Lou Raffetto, Spot Tester

[HP]

From today\'s New York Times

\"Lou Raffetto, the chief operating officer at Pimlico, said the track would maintain 24-hour surveillance on the horses in the Preakness.  While not all starters will have a prerace blood test, as the Derby starters did, Raffetto said some might be spot tested.\"

I guess it was too much to expect consistency over the course of three whole races (also known as the Triple Crown).  Inspiring stuff.

HP

[beyerguy]

That is truly pathetic, though to be honest, I expected nothing less from Maryland racing.  What a joke that place has become since Frank DeFrancis passed away.

[TGJB]

What the hell happened to \"all horses in graded stakes\" being tested?

If this turns out to be true it\'s effing unbelievable. I haven\'t seen it yet, but Dave said on the OTB show that Joe Drape wrote a piece in today\'s Times about the effect of the testing on the Derby.

[beyerguy]

From the article:

\"The same type of scrutiny will take place before the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, where a full field of 14 horses is expected to try to stop Giacomo from winning the second leg of the Triple Crown.\"

\"Over Belmont\'s opening week, for example, the betting favorites won 18 percent of the time, below the industry average, which is considered 33 percent. Over the same period in 2004, the favorites won 28 percent of the time. But during the recently concluded Aqueduct meet, which ran from Jan. 1 to May 1, the post-time favorites won 36 percent of the time.\"

\"I\'m all for anything that increases consumer confidence,\" said Pletcher, who last year won more than 24 percent of his races. \"And if the added security does that, then that is fine because we have nothing to hide. But it had nothing to do with the outcome of the race; it was the fast pace that cooked some of the favorites and set it up for Giacomo.\"

\"Lou Raffetto, the chief operating officer at Pimlico, said the track would maintain 24-hour surveillance on the horses in the Preakness. While not all starters will have a prerace blood test, as the Derby starters did, Raffetto said some might be spot tested.\"

\"In addition, the top finishers will undergo extensive drug testing. The track will also employ investigators from the Thoroughbred Racing Protection Bureau and will accept assistance from some of the investigators from the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority who patrolled Churchill Downs.

We will be very vigilant about monitoring the comings and goings, Raffetto said. There is no harm in stepping up surveillance.\"

[HP]

Dave is right Jerry.  It\'s in today\'s Times.  Amazing how Todd Pletcher sounds exactly like...Chuckles, from the TG bulletin board!  

HP

[jimbo66]

So Pletcher says it was the hot pace that cooked some of the favorites in the Derby.  I am assuming the \"favorites\" group he refers to, includes Bandini.

So, the owners of the rabbit, who also own Bandini, were responsible for the collapse of Bandini and the other favorites?

Sounds like the ramblings of a liar.

[razzle]

Beyerguy,

Thanks for posting.

Wretched Pletcher said:

\"I\'m all for anything that increases consumer confidence,\" said Pletcher, who last year won more than 24 percent of his races. \"And if the added security does that, then that is fine because we have nothing to hide. But it had nothing to do with the outcome of the race; it was the fast pace that cooked some of the favorites and set it up for Giacomo.\"

So, the jockey elite at the Derby were ALL fooled into mis-timing their rides, none could get their horses to rate, and none of the top 3yos have the capacity to rate against a fast pace.  I guess we have the awesome responsibility of weighing the probability of that against the probability that the additional security accounts for crazy finish of the Derby.  Hmmm...tough call.

I\'d also feel a little better if he said which \"consumers\" confidence he would like to increase.  He can\'t possibly be talking about the players.

Todd gets my nomination for the coveted Michael Gill Golden Bone Saw Award. raz

[marcus]

A couple of those horse\'s who backed way off their tops in the Derby had incured injury\'s that probably were the result of running those big number efforts (unsupported tops) in previous race\'s which manifested themselves in their next start or in this case the Derby .  The numbers that Jerry gave out for that race make perfect sense , and how they relate to overall patterns for those individual horse\'s  seems more viable than other senario\'s ...

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

HP wrote:

> Dave is right Jerry.  It\'s in today\'s Times.  Amazing how Todd
> Pletcher sounds exactly like...Chuckles, from the TG bulletin
> board!  
>
> HP


Haven\'t seen the full Preakness entries yet, but last word was Pletcher was a pass, despite the fact that the drug testing is not going to be as thorough as it was at Churchill Downs. With no drug testing why would he pass? Well, maybe it wasn\'t \"drugs off\" that got Pletcher beat in the Derby. Maybe it was washing out and injury and a wet track horse and an inside trip.

Maybe, just maybe, drugs off had absolutely nothing to do with the Churchill results, including the week\'s graded stakes. Theres been no additional Graded Stakes to confirm that since Derby weekend, so its a question of handicapping and conviction.

