#1 Hakama: Impressed with a front-running score at Laurel to make it 2-for-2 withblinkers and at two turns, and he enters this much tougher spot as the “now horse” from a cozy rail draw. There’s other speed signed on, but with this advantageous draw, he figures to make the point and go from there, and that would likely have him in a pretty enviable position as they come off the far turn. The question now is if he’s good enough, and with Alpha entered you’ll get an overlaid price to find out, so there’s no reason you can’t pay to find out; intriguing over a track that’s known to carry speed.

#2 Speightscity: Honest runner has blinked when he’s faced stakes runners but has handled his other assignments, so right away you have to wonder if he’s classy enough to beat this group. Owns a nice stalking gear that should yield a good trip, but he’s got 10 lengths to make up on Alpha and there are a few others that figure to be in between that gap, so until he shows he can play with these, he’s a longshot; needs softer to threaten.

#3 Swag Daddy: Versatile sort enters off a pair of track and distance (well, 1mile and 70 yards) wins, but this group of open foes won’t be impressed with those state-bred wins he’s posted in his last pair. Did it on the lead last time but he closed prior to that, so you know he doesn’t need to be in front, which is a good thing here, but when push comes to shove, the gut says this will simply be out of his scope; playing against.

#4 King Kid: Lightly raced runner didn’t disgrace himself when he went right into stakes competition off his debut win, but the runner-up in the Gulfstream Park Derby was nowhere in an allowance last weekend (though it came over a sloppy track), so not sure if that stakes was all that hot. At least you know he’s bred to handle the trip and then some, and with just two starts he’s got a ton of room for improvement, not to mention a ground-saving post; those looking for the upset probably land here.

#5 How Do I Win: The so-called “fastest 2yo at Saratoga” took a while to get into gear, but he’s finally started to show some positive signs of late and his fourth to Alpha in the Count Fleet wasn’t that bad. The bar gets raised again and he’ll have to show he can handle the jump, but he’s got a two-turn run under his belt now and Pletcher calling the shots, so you could be convinced to use him at a price; not impossible for a minor award.

#6 Tiger Walk: Well-bred runner looked sharp winning his 2yo finale going a flat mile at Laurel, and he enters 2012 as an up-and-comer and with bullets in tow for a sharp barn. Owns some tactical speed that might be able to negate this wide draw, and if he builds off his last, he can be a player against a group like this, though he better have his running shoes on to beat the guy next door; in the mix.

#7 Alpha: Overwhelming favorite finally put things together with an authoritative win in the Count Fleet, and while the waters get deeper here, the path to the winner’s circle still goes through him. Showed immense talent as a 2yo and seemingly turned the corner with Lasix added for his 3yo debut, and though he drew terribly, he’s versatile enough to let Ramon place him anywhere he needs to be and try and win this off the far turn; imposing odds-on favorite, ugly post and all.

Selections:

#7 Alpha

#1 Hakama

#4 King Kid

For more of Brian’s insights on New York racing, check him out at Horseplayer Now

For more of Brian’s insights on New York racing, check him out at Horseplayer Now.

Santa Anita: The Grade II, $200,000 Bob Lewis at 1 1/16 miles

#1 Isn’t He Clever: New Mexico invader tries two turns for the first time off a romp in a minor Sunland stakes in very fast time, and somehow he meets a group of Californians without a ton of early speed, so it’s possible he shakes loose and gets brave today. Gets the class test but he’s done everything they’ve asked of him so far and you know he can handle this trip, as a son of Derby winner Smarty Jones, He also benefits from catching a few others who might not be intent on winning this off the layoff, so with that in mind, not to mention his undeniable talent, he just might be able to give them all the slip; dangerous if they forget about him up front.

#2 Liaison: Long-striding son of Indian Charlie looked good winning the GI CashCall at Hollywood Park and makes his 3yo debut as one of the West Coast’s top Derby contenders at this point. Baffert trainee has done little wrong in four career starts and even owns a win, albeit at one-turn, over the SA strip, so you know he likes it here. The likely favorite has a lot going for him, but he’s coming in off a layoff with much, much bigger goals in mind and plenty of graded stakes earnings to fall back on, so doubt he’s fully cranked today; willing to let him beat me in his first start of the year.

#3 Groovin’ Solo: Blinks go on after he broke his maiden over the track last time to help erase the debacle in the CashCall two starts back. Enters a pretty tough spot to tackle winners for the first time and while he appears to have some talent this just looks like too much too soon; not seeing it today.

#4 I’ll Have Another: Returns for the first time since a forgettable run in his first main track run in September’s GI Hopeful at Saratoga, and while he’s been training great, this is a tough spot to make your two-turn debut. Showed his talent with a strong second in the GII Best Pal at Del Mar and he’s got the speed to be involved early, but there are a lot of hurdles to clear and he might need one; tabbing for next time.

