racingmeridian.com

PUG LIFE..I’m completely disgusted to hear that Chris Arreola, bludgeoned by Vitali Klitschko on Sept 26^th, trained a mere five weeks for the fight. The fat, intellectually stunted heavyweight partied hard until the middle of August before commencing preparation for his shot at the heavyweight title…Emmanuel Steward is one who has pondered the prospect of the Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko fighting each other. Steward, an iconoclast, believes it would be a great fight. He believes that an existing sibling rivalry would flare up in the fight and provide high drama. Steward posits that, though the pair love and respect each other, deep down an older brother never wants to let a younger brother defeat him. This dynamic is present in all families and could result in a far more engaged battle then most believe…Larry Merchant, of HBO, is another that does not rule out a fight between the two Ukrainians. Merchant points to a dearth of challengers and drama in the division and notes a battle of the bros is the only compelling matchup among the big boys…PONIES..racing produced two genuine superstars this year; Rachel Alexandra and Sea The Stars. Neither will race in the Breeders Cup. Additionally, the scheduling of races on a Friday, when working people tend to, well, work, means that only half the races are even a viable viewing prospect for most punters. And, of course, the races will be staged on plastic. A daunting series of negative but also a perfect illustration of the cool contempt with which aspects of the thoroughbred industry treat the average fan. Shed no tears for this dying game. They’ve made their bed and it’s crusted with greed and indifference…the best of the Breeders will almost certainly be the large contingent of Irish runners sent by Aidan O’Brien and Ballydoyle. A trip to America, at the end of a gruelling season, is seen by the maestro of Tipperary as a way to reward staff and conduct some serious bonding. As a bonus, the European turfers have proven to be proficient on the plastic and, thus, contenders for lucrative events like the Classic. The O’Brien contingent will be lead by the sublime Rip Van Winkle, perhaps the second best horse in Europe at the moment. A Rip Van Winkle - Zenyatta showdown in the Classic would go along way to infusing the event with genuine excitement…