Value Tech Blog

The one track in the US I would least like to see lose racing days!

HORSE RACING: Del Mar contemplates options if race days are canceled – North County Times
http://www.nctimes.com/sports/article_2fcc2b19-85fe-52bc-814d-005053c3dfb5.html

With just more than a month until its meet begins, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has no policy in place for patrons should any of its 37 days of racing be canceled due to a lack of entries. But it’s working on it.

The Southern California horse population has diminished so much this year that four-day race weeks are the rule rather than the exception. Del Mar will attempt to race five days a week for seven weeks beginning July 20, but any missed days could be a public relations nightmare.

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To Mr. Stronach. 

Penn National sells stake in Maryland Jockey Club
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-06-16/business/bs-bz-penn-jockey-club-sale-20110616_1_mi-developments-maryland-jockey-club-frank-stronach

The co-owners of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course have ended their tumultuous one-year partnership, leaving Maryland’s thoroughbred racetrack operator with a single owner.

Penn National Gaming said Thursday it had agreed to sell its minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club to horse owner and breeder Frank Stronach.

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The saga continues.  If the incident at the beginning if the Belmont with Mr. Maragh was indeed intentional, it’s even more serious. 

Animal Kingdom sustains minor injury in Belmont Stake
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2011/06/16/animal-kingdom-injured.aspx

Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Animal Kingdom sustained an injury to his left hind leg in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and is expected to be inactive for about two weeks

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Terry is a real professional  

Oaklawn Park announcer steps down
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/16/2269859/oaklawn-park-announcer-steps-down.html

Oaklawn Park’s longtime track announcer Terry Wallace has announced his retirement. Wallace recently completed his 37th year as the track’s announcer.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

I don’t know about this:  Maragh has the means, opportunity, and most of all motive. And it sure looks to me like he was the cause.

Belmont Stakes 2011: Isn’t He Perfect Isn’t the Only One to Blame | Bleacher Report
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/735593-belmont-stakes-2011-isnt-he-perfect-isnt-the-only-one-to-blame

The blame of Animal Kingdom’s bad fortune seems to have fallen on one horse in the Belmont Stakes (G1), but is Isn’t He Perfect really the sole horse to blame?

Animal Kingdom tripped and almost unseated his rider soon after the break of the race on Saturday and was instantly defeated. But most feel content to blame the bad luck on Isn’t He Perfect, a horse that didn’t belong in the race and wasn’t the only factor contributing to Animal Kingdom’s bad luck.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

WV Derby on the Table for Shackleford
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/63575/wv-derby-on-the-table-for-shackleford

It was widely publicized in the week leading up to the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) that trainer Dale Romans was unaware he was in line for a $50,000 bonus if Shackleford won the second leg of the Triple Crown.

That bonus, offered by MI Developments to the winning Preakness trainer as part of the new “Preakness 5.5,” was a welcome surprise for Romans after the son of Forestry   pulled a 12-1 upset May 21 at Pimlico Race Course, as was the $500,000 Mike Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge received for the owners’ share of the prize.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

If this sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard me preach these basic points for years. Didn’t know Mr. Lipper was a handicapper, but it would stand to reason…

Michael Lipper: Why fund selection is a lot like horse racing – Citywire.co.uk
http://www.citywire.co.uk/global/michael-lipper-why-fund-selection-is-a-lot-like-horse-racing/a499120?ref=citywire-global-latest-news-list

As many of our blog community members and readers of my book, MONEYWISE already know, I credit the US Marine Corps and the racetrack as my two great educational experiences; as distinct from Columbia University, from which I graduated. What little I know about security analysis and mutual fund selection is based on what I learned at the race track.

For those who have a detail orientation and are comfortable with basic arithmetic, the task of analyzing races is a great challenge and a pleasure. Just some of the items to take into consideration are the track records of the horses, their parents, the trainers and the jockeys. These factors are vital in terms of the winning results, but more importantly, the conditions under which the records were produced. The objective of all this study is to pick net winning bets, (winning more dollars than losing). Note by setting this goal I am accepting the reality that a number of the bets will be losers. I do not expect to win with every bet. I carry this expectation into my investing in funds and individual securities.

(via Instapaper)

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

I tend to believe Velazquez…Jockeys are human after all and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Maragh was out for a bit of payback without hurting his own horse’s chances. The lesson here is how many random factors there are in a horse race, and why finding value horses at a price is so important  

Belmont Stakes 2011: John Velazquez has harsh words for Rajiv Maragh – ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown2011/news/story?id=6653714&campaign=rss&source=HORSEHeadlines

ELMONT, N.Y. — John Velazquez said he believes that jockey Rajiv Maragh was careless in his handling of Isn’t He Perfect shortly after the start of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, causing Velazquez to nearly become unseated from Animal Kingdom in the early stages of the race. Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up eventually finished sixth as the 5-2 favorite in the Belmont.
Further, Velazquez said he thinks Maragh may have deliberately taken a left-hand turn aboard Isn’t He Perfect to impede Mucho Macho Man, a horse Maragh had been taken off after riding him in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Mucho Macho Man, under Ramon Dominguez, broke from post 10, in between Animal Kingdom and Isn’t He Perfect.

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Obviously, Ruler On Ice came out of the Belmont in great shape…

Belmont Winner Back at Monmouth | BloodHorse.com
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/63542/belmont-winner-back-at-monmouth

A morning after his stunning upset in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) June 11, Ruler On Ice was back at his Monmouth Park barn in perfect shape, according to his trainer Kelly Breen.         “It’s like he never even ran,” said Breen, a 42-year-old resident of Farmingdale, N.J, on June 12. “It’s amazing how good he’s doing. He just ran a mile and a half like it was nothing.”

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

: 

Fine article about the Belmont with stunning photos. Agree with the author about Brilliant Speed. He looked like a winner mid stretch…

Belmont Stakes Results: 5 Things We Took from the Race | Bleacher Report
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/731643-2011-belmont-stakes-results-5-things-we-took-from-the-race

The Belmont Stakes is over, and with it, the 2011 Triple Crown season.

But the horse racing season most certainly isn’t over, and this race only opens up many more questions for the last six months of 2011.

What can we take from the Belmont? 

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology