VA OWNER/BREEDER DAVID P. REYNOLDS DIES AT 96

David P. Reynolds, former CEO of Reynolds Metals Co. died at the VCU Medical Center in Richmond on Monday after a period of declining health.  He was 96.

The youngest of four sons of company founder Richard S. Reynolds, Mr. Reynolds led the development of Reynolds Wrap household aluminum foil and the aluminum beverage can for beer and soft drinks over a 50 year career.

He earned a reputation as an environmentalist and was an industry leader in consumer aluminum recycling. He also pioneered new-product development in the building and construction, automotive, and packaging markets.

As a young man he lost an eye in a polo accident but never lost his love for horses. He owned and bred Thoroughbreds including Tabasco Cat, won the 1994 Preakness and Belmont Stakes.  He frequently raced in partnership with the late William T. Young of Overbrook Farm in Lexington, KY.


Reynolds became interested in horses through Warner L. Jones Jr. (Hermitage Farm), a classmate at Lawrenceville Prep School, where Reynolds was captain of the football team. Jones was the breeder of the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star, who sprang a huge upset in handing Native Dancer his only defeat.

Reynolds also owned and bred the crack sprinter Lord Carson, a multiple stakes winner who equaled trace records at both Churchill and Turfway.

To read the Richmond Times Dispatch’s article about his life, click here.

To read his obituary in the New York Times, click here. 

LAZY LANE BREEDS SARATOGA GRADED STAKES WINNER FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR

HOT SUMMER (NYRA Photo)

For the second straight year Joe Allbritton’s Lazy Lane Farm has produced a graded stakes winner at Saratoga – last year the Upperville nursery produced Position Limit who won the $150,000 Adirondack Stakes Gr.II and this year homebred Hot Summer captured the $102,000 Victory Ride Stakes Gr.III on Saturday’s Travers undercard.

Hot Summer, by Malibu Moon out of stakes placed Summer Delight by Quiet American,  passed six opponents in the final quarter-mile to gain the win.

The now multiple stakes winner completed six furlongs in 1:10.18 under Cornelio Velasquez for her second graded stakes win of the year and cemented her credentials as a contender for the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) in November at Churchill Downs. 

JOE ALLBRITTON

In her last start prior to Saturday, she was third in the Black-Eyed Susan Gr.II at Pimlico.

“It’s the first time I’ve been in the winner’s circle here. Every time I’ve won, I’d be home at Calder,” said winning trainer David Fawkes, who conditions Hot Summer for Harold Queen. “I wouldn’t mind seeing her go seven-eighths. She ran awfully big today. It’s possible (we would train her up to the Breeders’ Cup.) I have to talk to the owners.”

Owner Queen purchased Hot Summer at the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $180,000.  She is half-sister to stakes placed Southwest ($220,646).  Hot Summer has a half-brother by Hard Spun selling as Hip# 2057 in this year’s Keeneland Sale as well.

The win pushed Hot Summer’s lifetime record to 7-4-0-2, $245,700. In her only start where she was off the board, she was fifth in the Davona Dale Gr.II at Gulfstream, but followed that up with a win in the Comely S. Gr.III at Aqueduct. 

VA-BRED SILVERSIDE WINS GROUP 2 STAKE IN GERMANY

SILVERSIDE (Galoppfoto.de)

Germany’s  top sprint, the Goldene Peitsche (Golden Whip) G2 at Baden-Baden, ended with a surprise on Sunday as the French trained outsider Silverside  strode clear in the final furlong.

Virginia-bred and Spanish-owned, 17-1 shot Silverside scored by 2½ lengths over Smooth Operator, with British challenger Rose Blossom just grabbing fourth on the line.

Silverside has been running all over, and trainer Sanchez said: "He may have been an outsider but his win was no surprise to us. He should have won in Norway but he hit the front too soon and stopped, as the jockey is not allowed to use his whip there. He has running over longer distances, but when I saw the soft ground, I knew that this race would be ideal.He probably runs next on Champions Day at Ascot in October."

