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Aside from seeing an exciting renewal of the Wood Memorial, there was another nice aspect to last weekend’s visit to Aqueduct.

I picked up the 2012 edition of the New York Racing Association Media Guide.

The truth be told, on a dusty shelf here in the Shelton abode, there sits a copy of the 1980 NYRA Media Guide, which was my initial passport to all of the vital information about the many personalities, be they vibrant or dull, that gave New York racing its distinct flavor.

Back then, NYRA was a pioneer among racetracks in producing a publication with comprehensive biographical and historical information. And in those long ago days before Al Gore (or someone) invented the internet and put every trivial fact at our fingertips, it was cool as a racing fan to peruse through the pages of a book that gave horsemen the kind of star treatment that had been reserved for professional athletes.

Admittedly, 32 years later, the media guide has become somewhat old hat for me, yet another trip down memory lane uncovered some great information that once again informed, surprised and even humbled this longtime improver of the breed. There’s quite a cast of characters at NYRA.

Thanks to the internet, you can download a copy of the guide at www.nyra.com, but to save you some time, allow me, with tongue in cheek at times, to point out some of the many nuggets of information at your disposal.

For instance:

-- Owner Henry Terranova “spent 22 years working as a WWE referee and also was a baseball scout for the San Francisco Giants.”

It must have been quite an adjustment for him seeing a bat used to hit a ball instead of someone’s skull.

-- Ed Bowen, who operates Drawing Away Stable, is the retired director of pensions for the New York City Transit Authority.

Guess he just can’t pry himself away from pensions.

-- I was eager to find out more about Funky Munky Stable, which seemed the creation of someone who, like me, devours Chunky Monkey ice cream or at the very least a guy who loves crazy dancing -- another passion of mine (I live to do the Disco Duck). Instead it’s owned by a guy named Richard Munk. Munk -- Munky, Funky, get it?

That’s pretty deflating. Sort of like finding out Madonna has actually been a librarian in Bayonne for all these years.

-- Was glad to read that Kiaran McLaughlin has been doing so well as a trainer. Previously, he was the “agent for the late Chris Antley in 1992-93.”

Now I know there are a few trainers out there who are not the brightest bulbs on Broadway, but I’m thinking it had to be hard to book mounts for a jockey who had passed away. Excellent career change, Kiaran.

-- Among the notable accomplishments of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is “Responsible for the modern development of Dubai.”

Yeah, I’ll admit that tops the line in my resume reading “Participated in Times Mirror’s Frontline Leadership and Building Management Skills and Techniques seminars.”

-- Chester Broman owns Chestertown Farm which is located in Chestertown, N.Y.

Way to go, Chester. You own a farm AND a city. That’s neat. Don’t think the world is ready for Ehaltville, though.

-- Winning Move Stables is owned by Steven Sigler, whose daughter is Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on TV.

I’ll bet he knows if Tony got whacked.

-- Owner Landon Robbins III is the founder and chairman of Service Net, a leader in the extended warranty industry.

My 12-year-old toaster is in the mail, Mr. Robbins.

-- Jockey Maylan Studart, in her native Brazil, “Grew up around horses and rode jumpers.”

I got jumped walking home from school in 1967. Went with the territory when you grew up in Queens.

-- John Parisella has trained for actors James Caan, Jack Klugman and Telly Savalas.

That’s great, but he’s not the trainer of the stars in my book until he adds ALF to his client list.

-- Trainer Eoin Harty is a “die-hard New York Yankees fan.”

Eoin, 20 years from now, you have my Hall of Fame vote in your back pocket.

-- It was written that trainer Shug McGaughey has “childhood friend and former fellow Cub Scout ‘Buzz’ Tenney” as his longtime assistant.

Sorry, folks, I’m not buying that one. If Shug and Buzz ever wore Cub Scout uniforms a picture would have surfaced in the “Indian Charlie” newsletter by now.

-- Owner William S. Farish III is the Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Great Britain.

Wow, that pretty much trumps me being the thrice-impeached past president of the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance.

-- Jockey Rosie Napravnik is married to a gentleman named Joe Sharp.

You figured some Sharp guy would scoop her up.

-- Trainer David Donk, when he was 24 started working as an assistant to Woody Stephens.

Now I’m jealous. Woody was a hero of mine. Loved his personality and the way he brought out the very best in so many great racehorses. I won’t get into some of my old bosses, but let’s just say at the same age as when Donk had the good fortune to work with Woody I had the “steadily depressin’ lowdown mind messin’ working at the car wash blues.”

