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Suffolk Downs, Horsemen Agree on Contract
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/69630/suffolk-downs-horsemen-agree-on-contract

After months of wrangling over minor details in the contract for the 2012 live meet that begins June 2, Suffolk Downs and the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association have reached an agreement.

According to a source close to the negotiations, the deal calls for the Massachusetts racetrack to maintain a minimum of $8.25 million in purses over 80 days of live racing. The daily overnight purse distribution of $103,125 would be the same that was paid last year.

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Delaware Park reaches agreement with horsemen
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2012/05/08/delaware-park-reaches-agreement-with-horsemen.aspx

Delaware Park and the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (DTHA) signed a one-year agreement last week, in time for opening day of the 2012 season this Saturday. “Of course our horsemen are relieved to have a contract in place to eliminate the uncertainty of purse levels and race days,” Madeline Locke, president of the DTHA, said.

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Preakness Notes: Large Field Expected
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/69625/preakness-notes-large-field-expected

I’ll Have Another is the first Kentucky Derby winner in more than a decade to ship into Pimlico within a week of the race in Louisville. Since O’Neill is based in California and he does not have a division stabled in Kentucky, he decided to send his Derby winner straight to Baltimore and give him plenty of time to adjust to a new track.

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On to the Preakness for I’ll Have Another
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/06/2786714/on-to-the-preakness-for-ill-have.html

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Doug O’Neill spent all evening celebrating I’ll Have Another’s victory in the Kentucky Derby, finally returning to his hotel room about 2 a.m. Sunday.

The party began at the trainer’s barn at Churchill Downs, moved to a charity dinner and ended up at a downtown hotel where the colt’s owner, J. Paul Reddam, had reserved the 25th floor for about 100 people.

As O’Neill walked to his room, he saw dozens of morning newspapers lining the hallway. The bold black headline blared, “I’ll Have Another!” with a huge photo of the chestnut colt edging past Bodemeister to win the Derby by 1 1/2 lengths.

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Police: Body found at Kentucky Derby track – Horse Racing – MiamiHerald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/06/2786162/police-person-found-dead-at-ky.html

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Police say a body has been found in the backside area at Churchill Downs, a few barns away from where Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another is kept.

Louisville police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley says authorities were called early Sunday morning to a barn on the backside of the track where the derby took place the night before.

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Negativity surrounding horse racing must stop – DailyHerald.com
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120505/sports/705059782/

On this day, overcast skies above Arlington Park couldn’t cast a pall over the track specifically or the sport generally.

In the coming months around here there also will be the Arlington Million and around the country the other Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup races. The rest of the time the sport is dominated by gloom and doom regardless of the weather.

Ask the average person on the street about horse racing and he or she probably thinks it’s dying if not dead already. The staff at Arlington accentuates the positive, but sometimes they don’t have enough fingers to plug the holes.

There are enough crises, scandals and controversies annually to last a lifetime, which has to be depressing for such a great product conducted in such beautiful venues like Arlington.

Good things are happening in horse racing but too much of it is obscured by bickering, protesting and disputing.

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Jockeys lament losing Kentucky Derby run | NOLA.com
http://www.nola.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2012/05/jockeys_lament_losing_kentucky.html

LOUISVILLE, KY. — As usual after a Derby, some jockeys who rode losing horses were lamenting their misfortune.

Union Rags, who was the second choice in the betting behind Bodemeister, fell far behind early before rallying to finish seventh.

“He broke a step slow, and he usually breaks well from the gate,” said Julien Leparoux, who rode Union Rags. “Then we got bumped, and we dropped far back. After the first turn and on the backside, I tried to find room inside, but I had nowhere to go where I can make a move.”

Dullahan rallied to finish third for Louisiana-born jockey Kent Desormeaux. “He was starting to get disgruntled because of all the sand he had eaten,” Desormeaux said. “I was encouraging him to go faster, but he was slowing down. When I made my move turning for home, two horses peeled out in front of me, and I ended up going nine wide.”

John Velazquez, who rode fourth-place finisher Went the Day Well, said he broke slowly. 

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Kentucky Derby day sets records for handle, attendance – Thoroughbred Times
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2012/05/05/derby-handle-attendance.aspx

It was a record-breaking 138th running of the $2-million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on Saturday as a crowd of 165,307, the largest in history, gathered on a beautiful day at Churchill Downs to watch Reddam Racing’s California-based I’ll Have Another rally to defeat favored Bodemeister and win the roses that go to the winner of America’s greatest race.   The on-track attendance erased the previous record of 164,858 that was established just last year. The record attendance prior to 2011 was the crowd of 163,628 who gathered for the 100th Kentucky Derby in 1974.

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Storms Lead to Cancellation of CD Training | BloodHorse.com
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/69526/storms-lead-to-cancellation-of-cd-training

With heavy overnight thunderstorms still producing severe lightning on Derby morning, May 5, at Churchill Downs, the Louisville track cancelled the limited training that was scheduled to take place between 6-8 a.m.

Butch Lehr, the track superintendent who is overseeing his final Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) before retirement, was unavailable early to discuss the track condition because he was tied up with track maintenance duties.

CD vice president of communications John Asher said Churchill had sealed the track (packing it down so water runs off) in anticipation of the storms that resulted in about an inch of precipitation overnight.

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For those of you who may not have seen this yet, here is my video on the 2012 Kentucky Derby. There are some pointers on investing for value in the video that you may find helpful.

www.winnersform.com/kentucky-derby-2012

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