Steve has been covering North American
thoroughbred racing for more than three
decades. He is a regular contributor to
Daily Racing Form's Simulcast Weekly. His
column will appear on Bodog.com in
this space each week.
American Racing's Biggest Problem
And Up-to-date, Weighted Rankings of
the Best American Racehorses
A Column by Steve Davidowitz
July 18, 2007
Aside from the high caliber of racing
we are set to experience at Del Mar in
Southern California and at Saratoga in
upstate New York, it is difficult to
remain silent about the most important
issue plaguing racing on these shores.
I am talking specifically about performance
enhancing and pain reducing drugs administered
for racing purposes.
Consider this fact: Every racing jurisdiction
in Canada and the United States permits
the use of powerful drugs, such as the
diuretic furosemide (Lasix) and the analgesic
phenylbutazone (Bute), when no other
country in the world permits similar
drugs for racing purposes.
Unfortunately, American drug testing,
while quite comprehensive in some states,
is under-financed in too many jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, veterinarians who work with
racehorses on the backstretch are given
far too many liberties in prescribing
and applying “medications” (read
that as d-r-u-g-s). Some of these drugs
go way beyond helping racehorses recover
from aches, pains and temporary maladies.
Some, in fact, screen pain and tacitly
encourage trainers to run their horses
with minor ailments, while their pain-warning
systems are shut down or severely muted.
Moreover, the drug problem in American
racing is not just limited to masking
minor aches and pains. The problem is
quite similar, in fact, to the performance
enhancing issues faced by other professional
sports all over the world - from American
baseball to international cycling to
Olympic track and field.
There are corticosteroids and equine
growth hormones; there are marginally
known performance enhancing substances;
and, as we learned from the case that
is building against trainer Patrick Biancone,
there may be dreaded snake venom thrown
into the mix.
While I am not a vet, or horse trainer,
or racing official, I have been watching
and betting on horses for more than 40
years and do believe there are some practical
steps that racing officials could take
to severely curtail drug abuse in the
American game. Here specifically is one
horseplayer's considered suggestion that
attempts to deal with the realities at
hand and incorporates several practical
components.
* Every racetrack should have a refrigerated,
state controlled commissary stocked with
the major therapeutic medications for
each registered, practicing track vet.
The key to this idea would be to bar
all vets from bringing any medications
from outside the racetrack into the restricted
barn area.
* All medications, in fact, should be
dispensed at the commissary under state
supervision directly to registered track
vets before they begin their rounds of
the horses under their care each morning.
* At the end of their rounds, all medications
that have not been dispensed should be
returned to the commissary. Failure to
do so would result in fines and suspensions
for the offending vets.
* To deal quickly with unusual illnesses
and injuries, the commissary would also
have a state supervised emergency truck
filled with the most exotic medications
needed to treat emergency issues as needed.
* Beyond this approach to dispensing
drugs for therapeutic purposes, the penalties
for violations must be more severe in
every case. No longer should an assistant
trainer be given the reins to the horses
under a suspended trainer's license.
No longer should the racing industry
tolerate repeat offenders, even if they
are national leaders such as Steve Asmussen
or Todd Pletcher or any of the other
headline makers.
Although the vast majority of trainers
work with talented, honest vets, even
the hard working, extremely honest trainers
such as Michael Dickenson have trouble
dealing with the practices in vogue today.
Speaking candidly in a public forum last
March, Dickenson admitted that he uses
steroids on his horses to stay competitive
in a game where others are taking such
liberties.
The only way to change that, Dickenson
said, “is to strictly control access.” That
is precisely the rationale behind my
proposal, but even with support from
trainers such as this two-time Breeders'
Cup winner and others, there is no evidence
that American racing officials in any
state have the fortitude to press for
the reforms this issue deserves. Your
comments are welcome.
Steve's private, weighted rankings of
the top American horses, three years
old and up, males and females:
Although the 2006 Horse of the Year
Invasor has been retired due to injury
and the Belmont Stakes winner Rags to
Riches spiked a temperature last weekend
and is skipping the $300,000 Coaching
Club American Oaks (G1) at Belmont on
Saturday, we are entering a 100-day period
of top-notch American racing. That fact
is underlined by the opening of Del Mar's
43-day race meet this week and Saratoga's
36-day session next week where more than
50 graded stakes races will be run at
those two tracks from now through September
5. This annual summer stakes frenzy will
continue unabated through September and
October at several major tracks as the
leading horses in every division prepare
for the two-day Breeders' Cup extravaganza
at Monmouth Park on October 26 and 27.