-- Jockey Jorge Chavez said he had never ridden a horse until he was 20 when a friend brought him to the races in Peru. “I started galloping horses the next year,” he said.

Ah, there’s still hope for my riding career. All I need is a trainer willing to accept 143 pounds of overweight and an agent to secure mounts for me. Wonder if Kiaran McLaughlin has some free time.

-- Billy Turner, the only trainer left on this earth with a Triple Crown sweep to his credit. His introduction to racing came from growing up with Burley Cocks’ son, Winky.

Not even I am going to touch that one.

The Wood Memorial has enjoyed an overflowing amount of charisma in recent years, a point best reflected in its ability during the past three years to attract horses that at one time were considered the favorite for the Kentucky Derby.

Unfortunately not one of them made it to the starting gate four weeks later for the Run for the Roses.

Nor has a horse that ran in the Wood captured the Derby since Funny Cide in 2003.

Even worse, since Pleasant Colony in 1981, the only horse to prevail in the Wood and the Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.

Now into this breach comes the undefeated Gemologist, and Alpha, too. Both earned their ticket to Louisville by staging a spirited stretch duel in the 88th edition of the Wood that went to Gemologist by a neck and, in a year in which most of the other top contenders have at least one blemish on their brief 2012 resumes, that could make him the betting choice on the first Saturday in May.

“So far, it would be hard to be unhappy with anything he’s done his whole career,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “It was great to see. It looked like he had a little something left after the wire, so I think from a conditioning standpoint, with a good mile race and a good 1 1/8-mile race under our belt, hopefully we can have a good month of training leading up to [the Derby].”

Pletcher had mixed emotions about what he saw in the stretch of the nine furlong Wood, which is one furlong shorter than the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Gemologist, who tracked the pacesetting The Lumber Guy while three wide in third early on, forged to the front at the top of the stretch under Javier Castellano, but then drifted in to the rail and seemed to wait for competition instead of drawing off.

"He's still waiting [for challengers] a little bit," Pletcher said. "Javier said he was still looking around a little bit."

As he did, true to Satchel Paige’s warning, someone was indeed gaining.

Alpha was checked along the rail due to crowding midway on the first turn, then moved up into mid-pack while only about three lengths off the leader following a half-mile of 47.57 seconds into a head-wind. On the final bend, jockey Ramon Dominguez had a horse ready to run but a line of horses in front of him and a horse outside of him -- third-place finisher Teeth of the Dog -- pinning him in.

But when Gemologist drifted in, it gave Dominguez and Alpha the seam they needed. The Godolphin Racing colt chewed into Gemologist’s lead, which had been 1 ½ lengths at the eighth pole, and reached his flank with a sixteenth of a mile left. But just when it seemed Gemologist would be reduced to a practically perfect colt, he dug down, put his determination on display and fended off Alpha’s late bid for his fifth-straight triumph.

“I was proud of him for finding more when Alpha came to him,” Pletcher said. “It was nice to see him fight.”

The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Alpha figures to join Gemologist in Louisville as the Wood’s $1 million gave the top two finishers sufficient graded stakes earnings to crack the 20-horse field for the Run for the Roses. Gemologist is sixth with $703, 855 and Alpha, who won the $200,000 Withers earlier in the year at Aqueduct, is 15th with $380,000, and only three major preps remain on the Road to the Triple Crown.

“Everything went great except the photo. Had we won, it would have been perfect, but we did pass many tests. Good in the gate, took dirt, ran great, belongs in the Derby,” McLaughlin said. “It was a real, true, great prep.”

Next comes the most important test, the one in Kentucky when the many months of preparation will come to fruition for one lucky set of connections. Gemologist, with that perfect record, should be the top choice when the next National Thoroughbred Racing Association poll comes out. Whether the betting public will flock to him with that same type of enthusiasm remains to be seen. In a year filled with ordinary speed figures, the 1:50.96 final time for the 2012 Wood was the third slowest since 1984, and Gemologist could be a part of a lively pace scenario with Santa Anita Derby winner I’ll Have Another, reigning two-year-old champ Hansen, Take Charge Indy and Secret Circle all preferring to run on or near the lead.

It will not be easy, and perhaps Gemologost can deliver the goods and add some more luster to the Wood, but at the very least with a 5-for-5 record he’ll bring some charisma to Churchill Downs.

Gemologist outruns Alpha to win the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 7, 2012.

Chances are, when jockey Elvis Trujillo guides My Adonis toward the starting gate for Saturday’s Wood Memorial, he will not be alone.

He just might have an angel looking over his shoulder.