Terry Hellier, who finished second on Smooth Operator after making much of the running, said: "We did not want to go in front and I was hoping to get a good lead from Rose Blossom, but I found myself in front much too soon."

(Galoppfoto.de)

Sheikh Mohammed's Clairvoyance kept on well for third place, but stable companion Amico Fritz, who started favourite but was very keen in the earlystages, was the disappointment of the race, finishing sixth.

Silverside is by Pleasantly Perfect, out of Lyrical Ghost by Silver Ghost and was bred by the late Edward P. Evans. He has dominated racing in Spain winning multiple championships and is Group 3 placed in France.

Silverside’s dam, stakes placed Lyrical Ghost is a half-sister to the graded stakes winner Tap Dance (Pleasant Tap) and the stakes winner and stakes producer Grand Player the dame of two-time Virginia-bred champion and Grade 1 stakes winner Malibu Prayer.

He was a $30,000 Keeneland September Yearling in 2007 and resold at two abroad for $41,033. 

VA-BRED WINNERS

Classy Zip (f, 3yo), City Zip - Hanna's Harmony by Stormin Fever. B - David Ross. Penn National, 8/27/2011, stk, $30,000, 5 f, 0:57.17.

Dr. D R (c, 3yo), Borrego - Celtic Raven by Miesque's Son. B - Erika Keller Rozell & Russell N. Calder Race Course, 8/26/2011, clmg, $6,780, 8 f, 1:42.60. ($13,500, yrlg, 2009, ftkfeb; $8,500, yrlg, 2009, obsaug)

Hot Summer (f, 3yo), Malibu Moon - Summer Delight by Quiet American. B - Lazy Lane Farms Inc. Saratoga, 8/27/2011, gr 3 stk, $60,000, 6 f, 1:10.18. ($180,000, yrlg, 2009, keesep)

New York Holiday (g, 6yo), Harlan's Holiday - Sequins by Northern Fashion. B - Keswick Stables. Fort Erie, 8/23/2011, clmg, $4,786, 8.3 f, 1:42.96. ($125,000, yrlg, 2006, ftsaug)

Political Diva (f, 2yo), Political Force - Try Lea by Marquetry. B - Yadkin Farm & Rmf Thoroughbreds. Charles Town, 8/25/2011, mdn clmg, $9,600, 4.5 f, 0:54.39. ($8,000, 2yo, 2011, obsapr)

Refugio (f, 3yo), Bernardini - Storm Minstrel by Storm Cat. B - Edward P Evans. Woodbine, 8/27/2011, mdn sp wgt, $34,167, 7 f, 1:23.50. ($120,000, yrlg, 2009, keesep)

Reine De Bonbon (f, 4yo), Leroidesanimaux (BRZ) - Wa Wa Windy by Wa Bert. B - Smart Bruce. Charles Town, 8 /26/2011, mdn clmg, $6,600, 8.5 f, 1:51.73.

Rutledge Star (g, 4yo), Oratory - Just Dews by Radio Star. B - Va Tech Foundation, Inc. Charles Town, 8/25/2011, clmg, $10,800, 7 f, 1:27.72.

Silverside (c, 5yo), Pleasantly Perfect - Lyrical Ghost by Silver Ghost. B - Edward P. Evans.
Baden-baden, 8/28/2011, gr 2 stk, $57,624, 6 f, 1:09.61. ($30,000, yrlg, 2007, keesep; $41,033, 2yo, 2008, bbamay)

Stylish Affair (f, 6yo), Not For Love - Fabulous Fame by Cherokee Colony. B - Iselin C. Oliver Mr. & Mrs. III. Charles Town, 8/27/2011, clmg, $6,600, 8.5 f, 1:51.16.

Tomahawk Talk (f, 3yo), Oratory - See Me Strut by Rubiano. B - Terry Allen Corbin. Charles Town, 8/27/2011, mdn clmg, $7,800, 7 f, 1:30.87. 

