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We have been enjoying very pleasant weather in the Florida sunshine and enjoying the races at Gulfstream Park. Many interesting people walking by and we have noticed significant track bias towards middle movers over stone cold closers.... 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 !* 2/07/06 - The Stick Gulfstream Notebook Part 1, The Stick Studio, Florida Hi Stick Horse Racing Fans, Im back in business and have been just trying to get the feel of Gulfstream Park over the last 3 weeks. I had the very pleasant experience to meet and shake hands with Angel Cordero, jr yesterday on track. I asked Angel if I could interview him for the web site, and while Im sure he was taken by surprise, he very politely told me to look for him during the week and that he would grant me an interview. Im not sure if he wasjust being polite, or we can actually get an interview with him, but I will try to get an interview with him for you if possible. For those of you who might not know Angel Cordero, jr., he is the greatest rider that ever lived. Following in the footsteps of Eddie Arcaro, Angel Cordero, jr. created the archetype "front-runner-GTH(grand theft horse)" style that many other riders have tried to emmulate, but very few have ever copied. Mr Cordero was the master of taking the lead in a race with his mount, and then slowing down the pace. After lulling the opposition into a false sense of being able to catch him, Mr Corder would then encourage his mount with great strength and power and draw off for smashing victories. In addition, Angel Corder, jr has won almost every stake race run in NY, and many other around the country, including multiple Breeders Cup victories. The ride on Dancing Spree in the Breeders Cup Sprint for an incredible victory will long be remembered alongside his many thousands of winners. If it is possible to get an interview with Mr Cordero, I will get it for you Stick Horse Racing fans. I have to be honest with you, Im not sure if he really wanted to give us an interview of if he was just being polite to me. Either way, It was a great pleasure to see him in person and to shake his hand. Here are some notes I have made during the first quarter of the Gulf meet that you might find helpful in your plays and with our picks when you order them. *Track Bias Jan-Feb* -------------------- It looks like horse on or near the lead at the top of the stretch on the dirt are unbeatable. Very few deep closers have been winning or even hitting the board once they reach the wire. The interesting paradox to note is that front runners are not holding on either ! Its the horses who are sitting 2-3-4 turning for home that are winning the races on the dirt. The turf surface is playing more even. Horses that are supposed to close, are closing, and front runners are putting up all the early fractions. The turf seems well groomed and not heavy, so dont look for horses setting slow fractions to hold on. *The Jockey's* -------------- One of my favorite topics at any meeting. The Jockeys at Gulfstream are among the best in the World. We have top jocks from NY, and the Midwest, and plenty of California jocks coming in for the big race days. Jeremy Rose - this kid has been riding up a storm. Any live mount and Jeremy is looking to storm to the lead at the top of the stretch and draw off. Of all the youner jockey's, Rose looks to be the next big thing in the colony. Im very impressed with his enthusiasm, and his abilities. The horses that Rose has been winning on are not favorites. Rose giving his mounts and extra 1-2 lengths on top of their abilities with his energetic rides. I would say watch this jockey if you want to catch a price and win some nice exotics ! John Velasquez - The King ! The greatest rider of this generation in my opinion. I have been huge Johnny V fan for many years in NY. I was really rooting for him to win the Saratoga title this year, and feel exactly the same way about him here at Gulfstream. This man is the blue chip stock of jockey's. If a horse he is riding has a chance to win, it probably will win ! When watching Johnny V ride, words like polished, professional, exciting, and wow ! come to mind. When you watch Johnny V ride, your watching one of the top 5 jockeys in the World. Jerry Bailey - Yes, he retired. I choose not to write a retirement article for JD or even for Pat Day when he retired. I always loved to watch JD ride, and was a big fan of his during the early 90's and throughout his career. If you look back at many other articles, I told people to go watch him ride at Belmont Park last year because we thought it might be his last year and everyone should see Jerry put on the riding clinic he has for so many years. While we will all miss JD, its very normal, and expected that a man in his late 40s would retire and become a commentator and announcer for the sport. Its not the end of JD in racing, its the start of him broadcasting career. Best Regards to JD and thank you for all the great riding memories. Edgar Prado - I was walking behind him yesterday after he won the 8th race on Monday and even after winning, he was all business with his agent. If you ever wanted a serious, tough, strong, intelligent rider who gives his all every time, then all you have to do is watch Edgar Prado. I gave Edgar all the accolades when he won the Saratoga meeting this August, but I was openly bias towards Johnny V. Edgar Prado has not been given the respect he is obviously due. Remember, when I said Johnny V was among the top 5 in the World ? Well, Edgar Prado is certainly also in that top 5. In my Top 5, Frankie Dettori and Corey Nakatani join Edgar and Johnny V. My # 5 spot is empty because Jerry Bailey occupied it for so long and now retired. Mark Guidry - I have seen a fans bias in the wagering of horses he rides. Guidry's mounts are all being played, but he is coming in 2nd and 3rd more then winning. This Mid Western rider, is a tough veteran, and a great rider, but he is still trying to find his stride at Gulfstream. I noticed it all during the first month when Guidry mounts were favorites at the opening stages of the wagering. 