Either Alpha or Gemologist figure to be the betting favorite in Saturday’s Wood, but anyone searching for a sentimental favorite will find it difficult to look past My Adonis.

Owned by George and Lori Hall, My Adonis was named for George’s father, George Edward Hall, who passed away last year on Oct. 28, and each time the homebred colt races he evokes the treasured memory of a man whose zest for life left an indelible mark on his family.

“We’d love to think Elvis will have a co-pilot with him on Saturday,” Lori Hall says. “It was my father-in-law’s style to make a splash at the biggest moment.”

The Wood, with its $1 million purse, would surely qualify as a rather large moment for an improving colt that has been competitive with this year’s leading 3-year-olds. He started the year by finishing third behind Union Rags and 2011 2-year-old champ Hansen in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. Then both he and Hansen shipped north to the Big Apple, where the Halls’ runner finished second to the Eclipse Award winner in the Gotham on March 3.

Watching him in those races, his delighted owners felt the same kind of spirit and determination that they saw in the colt’s beloved namesake.

“This horse has so much spirit and ability and George was so happy to have the horse named after him. He would laugh and tell us ‘you named him after the right guy,’” Lori says.

The saga of My Adonis dates back to 2009, a year marred by the tragic discovery that George Hall Sr. had lung cancer.

“After he was diagnosed with cancer, George said if he could beat it he would give up smoking and all of his bad habits. He vowed to change his life and become an Adonis,” Lori says.

In recognition of her father-in-law’s determination to overcome his illness, Lori attached the name “My Adonis” to one of their weanlings, a colt by Pleasantly Perfect out of Silent Justice.

“Our objective in naming the horse after him was to give George another reason to fight, so that he could watch the horse race at two or three,” Lori says.

As George Sr. staged a heroic battle with cancer, he was able to see his son’s greatest moment in racing when the Halls’ Ruler On Ice captured the 2011 Belmont Stakes. Then, a month later, My Adonis made it to the racetrack and ran second in his first three starts before breaking his maiden at Monmouth. After that, trainer Kelly Breen sent My Adonis to Delta Downs, where he captured the Jean Lafitte Stakes in an emotionally charged and utterly unforgettable moment for the close-knit family.

“George was so proud of all of his son’s accomplishments, but it’s hard to follow someone’s success in the business world. So he followed George’s horses and was so happy to see them win,” Lori says. “He was in the hospital for the Jean Lafitte, but we brought in a laptop to show him the race and he was beside himself with joy when My Adonis won.”

That joy gave way to tears less than a week later when George Sr. passed away, and even now each one of My Adonis’ races can bring out a torrent of emotions for a heartbroken family.

“My Adonis’ races are harder on our nerves than usual because we want him to do well for George Sr., but it’s worth it,” Lori says. “I’ll happily take a few more butterflies to pay tribute to such a wonderful man.”

Lori names each of the family’s young horses and says they have a pair of 2-year-olds who were also named in honor of her late father-in-law. One is an Officer filly named Mr. Hall’s Opus, the other, a Bernardini colt, is The Duke of the City.

They could race later this year, but for now there’s the more pressing matter of the Wood. Lori said she was disappointed that Hansen was pointed to the Blue Grass Stakes, and, with the kind of bravado that would have warmed her father-in-law’s heart, expressed confidence in her horse’s chances against a talented field.
“I wish Hansen was in the Wood because I believe we could beat him at a mile and an eighth. Now I feel Gemologist will be the toughest competition. I’m not worried about Alpha,” Lori says.

A win or even a second in the Wood should give My Adonis enough graded stakes earnings to run in the Kentucky Derby, and it might even lead to some phone calls. In the past, the Halls have been willing to sell a promising 3-year-old, like they did with West Side Bernie and Sweet Ducky, but if anyone else has an interest in My Adonis they might want to save their wireless minutes for a more useful purpose.

“I wouldn’t want to answer for George, but if someone wanted to buy My Adonis let’s just say I think he would have a very difficult time selling him,” Lori says.

No surprise there. Who wants to say goodbye to an angel?

On a weekend that’s the calm before the storm, at least there was an appropriate choice for Saturday’s stakes at Aqueduct.

Shortly before the $1 million Florida Derby will be contested at Gulfstream, the Big A’s card will be highlighted a $75,000 overnight stakes named after a horse that should a ring bell with equine trivia buffs. It’s called the Plugged Nickle, in honor of a T.J. Kelly-trained runner who, despite the typo in his name, became one of the top 3-year-olds of 1980 and was the very first horse to beat the legendary Genuine Risk.

