Gotta love Wooley

Perhaps it has been said, but Mine That Bird trainer Chip Wooley is a pretty classy dude, pardon the juvenile jargon.

Never at any point did he express malcontent when he lost Calvin Borel to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.  And when the filly defected from the Belmont, it could have been easy for Wooley to slam the door on Borel, but instead he took the high road and credited Borel for having delivered him a Derby win.  

He, in not so many words, said, "Mike Smith kept the saddle warm for  you."

This situation invited pettiness, but he spit in the face of that and came out shining.

Belmont Works

Dunkirk and Charitable Man worked Sunday morning for Saturday's running of the 12 furlong Belmont Stakes.

Dunkirk, the $3.7 million baby, worked a half in 49.57 while the Peter Pan winner drilled the same distance in 49.00.

“Last week he went off a little fast for our liking, so in coaching him, he went off better today and therefore, a little slower, but we were very happy with it,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin of Charitable Man. “We believe he’s a fit horse, happy and healthy, and he doesn’t need those :46 works. We’re ready to go.”

As for trainer Todd Pletcher, he was pleased with Dunkirk's maintenance move over the Belmont oval.

“He did it very easily,” said Pletcher. "He’s got terrific action, a smooth, fluid strike. I feel he’s a top-quality horse, and has run well in three of his four races. The Derby , to me, I have to put a line through that race. I felt he didn’t handle the surface at all in that race.”

Weather too nice

Weather is too nice to blog today.

I will offer this teaser for ABC.

Coming soon, Good Ol' Pete and his unemployed co-anchor will bring you a Belmont Stakes preview with hard hitting insight and razor sharp humor.

Reverse Anthropomorphism Part Duex, an ABC spin off spectacular, makes its return. What does Dunkirk have to say about his Derby effort? What does Mine That Bird think of Rachel bowing out? And what has got Mr. Hot Stuff so hot and bothered?

This and more! Always Be Cashin', the unemployment edition.

Get to it!

No Belmont for Ms. Alexandra

Owner Jess Jackson has chosen to give Rachel Alexandra, winner of back-to-back Grade 1's, a vacation.

While it is unclear where she will race next, the Belmont Stakes is not an option.

Farm feature

At some point or another, The Paulick Report will be running a feature on Stepwise Farm, a small breeding operation in Saratoga Springs.

My hope was that it would run today as their Good News Friday piece, but I am sure it has been put on hold.

The piece they ran this week deals with disabled jockeys. This is timely given what happened with Jamie Theriot and Rene Douglas.

ABC planning return

At The Carryover, we don't bounce after a big effort.  Like a Todd Pletcher horse, we do well off a layoff, so it is with much anticipation that I announce ABC will make its return on Tuesday.  

I just picked up a camera and, quite literally, NOTHING can stop us.

The Carryover, expect more.  

Looks like I need to get fired again

Looks like in order to generate some traffic, I'm going to have to get fired again.  But by who and from where?

It seems the interest in The Carryover has been fleeting at best.  I have not lost any credibility.  In fact, I've gained more.  I just think it is going to take more effort on the part of the reader to come and visit.  

With that in mind, I will work harder to be a better host.  Not only will I offer pizza bites, but your choice of libation.  As well as the normal horse racing commentary you have come to love and cherish.  Well, maybe "like" and "tolerate."  

Still, who wants pizza bites?!

Smart people!

Eighty percent of all Carryover voters want to see Rachel Alexandra run against the boys at lovely Saratoga Race Course.

And here I was thinking that my legions of followers* lacked any and all insight.  

I kid, I kid.

Doesn't it make the most sense?  I think Joe Triple Crown would like to see her in the Belmont, but anyone who has the best interest of the horse and, more importantly, The Carryover, at heart, will run her at Saratoga.

* By legions, I mean all nine of you, God bless ya!

Selfish reasons

Where should Rachel run next?  The Belmont, or wait for Saratoga and run in the Jim Dandy and the Travers.

The Belmont will be lackluster without her, even with the commitment of likely winner, Mine That Bird.  Her entry in the "Test of a Champion" may be worth tuning in, but may hurt her in the long run.

Selfishly, I want her to run in the Jim Dandy and Travers.  I'm up here, and I'm lining up characters for my second book (first yet to be published) about the meet.  Having Rachel here is the star power I need to sell his product.  

I think she would be better suited to take the time, rest up, and hit Saratoga running.  However, trainer Steve Asmussen feels the Travers is just another $1 million dollar race and could send her to the $1 million Haskell — a speed favoring strip where he sent Curlin following the 2007 Belmont Stakes.  If you ask me, the Haskell is "just another million dollar race".

