EQUINE NIAGARA NEWS - Off to the Races

January 23, 2012 Updated>

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Off to the Races with Nick Costa

Photo credits:Oaklawn logo courtesy of Oaklawn Park, Frank Mirahmadi is courtesy of Mary Forney, Garrett Gomez courtesy of Anne Eberhardt and Havre De Grace is credited to Bob Coglianese. The numbers 1958 was a Google search...Lol.As always, enjoy, Nick

 

Hi everyone! It certainly was a bad luck day for those living in Western New York and Southern Ontario on Friday, January 13th. After a slow beginning out of the starting gate, a trifecta of horses, Old Man Winter--Wicked Winds--Cold Temps, made up some ground and in doing so, brought in our first major event of the winter season. Working together, the trio dumped, swirled and drifted snow all around while giving a chill to the air that hadn't been felt in quite some time. This rude wake-up to our region made travel a nightmare for motorists who crawled, spun and slid. The usual snow removal equipment: plows, snowblowers, shovels and salt, all which had remained virtually dormant up to that day, were suddenly thrust into action in full force. After having enjoyed unseasonable and sometimes favorable weather since the winter season officially began last month, residents had to adjust to the changing conditions with the realization that winter may have finally arrived.

 

FINDING THE FUNDS:

There is good news for Fort Erie horseracing fans. There will be seven more days of thoroughbred action added to the 2012 meet than originally anticipated. The recent joint-agreement between the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario, which represents owners and trainers of thoroughbred horses, and the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, will now see 76 thoroughbred racing dates at Fort Erie Race Track in 2012, up from the 69 dates track officials had originally anticipated. The H.B.P.A. initiated an application to the Ontario Racing Commission for the added purse structure and operational costs to fulfill the added race dates. The recent pact reverses an announcement from last October, when Fort Erie Race Track officials, citing "market conditions and financial constraints", announced the 2012 thoroughbred season would be shortened by seven dates. Under the previous agreement, the racing season would have ended on October 16th, 2012.  With the additional racing dates, the upcoming season will conclude on October 30th, 2012. There will also be five dates of quarter-horse racing and three dates of mixed thoroughbred and quarter-horse competition.

Opening day of live racing is scheduled to begin Sunday, May 6.

ALL NEW:

Not all weather luck was bad on Friday the 13th, especially away from the Northeast. Under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 40's, opening day at Oaklawn Park finally arrived. After having opening day officially cancelled last year because of the weather, a crowd of over 18,000 were on hand to watch witness the card. Oaklawn Park, located in Hot Springs, is the only Thoroughbred racing venue in Arkansas. The track consists of a one-mile dirt oval and features Thoroughbred races from mid-January through mid-April. It is one of the top tracks in the country. To go along with their new season, Oaklawn has a new announcer in the booth calling their races. Frank Mirahmadi, who previously announced at Louisiana Downs and the Northern California fair circuit, was hired last summer. Mirahmadi, 44, replaces the iconic Terry Wallace, who called who every race at this historic track for all of his 37 years until he retired from the microphone at the end of the 2011 meet. Horseplayers who have heard Mirahmadi's work from time to time at various tracks, know that he is a good track announcer for sure, someone who deserves the opportunity to be the voice of a major race meet.

 

IT MUST BE THE TRACK:

The road to the Triple Crown runs through Oaklawn, as well as the road to Horse of the Year. With the recent crowning of Havre De Grace as Horse of the Year last Monday, that now makes FIVE straight years that a horse that has wintered at Oaklawn has went on to win Horse of the Year. Can Oaklawn make it six in a row?  Is there a Kentucky Derby winner stabled there this year? How about a triple crown winner?  All these questions will be answered soon!

 

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE:

The 41st annual Eclipse Awards were given out last Monday, and as anticipated, history was made. For an unprecedented third year in a row, a female horse wins the highly coveted 2011 Horse of the Year award. Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of 'Champion' in their respective categories. In a landslide vote, HAVRE DE GRACE was named the 2011 Horse of the Year as well as the Champion Older Female. She is the third consecutive female Horse of the Year, following Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Zenyatta in 2010. As a four-year-old, HAVRE DE GRACE won five of seven starts, including three G1's. Trained by Larry Jones, she won the G3 Azeri, G1 Apple Blossom, G3 Obeah, G1 Beldame and G1 Woodward. Her only losses were by a nose to Blind Luck in the G2 Delaware Handicap and in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic where she finished fourth. The race which put her in contention for the top trophy was her victory against older males in the Woodward at Saratoga, a race that Rachel Alexandra also used in her championship year, and then trounced Royal Delta in the Beldame. Royal Delta subsequently won the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, and garnered an Eclipse for Outstanding 3 year-old filly. HAVRE DE GRACE was predominately ridden in 2011 by Ramon Dominguez. Dominguez won his second straight Eclipse Award as champion jockey. The other finalists for Horse of Year were Cape Blanco and Acclamation. Cape Blanco was named champion male turf horse and Acclamation was voted champion older male thoroughbred.