That happened in the 1980 Wood Memorial when both Plugged Nickle and stablemate Colonel Moran finished in front of Genuine Risk, who a few weeks later rebounded to beat the boys and become the first filly in 65 years to capture the Kentucky Derby.

History lessons aside, memories of Plugged Nickle and Genuine Risk are a rather nice segue into next Saturday’s featured race at Aqueduct, which, of course, is the $1 million Resorts World Casino New York City Wood Memorial.

Genuine Risk was one of 13 Derby winners since 1950 that raced in the Wood, and she played a key role in fashioning the 1973-81 glory days of the race when it produced six out of nine victors in the Run for the Roses.

More recently the Wood has not been a springboard to success at Churchill Downs since Funny Cide in 2003, though this year’s field promises to have a few starters who might be good enough to add to the lore of New York’s definitive Derby prep.

The Wood may have lost some of its luster when reigning Juvenile champ Hansen opted to run in the Blue Grass, but you can’t knock it with a field that includes Alpha, who already owns two 2012 N.Y. stakes wins, My Adonis, who finished right behind Hansen in his last two starts, and perhaps the most intriguing Derby candidate of all, the undefeated Gemologist.

Alpha’s connections shipped their colt from New York to Florida last month and then hemmed and hawed over their colt’s final Derby prep, considering first the Florida Derby and then the Louisiana Derby. But once Hansen was pointed toward the Blue Grass, Godolphin Racing and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin decided on a return trip to New York.

My Adonis was spared the frequent flier points, staying in New York after finishing second to Hansen in the Gotham over the Big A’s inner track.

Considering that both horses prefer to come from off the pace -- with My Adonis being more of a closer than Alpha -- they should relish the added distance of the mile-and-an-eighth Wood.

How Gemologist handles the nine furlongs is a question that could alter the pace scenario in the Derby. Winner of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Jockey Club at two, Gemologist registered a smashing 2012 debut when he posted a front-running, seven-length victory in an allowance race at Gulfstream over Hopeful winner Currency Swap.

If he can stretch out and still kick some dirt in the face of Alpha and My Adonis, it will give him more than enough graded stakes earnings to race in the Derby and provide speedsters like Hansen with yet another challenger on the front end of the mile-and-a-quarter classic.

Other candidates for the Wood include Tampa Bay Derby winner Prospective; Casual Trick, who was seventh behind Union Rags in the Fountain of Youth; speedy Miracle Wood winner The Lumber Guy, who should press Gemologist on the front end; Tiger Walk, who was fourth in the Gotham; as well as Brimstone Island, Cozzetti and Teeth of the Dog.

Saturday’s top-notch card will also feature three other graded stakes, highlighted by the Grade 1 $400,000 Carter Handicap, which will serve up a rematch of the Tom Fool thriller between Calibrachoa and Caleb’s Posse, with Preakness winner Shackleford and Jackson Bend joining the fray this time around.

The $250,000 Bay Shore, a Grade 3 seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, lists Beggarthyneighbor, Hardened Wildcat, How Do I Win, Maan, Perfect Trippi, Phil Dancer and Trinniberg among the possible starters.

The undefeated Agave Kiss is a question mark for the $250,000 Comely, a Grade 3 mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies being targeted by Broadway’s Alibi, Millionreasonswhy, Nuffsaid Nuffsaid, Off Limits, Singlet, and Welcome Guest.

After a long and difficult winter, it should be a great card of racing and a vivid reminder that the start of the year’s best and most enjoyable days of racing is right around the corner. You can bet a lot more than a plugged nickel on that.

Much of the focus lately at New York racetracks has involved the health and well-being of the horses that sustain the sport.

Yet for all of the attention centered on what’s been happening five racing days a week at Aqueduct, there’s also concern about the future of the industry’s equine athletes, something that can arrive rather quickly for a horse that might peak at the rather youthful age of three or four.

Options for a retired racehorse are limited, but the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the New York Racing Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., are hoping that the up and down world of show jumping can expand them.

Together they formed and funded TAKE2, a jobs program of sorts for Thoroughbreds, which intends to open doors so that racehorses can become show jumpers once their days of springing from a starting gate come to an end.

The first step in this process comes in May when NYRA, the NYTHA and NYTB will co-sponsor divisions limited to Thoroughbreds at several Saratoga horse shows to showcase the value of runners whose racing days are behind them.

"The welfare of our equine athletes, both during and after their racing careers, is of the utmost importance to the owners and trainers competing at NYRA’s tracks,” said NYTHA president Rick Violette Jr.

