For the third straight time, I will be looking to beat Justify. I have failed twice in the Derby and the Preakness and odds are I will fail again in today's Belmont. I have lost count of the number of friends who have asked me if Justify can do it.....if he can, in fact, be the 13th horse in history to win the Triple Crown. I honestly hope he does it and if he's on the lead coming down the stretch, no matter what my bets are, I'll be yelling for him, just like I did with American Pharoah in 2015. That day I was actually in attendance, today I'll be watching from the comfort of my den.
People assume that because I own horses that I have some sort of "inside information," or that I must be a horse racing handicapping savant......insert buzzer sound here.....neither are true. I can't even remember the last time I cashed a ticket for the KY Derby or Preakness. I have faired better on Belmont Day. In other words, my advice and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
So, here we go. I love Hofburg to win this race. First off, he is the only son of Tapit in the race, who has sired three of the last four winners of the Belmont, along with a second and a third. The only time in the last four years that a son of Tapit didn't win the Belmont was when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown. Hofburg also had a terrible trip in the Derby and after the race galloped out past Justify and all the other horses in front of him, displaying stamina. Hofburg also skipped the Preakness, so he should have fresh legs heading into the race. Irad Ortiz, Jr., one of the top NYRA jocks is in the irons, I think he'll have Hofburg expertly placed as they turn for home.
Bravazo and Tenfold both took aim at Justify in the Preakness and both blew past him as they galloped out. Tenfold is by Curlin, out of a Tapit mare, so I believe he has the pedigree to be right there.
I will be making an exacta key box with Hofburg over Bravazo, Tenfold and Justify, along with a trifecta box and superfecta box with those same four horses. I cannot ignore that Justify could still run a good race and be right there in the mix.....you can never count jockey Mike Smith out.
Enjoy the race.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Thursday, May 31, 2018
REST IN PEACE OLD FRIEND
In 2001, my family was looking to add a new stallion to the farm's roster. After an extensive search I found a beautiful bay 4-year old colt named Deputy Warlock. A year earlier, he made a run for the roses, finishing a respectable, middle of the pack, tenth in the Kentucky Derby....a race won by Fusaichi Pegasus.
When Dep arrived at our farm, we were told, "he's mean.......he's nasty." He actually wasn't either of those. What they didn't realize was that all he wanted was your respect. If you respected him, he'd respect you. There were certain people he liked and certain people he didn't like. If he allowed you to enter his paddock, even if it was to clean up HIS manure, then you had an honor bestowed upon you that very few experienced.
In his early days at our farm, Dep had his own barn that he could walk in and out of at his leisure. I felt bad that he didn't have a larger pasture to run around in, but he had a prime spot where he could see everything going on at the farm....including when the pretty mares would come up the street through the front gate. He was certainly the king and he knew it.
One day, I decided I wanted to give his two stalls a really good cleaning and clear a better path for him to move in and out of his private barn, which I did over the course of a few days. I used a variety of tools including a pickaxe, shovels and some heavy metal rakes. Dep had a mischievous side to him, that very few had a chance to see. After working on his stalls for the entire day, I cleaned myself up and headed home. Prior to my departure, without giving it a second thought, I left all of the implements up against a wall outside of his stall. When I returned the next morning, I found all of the tools inside his stall. I sat there and thought to myself, "did I leave them in there." Nope, I didn't. I asked my farm manager, Kathi, if she had for some strange reason put them inside his stall....of course she didn't. It then occurred to me that this big old lummox had reached over his stall door, grabbed each tool with his teeth, including an extremely heavy pickaxe, and dragged them into his stall. I swear, I still think he was laughing at me as he stood in front of me that day.
Every horse that my family has owned and/or bred, has been special to us. I admit, I don't remember them all, but we treat them all like they are royalty....I've always said that my horses have better lives than I do....most of them get to winter in Florida, while I live through the cold, snowy winters here in New Jersey.
