The Brock Talk

Monday, June 8, 2009


Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird arrived at his barn at Churchill Downs Monday morning just before 11:00 am and was treated to a 40 minute graze and walk with groom Charlie Figueroa. Trainer Chip Woolley said the trip was uneventful and will allow Mine That Bird some well deserved rest before making any plans for his next race.

“It was an uneventful flight and he handled the trip well,” said Woolley. “He came out of the Belmont great. He has held up well and hasn’t lost any weight. I am tickled with where he is at now.

“He is definitely going to walk for three or four days and then I may back-track him a couple of days to get the kinks out,” Woolley said. Back-tracking is a mild form of morning exercise in which horses trot or slowly gallop clockwise around the outside part of the track and away from serious morning activity closer to the inside rail.

Also at Churchill Downs this morning, Preakness and Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra went to the track for a serious work breezing six furlongs in 1:13.80. Trainer Steven Asmussen said he will speak with the owners about the fillies next racing engagement which may be the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on July 27. A race in which she may meet Gabby's Golden Girl, who won the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park Saturday.

Overnight television ratings for ABC’s June 6 telecast of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) were down sharply from 2008 figures, which is expected when no Triple Crown is on the line.

The overall rating for the two-hour presentation was 4.3 which means that approximately 3.44 million television set were tuned to the telecast. However, in the segemtn which featured the actural race garnered a 5.0 rating. While the rating is down significantly from 2008’s 8.4 when Big Brown was going for the Triple Crown, it did represent an increase from the last two non-Triple Crown-possible years in 2007 and 2006, which did 3.1 and 3.6, respectively.

“Given the circumstances, these are terrific ratings that represent an increase in interest in the Belmont Stakes and perhaps horse racing in general,” said Mark Mandel, a spokesman for ABC/ESPN.

1 comment:

Sassy said...

The ratings may have been down slightly but I belive ESPN did a great show.