World’s Richest Horse Race: The Dubai World Cup

An aerial view of Dubai

The Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race at $10 million dollars, will be ran this Saturday. Overall, there will be $30 million dollars in prize money given out throughout the nine races (eight of them thoroughbred) scheduled for tomorrow. The Dubai World Cup is an annual race held since 1996 and takes place

Sheikh Mohammed

at Meydan Racecourse in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of
Dubai and owner of Darley Stud and Godolphin Racing is the founder of the Dubai World Cup and an extremely passionate fan when it comes to horse racing.

Meydan Racecourse in Dubai

 

Cigar, a hall of fame horse, was the first winner of the Dubai World Cup back in 1996. Since that time, thoroughbred racing fans of all audiences have anxiously awaited for the last Saturday in March on every calendar year to watch some of the most athletic horses from all around the world compete head to head. This year is highlighted by a large field of American talent including Frosted, California Chrome, Hoppertunity, Keen Ice, Mshawish and more. Although California Chrome and Frosted are your favorites to win the contest, there is potential for an upset to occur with the talent that has entered the race. Besides the 10 million dollars being put on the stake, if California Chrome wins the race, he will become the richest horse in North American history (surpassing Curlin). The Sheikh himself has a strong chance of winning the very race he created with his top talent horse Frosted, whom for a majority of his career was overshadowed by American Pharoah. We can never count out a Baffert trained horse as well in the form of Hoppertunity who in the past hasn’t necessarily been known for winning.

My Picks for the Dubai World Cup:

• Frosted 1st
• Mshawish 2nd
• California Chrome 3rd
• Hoppertunity 4th

What Horse Racing Means to Me

In ten years I want to be able to sit down and talk about horse racing with my friends in ways that currently don’t exist today. I want the casual fan to be able to identify some of the top runners in the sport the way fans of major sports can identify Bryce Harper, Stephen Curry and Russell Wilson, etc. I want a ten-year-old to be able to pick up a racing program and understand how to read it. I want to be able to go home from a long day of work and turn on SportsCenter, watching key highlights from yesterday’s big race in Florida or California. I want the name Bob Baffert to be up there with some of sport’s most recognizable names such as Joe Torre and more. In ten years’ time, I want my kids to beg me to take them to the track the same way I use to beg my dad to take me to baseball games growing up.  I’m done with the notion that in order to get involved with the sport of horse racing you have to get through the “old boys club”. I want horse racing to be the best and biggest sport out there…simply because I believe it can be.

Four years ago I was an 18-year-old kid beginning my college career at the University of Kentucky. I knew nothing about horse racing whatsoever but a trip to Keeneland in the fall would change that. Working at a vet clinic outside of Atlanta for over five years before college led me to believe I wanted to be a veterinarian. The realization that this was not the right path for me hit me when I was only a few months into college. I skipped a pre-vet class one Friday fall afternoon and headed to the track with a group of my fraternity brothers. In hindsight, it was one of my greatest decisions while in college.

As I walked through the entrance to Keeneland, the atmosphere struck me immediately. I felt like I was in another time throughout history and a nostalgic feeling overcame me, I was instantly drawn to the possibilities that racing could show me. Racing provides an element to the fan that no other sport can really provide. When you place a bet on a horse, you instantly build a connection with that athlete because if that colt/filly runs well, it could directly benefit you. Keeneland’s layout allowed me unprecedented access to the sporting event, I was right up there next to the horses and felt like a part of the action. To watch an athlete of that size run as fast as it was capable of, caused a huge adrenaline rush to wash over me. It was a thrilling experience that can’t really be described unless you’ve actually witnessed it yourself; words don’t do it justice. Tickets to sit courtside of a basketball game can cost hundreds of dollars but I only had to spend five dollars to get into Keeneland, where I was literally feet from the starting gate and the track.

Soon after that day, I changed my major to Equine Management and added a second major (Communications/marketing). I was dead set on taking that experience I had been a part of at Keeneland and turning it into a career one way or another. I just didn’t realize how hard that would be. In my early college classes, I was shot dirty looks or scoffed at from fellow students because I didn’t know the difference between a pony and a foal. This would happen many times throughout my classes but it wasn’t enough to scare me away from my goal of changing the sport and bringing it to the big stage. 

