Dear Santa

(Cartoon by Remi Bellocq)

Dear Santa,
I've been a pretty good boy this year, (relatively speaking I guess), and it's early December, so I thought I better write my Christmas list and send it to you here pretty quick.

I hate to be a pain about this Santa, but I really, really want a Triple Crown winner this year. I know they're hard to make and it's not the elves specialty or area of expertise. But if they can squeeze it in during some of their down time in January and February, we really don't need delivery during the peak holiday season.

And forget the Derby exacta. I can do without the Derby exacta if you work on the Triple Crown winner for me.

Just a thought. You knew I was going to ask.

I also want a good leg for Summer Bird and if you can put a little "good will to all men" in Quality Road's stocking.... those guys on the starting gate are just trying to help. Careless Jewel could probably use a little of that stuff too, but I wouldn't waste any on Rachel Alexandra. I don't think she's going to be good will to any men, mares or foes this year and I think we both agree she has all the magic she needs.

It's been a very rough year on lots of people Santa, but we have some friends in racing that have been dealt some pretty big challenges. For them and everybody who may be needing a little extra Christmas spirit this year, put a little extra under the tree from all of us... will ya?

This gift is not quite so noble and I'm sure you don't normally stop at racetracks, but if you have any extra high definition television cameras when your making a final pass, there'd be lots of happy girls and boys in your 21 and older demo if you'd drop a few extra at a track or two. We'd sure like to see horse racing not lag too far behind in an area (television) that is so vital to our sport.

Before you go Santa, a few more small items... continued stardom for Chantal Sutherland. Regardless if she re-appears on the successful TV series Jockeys or not, she's good for racing.... A step ladder for Zenyatta's new boy friend is probably appropriate... nice homes for all the retired race horses... and peace on earth, good will to all men.

Thanks Santa and Merry Christmas,
Brock

PS: Remind Blitzin he still owes me $10 for the basketball pool.

Ladies Still Classic With Jewels, Music And The Beach

Now that it's official that super mare Zenyatta is running in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, one might think the Ladies Classic will be compromised in popularity. Certainly fewer fans will tune in to watch the Friday card on ESPN now that Zenyatta has decided to take on her male counterparts, but I still have the Ladies Classic ranked among my most anticipated of the weekend.

Morning line favorite Music Note (photo) has won seven of her 11 career starts and hasn't started outside a grade 1 race since the weekend Big Brown won the Preakness last May. She's the best of the New York mares having demolished her competition in the grade 1 Ballerina and grade 1 Beldame in her last two starts and may have given Zenyatta a run for her money if she had entered the Ladies Classic. She is trained by Saeed bin Suroor for the powerful Goldolfin Stables, who will also start Cocoa Beach in the Ladies Classic.

There are storylines galore in Ladies Classic with close second choice Careless Jewel going for her sixth straight win and the John Sherriffs-trained Life is Sweet trying to take advantage of her neighbor (Zenyatta) staying in the barn on race day for a change.

Fans of the very popular Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel have plenty reasons to not miss the Ladies Classic as well. Frankel has been absent from his barn for months battling health challenges that hasn't stopped him sending his usual arsenal to the Breeders' Cup.

Proviso will be saddled by Frankel assistants Humberto Ascanio and Sally Lundy in the Ladies Classic and comes into this race off of a victory in the grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland. She was disqualified from her Spinster win and placed second for inteference in the stretch but was still impressive considering it was her first start in the United States and she acheived a 99 Beyer speed figure in the performance.

After finishing as the runner-up to Zenyatta in this race last year, Cocoa Beach has never quite returned to her top form and has been relegated to second string status in the bin Suroor barn behind Music Note. She was a good third behind Zenyatta and Lethal Heat in the Lady's Secret at Santa Anita in her last start, but her morning work this week made one think she might be on the verge of a big race. The time was a good :59.40 for five furlongs, but she looked effortless in skipping over Pro-Ride in the pre-dawn work while her exercise ride sat motionless aboard. At 8-1 in the morning line, she's worth some consideration.

So if you've decided that you're going to work Friday now that Zenyatta is racing Saturday, you may want to consider rehearsing your flu voice. You know... when you call in sick.

Bad Girl Give Impressive Performance in Alabama

If you're the kind of sports fan that lists a John McEnroe or a Terrell Owens among your favorites (you like the bad boys in other words) then the winner of the $600,000 Alabama Stakes Saturday at Saratoga may be just the horse for you. Except Careless Jewel is a three-year-old filly which makes her a bad girl. And she has more class than Tonya Harding and less controversary than a Chinese gymnast.

And if there were style points in horse racing, the like deductions Careless Jewel would have received would have eaten away at her actual 11-length victory in the grade 1 Alabama.

First, she acted up in the post parade, dancing around the pony as if she had snakes in her saddle blanket. Then, moments before the race, she appeared to be an early scratch candidate when jockey Robert Landry dismounted a Careless Jewel, who appeared to have no interest in walking to the starting gate, much less running.

As the field was dispatched at the start of the race, Careless Jewel broke from post number five and appeared to be more interested in taking a bite out of Be Fair to her outside, than getting the lead.

Be Fair sprinted to the lead around the first turn and then caused Careless Jewel to stumbled severely when the later clipped the heels of the front-runner with a mile left to run. But Landry composed Careless Jewel rather quickly, then almost casualy raced to the lead around the far turn on their way to a dominating win.

Careless Jewel, a daughter of the hot young sire Tapit, is certainly no immediate threat to Rachel Alexandra in the 3-year-old filly ranks, but she sure is fun to watch. If you like bad girls that is.


No Word On Rachel Alexandra For Travers
While trainer Steve Asmussen nor owner Jess Jackson have indicated whether Rachel Alexandra will run in the $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Saturday, her sire and jockey are still scheduled to be represented and present respectively.

Sunday morning, jockey Calvin Borel worked Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. 2) runner-up Warrior's Reward, a son of Medaglia d'Oro, five furlongs in 1:00.98 over a sloppy Saratoga track.

Following the work, Borel said the colt has become more responsive in the mornings since the Jim Dandy and appears to be an improving horse. Trainer Ian Wilkes has said for months the Travers was his main target for Warrior's Reward and that he is responding right on schedule.

Florida Derby and Amsterdam Stakes winner Quality Road however, had his schedule slightly altered by trainer Todd Pletcher Sunday morning. When the Saratoga track turned muddy, Pletcher dedided to postpone the work until Monday morning. Quality Road was the likely favorite for the Kentucky Derby before a foot injury sidelined him just days before the race. He then returned from a four month lay-off to win the Amerstam in track record time.