don't worry!

The carryover will not be neglected. She is too tender a lover to leave.

ABC to be filmed today

The next episode of Always Be Cashin' will be filmed today in Lake Placid, NY.  Our original goal was to do a Triple Crown recap, but that has since gotten away from us.  But what the hell?  Let's relive it.

NYRA Luncheon

This was a packed media event, both news and sports.  Lots was said about the possibility of Rachel Alexandra running in the Travers or squaring off against Zenyatta in the Personal Ensign.  

Giveaways, giveaways, giveaways.  Alabama Stakes hat, long sleeve T, short sleeve T, and a winter cap to be given away late in the meet.  

All in all, it was an OK gathering, getting ready to kick off the Saratoga meet.  We'll see.

Why, hello there

Rachel Alexandra is in Saratoga.  We haven't met yet, kind of nervous actually, but my big horse character for the Saratoga book is on grounds.  

Today there is a NYRA luncheon at the Desmond in Colonie (I think it's Colonie).  This is to launch the Saratoga meet and get excited for it.  I'll be shadowing Mr. Hayward for his role in the Saratoga book.

This is cool stuff.

Two to face Rachel

I'm going to have to miss the Mother Goose since I'm on the Cape visiting family, but it doesn't look like there's much to miss. With late scratches, there is only one betting interest: win bet. Is Rachel 1-90?

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

Alabama, huh?

Three of nine Carryover voters think Rachel Alexandra will go to the Alabama Stakes this summer over the Travers.  This is interesting.

The question, of course, is what race will she run in after the Mother Goose.  The Haskell is in the lead and would put her on course for a run at the boys (again and again) in the Travers.  A bout in the Alabama would take her out of the Travers for certain.

I bet NYRA is sweatin' pretty hard about Rachel's summer campaign.  They are lucky to have her this weekend, but I know deep down that they are begging for her to run against the boys in the Travers.  Who can blame NYRA?

Who said, 'Yes, I could?'  All right.  Get out!  You're banned.

'You mean I'm banned?'

You're banned.

'Banned?'

Get out.  Don't let the Carryover hit you on your way out.

School

Poor girl.  Children around the country are done with school for the summer but look at Rachel Alexandra.  Here she is getting schooled in the paddock at Belmont Park ... and she's only three! 

Maybe she better resembles the Japanese work ethic and commitment to chores and studies.  If that is the case, she will undoubtedly possess greater intelligence than her American counterparts and will engineer a far better automobile.

All this is why she will win the Grade 1 Mother Goose.  Speak nothing of her superior speed.

She's here

Preakness winning filly Rachel Alexandra has arrived at Belmont Park for her attempt at yet another Grade I in the Mother Goose.

Scott Blasi, assistant trainer to Steve Asmussen, walks the filly off a van here.  Blasi handles many of Asmussen's top horses.  Most notably was his handling of Curlin both in North America and Dubai.  Blasi is a soft spoken type of fellow, but his skills as a horseman should be no less diminished.  This guy makes Asmussen look as good as he does.  It makes you wonder when and if he will go out on his own.

Getchya bracelets!

All the ladies in the house, get your bracelets.  Ladies are getting in for free at Belmont Park this Saturday for the Mother Goose, featuring the Preakness Stakes winner, Rachel Alexandra.  

Bars figured this out a long time ago.  Let women in for free, men will follow.  Especially insecure men who want to bet a lot of money to impress a lady thus inflating the handle and making Charlie Hayward flash that winning smile.  "Um, yes, I'll have a Heineken and whatever the lady wants.  What's that?  A $37 martini?  Sure, go right ahead, I feel good about the late Pick 4."

Rachel is racing for a cure, hence the pink bracelet.  Come one, come all to Belmont Park.

Friday Night Lights

Lights ... Friday night lights, it doesn't matter the night, put anything under a light bulb and it becomes instantly interesting. 