In Rachel's favor is her owner, Jess Jackson, who has a grip on the history and may opt for the Saratoga route the same way he did with Curlin at the Spa in 2008.   

Mr. Fantasy scratched

The Grade I $600,000 Met Mile at Belmont Park will be without Mr. Fantasy, winner of the Grade 3 Withers.

The New York-bred developed a "slight fever," and in the spirit of precaution, assistant trainer to Kiaran McLaughlin, Artie Magnuson, scratched him.

"It was iffy, but in a Grade 1 race you want to be 100 percent and hitting on all cylinders," he said. "We'll look at the Woody Stephens (June 6) or the Mike Lee (NY breds, June 21) next for him."

Monday Fun day

Happy Memorial Day to all.  Be sure to have a collective moment of silence at 3 p.m.  Oddly enough, I learned of this at Red Box while renting "Taken".  

Not a good movie.

How about that Zenyatta?  My God, woman!  

Apologies for not posting yesterday.  I was in Amherst, Ma. at my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary party.  Silver, baby.  Silver.

Congrats to me!

Aha!  Get a load of this. 

I've been elected to the National Turf Writers Association.  Now it is unclear if I will be still be considered a member since I no longer am affiliated with a media outlet.  

Paging President Tom Law.

Secret benefactor

Or is that Benefiber?  Oh, who knows.  

The Carryover and ABC have a benefactor who is buying this blog a video camera to keep up ABC, the bold, brash, new show that pits a handicapper against a turf writer to insure that you will Always Be Cashin'.

Actually, the benefactor's name is Joel.  He lives in Death Valley.  He has dimples that could kill if it weren't for everything surrounding his dimples.

Gimme Stifler's mom

All this talk about Rachel Alexandra, frankly, is starting to get exhausting. 

Listen, she is stunning, a wonderful athlete, a unique fracture blaze.  But when it comes to women, give me the seasoned veteran, the one with notches on her bedpost.

Rachel may have the upside, but I need Stifler’s mom, and she just happens to be running this weekend ... not Stifler’s mom, but Zenyatta.

Oh, sweet mercy, where is ZZ Top to pipe in she’s got legs.  You know how cool this mare is.  You know that she has style.  She shows up in the lane fashionably late.  She lets all those other women go to the front, make that flashy first impression, but who comes in and sweeps all the spectators off their feet?  Those pace setters lather up the field and Zenyatta comes in and cleans house. 

Zenyatta (126 pounds) at long last gets the nod in the Grade 2 Milady at Hollywood Park run at 1 1/16 miles, this after a seven month layoff, a win in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, ahem, the Distaff.  The daughter of Street Cry was entered in the Louisville Distaff on the Oaks undercard, but was scratched early in the morning when an off track was in the mix. 

Sure, maybe she is just a little high maintenance, but then again, who isn’t?  For example, I need to wake up in the morning knowing that I have a job.  Wait a tick.

Rachel has more Tom-boy appeal.  She’s like Joey Potter in Dawson’s Creek, that little girl in The Bridge to Terabithia, and Peanuts’ Peppermint Patti, without the sexual ambiguity. 

She’s the girl next door, the one you did not noticed until it was too late, just like when you were in the fifth grade, you too were blinded by the girl who all of sudden grew a pair of breasts over the summer thus changing all that you once thought important:  baseball cards, bicycles, pride.

While we stared ga-ga over Stardom Bound, there was this little-known filly doing extraordinary things, but the problem was she was still in her training bra, so we passed.  But now, she’s got a date with Curlin in T minus eight months.  Try competing with that.

But Zenyatta, she is cool and collected.  She is no longer the flavor of the week.  When I see her I see the timeless figure of Sophia Loren, or Giada di Laurentis.  I see elegance, grace, and, quite honestly, a bad bet.  But that’s all right.

Two thousand and nine is the year of the woman.  There will likely be one filly and one mare filling out two of the three spots on the Eclipse ballot for Horse of the Year.  Not too bad when the world seemed to crumble when Curlin said, “Screw this Pro-Ride, I’m out.”

Yes, Rachel has got it goin’ on, but I’ll take lasting impressions over firsts any day.

Time for a break

All this talk about jobs and firings has me worn out.  

I'm going to see how many saltine crackers I can fit in my mouth at once.

Onto other things

So, Calvin Borel ... imagine if this guy can win the Triple Crown on three different horses.  He could be off both Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird depending on how things shake out.

1.  If Rachel doesn't commit to the Belmont, but does it too late, Borel could be off her.

2.  If Chip Wooley names a rider while Rachel is pending, Borel could be off Mine That Bird.

3.  Borel skips Belmont like he did 2007.

There are a few horses that could use his saving-ground style.  Let's look at Chocolate Candy or Summer Bird.

