Photo of the Year: 2009

Last year's winning photo: Oscar Delgado talks things over with the stewards following a race at Mount Pleasant Meadows.

As my readers may or may not have noticed, I did not fare so well in the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance photo contest.

My goal was to get one of my three photos out of the first round, but it wasn’t to be. That said, thank you very much to the seven or eight of you who cast your votes for my shots.

That brings us to the annual stroking of my ego that is my own “Photo of the Year” contest. It’s pretty hard for me to lose this one.

Just about every photo you see on this site was taken with yours truly at the helm (except for the photo of myself on the “about” page, where I set the ten-second timer and ran really fast). Over the last year, I have taken thousands of photos at tracks across the Midwest and filled a towering stack of photo albums with scenes from my travels.

This year brought an upgrade to my equipment, when I finally retired my tiny point-and-shoot and graduated to a Kodak EasyShare Z980. All of a sudden, I had 24x zoom and could fire off a ludicrous number of shots in only a few seconds. The quality and quantity of my photos skyrocketed, and I’d like to think it improved the quality of this blog dramatically. If anything else, it made me feel more professional.

Behind the jump are some of my favorite shots I’ve taken from the last year. Hopefully you will enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

To vote for your favorite, simply consult the poll on the sidebar to the right. I haven’t set any kind of deadline at the moment, but there will be fair warning when I get ready to close the poll.

And now without further ado…

Seasons Greetings

Happy holidays to you and yours from the staff of The Michigan-Bred Claimer (you know, me).

May the new year bring you success on the track, in the sales ring and at the windows.

While I have your attention, check out what my aunt had made for me as a Christmas gift…

Check me out. I have my own merch.

It came with a couple shirts and a winter cap with the same logo. Awesome. Next time you see me at the races, I just might look like I know what I’m doing.

Have a safe and happy holidays, gang!

A.R.A.B. of Michigan names 2009 award finalists

Catch Me Ridin Dirty will be the front-runner for Michigan's top three-year-old Arabian honors and is a finalist for Overall Champion of the Year.

The Association of Racing Arabian Breeders of Michigan released the list of finalists for its 2009 awards.

A trio of Nicole Holst-trained Arabians (Need For Speed, Catch Me Ridin Dirty and Bush Hog) and Mario Fritz-trained Zanthus Fury led all nominees with three a piece.

The winners will be announced at A.R.A.B.’s awards dinner on Jan. 9. For more information about the dinner and surrounding events, click here.

A list of the nominees from each category can be found behind the jump.

Rep. Mike Simpson dies Friday

Michigan racing lost one of its biggest supporters in Lansing on Friday when Rep. Mike Simpson (D-Jackson) passed away of a heart attack. He was 47.

Simpson attended, or had representation at, many events involving Michigan’s racing industry during his time in office. Prior to this year’s Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association yearling sale, he gave a very good speech pledging his support to the industry and appeared genuinely interested in what was going on.

In 2006, Simpson was elected to the state’s 56th House district. He was in the middle of his second term in office. Simpson had been serving as the chair of the House Agriculture Committee at the time of his passing.

Simpson had been suffering from a rare blood disorder called light-chain deposition, which tends to go after the heart and liver. He announced his illness publicly in October after missing significant time in session.

He suffered his heart attack while returning from treatment at the Cleveland Clinic.

Funeral services were held for Simpson today at East Jackson High School in Jackson. Mich. He is survived by his wife and four adult children.

For more information from on how the State Congress is remembering Simpson, including quotes from political leaders on both sides of the floor, a good piece by the Michigan Messenger can be found here.

Ouch…That Hurts…

Congratulations, Michiganders. We’ve officially been made an example.

In a letter to The Baltimore Sun, a Holland, Penn. resident warns of the potential negative effects of placing a casino near Maryland’s Laurel Park by citing Michigan racing’s fall to “bush league status” (his words, not mine). He said this happened after “bad judgment and the corruption of lawmakers who heeded the promises of wealthy developers and casino lobbyists” allowed the tribal and Detroit casino interests to run roughshod over the state. The letter does not mention it directly, but altering the state constitution to cripple a competitor like said groups did in 2004 is a prime example of this idea.

If you cross your eyes for too long, they’ll stay that way. If you eat too much candy, your teeth will rot out. If you allow casinos to expand in your state without including the racetracks, you’ll become “Bush League” like Michigan.