Take torture.  Messing with ones circadian rhythm is inherently funny and the confessions one can get, my God!  

Take racing.  Making horses run at night makes for an atmosphere that is hip and edgy.  And we're not just talking running an evening card when the final race  goes off while the sun is still orange.  Churchill Downs attracted 28,000 folks to its Friday night melee.  Racing had a mini-Dubai and it was in Louisville, Kentucky.

Remember when you were a kid and you played most, if not all, your baseball games in the afternoon.  Even high school games.  But there was the occasional game under the lights and everyone talked about it for hours.  You couldn't focus through you last period English class.  You had a game under the friggin' lights!  Instead of the 11 parents that religiously went to your afternoon games, all of a sudden girls — and attractive ones at that — showed up for the night game.  People cheered.  They brought air horns.  They made posters.  For once in your dull and dreary life you were a winner.

Then the sun came up and the pretty girls went back to ignoring you.  

Fastest since Flo Jo

So, Rachel Alexandra is going to the Grade 1 $300,000 Mother Goose.  I'm sure Calvin Borel will keep his mouth shut (actually, not sure), but I'll make a guarantee for him:  Rachel Alexandra is the fastest woman since Florence Joyner.

Rachel plans to square off against her own sex in the workplace of Belmont Park on June 27.  Certain fillies aren't scared, just ask Mark Hennig, trainer of Don't Forget Gil. 

"Mainly, she's training well, and she loves Belmont," Hennig said. "She's a pure route horse.  Obviously, there's Rachel Alexandra, but we're going into the race with our eyes wide open.  I'd rather race her here than ship elsewhere, and she could get a Grade 1 placing if she's lucky enough to hit the board."

Lucky, indeed.

Kiaran McLaughlin considers running Justwhistledixie against Rachel.  The West Point filly may have the greatest pre-race scratch in the history of racing when she missed the Kentucky Oaks.  Rachel only won by 20 lengths that day.

"We're trying to get another work into her," McLaughlin said. "If we can't, we're up in the air."

Maybe she'll be privy to the second greatest pre-race scratch in the history of racing.

I'd dodge Flo Jo too.

Royal Ascot

Yesterday I was watching some TVG at Good Ol' Pete's parents house, catching live racing in England at 9 a.m.  

John Velazquez is over the pond and in the only race I caught he had the second choice in a turf sprint.  Velazquez almost killed someone.  Tally ho!  He went to the right whip and the horse dived to the left, bumped a horse to his the left who nearly slammed another horse in the rail.  That horse on the rail rallied and won convincingly.

That was for the Queen.

Mother Goose

So it looks like Rachel Alexandra will run in the Mother Goose on June 27 at Belmont Park. Where this sets her for the summer is unclear, but the Mother Goose is about a month out from the Jim Dandy, which is then a month out from the Travers.

The Alabama is always an option, but if Rachel proves much the best — and she should — then she has to try the boys again for competition's sake.

That is my stance, since it would be epic for the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont winner to square off in the Travers.

Gettin' down to it

Saratoga is right around the corner. The maintenance workers are dusting off the red seats. The picnic tables are out. And trays for beer vendors have been taken out of storage and need only frothy cold ones to be complete.

Speaking of beer ...

Quality Road to Pletcher

This was interesting to see the Florida Derby winner transferred from Jimmy Jerkens to Todd Pletcher.  I am not sure what to make of this, but I do know one thing:  now Quality Road will never win a Kentucky Derby*.

Remember how Lawyer Ron blew up when he was transferred from Bob Holthus to Pletcher?  

*This is a joke.

Back in Saratoga

I've been gone for a few days, away in PA visiting some of Ms. Carryover's family.  Had I been on the sharper side of dull, I would've had Good Ol' Pete guest blog for me over the weekend.  But I did not.

So, here we are.  Tuesday.  

