Steve’s Travel Diary – PART SEVEN
Steve is struggling to come up with any event, in 40 years of covering horse racing, which would rival the disappointment of Arrogate’s dismal failure in last Saturday’s San Diego Handicap.
I simply cannot recall any other race being such a ‘fizzer’ – a racing event where I simply didn’t get any bang for my buck other than the sheer delight of being at Del Mar which proved every bit as delightful as I’d been told.
But everybody’s anticipation, for the race, was crushed virtually from the start. There would be no Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) win by a Secretariat-like margin. There would be no tossing of hats (caps) in the air nor raucous cheering. He was never travelling like a winner; not even travelling competitively.
Regular readers will know I managed to stop the train to Machu Picchu. But ‘stopping’ Arrogate? Surely I’m not the hex as some suggested via social media. Let’s pray there’s no jinx on Winx (Street Cry).
Contrary to popular opinion, I wasn’t around to see Ajax beaten at 1/40 in the 1939 Rawson Stakes. Perhaps that was just as deflating for racegoers. Newspapers, at the time, however reported the event somewhat glibly: “The sensation of the racing season was the defeat of Ajax by Spear Chief, in the Rawson Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. Ajax had, up till then, had a series of 18 unbroken successes.”
They weren’t given, then, to the sort of hyperbole which accompanies most race commentary, especially on social media, these days.
I did see Dandy Andy (Three Legs) upset Bonecrusher (Pag-Asa) in the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) but that was no ‘fizzer’. It was exciting. Bonecrusher ran his race but was overhauled by the stalking 125/1 chance trained by ‘old’ Jim Cerchi. Think he was branded old even when he was young, Dandy Andy’s trainer.
That race was an ‘upset’, not a ‘fizzer’. So if you can recall a similarly deflating, total non-event at the races (not a race which simply delivered an upset) then let me know at steve@moranracingmedia.com.au!
Arrogate simply didn’t run his race. The lead sectionals were sound enough to allow every horse his chance. He was ‘flat’ said trainer Bob Baffert. “Laid an egg,” he said – whatever the hell that means? A couple of days on and Baffert said there was no obvious physical problem. He seemingly just had an off day. Who knows? He’s a horse.
So please, spare me all your cockamamie theories on Twitter. But that, it seems, is where Twitter’s gone – degenerated into a mire of opinion and social chit chat. And yes I’m probably not innocent enough to cast the first stone but it would be a beautiful thing if we could all confine our tweets to items of news or special interest or information or links to same.
Saturday’s race disappointed but the Del Mar experience did not and the outcome of the final race, won by Ample Sufficiency (English Channel) illustrated just how narrow the racing world has become. The four-year-old, formerly trained by Dermot Weld, ran third at Gowran Park (Ireland) last September behind none other than Pacodali (Paco Boy) who, of course, won at Flemington on Saturday.
Del Mar is splendid and splendidly located.
The Turf Club’s media department is run a by a few, old blokes including Mac McBride and Dan Smith. Wow, I think they might even be older than me.
Now, there’s a novel thought for racing administrators. Employ some people with experience. Now – Mac and co don’t have personal email accounts with overflow effluent. But they oversee the Turf Club account.
They know about this modern stuff. They’re part of a team which organises the renowned Friday night concerts – better than anything I’ve seen at a Melbourne track. They’re free if you go to the races beforehand.
They’re not giving up at Del Mar – one of the two tracks in the States where you could say that racing still has an element of ‘cool’ (the other is Saratoga). “We know they’re coming Friday night for the party but if we can convert just a small percentage of them, then that’s a win,” says McBride.
These guys also know about the past and can regale you with many a story but they don’t live there – in the past that is. Their media accreditation process is more efficient, seamless and sophisticated than most I’ve encountered (memo Racing Victoria).
Good heavens, they work in the press room to be on hand for the media (memo racing clubs).
The Del Mar Turf Club is progressive and responsive. Horses are vet checked four times pre-race, and followed during the race not only by ambulance but also by a vet, after a number of injuries and fatalities at last year’s summer meeting (principally on the dirt track, rather than the turf).
The Club is conscious of public relations and marketing responsibilities. Information and greeting staff are excellent as you enter the track and there’s information aplenty offered at various booths for the upcoming Breeders’ Cup meeting – to be held for the first time this year at Del Mar.
They’re progressive. Accommodation, medical and dental cover is provided for the trainer’s staff. “The trainers are able to get and keep good staff this way,” McBride said. Horse transport to the races is subsidised.
The saddlecloths are colour coded from number one down in each race. The field order is the barrier draw order. All simple, sensible stuff in my book.
We could smugly argue that Australian racing is in better shape than in the States. But my impression is that they’re trying harder here.