CONGRATS KAREN
Seldom comment on awards but in the case of Dr. Karyn Malinowski’s nomination as New Jersey Horse Person of the year by the equine division of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, we’ll make an exception.

Can think of no better friend to the horse industry in general than Dr. Malinowski whose reports on the impact of the equine industry to the State clearly illustrated the economic benefits the industry actually provides.

Bravo! A well deserved award.

THAT’S MATT
They jumped Matt’s Scooter the other day and the 25-year-old former world’s fastest harness horse seemed ready willing and still able to service the handful of mares he’s expected to attract this spring.

NO LAUGHING MATTER
McArdle’s own Only When I Laugh was listed third in the annual experimental ratings for 3-year-old pacing colts-behind Sportswriter and All Speed Hanover. Only When I Laugh was by far the most prominent Pennsylvania bred freshman pacing colt last year and may just portend a successful stint in the Keystone state for his sire McArdle.

This year Perretti Farms will send 15 select Pennsylvania eligible McArdle colts and fillies to the autumn auctions including the full sister to McGibson., There’s also brothers and sisters to Drop Red, Galimony, Neal Diamonique, Get Out of Dodge, and Rudy Rednose to name a few.

NEW ROCKERS
The 2010 Perretti consignments will also feature a number of first time Rocknroll Hanover’s from some prominent mares including ROCK KING ROLL, the first foal of the celebrated Lady Mattgalane. Of interest too might be ROCKTAIL PARTY the first Rocknroll Hanover from Party Animal dam of Carnivore (Real Desire) and Cartniverous (Artiscape) those two with almost $900,000 carded respectively. Then there’s ROCKULESE the first Rocknroll Hanover from Pumped and as such a half brother to $600,000+ winner Artcotic, (Artiscape)

Our Canadian friends might note ROCKAROUND SUE the first foal of Promysquous Lady who we understand made more than a few friends up Ontario way,

AQUEDUCT REALITIES
It appears the installation of gaming at Aqueduct is finally going to happen which can’t be good news for the good folks at Yonkers.

As one who grew up on Long Island in the shadow of Roosevelt Raceway, I remember vividly the inner peace when the Westbury plant was operational while Yonkers was dark.

That meant no Throggs Neck or Whitestone bridges. No Cross Bronx Expressway, Major Deegan, Bronx River Parkway, Baychester avenue, or whatever hated route had to be used to somehow reach the old Hilltop from Long Island.

Islanders and that includes Brooklyn and Queens residents are well aware that actually getting off Long Island can be next to an impossible venture especially during anything resembling prime driving hours.

It’s not hard to imagine that once operational, Aqueduct will siphon off a good percentage of whatever business Yonkers draws from south of Long Island sound.

TAKING BACK
So it was suggested to the driver that perhaps taking back would be the prudent course in this particular race seeing as how one more dominating victory might just get the horse out of the class and in this case off the grounds in that it’s current open class was as high as it could go.

We all know this never happens or at least we can’t admit that it does but given the ultimate ramifications one must wonder why it is so often sanctioned.

Generally the horse in question loses or better yet fails to win only to come right back and decimate similar rivals the very next week.

Of course those who unwittingly bet him “that night” are out of luck and who knows what “taste” they come away with.

Seasoned pros know its part of the game and while they don’t like it have unfortunately learned to live with it.

The rest of the crowd-left to their own devices, are odds on to think of all sorts of diabolical things some of which are not that far from reality.

If we didn’t need betting to drive the engine, there’d be no problem but unfortunately until we’re totally funded by artificial methods, it is a problem.

SEEDING
So they card two divisions of the same class and lo and behold all the tough ones are in one division while the weaker horses go in the other division.

Conveniently an end result can be two evenly matched betting races. Or so it seems.

Unfortunately the end result is often two “unbettable” betting races for the following reasons.

One is that the so-called weaker division is comprised of inferior and/or off form animals that on paper at least would be lucky to finish the mile rather than actually beat anybody.

Not a good betting scenario, unless someone knows or suspects certain horses have been waiting for class relief and are eligible for sudden wakeups.

Now the other division is comprised of the toughest and/or sharpest horses in the class, the connections of which may perceive that while they’ll be lucky to get a check in this one-they’d be first or second best in other division.

Not a good betting scenario unless one knows or suspects just which horses will be well meant and which horses might be raced easy in lieu of making the “other” division next week.

Have wondered why the purses aren’t commensurate with the levels of ability within these two class divisions.

But then that would be confirmation that the process of such a thing as seeding actually occurs.

Bob Marks