There’s one thing I can say for sure will happen as a result of this race – Birdstone’s stud fees are definitely going up after this Triple Crown trail.

In semi-related business – I had an argument with my dad about Rachel Alexandra. He was talking about his favorite horse, Curlin (who I HATE becuase of him), and being his usual obnoxious self. So I went on to say that Rachel has a decent chance of becoming Horse of the Year this year depending on what she does the rest of the year – which let to the debate. He believes that Rachel should beat the boys again in order to earn the title. While I agree with what a few people on TVG have said – she’s proven herself against fillies her age, she’s proven she can beat the boys, therefore she now needs to prove that she can beat top older females like Zenyatta. I love my girl Zenny and want her to keep her undefeated streak going – yet Rachel is the only horse that I would be okay with spoiling that run (as  long as Zenyatta was 2nd in whatever race that is)

In the undercard – Benny the Bull made a strong comeback, coming in second to favored Fabulous Strike. Forever Together came in 2nd in the Just a Game and was upset by Diamondrella. Munnings defeated Everyday Heroes by 5 length win in the Woody Stephens. Gabby’s Golden Gal bested the 3-year-old fillies in the Acorn. The old man, Better Talk Now, finished a respecrtable 3rd to Gio Ponti in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan.

- GI Just a Game – My longshot choice, I Lost My Choo, is out.

- GII Woody Stephens – The Dubai horse, Regal Ransom, is out.

- GI Woodford Reserve Manhattan – Euro horse Champs Elysees and Premium Gold have scratched.

All other stakes races as of now are going with their full field.

As I’ve been a bad blogger and not posted anything recently, here’s an entry with my thoughts and opinions on the Belmont and the stakes on the undercard:

GII True North – The hype of this race is that champion sprinter Benny the Bull will be making his return to the races here.  Even with not having raced in 10 months, Benny is the 5/2 morning line favorite and is the high weight at 123 pounds. The only negative I really see is that he’s owned by IEAH Stables, and that’s just because I’m not a fan of them due to Big Bore (oh, I mean Brown)  His most likely champion is Fabulous Strike, the only other grade I winner in the field. I would have been rooting for Silver Edition, but looking him up on Bloodhorse.com shows that he is not a grey like his name implies. Benny the Bull will be my pick, as he’s the only name I recognize, along with Two Step Salsa because I like his name.

GI Just a Game – Hands down, my choice here is the gorgeous grey mare, Forever Together. The 5-year-old female turf champion of 2008 is looking to improve from her third place in last year’s edition of this race. A concern against Forever Together is that she’s not a fan of soft going, so hopefully the weather here in NY decides to stop being crap and the turf dries out. My “I like their name” choice for this race is longshot I Lost My Choo. Other top horses in this field are My Princess Jess – winner of the Beuagay Handicap last out and Carribean Sunset (2nd place in Beuagay, Irish group winner).

GII Woody Stephens – This race features a few rejects of the Kentucky Derby/Triple Crown trail. Hull, winner of the Derby Trial on April 25th, looks to keep his undefeated record intact. Regal Ransom, winner of the UAE Derby, is hoping to improve off his 8th place running in the Derby last month. Hello Broadway, my choice because I’m a musical nerd, takes a step back in distance after finishing4th in the Peter Pan to Charitable Man. This Ones for Phil was the declared winner of the Swale at Gulfstream a few months ago, due to the DQ of Big Drama.

GI Acorn – Justwhistledixie, the late-scratch favorite from the Kentucky Oaks, tops this field of 3-year-old fillies. She has never been out of the money in her seven lifetime starts, and she’s coming in off a 5 race win streak. My choice will be the grey filly, Four Gifts, who won the GIII Eight Belles on Derby day. Be Fair and Gabby’s Golden Gal are victims of Rachel Alexandra’s 20+ length smackdown in the Kentucky Oaks.

GI Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap – A strong field has gathered here for this top turf race. Cowboy Cal was beaten last out by top horse, Einstien, in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. The other 2008 Triple Crown trail-turned tuf horse, Court Vision, is also running. My top pick, however, is going to be the good ol’ man – Better Talk Now. I really love and appreciate these old guys who keep going and going and going, and at 10 years old, Better Talk Now is ancient compared to the typical racehorse. He came in first in this race in 2007, and was 5th by less than three lengths last year.

GI Belmont – The little horse that could, Mine That Bird, has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite. If Mine That Bird wins tomorrow, I have to say, i will feel a little bit bad that Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness. Had she not been in the race, this pretty much unknown underdog could have been the feel-good story of the year and Triple Crown winner. There is the unprecedented chance, however, that Calvin Borel could win a jockey Triple Crown by winning all three races on different horses. Mine That Bird has the pedigree to do well in this race, since his sire, Birdstone, spoiled Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown bid in 2004. His deep-closing running style is a reason some handicappers are doubting his chances, but this guy deserves some love.