#5 Sky Kingdom: Baffert’s second runner owns a track and distance win, but they timed that N1X with a sundial, so he’ll need to improve open lengths to be a factor here. The good news is that he’s bred to be a runner and wasn’t far off his stablemate in the CashCall, so maybe he’s got that forward jump in him. The price will be right and he should sit a dream trip, so if you believe, you’re getting the right risk/reward scenario to use him; possible to spice up the exotics.

#6 Rousing Sermon: Just missed in the CashCall after a wide trip, and his track and distance win last year says he’s got no problems running over conventional dirt. Another who starts his 3yo campaign today, so it’s likely this is a simply a jumping off point to what Hollendorfer hopes is a campaign that lands him in the starting gate at Churchill Downs, so with the expected soft pace, it’s tough to see this closer getting the right setup to get his picture taken; keying underneath.

#7 Empire Way: Blueblood completes the Baffert trio and while he’s not yet made a dent in a pair of graded stakes, including the CashCall, you have the feeling that there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Moderate works for his 3yo bow but that’s not too much of a concern for this stretch-running son of Empire Maker, and it’s nice to see Rosario take the call again. With graded stakes earnings at a premium, you have to believe that this colt is cranked for a biggie, and that might be the deciding factor that gets him to the wire first; announces his presence on the Derby Trail with a win today.

#8 Chips All In: Mullins runner has won on all three surfaces and enters off a game win in the Eddie Logan over the local sod. Tries graded stakes foes today for the first time and got no favors from the draw, so a wide trip seems like a forgone conclusion and that’s not going to help a horse who probably isn’t good enough to beat this kind in the first place; playing against.

Selections:

#7 Empire Way

#2 Liaison

#1 Isn’t He Clever

Gulfstream Park: The GIII, $400,000 Holy Bull at 1 mile

#1 Silver Max: Turf runner tries the main for the first time since a solid second in the mud at this trip at Belmont, and he does enter off a breakthrough maiden win in his last. Brings a lot of speed to the fray but unless they gun, it’s unlikely he’s fast enough to clear, which means he’s up against it from this tricky draw while tackling a bunch of dirt horses at their own game; tough to like his chances.

#2 Consortium: Darley homebred has a beautiful pedigree that suggests he’ll only get better as the furlongs add up, and he’s already shown plenty of promise in his two sprints starts. Likely needed his last when he was a fine second to rival Algorithms, and he seems versatile enough to be placed wherever needed, which will come in handy in a race where the early pace could be hot. Catches champion Hansen off the layoff and gives every indication he’s poised to break through; call to turn the tables and post the mild surprise.

#3 My Adonis: Looked good winning the prep for the Delta Jackpot, but then stepped up in that aforementioned GIII and they needed a search party to find him. Breen has regrouped since and this son of BC Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect has been training bullets at Palm Meadows, but you get the feeling he was exposed last time and this certainly is a much, much tougher field; not seeing it, especially off a nine-week layoff.

#4 Hansen: Reigning 2yo champion and BC Juvenile hero is undefeated in three starts and showed his toughness with a game and determined score over pro-tem leader Union Rags at Churchill Downs in his dirt debut. Son of Tapit returns early in his 3yo season and at one turn, which could be tricky, as could the pace as he’s never sat behind a horse but will find plenty of other speed today. Point being, with much, much bigger goals down the road and the potential for a new set of circumstances being thrown at him, do you really want to take odds-on in a spot like this? Respect his talent a ton, but trying to beat him today; underlaid favorite in this spot.

#5 Fort Loudon: Florida-bred wasn’t disgraced when beaten 9 lengths in the Juvenile, but it wasn’t like he was ever a threat, either, so he’s got to step up to meet this challenge off the layoff today. The good news is that he drew well and has a nice stalking style, so if Hansen isn’t ready and Consortium and Algorithms can’t handle the added ground, then maybe you have something, but that seems like an awful lot of “ifs”; likely needs softer to factor.

#6 Algorithms: Made it 2-for-2 with a smart score over Consortium earlier in the meet and he’s by Bernardini out of a Cryptoclearance mare, so you know this added ground won’t be the issue. Pletcher runner drew the best of all and his tactical speed will allow Castellano to gauge the early pace and act accordingly, which puts him in a pretty enviable position when they come off the far turn. Looks like the sky’s the limit for this colt and he seemingly gets all the best of it today; looms the one to beat.