“NYTHA and NYRA have long offered financial support to organizations such as the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, but we are now expanding our initiatives. We want to give our retired racehorses the opportunity to find new vocations in different equestrian disciplines. This is our jobs program. Thoroughbreds are healthier and happier when they have jobs to do.”

TAKE2 currently plans to fund restricted hunter and jumper competition at the Saratoga Spring Horse Show I (May 2-6), Saratoga Springs Horse Show II (May 9-13), Skidmore College Saratoga Classic (June 12-17) and Skidmore College Saratoga Classic II (June 20-24).

New Jersey horsemen are also lending their support to the concept by sponsoring divisions for Thoroughbreds at the Garden State Horse Show in May.

“We are thrilled to partner with NYTHA and the NYTB to help promote the retraining of Thoroughbreds for second careers,” NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward said. “This important initiative will encourage horsemen in our industry, and in the horse show world, to recognize the fulfilling possibilities that exist to provide Thoroughbreds with long and happy lives after their racing careers. The well-being of our horses is an issue at the top of the agenda for everyone in our sport.”

Now, to help in that regard, New York finally has a program worth jumping up and down about.

Interesting thing about the weather.

A year ago, during a winter only the owner of a ski lodge could love, spring was greeted like Willis Reed limping out for Game 7.

This year, we have about as mild a winter as anyone could ask, and at Aqueduct Racetrack spring still could not get here quickly enough.

Tuesday’s official arrival of spring came a day before the New York Racing Association opened the main track at Aqueduct, bringing on one level an end to racing on the winterized inner track two weeks earlier than scheduled, and on another, perhaps some normalcy back to the sport.

After a horrific winter in which there were 20 fatalities in less than four months of racing over the inner track, the opening of the main track and a full-court press to curtail the breakdowns has shifted the focus from breakdowns to scratches -- a trade any general manager would make in a heartbeat.

There were 18 scratches on Wednesday’s first card on the main track, followed by 14 on Thursday and a more reasonable eight on Friday. Since NYRA does not make scratches by its veterinary staff public, it’s difficult to ascertain how many were voluntary and how many were mandated.

The previous Wednesday and Thursday there had been a combined 21 scratches.

Yet, regardless of the circumstances, the impact was clear as the first three days of racing produced no fatalities, welcomed news after having seven during the period covering March 2-17.

The change in latitudes and attitudes also comes at a time when a task force was introduced Thursday by the New York Racing and Wagering Board to investigate the fatalities at the inner track meet and uncover answers as to why there was calamity at such an unprecedented rate.

The four-person task force, assembled in cooperation with New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association president Rick Violette, includes Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, Alan Foreman, chairman and CEO of Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Associations, Dr. Scott E. Palmer, the hospital director and staff surgeon at the New Jersey Equine Clinic, and Dr. Mary Scollay, the equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse racing Commission.

Together they will undertake an all-encompassing analysis that will focus on a review of NYRA’s policies on public disclosures, necropsies, track conditions and pre-race examinations of horses and its rules covering claims, veterinary procedures and equine drug use.

“We have assembled an outstanding panel of industry experts, who will conduct a fair and objective investigation to determine if there is a definitive cause for the increase in the number of catastrophic breakdowns at Aqueduct this winter,” Violette said. “We trust they will analyze all data meticulously, and New York 's horsemen will give our whole-hearted support to this initiative. No one has a more vested interest in protecting our horses and our jockeys to the very best of everyone's abilities than the 5,000 members of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association."

The task force’s findings will be made public, adding some transparency to the process and giving off more hope that something beneficial might ultimately arise from as dark a winter as NYRA has ever endured.

Spring, what took you so long to get here?

With each passing day, New York racing gains more and more attention -- for all the wrong reasons.

Earlier this week New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined the outcry over the rash of breakdowns at Aqueduct this winter, demanding the New York Racing Association (NYRA) bring in an outside group to investigate the spate of fatalities, which numbers 17 from the Nov. 30 opening of the inner track through Friday.

NYRA, in response, said it would lower purses for lower level claiming races, reducing the imbalance between claiming tags and purses, a flaw in an otherwise successful move to enhance purses through casino revenue. With horses running for $7,500 or $15,000 claiming tags able to earn more than that by a winning race, it has ignited a claiming frenzy that can also serve as reasoning to race horses in questionable physical condition.

Racing will also switch to Aqueduct’s main track Wednesday, two weeks earlier than scheduled, shifting the action to a surface long considered one of the best in the industry.

Numerous other avenues for change exist, and while there’s no single answer or remedy for the problem, any kind of meaningful change figures to involve the physical condition of horses that step onto the racetrack.