I did not fall in love with horse racing for the same reasons many others have fallen in love with the sport. I fell in love with horse racing because it presented me a challenge and because it acted as a greater metaphor to life for me. Since that time, as I have worked my way through the industry I have been told “no” more times than I can count. I’ve had individuals high up in the industry tell me I’m not good enough and that I should give up. That’s the beauty of my journey so far. Life is all about turning the no’s into yesses. It’s about proving to others that your capable of doing some really great things, even if you were an outsider at one point. It’s about understanding that not everybody is going to support you or like your ideas because they’re different and/or new. I’ve used my time working at some of the biggest Thoroughbred Farms in the country to learn from those who know the industry better than me and at the same time, have instilled some of my own beliefs and ideas that I think would bring the sport back to prominence. Some people like my ideas, other people hate them. The important thing is that I’m getting people to talk about racing, I’m getting people to discuss ideas and ways to improve the sport. My biggest goal is to bring in the younger generation and to get other people to become fans of horse racing. I realize that I’m still going to get a lot of disgruntled faces and no’s, but I also know that with a few yesses I can really bring a positive impact to the sport and industry that has taught me so much.

American Pharoah

At the end of the day, people will tell you to DREAM BIG, but I want people to actually mean that statement. There needs to be a balance between the older and younger generation that allows for people to share ideas proactively without being ripped apart for taking a unique stance on a particular issue or concept. It’s all about working together and if you shutdown a 22-year-old kid because he thinks differently than you, your only hurting the sport and the possibilities that a younger generation could bring to it. I’ve found that people in the industry are afraid of change, but life’s all about adjusting to change and trying to improve things so that others may seek benefit from it as well. I’ve always believed that horse racing is a sport sitting on a pile of gold and with the right attitude, that wealth could be spread throughout the country and the world to make racing one of the greatest sports out there. I will continue to chase this goal through the ups and downs, navigating around the “no’s” and “yesses”. I’m Dreaming Big.

TVG is Failing Us

How many of us even know what “TVG” is? The Television Gaming Network is an American sports-oriented cable program that focusses on broadcasting horse races happening throughout the United States as well as in different countries. You’ve probably seen the channel in passing while looking for something else to watch, the TVG logo is the green block with the white outline of a horse’s head that looks ridiculously outdated and is in need of a major overhaul design wise. If you happen to spend more than five minutes watching the channel, you’ll notice gradually just how outdated the program is in general. Watching a horse race on TVG is like watching a home-recording that took place in the early 90’s, it seriously looks like some of the footage my parents have of me as a baby; that’s the kind of quality level we’re talking about. 

It’s important to know that TVG is owned by the Betfair Group, the world’s largest internet betting exchange which is headquartered in West London, England. This is the root of all of TVG’s problems and is why the program is such a dismal excuse as a source of racing entertainment. TVG needs to do more.

Camera Angles & High Definition

1. Have you ever watched a NASCAR race, an NFL or NBA game? Notice how in all three of those sporting events different camera angles are used to provide the most visually appealing display of the sport without actually being there in person. These sports are also broadcasted in high definition, so the picture quality is spectacular. As I already mentioned, TVG has the video quality of a “made at home” movie from the early 90’s and only uses one camera angle for most of their races. If NASCAR can incorporate different camera angles as a fast-paced racing sport, then so can horse racing.
   

   High Def NFL Broadcast vs. 90’s VHS recording?

   

Also, why haven’t Spidercams been incorporated into horse racing? The Spidercam is a filming system that allows a television camera to move both vertically and horizontally over a predetermined area. They are used all the time in NFL and MLS games and allow for a unique visual stimulation to the viewing audience. Imagine if horse races were broadcasted using multiple camera angles and techniques as well as in high definition, the product becomes 100x better right off the bat.

Spidercam

Outdated Looks, Over focus on Gambling & Commentating Failures

2. “TVG has a dirty casino vibe look to it”. That was literally a direct quote from one of my friends who begrudgingly sat down and watched a few minutes of racing with me. There is too much going on for one television screen to handle. Again, the numbers and colors of the graphics scream early 90’s technology. STOP WITH ALL THE NUMBERS AND WAGERING ELEMENTS. It not only looks tacky but hurts my eyes to concentrate on everything that is going on. Do you see constant point spreads flashing on the bottom of ESPN sports telecasts? No. Obviously you need to keep an aspect of gambling to the program but give it a limited amount of space on the television screen and make it look nice and professional looking.