Selections:

#2 Consortium

#6 Algorithms

#4 Hansen

On Friday afternoon, delight turned to unease as rumors began to surface about Rachel Alexandra or the colt being ill, and late in the afternoon, Stonestreet confirmed that both were at Rood and Riddle as a “precautionary measure…for pain management related to the birth.”

It didn’t take long before a merry (mostly) war broke out on Twitter last night about what Stonestreet said and when they should have said it.

Writers (this one included), fans, farm employees, owners, and trainers all chimed in, the tweets fast and furious, the mood frenetic, the voices passionate.  On one side, those who believe that Stonestreet should have released more information and earlier in the day, in response to fan anxiety. On the other, those who think that Stonestreet has the right to deal with any possible medical problem (or any other news) as it sees fit, in its own time and on its own terms.

I am in the latter camp.  Among Stonestreet’s many considerations yesterday, I think that satisfying fans’ anxiety and media curiosity is way down on the list. I heard yesterday cries for transparency in the sport, and I wondered: transparency about what?  This isn’t about wagering (yes, I know, there’s a prop bet about the foal making it to the Derby, but can we agree that we don’t have to consider that sort of ridiculousness here?), so why does the public need to know immediately the details of the mare’s and foal’s health?  When does a wish for transparency become prurient curiosity?

The desire for information is rooted, of course, in the connection that fans feel to Rachel Alexandra, in their affection for her. But being a fan doesn’t mean that her connections need to accommodate our desire to know what we want to know, when we want to know it. I was surprised by the criticism heaped on Stonestreet, especially after they did what people wanted and made a statement.

I’m a fan of the New York Rangers, and that fandom has meant, over four decades, the investment of uncountable hours, tens of thousands of dollars, and almost limitless emotion. None of the owners of the team has ever felt the slightest obligation to answer my questions, to treat me well, or to give me access to players’ personal lives, and I’m sure that I’d get laughed at if I suggested that it should be otherwise. My fandom and my investment entitle me to nothing.

Five and a half years ago, when Barbaro was injured, the public was given, for better or worse, an unprecedented look into the “personal life” of a race horse.  Updates were provided by New Bolton; photos were released; news conferences scheduled. The fan frenzy around Barbaro’s injury grew steadily, and the phrase “feed the beast” seems an apt one.  Whatever information was put out, it never seemed to be quite enough, and it created, I think, a sense that fans are entitled to information about the horses they love.

Yesterday, when Stonestreet did as fans wanted and announced that Rachel Alexandra and the colt were at Rood and Riddle, neither the rumors nor the criticism stopped.  Skepticism abounded about the reasons given for the hospitalization; rumors about the “real reason” floated through the evening, and the farm was disparaged for the delay and for the paucity of information that was put out.

The voice of the fan is stronger than ever in racing, thanks to all the media platforms devoted to the sport: fans, farms, trainers, and racing executives can interact with each other in unprecedented ways.  The strength of that voice incurs a responsibility, one that seemed absent yesterday in the demand for information and in the condemnation of people who are acting in the best interests of their horses.

Racing needs a lot of things, and those involved in the sport are rightly questioned daily by media and by fans. But do we really want to assail one of the brightest spots in the game over the last few years? We’re not talking about anything nefarious here. This isn’t Life At Ten, this isn’t Richard Dutrow, this isn’t financial malfeasance. This is a farm taking care of one of the most famous race horses in memory, taking good care of her and of her foal. Do we really want to attack them?

Aqueduct entrance in the old days

Seven years ago this weekend, I went to Aqueduct for the first time. I had spent more of the previous summer at the races in Saratoga than ever before, and having made my maiden voyage to Belmont in the fall of 2003, it was time to venture to Ozone Park.

My friend Jonathan, who had covered racing for the Post-Star in Glens Falls before joining academia, and I scanned the calendar for a day that might add a frisson of excitement to a dull winter day; my first day at Belmont had been on the day of Mineshaft’s Jockey Club Gold Cup. In the absence of any comparable stakes races in a New York January, we landed on the day of the Sunshine Millions.

Parking ourselves at a table in the Man o’War Room, we watched and bet Aqueduct and Gulfstream; we didn’t pay that much attention to California, and while I remember cashing a few tickets, it wasn’t what I’d call a fantastic wagering day.

But no matter. We had a blast.

We loved taking the subway to the track. We loved hanging out and drinking beer and betting horses. It was a little rough finding my vegetarian friend something to eat; he might have had potato chips for lunch.

I remember a lot about that day. I remember a hunch bet I made on an Aqueduct race with zero minutes to post, and I remember winning. I put that horse in my stable mail and seven years later, I’m going to visit him this weekend. It’s why I won’t mark my Sunshine Millions/Aqueduct anniversary at the Big A.  You’ll hear his story sometime soon.