That said, while every horse is special to us....to me....some stand out, for whatever reason, just a little more than others. We bought Dep to stand stud for us and he produced a few nice runners but nothing spectacular. After awhile, we stopped breeding him. I know some may have tried to find a home for him, but he was a special boy to us....we couldn't just get rid of him. He had no future as a riding horse or in breeding. He really could only be one thing and that was basically a pet. After awhile we moved him to a larger paddock, when we knew he wouldn't try to jump over the fence and we eventually gelded him. We couldn't put him with other horses, but he enjoyed the company of Private Venture in the paddock next to him. After a long, 32-year old life, Private passed away last fall.
Today, we say good-bye to another close friend. Due to complications, we had to put Dep to sleep. I went and said good-bye to him this morning. He saw me coming up the path to his paddock and he stood tall for me, puffed out his chest, as to say, "look at me boss, look how strong I am." I found a spot along the fence line and he came right over to me. This "mean, nasty" horse put his head on my shoulder, as if he were hugging me hello.....and good-bye. I tried to hold back the tears, but I wasn't strong enough....I put my arms around his neck, gave him a kiss on the side of the face, told him I loved him and said good-bye. He was a good boy....a very good boy....and if there is a place in heaven for horses, then I know exactly where he is.....he's running in a field and sliding in the mud. Good-bye old friend.
When Dep arrived at our farm, we were told, "he's mean.......he's nasty." He actually wasn't either of those. What they didn't realize was that all he wanted was your respect. If you respected him, he'd respect you. There were certain people he liked and certain people he didn't like. If he allowed you to enter his paddock, even if it was to clean up HIS manure, then you had an honor bestowed upon you that very few experienced.
In his early days at our farm, Dep had his own barn that he could walk in and out of at his leisure. I felt bad that he didn't have a larger pasture to run around in, but he had a prime spot where he could see everything going on at the farm....including when the pretty mares would come up the street through the front gate. He was certainly the king and he knew it.
One day, I decided I wanted to give his two stalls a really good cleaning and clear a better path for him to move in and out of his private barn, which I did over the course of a few days. I used a variety of tools including a pickaxe, shovels and some heavy metal rakes. Dep had a mischievous side to him, that very few had a chance to see. After working on his stalls for the entire day, I cleaned myself up and headed home. Prior to my departure, without giving it a second thought, I left all of the implements up against a wall outside of his stall. When I returned the next morning, I found all of the tools inside his stall. I sat there and thought to myself, "did I leave them in there." Nope, I didn't. I asked my farm manager, Kathi, if she had for some strange reason put them inside his stall....of course she didn't. It then occurred to me that this big old lummox had reached over his stall door, grabbed each tool with his teeth, including an extremely heavy pickaxe, and dragged them into his stall. I swear, I still think he was laughing at me as he stood in front of me that day.
Every horse that my family has owned and/or bred, has been special to us. I admit, I don't remember them all, but we treat them all like they are royalty....I've always said that my horses have better lives than I do....most of them get to winter in Florida, while I live through the cold, snowy winters here in New Jersey.
That said, while every horse is special to us....to me....some stand out, for whatever reason, just a little more than others. We bought Dep to stand stud for us and he produced a few nice runners but nothing spectacular. After awhile, we stopped breeding him. I know some may have tried to find a home for him, but he was a special boy to us....we couldn't just get rid of him. He had no future as a riding horse or in breeding. He really could only be one thing and that was basically a pet. After awhile we moved him to a larger paddock, when we knew he wouldn't try to jump over the fence and we eventually gelded him. We couldn't put him with other horses, but he enjoyed the company of Private Venture in the paddock next to him. After a long, 32-year old life, Private passed away last fall.