A note on comments: I have published 100 percent of all comments that have come to me since I started this blog whether they are flattering or not.  One such anonymous person left a message on June 14 to my last post that was baseless and rude.  That said, if they are not clean and worded well, they will not be published.  

This person called me a derogatory name and made note that it was no wonder that I was fired.  On that latter note, that case is not closed.  

Cliffhanger?  

Best Triple Crown Moment

Casual dress Friday here at The Carryover.

With three days left to vote, Carryover voters are split with regards to the best moment of the Triple Crown:  Mine That Bird's Derby win or Rachel Alexandra's Preakness triumph.

My vote would go to Rachel.  My reasons being the electricity she garnered for the sport, the way she won it, and the circumstances surrounding her going into the race.  

1.  She wasn't even nominated to the TC.

2. She was blocked for a time being from getting into the starting gates by Ahmed Zayat, Mark Allen, and Marylou Whitney.

3. She was purchased by wine magnate Jess Jackson.

4. Then she goes out and wins the race.

5. She has a great ass.

Racing has a super star and it's a girl.  

While Mine That Bird's win was both shocking and impressive, for once this season will be remembered for its Preakness winner and not the Derby winner.

A Travers to remember?

Could it be that this year's Travers Stakes could be the best in years?  Decades?  Ever?

The only horse that has committed to the Jim Dandy and Travers is  Dunkirk.

Crap.

OK, so here's the deal.  Here are possible Travers starters.

Rachel Alexandra

Mine That Bird

Summer Bird

Quality Road

I Want Revenge

Pioneerof the Nile

Musket Man

Flying Private

Luv Guv

Nowhere to Hide

Undisclosed Neil Howard horse who wins allowance at Saratoga (Grasshopper, Mambo in Seattle)

In this group there are six Grade 1 winners with Rachel and Nile winning multiple Grade 1's.  Also, can anyone remember when all three winner's of Triple Crown races were present for the mid-summer Derby?

The Travers typically has a smaller field, but that makes it no less a horse race.  In a lot of ways, I think it makes for a better horse race.  With less traffic, horses are able to run to their style with talent — not luck — providing the race with its outcome.

The three year olds are more developed, often bigger and more athletic, so abilities are closer together, not fractured by who was born in January vs April.  If a fraction of those horses are in the gates come Travers, we may have one of, if not the best, Travers in years.

Unless, of course, there is some sort of intergalactic space racing that also runs a mid-summer Derby.  Should that be the case, then there may be a rival.  My sources at NASA are hard at work on this research.  

Captain 'Kirk out

Dunkirk suffered a condylar fracture to one of his hind legs and will be sidelined until the last summer/fall.

Dunkirk, in just his fifth career start, ran second to Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes.  

His credentials beforehand had more to do with his yearling sale price tag of $3.7 million. Now with quality runner ups in the Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes, he gets injured and will be out of the Jim Dandy and Travers — his two forecasted summer stops.

"It's kind of a bummer, but the important thing is he is going to be OK," said trainer Todd Pletcher.  "We anticipate a full recovery and a return to racing later this fall."

Quality Road back on work tab

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens sent Quality Road out for his first serious work since being scratched from the Kentucky Derby with a nagging quarter crack.

The Elusive Quality colt worked three furlongs in 38.83 at Belmont Park.

Quality Road, the Grade 1 Florida Derby winner, was the likely Kentucky Derby favorite or second choice before being forced to scratch due to the injury.

More to come

If I were you, I'd expect ABC to come back and do a Belmont recap, equipped with Reverse Anthropomorphism Part Duex: This Time It's Personal.

I'm over the Pick 3 debacle. Not really, but I have had to tell Ms. Carryover this so she'll stop rolling her eyes when I bring it up every three minutes.

So much to explore, really. We'll talk about jockey Calvin Borel's bonehead move on the far turn. No, not all tracks are created equal, Calvin, and these turns at Belmont are longer than Churchill's and Pimlico's. But he found out the hard way and we got to hear Kent Desormeaux compare Summer Bird to his wife. I think that the Belmont trophy is about as big as his ego.

