“Today marks an important milestone for Hockey Canada in our journey to earn and maintain the trust of Canadians,” Hockey Canada chair Hugh L. Fraser said in a statement. “While I would like to thank Minister St-Onge and the government for their vote of confidence and for their ongoing efforts to prioritize safe sport in Canada, I also wish to stress that we still have work to do to change the culture of our sport.
“This is a significant moment for the future of Hockey Canada, and hockey in Canada, as it will enable us to further our commitment to supporting all levels of the sport.”
SportsNet – CP – Federal government restores funding to Hockey Canada effective immediately
Carbon Robotics – Laser Weeder
Phil has a question:
When will the drone Laser Weeder be available.
Will they hire Snoopy as a pilot.
When will the Laser Weeder for home lawn and garden use be available.
When will the laser that zaps and vapes doggie do be available.
No Races on the Road to the 2023 Kentucky Derby 149
Brisnet – Get to know the 2023 Kentucky Derby contenders
Sports Business Journal – McCormick – Churchill Downs preps for 150th Kentucky Derby
Paulick Report – Churchill Downs Announces Plans For Year-Long Celebration Of 150th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby 150
Kentucky Derby 150 – Derby of A Lifetime Contest
Vote early and vote often.
Al Capone
2023 Preakness 148 Saturday May 20, 2023
Saturday April 22, 2023
Oaklawn Park
Bath House Row Stakes Purse $200,000 THREE-YEAR-OLDS
The Winning Horse will automatically be given an entrance into The Preakness Stakes
TDN – Preakness 148 Offers Limited Edition Ale
2023 Belmont Stakes Saturday June 10, 2023
ESPN – Stanley Cup playoffs: Guide to top storylines, players to watch
Phil’s Drink ‘n a Flick
Polygon – Allen – Why are movies so dark these days?
Win the Ultimate Kentucky Derby Party!
Long-time Alberta trainer Dale Saunders was bestowed the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit. Selected unanimously by the Jockey Club of Canada’s stewards, it is a lifetime achievement award honoring those who have made significant contributions to the Thoroughbred industry in Canada.
DRF – Gierkink – 2022 Sovereign Awards: Moira named Canadian Horse of the Year
In human categories—Dale Saunders was awarded the coveted E. P. Taylor Award of Merit;
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Moira Named Horse of the Year at Sovereign Awards
The Sovereign Awards ceremony, hosted by Jeff Bratt and Dawn Lupul, began with the presentation of the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit to trainer DALE SAUNDERS. Through more than half a century of training horses, Dale is among an elite group of Canadian horsepeople, his 2,177 winners putting him sixth on the list of all-time leading trainers. Dale is only the second trainer to win more than 2,000 races while running exclusively in Alberta, along with Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Ron ‘Red’; Smith.
Canadian Thoroughbred – Morrison – Moira Crowned 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year at Sovereigns
Near 22 min mark.
Opening Day/Kentucky Derby Party Experience
SOLD RIGHT OUT
Join us for a V.I.P. style party in the Century Mile suites.
$45.00 V.I.P. ticket includes food, race program, souvenir cup and $2 betting voucher.
$60.00 V.I.P. Premium ticket includes all of the above plus a drink ticket and a reserved window seat in the suite!
Post time is 3:45 p.m. Limited tickets available.
Call the CTHS Alberta office at 403-229-3609 or email cthsweb@cthsalta.com to get your ticket now.
What Needs To Be Done if Thoroughbred Racing wants to remain relevant
Phil’s adding the new and reprising the old articles:
Front Office Sports – Greenberg – Sports Betting Giant Selling Its U.S. Operations
Officials believe they must cater to whales to protect betting handle that’s been virtually flat for decades, never mind keeping pace with inflation. What they fail to grasp is that if rank and file players continue walking away, today’s precious purses will be unsustainable.
Michele Fischer, vice president of the United States division of SIS Content Services, which is the largest distributor of horse racing content to global wagering operators, said fixed-odds wagering on U.S. horse racing would be an attractive addition to sports betting platforms. She said there’s still time for the industry to make the move but the clock is ticking.
“We have to look at the industry five years from now, 10 years from now,” Fischer said. “We are getting left behind—and I’d say this for other equestrian sports—we’re becoming niche—very niche—very quickly,” Fischer said. She predicted that the day is soon coming when sports without a direct presence on sports betting sites will lose traction with the mainstream audience.
“There’s always going to be people that want to come to the racetrack and they’re going to want to bet on horse racing. That’s a small group,” Fischer said. “But (fixed-odds sports betting) is a huge opportunity for this entire industry to get out with all these other sports.”
Bloodhorse – Angst – Opportunity for Racing as Sports Betting Eyes Content
Phil has a question:
How can anyone in Alberta expect the fucking jokers over at Horse Racing Alberta to be able to meet the challenges alluded to by Fischer and Pricci when all they can do is cash their paycheques and gaze out the windows while the one real performance metric they publish – handle declines year after year.
TDN – Ross – When Do CAWs Help And Hurt California Racing?
Phil has a question:
If you asked any of the minions at Horse Racing Alberta what they understand about CAWs would their response involve crows.
In all of the articles about CAWS why is there no mention of the actual dollar amounts of the rebates and how those amounts impact what the tracks receive and what ends up dwindling down to the horsemen.
… the number of people betting on sports and the volume of wagering across the United States quickly surpassed horse racing’s totals and continues to grow.
Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Icon Global: Merging Sports Betting With Horse Racing
How will horse racing attract new customers when a new customer looks at sports betting and sees a fairly level wagering field with fixed odds with a small vig (takeout) and then looks at horse racing where the tracks themselves provide better information and easier ways to bet for a preferred class of customers, the CAWs, the takeout is usurious and the CAWS get a rebate that’s pretty close to the vig in sports betting.
To quote Craig Bernick – Good luck.
There is always room for losers in the football business. They are the mother’s milk of gambling, and why not? Somebody has to do it, or there won’t be any winners.
Hunter S. Thompson
Phil has a question:
When will Alberta have sports betting terminals in every lounge that has VLTs.
When will the sports betting terminals in every lounge that has VLTs have horse racing available.
What does the Undertaker do besides gaze out his window.
Phil’s not archaic. Phil understands that most people in Alberta sports bars bet on their phone, tablet or laptop on a grey area site that pays nary a nickel of taxes to the province of Alberta.
According to Cummings’s research, in the past two decades, adjusting for inflation, total betting on US horseracing from the general public decreased 63 per cent. Betting from CAWs, meanwhile, increased 150 per cent. Cummings called Gulfstream Park, the track I went to with McKeever, “ground zero” for the computer groups. “Horseracing is not in a position to reject customers. Yet we have accepted and embraced these whales, with little to no consideration of the damage that they do if left unchecked,” Cummings told me. “It’s not a good thing to be losing Joe Q Horseplayer, and we’ve lost a lot of them.”
McKeever, for his part, sees himself on Joe Q Horseplayer’s side. His team of 13 full-time employees and contractors at EquinEdge wanted to do its own CAW wagering. But McKeever refused. “I am for the small guy, that’s what I’m pushing for,” he told me. “I give them every bit of information that I have, everything we develop, all of our technology. Everything I do is for the little guy. The big guy thinks he knows it already. It’s the little guy I want to take care of.”
Financial Times – Roeder – I used AI to bet on horse-racing. Here’s what happened
Phil has a question:
Are McKeever and the rest of the CAWs willing to give their rebates to the little guys.
How will horse racing attract new customers when a new customer looks at sports betting and sees a fairly level wagering field with fixed odds with a small vig (takeout) and then looks at horse racing where the tracks themselves provide better information and easier ways to bet for a preferred class of customers, the CAWs, the takeout is usurious and the CAWS get a rebate that’s pretty close to the vig in sports betting.
Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Icon Global: Merging Sports Betting With Horse Racing
To quote Craig Bernick – Good luck.
There is always room for losers in the football business. They are the mother’s milk of gambling, and why not? Somebody has to do it, or there won’t be any winners.
