Holy Bull Stakes preview for ThoroFan

Once again, I have been called into duty by the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance to pontificate my handicapping wisdom on the ThoroFan website for this Sunday’s Holy Bull Stakes (G3).

My analysis is often long-winded (this one is 2,514 words long), but I went three for four picking winners in ThoroFan’s Handicapper’s Corner last year, including a dead-on call of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) stretch drive and the giving out of 20-1 shot Exhi in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (G2). Eventually, it seems I get to some good stuff.

So as not to give away any spoilers, I will not reveal here who I picked to win Gulfstream Park’s first graded Kentucky Derby prep of 2011, but I will say that if it all goes as planned, it should cash a nice ticket or two.

To read my picks and analysis for the Holy Bull Stakes, click here.

A friendly reminder

With your help, my photo of Zenyatta and super-skilled photographer Jamie Newell, “Consolation”, made it to the final round of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance photo contest. Now, I need your assistance one more time to finish the job.

As of the time this was posted, the photo was sitting in third place, well back of the two leaders. It’s going to take some doing to catch up, but it all starts with one vote – Yours.

To vote, just follow the link here, go to the bottom of the page and select “Joe Nevills – Consolation”. Then, click “Vote” and get on with the rest of your day knowing you have my deepest thanks.

Voting for the TBA photo contest ends Dec. 31, so don’t delay!

In case you are not familiar with the contest or my entry, here it is one more time…

"Consolation" - Zenyatta nuzzles against Jamie Newell the morning after the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Also, don’t forget time is running out to decide Michigan’s Thoroughbred of the Decade.

Four-time Sire Stakes winner Meadow Vespers continues to hold a commanding lead heading into the poll’s final days. This poll will close sometime Jan. 1 once the dust settles from the previous night’s happenings. The choices can be found on the left side of the page.

Just check a few boxes for me and I promise I won’t ask you to do anything else for the rest of the year.

Rock the vote

The end of the year brings with it the annual Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance photo contest and once again, I have thrown my hat into the ring.

Participants are allowed to enter two photos. My selections reach across the spectrum of the racing world, from the aftermath of the Breeders’ Cup Classic to the preparations for a speed index race at Mount Pleasant Meadows. Let’s have a look at the pair I sent out…

"Consolation" - Zenyatta nuzzles against Jamie Newell the morning after the Breeders' Cup Classic.

This one is my “A” entry – The ultimate example of everything coming together at the best possible time. With your help, I think this one could make some serious noise in the competition.

"A Leg Up" - Jose Beltran gets some help aboard HQH Dashing Zorro from fellow jockey Lee Gates.

This one may not be the most technically sound photo, but I defy you to find another shot in this contest that showcases the quirks and tight-knittedness of small track racing better than this. There are plenty of shots from Churchill Downs and the New York circuit, but this is something photographers won’t see at either of those scenes.

To vote, visit the TBA Photo Contest page, scroll down to the bottom and vote for up to ten choices. The top ten vote-getters on Dec. 25 are entered in the final round, which runs through Dec. 31. If you like a photo, be sure to check back next week in case it needs your vote again.

I am not going to twist anybody’s arm here, but if readers appreciate tender moments with the all-time greats or want to strike a blow for small-track racing, I would appreciate their votes.

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Also, don’t forget to cast your vote for Michigan’s Thoroughbred of the Decade. The poll will remain up until roughly Jan.1.

Four-time Sire Stakes winner Meadow Vespers has ridden a wave of support to earn 48.33% of the vote. Multiple graded stakes winner Tenpins is in second with a 25% share, and Grade 1 winner Cashier’s Dream sits in third with 6.67% of the pie.

If you want to lock those results down or do something to change them, just head over to the poll on the left side of the page and pick the horse you feel is the most deserving of the title. For more information on the ten finalists, the original post can be read here.

New York Stakes preview for Thorofan

Once again, I have been called upon to represent the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance in its quasi-weekly segment on the Thorofan website, Handicapper’s Corner.

My assignment for this installment was Saturday’s New York Stakes at Belmont Park. The field is rather small, but it is open enough to offer some decent prices on horses with a real shot at making money.

As regular readers may recall, my previous contribution to Handicapper’s Corner was a rousing success, when Exhi wired the Coolmore Lexington Stakes field at odds of 19.90-to-one. Hopefully that good mojo can carry over into this Saturday’s race.

To view my New York Stakes predictions on Thorofan, click here.

