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The top trainer in 2009 in Italy was Riccardo Menichetti. He saddled 253 winners from 2003 runners. His prize money was 2,859,136 pounds.
Let us take a look at graded action in America since Christmas. The $300,000 (G I) La Brea over 1,400 metres was one of the features at Santa Anita on December 26. Evita Argentina went from last to first in the final 400 metres to win by two lengths. The time was an impressive 1 21.78 seconds. Evita Argentina, trained by John Sadler, was seventh in the BC Filly-Mare Sprint won by Informed Decision. Gabby’s Gabriel Gal, a Grade I winner and the 5-2 favourite, was prominent early and faded gradually to finish seventh.
John Sadler said, “She likes it when she can close, when she has pace in front of her. Even Ventura could not close in the BC Sprint because it was too slow. My filly got some pace today.”
Jockey Joel Rosario explained his filly’s running style. “This filly likes to make one run. So I try to leave her alone early and keep her comfortable. She relaxed today, I had a lot of confidence when we came to the 5/16 pole. As you could see, she ran very well.”
By Candy Ride out of Jealous Wildcat by Forest Wildcat, Evita Argentina, a three year-old filly, now has six wins in 16 starts for earnings of $611,400.
Cloudy’s Knight is a nine year-old horse. In one of my BC reports, I had devoted a paragraph to Cloudy’s Knight’s photo loss in the Marathon. The Jonathan Sheppard trainee made amends for his loss in early November with a resounding win in the (G II turf) W I. McKnight Handicap at Calder on December 26. Jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr rode. Cloudy’s Knight was held up and proved the fastest when it mattered in the 2400-metre contest. A 11-2 chance, Cloudy’s Knight timed 2 27.63 seconds. A winner of four races from 2009 starts, Cloudy’s Knight has been jockey Homeister’s mount on a regular basis.
Rosemary Homeister Jr spoke: “The one thing I have been able to learn is let him (Cloudy’s Knight) run his race. Once he knows there’s a job to do, he responds to my call.”
Lava Man has been retired. The California-bred son of Slew City Slew ran his last race in the San Gabriel Handicap on December 27 at Santa Anita. The nine year-old gelding set the pace for the first 1200 metres and tired to be last. Lava Man was returning to the races after a 17-month layoff.
Steve Kanly, one of Lava Man’s owners, spoke with emotion: “It was a difficult decision. He came out of the San Gabriel sound and he’s a strong horse but we do not want to tarnish his reputation. We said we would only run him if he could be competitive at the highest level and I do not think it is in the cards anymore.”
Before the San Gabriel, Lava Man had run sixth in the Eddie Read Handicap on July 20, 2008. Claimed for $50,000 by the current ownership team, Lava Man won seven G I races. He won the Hollywood Gold Cup in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Santa Anita Handicap was won by Lava Man in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, the Charles Whittingham Memorial and the Pacific Classic were won by Lava Man. In 2005, Lava Man, at five, made the trip to Tokyo to compete in the Japan Cup. He was unplaced. With 17 wins from 47 outings, Lava Man bankrolled $5,268,706. Li’l Ms.Leonard by Nostalgia’s Star is Lava Man’s dam.
Azeri was Horse of the Year in 2002. Azeri’s first foal by A P Indy is named Take Control. A 7.7 million-dollar buyback at the 2008 Keeneland Yearling Sale, Take Control, early in 2009, was bought for 1.9 million dollars by Kaleem Shah. On December 30 at Santa Anita, still a freshman, Take Control made his debut in a 1600-metre race. As the 28-10 third choice, Take Control saved ground and was asked for an effort down the lane. The A P Indy colt swept past the front runners in striking fashion to win in 1:37.64.
Bob Baffert trains Take Control. “I did not think he could win first time out. He impressed me. He was green but he settled well and he overcame a lot of trouble. That was a good one to get, now we have got our two year-old start out of the way. He’ll run all day and we’ll let him tell us what is next.”
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Wagering in the US was down in 2009. There was a 9.9% drop to 12.3 billion from 13.7 billion in 2008. These figures represent worldwide wagering on US races. Prize money dropped 2.3% from 1.2 billion in 2008 to 1.1 billion in 2009. There was a 2.6% drop in the number of racedays. There were 6,093 days in 2008. In 2009, there were 5,934 days.
Alex Waldrop is the President of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. He issued a statement. “A decline of this magnitude for the year is nothing to celebrate, but it does compare favourably to that of many other industries in 2009, especially when combined with an overall decline in the number of race dates.”
The 39th Annual Eclipse Awards will be given away on January 18, 2010 in Beverly Hills. California. The awards are named after Eclipse who began racing at five and was unbeaten in 18 outings including eight walkovers.
Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are the only two candidates for Horse of the Year honours.
Here’s a list of horses and the categories:
Two year-old male: Lookin At Lucy, Noble’s Promise and Vale of York
Two year-old female: Blind Luck, Hot Dixie Chick and She Be Wild
Three year-old male: Mine That Bird, Quality Road and Summer Bird
Three year-old female: Careless Jewel, Flashing and Rachel Alexandra
Older Male:Einstein, Gio Ponti and Kodiak Kowboy
Older Female: Zenyatta, Life Is Sweet and Music Note
Male Sprinter: Dancing In Silks, Kodiak Kowboy and Zensational
Female Sprinter: Informed Decision, Music Note, Ventura
Male Turf: Conduit, Gio Ponti and Presious Passion
Female Turf: Goldikova Midday and Ventura
Steeplechase: Mixed Up, Red Letter Day and Spy In The Sky
Owner: Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms and Dolphus C Morrison
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert and John Shirreffs
Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez and Julian Leparoux
Apprentice: Luis Saez, Christian Santiago Reyes and Luis Batista
I will be in Kolkata on Sunday for the Derby. There are several friends I look forward to seeing. I expect a lot of information from the writers in the Horse Talk area and that is what I’ll be relying on to pick the winner on Sunday. Epsom Ace is one for whom I have considerable respect and I will be counting on his racing wisdom.
