Midnight Lucky out for year

As usual, Baffert has another to take her place. I agree about working on the Del Mar surface. Since the publicity, they've done a great job keeping stats hushed up. Does anyone know where to find the info? The JC stats are only thru last year.

SO IF ORB DECIDED TO RUN IN THE PACIFIC CLASSIC, DOES THAT MEAN HIS WORKOUTS LEADING UP TO IT SHOULD ALL BE AT DEL MAR INSTEAD OF BELMONT WHERE HIS TRAINER IS BASED? SHE IS IN A WEST COAST TRAINERS BARN. OF COURSE SHE IS GOING TO TRAIN UP TO THE RACE ON HER HOME CIRCUIT. THAT IS AN OBVIOUS ANSWER.

NO I DONT BET ANY SYNTHETIC TRACKS. ANYWHERE.

I KNOW FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS THEY HAVE HAD MORE THEN THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF BREAKDOWNS, BUT TRUTHFULLY THAT COULD BE AN ABBERRATION AS IT IS REALLY NOT ENOUGH OF A TEST SAMPLE TO MAKE A JUDGEMENT. I KNOW THE NUBER IS DOWN THIS YEAR. BUT IM NOT SAYING IT ISNT A BAD SURFACE. THAT IS THE ONE ARGUEMENT YOU ARE NOT GETTING FROM ME.

THE OXBOW COMMENT IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN UNFAIRLY BLAME AND LABEL A SURFACE ON ONE EXAMPLE IF IT FITS YOUR NEEDS. HOW DO YOU KNOW SHE WOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN INJURED HAD SHE BEEN AT ANOTHER TRACK? DO YOU PEOPLE REALLY THINK THAT BAFFERT, ONEIL, AND WHOEVER ELSE YOU WANT TO VILLIFY ON A WHIM AS THE FLAVOR OF THE MONTH BAD GUY WANTS TO SEE THESE HORSES BREAK DOWN? EVEN IF THEY DIDNT CARE ABOUT THEM, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY DO, THEY ARE MILLION DOLLAR ANIMALS. EVERYTIME ONE BREAKS DOWN THEY LOSE MONEY, ESPECIALLY THE OWNERS.

MISMANAGED? WHY? BECAUSE THEY ARENT ALL WALKING AROUND IN GOOFY ASS HATS ACTING LIKE ITS TIME FOR TEA AND CRUMPETS? THIS IS 2013. YOU EITHER GO FOR THE BIG BETTORS OR YOU DO AS THEY ARE DOING AND GO FOR THE YOUNG CROWD. WHAT TYPE OF NEW BLOOD WOULD YOU SUGGEST? THEY ARE GETTING THE NEW BLOOD FANS FROM THESE DUMB PROMOS AND PARTIES. ISNT THAT WHAT EVERYONE WANTS? AND YES, THEY ARE GETTING THE FANS, LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. OUTSIDE OF SARATOGA, THEY ARE STILL DOING BETTER THEN ANYWHERE ELSE. FORTUNATELY FOR THEM THEY DONT HAVE TO RELY ON YOUR DOLLARS I GUESS. I WOULD SAY THE THINGS YOU SUGGEST HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH NEW BLOOD AND MORE ABOUT TRADITION AND OLD SCHOOL WAYS. I LAUGH WHEN YOU SAY MISMANAGED AS THEY HAVE FAR LESS DATES, FAR LESS TRADITION, AND FAR LESS LOCAL TRAFFIC AS SANTA ANITA DOES, YET SOMEHOW ARE GETTING MUCH BETTER NUMBERS. YET THEY ARE MISMANAGED? IF ANYTHING THEY HAVE DONE A MIRACULOUS JOB THERE OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS MAKING THEMSELVES THE ONLY TRACK IN CA. THAT HASNT DECLINED SUBSTANTIALLYDUE TO THE AholeS IN OFFICE IN THIS STATE.

