Curlin Passes First Test at Nad Al Sheba

28 02 2008

Curlin prevailed today easily in his first real trip around the Nad Al Sheba racecourse in Dubai in the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Handicap.   The colt broke well and was involved a bit more than usual early on.   He was only racing against 5 competitors and this wasn’t considered a very stiff test for the reigning 2007 Horse of the Year Eclipse Award winner. 

I think everyone knows by now how strongly I feel for the colt, so it’s worth it to level set a bit here and say that the race didn’t really show us much.  It was impressive to see Curlin win without really being asked for anything, but the competition should be much fiercer when he faces off against the world’s finest next month in Dubai World Cup.  Still, I think it’s worth tooting his horn a bit when you consider that he’s been off since the end of October and has travelled thousands of miles to race in Dubai.   In other words, maybe he just makes it look easier than it really is.  It certainly didn’t seem that he was pressed at all in today’s trip.  

What I saw was a fit horse that still has those giant trademark strides.   There’s just something about how this horse runs that I find mesmerizing, even when he’s doing so effortlessly.  It truly is a sight to behold watching him “pick ‘em up and put ‘em down” as he travels the track.  It’s this quality that I think first made him so attractive to me and got me whispering things that horseplayers usually keep fairly tight lipped, such as “he’s the best I’ve seen.”  Such statements won’t win you many friends when you’re talking with folks that are just as passionate about great horses from previous eras, and I usually end up having to explain that I simply wasn’t around to see them.  

Up next for Curlin is the Dubai World Cup for $6 million on March 29.  

I rather fancy ending my Curlin posts these days with a fitting quote.  If nothing else, he’s 1 for 1 now when I do so, and who am I to break from such obviously successfully tradition?  :)

For today’s post, what came to mind was a quote from the battle of Sterling in Braveheart, even though the film adaptation lacked the requisite bridge that made the actual battle so dramatic.   My message to Curlin and his crew regarding the upcoming Dubai World Cup is simply:

“Send the horse……full attack!”


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Categories : Curlin, Dubai World Cup, Horse Racing News

Curlin set to return on Thursday at Nad Al Sheba

26 02 2008

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Curlin: 2007 Horse of the Year

Well folks, I’m starting to get giddy with excitement.  You see, several months ago I started this blog in large part due to my ongoing infatuation with Curlin.  No horse has ever quite touched me as deeply as he does, and the few moments I’ve been able to cheer my heart out for him rank as some of the greatest sports memories of my entire life.   On Thursday it’s going to be, in a word,  bedlam in the Stafford residence.   Curlin is set to make his 2008 debut at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai in a $175,000 prep race for the  prestigious Dubai World Cup next month.

Many of you are no doubt well aware that Curlin had been training with 3 year old phenom Pyro prior to his departure for Dubai, and Pyro’s run in the Risen Star coupled with suggestions that Curlin has a “spring in his step” lately have me burning with anticipation to see him kick off his 2008 campaign.   I made the comment on here months ago that “if he returns to racing, his 2008 season could be the stuff of legends.”  I stand by that statement.   I”m convinced he’s one of the most amazing animals to ever grace our beloved sport with his presence. 

That being said, their is reason for concern.  It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen Curlin, and if his history is any indication, he did appear rusty in the Haskell after resting from the Triple Crown series.   Likewise, as trainer Steve Asmussen has indicated in previous comments,  Curlin tends to need a race over a track before he shows up with his best effort.  Of course, the colt is also capable of turning in jaw-dropping performances the first time he steps foot on a track, as we saw in his amazing Preakness run.  

Curlin’s amazing victory in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in May of 2007.

What does all this mean for horseplayers?  Well, not much from a betting perspective.  For starters, I don’t even think I can wager on Nad Al Sheba.  Further, it’s not like a super-horse like Curlin is going offer any value at the windows even if I could wager on him.  Thursday isn’t going to be about betting, you see.  It’s going to be about the return of a superstar.  A superstar our sport badly needs right now. 

It actually wouldn’t surprise me if he were a bit rusty, though I’m sure Steve Asmussen has done a grade A job in getting the colt ready for action.   I wouldn’t worry a bit if he turned in a clunker, because we all know what kind of competitor the horse is bound to show up as on World Cup day.  Perhaps my greatest honor will be in posts like this blogging about his races at Nad Al Sheba.   The last time he ran, this blog had not yet launched, so for a passionate Curlin fan like myself, this week has seemingly taken forever to arrive. 

I’d just like to take the time to officially say to Curlin and his team:  “Get ‘em boy!!!!  You’re the best horse in the world! You let those other heathens know it!”  :)

Show them what a winner is Curlin.  Show them how a champion gets it done!

Curlin pulls away in the Breeder’s Cup Classic

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Categories : Handicapping Selections

Cool Coal Man pulls off upset in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes

24 02 2008

Cool Coal Man uses a perfect stalking trip to run down a soft pace in G2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on Sunday 2/24/08.