The horse many people are expecting to come on top is the 3-1 second choice, Charitable Man. After a poor 7th place running in the Blue Grass, Charitable Man came back to win the Peter Pan. He also has the pedigree to do well, as his sire is 1999 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid. He likes the track at Belmont, having two wins there.

Keeping with the Belmont-winner sire angle is slight longshot Summer Bird. He came a respectable 6th in the Derby after a 3rd place running in the Arkansas Derby. Although he hasn’t been given the greatest odds, he’s getting a lot of talk and being thought to factor into the exotics.

Along with Mine That Bird, my other horse I’m rooting for is obviously Dunkirk. This grey got a rotten trip in the Derby, after finishing 2nd to Quality Road in the Florida Derby. His works have been good at Belmont, and attention has been elsewhere, so hopefully he’ll go off at a nice price.

The list of Derby also-rans continues with the 5th place finisher, Chocolate Candy. He’s come in the money in 7 of his 10 races, but hasn’t fared well in Grade I races – I like his name, so I wouldn’t be upset if he pulled out a win. 15th place finisher Mr. Hot Stuff isn’t expected to finish highly unless the race falls apart. Flying Private, 4th in the Preakness and last in the Derby, may figure into the exotics again by passing tired horses.

One of this year’s “WTF” entries is D. Wayne Lukas’ Luv Gov. He was entered in the Preakness after only just breaking his maiden, and unsurprisingly finished in 8th. Nick Zito enters a pair of longshots in Miner’s Escape and Brave Victory. Miner’s Escape is the winner of the ungraded Tesio Stakes at Pimlico, while Brave Victory hasn’t won beyond 7 furlongs and is 0 for 5 in graded company. Although nearly everything says to forget these two, Zito did steal last year’s Belmont with 38-1 longshot Da’ Tara, so anything could happen.

And as a callout to many of my homies from here in Uniondale, I’m hoping the 5th race at Belmont is taken off the turf and there is at least one scratch – so I can root for the main-track-only entry, Haitian Connection.

Zenyatta – my girl Zenny is coming back in her belated debut in the GII Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park. Despite receiving the high weight of 126 pounds, the champion older female is looking to keep her undefeated record intact.  Zenyatta likes the track over at Hollywood, having won 4 races over there.

Donativum – The gorgeous grey winner of last year’s Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf is starting off his 2009 season in the King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket on Saturuday. He spent the winter over in Dubai training with new trainer, Saeed bin Suroor.

Brass Hat – I love an old man who’s still out and going strong! A grandpa on the track at age 8, Brass Hat is trying to claim a turf win in the Louisville Handicap. His top competition is expected to be Spice Route, who defeated Brass Hat by 2 1/2 lengths in his last out.

This race should truly prove that Rachel Alexandra is a star horse, regardless of her gender. Any high-class filly that takes on the boys and comes out on top is a horse for the record books. To me, it looked like she was kept a bit wide at the beginning of the race, yet she still held the lead for nearly the whole race. Take into account that her jockey, Calvin Borel, said she didn’t handle the track well – Rachel is a real racehorse.

You have to give Mine That Bird plenty of credit as well. Coming in a close second, he proved that his Derby win wasn’t just a fluke. Had he been able to get in the rail, there’s a strong chance he would have been the victor – and we’d be looking at a likely Triple Crown in three weeks. I’m not a big Birdstone fan, largely because he ruined Smarty’s chances of the crown in ’04, but Mine that Bird has it in his pedigree that he should like the mile and a quarter distance. I’m a little sad that Musket Man will not be headed to be Belmont, because he’s a tough guy who’s never ran out of the money. He’s always gone off at a price in the Derby and the Preakness after strong races, and he hasn’t ran a dissapointing race.

As of now, its not looking likely that Rachel Alexandra will be back in the Belmont, but oh, it would be fabulous if there was a rematch with Mine That Bird. I hope that maybe, somewhere this year, she’ll run against the boys again and wins again. If that happens, I think Rachel would have a very strong chance of being Horse of the Year (3-year-old filly is pretty much hers already).  Another question that will have to be answered in the next few weeks – if Rachel Alexandra doesn’t run, will Borel go back on Mine that Bird. I don’t doubt that he’d go back if he doesn’t have any prior commitments.  There’s a possibility that a jockey, not a horse, could win the Triple Crown this year.

Eight Belles Stakes:

Though many people were hoping for a feel-good moment and wanting one of Larry Jones’ two entries to win (I was one of them), his horses did do respectably. Favored Just Jenda came in a good second, with Jones’ other trainee (the name is escaping me). I do find it kind of appropriate, however, that the winner – Four Gifts – is grey filly. It’s not as good as a Jones’ horse, but its still something to note that aa grey filly won the inaugural race.