 

Watch the Woodward replay:

 

Here are the rest of the 2011 Eclipse Awards winners:

 

Two-Year-Old Male: Hansen

Two-Year-Old Filly: My Miss Aurelia

Three-Year-Old Male: Animal Kingdom

Male Sprinter: Amazombie

Female Sprinter: Musical Romance

Female Turf Horse: Stacelita

Steeplechase: Black Jack Blues

Owner: Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey

Breeder: Adena Springs

Trainer: Bill Mott

Apprentice Jockey: Kyle Frey

 

GO-GO GONE:

Jockey Garrett Gomez, who sustained a fractured left heel during a mishap prior to the January 8th running of the G3 Daytona at Santa Anita, will be sidelined four-to-six weeks. Gomez suffered the injury when his mount, Silver Summation, flipped and unseated him on the path from the paddock to the track. A two-time Eclipse Award winner, Gomez was on a phenomenal run at the Santa Anita meet with six stakes victories racked up in ten races since December 26th.

 

TAKE A NUMBER:

Since the beginning of the New Year just some three short weeks ago, I have encountered on several occasions a remarkable coincidence. I have seen the same four numbers together in the following order:  1-9-5-8. Those digits were spotted on a license plate of a passing vehicle, were written as an address atop a package, were the grand total of a recent bill and were even the winning superfecta numbers in a race at Gulfstream park earlier this month. The latter really stung, because as a horseplayer I didn't back the winning combo and it paid $876.00.....OUCH....Given the repeated appearance of these same numbers in such a short amount of time, I'm very tempted to visit my nearest lottery agent and give the four numbers a whirl. As we say in New York regarding our lottery, "Hey, you never know". What's all the fuss you ask about 1958? Is there any significance for me regarding the quartet? Yes there is. It is the year I was born. I'm proud of the year 1958, just as I am proud of the high school I attended. So with my pride showcased on both of my sleeves, allow me to recall some facts from the sports world of that wonderful year. The four major sports awards were won by the Montreal Canadiens(NHL), New York Yankees(MLB), St Louis Hawks(NBA), New York Giants(NFL). The Giants defeated the Baltimore Colts 23-17 in overtime. The game is later called the "Greatest Game Ever Played". Also, the CFL is officially established in its present form and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 35-28 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I certainly would never leave out horseracing from my birth year. In the United States, Tim-Tam was draped in the garland of roses after winning the Kentucky Derby, while North of the border, Caledon Beau was victorious in the Queens Plate. Across the Atlantic, Ballymoss won France's glamorous, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and was voted the European Horse of the Year. However, prior to that illustrious coronation, he was brought stateside to contest the Washington D.C. International. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the race, a little history lesson is warranted. The Washington D.C. International was a Grade 1 invitational horse race inaugurated in 1952, it was raced on turf in Laurel, Maryland at a distance of 1 1/2 miles and attracted the best horses in North America and Europe. It was held annually until 1994, when it was replaced by the Breeders' Cup Turf. The 1958 event attracted 40,276, at that time the largest crowd ever to see a race in Maryland. Strictly as an athletic contest, the 1958 Washington D.C. International would hardly qualify as a great moment. To many people, the wrong horse won---twice. An English horse named Tudor Era led from the start, while Australia's Sailor's Guide raced along in second. Nearing the run into the stretch, Tudor Era cut off Sailor's Guide and then widened his lead to hit the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front. Ballymoss closed well enough to be third, only a head behind Sailor's Guide. The champion of Europe had been defeated. As it turned out, that defeat was a narrow one, for the jocky aboard Sailor's Guide claimed foul against the rider on Tudor Era. After more than twenty minutes, the stewards finally took down the apparent winner. Sailor's Guide was moved up to first, so that Ballymoss officially was second and had come within a head of winning.

 

I leave you with one more fact from 1958, and this one is non-sports related. One of the top songs from that year happened to occupy the number 1 spot on the Billboard chart on the day I was born. It was the Everly Brothers, "ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM".  I'll dream indeed about hitting 1-9-5-8 on a lottery ticket, but even if I don't, 1-9-5-8 will never leave me, because it was a very good year!