The Grade 2 Fountain of Youth was quite a race for handicappers to try and decipher heading into Sunday’s racing action at Gulfstream Park in Florida.  In the end it was Nick Zito trainee Cool Coal Man who got first jump on the leaders after settling into a perfect stalking trip during the soft early fractions of the race.

Golden Spikes and Make the Point set the early pace, travelling a rather pedestrian 25 3/5 seconds in the first quarter, and 49 1/5  seconds for the half.   Cool Coal Man and Elysium Fields nestled in behind the leaders and waited patiently for the real running to begin.   Two of the other highly regarded colts in the race, Anak Nakal and Court Vision, probably left themselves a bit too much to do as they were 13 and 15 lengths behind at the half respectively. 

Cool Coal man started his run in the far turn and quickly past the pace setters.  His biggest challenge came from fellow stalker Elysium Fields, who really ran a heck of a race today and even fought back a bit against Cool Coal Man in the stretch and ended up falling short of a comeback by a neck at the wire.

Court Vision ran on well at the end of the race considering the extremely slow early pace and took show honors.  Cool Coal Man returned $16.60 for the win after being sent off at odds of 7/1.  Cool Coal Man covered the mile and 1/8 distance in 1:51.85.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cool Coal Man, Court Vision, Gulfstream Park, Horse Racing News, Kentucky Derby Trail, War Pass, Z Humor

Fountain of Youth and other selections for Sunday at Gulfstream Park

23 02 2008

Sunday is quite a day for racing at beautiful  Gulfstream Park in Florida.  The current leader of the three year old colt division and esteemed leader of our 2008 Kentucky Derby watch list, War Pass, returns to racing action in his innagural 2008 effort in what appears to be one of the more mismatched races in history. 

The feature of the day however will be the 62nd running of the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, which features a slew of Kentucky Derby hopefuls including Court Vision, Monba, Z Humor, Anak Nakal, and Cool Coal Man.  The event is sure to add quite a bit of separation to the division and will hopefully answer some questions for us about who the real contenders are from the pretenders.  I’ve put together a pick 6 ticket along with analysis of the races included in the sequence below. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Court Vision, Gulfstream Park, Handicapping Selections, Triple Crown Coverage, Z Humor

Saturday Magna Pick 5 Selections

23 02 2008
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Well, I’m back from California and it looks like I’m just in time for some excellent racing action this weekend.  Obviously Sunday is going to be the BIG day, with the Fountain of Youth and the return of War Pass, but Saturday’s got some excitement stored away for sure.  I figured the Magna Pick 5 was probably the best chance for a “big score’  on Saturday and decided to take a modest stab at the ticket without breaking the bank.

The Magna Pick 5 covers racing action from Laurel Park in Maryland, Santa Anita in California, and Gulfstream Park in Florida.  Today’s sequence has several interesting races, including the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf.  The ticket I felt comfortable with was $72, and features two singles.   That’s a rather risky proposition, but what can I say?  After that ridiculous $3 Million payout someone out there hit in the pick 6 at Santa Anita last week, it just feels like time to roll the dice and play.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Gulfstream Park, Handicapping Selections, Laurel Park, Santa Anita

Updated Road to the Kentucky Derby Rankings

18 02 2008

If you’ve been following along here at the Aspiring Horseplayer it will be old news to you that the major prep races for the 2008 Kentucky Derby are a focal point of attention at the moment.  After the Hallandale Beach and the Sam F. Davis Stakes this past weekend, in which favorites Cowboy Cal and Z Humor failed to prevail, I’ve reshuffled the current rankings on the Road to 2008 Kentucky Derby page.  Clicking on the preceding link will take you straight to that page for updates, or you can click here.

So what have we learned?  Well, not a whole lot to be honest.  It was very disappointing that Cowboy Cal in particular did not prevail in the Hallandale Beach Stakes, which appeared to be a very light contest for him as he remained on the turf for the moment.  A result of that performance is that he’s dropped completely from my top 10 list of contenders. 

War Pass and Pyro are still on tops of the class.  War Pass by virtue of his 2 year old champion status, and Pyro for his jaw dropping run in the Risen Star, which if you haven’t already seen yet was the most impressive move by a 3 year old yet this year. 

Right behind them I still have Majestic Warrior and Court Vision.  In my mind they’ve got the pedigree and the talent and are proven winners, although I’m starting to get anxious waiting for the 2008 debuts.  Other horses are starting to nip at their heels in the rankings. 

After those two there is a slew of winners, many of them recent winners that I feel deserves consideration, including El Gato Mal, Colonel John, and newcomers Crown of Thorns and Georgie Boy.   This may seem a bit west coast heavy but these colts have all shown a fair amount of promise.  The good news is that we ought to get some separating in this portion of the field very soon as they should all face each other over the coming month. 

