Horse Racing: I. Ortiz/B. Cox/Godolphin/Into Mischief top 2023; J. Rodriguez/B. Russell win Laurel titles on final day; L. Rice sets NYRA record for wins in a year

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I don’t want to underserve the Preakness or Maryland as you hope they get the strongest field possible, but you get the Derby winner, you’ve got what you need.

That is generally a given for the race. I wanted to see Mage and Forte on the same stage again and it would have been a good plot. Plan B: the top two Derby horses. Maryland racing has been hit with bad news the last couple of years. The show goes on.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A new concept. An all-Western Canada Triple Crown. Good to see tracks forming an alliance of sorts.

Race	Track	Date	Purse
Manitoba Derby	Assiniboia Derby (MB)	August 7, 2023	$125,000
Canadian Derby (Gr. 3)	Century Mile (AB)	August 26, 2023	$200,000
British Columbia Derby (Gr. 3)	Hastings (BC)	September 16, 2023	$125,000

I will wager now that Robertino Diodoro wins at least one.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

MONMOUTH PARK (NJ)
Opening day down the Shore, Saturday, May 13

Read about FIXED ODDS and how other tracks may introduce the concept this year: Monmouth Meet Will Offer Expanded Opportunities for Fixed Odds Players

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$60,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	12:40 PM ET
Race 2	$18,000	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	8	1:11 PM ET
Race 3	$32,000	Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	7	1:41 PM ET
Race 4	$27,500	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	2:09 PM ET
Race 5	$57,500	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	2:35 PM ET
Race 6	$75,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:04 PM ET
Race 7	$55,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	13	3:34 PM ET
Race 8	$100,000	Long Branch S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	8	4:05 PM ET
Race 9	$57,500	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	14	4:35 PM ET
Race 10	$29,000	Starter Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	5:05 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Early odds...

These were the Preakness 2023 odds showing Monday morning at Bovada:

Preakness 2023	Int'l.	Trainer	Sire	Last race
Mage	2-1	Gustavo Delgado	Good Magic	1st Kentucky Derby
First Mission	3-1	Brad Cox	Street Sense	1st Lexington (G3)
Two Phil's*	4-1	Larry Rivelli	Hard Spun	2nd Kentucky Derby
National Treasure	8-1	Bob Baffert	Quality Road	4th Santa Anita Derby (G1)
Confidence Game	10-1	Keith Desormeaux	Candy Ride	10th Kentucky Derby
Blazing Sevens	12-1	Chad Brown	Good Magic	3rd Blue Grass (G1)
Red Route One	14-1	Steve Asmussen	Gun Runner	1st Bath House Row
Henry Q*	16-1	Doug O'Neill	Blame	3rd Sunland Park Derby (G3)
Instant Coffee	25-1	Brad Cox	Bolt d'Oro	6th Louisiana Derby (G2)
Chase the Chaos	33-1	Ed Moger Jr.	Astern	8th California Derby
Il Miracolo*	50-1	Antonio Sano	Gun Runner	6th Florida Derby (G1)
Perform**		Shug McGaughey	Good Magic	1st Federico Tesio
*Not expected to race

 

[GKJ]

 

[GKJ]

Things seem great with Forte



Have to think we won’t see him at Belmont either.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Things seem great with Forte



Have to think we won’t see him at Belmont either.

Informative article on the DRF touches many bases and a dispute between Pletcher's legal team and the Gaming Commission. For starters, I don't like the time mentioned by Pletcher' lawyer. That seems imprecise and undecisive.

Pletcher will appeal. The med found isn't anything that is commonplace.

