Nobody Knows Anything

Real Writing on Racing 💯

Echo Zulu crushing the Honorable Miss field

The late William Goldman, Oscar-winning writer of screenplays for “All the President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, coined the best line in the history of Hollywood, and it wasn’t even for one of his movies.

“Nobody knows anything.”

I don’t know if Mr Goldman was a horseplayer but surely the many of those who have watched some egregious stewardship lately would agree with his sentiment. After watching the Del Mar stewards botch a call last weekend where they DQ’ed a horse that did almost nothing and may have actually been the victim rather than the aggressor…the Saratoga stews decided to hold serve by not DQ’ing a horse that swerved into and impeded a rival midway down the stretch in yesterdays finale. It has gotten to be annoyingly difficult to have any understanding of what exactly constitutes a foul on the racetrack these days as what often seem like minor transgressions are leading to 10 minute delays and occasional disqualifications yet rampant herding is completely ignored. We have spoken about this troubling aspect of the game at length on the Big Monday show over the years and it’s simply not getting better. After the latest two transgressions in coast to coast booths, it’s more difficult than ever to know what is or isn’t okay which leads to more and more angst among bettors and horsemen, who far too often feel “ripped off” after the verdicts are announced.

Among both underlying and obvious issues are a distinct lack of accountability, insufficient training, poor communication, suspect understanding of the rules, aloofness, arrogance and the hiring of those simply not properly equipped to be good stewards in an era where the position is becoming more complicated. Booth decisions are generally a consensus between three judges so the individuals that are competent and well suited to be a modern day steward can be swept up in the tide of their colleagues incompetency. A major issue that we are being subjected to is many stewards that are simply put, not proficient at their jobs. Yet with transparency being non-existent in regards to the hiring and retention of these people, added to virtually no accountability as well as racing board overseers who don’t seem to have any clue that a problem even exists…the vicious cycle just keeps spinning.

⭐️ Echo Zulu….wow! Ever since her ‘tour de force’ campaign culminating with an Eclipse award as two year old filly champion, things have seemed sorta off with the speedy Gun Runner filly. She got off to a late start as a three year old for undefined reasons before underwhelming in her only prep for the Kentucky Oaks where she pressed the pace and faded late in the 9 furlong filly classic, snapping her undefeated streak at five. She was odds-on cutting back to a mile in the Acorn (Gr I) on the Belmont undercard but jockey Joel Rosario didn’t like the way she warmed up and she was scratched moments before the race. Echo Zulu’s return to the races in September was an easy score on a Churchill Downs night card in the grade III Dogwood over middling competition which served as her only prep for last November’s Breeders Cup F/M sprint. Taken back for the first time in her career, she loomed while racing wide but was unable to out kick winner Midnight Olive, setting for the runner up spot in a good but not great performance. Her star had definitely lost some luster heading into this season, she was going to strictly sprint and to be frank, sprinters don’t get much love unless they do something extraordinary. Her four year old debut was a solid one, basically racing against the clock and four other overmatched foes in the Winning Colors (Gr III) at Churchill in late May. Yesterday’s Honorable Miss (Gr II) only featured three other rivals but these were far better than her Kentucky competition. Frank’s Rockette had complied an excellent lifetime record of 27-12-9-3 good for $1.4 million in earnings, winner of three stakes in a row coming in to yesterdays race. Maryquitecontrary had won six of eight lifetime starts with two seconds, her prior race was a good second to the aforementioned Goodnight Olive in the Madison (Gr I) at Keeneland. Dr B was 18-5-6-2 and a grade III winner of almost $400k. Yesterday Echo Zulu made them look like cheap platers, setting a rapid pace under a light hold of Florent Geroux before really turning it on in the stretch, effortlessly widening to win by over 7 lengths. The chart said that she was geared down late in 1:08.76 good for a whopping 112 Beyer Speed figure which ties Cody’s Wish in the Met Mile for fastest of the year. Her next expected start is in the August 26 Ballerina (Gr I), one of the few grade I stakes available for filly sprinters. (Click here for a replay of the race)

🏇🏻 Race three was a 2yo NY bred maiden going 5.5f on the grass which was won by 4-5 favorite Gram for Clement/Rosario, the Maclean’s Music filly getting up late, benefitting from a solid run at downstate to defeat the group of mostly first-timers. John Velazquez was unseated when his mount, Love Thyself ducked in sharply shortly after the start. He was sent to Albany Medical complaining of pain in his left wrist but thankfully the X-rays revealed no serious injuries per his agent Ron Anderson.

📝 Race 10 was a doozy of a way to finish the card (see opening rant about stewards above) with Linda Rice and Jose Ortiz bagging three winners on the day. Rather than rehash, I will just let you read the chart callers comments from the finale, a rare work of equibase literature ⬇️

🥵 Colonial Downs has cancelled tomorrows card due to excessive heat in the central Virginia region.

👏🏼 This letter to the editor of TDN was tremendous and for anyone with any connection to racing in any capacity this should be required reading. Check it out Here.

🆓 Free DRF past performances for Del Mar race 7 today, the Fleet Treat Stakes can be found here

Silks race of the week is todays 6th from Saratoga

The day Birdstone threw cold water on the Smarty Party