With this being the last column of the 2012 racing season for myself, we'll look back at three important events in the sport of thoroughbred racing. It was a year where the possibly of the 13th Triple Crown Champion was less than a day away, the future of NYRA was now in the hands of the governor and we concluded the twenty year run of a local horse racing show on cable.
About every March, when this column gets it's usual start of the year, the three year old runners and the road to the first Saturday in May; the Kentucky Derbystarts. We gather together 20 horses going for the elusive chance of winning the Triple Crown. With three races, five weeks apart, it a rarity that hasn't been accomplished since 1978. This year, a California based horse with a little know Canadian transplant jockey and a sometime controversial trainer was looking to make history in the Belmont Stakes.
I'll Have Another, under the guidance of Mario Gutierrez and Doug O'Neill won the first two legs of racing's Triple Crown ( Kentucky Derby & Preakness) and was only a day away from possibly completing that shot in the Belmont Stakes. Looking like the first horse in 34 years to possibly win the crown, a startling announcement was made a little over 24 hours before the race, that I'll Have Another would scratch from the race and be retired. This once again, dashed the hopes of all racing fans and will cause this handicapper to NEVER look forward to another Triple Crown winner in thoroughbred racing or even try to predicted it.
Just before the start of racing at Saratoga this past summer, a announcement was made by the Governor of New York; Andrew Cuomo that the organization that runs thoroughbred racing in New York; NYRA would be getting a through overall change in how it would be run with a new oversight board and committee made up of appointees from his office. This would guide the entity that has been plagued the past few years in red ink to re-organize and be more "respectable" in eyes of the public and the governor's office.
The new members of the NYRA board were named, yet the organization remains under control of NYRA and for the first time in years, showed a profit and was in the "black" this past quarter of this year. With racing heading into the winter months in New York, it will be very interesting if the positive trend remains with the group and if the governor's office will stand back and let NYRA do, what NYRA was met to do and that is conduct and run thoroughbred racing in this state.
The racing year ended on a great note with this year's Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita Park and a exciting look toward next year with many stars returning. But on the Saturday of the Breeder's Cup, I got a sad message that a very popular thoroughbred racing show on local cable was coming to a end after 20 years. 'Trackfacts' on Capital OTB channel hosted by Tom Amello and Nick Kling had it's last show on the network. Started by Tom, it was created from his on track Saratoga sheet which has been a staple there since the late eighties. It first started as a 30 minute taped show on the network and grew to a ninety minute "live" show with his long time co-host and good friend of mine; Nick Kling as his weekly sidekick.
Though the past 20 years, Tom and Nick interviewed many key people in the sport of thoroughbred racing and have been a driving force in the educated of thoroughbred racing fans in the Capital District and beyond. Both very good personal friends of mine, I will truly miss their show on Capital OTB and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, the network WON'T be the same without them! Have a GREAT winter wagering, my racing fans and I'll see you guys in the spring..... AT THE POST !