Pletcher suspended 10 days for meloxicam positive in Forte

Trainer Todd Pletcher has been suspended 10 days by the New York stewards due to a positive test for meloxicam, a regulated anti-inflammatory drug, in the post-race sample of Forte after the horse won the Sept. 5 Hopeful Stakes last year at Saratoga Racecourse, the trainer and his legal...

www.drf.com

Meloxicam is a regulated medication, meaning that is permitted to be administered to horses for therapeutic purposes provided it does not appear in post-race samples. It is not as commonly used in racing as other NSAIDs, such as phenylbutazone or flunixin, and it is not one of three NSAIDs that have been approved for equine care.​

​

---------------​

​

On Wednesday, gaming commission officials cast blame on Pletcher and his legal team for the delay in hearing the case, saying that Pletcher’s attorneys had “sought repeated postponement of the stewards hearing” since the positive was reported last September. In addition, the officials said that finding a “capable” lab to conduct testing on a split sample had also delayed the adjudication.​

​

But Murphy, Pletcher’s lawyer, sharply disputed that account, saying that the gaming commission had not provided Pletcher with a list of laboratories that could test the split sample until early in 2023. She also said that the first hearing in the case was scheduled for March, but then she asked for “one or two adjournments” of hearing dates.​

​

“The delay is wholly on the gaming commission because they weren’t prepared to proceed with the case in a professional and orderly manner,” Murphy said. “[The perception is] somehow, Todd is gaming the system and is able to do something that others can’t. No one can proceed with anything that other can’t.”​

​

Murphy added that “if there was any delay by Todd Pletcher it was maybe two, three, or four weeks.”​

​

-----------------------------​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This is more demonstrative.

Forte Disqualified From '22 Hopeful; Pletcher Suspended

According to an attorney for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Forte has been disqualified from a victory in the 2022 Hopeful Stakes (G1) for testing positive for meloxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

www.bloodhorse.com

"The Gaming Commission has stated two or three times that we delayed the process and that's a little bit shocking to me because it's false. I don't like government regulators making false statements. They can embellish a bit but they can't say something that's not true," Murphy said. "We were on this from day one and before day one. We don't even have George Maylin's lab report. They refuse to give that to us. It took the Gaming Commission four months to give us a list of labs we could send our spilt sample."

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gulfstream is offering a mandatory $1.5 million guaranteed jackpot for Saturday's Pick 6.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Frankie Dettori with a rare appearance in New York.

Saturday's card at Belmont

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$34,000	Starter Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	1:00 PM ET
Race 2	$95,000	Allowance	7 Furlongs	Turf	12	1:31 PM ET
Race 3	$39,000	Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	8	2:05 PM ET
Race 4	$65,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	8	2:35 PM ET
Race 5	$600,000	Man o' War S.	1 3/8 Miles	Turf	8	3:07 PM ET
Race 6	$200,000	Peter Pan S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	9	3:40 PM ET
Race 7	$45,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	4:12 PM ET
Race 8	$80,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Turf	10	4:44 PM ET
Race 9	$175,000	Runhappy S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	6	5:18 PM ET
Race 10	$95,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	5:50 PM ET
Race 11	$45,000	Maiden Claiming	6 Furlongs	Turf	16	6:22 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Brittany Russell just blitzed Pimlico's 3rd race with a first-time starter from Spendthrift Farm that cost $450,000 which could be her most expensive horse, a Justify colt. Husband Sheldon rode the romp. Keep an eye on Rebellious Stage.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

As if I could pass on a horse named Maria from Miami. Too close for comfort. Brittany Russell 2-for-2 at Pimlico today

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Nice ride by Kentucky Derby winning jockey Javier Castellano to win the Peter Pan today.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Belmont (New York):

• Handle: $19 million.
• Ortiz Brothers: Both have nine wins this meet which tops the leader board.
• Race 5: Red Knight (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Michael Maker) won the $600,000 Grade I Man o' War Stakes. The winner is nine years of age.

​

• Race 6: Arcangelo (Javier Castellano/Jena Antonucci) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes by a head. I could be mistaken but I seem to recall just one other graded stakes win for the trainer.

​

• Race 9: Candy Man Rocket (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) won the $175,000 Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes.

​

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Opening Day: The meet concludes September 10.
• Paco Lopez rode three winners with a card-high nine mounts.
• Race 8: Howgreatisnate (Jairo Rendon/Elizabeth Dobles) won the $100,000 Long Branch. A big moment for Florida-based connections with owners from south Philly/New Jersey Imaginary Stables. The 3-year-old gelding is 7 5-0-0

​

​

​

​

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Brittany Russell is 5 4-0-0 at the meet. She failed after four straight wins. Can't win 'em all I suppose.
• Race 6: Maria From Miami (Jevian Toledo/Brittany Russell) was sent off the heavy favorite and won.

