Somewhere around the late 1980's or early 1990's I sponsored a show jumping class at the USET in Gladstone, NJ during their championship meet. The day was dreary and soaking wet, and when the class was won and the trophy needed to be presented, I was in no mood to slog thru the mud in the pouring rain. What to do? Send my wife!

Which I did, and she went willingly. I couldn't figure out why, but no matter. My shoes were dry, and that is where the matter ended...until 2006, when Barbaro won the Kentucky Derby.

"Do you know who that is?" she inquired of me, referring to the winning trainer, Michael Matz.

"Yeah. That is Michael Matz. He just won the freakin' Derby!"

"Do you remember meeting him?"

"Meeting him? I never met him."

"Except you should have! He was the winner of the class you sponsored at the USET. You know, when you wouldn't leave the VIP tent to present the trophy..."

Cold case...reopened!

I had no idea...never had a clue...that it was Michael Matz who had won that trophy.

January 5, 2013 Race 10 - Michael Matz won the 100K Marshua's River Stakes (G3) with Hard Not to Like  (Rocco, Jr.) off an 8 month layoff, a bobble on the backstretch, a long battle with Channel Lady (Pletcher/Castellano) during which she was headed in deep stretch, only to come back and run clear in the final strides. The comment by the trackman was "...would not give up...".

Neither would her daddy, the tough as nails Hard Spun, who won 7 times at 6 tracks. He too would not give up, headed by First Defence during the 2007 running of the Kings Bishop Stakes at Saratoga, he would not stand for it. He reclaimed the lead and fought for the win in the final furlong, finally shrugging off his adversary in the last seventy yards. The race was Saratoga at its best!

As for Channel Lady, she came off that tough beat 34 days later to win the Suwannee River Stakes (G3) on Feb. 9, 2013, turning the tables on Hard Not to Like in a front running win. But back to the Marshua's River: that race was finished in a scorching 5.75 seconds for the final 16th with the 4th split in 23.03. Closing into that fast finish while lacking room to run was the third place finisher Leading Astray (Block/Lezcano), an Ill. bred ATM machine who while slightly overmatched, showed that her 9 for 9 finishes in the money (5 wins) are not to be trifled with. Trained by Chris Block, she continues to work well at Gulfstream Park. We’ll watch Leading Astray going forward.


Hard Not to Like  (Hard Spun - Like a Gem, by Tactical Cat)
Channel Lady (English Channel - Queen Supreme, by King of Kings (IRE))
Leading Astray (Belong to Me - Taxable Deduction, by Prized)

See Hard Spun win the King's Bishop at Saratoga in 2007

January 10, 2013 Race 6 - A MSW for the girls 4 & up at a mile. Breaking from post 2, Why Katherine (Attard/Castellano) gained inside advantage and led all the way. The race within the race was between Spring Reason (Sheppard/Rosario) and Flower Mart (Clement/Lezcano) as they fought to catch the front runner who put up final furlongs of 11.54 and 11.86. You try running that fast, Paco. It ain't easy. Or try chasing someone running that fast. That ain't easy either! But here is what intrigues me about this race: the rail was out 84 feet and the run-up was 135 feet. That is 45 yards before they tripped the timer. And 84 feet puts the turf course somewhere around North Miami Beach! I'm wondering if there was an unfair advantage to the inside runner Why Katherine and whether the place and show horses ran a better race than it will look on paper. I'm also wondering what the bettors will think next time when they see that Spring Reason finished 10th in her last (3rd) MSW start. And we know that  Mr. Sheppard is never in a rush. It should be noted that Flower Mart was odds-on and Spring Reason was 2-1. With all deference to the wonderful Paul Harvey…

I have a feeling this story ain't over.

Why Katherine (Whywhywhy - Include Katherine, by Include)
Flower Mart (Street Sense - Coronado Rose, by Coronado's Quest)
Spring Reason El Prado (IRE) - Spring Season, by Seeking the Gold)


January 13, 2013 Race 8 - Shug's Devine Luck (Castellano) had just broken her maiden on 12/1/2012 and in this N1X money allowance on the turf, found the lead only to be closely spied the entire way by Nayarra (Motion) and Edgar Prado. The stretch was not kind to her and while Nayarra was fixin' to go by…something strange happened: Inaugurate nipped Nayarra at the wire in a blanket finish while Devine Luck finished 7th by about 2 lengths. The official margin of victory was a neck. Now Mr. Prado has not gone un-noticed of late, with some pundits postulating a resurgence of sorts by this top rider who seems to have had a bit of a slump in recent years. But as any pilot will tell you, unless you are getting good horses times will be tough. And the business is very fickle. For example, it is difficult to imagine looking back, how hard Jerry Bailey had to work to convince the late great Bobby Frankel that Medaglia d'Oro should be his to ride.  I’m talkin’ the GREAT Jerry Bailey, not your electrician friend Jerry Bailey. Now, you may have noticed that I have emboldened not just the horse here, but also the rider. Take that as you will. But as I look through these races, I see his name come up on some mounts that look to be poised to do some serious running. I hope so, because he is on Slew's watch list too.

Divine Luck (Ghostzapper - Oh What a Windfall, by Seeking the Gold)
Nayarra (Cape Cross (IRE) - Massarra (GB), by Danehill)
Inaugurate (Empire Maker - Top Mambo, by Kingmambo)


January 24, 2013 Race 9 - A Starter Allowance that has already had 3 horses run on to PLACE in their next start. Won by the Pa. bred Rustler Hustler (Cibelli/Rocco, Jr.) beating the favorite Screenplay (Terranova,II/Castellano), it seems that both Screenplay (2nd) and Chosen Empire (4th) are horses to look for in their next start. Not world beaters by any stretch, but the race was run to a constant beat that went fast at each call, and Screenplay has made a living at the Starter Allowance level. Not so much for Chosen Empire ( Gray/Bravo) who may drop to a straight claiming. Either way, they will merit a long look next time or two out.