Candy was coming late at Churchill to finish fifth.  That's nice.  

Summer Bird is bred for this, see Mine That Bird, then see Birdstone, the fart that clears out the room.

Amazing

Getting fired is great publicity, my God!

The Carryover is going to shatter the previous record of 11 visitors in one day.  The comments have been great.  

In one instance, I was called, "not the sharpest tack" and that they saw this coming.

Well, why didn't you tell me!?

Big ups to Mr. Glenn Craven

Glenn Craven, an avid horse racing fan, who lives in North Carolina.  See, that says something, because the nearest OTB is across the border in Virginia and he loves horse racing.  It's not just us gamblers that fall in love with this sport!

He wrote a nice post in support of The Carryover and co-host of ABC.

Check it out.

Around these parts, I say thank you.

Hot dog!

I've never been one to make headlines, but apparently I have.

Hot dog!

My friends over at the Paulick Report have posted that I have been fired by my previous employer, The Saratogian.

I am not going on a smear campaign.  I am above that.  But this is awfully interesting.  

The Carryover had 87 hits before 9:30, which I thought peculiar.  I thought, I better check Paulick, and, well, there you have it.

Do I look good, or what?

Did my deed

Had a fair share of Sam Adams.  

I hear the Pick 6 pays a fair amount ...

Stereotype

What is the stereotypical thing to do in such a circumstance?  

I'm Irish.  You do the math.

27 minutes

I think I've been fired for 27 minutes and let me tell you, it feels great! 

Of course there are the usual apprehensions that comes with losing ones job:

Q:  How on earth will I be able to pay rent?

A:  I'm screwed.

Q:  What will you do about your student loans?

A:  I'm screwed.

Q:  What will your family and friends think about you?

A:  They will likely say I'm screwed.

Q:  What will your girlfriend say to you now that you don't have a job?

A:  There's the door.

So long!

I want to be the first to let you know that Mike O'Sullivan, publisher of The Saratogian, has fired me.  He has been our publisher since January and this was the first time I met him.  Lovely fellow.  

He has fired his turf writer 71 days before the Saratoga meet for expressing disappointment over our lacking Triple Crown coverage.

The Carryover, however, lives on.

*It has just come to my attention that this post has been linked up to The Paulick Report, so in the spirit of the game, I will add more to it.

So, yes, been fired without a warning for comments I made here (retracted within two hours of the initial post) that expressed my disappointment that a paper who prides itself on its racing coverage would squash the Triple Crown.  This I found egregious and irresponsible.

I worked there for 20 months and was part of an awarding winning Travers Coverage section.  My 20 months got my foot in the horse racing door and for that I will be grateful.  Beyond that, I will say no more. 

Thanks to those who read my articles through the paper, but The Carryover lives on and I will keep up my column here and even beef up the blog even more so.

In closing, I say, stay tuned, this is just the beginning.

Issues

Looks like Mine That Bird is going to have more separation anxiety.  Yet another jockey leaves him.  Mike Smith is sticking with a Moss horse for the Belmont leaving Bird's saddle empty for yet another $1 million race.

I guess these jockeys don't need the money.  It also gives you an idea of unimportant a classic race like the Belmont Stakes is, regardless of whether or not a horse is running for the Triple Crown.

That tells you something.

I think I'm in love

She looks at me like most women, with disdain, but it doesn't matter. Rachel Alexandra, I, I, .... love you.

There, I said it.

Thanks, y'all

From a blogging standpoint, I wasn't able to do as much as previously forecasted.  For those disappointed, I apologize.  For those who tuned in, thanks.  You looked fabulous.

Ciao!

My my my

How great was that?  Rachel won the Freakness.  Mine That Bird ran a monster race.  He wants more distance.  Musket Man was great.

I say this, of course, because I hit the tri and the Pick 4.  

What do we say here at The Carryover?  Always Be Cashin'!

Yeah!

Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!Wow!

?

Anybody see Calvin Borel kiss his fiance then zip up his fly?

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Pix Error

So shoot me!  I got my Pick 4 ticket wrong on the post.  I made the changes.  

Yes, I am alive.  

Yes,  I am a moron.  

Is there hope?  The answer, of course, is no.

Alive to the filly!

I hit the first three legs of the late Pick 4 and need the filly to win the Preakness to A ... B ... C.

I've been scrolling down the quick results on Equibase, seeing the number and dragging the curser down to see the winner.

However ... and this is big, so listen ... Life is one crushing defeat after another.

Punk'd

Not at Preakness.

No live blogging.  Does anyone know where I can get the feed for the Preakness?  I don't have TV and I'm not going to the racino.  

This is why I need friends.  What a concept.

I did place some bets.  Oh, yes.  