TVG is an eyesore; too much going on

Clean, professional looking

Another thing, instead of the announcers constantly talking about the financial outcome of each race, how about they actually dissect the sport? Nobody wants to sit down and listen to someone describe how excited one should be that a horse paid $2.20 on his 3^rd place finish! They have it all wrong. Stop focusing on the betting aspect of the sport and focus on the actual competition, the beauty of the horses running on the track. You’ll end up with a way more exciting and audience oriented product if you allow and instruct the announcers to be more colorful while the race is actually happening. Substitute thought provoking analysis of the sport and it’s athletes, and allow the announcers to actually discuss what is going on instead of how much money someone could’ve just gained or lost.

Authenticity as a Sports-Entertainment Channel

3. TVG is not a sports-oriented channel, it is a gambling channel and the product they put out for the audience reveals that immediately. Yes, horse racing and gambling are synonymous, but it shouldn’t have to result in the formation of an ugly love child. Horse racing and the gambling aspect of the sport should be a beautiful pairing, one where each element compliments the other. There should be a higher focus on the actual “sport” part of horse racing rather than the gambling portion. People that love and religiously follow horse racing, do it because they LOVE the sport, not for the chance at winning a few dollars here and there. I guarantee more people would be attracted to horse racing if it was broadcasted like a NASCAR event, with backline stories, in depth interviews leading up to the action, etc. Allow the gambling aspect to be there, just don’t let it overshadow everything else that is going on.

Produce a product that is going to get people, especially a younger audience excited. While other broadcasting of sports, such as golf have evolved, horse racing has stayed stagnant. Golf could be an extremely dry sport to broadcast, yet when it is presented on TV, the commentators and the people working behind the scenes do a good job of narrating a story and of getting the audience excited about the talent on the course. Golf does a tremendous job of generating hype around it’s young and upcoming stars such as Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, back when he was just coming up in the sport. Golf broadcasting has done a tremendous job of putting a product out there that has garnered a large amount of attention and positive reviews, which has opened the door for huge companies to advertise with the sport such as Nike, Adidas, TAG Heuer, etc.

Talk about the actual horse competing in the race. Discuss the horse’s connections in depth so the audience can start building connections with particular racing stables, farms and ownership groups. “Wait, Sagamore Racing is out of Maryland? I’m form Maryland too, so I’ll root for them!” Individuals who are fans of a sport love to build connections with the athletes and/or teams they are watching. I love the Cleveland Browns because I have a connection to the city they play in, I feel like a part of the team in some aspects. When I root on the Browns, I’m rooting for the city of Cleveland at the same time.

Other Ideas to Improve Horse Racing Television

–> Interchangeable numbers for horse racing vests via a clear plastic sleeve that would enable the athletes to wear the colors of their perspective racing stables while still indicating to the audience what gate number they started in. Instead of a bunch of horses running in pink colors, each horse could be easily distinguished from one another while they are racing.    

–> Silks should be paired with a logo that further identifies a horse and the “team” the colt/filly is a part of. You paid all this money to own and race this horse, don’t you want your own unique logo on the athlete you’ve invested a lot of time and money into? Plus, you could increase your fan base overtime via individuals recognizing your logo and silk combination.

Hypothetical Sporting Logo w/ Silks

–> Project lines on the horse track that are vivid and clear in display, to help indicate particular distance markers, etc.; similar to what the NFL does with the yellow line for a first down.

These ideas aren’t and wouldn’t be hard to institute given a television program that actually cares about the product they are putting out there and about the audience they are catering to. I highly doubt TVG will ever change, however what’s to stop someone from coming in and starting up a television program for horse racing that actually hits on all these points I just made? These changes would build the fan base of the sport greatly and elevate it from “gambling TV” to entertainment TV. It’s your more TVG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why California Chrome’s Victory is Irrelevant

Outside of the “super race fan” population, nobody cares that California Chrome won his most recent race, in preparation for for his chance at winning the Dubai World Cup, which is set for March 26^th (a Saturday).

Let me break it down for you: CC just finished winning the Trans Gulf Electromechanical Handicap worth $143,000 at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. He won by an easy two lengths (a “length” meaning the length of a horse for those of you unfamiliar with the term), aka, it wasn’t a challenge at all for the 5yr old horse. CC is a talented horse, but he’s not that talented. In hindsight his win wasn’t that significant of an accomplishment when you take the time to look at who he actually competed against. There were several, SEVERAL, horses in the field at 99/1 odds. What’s better than 99/1 odds, how about 50/1 odds? Chrome competed against a group of nobodies and his victory is comparable to the ’86 Chicago Bulls beating up on a state championship winning high school team. 