WHETHER ORB WOULD RUN HERE OR NOT IS NOT THE POINT. THE POINT IS JUST BECAUSE A HORSE DOESNT HAVE A LOCAL WORKOUT BEFORE A RACE IS NOT UNUSUAL. TRAINERS DO IT ALL THE TIME. SHIP IN THE DAY OF THE RACE AND BACK OUT THE NEXT DAY. YET BECAUSE BAFFERT DIDNT SEND THIS FILLY THERE WEEKS IN ADVANCEM ONCE AGAIN ITS PILE ON BOB TIME. AND YES EV,HE DOES HAVE ANIOTHER ONE TO REPLACE HER. AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE THE OWNERS SEND HIM GOOD HORSES BECAUSE THEY KNOW HE IS THE BEST AT WHAT HE DOES...........WIN RACES AND MAKE MONEY. WHY SHOULDNT HE HAVE ANOTHER WAITING IN THE WINGS? WHO SHOULD THEY GIVE THE HORSE TO? SOMEONE WHO DOESNT WIN RACES?

I have bashed lukas, I admit. but more in defense of the constant bashing of baffert. but I will admit to that one.
I have not bashed Saratoga. I have said countless times it is on a SLIGHTLY higher platform then del mar and it is a fine track with good racing and great history. I have never argued that. what I have done is defend del mar to the people who cant seem to stand that there is another track in this country that deserves some respect other then Saratoga. there is a big difference there.

completely agree jon. now if you can convince the others on here of that, we can all live happily ever after betting on frac daddy and javas war.

Limited statistics by track can be found here:

www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp?section=2

Unfortunately they only consider fatalities in races, not breakdowns and euthanized or retired horses after the race is history.

National Fatalities per thousand starts 2012: 1.92
Santa Anita: 2.60
Hollywood Park: 2.04 for 2011, 2012 not available
Del Mar: 2.46
Aqueduct Inner: 4.02
Aqueduct Main: 2.34
Belmont Park: 1.80
Saratoga: 1.17
Arlington Park: no statistics
Fair Grounds: no statistics
Gulfstream Park: 1.39
Woodbine: 0.55

I can't remember the last time I saw a horse break down at Woodbine. And although Aqueduct's inner number for 2012 is high, some think that was unusual, it is 1.7 higher than the each of the previous three years, and fatalities this past winter were way down, though not tabulated yet.

But a big conclusion of the investigation into the breakdowns during the 2011-2012 inner track at Aqueduct was that there was a huge influx of cheaper, probably infirm horses whose connections were looking to take advantage of the spike in purses right after the casino opened. This past winter the class of races carded (less rock-bottom claimers) was improved, and breakdowns were much lower.

I think those are old! Wiz - Did you red last year's NYT article?

www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/us/death-and-disarray-at-americas-racetracks.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

And yes, I think a lot of owners are after the $ only. Really Wiz, it's always been that way. Or they move them from bigger tracks to small tracks like Beulah to hopefully get them claimed and get something back. It's worse becauser of the bigger purses. Are you equating Del Mar with Aqueduct? Maybe. It's certainly not Belmont or the Spa as far as horse/race quality goes At least, Aqueduct has done something about the problem.

Here's another NYT article. Bless Earle Mack and !@#($&*@!#$ George Iacovacci and Kelly Spanabel

www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/us/casino-cash-fuels-use-of-injured-horses-at-racetracks.html?pagewanted=all

There's a difference though. It's sad but true low level horses are sometimes raced until they drop. There are many in the game who try to make a living. It's terrible - especially when the wealthy do the same. The big names should set better examples, imho.

Readtjhe TImes article. We mention Del Mar's bad surface because of the huge spike in injuries and breakdown the last few years.

Those numbers are not including workout breakdowns or fatalities. Those are only race figures. Tracks with larger fields and more races will probably have more.

Wiz - I'm not knocking Del Mar as a venue. But, the surface is BAD.

no not really. because the guy has been training for 40 years and never had a year like that. as I have said, couldn't it possibly be an aberration? just a bad streak of luck? what are his numbers in the last 8 months? not nearly as bad. I know this. but the guy has a bad run of luck with his horses and his credibility gets questioned by a bunch of people who have no idea what they are talking about. maybe he doesn't have any answers to those questions? mayhbe he doesn't know why it happened? but now suddenly to his haters he is a pariah. I would be huffy too. once again though its a one way street. give everyone else the benefit of the doubt, but lets persecute baffert.