Maybe a little smaller.

My heart!

You know that Pick 3 that I sketched out and did not play?  It would have paid half of of $2,577.  

Half of $2,577.

Half of $2,577.

Half of $2,577.

You know why I didn't play the ticket?  Because it would have cost me $18 to play it.  This is why I will never amount to anything.  This is the reason why big players are big players.  

I've never had much respect for myself to begin with, but this sets the bar at an all-time low.

What a Day

Stepping back a moment, let's take time to reflect on the day's performances.

Most impressive was Fabulous Strike. Talk about the classiest front-end runner in some time. This horse runs what under normal circumstances are suicidal fractions. The difference is that HE can hold it. Closers don't have a chance because FS won't tire, so they have to lay closer to the pace, thus taken out of their game.

FS nearly won the Carter in similar fashion before Kodiak Kowboy ran him down. That was a seven furlong sprint. Six furlongs is right FS's wheelhouse.

As Good Ol' Pete was telling me earlier, it's too bad this guy hasn't got a chance to run on dirt in the BC Sprint. At Monmouth, he was hurt and the Pro-Ride kept him from showing his mettle in the BC last year and will most likely again this year. We haven't seen him on the biggest stage because of an injury and a fake surface. Imagine having been able to watch Midnight Lute try to run him down on dirt ? Would've been fun to watch.

There was Munnings, Gabbie's Golden Gal, Gio Ponti and Diamondrella. All races were impressive and no horses got hurt.

Good win for all.

Beer

I'm drinking a Coors Light and it tastes like piss.  But you know what?  I can tell it's cold.  The Rocky Mountains are blue, alerting me that my beer is cold.  Were it not for this distinction, I would have no idea whether or not this swill was cold or not.

What other gimmicks could they come up with to distract you from the taste?  I think their labels ought to be equipped with drinker's  proverbs.  For example, "Liquor before beer, never fear.  Beer before liquor, never sicker."

Here's a good idea.  Each bottle comes equipped with beer goggles.  This way you don't have to get too wasted to find somebody attractive or not.  Now that's innovation.  

Oh, my Rockies are turning gray, that must mean that it is starting to taste crappier.

Taste the Rockies, horse players.

BELMONT DAY LIVE BLOG!

[Movie trailer voice]
In a world where horse racing was rated second to all, there lived one turf writer who thought otherwise. In a chilling tale of conformity gone mad, The Carryover will attempt to raise the dead at Big Sandy. This. Time. It's. Personal.

11:10 ... How can you not be interested with an intro like that?

Aha! Here we are. Sure, I had to park 800 yards away, pay $10, and wrestle a 1,200 pound grizzly, but it is all in a day's work for those committed to the greater good.

11:12 .. Track is good here at Belmont. It's a bit on the soft side and the turf races following the Belmont Stakes have already been moved off. The sun is out and it is about 70 degrees. With seven or so hours to post, that gives the dirt plenty of time to dry out. Though, the same was true for Churchill on Derby Day and that track never dried out. And who did that set up well for?

C'mon ... c'mon ... Friesan Fire, wait, wait, wait ... Mine That Bird.

11:22 ... PEB came through today. After that Derby debacle, he came back strong with his Preakness mural of Rachel Alexandra busting in Western saloon. Today, he's a got a scarecrow with patches naming the contenders with Mine That Bird flying in with Chip Wooley and Calvin Borel coasting overhead.

Is it true that, like wine, people get better with age? Sorry, absolutely not. There even comes a point when wine gets too old. What does THAT tell you?

Drink up.

11:35 ... So here's the deal. Race 1 went off, a six furlong sprint. The opening quarter went in 22 2/5 seconds, which was set by Dixieland Star. He held on for second while Inger Management, who rated just off, scooted by to win in 1:10 flat.