A horse in peak physical condition can take a bad step and suffer a fatal breakdown. Yet the preponderance of injuries and fatalities at the lowest claiming levels, where older and more physically taxed horses reside, are a telling sign that the envelope is being pushed too far.

In the last post here, a call for more vigilance in monitoring the physical condition of horse was voiced, and as more time passes it’s becoming more apparent it’s the horses, rather than the racetrack, where the root of the problem exist.

To remedy it, NYRA would be wise to increase its veterinarian staff and become more of a watchdog for horses with a bowling ball for an ankle who keep popping up in the entries. Putting more horses on the vet’s list, and publicizing it, can’t hurt the situation.

While much of racing’s recent focus has been on illegal performance-enhancing medications, it might also be time for entities like NYRA to have the power to examine horse’s medical records and find out if $250 or $1,500 a month worth of permissible medications are being pumped into a horse -- and ask why.

Knowing exactly what’s going into horses can help NYRA to intervene and perhaps curtail the racing of an equine time bomb whose weak bones or joints might give at any time. It’s difficult to believe any self-respecting trainer could knowingly race a horse that will break down in its next start, but the current financial conditions clearly create a situation where there’s an inducement to race a troubled horse in hopes of netting a big purse and passing on a problem to someone else via the claim box.

Another option might be to create a time frame when a horse’s legs can be viewed without wraps so both prospective buyers and track veterinarians can see exactly what those bandages are hiding. If a move like that reduces the chances of a shaky horse being claimed, it might keep that same horse in the barn and away from the racetrack.

Surely, as NYRA delves deeper into this, there are going to be unsettling findings, and some of the possible answers -- like less races a day to reduce the need for so many bottom level races, and a month or two winter break -- might rankle revenue-starved politicians like Cuomo who are speaking one way now and might change his tone later when it could affect the amount of money pari-mutuel wagering turns over to the state.

Some answers might not be popular, but quite clearly NYRA cannot endure another winter like this one.

Somehow NYRA needs to get across the message to horsemen that the winter of 2011-12 cannot be repeated, and that if more prudence is not exhibited it will be mandated. Inevitably, there will be mistakes and sound horses may be affected through extreme vigilance, but right now someone has to err on the side of the caution, be it horsemen or NYRA.

A word from a wise

At the start of February, a few weeks before the fatalities became headline news, while speaking with Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens about the purse enhancements, he voiced concern over the imbalance between purses and claiming price.

“There’s not much good that can come out of that situation,” Jerkens said.

Apparently Jerkens is still as sharp as a tack at age 82, and there might be a lesson to be learned in that.

While a leader like NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward has to deal with groups like the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, perhaps he should also periodically talk in private with respected longtime horsemen like Jerkens, who are known for candidly speaking their mind, to hear and digest their take on the state of racing.
Hopefully he already does something along that line, but if not he should pump up the volume of chatter from those with the best, and most unbiased and honest perspectives.

Solutions are often out there. You just have to look in the right places.

Each of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks has its own distinct atmosphere. Saratoga is known for the large crowds it draws every day of its summer meet, from the locals and diehards to the tourists and vacationers who visit the historical town each summer. And of course Belmont Park boasts the annual Belmont Stakes, which draws a national and global audience every year, never more so than when it holds the potential of awarding a triple-crown title.

And, then there is Aqueduct. The crowds are sparse, the winds are strong and the seagulls battle to fly in the raw winter air. But there is one voice that warms the fans that venture to the Big A: John Imbriale, who started working for NYRA on November 5, 1979. Today he is the Director of NYRA Production, overseeing all production and a 30-person TV crew. But not only does Imbriale oversee TV production, he is also the race caller at Aqueduct Racetrack when Tom Durkin takes a vacation. For years, Imbriale has provided his voice to call the horses over the inner track of Aqueduct throughout the winter meet.

While Imbriale works in the shadow of legends such as Tom Durkin, his advice to future race callers stresses a fundamentally important trait -- the need to be yourself, “Develop your own style and don’t imitate Tom Durkin or Trevor Denman or anyone else.” Imbriale also longs for a bit more diversity in the caller’s booth, noting “I’d love to see and hear a female track announcer.”

Imbriale seems to enjoy most of the races he calls, as he responded to a question about a favorite memory by noting how much he enjoyed announcing one particular horse in the very recent Tom Fool Handicap, run on Saturday, March 3, 2012. “I got a thrill calling Caleb’s Posse. He didn’t even win. He’s just very exciting when he makes his late run,” noted Imbriale.