Humana Distaff:

Another victory by another grey girl. If I had put money on the undercard, I would have made a good profit. Darn. Informed Decision performed well in her first trip over a sloppy track, pulling out a 1 3/4 length win over longshot Temple Street.  Dubai Majesty, who led most of the race, managed to come in a dead-heat third with Modification. And as for Bear Now… well, she did a “Bear”, coming in second to last.

Distaff Turf Mile:

Tizaqueena, a Tiznow filly, earned her fourth straight win and first victory in a graded stakes race. Dawn After Dawn came in second, with Lemon Chiffon in third. Favored Visit came in fifth.

Woodford Reserve:

Good ‘ol Einstein proved that he’s still a champ in his “old” age! After an intense stretch duel with Cowboy Cal, Einstein pulled out a head victory. It’s good to see these top horses keep on racing and keep on winning. The other 2008 Derby failure, Court Vision, rallied from the back of the pack to finish in third. Seriously, I should have had money on the undercard. Jsut going off names I recognize and my usual favoritism of greys, I would have had horses that hit the board in nearly every race.

Be back later to go on about the big deal, the Derby.

The middle of the track looks like a gigantic puddle, and that’s where Kodiak Kowboy got stuck. The best spot appears to the right inside the rail, as thats where winners today have been coming from. Weather reports seem to say that there’s not a good chance that the track will dry out.

Looks good for two of my choices, Friesan Fire and General Quarters. What doesn’t look good to me is General Quarters current 9-1 odds. My dad won’t be near an OTB for a few hours, so I have some time to try to choose a horse that will maybe come in for a price. My definite bets right now are (I’m a broke college student, plus I’m not a big gambler, so I’m only betting $8 total):

- $2 to show on General Quarters

- $2 to show on Friesan Fire

- $2 to show on Dunkirk

I’m not sure what to do with my extra $2 due to the scratch of I Want Revenge. I’m considering $2 to place on General Quarters, but I may try to find an ok longshot to try to hit a price.

I give UP! Seriously! Its not just that my picks kept leaving the trail/scratching, its that nearly every single top-of-the-list horse isn’t in the Derby. I guess it makes the race interesting, but really, I don’t feel it’ll show us who’s the best 3-year-old right now. It’s likely going to be a case of “who’s struggles to the line first”. Ugh, now because I Want Revenge is out, there might be a chance that General Quarters odds go down. I want to catch a good longshot!

Seriously, this kind of also shows how weak modern-day thoroughbred horses are. I just watched something the other day on ESPN Classic on Triple Crown winner, Citation. People complain about the short space of time between the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. Citation ran a race BETWEEN the Preakness/Belmont! He also ran many, many more times before the Derby than these horses do nowadays. Shoot, he ran more races in his 3-year-old season than many of these top horses do in their lifetime.

I hope that I Want Revenge will be able to come back in time for the Preakness/Belmont. I want him to do well and come back strong, but oh, I would be a little annoyed if he won the Preakness/Belmont. Another case of “what could have happened…”

More and more each day, I get the feeling I’ll never see a Triple Crown winner in my lifetime, and I’m only 21. Something needs to change with this sport. I’m not saying to change the time between the races, but don’t breed horses to be speedy little fragile twigs that fall apart at a moment’s notice. This sport needs the horses of the 40′s and earlier, horses that could take a beating and run more than 5 times and win.

GII Churchill Downs Stakes (7 furlongs – Dirt)  – The only name I really recognize is the favored horse, Kodiak Kowboy, a horse from last year’s Derby trail. If 12-1 longshot Silver Edition is really silvery-colored, then I’ll be rooting for him.

GIII Eight Belles Stakes (7.5 furlongs – Dirt, fillies) – Can’t really give much on this one, since I don’t really recognize anyone. I do know that Laragh has a nice bankroll, but she’s an IEAH horse, so that takes her down in my book. I like the names Dave’s Revenge and She’s Extreme, so they may be my horses. Seeing how Equibase doesn’t list the colors of the horses, there may be a gray baby in here somewhere that I’ll want.

GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (One mile – Turf, fillies & mares) – No familiar horses, so by the name factor – I like Elusive Lady, Stealin’ Kisses, and Sugar Mint.

GI Humana Distaff (7 furlongs – Dirt, fillies and mares) – There’s a Bear horse (Bear Now)! Thanks to my old dog, I’ll have to root for her.

GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (One and One Eights Miles, Turf) – A race where I know horses! My pick will have to be the champion Einstein, who I’m surprised is still running at 7 and he’s not a gelding. It’s rare you see that these days with top-class horses. Other horses I’ll expect to do well are two 2008 Derby failures, Cowboy Cal and Court Vision.

Of course, my dad had to take my grandpa upstate today, meaning he’s going to be getting home sometime in the afternoon Saturday, cutting it close for him to put in my Derby bets.

This girl is a superstar! I don’t remember seeing a horse, let alone a filly, win in such a fashion. 20+ lengths! With her ears up pretty much the whole stretch run.  It would be amazing to see a victory like this tomorrow, especially if it’s my booboo, General Quarters.