​

• Race 3: Rebellious Stage (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell), a $450,000 Justify colt, won handily in his debut.

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Leonel Reyes: The underrated jockey had a four-win day.
• Rainbow 6: More than $2.2 million was added to the Jackpot that entered the day around $408,000.
• Race 6:

​

​

​

Churchill (Kentucky):

• Race 11: The $.20 Pick 6 Jackpot returned over $51,000.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 9: Offlee Naughty (Umberto Rispoli/Michael McCarthy) won the $100,000 Grade 3 San Luis Ray Stakes.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Marco 85

I am interested in how jocks and trainers describe synth tracks. I am pretty sure Kathleen O'Connell said there were vast differences between Presque and Gulf and that is understandable. A South African rider whose tack is now at Woodbine said the following.

Champion South African Jockey Munger Makes A Great First Impression At Woodbine - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

As Ryan Munger walked out of the Woodbine jockeys’ room for the first race on May 6 at Woodbine, the champion jockey who had already made a name for himself competing in his native South Africa and in Singapore, imagined what it would be like to make that first start a winning one.

paulickreport.com

​

Munger is eager to test out his skills on Woodbine's two turf courses. He already has rave reviews for the main track.​

​

“The inside turf course looks like a very technical track from watching the replays,” he said. “The E.P. Taylor looks like one I will really enjoy riding because I can judge the pace well, bide my time and hopefully make that winning move.​

​

“The Tapeta, it's like a duck taking to water. We had that type of course in Singapore and it was exactly as I remember it. You put the horse where they have the best chance to be comfortable. What's crucial about the Tapeta is where you get your horse going. When you are able to find that right moment, you can really increase your chances of winning. That's what happened when we won that race, where we found that opening and had the momentum to go on from that moment.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Brittany!

Two entered, not even she can win with a Pletcher claim. $9.60 winner otherwise.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Belmont (New York):

• Race 8: Caramel Swirl (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) won the Grade 3 $175,000 Vagrancy Stakes. Alvarado could be in the running for Jockey of the Week with two graded stakes scores.

​

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Paco Lopez is already ripping apart New Jersey's shore. He finished with three wins each of the first two days of the meet. He went 10 3-3-2 today.

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Preakness Draw:

​

• Happy Mother's Day: Brittany Russell who had three wins. Her losses were with Todd Pletcher claims. Stay away, Brit. She entered 10 races this meet and won seven. Father, mother and daughter:

​

​

​

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Leonel Reyes finished 8 2-4-0. He was first or second 11 times on 17 mounts the past two days.
• Chantal Sutherland, injured in a spill earlier this month, could be sidelined approximately six weeks following surgery to her arm. She was expected to move her tack to New Jersey for summertime racing at Monmouth, In the "time flies" department, she is now 47 years of age,

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 10: The mother of all bombs as a 17-to-1 shot topped an enormous tri and super. The $.10 super paid over $19,000. Is that the biggest of the year to date?! The $.50 tri paid over $5,000.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Martin Drexler, coming off what is the best year of his 20+-year career, is hot out of the gate going 21 8-3-2 to date.
• Race 7: Anarchist (Luis Contreras/Josie Carroll) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes. The 4-year-old entered with the glaring recent record of four consecutive second place finishes at Santa Anita.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

PREAKNESS WEEKEND
Friday, May 19, 2023: Black-Eyed Susan Day
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD

Baltimore weather forecast appears to be sunny for much of the day.

