Aug 032024
 

Larry Gourneau Jr.’s Bricklayer sat at the back of the pack early, started his move in the final turn and rallied down the centre of the track to win the 2024 Manitoba Derby. Bricklayer is trained by the owner and had Luis Fuentes in the irons for the win. McEwen got up for place with Lt. Norm getting show money.

Just before the Don Alberto bred Bricklayer went to post in the Manitoba Derby two Don Alberto-Breds sold for seven figures within minutes of each other at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Equibase shows the handle for Manitoba Derby day as $3,743,784 with $1,981,277 being bet into the Pick 5 Jackpot Pool.

Hastings Racecourse handle was $1,061,584 for the holiday Monday BC Cup card.

Century Mile holiday Monday handle was $0,000,000.00 as there was no thoroughbred racing on the Midsummer holiday Monday.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

William Shakespeare

Phil has a question:

With the quarantine on Assiniboia Downs being lifted why wasn’t the Western Canadian Triple Crown challenge reinstated.

Another Brick in the Wall

Canadian Thoroughbred – Jennifer Morrison – Awesome Road Tabbed as Heavy Favourite for Manitoba Derby

Paulick Report – Monday’s Manitoba Derby Program Includes Mandatory Payout On Jackpot Pick 5

Assiniboia Downs – Bob Gates – Manitoba Derby Photo Album

Assiniboia Downs – Manitoba Derby

ChrisD – Scott Taylor – A Nine-Horse Derby on Monday Night

2024 Manitoba Derby PPs

Wagering on Assiniboia Downs has been up approximately 11% from last year’s remarkable results. This comes as the track has also been navigating through a single case of an equine virus, resulting in a quarantine of the barns. The track has temporarily adjusted its racing schedule to manage the situation, with the quarantine expected to be lifted on August 2, provided all tests continue to come back negative. The changes to the racing calendar have actually increased the average field sizes which has been very appealing to horseplayers.

Canadian Thoroughbred – Assiniboia Downs Ready for Manitoba Derby


Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt and Byron King – McPeek Commits Thorpedo Anna to Travers

High Hopes

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Steve Dennis – ‘It’s a real honor to be around a horse like her’ – why everything’s gravy with Thorpedo Anna

Bloodhorse – McPeek Not Rushing Call on Thorpedo Anna’s Next Race

Sweet Home Alabama


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Jay Hovdey – The Chosen Vron: ‘Beyond his daunting record, he’s an easy horse to embrace’ – Jay Hovdey on a sprint sensation

Paulick Report – Natalie Voss – No 30-Day Live Meet At Arapahoe; Bally’s Accepts $4.6 Billion Buyout

Whether a tomato or a rumor, consider the source.

Chris Bianco

Southern Living – Josh Miller – 40 Fresh Peach Recipes To Savor This Summer

Bon Appetit – Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton – The Best Way to Eat Peaches (Besides Over the Kitchen Sink)

Losing My Religion

Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Top 3-Year-Olds Set for Travers Prep in Jim Dandy

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Jay Hovdey – Star Over The Bay: ‘A big, vibrant beast who flashed like a comet across the western sky’ – Jay Hovdey remembers a blue collar turf hero

Paulick Report – AppleTV Releasing Docuseries On How Los Zetas Used Horse Racing To Launder Money

Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – View From The Eighth Pole: Make The Punishment Fit The Crime


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Rachel Pagones – Where the turf meets the surf – but just what makes Del Mar so great?

Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – Del Mar Summer: It’s That Time Again For The Turf To Meet The Surf

Bloodhorse – Jay Hovdey – Kimura Kicks Down a New Door at Old Del Mar


Garden and Gun – Lindsey Liles – In a Time of Crisis for Coral, Consider the Lobster

TDN – T.D. Thornton – In Kentucky’s Battle Of Midway, Horse Farms Fight Massive RV Park Development

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Steve Dennis – All-Star interview: how racing became a major-league attraction for Jayson Werth

Bloodhorse – Teresa Genaro – Without Caution First U.S. Winner For Without Parole

The Conversation – Thomas Klassen – Biden steps aside, setting in motion an unprecedented period in American politics

Los Angeles Times – LZ Granderson – Column: Biden’s decision to drop out is one of the most patriotic moments in a long life of service

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

Charles Dickens,  A Tale of Two Cities

Phil has a question:

How many Magats including the fat fucking orange blob of a maggot have read A Tale of Two Cities or any classic literature.

