The Week in Review: Nest Belongs in the Travers

Mike Repole, Michael House and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Todd Pletcher have already shown that they will think outside the box. They ran their filly in the GI Belmont S. and she finished second despite stumbling and getting bumped at the start.

Nest (Curlin) won the CCA Oaks on Saturday. She will probably go in the GI Alabama on August 20th. Todd Pletcher is leaning towards the Travers S. for her. Nest got a 104 Beyer for winning the American Oaks. She finished second in GI Belmont S., where she finished with a stumbling start. Her stablemate, Charge It (Tapit), got 111 Beyers for his GIII Dwyer S win. The Traver's is a tough race. Jack Christopher finished third in Haskell. Uncle Mo was injured in that race and is out. It's a sport where there are few chance-takers.

Fixed odds betting is only available on Monmouth Park races and only to on-track customers at Monmmouth. Wednesday following the MLB All-Star game is the slowest day of the year for sports betting. Fixed odds wagering needs to be available to all sports bettors.

Juan Vazquez was banned from horse racing in New York until January 26, 2025. He was allowed to run horses in Saratoga despite the Pennsylvania suspension. Vazzquez shipped a horse from Belmont to Parx that had to be put down. The Pennsylvania stewards said his actions were negligent, cruel and abusive.  The New york commission tried to take credit for something it had nothing to do with.

Jack Christopher didn't look good in the Haskell. He's still a very fast horse. Trainer Chad Brown can look to races like the GI Allen Jerkens Memorial and maybe the GIB Breeders' Cup Sprint.