Belmont Park – History of Triple Crown Racetracks
Everyone’s eyes were on Affirmed and Alydar, the two thoroughbreds that make up one of the greatest rivalries in the history of horse racing, as the 1978 Belmont Stakes began. Third and final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the race was held at Belmont Park. Affirmed had won two legs with Alydar finishing second in Triple Crown Race.
Since Affirmed’s classic win, in nearly 32 years no horse has been able to win a Triple Crown. Eleven horses have entered the race and have failed since 1978, even after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
In 1905, for the first time, Belmont Stakes was hosted. At Jerome Park (1867-1889) and Morris Park (1890-1904) races were held prior to it. August Belmont Sr., after whom the park was named, financed the first race.
In thoroughbred racing, Belmont Park features 1.5 miles, the largest dirt track.
Many 3-year-olds, at that distance, have never raced before. At a more consistent rate than the other two Triple Crown races, this races yielded surprises.
Secretariat, in 1973 finished his Triple Crown bid by winning the Belmont Stakes by a record 31 lengths, in 2:24.00, still a race record.
“Equine Battle of the Sexes” was deemed, the race between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure, in 1975. Eventually, Ruffian was euthanized and buried in Belmont Park’s infield when his leg snapped in the race.
In 2004, a crowd of 120,139 packed into Belmont Park to see, if in 26 years Smarty Jones would be the first Triple Crown winner. Smarty Jones finished second as Birdstone won by 36-1 long shot.
Belmont Park in its 105-year history has been the subject of reconstruction. From 1963-1967, at nearby Aqueduct Racetrack, the Belmont Stakes was held.
1 Mile – Private Terms Stakes – March 20 – Laurel Preview
At Laurel Park, On Saturday, March 20, the $57, 400 Private Terms Stakes was held. Six of the horses in the race being geldings of the total of seven horses. The race was won by a Luftikus gelding named Plantation, who comes from the Chenin Blanc mare Stalda.
Plantation’s Stakes walked away by winning the $57,400 on his debut and has got Kentucky Derby odds on his favor. He has won as many times as he has started and has only started four times. He is a three year old his career record of four wins is only expected to rise.
Reckless Runner jumped ahead of the pack with Plantation following close behind him, at the beginning of the race. Plantation eventually snuck up to challenge Reckless Runner for the lead, through the course of the one mile race. The two horses went neck and neck until Plantation finally pulled off a half length lead for the win.
Plantation rider, jockey Travis Dunkelberger commented on how much better Plantation is getting in each and every race. With each victory it seems the horse learned something new.
In 1:37 Plantation ended up running the entire race. Considering it is known as a fast rated 1 mile track, this is even more impressive. The race resulted in a victory by Plantation, a second place finish by Reckless Runner, with Regal Warrior finishing third. Dont Blame The Cat came in fifth and never really posed a threat to the other contenders and was The 9 to 10 favorite.
Plantation is a big horse but is deceiving in his looks and was bred by Nellie Cox. He has won a total of $79,560.
Aqueduct – Withers Stakes Grade III- April 24 – Preview
At the end of April there are few big races coming up are prep races for the Kentucky Derby. The Grade III, $150,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct is one of these races. The Withers Stakes has predominantly been known as a preparatory race for the Kentucky Derby but has since declined a bit in that reputation. Like the Withers Stakes, Horses today rarely race again so soon after a race, so it has become an event of its own.
All raced on the dirt The Withers Stakes is a one mile track with a single turn. For three year old American Thoroughbreds It is primarily a race. It is always held at the Aqueduct Racetrack and is usually always at the end of April.
For an up-and-coming three year colt named D’ Funnybone, This year’s Withers Stakes looks to be a proving ground. He has shown that he is one of the fastest three year old colts in the country and came off of an impressive win at the Grade II Swale Stakes on March 20th at Gulfstream Park.
The 1 mile turn Withers Stakes G3 coming up would be his next big race and he has been running just the way D’ Funnybone’s trainer had thought of. He will be the one to watch (unless Eightyfiveinafifty forgoes the Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial), Out of all the horses competing in this race.
To try and find a Derby Starter, The Withers Stakes will be one of the last places. With the Kentucky Derby in the very next weekend, which is usually to fast of a turnaround time to have a horse fully prepared is once again the main problem with this methodology.
Keeneland – April 17- Coolmore Lexington Stakes Grade II Preview
The Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes traditionally offers a chance for horses to make their final bids for the Kentucky Derby which will be held on April 17 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.This year, to start in the May 1 Run for the Roses it appears that none of the prospective starters have the graded earnings.
In graded stakes earnings Preference for starters in the Kentucky Derby is given to the top 20. With $230,000 Homeboykris is currently the 20th ranked horse. The winner of the Lexington Stakes gets $180,000, but as of yet, there are no prospective starters within $180,000 of Homeboykris.