Anak Nakal and Tale of Ekati are next on my list because while they have tremendous upside and all the makings of Derby competitors on paper, I haven’t really seen anything on the track that yet warrants their rankings.  We should find out more about these guys in the next 30 days as well. 

Into Mischief barely hangs on warranting a #11 ranking for me.  He’s another of the west-coasters that should get a chance at redemption but is starting to slip behind his rivals.  He’ll need to turn the tables quickly if he’s to remain on the Derby trail. 

I’m curious to know if any of you out there are keeping your own Derby watch lists, and if so what your thoughts are?  As I’ve mentioned above, I think it’s fair to say there’s a bit of a west coast bias on my list.  I think that criticism is fair.   Most of that is that I simply have better access to those horses through TVG and other services.  I’m just that much more familiar with them. 

I’d love to hear from some of our friends on the east coast about which colts they think have a legitimate shot to perform well in the Derby or simply deserve mentioning at this point in the season.

I’ll be travelling for work this week and not around to make regular updates, but will be looking forward to a return to action on Friday when I get home.  Until then, take care and happy horse watching!


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Categories : Colonel John, Court Vision, Cowboy Cal, Horse Racing News, Into Mischief, Kentucky Derby Trail, Pyro, Z Fortune, Z Humor

Sunday racing at Santa Anita features the Daytona Handicap

17 02 2008
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Sunday’s racing action at Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, California features a ten race card highlighted by the Daytona Handicap, which will mark the return of the once highly regarded colt Notional for trainer Doug O’Neil.  There looks to be some decent wagering opportunities throughout the card and I’ll be taking a stab at each of the pick 4′s playable in the racing sequence.  Things didn’t pan out so well yesterday with Cowboy Cal going down and pretty bad showing in the Magna Pick 5. 

Early Pick 4 Ticket (#36)


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Categories : Handicapping Selections, Santa Anita

Magna 5 pool looks interesting with $265,310 carryover

16 02 2008
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Saturday’s betting action probably can’t get much livelier than the enticing $265,310 carryover in the Magna Pick Five pool.  The Magna Pick 5 is a multi-race exotic bet that encompasses races from 3 tracks owned by the Magna Entertainment Corporation:  Satna Anita in California,  Laurel Park in Maryland, and Gulfstream Park in Florida.

The total pool for today’s Magna 5 wagering is expected to reach well over $1,000,000, and there are some interesting races to wager on in the sequence.   Coming hot of the heels of my less than lucrative pick 6 win the other week, I’ve decided to take a modest stab at the pick 5 today and hope for success.   Let’s take a look at each of the races in the sequence and then I’ll share the ticket I”m considering playing.

*denotes a morning line favorite

**denotes a horse I’m using in my Pick Five ticket

1st Leg:  Laurel Park Race 10

  • #8 Control System (8/5*)**
  • #2 Baby Bird (6/1)**
  • #3 For Kisses (10/1)**

The first leg of the Magna Pick Five sequence is the 10th and final race from Laurel Park.  This just so happens to be a rather interesting race for the 55th running of the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap.  The Barbara Fritchie is a $300,000 7 furlong race over the main track at Laurel for fillies and mares 3 years old and upward.   The winner of last year’s edition of the Barbara Fritchie, Oprah Winnie is one of the contenders listed today, but ultimately I sided against the New-York bred mare due to her recent form, which hasn’t been anything near like what she was running when she entered this race in 2007.   She is an accomplished sprinter though, and if the odds are right will be worth a saver win bet.  For the multi-race exotic wager we are playing, I settled on #8 Control System, who really hasn’t run a bad race yet in her career while tallying a 5 for 7 lifetime win record.  The added furlong will be something folks looking to beat her will rightly point out, but I just couldn’t pass on her recent form when coupled with bullet workouts.  #2 Baby Bird came up as my second choice largely due to the switch to Horacio Koramanos (one of my favorite jockeys on the circuit)and the addition of blinkers for today’s race.   This might be a risky play though as the only attempt at 7 furlongs I can see in the past performances was by far her worst effort.  Maybe she’ll relax today though with the blinkers and be able to get out to an early lead.  If so, you’ve always got to consider those types.  #3 For Kisses should be rolling late.  I thought of leaving this one off the ticket to keep it cheaper but the moves from 8th to first 3 races back and 6th to 1st two races back made me think otherwise.  If you’re playing a single race exotic on this one, don’t forget about #4 Golden Dawn who looks pretty darn sharp right now.  I wouldn’t worry too much about shipping in from NY or running over the Laurel track for the first time as she’s given a good account of herself nearly everywhere she’s run.  If the odds are right this one might also be worth a saver win bet.  It was very hard to leave her off the Pick 5 ticket.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Gulfstream Park, Handicapping Selections, Laurel Park, Santa Anita

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