How many Magats including the fat fucking orange blob of a maggot understand A Tale of Two Cities or any classic literature.

Out Of Time

Paulick Report – Spendthrift Secures Dornoch For Stud Duty While Trainer Eyes Travers For Haskell Winner

Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt – Dornoch Rises to Division Leader With Haskell Score

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Jay Hovdey – Audiences went along with the awkward compromise and flocked to the film’ – Jay Hovdey on Jean Harlow’s farewell in Saratoga


TDN – Christina Bossinakis – Mindframe Installed the 9-5 Early Haskell Choice, Classic Winner Dornoch Draws the Rail

Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – ‘I Will Never Forgive Eric’: Dawson Accuses Reed Of Hiding Injury To Rich Strike

Front Office Sports – David Rumsey – Pulling Back the Curtain on the NFL’s $25 Billion Revenue Dream


Bloodhorse – Bob Kieckhefer – Deal Set for Sale, Development of Former Fairmount Park


ESPN – HR Derby anthem singer Ingrid Andress says she was drunk

US and Canadian National Anthems

US National Anthem


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Daniel Ross – ‘Change is never easy, and specifically in horse racing’ – major interview with NYRA chief David O’Rourke


Bloodhorse – Sean Collins – Plans Underway to Celebrate Preakness 150 With Festival


Bloodhorse – George Williams – ‘A Poignant Moment’: Wilson Eclipses Krone’s Earnings

Bloodhorse – Wilson Passes Krone’s All-Time Earnings Record

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Michael McKelvie – ‘She’s a great jockey, period’ – Emma-Jayne Wilson surpasses all-time earnings record for a female rider

Paulick Report – ‘This One Means So Much To Me’: Emma-Jayne Wilson Surpasses Julie Krone In Career Earnings

Phil has a question:

What does the Canadian sports and regular media’s utter lack of even a passing mention  of a Canadian female athlete setting an earnings record say about the state of horse racing in Canada and North America.


Bloodhorse – Bob Ehalt Discusses Good Vibes Going Into Saratoga Meet

Good Vibrations

Some times Phil just hasta succumb to the Urge

Good Vibrations

Some times Phil just hasta succumb to the Urge two times

The Bitter Southerner – Roxane Gay – The New Pornographers

Los Angeles Times – Caroline – Petrow-Cohen – On cusp of bankruptcy, Mod Pizza chain is bought by L.A. company

The Ringer – Austin – Gayle – Welcome to Fright Club: How I Fought the Greatest Horror Movie Villains of All Time

theHorses.com – Curtis Stock – Jockey Rico Walcott Faces Battle with Aggressive Brain Tumour as Friends Rally Support


TDN – T.D. Thornton – Audit: Years of Losses at Turf Paradise, But Track Stays Afloat From Personal Loans Simms Eventually Wants Repaid

Bloodhorse – NYRA’s ‘Saratoga Live’ Launches With New Twists

Front Office Sports – Dennis Young – Teenage Sprinting Prodigy Sues Gatorade After Positive Test

Phil has a question:

If Asinga’s gummie theory is correct why aren’t there thousands of other athletes testing positive.

Blame Brett

Blame It on The Bosa Nova

Blame It on The Tetons


Bloodhorse – NYRA, FanDuel Settle Saratoga Impasse Before First Post


Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Dollars & Sense: Fixed Odds Could Attract New Players

Paulick Report – View From The Eighth Pole: Don’t Forget The Horseplayer


TDN – T.D. Thornton – Both Sides in Pending Eighth Circuit HISA Case Attempt to Spin Conflicting Opinions from Two Other Appeals Courts

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – ‘Sincerity was his middle name’ – Bill Christine remembers the late David Hofmans

TSN – Wehry accused of cheating to beef up result at Nathan’s hot dog contest

Front Office Sports – Dennis Young – ‘Nonsensical’: NFL Blasts Massive Jury Award in Latest Sunday Ticket Case Filings

ESPN – Stars leave Diamond Sports Group umbrella, turn to streaming


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Steve Dennis – America’s favorite racetrack – but just what is it that makes Saratoga so great?