May 19	Racing from Pimlico including the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes	4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	Peacock
May 19	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 19	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

Undefeated Faiza leads field of 12 for Black-Eyed Susan

The unbeaten Faiza drew post 9 for Friday's Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies traveling 1 1/8 miles at Pimlico.

www.drf.com

The unbeaten Faiza drew post 9 for Friday's Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies traveling 1 1/8 miles at Pimlico.​

​

The Black-Eyed Susan is one of three graded stakes on the 14-race program, with the Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 3/16 miles and the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies at 6 furlongs. First post is 11:30 a.m.​

​

Pimlico also offers three $100,000 stakes with the Allaire du Pont for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles, the Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf, and The Very One for fillies and mares at 5 furlongs on turf.​

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$60,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	14	11:30 AM ET
Race 2	$64,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	12:01 PM ET
Race 3	$57,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 Furlongs	Turf	16	12:32 PM ET
Race 4	$100,000	Allaire DuPont Distaff S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	6	1:02 PM ET
Race 5	$64,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	12	1:33 PM ET
Race 6	$60,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	2:04 PM ET
Race 7	$64,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	14	2:34 PM ET
Race 8	$60,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:05 PM ET
Race 9	$100,000	The Very One S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	11	3:36 PM ET
Race 10	$150,000	Miss Preakness S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	4:07 PM ET
Race 11	$100,000	Hilltop S.	1 Mile	Turf	12	4:38 PM ET
Race 12	$250,000	Pimlico Special S.	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	8	5:10 PM ET
Race 13	$300,000	George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	12	5:44 PM ET
Race 14	$48,000	Maiden Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	16	6:23 PM ET

PREAKNESS WEEKEND
Saturday, May 20, 2023: Preakness Stakes Day
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD

Baltimore weather forecast show a cloudy with a showers possible throughout the day.

All scheduled broadcast outlets in addition to Pimlico:

May 20	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.-11 p.m.	FS2
May 20	Preakness Stakes undercard races from Pimlico	1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.	CNBC
May 20	Broadcast of the 148th Preakness Stakes	4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.	NBC
May 20	"Preakness LIVE Pre-Game Show"	4:30 p.m.	Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$60,000	Allowance	5 Furlongs	Turf	10	10:30 AM ET
Race 2	$64,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	11:05 AM ET
Race 3	$57,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	13	11:41 AM ET
Race 4	$100,000	Sir Barton S. sponsored by Brandon and Diannah Perry to Benefit The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	6	12:16 PM ET
Race 5	$60,000	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	12:51 PM ET
Race 6	$200,000	Chick Lang S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	1:29 PM ET
Race 7	$100,000	Gallorette S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	7	2:08 PM ET
Race 8	$200,000	Dinner Party S.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	7	2:49 PM ET
Race 9	$100,000	Skipat S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:31 PM ET
Race 10	$100,000	Jim McKay Turf Sprint S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	13	4:12 PM ET
Race 11	$100,000	Maryland Sprint S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	4:53 PM ET
Race 12	$100,000	James W. Murphy S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	5:51 PM ET
Race 13	$1,500,000	Preakness S.	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	8	7:01 PM ET
Race 14	$100,000	UAE President Cup S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	7:43 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Marco 85 -- Weekend 1 is in the books...​

Fixed Odds Returns Better Prices In Nine Of 10 Races On Monmouth's Opening Day Card - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Fixed odds wagering was front and center at Monmouth Park for Saturday’s opening day and now, in its second year, again provided gamblers with solid value throughout the 10-race card.

paulickreport.com

​

Fixed Odds Returns Better Prices In Nine Of 10 Races On Monmouth’s Opening Day Card​

Fixed odds wagering was front and center at Monmouth Park for Saturday's opening day, and now, in its second year, again provided gamblers with solid value throughout the 10-race card.

Last year, fixed odds betting was predominantly available on-track and online at MonmouthBets.com, but the 2023 season at the iconic Jersey Shore track has been bolstered by the launch of the MonmouthBets mobile app, which allows New Jersey bettors to access fixed odds from their Android and Apple devices.

Fixed odds markets have been live for Sunday 10-race program since Friday and will be available well ahead of race days throughout the racing season.


Horseplayers in New Jersey now have the luxury of choice between the pari-mutuel pools and fixed odds, and that benefit was evident on opening day, when nine of the 10 races featured better payouts than the tote, as highlighted below.