CLASSY ZIP WINS PENN NATIONAL TURF STAKE

CLASSY ZIP

Virginia-bred Classy Zip, winless in three previous tries on turf, drew clear in the stretch to collect her first stakes victory in Saturday’s  $50,000 Allison McClay Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Penn National.

Based in Maryland with trainer Mike Pino, Classy Zip ($14.60) began her career by winning three straight races on Polytrack at Woodbine while racing for a claiming tag. Her best performances on grass prior to Saturday came when she finished third in an overnight handicap at Tampa Bay Downs and the $100,000 Alywow at Woodbine. In her most recent start, she was fourth of 10 in the restricted Oakley at Colonial Downs.

Ridden confidently by substitute rider William Otero, Classy Zip finished two lengths in front of 12-1 outsider Ocean Princess. Honey Chile, the 6-5 favorite on the basis of her runner-up finish in the seven-furlong, $150,000 Dutchess at Woodbine last time out and her second on Polytrack in the Grade 2 Beaumont at Keeneland, finished third.

Classy Zip ran the five furlongs on a firm course in 57.17 seconds.

Classy Zip, by City Zip, out of Janna’s Harmony by Stormin Fever, is a homebred of Virginian David Ross.

The Grantville racetrack will celebrate its 39th birthday tomorrow.

To see the race click here, then click “27” then race “3.”

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Acclamation and jockey Pat Valenzuela hustled to the front and held off Twirling Candy in a tight stretch duel to win the $1-million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) by a head on Sunday at Del Mar.  (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Jockeys race along the beach during the annual beach horse race at Sanlucar de Barrameda, near Cadiz, on August 27, 2011. (Photo by Cristina Quicler/AFP)

Champion Uncle Mo battled gamely in the closing strides of his first start since April 9 but he could not hold off the relentless late charge of Caleb’s Posse in the $250,000 Foxwoods King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. (NYRA Photo)

Joseph Talamo guides Caracortado to the winner's circle after their victory in the Grade II, $200,000 Del Mar Mile horse race, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. (AP Photo/Benoit Photo)

Michael Jawl's Celtic New Year and jockey Victor Espinoza, middle, hold off Bourbon Bay (Joseph Talamo), left, and Imponente Purse (Chantal Sutherland), right, to win the Grade II, $200,000 Del Mar Handicap, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.(Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Team Valor International’s Daveron (Ger) won for the third time from as many starts this season with a powerful rally from off the pace in the $200,000 Ballston Spa Stakes Gr.II at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday. (NYRA Photo)

Hilda’s Passion cruising to a 9+ length victory in the $250,000 Ballerina Stakes Gr.I on the Travers’ undercard. (NYRA Photo)

Virginia-bred Hot Summer passed six opponents in the final quarter-mile to win the $102,000 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) for three-year-old fillies by a half-length. (NYRA Photo)

The field breaks from the gate at the start of the $1 million Travers Stakes Gr. I.  (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
Making his first start in 19 weeks and facing older horses for the first time, The Factor looked like a serious contender for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships with a dominant victory in the $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes (G1) on Sunday at Del Mar. (Photo by Horsephotos.com)

Turallure raced from the back of the pack and overtook favorite Get Stormy in the stretch, pulling away to a 21/4-length victory in the $200,000 Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It was the first graded stakes victory for Turallure, who covered 11/8 miles in 1:48.75 and paid $20. Get Stormy, who led the first three-quarters of the race, finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Baryshnikov. (NYRA Photo)

VBF YEARLING FUTURITY CANCELLED

Hurricane Irene is still off the coast of Florida after literally raising cane in the Caribbean but she can already claim another victim – the 2011 Virginia Breeders Fund Yearling Futurity scheduled for this Sunday has been cancelled.

“We started getting calls from concerned exhibitors on Tuesday,” said VTA Executive Director Glenn Petty. “We don’t think it makes much sense to ask breeders to take a yearling on its first trip off the farm in the rain – hurricane or no hurricane.”

