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Prado did in fact hold off the valliant late charge of Johnny V. Todd Pletcher dominates the Trainer standings, and shows impressive depth throughout his stable. Is this the start of a Dynasty for Pletcher ?. ... Story by MC_Excelsior "The Stick" *Note - If you turn on your sound and speakers, you should hear pleasant Stick News Music in this article !* 9/14/05 - Saratoga *FINAL* Week trends, The Stick Studio, New York The last week at Saratoga was very impressive. After showing us the usual dominance that they do up at The Spa, we were very sad to see the lack of concern given to the many graded stakes run the first week at Belmont Park. Only TVG had the courage to make a special showcasing the races. No ESPN, No Fox .... and we had the Woodward, Turf Classic and other top stakes run at Belmont.
The Jockey Colony Notes - WEEK FINAL
Johnny V made a very valliant and impressive run at Edgar Prado in an attempt to regain the lead in the jockey standings. Edgar Prado really pulled out all the stops, and it can now be said that Edgar Prado is one the Top riders in the entire world. With an 8 win cushion, Edgar still had to keep his winning ways alive as Johnny V cut that lead down to 4 at the end of the meeting. However, before you feel too bad for JV, note he had a very impressive purse win total for this meeting. I bet there are jockeys riding all over the country and world that would think it was the best YEAR of their life if they won $4,000,000 in purses. JV did that in 6 weeks ! What an accomplishment. Congratulations to Johnny and Edgar for a fantastic 6 weeks of race riding. Way to go guys ! A big wave of The Stick to you. Javiar Castellano also made an impressive late showing for himself and was able to get ahead of Jerry Bailey for 3rd place in the standings. With a full 1/3 LESS mounts then the other top 6 jockey's, Jerry Bailey was a Win Machine ! JD still has it, and he rode with the heart of a Lion and the skill of a veteran. You want to win races ? Put Jerry Bailey on your horse ! Eibar Coa managed to also secure 32 victories in the short 6 week time period, and it was an impressive effort. No doubt Eibar has found his stride and is looking to firmly establish himself in NY. Cornelio Velasquez very quietly came in 6th place, and what a great rider he is. You have to view Cornelio's performance in light of the talent he was riding against. On his own at a smaller track ... Cornelio would win 40% of the races, and be the big name at that track. Here at Saratoga, he had to perform against some of the greatest riders racing, and you can bet he did not always have the luxury of riding a 3/5 favorite. What Cornelio did, he did with talent, determination, and hard work. This guy may be the sleeper jockey of the meeting, and I would say all he needs is some big horses to ride, and you will see him in the winners circle ! Ramon Dominguez was plauged with 30 second place, and 25 third place finishes. If those positions could have been converted into more winners, he might have been right on pace with the top riders. 20 victories is a great accomplishment, and we are sure that Ramon Dominguez will be the name for the future jockey's to watch list. The Mig, Richard Migliore, did much better then people recognize. From only 131 starts, he won 19 races. Its hard to believe for those who first started watching him ride in the 1980's, but Richard Migliore is now a VETERAN ! He is an established, solid, NY journeyman rider. IT was a solid meet for "The Mig", and we look for him to continue his winning ways at Belmont, and Gulfstream. Also, of note, Robby Albarado saved the majority of his victories for the final week. Its a shame, those Mid-West horses did not ship earlier in the meeting for him to ride, or we might have seen a higher finish spot for him also. There were many other notable highlights for Gary Stevens, Mike Luzzi, and new lady rider sensation, Chantal Sutherland. In looking back from a global and historical viewpoint, this may have been the best colony of riders to ride at any one place for one entire meeting. Sure the Breeders Cup or a big day of races brings together a lot of big names and talent. This year at Saratoga, the jockeys not only had the talent, they had the drive and desire to win, and the fans were treated to something special. The Trainer Colony Notes - WEEK FINAL
Todd Pletcher keeps his magin intact and dominates perhaps the greatest assembly of Horse Racing trainers in history. Pletcher had a big advantage going into this meeting ... he had a huge stable of great horses that he has manages and trained to perfection. With 100 starters, Pletcher recorded the very high number of 22 wins for the 6 week meeting. It was a very impressive meeting for Pletcher, and he may have made the point to the rest of the racing world ... that he is the Emperor of the many trainer Kings in today's racing landscape. Steve Asmussen did just what he was supposed to do, and he had an incredible meeting. 