I remember Jonathan telling me about some undefeated hotshot speedball that was shipping in from the west to run in the Ocala Stud Dash, and I remember watching Lost in the Fog dust his competitors, winning at odds-on by more than four lengths.

I don’t remember that Catmeifyoucan finished fifth or that Twice the Cat finished seventh, and I don’t remember that the Big Top Cat/Surf Cat exacta in a maiden race paid at Santa Anita paid $50.90, and I’ll bet Jonathan doesn’t, either, though he’s the person who coined the term “catzacta.”

I remember that I lost money on Moscow Burning in the Filly & Mare Turf, and I remember kicking myself for not betting Zakocity, who had won twice at Saratoga the previous summer and whose name charmed me, when he finished second in the Sunshine Millions Classic at 28-1.  I rued that this Francophone Francophile let Musique Toujours go at 70-1, and I wished that I’d had that $850.40 exacta.

I don’t remember that Lava Man finished seventh in that race.

I do remember freezing—FREEZING—as I stood on the subway platform waiting for the A train to take me home, and I do remember planning with Jonathan when we’d come back. Despite our best intentions, I think it was a year later, for Sunshine Millions 2006. We sat at a table in Equestris that day. The vegetarian food there was not much more varied than it had been in the Man o’War Room, though I think that Jonathan ate something other than potato chips.

I do remember pledging to be at Gulfstream for the Sunshine Millions one day.  It hasn’t happened yet, and I look at the entries this year with no little bit of envy, at old and new favorites racing.  I’d like to be there to see Atoned and Solitaire in an allowance, Atoned whom I’ve followed ever since his Remsen, always hoping that the gutsiness I loved in that race would emerge again. Atoned, the son of Repent. That alone was enough to make him a favorite.

Pomeroys Pistol and Cornelio Velasquez

I’d like to see Awesome Feather try to make it 9 for 9 in the Sunshine Millions Distaff, and  I’d like to see Pomeroys Pistol in the Filly and Mare Sprint; I’ve been a fan since her Prioress at Belmont last summer, though I do wish that she had an apostrophe in her name.  I’d like to see Terri Pompay’s Zero Rate Policy in the Sunshine Millions Sprint.

I won’t make to the Sunshine Millions this year, in person or remotely; I’ll be at a farm upstate, and that’s not too bad, either. But maybe next year…

For more on the Sunshine Millions, check out Hello Race Fans! and Kevin Martin’s 10 Things.

Our first stop was to see Sightseeing, the son of Pulpit standing his second season at stud. He won the Peter Pan in 2007 and finished third in the Dwyer and the Jim Dandy, fourth in the Travers. He was a 3-year-old with Street Sense and Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday; he finished just half a length behind NoBiz like Shobiz, 3 ½ lengths ahead of Any Given Saturday, in the Wood Memorial that year.

Known as much for his temperament as for his racing, Sightseeing was something of a head case. In the early days of this site, I wrote,

And what’s up with Sightseeing? Two major duds in a row, after a series of races that made you think he could be a major competitor at the end of his three-year-old season. He was “excused” from the post parade and rumor has it that he’s sort of a head case. Blinkers on for the Travers: he finished fourth of seven by eleven lengths. Blinkers off for the Brooklyn: he finished last in a field of five. Shug must be scratching his head about this colt.

Leanna acknowledged that life as a stallion had not entirely eliminated Sightseeing’s quirkiness, but on that December morning, it seemed to have had softened. Sightseeing came right to the fence, eager to visit with the humans, gratefully accepting treats and nose rubs. He reminded me that day a little bit of a puppy, eager and goofy and friendly. He seemed disappointed when we walked away.

But we had another stop to make, so we made our way over to see Purim, whose welcome—if you could call it that—couldn’t have been more different from his neighbor’s.

Was it the crunchiness underfoot? The glare of the winter sunlight off the snow? Mid-winter blues? Maybe he hadn’t finished his Christmas shopping. (I certainly hadn’t.)

It’s not, exactly, that he wasn’t interested. He wasn’t sullen, or arrogant. He just seemed…confused? Conflicted? “I want to come over there and see you but I’m not sure it’s a great idea”?

He didn’t ignore us; he was vigilant, watchful, and he’d take a few steps forward. We frantically crinkled peppermint wrappers (the local Kroeger had been out of starlight mints – I’d had to settle for mini-candy canes), looking mighty foolish as we crinkled and crackled and smooched, all in vain.

We took a page from Hansel and Gretel and tried throwing out bits of candy cane, making him step closer and closer to us…and the closer he got, the stiller we had to be, because any motion would send him flying.

(You know what it was exactly like? Trying to socialize a feral cat. No wonder it sounded familiar as I typed.)