The 2006 Futurity was held in the rain and overall consensus was that it wasn’t a good experience.  “It’s tricky getting these young horses here and back again safely and the rain just made the day miserable.  It was stressful for the people and the horses and it wasn’t much fun.  We decided it would be weather sensitive from there forward.”

The event, which is held at the Warrenton Horse Show, will be cancelled for this year instead of postponed.

“We couldn’t make the calendar work.  The Warrenton Horse Show has a full schedule next weekend and the following weekend marks the start of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale which lasts almost two weeks.  Those upcoming sales also take our judge (Chris Baker) and some of our exhibitors and yearlings out of play,” said Petty.

Yearlings entered by phone or email prior to 2 pm on August 25, and those entered by mail with a postmark not later than August 24 will be officially entered in the Yearling Futurity and thus eligible for the $5,000 bonus payable to the highest earners for  their three-year-old racing season.

“We appreciate Chris making himself available to judge and all the work the exhibitors put into getting their yearling ready to show, but in the end mother nature rules the day. It’s possible it won’t rain on Sunday, but we don’t have a crystal ball so like most good handicappers we are playing the odds and taking the favorite.”

FIELD OF TEN HEADING INTO $1 MILLION TRAVERS

BY WAY OF CLN, MAGGIE WOLFENDALE
(Eric Miller/The Saratogian)

Preakness winner Shackleford, Belmont winner Ruler On Ice, Jim Dandy winner Stay Thirsty and Haskell winner Coil were among the top choices when post positions were drawn and morning line odds established for the Grade 1, $1 million Travers.

All are considered top runners in the division, and a Travers victory added to any of their resumes would put him ahead of the class in what’s been a rollercoaster year.

“A race like this, if any of the top four horses win, he’s the leading 3-year-old,” said Mike Repole, who owns Stay Thirsty. “If any of them win this race they become the leader of the 3-year-old division, so this is the race. But the way things have been going this year, don’t be surprised if one of the other six horses win it.”

Jim Dandy winner Stay Thirsty was installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite by oddsmaker Jason Donovan. The colt drew post 9 under jockey Javier Castellano, who won his second Travers last year aboard Afleet Express. Stay Thirsty, a son of 2006 Travers winner Bernardini, has a well-known affinity for Saratoga. The colt broke his maiden here last summer and finished second in the Hopeful, and of course, won the local prep this year.

Stay Thirsty’s other top performances have all come in New York; he won the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct in March and finished second in the Belmont Stakes in June.

“He loves this place (Saratoga),” owner Mike Repole, a native New Yorker, said. “I think he loves it more than me and that’s hard to do. ... I think he’s a lot like his owner, he just functions better in New York. When you go outside of New York, he just doesn’t do well.”

The second choice at 3-1 on the morning line is Haskell winner Coil, who drew post 7. This is the first Travers ride for jockey Martin Garcia.

The Travers will go off as the 12th race on a marathon 13-race card with a first post of 11:35 a.m. The race will be preceded, in order, by the Grade 2 Ballston Spa for fillies and mares on the turf; the Grade 3 Victory Ride for 3-year-old fillies sprinting; the Grade 1 Ballerina for female sprinters; and the Grade 1 King’s Bishop for 3-year-old sprinters. The King’s Bishop — featuring the return of Eclipse champion Uncle Mo — and Travers will be broadcast nationally on NBC from 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern.

PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY ODDS

1 Bowman's Causeway Chad Brown Ramon Dominguez 12-1

2 Rattlesnake Bridge Kiaran McLaughlin John Velazquez 8-1

3 Moonshine Mullin Reade Baker Emma-Jayne Wilson 20-1

4 Ruler On Ice Kelly Breen Jose Valdivia 6-1

5 Malibu Glow George Weaver Rajiv Maragh 20-1

6 Raison d'Etat Bill Mott Eddie Castro 10-1

7 Coil Bob Baffert Martin Garcia 3-1

8 J W Blue Tony Dutrow Cornelio Velasquez 20-1

9 Stay Thirsty Todd Pletcher Javier Castellano 5-2

10 Shackleford Dale Romans Jesus Castanon 9-2

PICTURES OF THE DAY

In this photo provided by the New York Racing Association, Bigger Is Bettor, with Abel Lezcano aboard, captures The Albany horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. Socialsaul, with Javier Castellano aboard, finished in second place. (AP Photo/New York Racing Association)