14 winners from 40 startes ... wow. Some trainers are happy if they have 13 winners from 130 starters, and Asmussen did that with 1/4 as many starts. Richard Dutrow came home with a flying finish and 13 wins from 39 starters. After watching him take down Nick Zito in 2 major stakes races at Belmont the first week back, you have to ask yourself if Dutrow is going to be the man to make a solid run at Pletcher at Belmont Park. Bill Mott was plagued by 17 second place finishes and 12 winners from 75 starters. Add 10 wins from those 17 second place finish's, and Mott would have tied Pletcher with 25 less starters. JJ is coming .... JJ is here .....we told you so, we told you so, we told you so ! Jimmy Jerkens deserves special recognition for his incredible season at Saratoga. 11 wins from 28 starters ... Very impressive ! 3 more wins and he would have had a 50% win clip, I have not ever heard of such an accomplishment from any trainer, anywhere, who had more then 5 starters in a meeting. Jimmy Jerkens is really doing so well, and its really a great pleasure to watch his horses hit the track. 6-1 morning line and its a turf race ? I'll take that one and wheel it over the rest of the field ! Big wave of The Stick in congratulations for Jimmy Jerkens. Its impossible to name them all, but here we go, Frankel, Galluscio, Violette, Romans, Biancone, Kimmel, Rice, Serpe, Clement, and many others all had a winning season at Saratoga. This in the season of an incredible performance by Pletcher. We mentioned John Kimmel and we have to again give him special recognition. from only 30 starters, Kimmel went 7-9-4, or 20 times first, second or third from 30 starters ! Outstanding ! Incredible ! 2/3 of Kimmel runners were 1-2-3, find another trainer who ever did that anywhere ! You won't, at least not this side of a bush track. Is it too early to get excited for .... Next Year ?
---------------------------- Conclusions for - WEEK FINAL. Remembering to enjoy what you have seen at Saratoga this year. The Jockey and Trainer performances were well above and beyond what most people who enjoy horse racing can ever expect to see in person or on a regular basis, outside of a meeting like Saratoga. Imagine having a World Series Baseball team, or a Superbowl team that was composed of the best players from around the World ? Not the feeble All Star games that are a vacation in disguise, and really just a showcase of who was the best. I mean bringing together the best of the best and then having them go after each other with everything they have. Thats what happened at Saratoga this year. I hope large numbers of fans remember to enjoy it and talk about it, you may not see this like again for a long time. *repeat from each week, Stick Racing Fans, we wanted to remind you of something ... Enjoying the races. In everyone's desire to pick out the best horse and root for them like you own them, please don't forget to enjoy the races. You are watching something very special when you watch the racing at Saratoga. You are seeing History in the making. Living History being presented each and every racing day. Enjoy it, Horse Racing is a true sport, its not all about the gambling. Its all about having fun, and forgetting your troubles for a few precious hours. Be well, and wager responsibly. 8/24/05 - Saratoga *THIRD/FOURTH* Week trends, The Stick Studio, New York Week three and four have been very eventful for us. We spent the last week recovering from a long lasting power failure in Long Island brought on by very powerful storms. Then last week, we took a nice south jersey shore vacation. We are back, and we have a lot of news to report for you about the jockey/trainer standings. The Jockey Colony Notes - WEEK THREE/FOUR
In a very impressive effort, Edgar Prado has take a commanding lead in the jockey standings as we enter week Five. With 33 Victories from 154 starters, Edgar is now 8 victories ahead of Johnny V. Johnny V has 25 winners from 149 starters. As we can see when we graph our stats and numbers, Edgar has been on a very upward slope and has been gaining momentum from the second week until now. Johnny V still riding very powerfully and with great ability, but he will really have to pick up his game in order to catch Prado. Either Johnny V will counter with a big week leading into the Travers Stakes, or Prado will continue his winning ways and lengthen his win total. I hate to take sides, or say I hope this happens or that happens, but I am rooting for Johnny V ! Of all the jockey's who deserve recognition and who have worked their tails off, Johnny V went many years in the shadow's of Jerry Bailey, and others. This should be his year. However, my personal cheering section for Johnny V does not take away the bright shine of Edgar Prado's talent. Prado is solid, strong, focused, and a Superstar any way you look at his career. One thing is certain, Johnny V will have his hands full chasing Edgar Prado in the next two weeks. May the better jockey win ! Speaking of Jerry Bailey, did you notice how strong his performance has been this meeting ? 22 Victories from 88 starters. 