Chrome’s most recent race, his victory, is everything that is wrong with the sport of racing. IT IS FULL OF WATERED DOWN COMPETITION. More is less. Why is the NBA and NFL so successful? Both of those leagues have a definitive “start” and “end” time, with a specific amount of scheduled events that allow for only the highest level of competition to play in. At the end of the season, the best of the best are awarded a trip to the postseason to compete for the ultimate prize, for a CHAMPIONSHIP. Horse Racing needs this, they don’t have it. Nobody in their right mind would pay to watch LeBron James compete against terrible talent, let alone watch it from their TVs. It’s boring and garners no competition, which is essential in every successful sport. Yet people in the race industry will still argue that his win was worthy of recognition… it’s not to the rest of the sporting world. Racing needs to build its fan base up, and races like the one Chrome just ran in, is exactly how not to do it.

California Chrome is an athlete, let him compete against other talented horses; against real competition. Use Chrome to build the sport’s fan base, market him properly and pit him against tougher competition and people will tune in. Until then, his win has no relevancy in the sports world and garners no attention when it comes to attracting new fans.

Provide great talent, create enduring competition and market the hell out of the race ahead of time. That’s how you turn the sport around. That’s how you get racing to consistently show up on ESPN, etc. Change certain aspects of the sport and in the end you’ll have the best product/entertainment out there.

Watch Chrome’s “amazing” victory in the United Arab Emirates here: Courier-Journal

 

The Triple Crown: The Sporting World’s Greatest Test

As the Kentucky Derby gets closer and closer, I think it’s important to break down some of the elements that coincide with the sport of horse racing. I realize as an individual who wasn’t born into the industry, an outsider, that horse racing terms and rules can get confusing. Everybody for the most part knows the rules of all the major sports, such as the NFL or NBA; but it’s different when you bring up racing. Racing isn’t broadcasted or marketed like some of the bigger sports are, which is why I think a lot of casual fans don’t quite understand the sport as well as they could. Back in the “Golden Days” of racing where Man O’War was dominating the track or when Seabiscuit was America’s sporting hero, the rules of racing were widely known because it was the main sport, right alongside boxing. So let’s go ahead and breakdown the sport of racing a little bit.

The Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is one of the loftiest goal in all of sports. It consists of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont. The series begins the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and is followed by the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland two weeks later. The Belmont, the last race in the Triple Crown, follows the Preakness three weeks later and takes place in Elmont, New York at Belmont Park. Each race is a different length, with Belmont being the longest of the three races; notably called the “The Test of a Champion”. To qualify for the Kentucky Derby and thus for  chance to eventually contend for the Triple Crown, you have to be three years old and must have accumulated enough points from other races leading up to the Derby. A horse has a one time shot in his/her lifetime to qualify and compete for the Triple Crown, it’s not like the Super Bowl where each team has a chance to win it every year.

(1) The Kentucky Derby 

The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs

 

• Location: Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky
• Date: The first Saturday in May
• Distance: 1 1/4 Miles Long
• Purse Amount: $2 Million
• # of Competitors: 20 Horses

(2) The Preakness 

The Preakness at Pimlico Race Course

• Location: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland
• Date: 3rd Saturday in May
• Distance: 1 3/16 Miles Long
• Purse Amount: $1.5 Million
• # of Competitors: Varies (8 horses last year)

(3) The Belmont

The Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park

• Location: Belmont Park in Elmont, New York
• Date: June 6th
• Distance: 1.5 Miles Long
• Purse Amount: $1.5 Million
• # of Competitors: Varies (8 horses last year)

Qualifying for the Kentucky Derby

In order to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, a 3yr old thoroughbred must accumulate enough points. There are 35 designated races at tracks across the country and throughout the world that a horse can enter, and if they finish 4th place or better, they receive a certain number of points that can help them make the derby. The Derby qualifying system is based on a sliding point scale, or a “tiered” point system. If an owner or farm believes their horse is talented enough as a 3yr old to contend for qualification of the Kentucky Derby, then they must submit their horse’s name before the deadline (usually sometime in January).