And finally, finally, FINALLY…success.

Ed was the lucky beneficiary. That’s his gloved hand.

I knew Purim’s name, but I never saw him race; he didn’t come to New York, and in those days, I wasn’t going to tracks in other cities.  His racing record was 23-9-3-1, for earnings of $928,543. His biggest win was the Shadwell Turf Mile in October 2007; he beat Cosmonaut by a neck.

He was a graded stakes winner on turf and dirt, and he entered stud in 2008. His most accomplished foal to date is Gold Megillah, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Graham Motion.

That cold winter morning, he was a funny guy, and I’ve thought about him a lot since then. I was sad to hear the news of his recent death, but glad we got to spend the morning with him. Condolences to his connections and the folks at Richland, so kind and gracious to us that day.

Past performance information courtesy of Daily Racing Form.

“Peruse” is another. If you peruse something, you are either reading it carefully, or skimming it casually.

(Note: that which delights me drives my students batty.)

Some clever person coined the word “antagonym” to identify these words, words whose meanings are, in effect, antagonistic to one another.

And antagonism is not, it seems, an inconsiderable factor in recent uses of another favorite antagonym, “oversight,” as in Franchise Oversight Board.

“Oversight”:  watchful and responsible care.

Or: inadvertent omission or error.

How great is that?

The Franchise Oversight Board was established in 2008 when the New York Racing Association was awarded a 25-year franchise to run Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. Paul Post wrote then in Thoroughbred Times that the board’s mandate was to “monitor the business practices of the New York Racing Association.”

Last month, the Franchise Oversight Board came out with guns blazing when it was disclosed that NYRA had been imposing a higher-than-allowed takeout on a number of wagers. Robert Megna, chair of the Franchise Oversight Board, sent a scathing letter to Charles Hayward, president and COO of NYRA, suggesting that Hayward and others at NYRA were doing little to earn their “high compensation” in light of the organization’s “failure to manage a most basic accounting task.”

The letter did not mention Mr. Megna’s own organization, whose job is to oversee NYRA’s business practices. An oversight?

Two days ago, James Odato in the Times Union wrote about a new investigation, this one into whether NYRA’s ADW (full disclosure: a long and prominent advertiser on this site) has been improperly allowing wagering on credit. The investigation by the State Racing and Board was prompted by a letter from Megna, of the Franchise Oversight Board. He seems to enjoy writing letters. And overseeing.

Yesterday, it was NYRA who let go with both barrels, vociferously defending its practices in a press release, saying that the funding practices of NYRA Rewards are “in compliance with the law and pursuant to the procedures approved by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.”

Matt Hegarty in the Daily Racing Form notes that those funding practices are “identical to those used by other account-wagering companies.”

Is it possible that Mr. Megna didn’t know that the funding practices were approved by the State Racing and Wagering Board? Or that they are in compliance with the law? Was there, perhaps, some oversight in his inquiry?

Or do his questions suggest that NYRA is conducting business in a way other than it stipulates openly on its website?  Is he acting as his position requires, with oversight?

In either case, in a world in which government agencies are often given euphemistic and obfuscatory names, New York State government seems, unusually to have gotten it right with the Franchise Oversight Board.

“Oversight,” indeed.

But it wasn’t just the weather. It was the faces. It was the people. Yep, that was Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion in the paddock in the middle of the card; up in the press box and out taking photographs, faces normally seen only for Grade 1 races appeared to cover the first Saturday of racing in New York in 2012.

What brought them all out? Why, the ungraded Count Fleet, of course. Of course.

Last year, when the race was won by Sagamore Farm’s Monzon, it was worth $65,000, $39,000 to the winner. This year? $150,000, $90,000 of which went to Godolphin Racing, owner of Alpha, winner of the 2012 Count Fleet.

The Busanda, the feature for the fillies Saturday, was worth $65,000 last year, when Dance Quietly, owned by the Estate of Edward Evans, won it. Yesterday, its value was boosted to $100,000, with $60,000 going to the pockets of Darley Stable, owner of winner Captivating Lass.

Thanks, Genting.

Or maybe it’s Kiaran McLaughlin that should be thanking Genting, because it was his horses that swept the Busanda/Count Fleet double yesterday, earning nearly double what last year’s winners of the two races did.

McLaughlin was watching the race from his home in Florida; stable business kept him there this weekend while his wife Letty and daughter Erin and assistant Art Magnuson did the honors in Ozone Park.

Alpha and Captivating Lass took similar paths to the Aqueduct winner’s circle. Both started their racing careers relatively late in the year; both won first out; both turned in clunkers in their biggest races to date.