1/4 of Bailey's mounts are winners ... way to go JD ! I think Jerry Bailey's performance deserves very special recognition, because if he had DOUBLE the amount of starters, like Johnny V and Prado have, he MIGHT have DOUBLE the amount of Winners ! If you look at pure percentage and graphing like we do here, JD is statistically a 7 win leader over Prado. However, JD needs to pick up more mounts and keep his game at the very high level he has been demonstrating. Like we said in our last report, JD is not getting older, he getting sharper, stronger, and much more focused. To this writer, it looks like JD honestly thinks he can win this riding title. He's riding to WIN it ! Many other have dismissed JD and focused on his 'imminent' retirement. Why does JD have to retire just because he said he was considering that idea ? JD has nothing to prove to any of us, but I think he has something to prove to himself. Do not discount Jerry Bailey's chances at winning this years riding title at Saratoga. You don't rise to the prominence that JD has without having talent and drive. I would not be surprised to see Jerry Bailey cut into Prado's lead along with Johnny V. WE HAVE A THREE WAY DANCE FOR THE JOCKEY TITLE ! Javiar Castellano and Eibar Coa have really impressed me this year. Both former Floridian's have been riding at their peak and have been getting the most out of their mounts. Castellano at 21 victories is right behind JD, and Eibar with 20 wins is also in the hunt. We really appreciate and like Javiar and Eibar, our only question for them is can they get the required mounts (in terms of numbers and quality) to challenge the top three riders ? There is no question that Javiar and Eibar have the talent to be the top rider here, they certainly do ! The question will be how many mounts can they secure for the final weeks at Saratoga ? Ramon Dominguez and Cornelio Velasquez making good progress and running in their own race at 16 wins apiece. These two riders are giving their all, and its a pleasure to watch them ride. We look for Cornelio to win some jockey titles at Arlington and/or Aqueduct this year if he chooses to go to those tracks. Ramon Dominguez also looks to be at the top of the standings if he chooses to try out new tracks or stay for Aqueduct. These two riders are both very capable and accomplished, it is just not their time at Saratoga to be the top rider's. Robby Albarado has been giving his all, but he has suffered a lack of mounts to make him competitive at this years meet. The same can be said for Gary Stevens. This superstar veteran is statistically graphed right behind Jerry Bailey in our number crunching. 7 wins from 55 starts ? Thats very powerful race riding, and how many big stakes races has Gary brought in 15-1+ horses for 2nd or third ? I do not know if Gary Stevens is considering retirement also, but I would tell you, if I had to pick one rider to represent my web site and to epitomize what we stand for, Gary Stevens would be an easy choice to make for that honor. The Trainer Colony Notes - WEEK THREE/FOUR
Todd Pletcher holds on to his lead....but can he survive the Dutrow/Asmussen onslaught ? With only 5 wins in the last two weeks, Pletcher is showing significant slowing from his record first week pace. Trainer Dick Dutrow has been putting a lot of winning horses out on the track in the last two weeks, and we told you so ! Dutrow has 11 wins from 25 starts compared with Pletcher's 16 from 66. When we graph this out, Dutrow looks to over take Pletcher at the end of this week into next week's racing if the trends stays the same. Steve Asmussen is alosn on the prowl. With 10 wins from 21 starters, you have to take notice of that 50% win clip. Take that into accont with the fact that Asmussen is the top Midwestern/Southern trainer in the country, and you have to give him a solid chance of taking home this years trainer title also. Jimmy Jerkens right up there also (Way to go Jimmy !) with 9 wins from 21 starters. You have to take notice that Jimmy Jerkens has arrived and will be in a position to be right at the top in the trainer standings when we go back to Belmont. Jimmy Jerkens could also be dominant with with a larger stable and more runners. The same can be said for Asmussen and Dutrow. Kudos go to tranier Bill Mott, who has attempted to field as many runners as Todd Pletcher. 7 winners from 49 started for Mott is only the first figure to look at for Mott. 12 Second place finishes ! If only half of those second place finishes were winners, Mott would be right on Pletchers back door. Also 7 third place finishes for Mott. For Bill Mott to have any hope of catching Pletcher, he MUST convert those 2nd and 3rd place runners into WINNERS ! Mott looks to be the only trainer possible of fielding enough horses to complete with Pletcher, but more of them have to win in order to overcome the large margin Pletcher has over Mott. It may be insurmountable for Bill Mott to come on strongly enough to take this years title, but we would be wrong not to recognize his gallant efforts to try and win this years title. Frankel, Biancone, Violette, and Galluscio all have 6 winners each and are followed by a large pack of star trainers with 5 and 4 wins each. It would seem unlikely at this late stage for any of them to break out of the pack and challenge Todd Pletcher for the top spot. However, if you look at the percentages, this may be the greatest group of trainers ever assembled at Saratoga in any year. All of the trainers should be proud of their accomplishments at this meeting. When we graph them, they all criss cross and collide in terms of future performance. They ALL have winning records !!! In addition, these trainers have multiple second and third place finishes. Quite an