This photo released by Benoit Photo shows Kretz Racing's John Johny Jak and jockey Joel Rosario, second from right, storming by Red Sun (Joseph Talamo), right, and Leroy's Dynameaux (Garrett Gomez), left, to win the $85,000 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar Calif. (AP Photo/Benoit Photo)

VA-BRED WINNERS

Boston Pops Band (c, 5yo), Bowman's Band - Boston Princess by Hay Halo. B - Sally Ann Yeckley & Gerald B Yeckley Jr. Penn National, 8/16/2011, clmg, $7,200, 8.5 f, 1:46.45.

Daytime (c, 4yo), Seeking Daylight - Maria's Crown by Maria's Mon. B - Falk James H. Sr.  Charles Town, 8/19/2011, mdn clmg, $9,000, 6.5 f, 1:21.88.

Keystone Kid (g, 7yo), Service Stripe - Egret by Alwuhush. B - Keswick Stables. Fairmount Park, 8/16/2011, clmg, $2,760, 8.3 f, 1:47.20. ($22,000, yrlg, 2005, keesep)

Malibu Rhythm (c, 3yo), Malibu Moon - Menifeeque by Menifee. B - Mr & Mrs C W McNeely III. Penn National, 8/19/2011, clmg, $7,200, 8 f, 1:40.83. ($22,000, yrlg, 2009, keesep; $150,000, 2yo, 2010, keeapr)

Rock To Bop (c, 5yo), Bop - Leotive by Our Native. B - Noffsinger Dixie. Charles Town, 8/21/2011, alwc, $20,400, 4.5 f, 0:51.54.

Tough Look (c, 3yo), Boastful - Easy Look by Northern Afleet. B - Baker Bryan R. Calder Race Course, 8 21/2011, clmg, $6,450, 5.5 f, 1:07.63.

Water Of Life (f, 4yo), Hennessy - Shoreline by Unbridled. B - James S Carter. Hoosier Park, 8/19/2011, clmg, $14,400, 6 f, 1:10.80. ($62,000, wnlg, 2007, keenov; $105,000, yrlg, 2008, keesep; $170,000, 2yo, 2009, ftmmay)

VA-BRED YEARLING FUTURITY THIS SATURDAY

The Virginia Breeders Fund’s annual yearling futurity will be held August 28 at the Warrenton Horse Show grounds in Warrenton.  The judge for this year’s event will be Chris Baker the manager of the late Edward P. Evans’ Spring Hill Farm in Casanova.

The futurity will start at 10 a.m. and follow the usual format – a class for colts, a class for fillies and a championship class.  There will be a luncheon (free to VTA members) following the yearling classes featuring a Q&A with Baker.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baker gained extensive experience in the breeding division at Lane’s End in Kentucky.  He also has worked for several top trainers, including Richard Mandella, Neil Howard and  Neil Drysdale before establishing a public training stable in Kentucky for two years.  He was employed at the Vinery in the fall of 2000 when he moved to Spring Hill Farm.

With Baker and Evans guiding Spring Hill, the team produced the likes of Horse of the Year St. Liam, Grade 1 winners Quality Road, Cat Moves, Christmas Kid and Malibu Prayer among others.

For more information contact the VTA office, VTA@vabred.org, 540-347-4313.

