racingmeridian.com

Virtually all the coverage I’ve read concerning the Kentucky Derby has missed the salient point. The track crew at Churchill’s, during the 64 minutes between the tenth and eleventh (the Derby) race, sealed the track, opened it, and sealed it again. The previous races offer clues as to the rail favouring nature of the surface. However the track for the Derby was in markedly different condition after extensive work. It is this final prepatory undertaking that juiced the rail, turning it into a paved highway…I sat on a patio with the JDawg last night and worked through the Derby one last time. The name of the winner is verboten on this blog and in conversation, so we largely confined our reminiscences to the efforts of Pioneerofthe Nile. After months of anticipation it is difficult to accept such an irrational running of the Derby. Sometimes you just need beer and a friend to put everything in perspective. Sure I would have made boatloads of cash if the running surface was fair; but the JDawg walked me through the smouldering ruins of his investment portfolio (Citibank, anyone?) and I realized things could be much worse. Still, I’m happy to be off the continent for the Preakness and the Belmont. I need a break from American racing and the crippling inability of the mainstream media to comprehend and explain the magicians like Jeff Mullins, and the track crews that can forever change the fabric of thoroughbred racing…okay, from the rational part of my brain, here is, along with the rail bias, the BOTTOM LINE truth concerning the strange occurence in Kentucky; big upsets occur most frequently in a race where no participant can run the “par” time. The par is the average, or generally recognized level of performance, required to win at a particular classification. For instance, at Woodbine a Maiden Special Weight restricted to homebreds will require a Beyer of about 67. If no animal in the field has established an ability to run that fig, then firsters, young and improving, those with excuses, etc., must be given a long look. The Kentucky Derby is usually won with about a 109, a number no entrant in this years Kentucky Derby had achieved. Time and time again, you will find the implausible occurs when the favourites are suffering from an established inability to negotiate the races distance within expected parameters…early reports on Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie QB Josh Freeman are positive. Freeman wowed observers at the Bucs just concluded mini-camp. The Bucs, despite winning a Superbowl, have never had an elite level QB since trading Steve Young in 1987. Young was deemed expendable after the Bucs acquired Vinny Testaverde in the draft. Vinny, in turn, was mercilessly taunted by the fans and chose to leave at his first opportunity. Brad Johnson was serviceable but the key to the great Bucs teams has always been their stellar defence. It would be nice if Freeman developed into a top quality player…the New York Daily News reports the New York Jets have essentially given their starting QB position to rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Ryan Leaf. Yep, I said it, he’s the 21^st century Ryan Leaf…they never learn; the Philadelphia Flyers are investigating the possibility of bringing Ray Emery back to the NHL. Besides being a locker-room cancer, Emery is just not a very good goalie. He is certainly not worth the risk…ex Leaf goaltender Mikael Telqvist has signed with the KHL, the Russian professional league. Yeah, the NHL must be shaking in their boots…the Washington Capitals with brilliant goaltending. The Washington Capitals with brilliant goaltending. Sorry, having a hard time wrapping the remnants of my mind around that concept…the Sporting News has the Toronto Blue Jays as the second rated team in baseball. The tagline comments the Jays would be No. 1 except for the stumble last week against the Kansas City Royals. The Red Sox are fourth, the Yankees 11^th. The Los Angeles Dodgers, undefeated at home, top the poll…the New Jersey Athletic Control Board has declined to sanction the Saturday night Hector Camacho - Yori Campas fight. The 47 year old Camacho had sparred in front of the board last week but evidently did not instil confidence concerning his present abilities…the Seconds Out site, ballsy buggers, suggest Manny Pacquiao is on the cusp of greatness. Cusp? Barrera, Morales, Marquez, De La Hoya and Hatton not enough for you? Pacquiao would have been a success and a handful during any era in the annals of the sport. He’s been “great” for quite a while now…