Another Intensive Bet Camp, at the Dogs.

Two wonderful days and nights at Palm Beach Kennel Club.  Since I can't go to the dogs or even bet on them in New York I take advantage of being Florida.  Saturday just happened to be a treat as I saw champion dogs, JS Speedypebbles and Rob Gronkowski (record holder) win their races.  Wow, Rob Gronkowski was the fastest thing I've ever seen flash past, he was amazing.  While my purpose this time was to work on photography skills I wasn't happy with  most of the shots.  I'm beginning to think if you can shoot racing dogs you can shoot anything and it might be years before I master the craft.

I thought handicapping dogs was easier than horses too until I met some people with between 35 to 45 years experience betting on greyhounds.  It turned out to be another intensive bet camp for me.  I don't exactly blend well at the track.  I left the camera back at the hotel for the evening races and picked up a coach, Kevin, with tons of knowledge.  Practice and schooling in analyzing information on the card can be overwhelming for a newbie like me.  Sixty races later I was just getting the hang of it when the evening wrapped up, but I thank my coach for a wealth of education and next time believe, like all gamblers, will be better.  Hopefully the photos will too.  The weekend at the dog track somehow cleared my head a bit as I noticed playing the last meeting at Finger Lakes (thoroughbreds) this Tuesday was easier.  The fog maybe lifting.  Handicapping is like anything else you need to do it all the time to get good at it.  Even if I'm not playing I still handicap the form like other people do crossword puzzles, just to hone my skills.

Turk, 45 years at the track, with friends.

  Jazzman.Gary, a regular at the track.

    

What I've Been Missing All These Years: The Dogs.

I'm beginning to think dog racing maybe more logical than horse racing.  As population grows and real estate becomes more expensive, taxes rise and development encroaches, horse farms are going to be less attractive to operate. Growing feed for horses also takes up a lot of land.  Dogs are considerably less expensive to keep and much easier to re-home once their racing careers are over.  Their life expectancy is less than horses and they can pretty much adapt to being pets in any home, experienced with dogs or not.  A horse is a bigger commitment and requires some knowledge of equine care.  An ex-racehorse isn't usually as gentle as a Shetland pony and  many have leg injuries that will bother them forever.  When a 1200 lb. horse falls in a race it is very often an ugly outcome.  Although dogs have wipe-outs too, unless they break their backs they can usually be saved.  Just compare the difference between a dog with a broken leg and what Barbaro went through.     

The greyhound racing industry is now working with rescue organization to find dogs coming off the track homes.  Greyhounds have as good or better chance of being adopted as any other dog due to their efforts. And greyhounds make great companions.  

Greyhound racing in many countries has serious problems of over-breeding, drugs and corruption, not to mention horrible methods used to dispose of dogs. From the few meeting I've been to in Florida and England I don't think the races could be fixed.  I'm a newbie but can pick 10 out of 15 winners, a few exactas and a couple of trifectas at a Florida meeting.  My first time out at Wimbledon dogs in England I picked 7 out of 10 winners and 3 exacta including a hurdle race just from reading the form.  If the races were fixed that would not be possible.  The favored drug in Australia is cocaine rubbed across the dogs gums right before it competes producing significant improvement in performance.  Caffeine is still used in places like Spain. There is no way a beginner like me could pick that many winners if doping was going on here.  

Betting on dogs is much easier than horses.  There are only 6 or 8 runners in a field depending which country you are in.  If a dog is scratched, which doesn't happen that often, there is no substitute dog added to the field so the trap stays empty and all dogs start from their assigned gate. There are no jockeys to make bad decisions in running so a dog runs on his own merit every time.  The grading system is simple and the fractions will tell you if a dog is fast out the traps and can stay out of trouble.  If an incident is going to happen dogs apparently bump or wipe out at the first turn.  For me the let down of a lose is somehow easier to shallow than at the Thoroughbred races because of the simplicity; they jump, they chase their very best and no one stops them.  Sure sometimes they bump each other but it's okay because it isn't any bodies fault. I can deal with that.

They are magnificent, and they chase because that is what they are born to do naturally, they are sight hounds. Their motivation for running is completely different to horses.  Horses are running away, dogs are chasing.  I wish I had gotten interested in dog racing years ago, I would have liked to train one.  All you need is a treadmill and a hydro pool, and to read, read, read greyhound racing books.  Educated trainers make better trainers.  I was always put off the dogs by people who thought the sport beneath them (my mother).  I enjoy them for the fine canine athletes they are and I don't care about impressing people anymore.  I do what I like because I really like what I do and I'm okay doing things by myself.  It's a sense of freedom that is as good as winning.  All I hope for is that greyhound racing will be cleaned up entirely world wide or closed down in countries that fail to comply with humane standards.  The animals are fabulous, they do love to run and their beauty in action makes me teary eyed.   