Knowledge, people. Knowledge.

12:07 ... On a track listed as good, blazing fractions are holding strong. Just Ben went to the front in a seven furlong sprint in 22 and 44 before kicking clear by 12 lengths in a time of 1:21 flat. If this is a trend, watch out for classy front runners like Fabulous Strike and Charitable Man.

Mmmm, toasty.

12:12 ... So here's the deal. If I were to put together a Pick 6 ticket with all singles, a nice affordable $2 ticket, it may look something like this:

R6: Fabulous Strike (2-1)
R7: Forever Together (6-5)
R8: Munnings (4-1)
R9: Justwhistledixie (8-5)
R10: Cowboy Cal (3-1)
R11: Charitable Man (2-1)

I don't want to hear a single word about those odds!

12:40 ... Race 3 went off, one mile on the dirt. The pace setter went out in 22 and 45 and held on for second. The favorite, Convocation, came from off the pace, about three or four lengths back, waltzed past. Bottom line here is that speed is holding on pretty well.

1:12 ... First turf race in the books over the soft going. Front runner set splits of 26, 51, 1:15, 1:39, then won in 1:45 for a mile and a sixteenth.

Doesn't bode well for Better Talk Now in the Manhatten. The soft turf is going to favor the front runners like Cowboy Cal and Cosmonaut.

1:15 ... First Jeannine Edwards sighting. She's got a Bermuda-water blue business suit on. *Sigh*

1:42 ... Traffic is disturbingly low. I guess people are doing "chores" or "hanging out with loved ones." But what about the Carryover?

My couch is empty, I have dozens of cold beers on ice, yet nobody is here to drink them. This is disappointing. Ever throw a party and nobody showed up?

When I graduated high school, my mother wanted to have a little party for me and my friends. Of the people I invited, which, mind you, wasn't that many, only one or two showed up. I believe it one was Good Ol' Pete. The other was my sister.

Now 10 years later, I'm right back in the same spot. This is no good. This is no good at all.

1:55 ... We're through the looking glass here people. Here comes the Pick 6 Diary: You Think You Know, but You Have No Idea. The True North Handicap is up in a few moments, actually many moments.

Como se dice $48,000 CARRYOVER. Da da, da da da da da. Da da, da da da da da.

FYI ... Kent Desormeaux just won his third race of the day. Guess who is riding in the Belmont? The live long shot Summer Bird. And you can put that on the boarrrrrd, yes!

1:58 ... Friends! More, I say! I feel like Martin Prince when he got a bigger and better swimming pool than Lisa and Bart Simpson.

Trenchant insight!

Tell me more!

2:03 ... Well, the chalky Pick 6 ticket has been played. This won't be much of a diary if it loses as much as I think it will, and it will.

Since I only invested $2, I stand to turn a profit of at least $21.50 should I cash this thing. If my Pick 6 ticket hit, it will, in all likelihood, pay $30.

I kid, I kid. Of course it would pay more. One thing is for sure, there will not be a CARRYOVER. It seems real easy to hit today, especially if you have the funds. I say this as if I've hit this bet on a number of occasions, when, in fact, I have yet to do anything of consequence at any point in my near 29 years.

I did hit a game-winning home run my senior year in high school and have successfully caught a cold each of the last five years.

2:34 ... You must be trippin'. That Strike is faaaaabulous!

So here's the deal. Fabulous Strike ran in splits of 21.85, 43.62, 55.28 and finished the six furlongs in 1:07 4/5 seconds, just shy of the track record. He also turned away that rat Sixthirteen, who had the audacity to try and run at him early. Benny the Bull, got the pace he needed to close into, but failed to rally in his first start since July 12, 2008.

Alive through one leg of the Pick 6 with 4-to-5 favorite. Chalk never tasted so fine.

2:40 ... The main track and turf are officially listed fast and yielding. That is fast and yielding.

