ORGANIZE

KENTUCKY DERBY VIDEO PROFILES
at your fingertips!

The THOROUGHBLOG BLOGGERS ALLIANCE homepage has grown into a site that offers so much stuff - where to start?

Not only can you get snapshots of the latest blog entries from the group, photos from Flickr and FREE PAST PERFORMANCES, but you can click on the YOUTUBE tab (far right of the page) and see the video profiles of all the top Kentucky Derby candidates (Midshipman, Beethoven, Old Fashioned, etc.).

(BEETHOVEN (Sky Mesa), a Kentucky Derby prospect featured on YouTube's Kentucky Derby page, photo by Vanessa Ng... see all videos by going to..
http://www.thoroughbredbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/




TERESA at BROOKLYN BACKSTRETCH

This is an excerpt from fellow blogger Teresa over at Brooklyn Backstretch - always an informative and unqiue spot to go to read about racing, in particular the New York view.
You can also get Floyd and Madison's Cat Scratch Picks every day too! New York Rangers fan aside (Go Leafs!) Teresa does a super job with this post about "blogs", journalism and just WHO'S WRITING ABOUT RACING NOWADAYS...

Who's writing about racing?

...And it’s here where the lines between blogging (for lack of a better word—maybe “Internet reporting,” a term suggested to me last summer?) and journalism begin to blur. Traditional journalism is abandoning racing; I am lucky to live in a city in which two newspapers cover racing daily, but most people can’t find anything about racing in their local—or national—papers. More and more, racing fans are turning to the Internet, to the uncredentialed writers, to get their news about the sport they love.


And that’s both good news and bad news. It’s good news because racing is being covered in ways that traditional journalism can’t; there are sites dedicated to specific tracks, to racing overseas, to equine hoof care, to handicapping, to history, and no newspaper is going to fund that sort of coverage. If you’re a racing fan, chances are you can find a site—probably several--that suits your needs and your tastes.


It’s good news because people like me can write about whatever interests us, unencumbered by word count and the market and advertising. If I want to write 1500 words on a race run a hundred years ago, I can. If I want to take a few days off, I can. If I want to post three times a day, I can.

READ THE WHOLE THING....

http://www.brooklynbackstretch.blogspot.com/




OHHA - WOODBINE DISPUTE

Horsepeople Vote To Continue To Negotiate And Race

from Standardbred Canada
Published: January 5, 2009 10:30 am ET

At an OHHA members' meeting Sunday night the large gathering voted to support its negotiating team's efforts to secure a satisfactory OHHA racing contract with WEG and in the circumstances are prepared to temporarily race their horses while those negotiations continue.

The support for the negotiating committee included direction to maintain the positions the membership endorsed at this and previous meetings. The decision to stop withholding entries was based on two main considerations. First, it is a further show of good faith to WEG to assist with the negotiations. Second, the withholding of entries was creating a situation whereby many horsepeople were suffering financially while others were benefiting.

OHHA's legal positions involved in bringing this situation, and support for those positions by its membership, have not changed at all.

For further information please contact John Walzak at 1-866-774-6442 (toll free) or 905-854-6442, (Ext. 226), or by email at jwalzak@ohha.ca.




EXCERPT - LOS ANGELES TIMES

SANTA ANITA ASSESSES SYNTHETIC TRACK
following several incidents

BY ERIC SONDHEIMER

Santa Anita officials have begun an urgent inspection and evaluation of its synthetic Pro-Ride surface after five breakdowns, including three fatalities, of horses in the first two weeks of its winter meeting.

"There is some concern," track spokesman Mike Willman said. "We were absolutely surprised."

Santa Anita had one horse euthanized during its 26-day Oak Tree meeting in the fall, but the recent problems caused track officials to seek help from Ian Pearse, the managing director of Australia-based Pro-Ride.

Pearse was scheduled to arrive Monday to offer his assistance.

"We are looking at everything," Willman said. "It's completely unacceptable by any accounts."

Cold temperatures combined with recent rain may have affected the synthetic surface, but Santa Anita officials are puzzled with the sudden breakdowns.

Santa Anita has spent more than $15 million on its synthetic track. The Pro-Ride surface was installed before its Oak Tree meeting after draining issues with the Cushion Track synthetic surface.

READ THE REST....

http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-horse6-2009jan06,0,19693.column




CANADIAN-OWNED PATENA at Fair Grounds Saturday


NEW ORLEANS, La. (January 5, 2009) - Clarence Scharbauer Jr.'s Indygo Mountain is the 3-1 morning-line favorite among the field of nine 3-year-olds entered Monday for the $100,000 Grade III Lecomte Stakes, the featured event of a six-stakes program Saturday at Fair Grounds.

The 65th Lecomte, which starts the Louisiana Derby Series, is the ninth race on an 11-race "Road to the Derby" Kickoff Day program. First post Saturday is 12:30 p.m. CST, with the Lecomte scheduled for 4:29.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Indygo Mountain was scratched during the post parade of a Dec. 18 allowance race at Fair Grounds due to a minor foot problem, but has had a pair of workouts since, including a five-furlong breeze Monday morning at Fair Grounds in 1:03.40 over sloppy going.

