churchill Downs for the first time since last fall as the contender for the $2 million Kentucky Derby and adjusted to his new surroundings with a Tuesday morning gallop.

Trainer Louie Roussel III, who co-owns the son of Cherokee Run with New Orleans auto dealer Ronnie Lamarque, looked on as Recapturetheglory galloped two miles over a “fast” surface with assistant trainer Lara Van Deren in the saddle. The colt arrived at Churchill Downs on Monday.

“It’s really great to be back,” Roussel said. “To me this is the premier race in America, the people here are great, and we’re looking forward to it.”

If Recapturetheglory makes it into the starting gate in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, it will mark Roussel’s third start in the race and his first since Risen Star finished a troubled third to the victorious filly Winning Colors and runner-up Forty Niner in Kentucky Derby 114 in 1988. Roussel and Lamarque came to Churchill Downs with hopes of running Kandaly in the 1994 Derby, but the colt was scratched on the afternoon of the race because of concern about a “sloppy” track. Roussel also saddle Beau Rit to finish 13th in the 1981 Kentucky Derby.

“It’s a very tough race to win,” said Roussel. “You have to have your horse at a peak – not two days before the race, but on the first Saturday in May. He’s got to be able to run his best race, and you’ve got to bring a horse here that is coming off of these other races and hope that he can improve. Because if he’s coming off of these prep races, even though you’re winning and you’re running good, if he cannot improve for that first Saturday in May it’s no good.”

Recapturetheglory, who Roussel said was named with the exploits of Risen Star in mind, is stabled in the same stall in Barn 42 that was home to Risen Star in the days prior to the 1988 Derby. After his third place finish in the “Run for the Roses,” Risen Star would go on to win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the final jewels of the Triple Crown.

Roussel’s latest Kentucky Derby hope notched his first career victory in his third career start last fall at Hawthorne Race Course, and followed that win with a strong runner-up finish to Cool Coal Man in an allowance race at Churchill Downs on November 3. Recapturetheglory did not compete again until Feb. 29, when he finished third in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on grass at Fair Grounds.

“I trained this horse all winter at the Fair Grounds,” said Roussel. “I really had a lot of confidence in him and he was really doing well, but I just couldn’t get a prep race before the Louisiana Derby on the main track. Every time one came up, they couldn’t fill it. The alternative was to try him on turf and he ran a real good race that day. He may have been a little short off the bench, but I really don’t think he got hold of the turf day that – he was slipping a little bit.”

E.T. Baird was aboard Recapturetheglory for his front-running victory in the Illinois Derby, and Roussel said the Chicago-based jockey would be back in the saddle aboard his colt for the Kentucky Derby. He said Recapturetheglory would probably have his first work over the Churchill Downs track on Thursday or Friday.

“I got here with Risen Star about a week before the Derby, but this time I wanted to get here and get at least two or three good weeks galloping on this track,” said Roussel. “I’m going to work him twice here. He’ll go two five-eighths (works) – maybe a three-quarters. And then we’ll be set.”

Recapturetheglory will carry a record of 2-1-2 in six races and earnings of $333,080 into the Kentucky Derby. His earnings in graded stakes total $300,000, which ranks him 13th in order of preference for likely contenders for the Kentucky Derby. The race is limited to 20 starters, with preference given to horses with the largest total of earnings in graded stakes events.

With Monday’s arrival of Recapturetheglory, there are now 13 Kentucky Derby hopefuls on the grounds at Churchill Downs. The top three finishers in the Arkansas Derby – Gayego, Z Fortune and Tres Borrachos – also arrived at the track on Monday. Others stabled at Churchill Downs include four Derby contenders trained by Nick Zito – reigning 2-year-old champion War Pass, Cool Coal Man, Anak Nakal and Stevil – and a pair trained by Bill Mott in Court Vision and Z Humor.

That number is expected to increase on Thursday when trainer Graham Motion ships Courtlandt Farm’s Adriano, winner of the Lane’s End Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park, from Keeneland to Churchill Downs. WinStar Farm’s Colonel John, the Eoin Harty-trained winner of the Santa Anita Derby (GI), is scheduled to ship to Louisville on Monday.

An inside look at the Derby

The award-winning documentary, "The First Saturday in May," one of the best racing pieces ever produced, will open a limited engagement at theaters in several cities on Friday.

An independent film, produced and directed by Brad and John Hennegan, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the stories of six trainers and their colts - including the ill-fated Barbaro - as they take aim at the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

The Hennegan Brothers will donate 25 percent of box office revenues from Truly Indie theaters, to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, which is committed to equine research.

Details, reviews, theater locations and a trailer at: www.thefirstsaturdayinmay.com.


Big brother for small people

This, in about a year, from Animal Planet, should be good for a few chuckles.

Million-dollar purses, model girlfriends and trips to the mall to shop in the boys’ department.… Animal Planet brings viewers into a world dominated by ferocious rivalries, fierce bonds and extraordinary risk, ruled by short men with silk shirts, oversized personalities and big dreams. Follow the fortunes of a group of jockeys and horses that live together in a "colony" over the course of a 30-day racing season. It’s a month of go-for-broke drama as we see fisticuffs off the track and bone-breaking spills on the track as well as a deepening bond between riders and horses. Big winners who've won horse racing’s richest purses live in the same bunkhouse with jockeys who never won a race and must place in each day’s competitions if they’re to make rent. The series showcases the day-to-day competition where five-foot-tall jockeys weighing 115-pound. fly down the track on 1,500-pound thoroughbreds. Meet the superstar athletes whose livelihoods depend on their relationships with their horses—and whose success depends on knocking the competition out of the winner’s circle.

(Questions: Where do they have 1,500-pound racehorses? Will there be English subtitles? And, do the houses in this colony have statues of tall people with educations on the lawns?)