Débuting in Saratoga at the beginning of September, Alpha broke his maiden with a 6-length win before finishing a distant second to Union Rags in the Champagne. A month later, he was 19 lengths behind Hansen and Union Rags in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Captivating Lass won by two in her first start, at Parx in October, then finished seventh in the Demoiselle at the end of November.

“She’s an improving filly,” said Magnuson. “It was a much tougher race in the Demoiselle, but we were disappointed. We thought she’d run better.”

Characterizing her as a “late bloomer,” Magnuson also noted the filly’s size, nearly 17 hands, as a contributing factor to her late début. Said jockey Mike Luzzi, “She seems like a grinder and it took a while to get her going. She’s a big, rangy thing, by A.P. Indy, and it took the whole stretch to get her going.”

The similarities between Alpha and Captivating Lass don’t end in the paths they took to Saturday’s races.  Since last summer, McLaughlin and Darley/Godolphin have been experimenting with not running first-time starters on Lasix, with mixed results. Alpha and Captivating Lass both won first out without it, but both ran with it on Saturday.

“We scope them all,” said McLaughlin, “and if they need it, we put them on it. We saw a little bit of bleeding, and it’s got to be a preventive situation. We don’t want to risk running them one more time without it and having them bleed.”

At several recent conferences on Lasix, research has been presented to indicate that repeated episodes of bleeding have deleterious effects on equine health, causing thickening of pulmonary vein walls that leads to reduced blood flow, making it difficult for horses to breathe. Last June at the NTRA Lasix summit at Belmont, trainer Graham Motion said that he races all of his 2-year-olds on Lasix in order to prevent such damage.

While Alpha’s racing road for the first part of 2012 appears to be set, next starts for Captivating Lass are up in the air.

“New York has a great program for 3-year-old colts,” said McLaughlin, noting the upcoming Grade 3 Withers, Grade 3 Gotham, and Grade 1 Wood Memorial, worth $200,00, $400,000, and $1 million respectively, and indicating that Alpha would be pointed to either the Withers or the Gotham.

By comparison, the 3-year-old filly program in New York comprises the ungraded Busher ($75,000), Grade 3 Cicada ($150,000), and Grade 3 Comely ($250,000). McLaughlin said that those races are under consideration for Captivating Lass, as are stakes races at Fair Grounds and Gulfstream Park.

The Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra ($200,000) is at Fair Grounds on February 25, followed by the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks ($500,000) on March 31.

At Gulfstream, the Grade 2 Davona Dale ($250,000) will be run on February 25, the Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks ($300,000) on March 31.

Regardless of where his horses run next, McLaughlin is certain of one thing.

“Next time,” he said by phone from Florida, “I’ll definitely be there.”

Alpha and Ramon Dominguez after winning the Count Fleet

I submitted my Eclipse votes on Monday night and offer them here.  Some of the categories were easy; many were not. As I deliberated, I found myself wavering among choices, shifting the criteria I was using, questioning how different variables measured up against each other.  I realized that for me, showing up for races meant a lot, even if the horse didn’t win, and that I was not inclined to reward one big performance in the Breeders’ Cup with a vote. I’m confident about a lot of votes, still uncertain about others. While frustrating at time, processing all those past performances was a fun, challenging, and intellectually rewarding process…at least until I get skewered for my choices.

2-year old male:  Hansen, Union Rags, Creative Cause

2-year-old female:  My Miss Aurelia, Stephanie’s Kitten, Grace Hall

3-year-old male:  Caleb’s Posse, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom

3-year-old female:  Royal Delta, It’s Tricky, Zazu

Turf male:  Cape Blanco, Acclamation, Get Stormy

Turf female:  Dubawi Heights, Stacelita, Never Retreat

Older male: Acclamation, Game On Dude, Tizway

Older female: Havre de Grace, Blind Luck, Awesome Maria

Female sprinter: Hilda’s Passion, Sassy Image, Musical Romance

Male sprinter: Amazombie, Caleb’s Posse, The Factor

Jockey:  Javier Castellano, Ramon Dominguez, John Velazquez

Trainer:  Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher, Bob Baffert

Steeplechase:  Abstain. I rather regret abstaining in this category; there did seem a clear-cut choice for the top spot (Tax Ruling), though I went back and forth between Black Jack Blues and Decoy Daddy in the other two spots. Ultimately, I didn’t think that I should vote in a category that I follow for only six weeks a year.

Apprentice: Abstain.