3:16 ... Villains! Man, Julien Leparoux ducked Forever Together to the inside and it looked like she had it, but Diamonddrella (GB) at 9-1 won the Grade 1 Just a Game in 1:36.49.

Damn, damn, damn. Sure FT was 3-5, but haven't we learned anything here at the Carryover? A.B.C. Always Be Cashin'.

3:55 ... So, here's the deal. Placed yet another cheap ticket, $1 Pick 4 wheel. Here it is.
R8: Munnings and Hello Broadway
R9: Livin Lovin
R10: Cosmonaut
R11: Dunkirk

Very interesting. A sure fire loser.

4:00 ... A! B! C! Munnings exploded on the rail to kick clear to win the Woody Stephens by daylight in a time of 1:28 3/5.

Munnings was 7-2 and so happened to be one of my singles on the Pick 6 ticket, so I am alive for 5-of-6. Also, the Pick 4 is alive to Livin Lovin. The Pick 6 is alive to Justwhistledixie.

Como se dice Pick 3 saver????

4:30 ... So get this, NYRA Media Relations Director just announced that the Pick 4 pool reached a record high of $2,243,069. I'm happy to have contributed $2 to it. That's 0.000089 percent of the pool.

I need a job.

4:55 ... Well folks, that is it for both the Pick 4 and Pick 6 tickets. Have we learned our lesson that this a horrible, horrible hobby? Of course not.

What other hobby provides you the chance to actually win money? Some men collect gadgets and what do they do in the end? But playing the races, now there's a chance to have fun, get a thrill, and walk away loaded.

Oh, and if you're one of those people who need to know the results of every stupid race, Gabby's Golden Gal wired the field in the Acorn, holding of Justwhistledixie with ease. Blah, blah, blah.

5:11 ... Manhattan is coming up. Who cares?

No, no, no, lose the attitude. This race will be great. Court Vision. Gio Ponti. Cowboy Cal. Better Talk Now. Wesley. Cosmonaut.

Whoa.

5:16 ... Oh, Jeannine, you just said, "Nothing ruffles this bird's feathers," when referring to Mine That Bird.

That's OK. The Carryover still endorses you and wishes you would be our mascot. Maybe we can get you to sign our guest book?

5:27 ... So here's the deal. For the Belmont Stakes, I'm going to play some exactas leaving out Mine That Bird. Don't me wrong, I want MTB to win this thing. Due to his lack of manhood, he can be the shot in the arm a sport with little to no stars needs. How great will it be for a Kentucky Derby winner to run and run well for the next five years or so.

However, today he is going to take a lot of money and with this being his third race in five weeks and other horses firing fresh, I'm going elsewhere for a score.

Charitable Man, Dunkirk, Summer Bird, and Chocolate Candy.

5:37 ... Gio Ponti??? More like ... oh, never mind. He's a monster.

Guess who got up for third place? Better Talk Now, God bless 'em.

5:40 ... Hey, guess what? The Belmont Stakes is next! Twelve freakin' furlongs!

Oh, and what's this???? Big Brown is just crossing the finish line!

5:43 ... Want to see the most annoying thing in the world? Good.

I've got a hypothetical Pick 3 ticket that I did not start on Race 9. There are a total of eight horses. I'll leave out a few for the sake of concision.

Race 9: Gabby's Golden Gal
Race 10: Gio Ponti
Race 11: Dunkirk, Charitable Man, Summer Bird.

@$%&!!!!!

5:51 ... Did you catch that Chip Wooley piece with Kenny Mayne?

From what The Carryover's sources are saying, they wanted Todd Pletcher, but when the jokey questions came, he still answered them seriously and with a straight face.

That's not funny.

5:59 ... MTB is the even money favorite. 25 minutes to post. Bet against! Bet against!

6:06 ... Did you see Virtual Calvin Borel win the Preakness? Interesting.