PICTURES OF THE DAY

When Bruce Brown claimed Compliance Officer for $25,000 on May 14 at Belmont Park, he figured he was getting a fresh turf horse for a summer campaign. Thursday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, the gelded son of Officer proved himself a wise investment indeed, drawing clear in the stretch to win the $100,000 West Point presented by Trustco Bank.  (NYRA Photo)

Silvestre De Sousa riding Doncaster Rover (L) win The Debenhams City of York Stakes at York racecourse on August 20, 2011 in York, England.  (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)
Favored Gitchee Goomie and Alan Garcia won by a nose over Rogue’s Jewel in a tight finish over the Saratoga Race Course stretch Friday to win the $100,000 Yaddo Stakes for fillies and mares bred in New York.  (NYRA Photo)

Dismissed at 9-1 behind odds-on favorite Winter Memories, Hungry Island gobbled up ground as she rallied through the stretch and went on to a 2 ½-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Woodford Reserve Lake Placid Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course.  (NYRA Photo)

Frankie Dettori riding Opinion Poll (L) win The Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup from Duncan (R) at York racecourse on August 20, 2011 in York, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)

Frankie Dettori riding Opinion Poll (L) win The Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup from Duncan (R) at York racecourse on August 20, 2011 in York, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)

Royal Delta and Jose Lezcano denied It’s Tricky a sweep of the TVG Triple Tiara with a runaway victory in the 131st running of the Grade 1, $500,000 TVG Alabama on Saturday at Saratoga.  (NYRA Photo)

BETTER OR WORSE?

The poll question on the Paulick Report today asked if the McKinsey Report presented to the Jockey Club last Sunday make you more or less optimistic about the game.

I was in the minority (44%) when I answered “more optimistic.”

Not more optimistic because the Jockey Club vowed to get involved and put their money where their mouth is, but more optimistic based on the entire recent dialog regarding major much needed changes to our beleaguered industry.

The McKinsey report is commons sense, but I was pleased the Jockey Club took the initiative to hire somebody to poll the stakeholders and come up with a list of issues to address.  Lacking a central authority, it’s a start.

This comes at a time when all the stakeholders seem to finally come to realize what dire straits the industry is really in and how limited the future seems to be. 

The Salix debate may not get resolved anytime soon, but it has caused the major stakeholders to get together in some cohesive form, address an issue and propose some solutions.  The enthusiasm and debate seems to be contagious as it spills over onto such issues as racing days, horse shortages and what to do with retired racehorses.

At no time in my 30 years in the Thoroughbred industry have I witnessed this much debate on so many subjects.  For a change, the stakeholders seem determined to make meaningful changes.  All of this is good if our fractured industry can find a way to take some cohesive steps forward.  Difficult at best, but not impossible.

The medication issue can be resolved with some simple compromise and experimentation.  The horsemen and vets advocate Salix based on the well being of their charges, and everybody else (racetracks, fans, bettors, breeders and the Jockey Club) seem anxious to be rid of it even if an occasional racehorse drops dead from an acute exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. 

Comparing U.S. racing to European racing seems to be a focal point in this argument, but I’d contend it’s a pointless argument.  Racing in the U.S. and in Europe have absolutely nothing in common other than the same species of animal.  Everything else is different.  Let’s move on.

What we need is a reasonable compromise and a plan to go forward – now.  Everyone in the racing game needs to come to grips with the concept that “perception is reality” and sometimes the perception is contrary to the facts.

It may be true that the facts show that we don’t have a drug problem, just like the facts show that we don’t have a race fixing problem.  But that doesn’t change the perception held by some fans, media and bettors – especially the disgruntled ones holding a losing ticket. Like it or not, we no longer live in a society that embraces personal responsibility, so expecting a losing punter to say “I chose the wrong horse” instead of blaming the loss on drugs, the jockey or some bigger conspiracy is unrealistic. In a business that involves wagering, more folks lose than win and that make managing perceptions that much more difficult.

That said, the industry fails itself when it doesn’t broadcast the facts to help cultivate a different perception that contradicts the common misconceptions.  Of all the things the league offices do for the other major sports, public relations and ultimately the management of public perception is by far the most important.

What does racing do when someone says it has a drug problem or that its product lacks integrity?  The industry says “No, we don’t, and the facts back it up.”  Problem is the industry only says that when somebody walks into the room and asks the question.