impressive accomplishment for such a short meeting of only six weeks. I would say we could look at EVERY other track in the country and not find such high percentages from so many trainers at one time. When we graph the trainers using our stats, we see two sperate patterns emerging. The first graph shows Todd Pletcher keep his lead through the next two weeks. Pletcher has more runners in his barn and has many quality stakes horses. However, should the other three, Asmussen, Dutrow, Jerkens, field as many runners, our second graph shows them overtaking Pletcher by the end of the meeting. This years trainer title is very much up for grabs right now, and we cannot say for certainty who is gong to prevail. ---------------------------- Conclusions for - WEEK THREE/FOUR There are no losers in either colony this year at Saratoga. We have seen some truly heroic rides on horses that look hopelessly beaten, only to have them win by a desperate nose. We also have to take into account that in an abbreviated meeting, its very difficult to catch the leaders who can field superior numbers of starters. However, you could start many horses and not have any winners if you did not possess the talent to convert those runners into 1-2-3 finishers. As we enter Travers Week, we will see a major focus on the 3 year olds again and a shift away from the hard working jockey's and trainer's. We will keep you updated at the end of this week and into the next Stick Horse Racing fans. One thing is certain ... we are in for some of the best competition any generation has ever seen at Saratoga ! Lets have fun and enjoy the next 2 weeks ! *repeat from each week, Stick Racing Fans, we wanted to remind you of something ... Enjoying the races. In everyone's desire to pick out the best horse and root for them like you own them, please don't forget to enjoy the races. You are watching something very special when you watch the racing at Saratoga. You are seeing History in the making. Living History being presented each and every racing day. Enjoy it, Horse Racing is a true sport, its not all about the gambling. Its all about having fun, and forgetting your troubles for a few precious hours. Be well, and wager responsibly. ___________________________________________ 8/09/05 - Saratoga *Second* Week trends, The Stick Studio, New York This Summer at Saratoga will be remembered for the ALL out war that is going on between the jockey's and trainer's. As we complete week two, its a wide open affair as to who will be on top at the end of this racing season at Saratoga. The Jockey Colony Notes - WEEK TWO
*note- as we write this article, we want to send out our best wishes for recovery to jockey, Jerry Bailey. During the saddling for the fourth race today at Saratoga, JD got clocked in the face by his mount. This event required him to get stitches, and we are aware that he will be seeking further medical tests in Albany on Tuesday. We hope your back riding ASAP, JD. Lets hope that those stitches are all Jerry needs, and after a short rest, he will be ready to ride on Wednesday. Remember last week, when we said it was Johnny Velasquez's world and everyone else had to live in it ? Well, I think the entire jockey colony had a fire lit under them. With truly tactful and exciting maneuvers, we have observed some phenomenal race riding. Edgar Prado and Jerry Bailey have both stepped up their games to new levels. Also, Eibar Coa and Ramon Dominguez were on fire this week with smooth, well timed stretch runs to score big ! Javiar Castellano is riding at a very high level also, and we expect to see him take home some Big Stakes wins later in the meeting. Edgar Prado has closed the gap with Johnny V to 1 victory between them. This compared with more second and third place finish's show you that Prado is getting top mounts and getting every ounce of strength from them. Our so coined, 'Arcaro-Kai' jockey has also shown this week that he is not about to surrender the jockey title at this meeting. With four weeks to go, its now a wide open affair. Johhny V has 16 Wins, and Edgar Prado has 15 Wins. All of the momentum is now in favor of Prado, who is showing signs of intense focus and drive. Johnny V is going to have his hands full with the Amazing Edgar hot on his heels the rest of this meeting. Lets not forget that Jerry Bailey has also rallied powerfully to earn 12 victories into week two, and if not for his accident today in the saddling ring, might have had a few more wins to end the week. If JD is ok and he can keep his mental focus, we are going to have what they call .... "A THREE WAY DANCE !" C'mon JD, be ok, please....This is one of the best jockey wars I have seen in years, please be ok and make the other earn every victory. Swansong for JD ? Retirement for JD after this year ? Hey, he's not getting older .... he's getting better ! In addition to wanting to see the great competition on the track, I am a huge Jerry Bailey fan. If this is going to be his last year or next to last, what a way to complete his career by challenging the very best riders of any generation at Saratoga ! On a side note, Eibar Coa and Javiar Castellano with 9 wins apiece, and Ramon Dominguez with 7 wins are in a battle of their own. Chantal Sutherland special recognition ride of the meet on World Series !
