Well Well Well

alright here is a side note, due to the Olympics NBC is only covering some of the "Summer at Saratoga", which I am pissed about.   Why didn't another network pick this up? Now I'm forced to watch TVG ugh.

Opening weekend at the Spa was good, I quickly learned that if you don't bet on a Todd Pletcher horse, you are bound to make some money.

Rags has been retired, no surprise there.  He was the little horse that couldn't.  He had this underdog appeal, that everyone rallied for, and he just continuously failed to preform when he needed to, except when Mike Smith let him win the Belmont.

Alpha won the Jim Dandy over a sloppy track yesterday- he looked good, not the biggest fan of this horse, but he will most likely be the favorite going into the Traver's (unless he you know, gets a temperature or something, aka dodges some faster horse).  He did look good, and he had a lot of horse left at the wire. Well see how he does on the Stay Thirsty route.

Now onto the Haskell,
1. Nonios
2. Dullahan
3. Paynter
4. Gemologist
5. Handsome Mike
6. Stealcase

I think it will be Handsome Mike with the upset, simply because those connections have been on fire lately.  Other than that, Its Paynter. Bejarano is traveling to ride, and I just cant believe that he would give up a Sunday at Del Mar unless he believes that he can win.  Dullahan, whom I would normally think would be a threat may still be tired, he ran in two of the TC races, which is a fairly tough process, and his Belmont running was just pathetic (beaten 11 lengths?).  Gemologist, who I thought was the most overrated horse going into the Derby, I think may hit the board, but I do not see him winning.  Todd Pletcher is doing great this summer, remember?

Other than that, I am just talking out of my ass because I am tired and my head hurts.

So You Think

So You Think, one of Aiden O'Brien's trainees has been retired due to pulled muscles in his hind.  He is jet-setting to Australia to join Uncle Mo for stud duty at Coolmore.  So You Think was a 10 time Group 1 winning horse and has over 5 million pounds in earnings. He most recently won the Prince of Wales Stakes at the Royal Ascot meet last month.  He was 23: 14-4-1.  So You Think's worst race was last November at Churchill, were he finished 6th in the Breeder's Cup Classic.

I really like this horse and I have a growing appreciate for Aiden O'Brien

Hansen.

Won the Iowa Derby, by 10 lengths.  Now he is headed to the $750,000 West Virginia Derby.

Dr. Kendall Hansen, are you late on your mortgage payment?  Needing money is the only way that insulting this horse by taking this path to the BC will make sense.

I do like the new, neon yellow bridal though.  Did you get that idea from the Parbhoos?

photo source: www.bloodhorse.com

Mike Smith, why are you avoiding California?

This Saturday at Belmont Park, Mike Smith is flying across the country for a $350,000. Ramon Dominguez gave up the mount on Mucho Macho Man, so Kathy Ritvo, got Mike Smith to fill in the mount.  If this makes sense to ANYONE out there, please explain it to me.  Its not like there aren't any big races going on in Southern California this weekend (ex. Hollywood Gold Cup).  Mike, are you not getting any mount? Why fly across the country for that kind of money? I love you, but this makes NO SENSE. 




$350,000 Suburban Handicap (gr. II, Race 9, 5:06 p.m. EDT), 3 & Up, 1 1/8 Miles
PP., Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Endorsement (KY), M. Garcia, 116, E G Harty
2. a-Stay Thirsty (KY), J. Castellano, 117, T A Pletcher
3. a-Caixa Eletronica (KY), E. Castro, 117, T A Pletcher
4. Buffum (PA), R. Maragh, 115, T Albertrani
5. Hymn Book (KY), A. Garcia, 118, C R McGaughey III
6. Trickmeister (KY), R.A. Dominguez, 117, R E Dutrow, Jr.
7. Mucho Macho Man (FL), M. E. Smith, 118, K Ritvo
8. To Honor and Serve (KY), J. Lezcano, 120, W L Mott
a- Repole Stable entry.