Breeders:  Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Adena Springs, Brereton Jones

Owners:  Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Midwest Thoroughbreds, Repole Stable

Horse of the Year:  Havre de Grace, Acclamation, Cape Blanco

It’s been quieter than usual in this space for a while, and that’s going to continue, unfortunately. I’m finishing up a couple of big projects, and I’ve been fortunate to pick up a couple of regular gigs: a weekly post at Forbes.com (scroll for all the posts in the series) and a monthly feature for New York Breeder magazine (skip to page 20).   Later this month at Hello Race Fans!, I’ll have horse profiles on Mineshaft and Silverbulletday and a track guide to Gulfstream Park; I’m also working on an article about Three Chimneys Farm for Thoroughbred Times.  At the top of the column on the right, you’ll find a list of my most recent work elsewhere; that list is updated regularly.

So: the good news is that I’ve got plenty of fun projects to work on; the bad news is that when that happens, Brooklyn Backstretch suffers. But I hope to get back to regular posting here soon, with stories about a visit to Ramsey Farm in Lexington, historical stories on some of the races here in New York this winter, and profiles of humans and horses that make racing so interesting.

I hope that you all had great holidays and very best wishes for the new year –

For many of us, though, the transcendent times in racing come on small stages, in quiet moments; memories are made when we don’t expect them to be, and not when the whole world (such as it is, when it comes to racing) is watching.

Here are my 2011 memorable moments, the joyful, the exhilarating, the sad, the highly personal, on the track and off, with photos and videos and links where appropriate, presented in largely chronological order:

Learning last February that I’d been invited to join the voting committee for the Hall of Fame was among the most humbling and exciting things that’s happened to me since I started writing about racing. An honor on its own, it was made all the more meaningful by my family’s erstwhile connection to the Museum.

Bad news came later that month when we learned that Giant Moon had died unexpectedly from laminitis during a winter freshening at the farm. He was always fun to watch on the track, always game, and a favorite to visit on the backstretch. What a blow to his connections, who adored him.

Last March I wrote about Tom Fool, trained by Hall of Famer John Gaver; what a treat it was when his grandson left a comment. Gaver III is a trainer himself, and someone that I am now pleased to call a friend. Racing history is indeed alive and well and in good hands.

A few weeks later, I was wandering a Gulfstream shedrow one Sunday morning when I came across an imposing, genial, and curious face. Later than afternoon, he nearly stole the Florida Derby, settling instead for second before going on to win the Preakness.  Watching Shackleford show up on every big race day was one of the joys of 2011.

Anyone who reads here regularly knows that I think that the Kentucky Derby is pretty much an over-hyped affair that gets way too much significance given its results; nonetheless, it was pretty cool to attend my first one.  And while Uncle Mo dominated the pre-race narrative, it was his jockey, John Velazquez, who got to carry the blanket of roses a day after learning that his scheduled mount would be scratched. That’s the Derby story I’ll remember.

My attachment to Winter Memories began last year, in the Miss Grillo at Belmont, October 2010, but she dominated my racing life in 2011, getting to the winner’s circle in four of six starts, most memorably in the Garden City in September. Talking to her connections – owner/breeder John Phillips of Darby Dan and Phillips Racing, trainer Jimmy Toner – was always an unqualified pleasure, as was recognizing her pedigree, going back five generations in the Darby Dan family.

Her breathtaking – literally, for me – win in the Garden City is one of five races on which you can vote for NYRA Race of the Year.

Last summer, the Saratogian asked me to write profiles of the three Hall of Fame inductees elected by the Historic Review Committee: trainer Matthew Byrnes, horse Duke of Magenta, and jockey Shelby “Pike” Barnes. I became so fascinated with Barnes’ life that I continued my research for a feature in the Travers Stakes program; Barnes won the 1889 Travers on Long Dance. Seldom have I been more absorbed in researching and writing; Barnes’ story is fascinating.

A year ago this time, I knew almost nothing about Lasix. Feeling that that was something of an irresponsible position, I attended every racing meeting on the topic I could, including a full-day “summit” at Belmont. I learned a lot, but feel no closer to developing a strong opinion on the matter than I did a year ago.

It’s Tricky, Turbulent Descent, and Ask the Moon made racing memories for me this year. It’s Tricky made eight starts, finishing first four times and second three times, beaten twice by Royal Delta and once by Plum Pretty. She has a quirky personality that her trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, made the most of, one that kept her in his barn even when she raced in Godolphin blue.

I met Turbulent Descent through some of her owners, who contacted me last spring to ask advice about Belmont. We’ve become friends and I’ve gotten to follow this filly and them through much of the year. In six starts this year she’s got three wins (two Grade 1’s) and two seconds, faltering in the sandy Belmont slop in the Acorn and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Her Test was one of the highlights of Saratoga, and she’ll close out 2011 in the La Brea on Saturday.

