5 horse racing questions, from Del Mar to Santa Anita
Time to clean out the old mailbox and let The Answer Man do his thing after a few days off basking in the afterglow of a profitable Breeders’ Cup.
Q: What’s up with Trevor Denman missing another Del Mar meet? Is Trevor sick or cutting back on his regular duties?
A: No worries. Denman told me a couple years back that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. He still enjoys coming to Del Mar from his farm in Minnesota every summer. He’s decided to cut back on his work schedule and work only summers. We’re lucky enough to have Larry Collmus filling in when Trevor stays home. Collmus, the voice of the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, is working his fourth Bing Crosby meet this fall. Collmus debuted at Del Mar in the summer of 2020 during COVID. “I love the area. I love seeing a bunch of people I don’t get to see around and, of course, the quality of racing is terrific,” Collmus told Jim Charvat of Del Mar publicity. “It always puts you in a good mood when you get here.”
Q: I enjoyed reading your newspaper’s Breeders’ Cup coverage. I love getting bets down on the Kentucky Derby way in advance. Any advice on who to bet?
A: Start with Fierceness, one of the most impressive winners during Breeders’ Cup weekend. The son of City of Light blew away his rivals in the Juvenile by 6¾ lengths in a very impressive time of 1:41.90 for the mile and a sixteenth – the fastest since Midshipman won in 1:40.94 in 2008. He looked like the real deal in defeating such talented opposition as Timberlake, Muth and Locked. Any of those three would also be worth dropping a few bucks on in a Derby Future Wager. And, of course, there’s always the possibility the Derby winner has not even raced yet. Remember a colt named Justify, who didn’t make his first career start until three months before the Derby?
Q: Last year Flightline was an easy choice for Horse of the Year. Who you voting for this year?
A: As chronicled in this space last week, it’s a three-horse race between White Abarrio, Cody’s Wish and Idiomatic. Unlike last year, when someone who didn’t vote for Flightline needed to be blood tested, any of this year’s candidates are deserving winners. Arcangelo, who won the Belmont and Travers, might also earn a few votes. The guess here is that Cody’s Wish takes home the award because of the heartwarming story about Cody Dorman, a young man with a genetic disorder, and his namesake. Dorman, 17, died the day after Cody’s Wish won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita following a medical event.
Q: I went to the races recently with my sister and brother-in-law and we enjoyed ourselves. During the afternoon a horse fell and had to be vanned off the track. My sister is a huge animal lover and it upset her a great deal, enough so that she never wants to go back to the races again. Is this a common occurrence?
A: Unfortunately it’s the part of the sport that sickens us all. These 1,000-pound animals with their spindly legs can’t withstand a broken limb like us humans. But I take exception with those who say horse racing is cruel and should be abolished. Ninety-nine percent of the horses stabled at Santa Anita, Del Mar, Los Alamitos and San Luis Rey Downs are treated better than most people. Their grooms, who care for them 24/7, love them like family members and are devastated when one goes down and has to be euthanized. Same with their owners and trainers. Most horsemen are in the game because of their love for animals. They have hearts that shatter when something goes wrong with one of their equine athletes.
Q: Looking forward to another Santa Anita meet. When does racing start there and for how long?
A: The Great Race Place is scheduled for its traditional Dec. 26 opening and will race through June 18. The meeting is divided into two seasons – the Classic Meet and the Hollywood Meet. The track is now selling tickets for opening day and the Classic Meet that will include the Santa Anita Handicap (March 2) and Santa Anita Derby (April 6). For more information, log on to santaanita.com.