                           

(Photos by Annie Wade)

The Beauty of Greyhounds

No matter how you feel about racing you have to admire the beauty of a greyhound in top gear.  The perfection of a canine athlete, muscle and mind engaged in what comes naturally, chasing.

Hollywood Park Racetrack

                                (by Annie Wade November 21, 2013 during Betfair)
Hollywood Park Racetrack soon to be close forever and a shopping mall and houses built in its place. Spotting ovals from the air is a favorite thing of mine to do.  On approach to LAX just after you break through the clouds this is the view out of the right side of an aircraft.  When it's gone, the feeling will never be the same again.  Hollywood Park was the first track I ever went to in America 21 years ago.

GONE TO THE DOGS: PBKC

Finally, an much awaited afternoon at the dogs. That's the wags part of "nagsandwags." An English expression, nags, wags and jags meaning racehorses, greyhounds and luxury cars, a good way to unburden yourself of any spare cash.  Except, playing the dogs, 'betting on brindle,' is much easier than picking winners at the ponies.  Unfortunately, greyhound racing has a bad reputation and an even more shocking history. Apart from being banned in most American states, going to the dogs won't go far to impress people.  A greyhound used to be considered a poor man's racehorse and although the old stick and hook elephant trainers have died out of animal entertainment, dog racing is losing the fight for respectability.  In 1993 10 states banned greyhound racing and 40 tracks closed, 6 of them in Florida.  A trip across Connecticut by helicopter will give you an eagles view of a lot of dead dog tracks.

In  A Personal History of Greyhound Racing: The Dogs, author Laura Thompson tells of how the best racing dogs came, "Out of Ireland" and were bred by poor farmers who let them breed and run wild believing only the strong would survive. The harsh upbringing was thought to make them ferocious competitors keen to chase.  Farmers gave their dogs no formal training in leaving the traps and if a juvenile didn't spring from the gate and chase naturally the first time, he was disposed of right away.  For these reasons Irish greyhounds were supposed to be the toughest with a natural instinct to hunt Rusty, or what every the track lure was named. 

Things changed but not very much and in many cases greyhound puppies are under nourished and full of parasites when they come from breeding farms.  Not a good formula for raising future athletes expected to run at 45 mile-per-hour.  Imagine if thoroughbred farms raised horses like that in Kentucky?  There wouldn't be any huge price tags at the Keeneland sales, or people flying in from all over the world to buy bloodstock.

Greyhound racing could be so much better.  Adoption plans have helped with rehoming dogs off the track; breeders and trainers are better educated and veterinary care, like all medical sciences, has come a log way. Although horse racing is still very prestigious for owners trainers and jockeys, crowds there have declined too and the golden days of yesteryear are gone.  Animal sports are on there way out and it is largely the trainers own fault.  Those involved were too reluctant to embrace new methods and technology.  Old school trainers hung on to old school beliefs that were often crude, cruel and based on uneducated judgments.

Greyhounds were sometime 'blooded' with live prey. While horse trainers often engaged in administering what were known as the 'three touches' arsenic, strychnine and caffeine.  They also applied acid based blisters to burn the shit out of injuries.  Another popular treatment was the medieval practice of pin firing, still evident today in the little white dots (scarring) you see on horses' legs at the track.

Animals kept winning and running because that's what they do and in many cases they won in spite of their trainers not because of them.  The ignorance of the old ways hung around long enough to sour following generations from the racing sports.  Many new and innovative methods such as sports medicine and animal behavior (or whispering if you like the term) were met with ridicule and opposition, now it maybe too late to sway public opinion.  Remember it wasn't all that long ago parents thought nothing of whipping their kids, now it's against the law.  We have come from an age of discipline to an age of encouragement. Those suppressed by the overuse of discipline have been robbed of willingness, confidence and the desire to compete.   

Greyhound racing is on the ASPCA hit list, mostly for breeding quantity instead of quality and the methods enlisted to dispose of dogs that don't make the cut.  In Australia many have been shipped to Asia for human consumption but then that has happen to Kentucky Derby winners too.  If dog racing goes, horse racing won't be far behind it and neither sport will last through the century.

