LAS VEGAS - Conventional wisdom says that gambling is a recession-proof business. Wall Street seems to agree these days, as gaming stocks are one of the market's strongest sectors in the current economic downturn. Perhaps their prices are right, but you sure wouldn't know it after spending a little time here in the capital of American gambling.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - When horseplayers tell non-horseplayers about their life's passion, they are invariably met with a skeptical response: "Aren't the races fixed?"
To this question, I have always given an ambivalent answer: "Yes, there's larceny in the game - trainers cheating with drugs, jockeys pulling horses - but it's almost always perpetrated by an individual trying to get an edge. In my whole life, there have been only one or two occasions when I think I've seen a conspiracy to fix a race."
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - For as long as Thoroughbreds have competed, racing men have admired horses short of stature but long on courage. At the sales ring, they always buy the big, good-looking individuals, and at the cocktail hour the good stories are almost always about the little colt that could.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The town of Caloocan sits just north of Manila, hard by Manila Bay, and for nine years Luis Asistio served the people of Caloocan as their congressman in the Philippine legislature. It wasn't an easy job, as anyone knows if they've paid any attention to the news. The Philippines tends to make headlines, and not just because of Imelda's shoes.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It will be 40 years on Florida Derby Day in March since a filly posed a genuine threat in Gulfstream Park's signature race, and that filly was Cicada.
She was more than just a threat. She was the real McCoy, tough, talented and tenacious, and she probably should have won the 1962 Florida Derby under Bill Shoemaker. The key reason she didn't win, the key reason Ridan prevailed by a nose in one of the great stretch duels of our time, was the brilliant ride Ridan received from Manuel Ycaza.
ARCADIA, Calif. - At first glance, it would appear as if Richard Mandella has come to believe all the nice things that have been said about him and hired his own film crew. For the past month, as the freshly minted Hall of Fame trainer has gone about his business at Santa Anita, there has been a camera and microphone hovering nearby, capturing his every move.
See Mandella do the training chart.
See Mandella feel a leg.
See Mandella chase reporters off his newly planted grass.
ARCADIA, Calif. - It is probably safe to assume that Eddie Delahoussaye is the only guy to have a losing ride depicted in life-size bronze and displayed for all the world to see. So much for ego control.
"Against All Odds" is the name of the sculpture that stands sentry over the paddock at Arlington Park in Chicago. Delahoussaye's image is astride The Bart, and they are in the process of losing a heart-ripping head bob to Bill Shoemaker and John Henry in the 1981 running of the Arlington Million.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - So far, so good.
Booklet got off to a good start for his new owner, John Oxley, leading every step of the way to win Saturday's $100,000 Holy Bull Stakes for 3-year-olds. It is an accomplishment for a relatively inexperienced horse to make all the pace and win a stakes going a distance. Trainer John Ward was cautiously pleased with Booklet, a Notebook colt he purchased privately several weeks ago on behalf of Oxley, owner of last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Monarchos.
ARCADIA, Calif. - One of the goofiest boondoggles in racing is the astrological analysis of a racehorse. Yes, they abound, and they pretend to deliver strong indications of horse performance based on horoscopic readings.
Unfortunately, they neglect to account for the fact that Thoroughbreds are not conceived in a random fashion, and their birthdates fall only within four or five months of the year. But that's nitpicking.
NEW YORK - Magna Entertain-ment is taking all the fun out of seeing who will come up with the worst idea of the year in Thoroughbred racing. A mere three weeks into 2002, Magna is floating a proposal that seems certain to remain No. 1 on the charts for the remainder of the season.