And heeeeere they are:

$1 Pick 4 wheel: 1, 8/7, 8/3, 8/13

$1 Pick 4 wheel: 1, 9/5/3/2, 3, 5, 11

Race 12:

$1 Tri Key : 2 with 3, 5, 9 with 3, 5, 9

$1 Tri Key : 13 with 2, 3, 5 with 2, 3, 5

$1 Tri Key : 5 with 2, 3, 9, 13 with 2, 3, 9, 13

Ah, ha! It is up, villains!

For now ...

Go here.  For some reason this is not embedding properly.

Soon

Reverse Anthropomorphism will be up soon. I'm having trouble with the sizing of the video. This is no good. This is no good at all.

ABC is back!

Episode No. 5 up in moments

Should you check here in the next few moments, you will be put at east that Good Ol' Pete and I will be back for another scintillating edition of Always Be Cashin'.

There will also be an ABC spin off event!  Yes, a spin off called "Reverse Anthropomorphism."  

Whoa.

Forget the wait, column is up

Hey, it's up. Betcha can't read just one. Yeah, yeah, I know, that's a Lays line, but can you just eat one dorito.

If you can, well, la-tee-da.

Mmmm, doritos

This is odd? Doritos? Something tells me this is a teaser for Thursday's column about the upcoming Preakness.

Stay tuned!

The Circus Pony arrives

THAT is the Kentucky Derby winner? You betcha, with his tripod too.

Talk about a tiny horse.

Photo credit Jerry Dzierwinski, Maryland Jockey Club.

You know you've made it ...

There's that rail-skimming rat laughing at the Honda Pilot and the Chevy Tahoe.

This is trainer Chip Wooley with Mine That Bird in tow, escorted by the police. And what do you know? They're saving ground in the travel lane. All right, we GET it.

Photo credit to the Maryland Jockey Club.

ABC Preakness Preview

Preview in words.

I may be doing the episode by myself, so it will be a lot like when ESPN films Colin Cowherd on the radio.

I imagine I'll talk about the four horses coming back from the Derby.

I imagine I'll talk about Mark Allen and Ahmed Zayat.

Oh, yeah. And Rachel! Rachel Alexandra.

Hopefully Good Ol' Pete will be in the irons so I can breeze in company.

I hate working alone.

Bullets, bullets everywhere

Musket Man, Monmouth, 4f, 46.60.
Friesan Fire, Pimlico, 5f, 58.40.
Rachel Alexandra, 4f, 48.40.

That last one there by the filly may seem a tad slow. If you remember she worked a half in 46 and change heading into the Oaks. "Oh, she worked too fast! I don't like it! She's vulnerable!"

Trainer Steve Asmussen never worked Curlin hard. Curlin's works were never eye-popping, just workman-like. I imagine he wanted Rachel to run in 49 and change and she came in a little quicker. I have no basis for this other than my own feeling, but it's worth noting.

Bullets abound for the most interesting Preakness in a long, long time.

Reservation for the Oaks winner

From what I understand, if a horse takes purse money from the Kentucky Derby, he or she is eligible for the Preakness field.

In most cases, the Kentucky Oaks winners is nominated to the Triple Crown just because, what if?

It is my feeling that the Preakness rules should be adjusted so that, should the connections want it, the Oaks winners has an automatic bid to the Preakness.

That way we would not see any of this wrong and selfish behavior that we've seen the past few days.

Maybe this has been suggested and maybe it's foolish, but if a filly wins the Oaks, she, in essence, is much better than half the Kentucky Derby field in any given year.

Rachel Alexandra, Proud Spell, Rags to Riches and Ashado, just to name a few, are or were every bit as good as the top male three years olds of their classes.

Lots of doings

Rachel being blocked? Then, thank goodness, Rachel back in.

Cowards. Can you believe what nearly took place? Can you believe that owners triedto enter pre-nominated horses that had no business being in the Grade I Preakness solely to keep Rachel out?

The powers that be rigthed the ship.

Dunkirk to Belmont?

Mrs. John Magnier's $3.7 million yearling purchase, Dunkirk, is a possible starter for the 141st running of the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

Trainer Todd Pletcher's horse, 11th in the Kentucky Derby as the second choice, will breeze in the following days and that will determine whether or not he will enter the son of Unbridled's Song.

"He is possible," Pletcher said. "We'll make a determination after he breezes, which will probably be sometime next weekend."

Hot off the presses

New York Racing Association launched BelmontStakes.com, a site dedicated to racing's third jewel — or ruby — of the Triple Crown.

The Belmont will be run for the 141st time on Saturday, June 6. The site contains videos, podcasts, photo galleries, news, race day information and a section dedicated to the history of the sport.