The son of A. P. Indy won his last start Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs by an impressive 6 1/4-length margin. He was second in his first career start in October at Keeneland.

Scharbauer, whose family raced 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba, purchased Indygo Mountain for $600,000 out of the 2007 Keeneland September sale. Jamie Theriot, seeking a second consecutive Fair Grounds riding title, will break Indygo Mountain from the outside post.

Capable of providing strong competition for Indygo Mountain is John and Glen Sikura and Dominic Dilalla's Patena, who captured the Display Stakes at Woodbine by a head in his last trip to the post Dec. 6. Conditioned by Josie Carroll, Patena is by Seeking the Gold and out of the A. P. Indy mare Handpainted, who was also trained by Carroll and won the 2004 Pan Zareta Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Six-time Fair Grounds leading rider Robby Albarado gets the mount on Patena, who will break from post No. 4, is the 4-1 early second choice.

Co-third choices in the morning line at 5-1 are Uno Mas and Friesan Fire, the 1-2 finishers in that one-mile Dec. 18 allowance.

Uno Mas, who is 2-for-2 at this meet, gets the services of jockey Shaun Bridgmohan for seven-time Fair Grounds leading trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the Lecomte last year with Z Fortune.

Friesan Fire, who was third in Belmont's Grade II Futurity Sept. 13 and fourth in Aqueduct's Grade III Nashua Nov. 2, has Gabriel Saez up for trainer Larry Jones, who saddled 2007 Lecomte winner Hard Spun.

From the rail out, the Lecomte field with jockeys and odds includes: Friesan Fire, Saez (5-1); Au Moon, Julien Leparoux (8-1); Citizen, Francisco Torres (20-1); Patena, Albarado (4-1); Big Push, Miguel Mena (8-1); Dynamic Force, Jesse Campbell (10-1); Professor Z, Brian Hernandez Jr. (6-1); Uno Mas, Bridgmohan (5-1); and Indygo Mountain, Theriot (3-1).

Fans of multi-leg wagers will have more options to wager on Saturday's card, including a Pick 5 on Races 5-9; a third Pick 4 beginning on Race 6; and a 3-year-old daily double on the Tiffany Lass Stakes, for fillies, and the Lecomte. The Pick 6, usually offered on the final six races of the day, has been moved to cover the six stakes, beginning with Race 4.



SHOPPING NETWORK

The OCALA WINTER MIXED SALE starts today with some 140 mares from Adena Springs up for auction. Next week, the Keeneland January sale starts to roll and there are a handful of Canadian-foaled yearlings in those books.




ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT...

BUILDERS SAY $1.3B DUBAI RACECOURSE DEAL NIXED


By ADAM SCHRECK – 17 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Companies building the centerpiece of a prominent Dubai race course said Tuesday the original $1.25 billion contract has been canceled, putting the fate of the future site of the Middle East's premier horse race in doubt.

The project's developer, Meydan LLC, blamed a work delay for the decision.

It vowed to inaugurate the project as planned in time for the 2010 Dubai World Cup, which promises to top its own record of horse racing's richest race with a purse of $10 million.

However, questions about the project's timeframe have been voiced since the deal was awarded. The cancellation follows decisions by a number of builders in the boomtown to scale back ongoing megaprojects as financing grows harder to get.

One of two contractors hired by Meydan said in a statement posted on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange Web site Tuesday that it has been given 14 days' notice of the work stoppage.

The company, Malaysia's WCT Bhd., said it "views the cancellation as a breach of contract on the part of the employer." It said it is weighing its options and "will take the necessary steps" to protect its interests.

Dubai-based Arabtec Construction LLC, which in a 50-50 joint venture with WCT was awarded the construction deal in September 2007, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meydan said in explaining the cancellation there was a "considerable delay of implementation" on the project, which covers a grandstand building designed to hold up to 60,000 spectators and related infrastructure work.

The site was also designed to include a five-star hotel, more than 10 restaurants and a new home for the Dubai Racing Club.

The company said other firms have been contracted to finish the project. It did not reply to a request asking for specific terms of the new deal.

The Dubai World Cup ranks among the Arab Gulf region's biggest social and sporting events. Thoroughbreds owned by Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a well-known racing enthusiast, often compete.

The 2009 race is scheduled to take place March 28.


WHAT'S ON AT OLEX

Okay, we don't really want to know what's on at OLEX, the Ontario Livestock Exchange in London, Ontario, but according to reports, the auction will sell horses and animals by the DOLLAR now and not the pound.
You can read more about the daily goings-on there from Ellie Ross' site Horsemen for Humanity
(although her latest post is about a sad-looking TB yearling with a broken face whom they saved...)

http://horsemenforhumanity.blogspot.com/