Here’s an example: Mohaymen placed 1st in the Holy Bull Stakes earlier this month, giving him 10 points towards Derby qualification. The second place finisher (Greenpointcrusader) earned 4 points with his 2nd place finish.

Points Scale

10-4-2-1 Tiered Point System

1st Place: 10 points

2nd Place: 4 points

3rd Place: 2 points

4th Place: 1 point

Current Kentucky Derby Point Standings 

Why the Triple Crown is So Special

I work at a farm right outside of Lexington, Kentucky and a couple of times throughout the week when I’m not busy working in the office, I give tours of the Stallion Complex. One of the stallions is an ex Kentucky Derby Winner and another stallion is the sire of a Triple Crown Winner. The people that go on my tours vary from casual to super fans of racing, sometimes I give tours to people that don’t know a lot about horse racing at all. When I run into these individuals, I make sure to try and tell them just how impressive it is for a horse to win one of the races of the Triple Crown, let alone all three races.

Kentucky Derby Trophy

Preakness Stakes Trophy

Belmont Stakes Trophy

For one, qualifying for the Derby is a near impossible task within itself. You have one shot at it when your Thoroughbred turns 3 years old and when that happens they need to start winning or performing well in races to accumulate enough points leading up to the first Saturday in May. Each year thousands of foals are born, with Kentucky  representing roughly 55% of where those foals are bred and born at. Those foals, born to run, will be further raised with the utmost care and caution. When they turn 1yr old they will either be sold or kept by their owner. When they turn 2yrs old they will begin to train and some of them will race at that age as well. At 3yrs of age, the Thoroughbreds that have showcased enough talent and athletic ability will compete against one another in the top races across the country and even the world for a chance to compete at the Kentucky Derby and thus to have a chance at going after the Triple Crown.

This year 368 horses were nominated or a”put into the running” for the Kentucky Derby. Those 368 horses represent just 1.6% of the eligible 3yr old thoroughbred population. Of that 1.6% (368 horses) only 20 of them will be given a spot in the Kentucky Derby. THAT IS MIND BLOWING.

Once a horse qualifies for the Kentucky Derby, that’s just the beginning. If your lucky enough to have your horse win the Derby, you only have two weeks to prep him/her for the Preakness. In that short amount of time, a horse must fully recover from the physical toll the Derby took on his/her body, travel to Baltimore and then train/prep for the actual race. The process will repeat itself and the horse, if he/she was fortunate enough to win the Preakness as well, will only have three weeks to get ready for the Belmont. 

The website, Wired, published a really interesting article on how American Pharoah beat the odds and science itself to capture the Triple Crown, which you can read here: Update: Whoa! American Pharoah Beats Science to Win the Triple Crown

During his unbelievable run at the history books, American Pharoah traveled nearly  1,000 miles from Louisville, KY to Baltimore, MD and finally to Elmont, NY. That’s an exhaustive amount of traveling on top of actually running in each race. In between traveling for each race, we have to remember that Pharoah was dealing with thousands of people around him, trying to catch a glimpse at the modern sports marvel. He was able to forgo all the distractions and press on through the exhaustion to continue to train and perform well on the track.

Pharoah traveled in style throughout his Triple Crown Journey, here he is aboard “Air Horse One”.

Horse racing is a beautiful sport and in my opinion, the most difficult one to be great in. That’s why American Pharoah is a once in a lifetime athlete comparable to the likes of Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan. What he did was an amazing feat that required crazy athletic ability, talent and focus. I’ve seen American Pharoah up close and personal. He doesn’t stand out as some freak physically compared to some of the other top Thoroughbreds I’ve been around, but what made him such a great champion was his presence of mind and docile nature. He’s an intelligent being and at the end of the day, he wanted to win more than any of the other horses he competed against. You could see it when he raced, his competitive fire and his desire to not only run, but WIN.

American Pharoah treated us to something special, something we can all tell our kids about one day. You don’t have to be big into racing to appreciate all the lengths and obstacles he had to go through to capture glory. He made racing relevant for the whole world again, and that’s powerful. A gentleman once told me he had been to every major sporting event throughout his life, including a Super Bowl. He said nothing compared to the atmosphere and the feeling he got when he was at Belmont Park and saw Pharoah capture the first Triple Crown in 37 years. That’s impressive.