As we segway into the trainer notes, we have to mention the ride on World Series today by new lady rider sensation, Chantal Sutherland. We mentioned that Jimmy Jerkens was a hot trainer to watch, and when he teamed up with Chantal in the 3rd race on Monday(8/08), they won in a thriller. Heavily favored, Bredwinner and Edgar Prado looked to power past the pace setting World Series in the stretch run of today's 3rd race. However, showing the poise and skill of a veteran with many years more experience, Chantal Sutherland set World Series straight for the stretch drive and they dug in gamely and won big. Kudos to Trainer/Jockey and horse for an awesome score at 6-1 in what we feel is the recognition ride that brings Chantal Sutherland to everyone's attention. Watch out for this lady rider, I see shades of Julie Krone coming into full bloom in her. The Trainer Colony Notes - WEEK TWO
With a commanding lead, Todd Pletcher starts to feel the heat and circle the wagons of his deep and talented stable. We still have 4 weeks of racing left at Saratoga. A lot can happen in that amount of time. However, Todd Pletcher remains in a commanding 7 win lead over his rivals with 12 total victories. Leading the triumvirate of challengers, is of course, Bill Mott. With an equally deep group of talented horses in his barn's, Mott is fielding a large number of runners with successful results. With 5 wins total, Bill Mott has picked up the pace and he has now started 28 runners. This means that not only is he in second place in the standing(due toa higher number of place finish's), but that he is also fielding the 2nd highest number of starters. We may see a big rally from Bill Mott as we go into week number 3. Also in that group of challengers, is Jimmy Jerkens. We told you he was showing signs of greatness at Belmont. Well, look at his win percentage ! 5 Wins from 10 starts ... 50% Winners ! Its a shame Jimmy does not have as many horses to field as Pletcher and Mott. If he did, we might see the famed Jerkens name right at the top of the list. Jimmy Jerkens is of course the son of hall of fame trainer, H.Allen Jerkens. As my mother and father both told me about families, 'the acorns don't fall far from the tree'. In the Jerkens family, that's an understatement for sure. Steve Asmussen, another man from a well known racing family, has also showed an impressive performance for week two. With only 12 starters at the meet, Asmussen has 5 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third. That means that 8 of his 12 total starters has finished at least third, or 3/4 of his starters finished in the money ! This is a very impressive accomplishment and it does deserve mention and recognition. Steve Asmussen is the brother of very popular and successful, former NY rider, Cash Asmussen. There must be something in the water the Jerkens and Asmussen familes drink that drives them to win horse races...don't you think ? Either that, or an obsession to be the best they can be at whatever their doing. A large pack of star trainers is also forming behind the win leaders, with Patrick Biancone at 4 total victories from 13 starters. Richard Dutrow had a solid 3 win week, and has a lot of good runners in his barn. Do not be surprised to see Dutrow move up the ranking and try to challenge the top trainers. John Kimmel also sporting a fine record at 3 wins and 2 seconds from 7 total starters. Linda Rice, Stanely Hough and Richard Violette all have 3 wins total, and they have the ability to break out if they can find the right spots for their horses. *repeat from last week, Stick Racing Fans, we wanted to remind you of something ... Enjoying the races. In everyone's desire to pick out the best horse and root for them like you own them, please don't forget to enjoy the races. You are watching something very special when you watch the racing at Saratoga. You are seeing History in the making. Living History being presented each and every racing day. Enjoy it, Horse Racing is a true sport, its not all about the gambling. Its all about having fun, and forgetting your troubles for a few precious hours. Be well, and wager responsibly. Best Regards and Racing, MC_Excelsior *PREVIOUS HEADLINES* --------------------------- MC goes into his Jockey/Trainer Colony notes for WEEK 1 of the Saratoga Meeting For for this exciting Stick Horse Racing News Headline Press Here ---------------------------
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