Virtual Brendan is still employed getting his virtual paycheck with virtual benefits.

6:09 ... Dunkirk and Todd Pletcher have the track they want. No excuses for this $3.7 million horse. Charitable Man, 2-for-2 on this track, can control the pace. He's your likely winner. Summer Bird is fresh, has the daddy to do this, and Chocolate Candy could explode on a fast dirt track if you were to draw a line through his Derby due to the mud. Think I Want Revenge's explosion once on fast dirt.

Who to be afraid of? Any Nick Zito horse and he has two of them in Brave Victory and Miner's Escape. Anybody else, I'm not buying it.

6:13 ... Horses are heading to the track. I'll check in after the race.

Best of luck!

6:33 .. Birdstone Strikes Again! Summer Bird, baby.

Kent Desormeaux wins the career Triple Crown.

6:39 ... Success! Nailed the exacta, drilled the exacta, bathed in the exacta, rubbed the exacta all over my body, to the tune of $60.50.

Sweetness.

6:51 ... Bet $14, won $60, came away with the difference.

Did Calvin Borel move too soon? Yes, he did. As jockeys have been saying all week, riding races at Belmont is a different beast. Borel just learned that the hard way.

Would MTB have won the race? I think that, yes, he would've had Borel waited until they turned for home. This is arm-chair-race riding, but that has to be the sentiment.

"Calvin said he was kind of fighting him down the backside," trainer Chip Wooley said. "Calvin might have set him down a touch early, but that was a judgment call. I thought we were in good shape."

When asked if Wooley would give Borel a leg up onto MTB next time he said without hesitation, "Absolutely."

That is, of course, it is not against Rachel Alexandra in the Jim Dandy.

7:05 ... Apologies for the gloating. That was my only income in the past 2 1/2 weeks.

All right, that's going to do it for the live blogging. There may be a post or two while I wait for traffic to clear out.

Hope you had fun.  I did.

And remember, A.B.C., Always Be Cashin'.

ABC Back in Black!

Episode 7 is in, oh yes, it is.  Giving you a Belmont Stakes preview that you will never forget.  I've already forgotten what we did, so I'm not holding out hope that you will.  Apologies. 

Here it is, comin' at you!  Boom!

Signing off for the day

Some of you may be wondering why my postings are so erratic, speak not of the evil Krusty doll from one Tree House of Horror.  Others may not notice.  With no Internet at home, I am handcuffed to my time spent at the library.   So while I wish I could update and post more, I just can't do it as much.  I try my best.

In order to stay relevant, blogs/web sites must be maintained and updated constantly.  Otherwise people turn elsewhere.  And these days it has never been easier to turn to another place for entertainment.  Possibly Ms. Carryover and I will get the World Wide Web channeled right into our little cottage that we rent.  However, the cottage is cursed.

But it comes with hardwood floors.

The hardwood floors are also cursed.

Dammit.

Still, if you are a Carryover follower, we have some pretty cool shwag coming your way.

MTB Post 7

Mine That Bird drew Post 7 for Saturday's running of the Belmont Stakes.  He was also labeled the 2-1 morning line favorite.  

I remember the days when he was nothing but a 50-1 rat and now look at him!

A win for him would be great validation of his talent as well as a boon to the long term growth of the sport.  Should anyone try to retire him to the breeding shed, they will be rudely surprised.   He's about as fertile as a recliner.  His boys cannot swim.

Top 10 Reasons to watch the Belmont

By BRENDAN O'MEARA

The Carryover

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Who wants to watch the next running of the Belmont Stakes?  Especially with Flag Day ceremonies to get ready for?

 Well, The Carryover plans to give you 10 reason why you should watch even though you probably won’t .

10.  Calvin Borel going for the jockey Triple Crown.  This guy guaranteed the win and with insights likes this, “I’ve ridden there a lot of times,” he said of Belmont Park, adding with a smile: “It’s like any track — you just turn left.”