“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” – Winston S. Churchill

 

Taking a Chance: The Case for Songbird & the Kentucky Derby

The ’08 Kentucky Derby was the site of a tragic event that would have a lasting and negative impact on the sport of horse racing. Eight Belles, a world class filly placed second in the Derby behind Big Brown that year. However, Big Brown’s victory was overshadowed by Eight Belles eventual collapse and death after she crossed the finish line. The death of Eight Belles shocked not only the Thoroughbred world, but the sports world in general. Since that day, no Filly has run in the Kentucky Derby alongside the boys; which is something that needs to change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight years later, there is a new 3yr old Filly grabbing the headlines of the racing world. Her name is Songbird and she has shown a tremendous amount of talent in her last few races. Many analysts and enthusiasts of the sport believe she has the capability to compete alongside the boys at this year’s 142nd Kentucky Derby. Ironically, she is owned by Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm, the same individual who owned the late filly, Eight Belles.

Imagine the son of Tapit and heavy Derby favorite, Mohaymen, facing off against one of the best fillies within recent memory, Songbird, all for a chance at capturing racing’s immortality. The face-off would garner the country’s attention, forcing the fans to either root for the colt or the filly. Further imagine if Songbird won the Derby, think about how that would impact the sport. For the first time in a long time, you would have a female horse chasing after the Triple Crown. For the first time in a long time, horse racing would become the nation’s number one sport again, even if it was only temporarily. The Filly’s win would elevate a sport some say is “dying”. She would become America’s Horse and in the process, bring back redemption to not only the sport, but to Eight Belles as well. 

Yes, I know its a long shot to say Songbird can win the Derby, but she’s athletic and quick enough to compete against the boys. If we cast down every long shot, we’d never get to experience a Mercer over Duke victory in the NCAA Tournament or a 50-1 odds winner in the form of Mine That Bird. Songbird is in position to qualify for the Derby, so why not let her hardwork and talent have the chance to make her one of sport’s greatest horses of all time?

Songbird & owner Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm

To let the past define the future is a mistake. In sports, tragic things happen from time to time that nobody can prevent. We cannot allow fear to make our minds up for us. We can’t be afraid of failure and we can’t let it dictate our goals and ambitions. The sport of horse racing has been given an extraordinary talent in the form of Songbird, a horse that has the capability to transcend the racing for forever. It would be a shame to let this opportunity simply pass by without at least putting heavy consideration into it.

If your reading this Rick, I understand the hesitation in racing her at the Derby. Songbird is a special horse and I truly believe it is worth the consideration of running her in the race. All I’m asking for is that you think about it.

Road to the Roses Spotlight: Nyquist

Nyquist is an interesting Derby contender to analyze. Undefeated as a 2yr old going five for five with three G1 Stakes (the highest class of races) wins. The thing I love about Nyquist is his pace. In all three of his G1 victories, Nyquist manages to run each race with a great personal pace, hitting the gas only when he makes the final turn towards the stretch run.

Nyquist after his Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Victory in October of 2015

Reddam Racing; Nyquist’s silks/team

As previously touched on, many individuals question whether or not Nyquist has the staying power to cover the distance and win at the Kentucky Derby. So far, Nyquist’s longest race has been 8.5 furlongs or 1 1/16 miles long, which he covered running in the FrontRunner Stakes and the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. The Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles or 10 furlongs long which would be quite the add on in length for this rising star hopeful. His next race is slated for the 15th of this month, the San Vicente (G2) at 7 furlongs, so we still won’t really have any indication if he can tackle a race longer than 1 1/16 miles successfully.

Keeneland where Nyquist won his last race

The Kentucky Derby, which Nyquist eventually hopes to capture

It should be heavily noted that Nyquist defeated fellow Kentucky Derby contenders Brody’s Cause, Greenpointcrusader, Exaggerator, Conquest Big E and Cocked and Loaded in the 2015 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. Who’s to say if he beat a high level of competition once, that he can’t do it again in the Derby?

Nyquist’s sire, Uncle Mo, experienced a high level of success as a 2yr old as well and was a favorite in the 2011 Kentucky Derby before he was scratched for health reasons. So it’s really an unknown at this point whether or not Nyquist can go the distance, but I believe if he possesses a strong pace, he can capture the Derby. Of course, he will ultimately have to go up against the heavy favorite to win the whole thing, Mohaymen, but that’s why we let the horses speak for themselves on the track. I’ve liked Nyquist early on and have him winning the Derby in an  upset over Mohaymen. He was undefeated as a 2yr old for a reason and until he gives me a reason not to like him, I’m not going to overthink his early success. It will be important to see how he performs in his future races leading up to the Derby and maybe we’ll get a better glimpse of how sturdy his stamina really is.