We are being used as a threat – an example of what not to do.

So what are we going to do about it?

Answers to the five burning questions of 2009

The success of Romeo Again helped his sire, Secret Romeo, establish himself as Michigan's breakout sire of 2009.

At the beginning of the year, I posed five questions about racing in Michigan to consider for the following year. Now that the year is almost over, it is time to look back at those questions and see how they were answered.

#1 – Who will be the breakout sire of 2009?

The Answer: In the original post, I singled out The Deputy (Ire) as a sire who could make some noise when his first crop as a Michigan-based stallion hit the track. As it turns out, I was right and wrong. The Deputy was the leading national earner among all Michigan sires who fit my criteria as a breakout candidate – sires considered “new”, “unproven” or in The Deputy’s case “new to Michigan”. However, he made most of his money in West Virginia.

The Petardia (GB) stallion ranked eighth in West Virginia by juvenile earnings with $62,178, highlighted by Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes runner-up Kid Kearny Gabe. The Deputy only sent three juvenile starters to the gates in Michigan to finish 29th in juvenile earnings, with no Michigan-bred stakes starters. However, the West Virginia contingent did show up to represent The Deputy in the Sire Stakes. Kid Kearny Gabe stepped up once again to finish second in the two-year-old males division of the fall classic.

When considering Michigan sires with success in Michigan, the label “breakout sire of ’09” would probably best fit Secret Romeo. The Service Stripe horse sired his first stakes winner when Romeo Again won the three-year-old males division of the Sire Stakes on his way to earning a share of the division’s top honors.

Secret Romeo ranked seventh in general earnings for Michigan-breds in 2009 with $159,612. His second crop hit the track in 2009.

#2 – How will Mr. Conclusive follow up on his dominant 2008 campaign?

The Answer: Not so hot. After a tumultuous winter and a long layoff, Mr. Conclusive missed the board in three starts during his 2009 campaign. Hopefully he can get it turned around for 2010.

#3 – Whose Sire Stakes streak will stay alive – Valley Loot or Meadow Vespers?

The Answer: At the beginning of the year, I predicted that Valley Loot would have a smoother road to a third consecutive Sire Stakes win based on the strength of her division and the quality of graduating three-year-olds she would face in 2009.

After an amazing four year streak that spanned two racetracks and two divisions, Meadow Vespers’ signature closing kick came up empty in the older males division to snap his run. Meadow Vespers, a seven-year-old Meadow Prayer gelding, finished fifth in that race to Bipolar Express, one of the previously mentioned newcomers to the division.

Valley Loot, on the other hand, kept her streak alive with a 1 1/2 length score in the older mares division. The five-year-old Demaloot Demashoot mare also tallied her third straight Michigan Horse of the Year honors in 2009. Can she keep that streak going? That will be a question for 2010.

#4 – What will be new at Pinnacle Race Course?

The Answer: In terms of planned Phase Two developments, nothing much. The economic situation of the state, the track and the racing industry understandably made it difficult to expand at this time.

However, the track did make a small, but significant addition that made a day at the races much more enjoyable. The festival tent in in the grandstand area was a big step up from the temporary bleachers that occupied the space in 2008. Aside from providing some much-needed shade and protection from the elements, the additional tables, TV screens and mutuel windows it provided made it much more worthwhile to watch the races from that end of the track. Kudos to whoever came up with that idea.

#5 – How much of a difference will a few extra weeks of pre-meet training make?

The Answer: One of the issues many attributed to the field sizes in 2008 was that Pinnacle did not open up for training until a few days before opening day. A constant stream of heavy rains kept Pinnacle from opening the track, which lowered the number of race-ready horses when the meet began. This year, there were no delays.

The effect this extra time had on the field sizes at Pinnacle is hard to determine. In 2008, it seemed as though the fields were either really big or really small. In 2009, the number was more consistent, but it meant more six or seven horse fields – enough to play most exotics, but not enough to give them the kind of payoffs that make them lucrative. We’ll call this one a push.

Look for the Burning Questions for 2010 in the coming weeks.

2009 TBA Photo Contest

As some of you may already know, I entered some photos in this year’s Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance Photo Contest.

First round voting began this morning and continues on through Sunday, Dec. 20. I’m up against some incredibly stiff, Eclipse-quality competition. Like March Madness for the Mid-American Conference school from which I just graduated, just getting out of the first round would be a fantastic coup. To accomplish this goal, I’m going to need your help.