  

    

BETTING ON BRINDLE

It isn't brain surgery.  Everything you need to know about handicapping dogs can be found in Victor M. Knight's, Greyhound Racing To Win.  If you understand the grading system, which is key, and can read previous form and comments on what happened in the race, you can breeze through programs circling winners in minutes.  There are only 6 starters in other countries and 8 in each US race with no jockeys making bad decisions.  Favorites are genuine, they are favorites for a reason so don't go out of your way to try and beat them.  Take into account that sometimes dogs get bumped in running though and it's not unheard of that long shots comes in.  Winners are easier to pick, you just have to figure out if the high grade dog dropping back in class will beat the lower grade dog that has won all his last starts and might be ready to step up a class.  That's the gamble, are you a good judge?  Unfortunately low attendances at the tracks makes for smaller pools, so play exotics.  It's not about the money anyway, it's about being right in a game of hope. And enjoy the spectacle of the dogs in action.  Take pictures, you will be glad you did.  

PBKC

Just minutes away from West Palm Beach International Airport is PBKC the Palm Beach Kennel Club and Casino, a great way to spend a Friday afternoon at the matinee race card, especially if you have a late flight and want to kill a few hours.  Dog races run every 15 minutes so you can get quite a few in and it's never crowded.  Handicapping is quick and easy.  Watch the dogs weigh in on the monitors, or see them as they walk to the traps.  It's nice but not as crucial as it is in horse racing.  You can evaluate a dog's muscle mass, speculate it in weight (not much is fat) and compare it to his chassis matched against his competitors. You are looking for strength not necessarily size.  A dog that appears calm probably has a lower resting heart rate than a highly strung one, making his simpler to train.  He is less likely to suffer from emotional stress, or go off his food, or to wear himself out (already have run his race) before he gets to the trap.  The same goes for racehorses.   

Your program will give you the information needed to place an intelligent bet, and trust the tote board to truly reflect the dogs' ability.  Hang around for the last if you can because there is often a drop-down dog that is a sure winner.  This practice is traditional to keep punters coming back. The tracks like you to go home feeling like a winner.  There is nothing more exciting than a racing animal in full-flight.  Sitting in front of a machine in the casino doesn't make sense when there is live racing going on outside.

 Photos by Annie Wade   

These are the first pictures I've taken of greyhounds.  Dogs are smaller and faster than horses and with the white track and Florida sunlight I could have used a filter, and faster camera.  There is no beating the subject matter for thrilling action.  To me photography is about what you capture as is, not what you manipulate or pose.

OCTOBER IS GREYHOUND ADOPTION MONTH

(PB Kennel Club will offer FREE adoption to approved adopters).

Contact:

www.greyhoundpetsfl.org

www.elitegreyhounds.org

www.forevergreyhounds.org

AwesomeGreyhoundsAdoption.org

for an adoption application

pbkennelclub.com

THE JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP and SUPER SATURDAY

Photos by Annie Wade

Ron The Greek wins the Jockey Club Gold Cup

RON THE GREEK

PRINCESS OF SYLMAR WINNER OF THE BELDAME GRADE I

Belmont was hoping with a nice turnout for a spectacular card of wonderful racing that left everyone feeling good win or lose, the finishes were thrilling.  Blue sky with little puffs of white clouds, no wind and perfect temperatures made for a pleasant afternoon on Super Saturday.  Eleven races and everyone of them full of the finest bred horses in the country and a couple of remarkable Irish lassies too.  It was the kind of day that if you pick on conformation you might be overwhelmed by the quality of horse-flesh.  Every steed that passed by in the paddock under the close scrutiny of an educated New York handicapping crowd was followed by another equally as beautiful, genetically perfect and awesomely fit.  Anyone would be proud to have owned a starter on Super Saturday.

To give you some idea the maiden special weight was won by an Unbridled Song, Misconnect, trainer by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stables.  And if there wasn't enough to keep you busy on track there was plenty of great simulcast races to play.  It's hard to walk past a screen with interesting prospects.  If you don't like the prices your getting you might find something better at another track to keep you going, such as the four-year-old maiden by Partner, Ave Nox who won paying 9-2 in a maiden-claiming at Laurel; enough to stake you in the next local.

MISCONNECT

The major reason for going to the track is having the advantage of seeing the horses before you bet.  Cay To Pomeroy was the best looking animal in the next but others had better form and he went off at an attractive price of 8-1.  It's Murphy's Law that when you follow your morning line selections and ignore the eye-catchers they get up and win, and when you go for the good-lookers, your morning line picks come in. Logic doesn't always have a lot to do with it but you have to try and keep your head out of your butt.
Which brings us to the Beldame Invitational Grade I, a star attraction everyone had come to see the flashy Royal Delta, and that she was, without doubt THE most fantastic drop-dead gorgeous mare on course who just never takes a bad picture.  This was to be a two-horse race between the regals, Royal Delta and Princess Of Sylmar, so no value here but quite the show.  In the paddock Royal Delta (trained by Bill Mott) was captivating and somewhat overshadowed the little princess but sweet victory went to the smaller three-year-old filly, Princess of Sylmar (trained by Todd Pletcher) when she gallantly ran down Royal Delta to win.