Uncle Mo, Nyquist’s Sire, currently stands at Coolmore in Versailles, KY

Click here to watch his Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Victory 

Revive Match Races

Larry Bird had Magic Johnson. The Boston Red Sox have the New York Yankees. The best thing about sports, what makes a sporting event so intriguing, are the rivalries that form through competition. Rivalries generate buzz and force fans to pick a side. They also elevate the level of competition, allowing for some of the most memorable moments in sporting history. Rivalries invoke emotion, leave lasting impressions and tell a story.

Horse racing needs rivalries and it needs to bring back match races. It’s something that could elevate the sport and increase its popularity. The idea of something terrible happening or the fear of losing a great horse, should not prevent the leading owners of the industry from competing against each other in exciting one v. one races. I realize this idea may be a controversial one, falling back to the match race between arguably the greatest filly of all time, Ruffian, and her competitor/1975 Kentucky Derby Winner Foolish Pleasure. However, in sports, freak accidents occur and match races shouldn’t simply come to a halt due to the chance that something freakishly bad will happen. If both horses are healthy, owners are in agreement with specific terms and if it’s something that will get the general public/fans excited, then IT SHOULD HAPPEN.

Eclipse v. Henry 1823 (Union Course): The Civil War

• Eclipse, undefeated, represented the North
• Henry, a rising star, represented the South
• Coined the “Great Match Race”
• Henry is the heavy favorite to win the race because at the time, the South had better racetracks, more racing enthusiasts and better race horses in general.
• The race foreshadowed the upcoming Civil War that would divide our country
• Congress and the stock exchanged shutdown for the race with President Jackson taking time off from his campaign to watch the race
• 60,000 spectators
• Nothing was off limits when it came to betting on the race including the rights/ownership to over 500 slaves

RESULT–> After trading wins in the first two heats of the match, Eclipse eventually comes out the winner after an exhaustive and grueling third heat. The North prevails, foreshadowing their eventual win in the Civil War.

Seabiscuit v. War Admiral 1938 (Pimlico): The Underdog Story

Watch the race here

• West vs. East Coast; territorial battle
• War Admiral (Derby Winner) had the better pedigree and was heavily favored to win
• United States was dealing with rebounding from the Great Depression and an upcoming WWII against Nazi Germany
• Media portrayed War Admiral as the villain and Seabiscuit as the “Cinderella Story”
• President FDR and 40+ million tuned in to listen to the race
• Seabiscuit 2-1 odds, War Admiral 1-4 odds

RESULT–> Seabiscuit breaks the track record (1:56 3/5) and defeats War Admiral by 4 lengths. The crowd of over 50,000 storms the track.

Ruffian v. Foolish Pleasure 1975 (Belmont Park): The Battle of the Sexes

Watch the race here

• Foolish Please, the ’75 Kentucky Derby winner, represented the boys
• Ruffian, as a filly, represented the the females
• Ruffian, considered the greatest racing filly of all time, was the heavy favorite
• Divided the country over the debate of whether a female could physically out dual her male counterpart
• Over 50,000 spectators and an estimated television audience of 20 million

RESULT–> One of the most controversial horse races/sporting events of all time. Coming out of the starting gate, Ruffian bangs her shoulder up and later breaks down during the middle of the race. Foolish Pleasure wins the race but Ruffian’s subsequent death defines it,ultimately altering the fate of match racing within the sport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Next for American Pharoah

By being the only horse ever to win the Triple Crown and Breeder’s Cup Classic, American Pharoah cemented himself in the history books as one of the greatest race horses of all time. The “Grand Slam” champion accumulated almost $9 million dollars throughout his racing career and put together a winning percentage of 82%. To put his winning percentage into perspective, John Calipari since he started coaching at Kentucky, has an 83% winning percentage with the team. Pharoah also collected horse racing’s most prestigious award, the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. Although Pharoah has retired and currently stands at Coolmore, he now has a chance to continue his legacy as an elite Sire.

Coolmore Stud, home to American Pharoah

Retirement for an accomplished race horse such as American Pharoah means he has the opportunity to pass his unique traits and DNA off to a new generation of foals through the breeding shed. Each stallion when entering retirement will “stand” (aka breed) at whatever farm paid the most for that particular stallion’s breeding rights. A new stallion’s stud fee (the amount it costs to breed a mare to that stallion) is usually determined through a combination of elements such as how they performed on the track, their pedigree and conformation (or how they look physically/athletically).

Usually, a stallion who has just entered into breeding will start off with a relatively low stud fee. This is due to the fact that a stallion must prove that it can “throw” (produce) strong runners on the track. For instance, Secretariat, considered the greatest horse of all time, never really produced any outstanding runners during his time as a standing stallion. Just because you were a great racehorse, doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily produce any great racehorses yourself. American Pharoah’s beginning stud fee however, is an exception to the rule due to his accomplishments on the track, generating a high demand among breeders within the industry. For the 2016 breeding season, Pharoah will stand for $200,000 and breed to 200 mares. That’s why great racehorses are retired after a relatively short career, because they can generate a fortune in the breeding shed; the chance of breeding a potential Triple Crown Winner or next great racehorse draws breeders with big pocketbooks from all over the world.

Horse racing is as much a sport as it is a business, and both elements of the industry have to be carefully balanced to achieve success. Math, science and breeding theories all come into play when deciding to breed a particular stallion to a particular mare; making for a rather complicated process. You can do all the research and homework you want when looking into breeding to a particular stallion, but at the end of the day, luck still plays a big role.

AP as a foal

Besides going on numerous dates, in retirement, AP and other stallions will spend most of the rest of their lives outside grazing and running around in their wide open paddocks. Stallions are treated with the utmost care, 24/7 hours a day and are consistently watched over. The average thoroughbred can be expected to live up into their mid or late twenties and when they physically can’t produce any more offspring, they then become “pensioned” and are relieved of their breeding duties and left to live out the rest of their days relaxing and living carefree.

• American Pharoah initial breeding season –> 2016
• American Pharoah’s first set of foals born –> 2017
• American Pharoah’s first crop of foals become yearlings –> 2018
• American Pharoah’s first crop of foals turn two; eligible to start racing –> 2019
• American Pharoah’s first crop of foals turn 3; prime racing age –> 2020

As denoted by the timeline, it takes time to realize if a stallion produces strong runners on the track. We really won’t know if AP throws any good horses until around 2020, believe it or not. With the thoroughbred industry, if your family members do well, your stock rises. So if American Pharoah does end up producing strong race horses over a consistent period of time, then his stud fee will likely increase in the future, likewise, if he doesn’t throw any good racehorses then his stock as a breeding stallion will fall and thus his stud fee will be lowered. The stallion with the highest current stud fee in North America is Tapit at $300,000. Tapit is regarded as the best stallion within the industry because he consistently produces great racehorses’ year in and year out.

Like I mentioned earlier, breeding is a relatively complicated process within the industry, but this is the main gist of what goes on when a stallion does retire.

 

Road to the Roses Spotlight: Mohaymen

 

 

Two important things happened this weekend: (1) Drake dropped a single from his upcoming album (Views from the 6) called Summer Sixteen and (2) Mohaymen a Kentucky Derby hopeful won the Grade II South Holy Bull Stakes.

Drake’s album, Views from the 6, is probably one of the most anticipated albums within recent memory. There are a lot of expectations for the “Six God’s” latest work, and if his new song was any indication of how his album will be, then we’re in for a good one. Just like Drake, Mohaymen has high expectations as well. Undefeated as a 2 year old, Mohaymen continued his perfect record by winning the South Holy Bull Stakes this past weekend as a 3 year old. In the process of his victory, Mohaymen defeated another Kentucky Derby hopeful and talented horse, Greenpointcrusader.

We expect big things from Drake in the music world and when it comes to the racing world, big things are expected of Mohaymen as well. Purchased by Shadwell Stable in the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $2.2 Million dollars, Mohaymen is no underdog as expectations have always been sky high for him. He’s definitely a top 3 horse and a favorite to win the Derby this year.

Mohaymen is by the leading sire, Tapit ($300,000 stud fee), so winning and talent are in his DNA. He is most comparable to this year’s Carolina Panthers football team; highly talented and a favorite to win the whole thing. If your looking for a safe bet in this year’s derby, Mohaymen is the horse for you.

Early Kentucky Derby odds have Mohaymen at 20-1, behind Kentucky Derby points leader, Nyquist at 15-1 odds.