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: August 8, 2009

Live racing at Mount Pleasant Meadows will be on a two-week hiatus for the Isabella County Fair. Dream Quests Rose and Julie Veltman (inside) battle King of the Park and Oscar Delgado for the lead heading into the stretch.

– Mount Pleasant Meadows will not host live racing for the next two weekends because the Isabella County Fair will be using the facilities for its activities. During the fair, the track’s surface and grandstand will host tractor pulls and two nights of demolition derby. Though the notion of large metal objects smashing against one another may sound like a track groundskeeper’s worst nightmare, I do not recall an instance where it has affected the racing afterward. Live cards will pick back up on Aug. 23.

For a schedule of the 2009 Isabella County Fair, click here.

– The Associated Press reports four Michigan stewards – Jeff Dye, Tammie Erskine, Patrick Hall and Eric Perttnuen – are filing a lawsuit against the Michigan Office of Racing Commissioner claiming they were illegally punished for supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos in the 2006 election. 

Dye and Erskine were let go June 1, while the others have seen significant reductions in their hours. At the time the story was published, ORC representatives said they had not seen the lawsuit.

– The Daily Racing Form reports former Detroit Race Course steward Bob Clark died Friday, several weeks after suffering a neck injury. He was 78.

Clark was a steward at DRC from 1978 until the track closed in 1998. He also worked at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, Arapahoe Park in Colorado and Thistledown in Ohio. Clark most recently worked at Thistledown as a steward until his injury. Funeral arrangements are pending.

– This doesn’t really qualify as Michigan news, but I’m throwing it in anyway. The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance has added four new members to its fine stable of blogs. Be sure to give them a visit and leave them some nice comments. The newly added blogs are listed below…

Virginia Thoroughbred Blog
They Are Off
Perfect Peace Farm
The Brock Talk

Notes from Lexington

Hey gang. I’m in Lexington, Kentucky right now and will be at River Downs on Thursday before making the long drive back to Michigan, so I don’t have the free time to recap my weekend at Ellis Park just yet.

Until things calm down, be sure to check out the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance’s rededicated new site.

Aside from featuring bloggers from all different aspects of the industry who are way better at this than I am, the TBA’s new site offers…

– 132 Blogs (TBA and otherwise).
– 123 Twitter feeds from TBA-ers and other members of the racing industry. 
– 38 Horse racing news feeds (Blood Horse, Thoroughbred Times, NTRA, Internet pubs, etc.).
– Loads of Youtube videos.
– A Free Past Performance search engine (My personal favorite part of the TBA site. Cheapskates unite!)
– The “Karma Corner” – A page for donating to various horse-related charities.

The site is full of good material, so be sure to give it a look and see what’s new (just be sure to come back here when you’re done. I get lonely). With such a wide variety of views, it shouldn’t be hard to find something you’ll love.

If you haven’t already headed over to the TBA website, here is some Michigan-centric reading material to tide you over until I get home…

– My future Alma Mater’s student paper, Central Michigan Life, put out a story about Mount Pleasant Meadows in today’s paper. I was pleasantly surprised to see the story got most of its facts right and was written competently. Good on them, even if they never let me write anything about the track during my time at CM Life (Not that I’m bitter or anything…). I wish I could have been there myself to help them out. 

– The Daily Racing Form posted a story about Pinnacle Race Course’s restructured stakes schedule following negotiations to restore race dates slashed earlier this year. The meet will now run until Oct. 19 and four of the track’s 16 state-bred stakes races will have smaller purses.

The article did not specify which races would get chopped down, but they will go from $50,000 to $20,000. Purses for the six Sire Stakes races are estimated at $50,000 each. Though the Sire Stakes purses were already estimated at that level at the beginning of the meet, the story notes it will be a significant drop from previous years.

If I catch word of which stakes are getting slimmed down, you’ll see it here.

Getting my name out there

Check me out. I just became a member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance.

Be sure to have a look at the TBA’s many fine blogs on the sidebar on the right (your right, my left) side of the page.

For those of you who enjoyed my mini-feature on The Deputy (Ire) a few posts back, be sure to check out the extended piece I did for Great Lakes Horse Sports.

Also, a special thanks goes to the Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association for linking me to their page as well.

It is amazing how much attention this blog has generated since I started up last October. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone who has read, linked to and helped promote the Michigan-Bred Claimer.

While I still have your attention, be sure to cast your vote in my Photo of the Year poll. Let your voice be heard!