Ask the Moon became a Saratoga star at age six. Before the Grade 1 Ruffian on July 31, she’d made 30 starts with eight wins, none of them in graded stakes. In the paddock at Saratoga she looked outstanding, which I noted to a friend…watching her cruise down the stretch to win by more than five lengths at 18-1, I rued not backing up that opinion with a wager. On closing weekend, Ask the Moon came back to win the Grade 1 Personal Ensign by nearly three. Her only two starts at Saratoga, her only two graded stakes wins, both Grade 1’s.

A more modest filly made memories at Saratoga, too, when Precious Soul, a half-sister to Saratoga standout Society Selection, won an allowance race for the same connections as her more famous sibling, owner Irving M. Cowan and trainer Allen Jerkens. She’s not in the same class as Society Selection, but seeing those silks and those faces in the Saratoga winner’s circle was something special.

If you love Saratoga history, you thrilled when The Spa: Saratoga’s Legendary Race Course came out last summer. Paul Roberts and Isabelle Taylor’s detailed and accessible history of the architecture at the track was as absorbing as any racing book I’ve read, and it’s essential reading for anyone who loves Saratoga.

The Spa meet kicked off with an impressive filly breaking her maiden, and before the week was out, two new Saratoga stars had made their names in print and on television. My Miss Aurelia got the first of her four wins in an undefeated 2011 when she won a maiden race on July 22; that afternoon, Lucky the kitten made her Saratoga début, too, in My Miss Aurelia’s barn. Both of them would go on to much greater fame before the year was out.

Hockey and horse racing intersected at Saratoga when Sean Avery won the Grade 1 Vanderbilt in early August; a few weeks later, B Shanny broke his maiden in his second start. Neither horse has raced since, both sidelined due to injury, but let’s hope we get to see them again before the current hockey season comes to an end.

The final highlight of the Saratoga meet was hometown favorite Teresa Pompay getting her first Grade 1 win in the Hopeful with Currency Swap. He raced only twice in 2011, both at Saratoga, both wins; Breeders’ Cup hopes were dashed when a minor injury put him on the sidelines until 2012. The Hopeful was not the prettiest of races, especially for nephew Backstretch, who had Trinniberg at 68-1, but I’m looking forward to Currency Swap’s return.

Back at Belmont, Showcase Day presented a parade of Backstretch favorites in the winner’s circle. Standing in the paddock before the Hudson, in a sort of Ruffian Handicap/déjà vu moment, I said, “Doesn’t General Maximus look awesome?” And in double déjà vu, I watched him sail to the finish line, unencumbered by a dime of my money. Unfortunately, General Maximus is on the list of sad memories, too, as he broke down fatally in his next start.

David Donk’s Hessonite had quite a year, making six starts and ending with a record of 4-1-1-, including a win over colts in a New York Stallion Series race at Saratoga. She ended her season with a win in the Ticonderoga and is off on the farm for the winter. We’ll see her in 2012.

And capping Showcase Day was the return of Haynesfield to the winner’s circle when he repeated his 2009 win in the Empire Classic. Between those two victories he’d won the Discovery, the Suburban, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup; he retired last month and will stand at Airdrie in Kentucky.

And yes, I even have a memorable moment from the Breeders’ Cup, but this one is surely not going to make anyone else’s end-of-year lists.  I have a soft spot for the offspring of Afleet Alex, so despite evidence that often suggests that my money would be better invested elsewhere, I bet his progeny almost automatically. On April 24 of 2010, I was standing in the winner’s circle at Aqueduct, bemoaning the lack of internet access as I tried frantically to bet $2 to win on 24-1 Afleet Again in the Withers. A friend standing nearby said, “You’ll be glad when the race is over that you didn’t get service.”

A minute or two later, as Afleet Again gained steadily in the stretch and won by a length and a half, he looked at me. “Did you get the bet in?”

I did.

At Churchill Downs on November 5, with about a minute to post before the third race, the Breeders’ Cup Marathon, I glanced at the tote board. Afleet Again, winless since that Withers eighteen months previous, was 41-1. I hesitated. “If he wins,” I thought, “at that price, and I don’t even have $2 on him…”

A couple of minutes later (it took longer this time – it was, after all, the Marathon), my cell phone vibrated with a text. It was from that Aqueduct friend. “Tell me you bet him,” it read.

I did.

Wins and losses, triumph and sadness…racing 2011 is nearly at an end. We’ve got three days left to make racing memories, and then we turn the page of whatever racing-related calendar that we’ll pick up on New Year’s Day or that we got for Christmas…and we get to start all over again. We are lucky indeed.

We’ve got through this racing year together, and if you’ve hung in there through this much-too-long stroll through the past 12 months, let’s end the year together, too:  what will you remember from racing 2011?