Rustler Hustler (Ecton Park - Cozzy Temper, by Cozzene)
Screenplay ( Stephen Got Even - Sansa, by Unbridled)
Chosen Empire ( Empire Maker - Choice Spirit, by Danzig)


February 1, 2013 Race 5 - An Allowance Optional Claiming with a tag of $100K and a purse of $65K, this race was won by Barclay Tagg's Beau Choix (Saez) from off a fast pace. This one went on to run 3rd with Castellano up behind the accomplished Data Link on Feb. 23rd in the Grade III Canadian Turf. Upgrade ridden by Johnny V. and trained by Michelle Nihei may have needed this one just a bit. Look for him in his next start, especially if Michelle hikes the class ladder to a soft Grade 3. Conversely, Decisive Moment (Arias/Trujillo), the enterprising pace setter who cut impressive fractions on the lead will need a drop to softer company. He was 14-1 in this affair, but won't be half that in his next start if the others are less than stellar.

Beau Choix (Elusive Quality - Belle Cherie, by Belong to Me)
Data Link (War Front - Database, by Known Fact)
Upgrade ( Saint Liam - Emily Ring, by Fit to Fight)
Decisive Moment (With Distinction - Lady Samira, by Dehere)


February 2, 2013 Race 1 - We will finish up with a scorcher. In this ALwOC for 3 year old fillies on the turf at one mile, Coffee Clique (Lynch/Rocco, Jr.) ran into fast fractions set by Silsita (Pletcher/Valesquez) and then set the after burners on high and finished up in 11.69 for the final panel and 1:34.25 for the mile journey. She was ridden by Joe Rocco, Jr. that day and has won 2 of 3, breaking her maiden at Woodbine in her first try. I love the trackman's comment: "Strong hand ride". Any filly that doesn't need a swat or two to finish up in a sub 12 furlong gets her oats hand delivered by me anytime. She showed quite a turn of foot and is one to keep an eye out for. Also notable was the slow starting Kittens Point (Motion). Ridden by Johnny V. and starting over after a drubbing in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, she broke slowly and was angled out in the stretch, rallying for the place spot while making up significant real estate during the fastest fractions of the race. Again, one to watch for as she finds her legs and confidence.

Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro - Miss Chapin, by Royal Academy)
Silsita (Macho Uno - Naturally Wild, by Wild Again)
Kittens Point (Kitten's Joy - Rendezvous Point, by Kingmambo)


So ends part two of the my Gulfstream Park review. I'm looking at another 6 possible races for the next installment, but that may change as March moves into spring. It must also be noted that almost all of the races cited so far (maybe all?) in these reviews have been on the turf. Now, I love the dirt and do not mean to have a turf bias here. But the impressive fractions and high quality races seem to have been on the turf over the last few months. And if that is what it takes to find my next few money makers, so be it.

That's how I see it. However you see it, good luck and good 'capping!

- Slew

Hello All!

For all the rumors, all the hype, all the innuendo, all the inference that Churchill Downs hammers its track for big races and soups up the surface to have grand times explode onto the tote at their finish...for all that...it might be true!

I say that because the fall meeting just ended and when I went back to see what races I could look at to find my next group of superstars...or maybe I should say SOUPerstars, I was quite surprised at what I found:

Just one race.

One lousy race with splits worthy of Slew's note. That race was run on 11/22/2012 as race #4 on the main track at 1 mile as an AlwOC. There were 4 notable splits in that affair with the front running winner Infrattini (Include - Casa Frattini, by Mr. Greeley) finishing in a slightly geared down fashion in 1:33.31 after clocking 6F in 1:08.83 and running the 7th Furlong in a very nice 11.89 seconds. I certainly hope the owners, Z Thoroughbreds, stuck a winning ticket into the boot of Mr. Rosario because he paid $14.20 while the favorite Rule and 2nd favorite Hamazing Destiny took most of the money. They finished 4th and last respectively with both seeing nothing but the rump of the front running winner.

Two notes about this race. First, the next two horses, Majestic Harbor who made a late bid and Colizeo who wilted in the stretch won't likely see fractions like that again for a while. Second, Infrattini had come out of a race at Keeneland which he won (10/24/2012 Race # 4) and from that race the 3rd place finisher - Wyomia - came back to place in a 150K stake at Woodbine on 11/24. Note 2A: a front running victory without a creditable challenge. Note 2B: a front running victory without a creditable challenge BUT with Mr. Rosario aboard.

That is different than a front running victory without a creditable challenge.

The only other race that caught my eye was a MSW affair run at 1 mile on the turf on Friday, 11/02/2012. In rather stark contrast, the 6 furlong timing was 1:12.15 but the 7th furlong quickened nicely into an 11.48 split and the race finished in a very professional 1:35.60 with Bold Challenger (Exchange Rate - Best Mom, by Chester House) drawing clear in the stretch. He becomes the first next out winner out of his last, a Keeneland affair run on 10/10/2012 at 1 mile as race #6.

That's it! We're done.

I would keep an eye on these two as they move down the road. Probably not for a start or two, but at some point they will come up again. Especially if Infrattini catches a paceless field and retains the services of one J. Rosario, smart thoroughbred jockey.

Keeping an eye on horses as a meet closes is what we do. I just can't believe that out of the entire fall meet at Churchill Downs, there is only one horse per eye!

Not very souper if you ask me. But I guess if we want souper...we'll just have to wait until May!

That's how I see it. However you see it, good luck and good 'capping!

- Slew