After watching the results of more than
two dozen major stakes since my initial
2007 rankings were first published here
on June 20 (see archived column), several
adjustments and additions have been made.
Suggestion: Horseplayers might consider
these relative rankings when horses in
the same division face each other under
favorable weights at suitable distances.
Please also note that horses whose weighted
ranking are higher than the initial June
20 list as well as horses that are listed
here for the first time are italicized.
Three-year-olds, 1 1/4 miles on dirt
(top 23 rated):
Curlin (129); Street Sense (129); Any
Given Saturday (125); Rags to Riches,
filly (124); Hard Spun (122); Chelokee
(121); Tiago (121); Nobiz Like Shobiz
(118); C P West (117); Sightseeing (117);
Zanjero (117); Sam P (116); Circular
Quay (116); Scat Daddy (116); Delightful
Kiss (115); Imawildandcrazyguy (115);
Great Hunter (114); Song of Navarone
(114); Xchanger; (114); Sedgefield (113);
Dominican (113); Slew's Tizzy (113);
Cowtown Cat (112).
Notes: Rags to Riches is actually the
theoretical co-high weight in my three-year-old
rankings at this distance due to her
five-pound sex allowance. . . Any Given
Saturday looked very strong winning the
$147,000 Dwyer Stakes (G2) over Nobiz
Like Shobiz at Belmont Park on July 4.
Apparently the rest did Any Given Saturday
a world of good. . . . Xchanger won Delaware
Park's version of the $300,000 Barbaro
Stakes (G3) on July 15, while King of
the Roxy was a fair second. . . . Tiago
defeated Albertus Maximus and Souvenir
Slew in the $350,000 Swaps Stakes (G2)
at Hollywood Park on July 14. The latter
pair looked more like milers (see below)
than true distances horses.
Three-year-olds, one mile on dirt (top
12 rated):
Hard Spun (123); Teuflesberg (118);
Xchanger (117); Most Distinguished (117);
Time To Get Even (117); Stormello (116);
Desert Code (114); Albertus Maximus (114);
Black Seventeen (114); King of the Roxy
(113); Souvenir Slew (112). Dream Rush,
filly (110).
Notes: Dream Rush was a powerful winner
of the 6 furlong, $250,000 Prioress Stakes
(G1) at Belmont on July 7 and still seems
likely to carry her speed at least a
mile when she is trained to do that.
. . . Black Seventeen, one of the best
three-year-old sprinters in America,
won the 6 furlong, $300,000 Carry Back
Stakes (G2) at Calder Racecourse on July
7. A mile may be slightly beyond his
best powers.
Three-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles
on dirt (top 8 rated):
Rags to Riches (130); Octave (121);
Magnificence (120); Moon Catcher (119);
Winning Point (118); Cotton Blossom (117);
Boca Grande (116); Dream Rush (115).
Notes: Moon Catcher scored a narrow
victory over a game Winning Point in
the $500,000 Delaware Oaks (G2) on July
14. Heavily favored Cotton Blossom was
a lackluster third. Boca Grande needs
to step it up if she is going to remain
on this list.
Fillies and mares four years old and
up, 1 1/8 miles (top 6 rated):
Nahoba's Key (121); Unbridled Belle
(119); Balance (119); Indian Vale (117);
Ermine (116); Take D'Tour (116).
Notes: Nashoba's Key scored a narrow
but measured victory over Balance in
the $300,000 Vanity Handicap (G1) at
Hollywood Park on July 7. ‘Nashoba'
is a versatile, natural router on the
improve, headed to the Breeders' Cup
Distaff or the Breeders' Cup Filly and
Mare Turf. . . . Unbridled Belle had
good overall form before she upset the
$1 million Delaware Handicap (G2) on
July 15. Her heavily favored stablemate
Indian Vale ran a disappointing fifth.
