Oct 24
2013
Every now and then I find myself trying to answer the question, “Why am I such an avid fan of horse racing?”
It’s not about the gambling. There are dozens of ways to gamble. Casino games, poker, bingo, professional sports, lottery tickets, etc. And other than the occasional home poker game, I currently partake in none of these.
It’s not that I’m a sports fanatic. I used to follow professional baseball, basketball, and football. Baseball I left behind about 25 years ago. Basketball was cut out 15 years ago. And, after 17 years of subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket, I cancelled it this past year. Horse racing is now the only sport that I follow on a regular basis. Read More >>
Oct 20
2013
John Lies
In Part 2 of our interview with John Lies, he discusses more about his announcing style and delves into his background in the racing business and how it helped to give him a “leg up” on his present career. He also discusses the importance of utilizing social media in the horse racing industry. Click here to read Part 1 of our interview with John.
I believe I read once that Trevor Denman doesn’t call the fractional times during a race call. Are you the same way?
Yes, I’m the same way. At Kentucky Downs you don’t have that option, as we don’t have the fractional times. But, that’s ok, as I’m already accustomed to doing it that way, whether at Lone Star or any track for that matter. I will often say things like the lead horse made an easy lead, they’re going slow, all the jockeys are taking a hold. Or, you’ve got three horses all putting pressure on each other, all on the lead, and the field is spread out 15 lengths.
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Oct 17
2013
John Lies
In a previous article we introduced you to the very unique experience of Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky. Click here to read that article.
One of the details not included in that article was the pleasure of hearing the track announcer John Lies (pronounced Lees) perform a different style of announcing (or commentating as he likes to call it). With a manner that is both comforting and informative to the listener, John impressed me enough to make a mental note to get to know him better at some future point. With the help of C.J. Johnsen, I made contact with John and render the following interview.
It seems like you have a genuine interest in educating people. Is that your own style and is it unique to Kentucky Downs?
I do aim to do that. And that is something that is more my style than being specific to any racetrack. I take my act to whatever venue we’re at. I do some things similar at Lone Star Park [John is the full-time track announcer at Lone Star], but not identical. At Lone Star we have a paddock presenter, Dave Appleton … just like you heard Gary West doing at Kentucky Downs. I do a pre-race handicapping seminar here at Lone Star that does go out on the simulcast, but then nothing in between the races. [At Kentucky Downs John makes comments in between races about the upcoming race and interacts with Gary in a conversation style.]
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Oct 2
2013
In response to requests from our readers, we are implementing some new features on our website designed to help visitors get started in an efficient manner. First, we have added a “Get Started” button to the top of each page. Under this button will be three series of topics grouped and arranged from simple to more complex.
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Sep 26
2013
The author near the finish line.
In September, 2013, I finally made it to Kentucky Downs. I can now cross this off my bucket list! I attended two days of live racing, with two completely different experiences.
Before I get into that, let me describe Kentucky Downs, as it is a truly unique venue for racing in North America.
It is modeled after European Turf courses, which are not oval, and definitely not flat. Kentucky Downs has undulations on the track that include both rises and falls at various points. Further down in the article we will show the course layout and some live pictures. Read More >>
Sep 24
2013
Tom Morley and Rosie Napravnik
In this third installment of our interview with Tom Morley, he describes his approach to preparing horses to run on different surfaces and distances. He also discusses in greater detail his involvement in Claiming horses. Click here to read the second part of our interview with Tom., him dealing with the challenges and emotions of the sport.
When preparing a horse for turf (rather than dirt), do you have a different regimen of preparation?
I try to get turf horses to relax early. They’re going to have to work on the dirt anyway, but I like to see them pick it up towards the end of a work. The dirt horses I like to see more of an even pace from pole to pole. Apart from that they train very much the same way. You try and tailor your training a little bit over what sort of distances they’re going to run. But an awful lot of it in America is trying to keep the horse sound and happy. It’s very easy to make a horse sore out here. Dirt is very tough surface on horses to train on day in and day out. At home (England), horses work twice a week, you know a fast work twice a week. But everyone here works them once a week, and that’s enough. They can take more at home than they can here. Read More >>
Sep 18
2013
Royal Delta – Bow to the Queen
On February 17, 2013 I was standing at the rail at Gulfstream Park when Royal Delta blew away the competition in the Sabin Stakes. As she strode by me in the stretch I was most impressed by two things. First, how incredibly beautiful she is to see in person. And second, how Mike Smith never moved a muscle on her, just sitting, hands completely still.
I’ve seen a lot of horses in person, some of the very best in fact. But, every now and then one just grabs at you, tugs your heart and reminds you why horse racing has been and always will be your main passion.
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Sep 12
2013
In a prior article we introduced the idea of a “Saver Ticket” and included a story of the author involving just such a ticket on July 27, 2013 at Saratoga. Click here for a review of that article. In that article we mentioned the story of a Saver Ticket that saved the entire season for our handicapper friend (Vince) at Saratoga in 2011. Today we recap the story, in Vince’s own words.
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Sep 6
2013
In a prior article we introduced the topic of Claiming Races and some basic information about how they work. Click here for a review of that article. Next we’ll discuss the topic of “Jail Time” and what in means in the context of Claiming Races.
After a horse is claimed out of a race, most states require that the new owner enter the horse at a 25% higher claiming price, if that horse runs within a month following the claim. It is during that period of time the horse is considered to be “in jail.” If the horse does not run during the month after the claim, he is considered to be “out of jail” and can then be entered for any level of claiming price. Here are some examples.
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