It was an interesting Derby and it can probably be interpreted in a number of ways, however after viewing the race myriad times, theres some things that stand out. Some horses responded more competively to being bounced around than others. Those might be good horses to evaluate for odds Preakness day. Another inescapable fact was that everything around at the end ran wide for a most of the race and anything near the rail wasn\'t around late to count.

Greater Good ran like an *******, ******* horse again, but not with a cent of my money on him anywhere. He bore in on High Limit (Later...WRONG...it was Flower Alley that bore in) who was forced in on Noble Causeway. Stevens pulled Causeway up right onto the hind quarters of High Limit and though running with conviction the latter instantly put the brakes on. Later he rallied back into competition. Sort of the injured horse version of the \"split run\".



Post Edited (05-17-05 09:18)

[Millennium3]

If any of Pletcher\'s Derby Three were in any shape to run they would, for the exact reason Raffetto gave: laxed policing for the Preakness. Pletcher\'s problem is Bandini broke down; Flower Alley is spent; and Coin Silver is not that good anyway. There\'s not enough of whatever he gives \'em to get them where they need to be. So he can bluster about having \"nothing to hide\" when none of his will show up to be found out.

All this testing stuff led me to an old but still good article linked below. It describes the ascent of Steve Allday, written when he was the \"Racing Manager\" for Frank Stronach during the Pat Byrne years. Note that the article points out Allday was, previous to that, the \"Racing Manager\" for the Allen Paulson Stable (presumably during the Cigar years). Isn\'t it funny how each of those stables showed uncanny dominance during his \"Racing Manager\" tenure, when scores of their runners were winning out of sight? And isn\'t it funny how Favorite Trick and Countess Diana were mere shadows of themselves in their post-Byrne/Allday careers?

It\'s good reading for those that haven\'t read it.

http://www.louisville.com/loumag/apr98/byrne.shtml

[Michael D.]

great article nick, thanks ......

does anybody remember the year pat got busted at the spa? was that before or after awsome agains\'s BC win?

[HP]

Chuckles,

I agree it\'s possible drugs have nothing to do with it, but Pletcher still sounds exactly like you!  I didn\'t intend it as an insult...

HP

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

>Millineum wrote

> And isn\'t it funny how Favorite Trick and
> Countess Diana were mere shadows of themselves in their
> post-Byrne/Allday careers?
>
> It\'s good reading for those that haven\'t read it.
>
> http://www.louisville.com/loumag/apr98/byrne.shtml
>


Interesting read. When Byrne abandoned Favorite Trick that was telling regarding his Derby Chances. Still a shame the goofy writers made Trick Horse of the Year denying Skip Away is my recollection.

Its clear Pletcher is a cheater. Whats not clear is that lack of drugs impacted the Derby. Zito and Frankel are back. Dutrow is dying to get in. Status Quo.

Injured:

Bellamania
Wilko
Bandini
High Limit

Pace Impacted:

Spanish Chestnut
Going Wild
Flower Alley
High Fly
Bellamania
High Limit

Trip Disadvantaged

Sun King
High Fly
Flower Alley
High Limit
Afleet Alex
Noble Causeway

Trip Advantaged

Bellamania
Giacomo
Closing Argument
Buzzards Bay
Don\'t Get Mad

Rarely will a horse win the Derby with the ground conceding trip Giacomo got. That wasn\'t a Grindstone or Sea Hero ride. That was pure, unadultered being on the right path on the right day.

That track though fast, took something out of the horses late. Especially, if they were down inside. Anything that moved towards the rail languished there.



Post Edited (05-17-05 09:01)

[beyerguy]

CtC,

Can I add:

Trip Disadvantaged
Greeley\'s Galaxy

I think you are overstating the bad rail a bit, just my opinion.

No way by my measure Bellamy Road had a good trip being wide around both turns and dueling for the lead against a brutal pace.  I\'m pretty sure TG will designate this race h_pace.  If that is an advantage, I have a LOT of studying to do!

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

We are in the subjective realm here, but Bellamania didn\'t run that much more pace disadvantaged to Closing Argument, but he certainly got the benefit of the wide. Wide was very good. You\'re not gonna see many trips like Giacomo got win a Derby. Watch the gallop out past the wire. \"Hanging Alex\" is still game post wire and heads Closing Argument, Though Giacomo with the good ground holds his edge. When the perfecta bore way out, its possible Alex thought they were out of the race. That wasn\'t Alex\'s best race, but it wasn\'t near as bad as everyone is saying. Still odds factored, the Preakness is an interesting bet. Giacomo to miss the board? Any takers?

One last thing, When Bellamania and High Fly angled down to the rail late, that was their Waterloo. Those paths were not good.



Post Edited (05-17-05 09:50)