PRINCESS OF SYLMAR

ROYAL DELTA

Pletcher, trained yet another Unbribled Song colt to win the Kelso Handicap, Grade II.  Graydar, was however the complete package of outstanding presence and three wins in his last three starts, so no price there either but boy what a horse, a big dappled gray.  How we are going to miss Unbridbled Songs's progeny.











GRAYDAR




Logic battled value in the Vosburgh Invitational Grade I when the impressive Private Zone took them wire to wire only easing for a split second to let the public think another favorite, Justin Phillips, was going to get the money.  A determined Private Zone found and gave a little more to come back and win.  An unwarranted objection further teased punters but the horses barely touched in the stretch and no one could have denied Private Zone his victory.
Surprise, surprise, no value in the next either with an Irish invasion.  The Flower Bowel Invitational Grade I, a mile and a quarter on the inner grass, which is not that great from a spectators view, was taken out by the Irish mare, Laughing.  Another combination of looks, form, talent and class doing what the visitors with their squared tails do best, run on the grass.  She was followed home closely by stablemate Tannery.

LAUGHING

Logic doesn't follow logic in racing or we wouldn't bet.  Gamblers have short memories at times and under estimated the power of Little Mike and Mike Smith in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Grade I. Yes, remember last year's Breeders' Cup Turf winner Little Mike but what had he done since?  Not a lot but he was value at 8-1 and he had the jockey that makes the difference, crikey Mikey.

LITTLE MIKE HOLDS OF BIG BLUE KITTEN

MIKE SMITH HUGS LITTLE MIKE AFTER WINNING THE TURF CLASSIC

Finally the best of the best was saved for last if you had any money left this was where a good eye and no logic could have really paid off.  The Jockeys Gold Cup Invitational Grade I.  By now even the most emotional bettors should have given up on poor Orb, who still looks awkward and a bit stressed in the paddock.  He's not built like the others.  Orb is the tall lanky kid in the playground who doesn't fit in, always craning his neck to scourer for threats on the horizon.  He looks more like a European horse than and American, he has that high head carriage and he's leggy.  It makes you wonder if he wouldn't do better with some time off to fill out or shipping to England to train on the moors; maybe he'd be happier with that lifestyle.  He's too good a horse to just let fade away to a dodgy future at stud.  He has disappointed fans enough times now to question if he would get a full book at a high price for the rest of his life.  A comeback is needed to remind us that Orb is a Derby winner.    

ORB

Best looking steed in the race, Ron The Greek by far.  If one had been judging a thoroughbred class at a horse show Ron The Greek would have beaten all horses at Belmont on Saturday and gone Best In Show, but then Bill Mott has never put a horse in a race that didn't look great.  So logic would kick in and say that Palace Malice, who also looked good was a better choice, or last years winner Flat Out.  Alpha, by Bernardini, who seems to impart a quality appearance of superior breeding to all his off spring, and owned by Godolphin Racing of course looked amazing too.  Swayed by the logic of form and recent performances the betting public let Ron The Greek go off at 21-1, the best price all day.  A boil over in the big one as often happens because we are so afraid to take a chance on a long shot and look foolish.  Intimidate by those who only play on big days and wouldn't really know shit about a horse if the book didn't tell them who to bet.  So the next time you are all hyped up  for a big race and see something other than the favorite or logical choice, take a shot on it, even a show bet sometimes pays better than a short priced winner.  Sure it's nice to say you had the winner but it's smarter to win more money.  Short price winners are better than valued losers but long shots give you the most satisfaction, not just because they pay better but because you saw something not everyone did and it paid off, so have confidence in you choices.  If you don't you probably shouldn't be on them, they can do without the negativity, we all can.

RON THE GREEK

You are never going to find a long shot on paper it can only be done by physical appearance and estimating the horses fitness by evaluating muscle tone for distance.  The art of backing winners comes down to selecting short priced horses with good form, that everyone has access to, or having a good eye for a horse and finding something outstanding in the paddock.  Then you have to have the balls to go with it, follow your gut.  Remember on a Super Saturday they're not out for a Dingo's breakfast (a pee and a look around), all the starters are live except for the obvious rabbits.
If you are having a bad day and need to get some positive energy back, go down to the tunnel where they park the pony-horses with a pocketful of mints and ask a rider if you can give one to his horse, it will perk you up and change your luck.