Hunter S. Thompson
50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown
TDN – Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle Celebrates Secretariat Anniversary
Phil is advised that the Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle is now available at most Alberta locations of Wine and Beyond. The Edmonton Southgate store has it on their shelves as Phil picked up a couple of bottles already.
Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard
Haskin’s Derby Rankings: April 17, 2023 – Week 13
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Pletcher Holding Aces in Derby Dozen; Verifying Rises
TDN – Thornton – TTDN Derby Top 20: The Waiting is the Hardest Part
XBTV – Jeff Siegel’s Kentucky Derby Deluxe Dozen (updated 4/14/23)
Horse Racing Nation – Kentucky Derby 2023 Contenders
Kentucky Derby Leader Board as at April 12, 2023
| Horse | Points | Trainer | Probable Jockey | Odds | |
| 1 | Forte | 190 | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz Jr. | |
| 2 | Practical Move | 160 | Tim Yakteen | Ramon Vasquez | |
| 3 | Angel of Empire | 154 | Brad H Cox | Flavien Prat | |
| 4 | Tapit Trice | 150 | Todd Pletcher | Luiz Saez | |
| 5 | Two Phil’s | 123 | Larry Rivelli | Jareth Loveberry | |
| 6 | Lord Miles | 105 | Joseph A Saffie Jr. | Paco Lopez | |
| 7 | Derma Sotogake (JPN) | 100 | Hidetaka Otonashi | Christophe Lemaire | |
| 8 | Kingsbarns | 100 | Todd Pletcher | ||
| 9 | Raise Cain | 64 | Ben Colebrook | Javier Castellano | |
| 10 | Rocket Can | 60 | William Mott | Junior Alvarado | |
| 11 | Hit Show | 60 | Brad H Cox | Manuel Franco | |
| 12 | Confidence Game | 57 | Keith Desormeaux | James Graham | |
| 13 | Verifying | 54 | Brad H Cox | Tyler Gaffalione | |
| 14 | Sun Thunder | 54 | Ken McPeek | Brian Hernandez Jr. | |
| 15 | Wild On Ice | 50 | Joel Marr | Kenneth Tohill | |
| 16 | Mage | 50 | Gustavo Delgado | ||
| 17 | Blazing Sevens | 46 | Chad Brown | ||
| 18 | Disarm | 46 | Steve Assmussen | ||
| 19 | Reincarnate | 45 | Tim Yakteen | John R Velazquez | |
| 20 | Continuar | JRD | Yoshito Yahagi | Ryusei Sakai | |
| AE | Jace’s Road | 45 | Brad H Cox | ||
| AE | Skinner | 45 | John Shireffs | Victor Espinoza | |
| AE | Cyclone Mischief | 45 | Dale Romans | ||
| AE | Major Dude | 40 | Todd Pletcher | ||
| AE | Mandarin Hero | 40 | Terunobu Fujita | Kimura Kazushi | |
| AE | King Russell | 40 | Ron Moquett | Raphael Bejarano | |
| AE | Arctic Arrogance | 36 | Linda Rice | Jose Lezcano | |
| AE | |||||
| AE | Instant Coffee | 32 | Brad H Cox | ||
| AE | Continuar (JPN) | 30 | Yoshito Yahagi | ||
| AE | Funtastic Again | 30 | Wesley Ward | Gerrado Corrales | |
| AE | Dreamlike | 30 | Todd Pletcher | ||
| AE |
YahooNews – Kaufman – Foo Fighters Announce ‘Brutally Honest’ 11th Album ‘But Here We Are’
SportsNet – AP – Top Scottish ultramarathoner apologizes for using car during race, blames jet lag
Garden and Gun – Liles – Five Fascinating Southern Species to Cheer For on Earth Day
TDN – Preakness 148 Offers Limited Edition Ale
Bloodhorse – Angst – Fort Erie, Woodbine at Odds Over Triple Crown Schedule
TDN – Fort Erie Files Trade Grievance Against Woodbine
Phil has a question:
Does Fort Erie not realize that the in the minds of the inhabitants of Toronto the sporting and entire world revolves around that big tower.
