Summer At Saratoga Extended Thru 2014

The National Broadcasting Company Sports Group and the New York Racing Association have agreed to terms to extend the Summer at Saratoga live series through 2014.

During it's first season this Summer, three of the hour-long programs were telecast were on NBC, with five others on the NBC Sports affiliate network Versus. Versus will become the NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2, 2012. The eight programs were telecast during a seven week span.

Extending the series another two years is a further indication of the commitment to horse racing by NBC Sports. The eight Saratoga telecasts over seven weeks were the most extensive live national broadcasts of horse racing ever.

NBC Sports is quickly becoming the home of live horse racing on network television. This year NBC became the first network since 2005 to telecast all three Triple Crown races in the same year. NBC was also the last to air all three Triple Crown races having aired the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. 1), Preakness Stakes (gr. 1) and Belmont Stakes (gr. 1) in 2005.

NBC Sports will also air a similar series from Keeneland during their 2011 Fall meeting in October.

While NBC Sports has significantly increased their coverage of live horse racing during this year, it’s not because some vice president at NBC headquarters in New York has a daughter that likes “horseys” or because The Today Show’s Matt Lauer is a big fan of the game.

Horse racing has again generated good ratings. Coverage of the Travers and King’s Bishop Stakes earned a .7 rating according to Sports Media Watch’s web site. That equates to roughly 1.054 million viewers. By comparison the U.S. Open Series Winston Salem Open Men’s Tennis final between John Isner and Julien Benneteau drew a .04 final rating on CBS the same day. Also that afternoon, the first weekend of the 2011 World Track and Field Championships earned a 1.2 final rating.

For comparison, the 2011 Kentucky Derby drew an 8.5 rating while the Preakness and Belmont earned 6.0 and 4.3 ratings this year respectively. The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic earned a 2.5 final rating. Ratings for the live coverage of Zenyatta's only career loss in the 2010 Classic was the highest rating for a Breeders' Cup in four years and was higher than any Major League Baseball game telecast on ESPN during the 2010 season. NBC earned a 14.3 final rating Sunday for the National Football League game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.


Brock The Horse Still Winless

Brock the horse looked like a million dollars in the post parade of Belmont's third race Wednesday and the players agreed. Going off as the 6-to-5 favorite in the field of six, the $2.3 million auction purchase again failed to break his maiden is his sixth try, finishing second to winner Steele Bridge. Even less unfortunate is that Brock almost doubled his career earnings Wednesday with the $10,200 check that boosted his career earnings to $25,920.

Brock on Brock

Every now and then I’ll receive a tweet. “He’s entered.” Or I’ll get a message on Facebook: “Looks who running at Santa Anita/Monmouth/Belmont/Saratoga tomorrow.” At the suggestion of a friend on Twitter, I finally have him registered on my DRF.com Watch Mail. Got one the other day as a matter of fact.

Brock is in the third race at Belmont Park Wednesday. The race does not have much noteworthy about it. It is just a weekday maiden special weight for a purse of $51,000. Making his sixth career start for trainer Steve Asmussen (photo right), Brock has time and room for improvement to be kind.

At one point, Brock was Mr. Popularity, Joe Cool on Campus, all that and more when he sold as 2-year-old for $2,300,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Calder Sale last March in Florida. As a son of Distorted Humor, and out of the A.P. Indy daughter Tomisue’s Delight, Brock certainly had an impressive catalogue page and it showed as the next richest horse sold was a Smart Strike colt for $825,000.

Distorter Humor had already sired Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brand (gr. 1) winner Funny Cide and a host of other grade 1 stakes winners. Distorted Humor is among the leading producer of stakes winners and earners and demanded a $90,000 stallion fee the year Brock was bred.

But it was mother that brought most of the fire power to Brock’s bloodlines. Tomisue’s Delight won more than $1.2 million on the track include grade 1 stakes such as New York’s Personal Ensign and Ruffian Handicaps. She had already produced a stakes winner (Mr. Sidney) from six foals, of which three were also winners. She also produced Save Big Money, a stakes-place earner of more than $240,000, and is a full sister to 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, both by Horse of the Year A.P. Indy.