When was the last time the “industry” (stupid question already since the term “the industry” makes no sense since it’s made up of hundreds of fiefdoms) issued a press release titled “Racing Cleaner Than Ever.”  The release would point out that out of the thousands of races run a year there are a small percentage of drug violations and practically no race fixing allegations.

Yes this would defy conventional wisdom causing racetrack and industry PR folks all over the country to recoil saying you NEVER mention drugs or race fixing!  Why not, the people who pay the bills talk about it all the time – bettors and racehorse owners.  Who’s kiddin’ who?

Mind you, the mainstream media would take minimal interest as this would be classified as “good news” and good news doesn’t sell papers – not that newspapers matter anymore, but you get the point.  Mainstream media no longer cares about racing anyway so we don’t have to worry about losing that market share. Even if the industry only circulated the information on its own web pages, blogs, social media outlets and trade journals,  the message would start to sink in and slowly start to change the public’s perception – “our” public, and that’s where we need to start.

But that’s a big picture fix that leads back to a compromise on the race day medication issue.  The HBPA recently endorsed a program for Salix on race day administered by a sanctioned vet with no adjunct medications. 

This seems a logical start.  Why not give it a three year test.  Whether or not the industry wants to exclude graded stakes is up to higher powers.  In addition, we need standard rules in every jurisdiction with matching penalties.  Then the various state racing commissioners MUST enforce the penalties no matter how famous the trainer or how many races he/she fills daily.

If somebody smarter than me can figure out how to motivate owners to motivate trainers (without further burdening the group that writes all the checks) that would be a boon to compliance.   Playing by the rules has to generate greater financial awards for owners who will then demand compliance from their trainers.

Virginia HBPA Executive Director Frank Petramalo pointed out at a meeting yesterday that such a race day medication program also desperately needs an extensive “public education” program as noted above.  He’s right.  We have to tell people we don’t have a problem, but we are instituting a new policy in order to further police the most policed sport in the world.  Here are the rules, and, damn it, we’re gonna enforce them.

In the modern world of intense competition for people’s time and money and ever shortening attention spans, every industry must constantly deliver is message in every way imaginable.  Racing isn’t good at that.  Too many stakeholders are mired in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s. 

That’s a problem especially when one considers that the way we communicate, and subsequently make decisions, has changed dramatically during the current decade.  Certain things that seemed on the cutting edge in 2007 already seem outdated. Scary, but true says the guy typing this on one computer while checking email on an adjacent iPad. 

Racing is in big trouble. Breeding is in big trouble. The dialog in 2011 has been impressive, but now it’s time to take some action that can balance the short-term economic needs of the stakeholders and the long-term future of our beleaguered – some would say dying – sport.

Let’s stop talking and try some big experiments. 

What do we have to lose? -- Glenn Petty

SPEAKING OF RACING IN EUROPE

These two photos recently caught my eye and reminded yet again how comparing European and American racing is rarely productive... 

YORK

CHARLES TOWN

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Richard Hills riding Entifaadha (R) win The sportingbet.com Acomb Stakes G3 at York racecourse on August 17, 2011 in York, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)

Richard Hughes riding Sea Moon (R) win the sportingbet.com Great Voltigeur Stakes G2 at York racecourse on August 17, 2011 in York. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)

Ian Mongan rides Twice Over (L) on his way to winning The Juddmonte International Stakes G1 from Midday (R) at York racecourse. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)
Bridgetown with jockey John Velazquez in the saddle runs away from the field in the Troy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Aug, 17, 2011. (Skip Dickstein/Albany Times Union)

Jockey Martin Garcia came in from California to work Haskell winner Coil this morning on the main track of the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Aug, 17, 2011 in preparation for the Travers. (Skip Dickstein/Albany Times Union)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY

Union Rags (Javier Castellano, Michael Matz) contested a blistering early pace but had enough left in the tank to dispatch 1.75-to-1 favorite Stat and overcome a green run through the stretch in the Three Chimneys Saratoga Special Stakes Gr.II on Monday at Saratoga Race Course.  (NYRA Photo)