Today, we say good-bye to another close friend. Due to complications, we had to put Dep to sleep. I went and said good-bye to him this morning. He saw me coming up the path to his paddock and he stood tall for me, puffed out his chest, as to say, "look at me boss, look how strong I am." I found a spot along the fence line and he came right over to me. This "mean, nasty" horse put his head on my shoulder, as if he were hugging me hello.....and good-bye. I tried to hold back the tears, but I wasn't strong enough....I put my arms around his neck, gave him a kiss on the side of the face, told him I loved him and said good-bye. He was a good boy....a very good boy....and if there is a place in heaven for horses, then I know exactly where he is.....he's running in a field and sliding in the mud. Good-bye old friend.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Riding in Elevators with Teddy Baseball, Joe D., Yogi & The Boomer
In the early 90's, I was following my dream to be a sportswriter. I started off covering high school bowling matches (I'm not kidding) until I worked my way up the ladder to be the sports editor for three of the Forbes weekly newspapers, notably South Plainfield and Bernardsville. During that time I developed a close friendship with my editor, Scott Zucker, who later moved on to be an editor for UPI (United Press International). One day Scott called me up and asked me if I would be interested in covering the Yankees and Mets home games. I couldn't say "yes," fast enough. So, for the summers of 1996 & '97, I walked among the baseball Gods; Jeter, Bernie Williams, O'Neill, Rivera, Gooden, Cone for the Yankees, Jeff Kent, Johnny Franco, John Olerud, and of course the irrepressible Butch Huskey for the Mets.
But during these days where I was afforded the opportunity to interview the likes of Joe Torre, Darryl Strawberry and Wade Boggs, it was really the run-ins in elevators with baseball immortality and a broadcaster that will forever stand out in my mind.
I can't give you the exact dates, most likely one or both of these elevator rides occurred on "Old Timers Day" or "Opening Day," at Yankees Stadium. The first that stands out is a time I was taking the elevator up from the locker room level to the press box....I am alone...the elevator "bings," the doors open and in walks Ted Williams. I hope he didn't see my jaw drop to the floor, but maybe he was used to it. Without even looking at me, heck I didn't even think he noticed I was in the tiny room, he said, "how you doing son? great day for a game, right?" I barely mustered, "sure is," and before I knew it the doors opened, he walked out and he was gone.
The next run-in was with good old Mr. Coffee, Joe DiMaggio, himself. I was riding in the elevator with some of the Yankee brass, when in came Mr. DiMaggio and I would guess his assistant. I could actually feel the cowering in the corner from the Yankee workers, avoiding all eye contact. I didn't know better, it was like looking into the sun. Not a word was spoken and in seconds, my brush with immortality was gone. Other elevator rides included the likes of Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto and having dinner with Mets broadcaster Fran Healy. Yogi and the Scooter were effusive, both asking me all kinds of questions about who I worked for, what I thought of the team and were genuinely interested in my responses. Ironically, I never liked Healy as a broadcaster, but left dinner that night impressed with our conversation and grateful he sat with me and broke bread.
My last elevator run in, was actually my first. In 1994, Scott asked me if I'd like to go with him to Pittsburgh to write a few of the sidebar stories at the All-Star game. Standing in the elevator at our Pittsburgh hotel, Scott at a whopping 5'-8" and myself towering at 5'-10", in walks ESPN announcer, Chris "Boomer" Berman, looking down at us from his 6'-4" perch. I seriously thought he was going to bend down and say, "hey little buddy, how ya doing?"
Those days are over now...no more riding in elevators with famous people....although I did share one with Indy Car Hall of Famer, Mario Andretti at Monmouth Park this summer....so who knows? Maybe there is more to come! I can only hope.
But during these days where I was afforded the opportunity to interview the likes of Joe Torre, Darryl Strawberry and Wade Boggs, it was really the run-ins in elevators with baseball immortality and a broadcaster that will forever stand out in my mind.
I can't give you the exact dates, most likely one or both of these elevator rides occurred on "Old Timers Day" or "Opening Day," at Yankees Stadium. The first that stands out is a time I was taking the elevator up from the locker room level to the press box....I am alone...the elevator "bings," the doors open and in walks Ted Williams. I hope he didn't see my jaw drop to the floor, but maybe he was used to it. Without even looking at me, heck I didn't even think he noticed I was in the tiny room, he said, "how you doing son? great day for a game, right?" I barely mustered, "sure is," and before I knew it the doors opened, he walked out and he was gone.
The next run-in was with good old Mr. Coffee, Joe DiMaggio, himself. I was riding in the elevator with some of the Yankee brass, when in came Mr. DiMaggio and I would guess his assistant. I could actually feel the cowering in the corner from the Yankee workers, avoiding all eye contact. I didn't know better, it was like looking into the sun. Not a word was spoken and in seconds, my brush with immortality was gone. Other elevator rides included the likes of Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto and having dinner with Mets broadcaster Fran Healy. Yogi and the Scooter were effusive, both asking me all kinds of questions about who I worked for, what I thought of the team and were genuinely interested in my responses. Ironically, I never liked Healy as a broadcaster, but left dinner that night impressed with our conversation and grateful he sat with me and broke bread.