Things seem to be going well for Brock after the sale and leading into his career as a race horse. He stayed on schedule with his early training and by the summer, he was in trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn at Saratoga.

Brock went off at a relatively popular 7-to-2 in his first start, but ran into a buzz saw and finished eighth of nine horses that day, more than 18 lengths behind a rookie Stay Thirsty. Stay Thirsty of course, is on a two-graded race winning streak having taken the Jim Dandy (gr. 2) and Woodward (gr. 1) at Saratoga recently. That was Brock’s only start as a 2-year-old.

More than seven months later, Brock tried another group of maidens, this time on the West coast at Santa Anita and at a farther distance of one mile. Although Brock was the second choice of the bettors again and he ran a better race, Brock finished a well beaten fourth, finishing more than 14 lengths behind the winner. Again Brock had met another steamer in Midnight Interlude, who would go on to represent trainer Bob Baffert in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, but it was time for Brock to make some progress.

Brock made his next start at Churchill Downs on May 7; except he was not running in the Kentucky Derby. Brock was still in maiden races, this one just following the Derby. Brock finished seventh, more than six lengths from the winner. The race was far from impressive, but again there was some improvement.

Brock started again at Churchill a month later, but his progress seemed to have flattened as he was fourth for the second time, this time 10 lengths from the lead. In his four career races, he had beaten by a combined 48 lengths.

Brock was not bred for a fast start and his blood dictates that he should like the longer races. But frustration must still creep into the minds of Asmussen or the team now behind Stonerstreet Stables when considering Brock. Stonerstreet, of course, was founded by the late Jess Jackson and runs under the yellow colors made famous by their Horse of the Year winners Curlin and Rachel Alexandra.

And Stonerstreet horses are not for early retirement. Both Curlin and Rachel Alexandra ran in the year following their Horse of the Year award. Certainly – even as blue as Brock’s blood - they are were not ready to give up after only four starts.

And sure enough, Brock responded in his last race, finishing second in a maiden special weight race at Monmouth Park July 11.

Wednesday Brock makes his sixth start in the third race at Belmont Park going a mile around one turn. Belmont Park line maker has Brock listed as the 2-1 favorite and if that holds, it will be the first time Brock walks into the starting gate favored.

Brock has been training well leading up to this race with five furlong bullet work at Monmouth Park in 1:01 2/5 seconds breezing a week ago Monday. Asmussen followed that with another Monday work this today at Belmont, working as easy three furlongs in :38 2/5ths.

Wednesday’s maiden race is a short field with second choice Crushing breaking from the inside post at 5-to-2 odds. The Chad Brown-trained son of Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo seems most comfortable running near the lead, similar to Brock. However, there appears to be no speedsters to lead the way for this race, which makes it a bit more unpredictable. If there is an unusually slow pace, there is every reason to believe that both or either one of those two may lead this race early.

Or any of the six contenders could try to steal the race by trying get a lone lead. On paper, nobody looks like they want the lead, but Post Ranch and RJ's Affair are making their first starts, both with 8-to-1 morning line odds.

However the race may set up or where ever Brock may finish Wednesday, we’ll still be pulling for him here at The Brock Talk.

Similar to when I followed Hall of Fame Cardinal outfielder Lou Brock during my childhood – I’ve been following Brock the horse. I use the DRF.com Watch Mail to follow equine Brock now instead of the Sporting News which I used then to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. And through the miracle that is TVG I will get to see Brock race live Wednesday instead of the days old box scores on which I had to rely in the weekly Sporting News.

I don't really care about Brock Lesner and the Dallas Cowboy status disqualified Brock Marion from my favorite list. But Lou Brock is my all-time favorite baseball player.

Although he needs a win and a direction change in his career, I’ll take my support a step further with equine Brock. There will be some financial support for Brock at Belmont from Brock at Lone Star Park.

Brock on!

