RED RIVER HANOVER TO INDIANA
It’s been announced that Red River Hanover, the famed Canadian Comet will be a Wabash Cannonball for the foreseeable future via relocation to what will be called
Perretti Farms of Indiana at Shelbyville, Indiana a virtual stone toss from Indiana Downs and the new Casino.

Red River Hanover a full bother to successful Illinois stallion Richess Hanover, Rustler Hanover and three quarter brother to Rocknroll Hanover recorded the then fastest mile ever on Canadian soil winning the North America Cup in a then unheard of 1:48.4 trouncing Mach Three (sire of Somebeachsomewhere) in the process.

Already successful in New Jersey, responsible for the rugged Rudy Rednose p,3,1:52.3 ($378,779) and the sub 1:52 2-year-old fillies Miss Scarlett p,3,1:50.4 ($295.553) and Red In The Face p,2,1:51.3 ($163,176) Red River Hanover will bring his vaunted big track speed to those expansive Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs ovals.

Red River Hanover’s 2009 fee has been set at a competitive $3,500.

Slated to join Red River Hanover at the Indiana venture are trotters Lawman and Guida Muscle.

Lawman 4,1:51.3 (Malabar Man-Armbro Gracious) is indeed the fastest son of Hambletonian winning Malabar Man thus far and among his richest with earnings of $279,791, Lawman’s introductory fee for 2009 has been set at $1,500.

Though it’s still unofficial pending the outcome of his Winter qualifiers, it is likely that super bred Guida Muscle (Muscles Yankee-My Starchip) will also be located at the facility.

Guida Muscle (Muscles Yankee-My Starchip) a $280,000 yearling purchase is virtually bred to be a stallion being a full brother to the celebrated Vulcanize 3,1:54 ($621,633) by the world’s leading living trotting sire Muscles Yankee. The dam My Starchip (Pine Chip-My Starlet) is remembered for beating the boys in the Zweig Memorial at Syracuse while earning $383,356.

Sparingly raced due to ankle injury, Guida Muscle secured a 1:54.4 mark in a qualifier at age three and in limited appearances earned $53,713.

REVENUE UPDATE
It’s been announced that European sired Revenue will remain at Perretti Farms of New Jersey for the 2009 breeding season in order to allow his initial American crop to season before any success quotient of the noble import experiment can be properly evaluated.

Significantly the Revenue’s sired while still racing in Europe are now 4-year-olds. Among them are several prominent individuals. Consequently there were been overtures to return him to Scandinavia.

However, it was felt that even though his initial American crop of 2-year-olds may not have approximated that of Cantab Hall‘s in terms of freshman precocity, it was unrealistic to have expected them to.

As it is likely they will follow their European counterparts via significant improvement with maturity, it was felt relocating Revenue could be premature at this point in time.
In accordance with market realities, Revenue’s 2009 service fee will be $4,000

CHADS ANYONE
Not since the infamous chad scenarios in Florida has there been a more curious ballot than the one that listed Always A Virgin as the leading aged pacing horse in 2008.

That voter has either never seen a free for-all pace during his or her lifetime or worse had a personal or political motivation for making that nomination.

Regardless, that and other curious nominations lead to questions concerning the validity of some of these voters as it makes for a mockery of what should be achievements of honor.

If signing of these ballots is not compulsory, it well should be as we should all be privy to the reasoning behind obviously absurd selections

WOODBINE SCENE
Not all that familiar with what is going on in Ontario these days but did find the paragraph where WEG “expects its contracted partner to support honest racing” to be particularly compelling. Not that anyone condones dishonest racing but with spectator perceptions eroding even further these days, it would appear some form of integrity assessment is only logical, and obligatory. It’s a topic too long ignored.

In that the tracks and the contracted partners are really in a partnership it would appear that both parties should have the same vested interest in ensuring that the product presented has as much customer appeal as possible.

MORE McZARA MESSAGE
Following the mention of McZara a modestly priced yearling purchase in the process of making good, couldn’t help but notice McTac Toe and BMcW winning series events at Woodbine the other night. McTac Toe brought all of $10,000 when sold at Harrisburg in 2006 while BMcW was corralled for all of $3,500 at the 06 New Jersey Classic.

When last visited, McTac Toe had a record of 1:53.4 and earnings approaching $60,000 while BMcW, a Blizzard series winner has earnings exceeding $67,000.

Like the aforementioned McZara, McTac Toe and BMcW are precisely the kind of productive raceway stock required to fill out the “cards” which unfortunately are becoming increasingly difficult to produce given the economics involved.

Ironically purses have never been better especially at Racino supported racetracks but we seem unable to hammer home the fundamental point that unless produce prices keep pace with skyrocketing costs, the supply of just that kind of stock needed to fill those programs will be harder to maintain.

OPENING UP
Don’t know if race secretaries truly appreciate this but here’s a too often repeated scenario that drives bettors crazy.

Last week two horses finished 1-2 in what was called Open #2-so deemed as the lesser of two Opens as the purse for Open #1 was higher. Accordingly so too is the level of competition.

This week the winner of Open #2 gets to remain at the same Open #2 class level while the runner up ostensibly gets elevated to Open #1 and draws the outside position no less.

The implications are sort of like the loser advancing in the playoffs while the winner goes home. It’s confusing and no amount of carding full field verbiage will satisfy a bettor’s suspicions that somewhere somehow somebody got a favor and somebody got penalized.

Centuries ago when confronted with the question of how a non maiden could enter and win a maiden race, the prevailing explanation was ‘eligible at time of entry”

That may have been true but then again how could it be labeled a maiden race when an obvious winner would go off as the prohibitive favorite.

A prevailing rationale was that if the public were confused, they didn’t have to bet the race.

Ironically more and more of the public have chosen to bet less and less of our races as time goes on.

BLOOD HORSE DATA
Picked up the authoritative Blood Horse’s 2008 auction digest and under leading sire A.P. Indy noticed the following pertinent information.

In 2008, one A.P. Indy weanling went through the ring bringing a price of $175,000. Proportionately his stud fee for the 2007 breeding season was $300,000.

35 A.P. Indy yearlings out of a total of 83 were consigned to American auctions of which 30 actually sold with the remaining five listed as reserve not attained with the accompanying RNA price tag. Of those sold, the 14 colts averaged $515,000 and the 16 fillies averaged $639,375. His stud fee for the 2006 breeding season was $300,000.

It also went on to list results for A. P. Indy 2-year-olds that and assorted broodmares carrying A.P. Indy foals in utero all in one column,

Why can’t we do this?

Bob Marks