Front Office Sports – McCarthy – NBA Playoffs Draw Most-Watched Opening Weekend In 12 Years
TDN – Keeneland Expands Public, Corporate Hospitality
TDN – West Virginia Derby Switches to Sunday This Season
Beyond the $787.5-million payout to end the Dominion case, Fox now must contend with a second defamation suit filed by a rival voting machine company, Smartmatic USA, which has demanded $2.7 billion.
And Fox investors also are lining up with their own lawsuits, alleging that Rupert Murdoch and other board members were derelict in their duties by allowing Fox News to promote election lies, which harmed the network’s reputation as a news organization.
The Ringer – Belloni – Inside Fox’s $787 Million Settlement With Dominion and the Future of Fox News
Phil has a question:
If Donald Trump was the big fat liar whose big fat lies caused all the problems how much does he have to pay.
Are any of the MAGATs intelligent enough to understand what Fox settling this case means.
A crook is a crook, and there’s something healthy about his frankness in the matter. But any guy who pretends he is enforcing the law and steals on his authority is a swell snake. The worst type of these punks is the big politician.
Al Capone
Sports Business Journal – Rumsey and Karp – WCOS: Women’s sports, fan connection top agenda
Southern Living – Beall – 27 Vibrant Cocktail Recipes Made For Spring
There’s no exact recipe for how much water optimizes the flavor of the whisky, says Karlsson. To each their own, just don’t drown your whisky in water.
Esquire – Rense – You Should Cut Your Whisky With Water
Bloomberg – Sapienza – McDonald’s Brings Back the Hamburglar to Promote Burger Changes
“Alex made the decision to sell a few colts to try to finance his racing stable,” Dunne said. “I think he’s decided that racing fillies is probably, in his grand scheme of things, going to be a better plan. He wants to develop a broodmare band and sort of have a long-term plan of action. By selling the colts, it helps finance some of the racing stable and the broodmare band. That’s not to say he won’t race a colt going forward, but, if he races fillies, he wants to own them 100% and he’ll partner on colts with the hope of making a stallion. We have three in the sale for him here and if the right people with the right plan came along, I am sure he would be more than willing to stay in and be a partner.”
TDN – Martini – Bregman’s No Nay Never Colt Steals the Show at OBS Monday
Phil has a question:
If an MLB player has to sell a few colts to try to finance his racing stable how is average Joe Alberta owner going to finance his racing stable.
Paulick Report – Lomon – After Freak Accident, Trainer Villeneuve Is Down But Not Out
Southern Living – The Most Famous Kentucky Derby Horses in History
TwinSpires – Kelly – Tall Tales of the Track: I Am Woman, Watch Me Win!
Southern Living – Wells – Famous Kentucky Recipes to Inspire Your Best Derby Day Spread
Phil has a question:
Are the right wing fanatics screaming at Trudeau to investigate Chinese interference in Canadian elections going to scream at Trudeau to investigate American Fox interference in Canadian elections.
Phil has a suggestion:
Why doesn’t some Canadian band or singer create a song that includes the line – Tell Tucker Carlson to remember that Northern man don’t need him around anyhow. That could also use some Grohlesque lines like tell Tucker Carlson to Fuck Off eh!
National Post – Frank Stronach: A new political movement to fix our ailing country
Paulick Report – Amoss Suspended 60 Days, To Serve 15 After 2022 Positive For Beta Blocker
Officials believe they must cater to whales to protect betting handle that’s been virtually flat for decades, never mind keeping pace with inflation. What they fail to grasp is that if rank and file players continue walking away, today’s precious purses will be unsustainable.
Michele Fischer, vice president of the United States division of SIS Content Services, which is the largest distributor of horse racing content to global wagering operators, said fixed-odds wagering on U.S. horse racing would be an attractive addition to sports betting platforms. She said there’s still time for the industry to make the move but the clock is ticking.