"NYRA is dedicated to providing fans with the best possible online content, and BelmontStakes.com is a reflection of that commitment," said NYRA Director of Communications Dan Silver. "This Web site will allow people to interact with and learn about the Belmont Stakes on an entirely new level."

It is my hope that there is a "Greatest Disappointment" section with Big Brown atop the list. Love him or hate him, that was possibly the greatest disappointment in years.

Preak-tastic

Rachel Alexandra to the Preakness.

Calvin Borel is set to become the first jockey to jump from Derby winner to fresh shooter for the Preakness since the conception of the universe.

The problem herein rests in whether there is some form of Derby and some form of horse racing in other places in the universe. In which case there could very well be a Derby-winning space jockey jumping off his space horse onto another fresh space shooter.

But that is neither here nor there.

In Bird we trust

John Hendrickson, on behalf of Marylou Whitney, left a gracious message on my work phone today regarding my Birdstone story.

They still own the horse, who stands at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Mr. Hendrickson left a message saying that they were amused by the little jabs at their horse and concluded by saying, "In Bird we trust."

I got a kick out of that. Now that's comedy.

Made a Mistake

Nobody has caught it but me, but I'll bring attention to it here anyway.
I mentioned that Mine That Bird was the first Kentucky Derby winner on the cover of Sports Illustrated since Seattle Slew. He was the second.

I mentioned that, yes, Smarty Jones was on the cover in 2004, but it was before the Derby. That was my mistake. Smarty made the cover after he won the Derby, but I mistakenly thought the art for it came from a different race (the photo is so bright, I can't see Lion Heart, and it is not nearly as muddy, to my eye, as I remembered from that day as I watched as a fan from the infield, it being a terribly gray and overcast evening.). Had I looked at the date of the issue, I would not have made this error.

I got mixed up by thinking the photograph was from his Arkansas Derby win, and, hence, he made me think he made the cover before the Kentucky Derby.

I am sorry for the error.

Tons and tons of action today

Rachel Alexandra to Stonestreet, Friesan Fire to the Preakness, Tale of Ekati retired (finally) Godolphin buys West Side Bernie, and my Birdstone column linked up on The Paulick Report with art.

Now I'm off to Wimbledon. Wait, East Side Rec for a Saratoga Springs H.S. baseball game.

Oaks winner to Stonestreet

DRF's Marty McGee writes that the smashing 2009 Kentucky Oaks winner, Rachel Alexandra, has been sold to Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Stables.

This opens the door that she may run against the boys in either the Preakness Stakes or Belmont Stakes. She would have to be supplemented to the Triple Crown for $100,000 in order to do so.

Her previous part owner and breeder, Dolph Morrison, maintained that "stallions should run against stallions" in the Triple Crown and never supplemented the filly to run in the classics.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though an agreement has been reached. When Rachel Alexandra's racing career is through, she will be bred to 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, Curlin.

Stickin' it to the man!

I just received word that I should not have been blogging from the Derby and Oaks this past weekend. The reason being since I had to take vacation days to go down there, technically I wasn't allowed to be "working."

Fools! I am a turf writer of the people and if I have to take my vacation days to give The Carryover Derby coverage, then so be it.

I hope I have six weeks worth of vacation to cover the Saratoga Meet. If I keep posts like this up, I may have an indefinite amount of vacation.

Their loss, right?

Uh, oh, Spaghetti-o.

New Logo Unveiled

Here is the 2009 Saratoga logo. No doubt due to the economy, it looks like creativity was stricken from the books.

There is something to be said for simplicity, this is what my teachers always told me. And it is only now that I understand the insult.

He screwed us again!

This ================================>

is Birdstone, sire of Mine That Bird, spoiler of all things holy.

This can only be a Thursday teaser.

ABC-KD Recap

Back in Saratoga

Here we are, back in Saratoga.  

ABC's Kentucky Derby Recap will be us soon.  I have been on the road traveling, so please excuse the tardiness.

The Carryover will reward your patience.

Kentucky Derby Live Blogging

Heeeere we go again, people.  Live blogging yet again from Churchill. 

This is the big one, the big julep.  Should this day go well, I will bathe myself in bourbon.  Should this day follow suit with every other day, I'll drink that bourbon.

Good Ol' Pete and I have put the ABC on a treadmill, the steambox and fed it Hydroxycut and the results are amazing.  The videos are trimmer, shorter and possess an unrivaled sex appeal.  Check out the new videos for Oaks Day Recap and Kentucky Derby Preview.  Or don't.  Jerks.

11:19 ... All insults aside, it's nice to see my dirty turf writer colleagues actually dressed up for a change.  I don't see one Hawaiian shirt and no traces of body odor.  I think many of them shaved as well.  It's like the prom all over again.

So you KNOW something special is going to happen.

