racingmeridian.com

The impeccable British website, Globeform, run by Geir Stabell, has dropped a bombshell on the thoroughbred handicapping world. In a passionate yet rational diatribe, Stabell argues the recent Nicky Henderson case in Britain has revealed a game both rife with drugs and unable to police itself. Henderson was found to have injected a nondescript animal in a lowly race with stimulants. Stabell argues persuasively that if trainers are nonchalant about juicing even their modest stock, then the culture of drugs must run rampant in the game. As a result, Globeform is closing. The site will be shut down as Stabell feels he can no longer support the British game. He promises to revive a site for the Breeders Cup but will make no commitment to a further involvement with racing in Britain…one of the great sport stories of the decade could be developing in this year’s Tour de France. Lance Armstrong, as divisive a figure as Michael Jackson, threw down the gauntlet in Stage Three, splitting his Astana team in two and slipping by rival/teammate Alberto Contador. Armstrong has moved to second place in the overall standings and has emphatically made a case to be the lead rider for Astana. Contador, winner of the Tour in 2006, will be keenly aware of the need to capture the crucial support of his teammates as the stages unfold. The battle within the team could ultimately serve to crown the 2009 winner of the Tour. A win for Armstrong would be stark vindication for the seven time winner. Dogged by drug allegations for years, he has submitted to stringent testing for this year’s competition. It’s a story for the ages and one which could return, in everyone’s eyes, the controversial Yank to the peak of the sporting pantheon…J P Ricciardi could have quietly taken offers for ace Roy Halladay. He could have said the right things in the media. He could have acted with class. But JP never displays an impulse for the dignified, measured response. As a result, Halladay can expect daily interrogations until the MLB trade deadline at the end of the month. Ricciardi has been one of the great frauds of the Toronto sporting scene, an obnoxious charlatan who lists his accomplishments on the back of a very small business card…add the Sporting News to the list of puck heads raving about the moves Brian Burke has made during the summer. Y’know, dumb guys and gals get to watch UFC, get to proclaim Michael Jackson a genius, read Stephen King and rejoice at Michael Bay movies. Smart guys and gals have rare opportunities to savour smart things - like the construction of a future Cup contender through sheer industriousness and savvy. I’m enjoying everyday as a Leaf fan for the first time since the early nineties. And, as a bonus, with all the coverage Burke engenders, one doesn’t have to read Damien Cox to get Leaf news. Sweet!…can only grin at the news the Philadelphia Flyers will start the 2009 season with the goaltending duo of Ray Emery and Brian Boucher. Those destined to repeat the past are known as the Flyers…Dinara Safina remains the number 1 ranked female tennis player in the world. She is clearly inferior to both Williams’s sisters but the W T A rankings are geared towards rewarding consistency and commitment in tour events. A more sensible approach would place Serena Williams at number 1 for no reason other than the fact she is the best…the current favourite for October’s Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe is Aiden O’Brien’s Fame and Glory at 4-1. European superstar Sea The Stars has been ruled out of the fall classic, hopefully due to a decision to head to Santa Anita for the Breeders…