racingmeridian.com

PONIES…what a relief to see a three year old colt not named Eskendereya finally deliver a meaningful performance. Lookin At Lucky’s facile romp in yesterdays Haskell Stakes gives the division a clear leader and creates a bit of buzz regarding his inevitable showdown with the older set in the Breeders Classic. Super Saver looked very ordinary but, with the Breeders being held at his treasured Churchill Downs, he has ample time to regroup and prepare to fire his best shot in October…the Haskell field clearly trumped the collection gathered at Saratoga to contest the Jim Dandy. The traditional prep for the Travers was won by a so-so A Little Warm and failed to deliver dramatics…three year old Winslow Homer was a very impressive winner of a minor Stakes at Saratoga on the weekend and deserves consideration for the mid-summer Derby…

PUG LIFE…Juan Manuel Marquez rebounded from his loss to Floyd Mayweather with an impressive 12 round decision over Juan Diaz Saturday night. It was a very good fight but Marquez was too skilled and committed for the Baby Bull. I was surprised to be able to find a bar that was showing the card but I guess it’s a slow summer and beer halls are desperate to find popular programming…

…Marquez called out Manny Pacquiao but I doubt we’ll ever see a third fight between the two. Marquez is Ken Norton to Pacquiao’s Ali, and the Pac Man has too many options to be bothered enduring another gruelling war with the Mexican…

…at least for the promotion of Saturday’s fight Marquez shut the bleep up concerning his propensity to drink his own urine…

…Marquez has really come into his own, and he has outlasted contemporaries like Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Though the latter pair continue to fight they are shadows of their former selves. Marquez, on the other hand, just keeps rolling. The Amir Khan Camp will doubtless come up with an excuse to avoid the rumoured December bout with Juan; quite simply, Khan is not ready for this fight…

…on the undercard the next great American middleweight, Daniel Jacobs, presumably spent too much time reading his press clippings. He was starched in the fifth by Dmitry Pirog. The winner was mentioned as a possible opponent for Sergio Martinez…

GRID IRON…could the end be near for Rex Grossman? The Washington Redskins acquired John Beck from the Baltimore Ravens, a possible indication that Head Coach Mike Shanahan feels the former Bear pivot is not up to backing up Donovan McNabb. Grossman took Chicago to the Superbowl despite the general feeling that he was the worst starting quarterback in football…

…Troy Polamalu played only five games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The star safety is reportedly healthy and has been a full participant in practice drills. The Steelers have a wicked schedule and will be minus Ben Roethlisberger for a minimum of four games. A sound Polamalu means the Steel Curtain lives and leaves Pittsburgh “live” against any team in football…

…in 25 regular season games Mrs Roy Williams has, according to the Dallas Morning News, caught a meagre 57 of the 128 balls pitched in his direction. The missus lingers on, however, his stay of execution granted this time after an injury to dazzling rookie Dez Bryant…

….I’m still having a hard time understanding how the Cleveland Browns can possibly justify starting the season with Jake Delhomme as their QB. It’s going to get ugly fast in a city seemingly cursed by the Gods of Sport…

ICE…this off season Chicago has expunged from their roster Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, Brent Sopel and, now, Antti Niemi. The talented core remains in place, however, and Marty Turco should be a more than adequate short term replacement in the net…