Here are the three photos I submitted for the contest…

Juan Delgado tucks down to urge Christmas From Mom to the wire at Mount Pleasant Meadows.

Im A Corona and Mike Holmes (#2) battle Luckys Rambler and Rafael Fernandez (#1) in the stretch at Mount Pleasant Meadows.

Lee Gates leads Toagule around the paddock before a race at Mount Pleasant Meadows.

Once I get a little time to sort through all the photos I have taken this year, I will hold my own Photo of the Year poll like I did last year (you know, one I’m guaranteed to win). Until then, you can vote in the TBA contest by clicking here.

I’d appreciate your vote. Let’s strike a blow for Michigan and the small tracks of the world!

I’m Joe Nevills and I approve this message.

Michigan Notebook: December 11, 2009

– It appears some significant hurdles are about to be cleared on the road to building a casino on the former site of Great Lakes Downs. The Muskegon Chronicle reports the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is nearing an agreement with the township and county governments over municipal services for the proposed building. The agreement outline services including law enforcement and fire protection, and how the tribe would pay for it. From where that money would come appears to be one of the major points of debate still on the table.

After an agreement is reached, the document will be put in front of the Fruitport Township Board, the Muskegon County Board and the tribal council for approval. The tribe will also require approval from the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Michigan’s governor (whomever it may be at the time) for the land to be put into trust in order for it to be used for gambling.

– Speaking of Great Lakes Downs, Google Reader kicked up an interesting note this morning regarding a mention of the track in a handicapping book. In fact, an entire chapter is dedicated to the defunct Muskegon oval in “Small Track Betting: Pick More Winners Using This Sure-Fire Eight -Point System of Race Analysis” by C.N. Richardson.

In the chapter, titled “Great Lakes Downs”, Richardson outlines the track’s history and that of Michigan racing in general.  The chapter also discusses the 2006 race fixing scandal that forced seven riders off many of the nation’s tracks, including GLD regulars T.D. Houghton, Joe Judice and Jose H. Delgado. Richardson continues to discuss race fixing to cash exotic tickets, then gives an overview of the track’s trainer and jockey colonies. He finishes by handicapping a few races on a GLD card.

The book was written in 2007, and considering the manner in which the author breaks down the track, it must have hit the shelves before the track shut its doors. There are a few grammar and continuity errors (It’s Terry Houghton, not Timothy; some misspelled horse names; occasionally referring to the track as “Great Lake”, which is surprisingly common throughout all turf writing), but it is always interesting to see Michigan tracks become the focus of an author’s pen (or in modern times, his or her keyboard). The only other instance of GLD playing a significant role in a book that immediately comes to mind was in “Horseplayers: Life at the Track” by Ted McClelland. The author traveled to Muskegon with infamous racetrack bucket-lister McChump and gave a less-than-favorable review. Otherwise, it is a very fine read in its own right.

All things considered, “Small Track Betting” is officially on the Christmas list.

To purchase “Small Track Betting” from Amazon, click here.

To read the chapter on Great Lakes Downs, click here.

– Crain’s Detroit Business reports Pinnacle Race Course is one of Michigan’s top economic investments of the last two years. Pinnacle ranked 25th among companies receiving MEGA/brownfield incentives in 2008-09, with an investment of $142 million. Additional consideration was given to each company’s ranking among the state’s largest construction projects of 2009 (Pinnacle was #14).

The largest investment on the list came from Clairvoyant Energy Solar Panel Manufacturing Inc. and Xtreme Power Inc., who are putting in $1.33 billion to build a renewable-energy park on the former site of a Ford assembly plant in Wixom.

– Jockey DeShawn Parker, son of Michigan steward Daryl Parker, was named a finalist Wednesday for the Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. According to the Blood Horse, the award “honors and recognizes those riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing.” Other riders nominated for the award  include Calvin Borel, Garrett Gomez, Randy Meier and Gallyn Mitchell.

Parker is a regular rider at Mountaineer in West Virginia and recently began taking his tack to Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. This is his first time being nominated for the award. For more information on Parker and his career, the Blood Horse wrote a good piece about him following his 3,000th win, which can be read here.

Valley Loot claims third MTOBA Horse of the Year title

Valley Loot won or placed in stakes races at three tracks on her way to being named MTOBA's 2009 Horse of the Year.