My last elevator run in, was actually my first. In 1994, Scott asked me if I'd like to go with him to Pittsburgh to write a few of the sidebar stories at the All-Star game. Standing in the elevator at our Pittsburgh hotel, Scott at a whopping 5'-8" and myself towering at 5'-10", in walks ESPN announcer, Chris "Boomer" Berman, looking down at us from his 6'-4" perch. I seriously thought he was going to bend down and say, "hey little buddy, how ya doing?"
Those days are over now...no more riding in elevators with famous people....although I did share one with Indy Car Hall of Famer, Mario Andretti at Monmouth Park this summer....so who knows? Maybe there is more to come! I can only hope.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Horse Racing in NJ
I admit it, I am not much of a Blogger, LOL. I have a friend, I'll call him "Adam," and quite frankly it baffles me how he is able to articulate such prose on an almost daily basis, while I can barely put a thought together one month at a time. That said, the following was recently submitted to the Asbury Park Press as a letter to the editor or commentary. They are much better than the Star-Ledger at printing letters, so let's see what happens. So, here it is:
"The state of racing in New Jersey is currently in serious flux. Hopefully in the coming weeks differences will be resolved and solutions will be reached so that the “Sport of Kings,” will not only survive, but thrive in our state. If common sense is not used and calmer heads do not prevail, I fear it will be the end of an era in the Garden State.
There are some whose reaction to such dire predictions can be summed up in two words, “who cares?” The fact is everybody in this state should be concerned over this situation. The bottom line is that horse racing is responsible for over 170,000 acres of open space and more importantly, is the impetus behind injecting billions of dollars into the state’s economy.
Opponents to horse racing like to point out that Monmouth Park lost over $6 million in 2010, but they fail to mention that the Woodbridge OTW (1 of 3 OTW's in NJ) made over $5 million last year and is the number one OTW in the nation for highest volume of wagers. They also fail to note that horse racing is relied upon for over $100 million in state and local tax revenue and generates over $1.1 billion per year for the state’s economy.
A legislator once said that he highly doubted that if racing died that the acres of open space from horse racing would be at risk, that he could not believe that the breeders would pick up and move to another state. I cannot speak for every breeder and horseman/woman, but I can outline what would be at risk from my own standpoint.
My family owns Tee-N-Jay Farm in Monroe Township. Our farm is 125 acres in size and generally we average between a 12-25 horses on our property throughout a given year, which makes us mid-ranged in size and activity for most horse farms in New Jersey. In 2010, we spent over $535,000 on goods, services and labor in New Jersey.
If racing and breeding are not supported, I can, without hesitation, declare that we will close up shop and look to sell our property to a developer. But how do we define “support?” At the moment there is a $30 million supplement earmarked for racing for 2011-2013. I would implore the governor to not veto the usage of this money for racing. And while it will fall on deaf ears, it would be prudent to install slot machines at the racetracks and to make every effort to overturn the federal ban on sports wagering and bring it to New Jersey.
Personally, I do feel that racing needs to stand on its own and on a national level needs to do a much better job of growing interest in our industry. I would rather that we not have to depend on an outside economic source, such at slot machines or video lottery terminals, but the fact remains that our neighboring states of PA, NY and DE, all have them and in order for racing to compete with them, the playing field needs to be leveled. At this time, the state is not heading in that direction, but you can mark my words, 10 years from now, the residents of this state, the racing industry and yes, even the casinos in Atlantic City will be ruing the day that it didn’t take this pivotal step.
The next time you drive past a farm with horses grazing in its pasture, don’t take it for granted…it may not be there much longer."
I have a great number of ideas on how racing can make itself more attractive to the betting public and some other thoughts on racing in NJ, but alas, I don't want to put any of you into a coma, so stay tuned, in a month or two, or six, I'll be sure to write them down in my next BLOG.
TS
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