With the three-year-old spring season in the books, let’s look ahead to the 2nd half of the year.
Derby winner Mine That Bird has returned to Churchill Downs, and he is expected to start twice prior to the BC Classic. He will get a much needed vacation after participating in all three legs of the Triple Crown. A better ride might have netted him a win in the final jewel, but Calvin Borel is only human and would be the first to admit that it was not his best effort.
Preakness heroine Rachel Alexandra passed on the Test of Champions and …read more

Surprise Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird has a strong connection to Louisiana Downs. His conditioner Tim Ice was new to the training scene when he came to LAD last year. I was also a newbie in Louisiana, and Mr. Ice came to my office and read my form on day last summer. Less than one year later he is a classic winning trainer…awesome!
Summer Bird is stabled at Louisiana Downs, and it would be great if he contested the $750k Super Derby on September 19th.

The June 6th card at LAD started out by favoring early/pressing types, but …read more

We have a 10-race card on tap at Louisiana Downs on June 6th, and a big crowd is expected to come out and root for hometown hero Calvin Borel in the Belmont Stakes. Before I look at the Belmont and Saturday card at LAD, let’s recap the last two racedays…
June 4th
Fast main track and off the turf. Five wire jobs on the day.
Big day on the analysis front. Tabbed 6 tops on the 9-race card.
Bourque, Riquelme, and PVal each booted home a pair.
Apprentice rider Anna Roberts won her 2nd race of the meet with trainer Jorge Lara. She sent my best …read more

A field of 10 has been drawn for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes , and Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite. Borel fits the late runner like a glove, but he is only 1 for his last 5 and is not the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Charitable Man is the 3-1 2nd choice, and the Peter Pan winner might get brave if able to sneak away early.
Dunkirk is next at 4-1, and the lightly raced $3.7 million colt flashed talent in Florida before finding trouble on the …read more

The two main elements in predicting the ‘09 Belmont Stakes outcome are pedigree and pace handicapping.
Pace makes the race, and Charitable Man looms the one to catch. He is 3-3 on conventional dirt and 2-2 at Belmont. He pulled off a wire job in 6.5f career bow and is capable of rating should another rival get aggressive.
Miner’s Escape does not appear as swift as Charitable Man, but the improving sort exits a pair of prominent throughout nine furlong tallies. Remember that Nick Zito trainee Da’ Tara pulled off a wire job upset in this race last …read more

Still no decision on Rachel Alexandra. She will probably sit out the Test of Champions, but if she goes, Robby Albarado could replace Calvin Borel, because the latter might reunite with Mine That Bird. I am sure Borel would love to ride the Preakness winner, but Jess Jackson and company are taking too long to make a commitment.
Rachel breezed an easy four furlongs (:50-1/5) on Monday, and Derby winner Mine That Bird went the same distance in :51 flat.

Chocolate Candy went a solid seven furlongs in 1:27.34 on Monday, and Garrett Gomez will ride in …read more

Charitable Man has been confirmed as a definite starter for the Belmont Stakes. The Kiaran McLaughlin runner is 3-3 on conventional dirt and 2-2 at Big Sandy. His sire Lemon Drop Kid won the Test of Champions in 1999, and he owns the right early/pressing style to succeed in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Mine That Bird is currently training at Churchill for his upcoming Belmont engagement. Mike Smith has a prior riding commitment in SoCal, and Borel will stick with Rachel Alexandra if she goes, so Chip Woolley still needs a pilot for his Derby winner. Expect …read more

Everyone is hoping for a rematch between Derby hero Mine That Bird and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra, but it may not happen in the Belmont Stakes.
Right after the Preakness the first thing that popped into my mind was no way the filly shoots for the Test of Champions. After all, the Oaks, Preakness, and Belmont is equivalent to the Triple Crown in terms of spacing, and there is no need to put her through that grueling schedule.
The feeling is she skips the 3rd leg and get a freshening for a summer/fall Horse of the Year run. If she …read more

Hats off to Rachel Alexandra for downing Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Preakness. I was not surprised that the filly got the job done. The only real knock on her was value. Calvin Borel is on cloud nine! The Bird ran better than expected, and kudos to him as well. What happened to The Nile…he’s still running.

Interesting that if Rachel was not in the Preakness, a Triple Crown could be on the line. On the other hand, if she ran in the Derby instead of the Oaks…hmmm!
Second day in the books at Louisiana Downs. Saturday’s best …read more

Pimlico Race Course has a fine 13-race Preakness Day card on tap for Saturday, and Louisiana Downs has a decent little 10-race card as well.
A horse I am particularly interested in at Pimlico is Parading. The Shug McGaughey runner looked sensational as my top choice in the Ben Ali, and the first thing that popped into my mind after that synthetic romp was the Hollywood Gold Cup. 6yo son of Pulpit reminds me a bit of Go Between, a quality turf runner who thrived on synthetic.
Parading is back on the grass in the Grade 2 Dixie on Saturday, …read more