For the third straight year, Michigan champion Valley Loot was named Horse of the Year by the Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association at its year-end awards banquet.

The five-year-old Demaloot Demashoot mare tallied two wins from nine starts during her 2009 campaign for earnings of $112,875.

Valley Loot notched stakes wins in the June 16 Golden Sylvia Handicap at Mountaineer and the Older Filly and Mare division of the Oct. 3 Sire Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. She finished second in the Farer Belle Lee Handicap at Pinnacle and third in the Larkspur Handicap at Pinnacle, the Autumn Leaves Stakes at Mountaineer and the Windward Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.

Valley Loot is owned by Felicia Campbell and trained by Ronald Allen, Sr.. She was bred in Michigan by Marilyn McMaster. Her regular rider was Federico Mata.

For more information on the winners from the MTOBA Awards Banquet and other happenings during the event, check out my writeup on the MTOBA website.

In related news, I recently accepted a gig writing news updates for the MTOBA website, so if I write anything exciting over there, I’ll post a link to it. Don’t worry, I assure you the new venture will not affect the quality, quantity or objectivity of the content on this site. To quote my favorite recurring character from In Living Color, “Homey don’t play dat.”

As always, I enjoyed myself at the awards banquet. Catching up with people and making new connections in the industry is always a good time.

The silent auction is often my source of reading material for the following year, and there is always some cool memorabilia to bid on. I chipped in a few items myself by donating a few framed photos I took of the scenery at Keeneland Race Course and one I took of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in the paddock prior to the 2008 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. Both sold pretty well.

My haul was not as visually impressive as in previous years (I’ve needed a good sized box to carry everything out on more than one occasion), but I still walked out with some goodies. I snagged a set of clubhouse passes to Arlington Park for next year’s meet, so look for a nice recap from the not-so-cheap seats sometime this summer.

In a move to expand my knowledge of the world of horse racing, I bought a book on harness racing – “Harnessing Winners” by Dave Brower. There were also a few Christmas presents in the pile, but to reveal what they were would compromise their surprise value. I’m sure you understand.

The clock is ticking

Patriotic Bill became the first horse with a previous start at Mount Pleasant Meadows to win a race at the newly reopened Hialeah Park.

First off, congratulations to Quarter Horse Patriotic Bill for being the first horse to win a race at Hialeah Park coming off a start at Mount Pleasant Meadows. The Florida-bred Game Patriot gelding gained the late advantage and won Tuesday’s fifth race by 3/4 lengths. For a chart of the race, click here.

As you may recall, Patriotic Bill’s previous start was over a year ago in a blowout match race victory against Striking Lucy – a beautiful paint without a lick of run in her. He was later disqualified, but not before the race was made official and payouts were made. To relive this memorable race, the chart can be read here.

Another horse with a start at Mount Pleasant, Bye Bye Cartel, also picked up a win on Tuesday’s card. The Southern Cartel colt finished fourth in a stakes race during his lone stop in Michigan earlier this year. On Tuesday, he took the seventh race at Hialeah by a length as the 1.30-to-one favorite. The chart for Tuesday’s race can be found here.

In more pressing news, it appears the deadline to halt Michigan racing’s move to a new regulator is rapidly drawing near. According to this bill analysis document, the Michigan Legislature has until Thursday, Dec. 7 to disapprove Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Oct. 8 Executive Order which, among many other things, dissolves the Office of Racing Commissioner. The order also moves control of the industry’s regulatory and financial undertakings under the umbrella of the Gaming Control Board.

According to the linked document, there is a series of bills in the Senate to place control of the industry in the hands of the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In the proposed bill, the MDA Director would essentially become the new racing commissioner.

Michigan’s racing industry groups have been pushing to remain under the MDA, which already distributes funding to racing programs through the Ag Equine Development Fund. Proponents of staying with the MDA argue the racing industry has more significant ties to agriculture, through the feeding, care and maintenance of horses and farms, than it does to the gaming at the racetracks. It is also argued that the MDA is better equipped to promote the racing industry (which desperately needs it), whereas the Gaming Control Board is primarily a regulatory body.

From the looks of the bills’ pages (955, 956, 957, 958), they have been sitting in committee purgatory since mid-November, so it may be an uphill battle to get them through both the Senate and House of Representatives before the Dec. 7 deadline. Then again, State Congress has shown in the past that it can get things done when it focuses on the task at hand.