11:24 ... If you tried to place your bets ahead of time and got a dirty look from your teller, it was because I Want Revenge scratched this morning and she's tired of telling people about it.

The morning line favorite as of Wednesday was scratched this morning after an undiagnosed problem was detected in his left front ankle by trainer Jeff Mullins.

Mullins begins a suspension tomorrow for bringing illegal substances into the security barn on the Wood Memorial undercard, not to mention the slew of infractions he has accrued over the years.

Any believers in karma need look no further than here.

11:43 ... Time to start gambling.  I'm getting cold sweats.

12:07 ... 50 cent Pick 4 just started.  I went wide since this was somewhat affordable.  I hit the first leg with 4-1 Glenwood Canyon.  He took the lead from Northern Prince at the top of the lane and drew away with an eighth to go.  

Next leg I've got two horses in Why Tonto and Mr Maccool.  Why Tonto, why anything?

12:10 ... it is a bummer that Revenge is out.  It would have been nice to see the 19-year-old jockey Joe Talamo get a shot here at roses. 

"Really, I'm at a loss for words," he said. "I'm just glad the horse is OK. It could have been a lot worse. Something could have happened on he track. I'm just glad it happened in the stall and I believe everyone did the right thing by the horse. He's the one who got us here, so you have to the right thing by him."

12:42 ... Dead.  Calvin Borel strikes again with 16-to-1 Jazz in the Park. Desert Wheat took second and Pick Six was third.  What does all this mean?  Losing never rests.

1:01 ... Friesan Fire is the 4-1 favorite right now five hours to post.  Funny, if you did an Oaks-Derby Daily Double with Rachel Alexandra and Friesan Fire, you would make less money than if you simply bet Friesan to win.  

1:25 ... Hit first leg of rebound-Pick 3 ticket with the mudlark Accredit.  Alive with Four Gifts and Auspicious.  Dead with hope and good cheer.

1:30 ... We need more votes for ABC feedback.  Call it insecurity, call it what you will, I call it research.  This survey extends beyond just the pilot, but also to our shorter clips.  Get used to the shorter clips.  They are easier on the eyes.  

We are working on a Fat Head of Jeannine Edwards.  Stay tuned.

1:42 ... I'd like to say hello to the most gracious employers I have ever had in the Fleet Feet crew at Adams Morgan, Washington D.C.  My flat arches have never felt better.  Overpronators unite. Hello to Shawn, Roger, Kim, Jan and Phil.  If I have left anyone off this hello, too bad.  

2:14 ... Great win for Four Gifts.  Great only because it kept me alive in a Pick 3 and gave Good Ol' Pete a $760 win.

2:34 ... Will pays for me are $111 or $375.  A more accurate term is Possibly Pays.  If I had to define it, it would be Never Pays.

That said, it's julep time.  See you soon.

3:13 ... Like I said, Never Pays.  

3:14 ... Pi entry ... The time between races is agonizingly long now.  Up next is the Humana Distaff.  Game Face should wins this.  

So, I've been alive heading into the last leg of my Pick 3's twice this weekend and they have all been flushed down the toilet like a goldfish.  

Tizaqueena ran a gutsy race in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile.  She ran away from challengers the way my dates run for the exit.

3:37 ... I'm gonna go get my GAME FACE on.  Uh huh, that's right.  My face is ready for the game.  My face is going to be in the winner's circle.  

As I said yesterday, my hope is that I can at least get a whiff of success.  But, success is like a good perfume, you can only smell it from close up.  However, you can only smell it when the wearing allows you to be close.  

Hence my lingering stench of failure.

4:14 ... I hate this sport.

4:16 ... Seriously, I mean it.

4:20 ... I'm not taking it back.  

The problem is that losing never gets old even for the perpetual loser.  I mean this in a handicapping sense, but it is easy for this to bleed over into other facets of life, say, everything.

Is losing the opiate of losing?

4:59 ... Excuse me, please excuse me.  I'm in a terrible, terrible mood.  

Well, Einstein held off Cowboy Call in the Woodford Turf Reserve.  There was really never any doubt.  Sure, he was contested, but when a horse like Einstein locks eyes he is not going to lose.

That makes two Grade I wins on two different surfaces for this horse-of-all-trades — his other big win coming in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap.

5:06 ... So we got our first "hated it" vote for ABC and I almost have to agree.  I need more feedback.  When 20 percent of all voters hate it, one has to listen.

5:14 ... Leanne Rimes just sang the National Anthem.  Frankly, the one she did when she was 9-years-old at Texas Stadium was better.  I have no basis for this.

6:53 ... So angry.  Mine That Bird won the most prestigious race in the world. 