Game on Dude, trained by Bob Baffert and Distorted Dave, trained by John Sadler appear to be the two early favorites. When Distorted Dave went six furlongs in 1:13.40 at Santa Anita, he had his final pre-race work on Saturday. This will be Game on Dude’s first race for Baffert since an ownership change.
Call Shot, Krypton, Kettle River, Chief Counsel, Workin for Hops, Prince Will I Am, Exhi and Uptowncharlybrown are the other likely starters for the Lexington.
Third place finisher at the Sam F. Davis and fifth place finisher at the Tampa Bay Derby, Media will undoubtedly give coverage to Uptowncharlybrown. At the age of 62 in his New Jersey home His trainer, Alan Seewald, unexpectedly passed away. “We’re going to run this horse Saturday for him,” said Bob Hutt, the colt’s managing partner.
Forecasts of Dave in Dixie: John Sadler
When John Sadler was 23 years old he got his first win and has since gone on to win over $50 million in purses. He has only had one horse start at the Kentucky Derby – Corby, who finished sixth in the 1993 Kentucky Derby betting in spite of his success and prominence in California horse racing. This year, he has multiple horses who stand a good chance at making it to the Run for the Roses. One of them is Dave in Dixie.
John Sadler purchased Dave in Dixe for $310,000 at the Keeneland April sale of selected two-year-olds in training. The son of Dixie Union, winner of the 2000 Grade 1 Haskell in Monmouth Park is him.
Dave in Dixie’s 2-year-old debut was impressive and horse betting favorite. The Del Mar’s synthetic Polytrack surface was won by him on August 29, 2009. In October of that same year, he finished in sixth in the Grade 1 Norfolk Stakes.
His first graded stakes horse betting race as a 3-year-old was also impressive. He rallied for second, one-half length ahead of American Lion at the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes with Joel Rosario aboard. The two favorites in the race were American Lion and Tiz Chrome, and Dave in Dixie finished ahead of both of them.
The disappointments were his next two graded stakes races. Sixth in the San Felipe Stakes (Grade 2) back in March was finished by him. This past Saturday, he finished in fifth place at the Illinois Derby (Grade 3). He is not among the top 20 horses and will likely not be starting in the Kentucky Derby.
Dallas Cowboys: Up for New Picks
Posting an 11-5 record on the season, and winning the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys were a solid team last season. However, as we approach the NFL draft, they do have plenty of room for team improvement.
The Cowboys struggled to put points on the board all season in spite having a solid offense, led by Tony Romo and their solid receiving core. This can be partly attributed to their lack of dominance in the running attack, led by Marion Barber. Barber has never reached 1000 yards in his career and has yet to prove that he is a 20-30 carries a game running back even though he is a solid back. Running back Ryan Matthews from Fresno State could be the solution for the Cowboys and their pass-first mentality.
Combining with a 4.4 time in the 40 yard dash and a 36 inch vertical leap, Matthews proved to be a solid athlete in the NFL. Allowing him to influence the game on the ground and in the air, he has shown the ability to make plays in the receiving game.
The Cowboys surrendered just 250 points in the NFC last year, and sported the best defense in the season, yet there were areas where they could have been stronger. For example, on the entire season their safeties Gerald Sensabaugh and Ken Hamblin combined for just 1 interception. Reshad Jones, a safety from Georgia, could be a partial solution for the Cowboys in the 2nd round.
The Cowboys could look to another safety in the 3rd round to finish off their needs in the secondary. For the Cowboys with the 90th pick, Major Right out of Florida could fill that hole.
Indianapolis Colts’s Run Upto The NFL
A few revelations about the Indianapolis Colts were yielded for February’s Super Bowl. It is the importance of having someone who can back up star DE Dwight Freeney will certainly be one of them that would be addressed in the draft. The Colts struggled when he left the field and things may have been different with a more viable backup.
The importance of accumulating offensive linemen for the future was something else that became apparent over the course of the season. The Colts will be on the lookout for someone who can take center Jeff Saturday’s place within the next two or three years as he is quickly moving past his prime. They also need to find a shutdown corner to add depth to the position.
Maurkice Pouncey (C/G, Florida) adds depth at guard (where they are currently relatively weak) and has the potential to replace Saturday thus filling two roles for the Colts. The Colts are expected to use their first round selection (31st overall) on him. He is talented enough that he may start sports betting for them at guard this season .
As DE Jermaine Cunningham is a likely second round selection for the Colts (63rd overall pick), it is possible that the Colts will use their first two picks on Florida Gators. As the Colts rely heavily upon their defense, the addition of Cunningham will add depth to that position.
By using their third round selection (94th overall) to select Donovan Warren (CB, Michigan), the Colts will look to add depth at cornerback. Warren, who has fallen due to his below-average 40 time (4.59) at the Combine, is a physical corner with great ball skills. Despite his below-average speed, Warren has the skills needed to succeed in Indianapolis’s defense. He is a steal if the Colts can get him this late in the draft.