Spring is a week away, which means the Aqueduct meet has a month left, the voice of the inner track, will be silenced for the season. But Imbriale will be back next year, and in the meantime will continue to bring the fans the sights and the sounds of racing -- albeit behind the scenes -- as he continues his responsibilities, as director of NYRA TV.

Michael Fenrich is a freelance writer covering sports and human interest stories.
Michael has had horse racing stories posted on usatoday.com and bloodhorse.com.
Michael can be contacted at: mikefenrich@optonline.net

In a winter filled with the glow of unprecedented purses and unusually mild weather, it’s sad to report that an ominous van rather than a horse has emerged as the lasting image of New York’s 2012 winter racing season.

The haunting specter of the white horse van that removes injured or deceased race horses from the track has been seen of late at Aqueduct with seemingly the same frequency as Sam the Bugler.

Since Nov. 30 there have been 15 fatal breakdowns in races over Aqueduct’s inner track, a figure which is reportedly 50 percent higher than in the past two inner track meets.

Numerous other times, like twice on Sunday, horses with minor or at least non-life threatening injuries have been led into the van and driven to their barn or a veterinary hospital for treatment.

Yonkers may have its talking spokesperson horse, but NYRA has now its van, which has become such a ubiquitous part of a day at the races in the era of real-time, digital coverage of the sport that one can only wonder how long it will be before its driver, or perhaps even the van itself, starts a Twitter account.

In response to a situation that’s spiraling downward at a frightening pace, NYRA’s vice president and director of racing, P.J. Campo, vice president of facilities and racing surfaces, Glen Kozak, and the circuit’s leading jockey, Ramon Dominguez, met with the media on Thursday to declare the racing surface safe.

It was a highly predictable party line, and, most likely, it was probably correct. The inner track has never been considered dangerous and this year’s mild weather should not have worsened the situation. Dominguez’s comments also echo that sentiment as jockeys put their life on the line every time they hop on the back of a horse. If the racetrack was to blame for the injuries and fatalities, it’s logical to believe there would be a deafening outcry from the jockey colony.
So what’s happening?

Without the benefit of exhaustive medical research or access to veterinary bills, it’s impossible to point to one reason with absolute certainty. Yet somewhere in the mix it would seem to involve the time of year, the quality and physical condition of the horses racing and even the inflated purses.

Winter racing has never been a haven for the best and brightest of the racing world. It’s a time when non-descript horses and small outfits can rake in enough purse money to help pay the bills during the lean summer days. Horses that finish last in their Saratoga debut break their maiden on the inner track.

They are slower horses, often having a litany of medical and physical issues. They can have excessive wear and tear from a long, taxing career. And in the winter this small army of also-rans comes together to sustain the sport and fuel its mutuel handle, albeit at a far more lethargic pace.

It’s been that way for years. Yet this year enhanced purses from casino revenue have changed the landscape. There are still $7,500 claimers, but the purses are dramatically higher. In the NYRA of 2012 those horses which can be bought for $7,500 can bring back nearly $17,000 in purse money for winning a race, a financial distortion that might partially explain this year’s rash of injuries and breakdowns.

It’s not that some horses are running back too soon, say in two days, which is both glaring and rare. More common is that in some instances the narrow time frame for the easy pickings in the winter -- things will change when the major outfits return from Florida within the next month -- could cause a trainer to run a horse twice in a month instead of once and increase the strain on the animal.

In another scenario, it’s simply that the horses are running in the first place. The dramatic imbalance between purses and claiming prices has created a frenzy at the claim box, which in this dynamic might be encouraging some folks to race achy horses who in the past might get a vacation.

In background discussion about the state of the claiming game, a veteran trainer said he’s getting more calls per day than ever before from his owners about getting a horse. In some cases, there’s little concern about a horse’s physical condition because in the current climate a horse with a problem can be dropped a notch in claiming price and someone will claim it and make it their problem.

With some horses, it’s not so much the claiming game as it is hot potato. Last year, for example, when the claim box was gathering dust, there was more of a reason to be prudent and not push the envelope. Now, with huge purses and 12-way shakes for claimed horses, horsemen can be more impulsive because of the larger financial safety net.

There’s no way of knowing whether this was responsible for one or all of the injuries, but it seems a double-edged sword at the very least. It’s a great time to latch onto a good horse and turn a quick profit, and an even better time to unload a horse with a laundry list of issues.

In this kind of an environment is it at all surprising that Daily Racing Form reported nine of the 15 fatalities (60 percent) occurred at NYRA’s lowest rung on the claiming ladder?