Brock Talks Brock

One of the more intriguing aspects of racing at Del Mar and Saratoga is the two-year-racing and the preliminary search for the industry’s next stars. Last year Preakness (gr. 1) and Haskell Invitational (gr.1) winner Lookin at Lucky and future Santa Anita Derby (gr. 1) champion Sidney’s Candy were racing at Del Mar while Kentucky Derby (gr. 1) presented by Yum! Brands winner Super Saver, Florida Derby (gr. 1) winner Ice Box and Wood Memorial (gr. 1) winner Eskendereya were racing at Saratoga. In the last 25 years or so, champions such as Secretariat, Ruffian, Affirmed, Point Given, A.P. Indy, Manila, Serena’s Song and Mom’s Command - to name just a few - have started at Del Mar or Saratoga as juveniles.

That is what makes maiden special weight races and 2-year-old stakes so special about these two tracks. With each winner, one has to wonder if they have just seen a future champion or Kentucky Derby winner.

Last year this blog latched onto a young Backtalk (photo above) after he broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in June as we were able to follow him all the way to his start in the Kentucky Derby. Backtalk finished last in the Derby, but he gave us a heck of a fun ride on the way. He was even one of the last horses to qualify for the Run for the Roses in the days just before the race. Make no mistake, I did not find Backtalk through meticulous pedigree research, work or race analysis. I stumbled upon him while writing a blog about the young stallion career of Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, the sire of Backtalk.

Having admitted to my less than academic approach to picking intriguing 2-year-olds, let me tell you Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinal Lou Brock (photo left) is my all-time favorite baseball player. That awkward transition can be explained by my intrigue with a 2-year-old first time starter in Saratoga’s eighth race Saturday. Again I assign a greater than normal significance on my name and Brock, breaking from the six post position in the 8th race at Saratoga, has my attention.

Beware there is not a long history of successful Brocks in this world. Other than Lou, the most successful Brocks in sports were 1970s-80s NFL interior line brothers Stan and Pete Brock. Quarterbacks Dieter Brock and Brock Berlin were less notable. But if the horse resembles UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (photo right), (in terms of competitiveness at least), the Asmussen camp should be happy. Whether he does it as cool as Brock Reynolds from the Young and the Restless, that remains.

All self importance aside though, Brock the thoroughbred has several notable qualities. The Steve Asmussen-trained son of leading sire Distorted Humor sold for $2,300,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, held at Calder Race Course near Miami in February.

Purchased by Rachel Alexandra owners Stonestreet Stables, Brock was impressive in the sale’s under-tack show working an eighth of a mile in :10-3/5 seconds. But in ten official works from May through July, he had done nothing to light up the morning work tabs. Now in his two most recent morning works in August, he seems to have come alive.

His bloodlines indicate that he may need a longer race than the six furlongs he runs Saturday in his first race. His dam, Tomisue’s Delight, won $1.2 million at the track and multiple grade 1 races at a mile or further including the Ruffian Handicap at Belmont and the 10 furlong (1-1/4 mile) Personal Ensign at Saratoga. Tomisue’s Delight is by Belmont winner and leading sire A.P. Indy and is also a full sister to 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. As a broodmare, Tomisue’s Delight, who died of complications from colic in 2008, also produced multiple grade 1 winner Mr. Sidney and multiple stakes placed Save Big Money. So she had the potential to match her race record with her production as a broodmare.

Sire Distorted Humor stands for a $100,000 fee at Winstar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky and was the second leading sire in terms of total offspring earnings in 2009 with nearly $9.9 million. He is also the sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide and millionaires Flower Alley, Regal Ransom, Hystericalady, Commentator among others.

Brock is the second choice in the Saratoga morning line at 3-1 behind Stay Thirsty, the Todd-Pletcher trained second-time starter at 8-5. Ironically, Stay Thirsty sold in the same Fasig-Tipton Selected Two-Year-Old in Training Sale in Florida and had the gavel drop at $500,000 when purchased by Repole Stable. It also looks like these two are the ones to beat with co-third choices Etheeb and Heisman both at 10-1 odds.

Whether Brock wins Saturday or not (for the record I’m betting him), may be inconsequential in the long term of his racing career. Remember that Ice Box was seventh and fifth beaten more than 14 lengths in two Saratoga maiden races last year. This race may not be like Silver Charm breaking his maiden at Del Mar in 1986 or even meet the high future standards of a Dublin or Stately Victory breaking their maidens at Saratoga last year.

But for now – I got my Derby horse.