4-1 and 5/2 odds are being wagered on Dale Romans shippers that Guidry is riding. Dont get me wrong, Im not being critical of Mark, I think he is a great rider and his accomplishments over the years make him a definite hall of famer for the future. I watched Mark Guidry walking into the saddling ring and he was very friendly and helpful to some of the younger jockey's who were apparently asking his advice and asking him questions. I expect to see a lot from Guidry in the coming months, and while he was off to a slow start at Gulfstream, you cannot count this powerful veteran rider out of the jockey race. *The Trainer's* --------------- Todd Pletcher - How can you say the best in the business ? What adjectives can you use to describe the most polished and professional trainer in racing today ? Some trainer's have a particular meet they like to call their own, or a track they feel more at home with. For Todd Pletcher, every track he sends horses to race...IS HIS TRACK ! Even horses who look like they are going off form in the PP's run big with clever drops in clmg price or distance/surface switches. If you see Pletcher's horse is the favorite in the race, and has Johnny V up.... save yourself the struggle of figuring out who will win that race...play Pletcher and JV ! Todd Pletcher is benefiting from the large stable and number of owners who want him to train their horses, but hey, thats because so many of them are winning ! It looks like Pletcher has about a 4-1 advantage in the number of horses he trains compared to the next best trainers at Gulfstream. Bill Mott - Everyone seems to forget this superstar trainer, who always has a strong showing and very top stables to train for at the NY/Florida circuit meets. Mott is very polished and if he has a good horse, that horse is going to win or be in the top 3 finishers. The retirement of JD must have hurt, as Mott teamed up with JD for many years in NY to win almost every turf race they ran. Mott also has one of the nations top stables to train for in Claiborne/and Adele Delshneider. This stable is pure blue blood and Kentucky power. Keep that in mind fans, Mott will have something to sya in all the big stakes races this meeting. Steve Asmussen - It looks like another National star trainer is here, but he seems to have the bulk of his stables at Fair Grounds(LD) and Oaklawn. I told everyone to watch out for Mr Asmussen at Saratoag where he did have a fantastic meeting. I would tell the fans to watch for Asmussen shippers in the stake races and black type ALLW. He will not ship them unless they are ready to run big. That being said, I dont think Mr Asmussen has the same precense at Gulfstream that he had at Saratoga. The Jerkens family - Father and Son, H.Allen, and Jimmy are here. Both are very powerful and well versed trainers. I told everyone to watch as Jimmy peaked at Saratoga and Belmont this year. JJ has a good number of horses and top stables to train for, so we expect him to continue his winning ways after a slow start at Gulfstream. Dont be fooled by the slow start, JJ will be winning races and that 6F stake the other day was just one of many victories we expect to see from him. H.Allen Jerkens is one of thr true gentleman of racing. The "Giant Killer" still evokes memories of a bygone era that he now represents in the present. The ability to watch Mr Jerkens horses in action is a rare pleasure that the fans should appreciate in the same way fans in California appreciated Charlie Whittingham trained horses. We know as long as H.Allen Jerkens and Jimmy Jerkens are saddling horses, there will be many trips to the winners circle for their family, and for Stick Horse Racing fans who play them. Nick Zito and Bobby Frankel - Very Below average meeting for two well known trainers with such great horses. Sun Kings loss in a very average ALLW race last week was disappointing to watch and for my wallet. I guess its my own fault for playing a 3/5 horse, I should have played the aged Derby winner from NY, Funny Cide. At Least he has the excuse of being 6 yrs old. *The Weather* ------------- South Florida in Jan-Feb-March is no humidity, low 80's high 70's. Everyone in California likes to point out the high humidity and 90 degree weather in the warmer months for Florida. Somehow saying that year round the weather in Florida is too hot. Guess Again ! Right now it is heaven in Florida. The skies are blue and its has rained only 3 or 4 days out of the last month. The outside temps have not been higher then 82, and its wonderful for day or night time racing. This does not mean it will stay this way year round, but it does say that the "Winter" months in Florida are sheer pleasure and absolute paradise. The feeling at Gulfstream when you go out is very close to the feeling you have at Belmont or Monmouth Park in Late May-Early June. *Thoughts about Gulfstream through the first 6 weeks of racing* --------------------------------------------------------------- I truly love it. The facility looks like a modern, pleasant, very well designed place. The food is delicious at Ten Palms on the second floor or at the pizza place on the North simulcast, or at the Burger Barn in the South Simulcast or at the hot dog stand on the apron. the columns and archways and sitting area around the walking ring all make for a pleasing experience. Valent parking is good, and the normal parking lot is acceptable if your willing to walk a few extra steps. The crowd is dedicated Horse players and retiree's, the normal mix of people would see at any track in the country, we horse racing fans and we're Americans ! G-d bless us all and G-d Bless America !. My Best Regards to my many friend at Gulfstream Park, including Robert, Pat, and Tom. The working people at the track know "The Stick", and its my pleasure to know you guys too. All of our normal services are now available. Please Email us with any questions or Orders that you would like filled for Selections Sheets at your favorite tracks.
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Best Regards and Racing, MC_Excelsior
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