7:03 ... Mine That Bird had nothing going for him.  Nothing.  His highest Beyer was an 81.  He had zero significant works.  His only graded earnings came in a third-place finish in the Grade III Grey at Woodbine as a 2-year-old.  

The only thing — and I mean only thing — he had going for him was that his sire is Birdstone.

7:07 ... This is your classic Taco Bell day.  I think I'll have a Grilled Stuft Burrito, hold the dignity.

7:08 ... So I watched this useless race in the winner's circle, and when Calvin Borel stormed up the rail, he pointed his whip right at me — and only me — as he shocked the world.  

Birdstone screwed us again.  First by spoiling Smarty Jones' bid at the  Triple Crown and now THIS.  

This is the end, this is the end of horse racing.

7:15 ... Well friends, we've had a lot of fun, ups and many downs.  Thanks for sticking with me.  We'll bring you the ABC Kentucky Derby recap tonight, sure to be filled with rage and tears.

So long!

Derby Day Picks

Pete's Derby Day Picks

Race 1 -  1,3,6

Race 2 -  4,6,3

Race 3 - 5,7,1

Race 4 - 1,3

Race 5 - 1,47

Race 6 - 2,3,6 (#3 The Roundhouse, longshot play of the day)

Race 7 - 1,4

Late P4 play:

Race 8- 2,9

Race 9 - 3,5,9

Race 10 - 6,9

Race 11 - 6,13,15,16,19

Backup Late P4 play:

Race 8 - ALL (11)

Race 9 - 3,5,9

Race 10 - 6

Race 11 - 15, 16

Derby Trifecta Play:

$1 tri wheel - 15, 16 with 13, 15,16 with 4,5,6,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,19

Brendan here.  As always, Pete got too long and winded, so I don't have as much "air" time. Here is my late Pick 4:

Race 8: Lemon Chiffon, Zee Zee

Race 9: Game Face, Tiz to Dream

Race 10: Einstein, Cowboy Cal

Race 11: Friesan Fire, Desert Party, Dunkirk.

Picks to come

The Carryover will be publishing picks shortly, but until then, enjoy the two videos up.  If anything, they are 66 percent shorter than the pilot.  This was by design.

Stay tuned for live blogging throughout the day.  The weatherman calls for rain, but I say there's a 83 percent chance of hilarity.

ABC Kentucky Derby Preview

ABC Kentucky Oaks Recap

Tune into ABC tonight and tomorrow

ABC will be airing its second and third episodes tonight and tomorrow.  We will be recapping the Kentucky Oaks Day and preview the Derby.

These will be two separate episodes of shorter length.  This is viewer friendly.

On a somber note, Stormalory, the horse pulled up in the American Turf, was euthanized after a he suffered a condylar sesamoid fracture, a medial sesamoid fracture and a fracture in the pastern, this according to state veterinarian Dr. Bryce Peckham. 

Oaks Day Live Blogging

We are here from high above you low-life commoners!  All insults aside, The Carryover et al has reached Churchill Downs for Oaks Day Live Blogging.  As always, be sure to catch The Carryover's web television show, ABC.  

It is longer than anticipated, but, as you will see, it has everything to do with Good Ol' Pete loving to hear himself talk.  

Keep checking back in for commentary from both me and Good Ol' Pete on this most glorious of days.

Get to it!

11:16 ... The muddy track here has forced Zenyatta to scratch.  Oddly enough, she went to the racing office and told them she scratched herself.  Her trainer, John Shirreffs, is waiting in the paddock for her.  He's GOT to get in the loop.

11:32 ... Gutsy, gutsy win by On a Roll, battled on all flanks.  This keeps me alive in my Pick 3 and Good Ol' Pete alive in his Pick 4.  Do you smell victory?  Nope, someone forgot to flush.

12:21 ... Mint Julep No. 1 down the chute.  We are alive in both Pete's Pick 4 and my Pick 3.  This is it.  Pletcher gave us a nice 13-to-1 winner for Pete's third and my second leg.  Minimum payout for Pete's 50 cent Pick 4 $1,000 and my minimum payout for my $1 Pick 3 is $300.  I won't go into max pays for fear of hyperventilation.  But as we all know, gambling hopes are built on a foundation of not just sand, but mud. 

12:29 ... Senor Fuego won the race for us in Race 4.  Speightstown colt.  Sprinter.  Came bombing late.  Hot.  I hit the exacta on the last race, so that was nice.  Good Ol' Pete is covering his ass in a major, major way in Race 5, starting a Pick 3 wheel with Warrior's Reward/All/All.  That's Charmin Ultra ass covering. 

We are 10 minutes to Race 5.  Julep's abound!