VA-BRED RACE WINNERS

I'll Get Home (g, 7yo), Came Home - I'll Get There by Copelan. B - Morgan's Ford Farm. Assiniboia Downs, 8/13/2011, clmg, $3,341, 6 f, 1:13.40. ($400,000, yrlg, 2005, keesep; $18,000, rac age, 2008, keejan)

Imanheiress (f, 4yo), Smoke Glacken - Miss Moola by Saint Ballado. B - Nellie M. Cox & Rose Retreat Farm. Charles Town, 8/11/2011, clmg, $6,600, 9 f, 1:56.94. ($15,000, yrlg, 2008, ftmoct)

Quatorze Royalty (c, 4yo), Louis Quatorze - Swing Together by Mamaison. B - Masek Helen H. Charles Town, 8/11/2011, mdn clmg, $6,600, 9 f, 1:58.71. ($1,000, wnlg, 2007, ftmdec)

Thief (c, 5yo), Cat Thief - Gone For Christmas by Gone West. B - Evans Edward P. Arlington Internat'l, 8/12/2011, clmg, $7,623, 6 f, 1:13.16. ($7,500, yrlg, 2007, keesep)

Winchester (c, 6yo), Theatrical (IRE) - Rum Charger (IRE) by =Spectrum (IRE). B - Mr. & Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone. Saratoga, 8/13/2011, gr 1 stk, $300,000, 12 f, 2:26.74. 

VA-BRED WINCHESTER WINS GRADE 1 SWORD DANCER

WINCHESTER (NYRA photo)

Edited from the Daily Racing Form/ESPN:

Twenty-four years after winning the Sword Dancer Invitational at Belmont Park with Theatrical, (Virginia) owners Bertram and Diana Firestone were in the Saratoga winner's circle after Winchester, a son of Theatrical, won Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational.

Ironically, Theatrical won it when the horse who beat him, Dance of Life, was disqualified from first by the stewards. Saturday, Winchester had to withstand a claim of foul by the rider of the third-place finisher, Al Khali, to maintain the victory.

For the six-year-old Winchester, it was his sixth victory from 23 career starts and his fourth Grade 1 triumph. At three, Winchester won the Secretariat at Arlington Park. Last year, he took the Manhattan and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, both at Belmont Park.

Winchester was making just his second start of the year. His return was delayed by a splint bone injury, which he developed both in the winter and again in the spring.

Christophe Clement, the trainer of Winchester, had expressed some concern about Saratoga's tighter-turned inner turf course. But Winchester had no trouble handling it as he unleashed a powerful last to first kick in the final half-mile despite having to go five wide at the quarter pole.

"He won because he's so much the best," Clement said. "He's even better than this. The turf course was a bit against him, he had to come really wide, it's a short stretch, but he's good enough to do. It was great."

Winchester finished three-quarters of a length in front of the pacesetting Rahy's Attorney, who

finished three-quarters of a length in front of Al Khali, whose rider, Alan Garcia, claimed foul against Winchester for alleged interference in the stretch. The stewards ruled that while Winchester did shift in, causing Al Khali to check, in their judgment it did not alter the outcome of the race.

Firestone, who turns 80 on Thursday, flew to Saratoga from Virginia along with his wife. The Firestones bred both Theatrical, who is 29 and is still at a farm in Kentucky, as well as Winchester.

(NYRA Photo)

"He's a good horse, I know he's a good horse," Bertram Firestone said of Winchester. "He did what we thought he was going to do."

Winchester, under Cornelio Velasquez, was last for the opening mile, but only five lengths back at the half-mile pole. He moved into contention around the far turn, swung five wide turning into the stretch and over took from a stubborn Rahy's Attorney inside the sixteenth pole to get the victory.

Winchester covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:26.74 and returned $7.20 as the second choice.

Clement said that Winchester would be pointed to either the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont on Oct. 1 or the $1.5 million Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 16.