The Ringer – The 111 Best Horror Movie Kills of All Time, Ranked

TDN – Dan Ross – Lucinda Finley Q&A on the Fifth Circuit Bombshell

Paulick Report – Andrew Cohen – Keeping Pace: Anti-HISA Forces Win, Racehorses And Honest Trainers And Owners Lose, At Fifth Circuit

Paulick Report – National HBPA Claims Victory Over HISA In Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals Ruling


Bloodhorse – Olivia Newman – Saudi Bidding War Sets Record at Fasig-Tipton HORA Sale

Bloodhorse – Informed Patriot Supplemented to Fasig-Tipton Sale

Phil has a question:

Are there any western Canadian owners willing to step up.

Phil has a comment:

$1,550,000.00US is a bit of stepping up for thoroughbred owners who race in western Canada.


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – NYTA – Pat McKenna – Shape of the future: Belmont Park set to host three-month winter meet on new Tapeta surface in 2026

Paulick Report – Belmont’s New Synthetic Track Will Be NYRA’s Exclusive Winter Racing Surface


ESPN -Euro 2024 Power Rankings: Spain still top ahead of semifinals

Never Been to Spain

Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple

Johan Cruyff

Years before, R.J. Bennett campaigned Travelling Victor, who made history in 1983 when he became the first horse not campaigned in Ontario to win Horse of the Year honors in Canada. He also won a Sovereign Award that year in the older horse category, and the R.J. Bennett took home a Sovereign award as breeder of the year in 1983.

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Canadian Hall of Famer R.J. Bennett Dies at 94

Bloodhorse – Court: HISA Violates Private Non-Delegation Doctrine

TDN – T.D. Thornton – Part of HISA Ruled Unconstitutional in Fifth Circuit Split Decision

The Ringer – Alan Siegel – The Heat Is On, Again: The Oral History of Axel Foley

Front Office Sports – Eric Fisher – Nike’s Worst Stock Plunge Forces Big Changes to Win Back Consumers

TDN – Additional 2024 Thoroughbred Breed Improvement Program Funds Allocated

Paulick Report – Training, Racing At Pimlico Will Cease Sept. 1 To Begin Rebuild

TDN – Bill Finley – The Week In Review: As Short Fields Proliferate, It’s Time To Go Back To Circuits

The annual Canada Day card at Millarville was down to 4 races with a total of 19 horses entered.

Front Office Sports – Eric Fisher – Bobby Bonilla Day: A Look at MLB’s Top Deferral Deals and Ohtani’s Pact


Paulick Report – Jonathan Horowitz – The Big Picture Presented By Excel Equine: Is State Support The Answer To Maryland Racing’s Future?

Phil has a question:

What happens to horse racing when the states decide that the support could be better used on health and education.


Bloodhorse – Golden Gate Equipment Auction Set for Aug. 1

TDN – Bill Finley – Week In Review: Northern California Racing Begins Its Uphill Battle For Survival

Paulick Report – Joe Nevills – Making Claims: Want To Save California Racing? Go Back To Synthetic Tracks

Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – If Revenue Sharing Is Answer To California Horse Racing Woes, Whose Revenue Gets Shared?

Phil has a answer:

How about the rebates the ADWs give to the whales.


Bloodhorse – Legacy of Rockingham Park to be Honored in Salem, N.H.

Bloodhorse – Joe Perez – Report: Castleton Lyons Land Could Be Sold for Housing


California is not the only state that has seen track closures. Other tracks shuttered or bulldozed over the last several decades include Suffolk Downs in Boston, Mass., Rockingham Park in New Hampshire, Calder and Hialeah Park in Florida, Arlington Park and Sportsman’s Park in the Chicago suburbs of Illinois, Detroit Race Course, Great Lakes Downs, Hazel Park and Pinnacle Race Course (among others) in Michigan, Bowie in Maryland, and Atlantic City Race Course and Garden State Park in New Jersey. New York’s Aqueduct and Maryland’s Laurel Park are likely gone once Belmont Park and Pimlico are rebuilt.

Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – Another One Bites The Dust: Golden Gate Fields Ends 83-Year Run

From the Equibase Chart

SAREEHA (IRE) sprinted to the front, was joined by TURA LURA before the turn, dueled that foe through rapid fractions with the rider at first trying to temper the pace then  committing to the lead, held sway to the far turn then began to shorten strides turning for home and was not persevered with late when hopelessly beaten, and became the last horse to cross the finish line to close out eighty four years of racing at Golden Gate Fields. GOOD NIGHT, EVERYBODY.

Los Angeles Times – John Cherwa – Golden Gate Fields comes to a close as California racing struggles to exist

TDN – Bill Finley – After 83 Years, the Curtain Comes Down at Golden Gate Fields

Horse Racing Nation – Ron Flatter – Flatter: A loving, bittersweet farewell to Golden Gate Fields

DRF – Steve Andersen – Racing at Golden Gate Fields hits the wire for final time

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

T.S. Eliot

TDN – Dan Ross – Golden Gate Fields: Dispatches From A Track Facing the End

Brisnet – Vance Hanson – The Long Goodbyes to Aqueduct and Laurel

My Opening Farewell

Closing Time

Closing Time



TDN – Bill Finley – On The Future of Maryland Racing, A Q & A With Corey Johnsen

The Guardian – Cecilia Nowell – I went a week without ultra-processed foods. Here’s what I learned

Doughnut

Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Owner Ramsey in Need of Kidney Transplant

Paulick Report – Del Mar Overnight Purses Down Approximately Eight Percent

Paulick Report – Report: CDI’s Downtown Louisville Historical Racing Venue Off To Slow Start

The Bitter Southerner – 2024 Summer Reading Roundup

TDN – Bill Finley – The Sport Can Learn From This Preakness, But Will Anyone Pay Attention

“The fact that we’ve removed Lasix from the conversation makes it an even better test. Horses recover quicker without the Lasix. Lasix was a detriment. I know there are guys that will hear me say that and scream, ‘I need Lasix.’ No, you don’t need Lasix. Maybe there are certain horses that do and, yes, we do have bleeders. But they shouldn’t be the ones running in the Grade I, Grade II, Grade III races. The two weeks is easier without the Lasix because the Lasix would dehydrate a horse and then you’d have to recoup that fluid within the two weeks.

TDN – Bill Finley – McPeek Gives Update on Mystik Dan’s Preakness Status

Phil has a question:

Has anyone ever gave a better reason for getting rid of Lasix.


The Conversation – Laila Benkrima – Glass half empty? What climate change means for Canada’s wine industry

Paulick Report – ‘Dream Big’: Seize The Grey, Balnikhov Eager To Run For $7.5 Million In 1/ST Grand 3 Bonus Money


Covers – Geoff Zochodne – Horse Racing is Set on Winning Over Sports Bettors. It Isn’t Easy.

Phil has a question:

How can you win sports bettors over when Covers has no horse racing on its site other than the Preakness.


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – ‘A dollop of the dramatic and an uncommon sense of sportsmanship’ – Bill Christine on the great D Wayne Lukas

TDN – T.D. Thornton – Mountaineer Jock Fined for Exceeding Six Strikes and ‘Failure to Give Best Effort’ in Same Race

TDN – Dan Ross – The Piper Rose Story: One of Aftercare and Regulatory Deficiencies in Arizona

Paulick Report – Natalie Voss – Updated: Arizona Dismisses Complaint Against Vet After Trainer Claims She Referred Him To A Kill Buyer

Bloodhorse – Racing Post – Peter Scargill – After Test Run, Britain Scraps Sunday Evening Racing

The Conversation – Bill Danielson –  The ‘Dark Triad’ and Donald Trump: What sends some to the C-suite and others to prison

Front Office Sports – Eric Fisher – New Stadiums, New Hurdles: Coyotes and A’s Face High Stakes


Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Daniel Ross – A tale of two states: is HISA fostering a divide between the haves and the have-nots?