“We have to look at the industry five years from now, 10 years from now,” Fischer said. “We are getting left behind—and I’d say this for other equestrian sports—we’re becoming niche—very niche—very quickly,” Fischer said. She predicted that the day is soon coming when sports without a direct presence on sports betting sites will lose traction with the mainstream audience.
“There’s always going to be people that want to come to the racetrack and they’re going to want to bet on horse racing. That’s a small group,” Fischer said. “But (fixed-odds sports betting) is a huge opportunity for this entire industry to get out with all these other sports.”
Bloodhorse – Angst – Opportunity for Racing as Sports Betting Eyes Content
The Bitter Southerner – Fertel – Melba’s Contains Attitudes
The Ringer – Kring-Schreifels – … And You’re Watching the Disney Channel
Bloodhorse – Joe Perez – Mage’s Success Validating Commonwealth’s Big Plans
Bloodhorse – Derby Roundup: Champion Forte Arrives at Churchill
You and I come by road or rail, but economists travel on infrastructure.
Margaret Thatcher
Phil had wrong song as Forte went vanning rather than flying.
Some times you just have to give in to the Urge.
Curling Canada – Curling legend passes away
TSN – Flames, Treliving agree to part ways
TDN – Thornton – The Week In Review: Prime-Time Real Estate Remains Vacant On Derby Prep Calendar
Bloodhorse – Perez – Two Phil’s Sharp in Penultimate Derby Work
DRF – Hersh – Two Phil’s goes five furlongs in Kentucky Derby drill at Hawthorne
They always lost but he didn’t blame me because to a gambler, a bad tip is better than no tip at all.
Phil Silvers
Bloodhorse – Kentucky Oaks Contender Dorth Vader Sharp in Breeze
Front Office Sports – Baker – LeBron James Changed Basketball Forever. His Hometown Is Next.
Phil has a question:
Do you think that all of the roundball players with the multi million dollar shoe contracts for shoes made by child labour for pennies could get together and build a shoe factory or three on US soil that paid a living wage.
Slate – Carey and Gerstein – How Did Children End Up as Factory Workers in America Again?
Bloodhorse – The Jockey Club Round Table to Move to Thursday Date
Paulick Report – WATCH: Florida Derby Runner-Up Mage Cruises Through Easy Gulfstream Breeze
Bloodhorse – Mage Returns to Worktab at Gulfstream Park
TDN – Emma Berry – Seven Days: National Treasure or National Disgrace?
ESPN – Activists disrupt Grand National; Corach Rambler wins after delay
BBC – Grand National: 118 people arrested over protests that delayed start of Aintree race
TDN – Pletcher Derby Crew Works Before Heading To Louisville
Front Office Sports – Cohen – Browns Choose Team Name For Stadium, End Naming Rights Deal
Bloodhorse – Forte Resumes Breezing; Travels April 16 to Kentucky
Some times you just have to give in to the Urge.
Bloodhorse – Confidence Games Works Toward Kentucky Derby
Bloodhorse – Hovdey – Desormeaux Full of Confidence About His Derby Angle
Bloodhorse – Byron King – Early Speed a Plus for Derma Sotogake in Kentucky Derby
Paulick Report – First Mission Battles Past Arabian Lion To Take Lexington, Enters Preakness Picture
Bloodhorse – Mulvihill – First Mission Takes Lexington, Eyes Preakness
With his third-place finish, Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Disarm earned enough points to qualify for a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby.
“It looks like he got enough points to go, so we have the option to go,” Ron Winchell said. “We’ll see how he comes out of this race. We’ve always thought a mile and a quarter [of the Derby] would be fine for him.”
TDN – ‘TDN Rising Star’ First Mission Wins Lexington
April is the cruellest month.
T.S. Elliot
Paulick Report – Perform Up In Time To Take Federico Tesio At Laurel
Paulick Report – In Italian Storms To Front-Running Jenny Wiley Triumph
Paulick Report – Clairiere Pounces Late To Deny Secret Oath In Apple Blossom
TSN – CP – Kings get past Warriors in long awaited playoff return
Phil M Stockmen
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