SLUMBER (Gb), ANOTHER EYE-CATCHING MOTT HORSE, 4th IN THE TURF CLASSIC

One to watch out for in the Breeders' Cup   

    

THE HAMPTON CLASSIC, GRAND PRIX

Kent Farrington, the winner, aboard Zafira clearing the final fence in the first round.

Georgina Bloomberg and Juvina, 3rd. place 

Richie Moloney, 2nd place, checks to see if the last fence in the first round is still standing as he makes time. 

Richie Moloney and Kent Farrington.     Georgina Bloomberg

A grey ceiling threatened proceedings as often does on Labor Day weekend.  During the night a wicked thunderstorm had frightened horses stabled in tented barns on Snake Hollow Road, and woke everyone on the east end of Long Island. No damage was done or spirits dampened and the event turned out to be, the best ever Hampton Classic Grand Prix.
Thirty-seven of the finest international show jumpers competed in the World Cup Qualifier with a purse of $250,000 sponsored by FTI Consulting.  An anxious crowed 'oohed' and 'aahed' with every fence negotiated.  The first few riders incurred time penalties and a set-time adjustment was considered.  Course builder Guilherme Jorge, banking on giving viewers an exciting show, hung out bravely with a nail-biting crowd for the first of only five clear rounds in what was proving to be a demolition derby.  The familiar 'clip' of a rail bouncing out of  it's cup and thudding to the ground was beginning to raise uncertainly of a clean winner.  Until, the ninetieth rider, Kevin Babington on Mark Q, and Irish bay gelding, made it though unscathed within 85 seconds.   Eleven more riders followed, none jumping without faults.  With seven competitors left Babington was looking like a sure bet, then the cloud lifted and Richie Moloney, Georgina Bloomberg, Kent Farrington and Brianne Goutal all jumped clean inside the time allowed.
The course was shortened for the jump-off taking out the very difficult back to back double combinations of 6 a. and b., and 7 a. and b. among others; the height was raised and the final outcome would be decided by the prestigious Longines clock.  It was a sultry afternoon and the pressure was on.  Irish born Richie Moloney scored the first clear.  Organizers could have played "New York, New York" for the next competitor, Georgina Bloomberg (the Mayor of New York's daughter).  Bloomberg had announced she was pregnant and a positive buzz from the crowd helped brake a spell of bad performances in front of her father, as she too jumped clear.  Glory however, went to last year's winner Kent Farrington on his back-up horse Zafira, who was not listed in the program.  When Farrington's entry Voyeur, came up with filling in his ankle the morning of the Classic, this nine-year-old KWPN mare, (by Nassau from Cappucino van Berkenbroek), considered by Farrington to be young and green, really stood-up to the plate clocking in at 38.51.  Richie Moloney and the different style of Slieveanorra, an Irish gelding, finished second in 40 seconds; and the glowing Georgina Bloomberg, on her beautiful grey mare Juvina placed third, scoring on-the-board for the first time in the Hampton Classic Grand Prix.
Farrington joined an elite group of five riders that have now defended  their Classic win successfully in consecutive years; one of whom is respected thoroughbred racehorse trainer, Michael Matz.

Richie Moloney and Slieveanorra greet the fans.

Georgina Bloomberg and Juvuna 

Juvina, 3rd place 

Kent Farrington and Zafira

Kent Farrington collecting 1st prize in the Hampton Classic Grand Prix

Zafira and Farrington's lap of honor

Brianne Goutal on Nice De Prissey, who also made the jump-off.

     Nice De Prissey was one of five stallions in the competion. 

Nice De Prissey, the strength and beauty of a stud.

Nice De Prissey, the final clear in the first round. 

Kevin Babington and Mark Q, the first clean round to make the jump-off.

McLain Ward on Rothchild.  He is the only rider to have won the HC Grand Prix twice in consecutive years, 1998, 1999, 2009 and 2010 but did not make the jump-off this year. 

Preceding the main event was a special retirement ceremony for a Grand Prix legend, Glasgow. Unfortunately this presentation was made while riders were walking the course and many spectators failed to grasp the full extent of the horse's career achievements which include, winning the Refco King George V Cup at Hickstead, to mention just one.  This magnificent animal was sadly not paraded once around the arena for the public to see or photograph; a disappointment to anyone who went to the Classic especially to honor him.  It's not all about the movie stars under the big tent, the equine talent makes the event possible.
Places are what you make them and horses make them better.  Annie Wade
(Photos by Annie Wade).
Other photos from Classic Week will be posted in a few days.