ESPN – David Purdum – NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB weigh betting risks after Porter scandal


Bloodhorse – Byron King – California Tracks at Odds Over Regulatory Cost Split

TDN – Bill Finley – Report: Turf Paradise Gets New Lease on Life


Bloodhorse – John Scheinman – Maryland Considers Paths Forward for Stakes Program

Paulick Report – Funding Approved To Replace Northville Downs, Michigan’s Last Racetrack, With Housing And Public Parks


TDN – Steve Sherack – ‘I Don’t See Racing’s Future as Rosy’ – Trainer Eddie Plesa Looks Ahead Following Milestone Victory


Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – Dollars & Sense: Strength in Racing’s Job Numbers

TDN – Bill Finley – Royal Breeze Racing Remains Bullish on Massachusetts Breeding and Racing

This Mess We’re In

Front Office Sports – A.J. Perez – ‘Deadspin’ to Launch for Third Time With Mysterious Owners, Unclear Staff

Front Office Sports – Eric Fisher – A Rising Pirates Star and His Famous Girlfriend Are Sparking National Buzz

Sports Business Journal – Pirates poised to capitalize on Paul Skenes’ debut on and off the field

Phil has a question:

Who does the Freddie Mercury moustache better: Skenes or Matthews.

Under Pressure


Defector – Corbin Smith – Sports Is Betting It All On Gambling

Bloodhorse – FanDuel’s Breakout Success at Kentucky Derby 2024

TDN – Monmouth Park, Caesars Celebrate Sportsbook Groundbreaking

When uncashed tickets are “purged” at the end of the fiscal year in June, those unclaimed monies go directly to the Kentucky Racing Health & Welfare Fund, which benefits in-need workers in the state’s large Thoroughbred racing industry—people who hold titles such as groom, exercise rider, hot walker, and assistant trainer. Programs include medical, dental, vision, and chiropractic care, plus contributions to a retirement plan.

Garden and Gun – Steve Russell – At Kentucky Race Tracks, a Surprising Amount of Winnings Never Gets Claimed

Front Office Sports – Eric Fisher – Commissioners Grapple with Power Limits Amid Sports Betting Boom

Phil has a question:

Why have none of the sports scribes mentioned that the NHL is moving a team to a state that is absolutely anti-gambling.

Flights from SLC to LAS

Los Angeles Times – Chuck Schilken – Ohtani’s ex-interpreter reportedly wired money to ‘Real Housewives’ star to pay gambling debts


TDN – Bill Finley – Champion German Rider Adrie De Vries Mulls Moving To Southern California Circuit

Innisfil – Chris Simon – What does casino’s possible move mean for current Innisfil site?

ESPN – Baxter Holmes – Nikola Jokic and a forgotten basketball legend: Inside an MVP connection nearly 60 years in the making


TDN – Year-to-Date Wagering Falls


Sports Illustrated – Tim Dierberger – ESPN Cut Away From Hurricanes-Rangers Broadcast in Final Minute, and Fans Were Furious

SportsNet – Sam Cosentino – NHL Top 16 Mock Draft: Who will go after Macklin Celebrini?

Phil has a question:

Who gives a shit when the players selected won’t be in the league for 3 or 4 more years.

Paulick Report – Chelsea Hackbarth – Judge Reverses HISA’s Ruling For Voided Claim On Dead Horse

TDN – Katie Petrunyak – How I brought five young people to their first Kentucky Derby

SportsNet – Luke Fox – Why a Mitch Marner trade makes sense for the Maple Leafs

The Wind Cries Mary

Phil has a question:

What other than a trade can the Leafs do in a mediocre free agent year.

Can Treliving trade Marner for the same type of underperformers he got in the Thachuk trade.

Can Treliving bring in a couple of former Flames for their playoff prowess.

Save The Last Dance For Me

TSN – Jets head coach Bowness announces retirement

TDN – Wyoming’s Cowboy Racing To Partner With 1/ST

The Athletic – Josh Kendall – Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings: Bears rise, Falcons slide, Chiefs still reign

TDN – Mike Kane – Belmont Buzz Hits Saratoga


Phil M Stockmen

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