Race	Winner	Opening Odds	Best odds	Closing Odds	Tote Odds
1	Prisoner	3.90	3.90	3.20	3.50
2	Excess Demand*	3.20	3.20	2.20	1.50
3	Super Duper Fly	7.00	13	13	9.10
4	Smile Bryan*	6.00	5.50	3.40	3.50
5	Coolcalm Collected	2.60	3.50	3.10	3.00
6	Girl Trouble	1.80	1.80	1.70	1.60
7	Big Brass Bed	2.80	3.70	2.50	2.80
8	Howgreatisnate	7.00	10	7.50	6.30
9	Katies A Lady	8.00	8.00	4.80	4.80
10	Hushion	4.80	4.80	4.60	5.30

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Smaller stables:
Maryland-based Sheldon Russell has been named to ride Pennsylvania-bred Chase the Chaos in the Preakness. Trained by Ed Moger, Jr. who began training at the now closed Yakima Meadows in Washington-state in the 1970s and now conditions in northern California.. He has never entered a horse in a Triple Crown race. Chase cost just $10,000 at auction.

Coffeewithchris cost $2,000 and is a Maryland-bred trained by a local John Salzman, Jr.

 

[GKJ]

A bit disappointing that Mage is the only Derby runner here, but so goes the reality of running horses with only a 2-week layoff.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

TV and Livestream Schedule

​

Date	Program	Time	Network/Social Media
May 16	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 16	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
May 17	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 17	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
May 18	"America's Day at the Races"	3 p.m.-7 p.m.	FS2
May 18	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 18	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
May 18	"La Trifecta"	9 p.m.	Instagram
May 19	"America's Day at the Races"	1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on FS2, 8:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. on FS1	FS2 and FS1
May 19	Racing from Pimlico including the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes	4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	Peacock
May 19	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 19	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
May 20	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.-11 p.m.	FS2
May 20	Preakness Stakes undercard races from Pimlico	1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.	CNBC
May 20	Broadcast of the 148th Preakness Stakes	4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.	NBC
May 20	"Preakness LIVE Pre-Game Show"	4:30 p.m.	Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
May 21	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-4:50 p.m.	FS2
May 21	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 21	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

"He is going to win by a colossal margin... This Philadelphia story continues its magical way...This... is.... special!..." I am glad I lived in Tom Durkin's time.

I have seen this countless times and I still don't believe it. As it turned out, 11+ length winner remains the biggest in the race's history.



"Smarty Jones... The Philly Flyer." I really thought 2004 would be a special year for both,

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Agent Says Jockey Mauro Cedillo Is "Going to Be Okay"

It was not hard to expect the worst when apprentice jockey Mauro Cedillo went down in a May 1 spill at Thistledown. It was as frightening a spill as you could ever see and it appeared that he had been trampled by one, if not more horses, after being thrown to the track. He was

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com

Some very good news!

"He is going to win by a colossal margin... This Philadelphia story continues its magical way...This... is.... special!..." I am glad I lived in Tom Durkin's time.

I have seen this countless times and I still don't believe it. As it turned out, 11+ length winner remains the biggest in the race's history.



"Smarty Jones... The Philly Flyer." I really thought 2004 would be a special year for both,

I still haven't forgiven Elliot for his Belmont ride on this very special animal. LOL

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

"He is going to win by a colossal margin... This Philadelphia story continues its magical way...This... is.... special!..." I am glad I lived in Tom Durkin's time.

I have seen this countless times and I still don't believe it. As it turned out, 11+ length winner remains the biggest in the race's history.



"Smarty Jones... The Philly Flyer." I really thought 2004 would be a special year for both,

Smarty Jones losing the Belmont was up there among the great sport disappointments of all-time. If I could change one Triple Crown loss, it would be Smarty in 2004. We all felt the Smarty Party. Spectacular Bid in 1979 is attached to Slew and Affirmed even secondarily.

Afleet Alex lost the opener of the Triple Crown races. That said, Alex's achievement in this race is one of the most remarkable athletic feats I have witnessed as it happened. The potential cataclysmic result was stunningly and brazenly erased by a wonderful moment in any sport's history. What Alex did here could not be scripted by the greatest minds in Hollywood as it would have been reviewed as fluff.

Two races calls... two remarkable race calls... A chilling moment and a bewildering time.