12:47 ... Oh, vengeful one, why have you forsaken me?  That Warrior's Reward was handed a rail-skimming trip and edged Munnings at the wire.  Yes, I had Munnings in the Pick 3.  The 7 got up for third and held off my 11.  No, I didn't have the 7 in my tri-key to save me.  

What does this all mean?  Taco Bell.

1:34 ... This chalk tastes like Pepto.  Hit an exacta.  Mainly for morale than anything else, but has the ABC taught us nothing?  Always Be Cashin'!

1:57 ... On julep No. 2.  Not that I'm counting, but this sort of thing needs to be documented for the credibility and viability of The Carryover.  As a result of my $19 exacta, I am alive in a Pick 3 with One Caroline heading into the Zenyatta-less Louisville.  This race lost much of its appeal, but that reflects the sport on the whole, doesn't it?  I kid, I kid.

2:31 ... Getting lax here, huh?  Deal with it.  Putting together a losing Pick 4 ticket as we speak.  And it looks ... like this.

Race 8: Magical Affair, Laragh

Race 9: Macho Again, Mambo in Seattle, Bullsbay

Race 10: Stormalory, Battle of Hastings

Race 11: Rachel Alexandra

For $2 so this ticket will cost me $24.  

It's just that simple.

2:44 ... What's a man to do when the beer is free and women are beautiful?  Gamble.

2:58 ... The professional thing would be not to keep tipping back juleps and beer, but there isn't a soul on this planet that has called me professional.  This is a problem because, at some point, I would like to accomplish something in my life aside from emitting my fair share of carbon dioxide.  

This is a lot to ask.

3:07 ... All right, all right, all right.  Laragh wired the field with Magical Affair picking up the exacta.

So get this.  Good Ol' Pete and I are on the balcony and Steve Byk of "At the Races" on Sirius Satellite Radio was to our left and ESPN's Rick Reilly was to our right.  

I said to Pete that it was a failure sandwich between two slices of awesome.

3:14 ... Pi entry ... Justwhisteldixie, the second choice in the Oaks, has been scratched due to a foot abscess.   More details to follow.

3:27 ... gonna head down to the winner's circle to get a whiff of success.  Hopefully they don't kick The Carryover out.  With any luck, some of their glow will rub off.  

One ... can only hope.

ETA will be in roughly 30 minutes.  If you abandon me, you'll only stir up memories of my divorced parents and lonely upbringing.  Be wary, loyal viewers.  

Hold on ... get ready for the emoticon ...  :-)

4:08 ... Maybe success did rub off.  With Bullsbay, I'm alive in my Pick 4 through two legs (tepidly enthusiastic).  Pete is alive through four legs of his Pick 6.  At this point it is like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter:  you don't talk to them and you don't acknowledge that it is going on.

So we'll have to be really quiet.

4:22 ... Bullsbay, quite literally, bulled his way through on the rail.  He is a wide, imposing horse and this was echoed by jockey Jeremy Rose.

"I thought they were going fast enough," he said. "That's the way he wants to be ridden. He's a freight train."

Indeed, since he squeezed his way between the rail and Cool Coal Man, who was runner up in his second straight race, his first being the Excelsior on the Wood undercard and now the Grade III Alysheba.  

4:53 ... Stormalory was Pete's single in his Pick 6 and he was pulled up, this just before the far turn as he was taken away in a horse ambulance.

5:18 ... So the Pick 4 is dead and the hope is that Stormalory does not follow in the path of this ticket.  Julien Leparoux jumped off him quick so the hope is that maybe he's got something minor and will make a full recovery.

These things are never good.

On the flip side of misfortune, Good Ol' Pete is alive for 5-of-6 in his Pick 6 with Rachel Alexandra.  This will pay him $666.  That's forboding.

He also covered himself with a bold daily double that included the 45-to-1 Orthadox, who shocked the American Turf field in Race 10, with Rachel Alexandra. That will pay him over $400.  

Looks like it could be Applebees tonight.

5:47 ... Did that just happen?  1:48 and change.  How good is this filly.  She is amazing in every sense of the word.  Rachel Alexandra just gave us an Oaks performance for the ages.

As has been stated before at The Carryover, say hello to the Big Brown of this year's fillies.

5:49 ... She must run against the boys.  Forget in five weeks, forget in two weeks ... tomorrow!

5:53 ... In case you didn't see the race, RA rated just off the pace of 23 and 47.  She took command at the top of the lane and opened up.  Jockey Calvin Borel took frequent peaks back, to insure that he wasn't running alone.

Stone Legacy took second and Flying Spur finished third.  As far as I'm concerned, RA finished first, second, third and fourth all by herself.  The others are not fit to hold her hay bag.

5:58 ... Well, I guess this is it.  For those who followed, I thank you.  For those who did not follow, kiss my curvy behind.