Brilliant.

9. Nick Zito has two horses in this race and they will likely go off at double-digit odds.  Zito loves New York races and with Brave Victory and Miner’s Escape, you better believe this native New Yorker has them tight for this race.

8. Love that $1 million guaranteed Pick 4.

7. D.Wayne Lukas is at it again, entering Flying Private, one of two horses running in all three legs of the Triple Crown.  Will he win?  Of course not, but that doesn’t stop this veteran from saddling up.

6. Maybe we’ll see Rick Dutrow, Jr. sweat some more.  Kidney sweat, anyone?

5. Todd Pletcher might laugh, or cry.  This is the site of his last bout of emotion nearly two years ago, so you know he’s bursting at the seam.

4. Mine That Bird could be that good.  The Derby was labeled a fluke.  The Preakness gave him credibility.  The Belmont could make him a star.

3. As if you need any more excuses to see Jeannine Edwards, here’s your chance.

2. This is a jockey’s race and with names like Edgar Prado, Alan Garcia, John Velazquez, Calvin Borel, Garrett Gomez, and Kent Desormeaux, they will showcase just how to ride a race horse.

1. And lastly, if this race is a “Test of a Champion”, then it is also a test of your loyalty to the sport.  No Triple Crown winner?  So what, watch the telecast, watch the race, even better, drive to Belmont Park.  There’s $1 million purse, 12 furlongs of running with history on the line.  No to mention the Woody Stephens, the Acorn, and the True North Handicap.  Do the right thing.

Unless there’s a Flag Day ceremony to plan, of course.

 

 

 

Loser

My horse racing book, "On the Backside", recently lost a narrative nonfiction book contest.  

I followed a trainer on the Maryland circuit for a year writing my master's thesis about the experience and have been, in the meantime, trying to find a publisher.

It has been rejected about eight times.  Which, honestly, is not that much.  It is a work I am proud of and will keep fighting for it, at least for a little while.  

My mentors were quick to tell me that author's first books often don't sell.  Maybe they are trying to tell me something, huh?

The Works

The Carryover is working to compile a list of works every week for all relevant horses racing in North America.  

To launch this, I will put down the latest works for the Belmont Stakes contenders.  This will be your one-stop depot for horse works.  Maybe two stops, but you'll come here for works AND good cheer.  Find that at DRF.

Four Furlongs

5/30 Brave Victory, 48.66, BEL, B

          Miner's Escape, 48.66, BEL, B

5/31 Dunkirk, 49.57, BEL, B

 Charitable Man, 49.00, BEL B

6/1 Mine That Bird, 50.00, CD, B

Chocolate Candy, 50.25, BEL, B

Five Furlongs

5/30 Summer Bird, 1:01.89, BEL, B

6/1 Mr. Hot Stuff, 1:00.00, KEE, B

Six Furlongs

5/27 Luv Gov, 1:12.40, CD, B

5/27 Flying Private, 1:15.40, CD, B

ABC in the can

ABC just finished wrapping up its seventh episode. Wow! It will be up and running within the next couple of days, just in time to get your last Belmont Stakes fix before the big day. In the spirit of Calvin Borel, I guarantee that this episode is a winnah!

Here's your likely Belmont Stakes field

Brave Victory
Charitable Man
Chocolate Candy
Dunkirk
Flying Private
Luv Gov
Miner’s Escape
Mine That Bird
Mr. Hot Stuff
Summer Bird

Looking into my crystal ball, I see nine losers.

A Classic

I've always been a huge fan of this video, so I'm bringing it back so we can share in a laugh or two or three.

The Belmont Stakes winner

It's got to be Charitable Man, right?  This colt can dictate the pace and could very well Da'Tara this field.

There are so many deep closers in this race and what good will all that late speed be without a tiring front end?  

And, by the way, look who is blogging.  Is that a smile?  Hmmm.  Who'da thunk?