WINDSONG LEGACIES
Not much to add about the tragic passing of Windsong’s Legacy that hasn’t been posted on the major websites already though at least he’ll have three full crops and the remnants of what he was able to breed this year, which should positively reflect the stallion he was meant to be.

Undoubtedly, if the old adage concerning the prematurely departed holds true, his passing will probably be more lamented as time goes on.

Interestingly enough saw the one Windsong colt in a set of three, down at Southern Oaks and while he may have been the least impressive at the start of the mile, you couldn’t help but notice the colt suddenly get into gear while three wide on the final bend and roar past the other two in the stretch much like Windsong did with Cantab and Tom Ridge so many times.

If the Windsongs Legacy offspring inherit his desire and homestretch aptitude, they’ll be just fine.

CASINO POWERED
Once again the New Jersey racing program will be “Casino Powered” as the understanding regarding the subsidy is intact which will sustain and enhance the purses for the next few years.

While it may keep the machines out of the Meadowlands during this time period, there is now growing groundswell support amongst State legislators for the ultimate installment of the VLTs at the racetracks that would enable New Jersey to match or surpass the neighboring states of New York and Pennsylvania.

This means your New Jersey bred will be eligible to not only the New Jersey Sires Stakes with it’s increased finals but other State classics like the New Jersey Classic, Miss New Jersey, Charles Smith, Lou Babics etc.

Moreover, there’s that preference for NJOS (New Jersey owned or sired) written into many overnight events and the added monies for the mega stakes derived from the purse accounts will remain intact.

MORE THAN TECHNOLOGY NEEDED
Noticed the following quote emanating from those HTA sessions that “people have lost interest in our game and that racing must use technology to bring passion back to racing”
Sounds good on the surface but as NBC and the WWE so evidently illustrated with the now defunct XFL, all the technology in the world couldn’t overcome a sub par football product.

Perhaps a think tank type examination of the racing product as it has evolved, in association with erudite recommendations for it’s modernization and consumer acceptance should precede mere technological advancements to the incumbent presentation.

RUDY REDNOSE
Is Rudy Rednose faster than a speeding reindeer? So far it seems that way as the 3-year-old son of Red River Hanover-Armbro Althea has reeled off a trio of impressive victories at The Meadowlands and might just be the first of many 2008 success stories credited to his sire Red River Hanover.

Last year the full brother to established sires Rustler Hanover and Richess Hanover accounted for not one but two 1:51.3 2-year-old fillies in Miss Scarlett (Odds On JP) and Red In The Face (Pretty Daring) the latter attracting all of a bid of $8,000 at the 06 Harrisburg auction.

One might note that Rudy Rednose clocked an individual final quarter of :26.1 coming from 8th at the half in his latest 1:52.3 tally on a winter’s evening.

AUTHENTIC SALES REPORTS
Thought I noticed the down under magazines have added an extra column to their auction reports incorporating those actually sold with the number consigned and of course the prices and averages.

While it may take a little more deductive diligence to actually obtain this information, the end result is a more accurate reflection of what actually transpired at the sale.

Too often lumped in buy back numbers inaccurately impact stallion averages, which makes it too easy to formulate false conclusions.

LOCATION LOCATION
Hopefully no one will judge the ultimate potential of Meadowlands located slots or VLT’s by what’s happening at Yonkers for even though both plants are part of the great Tri-state megalopolis region, they’re distinctly different as far as geographical proximity.

Yonkers is located on Central Avenue, North in between The Bronx and upper crust Westchester county two twains that are not exactly on the same page.

Moreover, it’s a significant schlep from Manhattan and the other boros especially during rush hour-which on the Major Deegan happens like 24-7. In addition, once the machines are installed at Aqueduct, it will eliminate any thought of going up there from Long Island of which Brooklyn and Queens actually inhabit..

The Meadowlands meanwhile is a stone’s throw from Mid Manhattan smack dab in the most populated areas of Northern, New Jersey and adjacent to the always sold out Giants stadium. Once completed, the under construction train station will eliminate the need for those hated bridges and tunnels.

Consequently it would seem that sooner or later someone with vision and clout is liable to conclude that somewhere within the confines or the Sports Authority lies more than just a pipedream location for a full fledged Hotel-Casino.

Bob Marks