Four-year-olds and up, one mile on the
turf (top 15 rated):
The Tin Man (123); Kip Deville (122);
Art Master (121); My Typhoon, filly (118);
Lady of Venice, filly (117); Therecomesatiger
(117); Remarkable News (117); Price Tag,
filly (116); Wait A While, filly (116);
Karen's Caper, filly (116); Showing Up
(116); Quite A Bride, filly (115). Woodlander
(114); Jet Propulsion (113); Precious
Kitten, filly (112).
Notes: Art Master turned in a very strong
performance to win the $100,000 Poker
Handicap (G3) over Woodlander at one
mile on the Belmont turf on July 14.
. . . Lady of Venice won the $1 million
CashCall Mile on July 6, with Precious
Kitten a respectable second and versatile
Price Tag, who needs more distance, checking
in third.
Four-year-olds and up, 1 1/4 miles on
the turf (top 14 rated):
The Tin Man (125); Better Talk Now (123);
English Channel (123); After Market (123);
Lava Man (122); Sunriver (121); Einstein
(120); Sky Conqueror (118); Honey Ryder,
filly (118); Jambalaya (117); Obrigado
(117); Stormin Away (117); Shakis (117);
Cosmonaut (116).
Notes: English Channel turned in a smooth
winning performance in the $750,000 United
Nation's Handicap (G1) at Monmouth Park
on the turf on July 7. Honey Ryder was
a good second and Better Talk Now was
a late moving but non-threatening third.
. . . Sunriver won the $150,000 Bowling
Green Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on the
Belmont turf course in a manner that
suggests he will be a good fit at Saratoga
or perhaps as a potential in the money
prospect for the Arlington Million on
August 11.
Four-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs (top
14 rated):
Smokey Stover (125); Fabulous Strike
(123); Songster (123); Kelly's Landing
(121); Mach Ride (120); Dream Rush, filly
(118); Bordonaro (118); Thor's Echo (118);
Will He Shine (118); Bilo (117); Suave
Jazz (117); Siren Lure (116); Indian
Flare, filly (114), Battle Won (114).
Notes: Although both Smokey Stover and
Fabulous Strike were defeated by Mach
Ride in the $500,000 Smile Sprint Handicap
(G2) at Calder Racecourse on July 7,
the track was sloppy and the results
were not true indications of their respective
talents. . . . Bilo scored a game wire-to-wire
win in the $300,000 Triple Bend Handicap
at 7 furlongs at Hollywood Park on July
7. . . . Surf Cat, prepping for longer,
was a sharp second and consistent sprinter
Battle Won was third.
Four-year-olds and up, 1 1/4 miles on
dirt (top 20 rated):
Invasor (133, retired); Discreet Cat
(126, absent several months); Pyramid
Tap (126, training in Saudi Arabia);
Brass Hat (124); Lawyer Ron (124); Lava
Man (123); Flashy Bull (123); Fairbanks
(122); Surf Cat (121); Master Command
(120); Political Force (120); Corinthian
(119); Buzzards Bay (119); Magna Graduate
(119); Diamond Stripes (119); Molengao
(118); Bob and John (116); Sun King (116);
Boboman (115); Wanderin Boy (114).
Notes: The handicap division is wide
open for obvious reasons, with several
new faces and important stakes on the
horizon. . . . Fairbanks, for instance,
is lightly raced and improving rapidly
and Brass Hat, a high-quality older horse,
is on the comeback trail. . . . Stay
tuned for analysis of their next outings,
along with other graded stakes at Saratoga
and Del Mar.
Steve Davidowitz will be hosting a handicapping
seminar in front of the Del Mar grandstand
at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21. This
will be followed by a signing session
for his popular new book, The Best and
Worst of Thoroughbred Racing, at the
Del Mar Gift Shop near the main entrance.
Steve Davidowitz has been covering major
American stakes for more than three decades.
He is the author of the seminal handicapping
book, Betting Thoroughbreds (Dutton/Plume),
first published in 1977 and substantially
expanded and updated in 1997. Steve is
also a regular contributor to Daily Racing
Form's Simulcast Weekly and DRF Plus
and is the author of the recently released,
highly acclaimed book, The Best and Worst
of Thoroughbred Racing (DRF Press), a
collection of historical lists and essays
about every facet of the American racing
game. His columns will appear on Bodog.com
in this space each week.
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