In recent a talk with Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens for another post, he voiced a concern that the purse enhancements had thrown the balance between claiming prices and purses out of whack. “There’s not much good that can come out of that situation,” said Jerkens, who is currently stabled in Florida.

Perhaps this year’s spate of injuries is a reflection of that. Dealing with the problem, though, is a more difficult situation. Lowering the purses for claiming races would go over like a lead balloon with horsemen.

Since there is a “buyer beware” philosophy inherent in the claiming game that works against transparency, the best option would seem to be more vigilance on the part of the NYRA veterinarian staff. Some might see it as an overreaction, but at times like this, something has to be done. If it takes more scrutiny and less tolerance and the placing of more horses on the vet’s list (which sidelines them for at least two weeks and sends a loud message to someone who might claim them) then it has to be done.

Just saying it’s not the track, is not enough. More has to be done to keep NYRA’s infamous white van in the garage.

Paul Ruchames has been involved in social work for nearly three decades, but he says it’s been the last two years that have been the most rewarding for him.

Since taking over as the executive director of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.) in March of 2010, Ruchames has been at the helm of an integral behind-the-scenes program that has helped to change lives on the backstretch of New York’s three racetracks. On a daily basis, the non-profit organization extends a helping hand to racetrack workers, providing them with essential services and goods such as free heath care and life insurance, drug counseling and mental health care as well as food and clothing.

“This is the most meaningful endeavor I’ve been involved in,” Ruchames said. “We’re helping people live better lives and there’s such a tremendous amount of satisfaction that comes from that as well as working with such an incredibly dedicated staff and a team of volunteers. There are so many generous people out there willing to help others.”

Ruchames says B.E.S.T. has a fulltime staff of about 15 and nearly 150 volunteers who work tirelessly on behalf of nearly 2,000 backstretch workers at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga. Supported by an annual budget of $2.2 million, which comes mostly from the New York Racing Association and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, B.E.S.T. operates an on-track clinic throughout the year at Cottage 28B on the Belmont Park backstretch, which is staffed by a fulltime physician, and services workers at Saratoga for seven months out of the year.

The clinic treats roughly 120 patients per month and approximately 20 more are taking advantage of the group’s drug and alcoholic counseling programs. For many of those workers, a large number of whom are immigrants, treatment by Dr. Frederic Cogan at the B.E.S.T. clinic will serve as their first visit to a doctor in years -- if not ever.

“So many of these workers come from poor rural areas that they’re never seen a doctor before,” says Ruchames, who has played a lead role in revitalizing B.E.S.T., which was plagued by cash flow troubles prior to his arrival. “And they are such hard-working people that even if they get hurt they will not stop for treatment; they just keep working. Through our program, we’ve been able to provide some help for these people and also get them vaccinations to keep them healthy.”

The many success stories arising out of the work by B.E.S.T. has caught the eye of several New York businesses, allowing the program to grow at a dramatic rate the last two years. Macy’s, for example, recently provided B.E.S.T. with a $10,000 grant for hepatitis testing.

Ruchames also notes a computer lab was recently opened at Saratoga and plans are in the works to introduce one at Belmont Park.

“The computers and components like Skype are great for workers who are disconnected from their families,” Ruchames says. “When workers can contact their families it helps to alleviate the emptiness that often leads to drug or alcohol use. As much [as] we provide treatment to those who need it, we are also focused on trying to eliminate the root cause of those problems.”

Clearly, a large and growing community of needy backstretch workers have guardian angels looking over them. And through all of that care and concern, something quite special has been taking place away from the bright spotlight of the circular dirt surfaces that have made New York racing so famous. Some dedicated individuals have taken the B.E.S.T. and made it better.

(Note: Anyone interested in supporting B.E.S.T. can reach Ruchames by email at paul@bestbackstretch.com or by phone at (516) 488-3434, ext. 103)

He may not have been allowed to use blue dye on his horse’s tail, but as Dr. Kendall Hansen stood in the winner’s circle at Aqueduct racetrack Saturday he issued his own fashion statement.

Standing tall in an area best known for suits and ties, Hansen faced a group of reporters while decked out in a blue t-shirt with a white horse and white lettering that read: “The Great White Hope.” There was a rose used in place of the “o” in “hope” and below the words came numbers that added up to what could be a date with destiny for Hansen and his four-legged namesake: 05.05.12

Hansen, the horse, successfully moved a big step closer to the May 5 Kentucky Derby by notching a three-length victory in the $400,000 Gotham Stakes and doing it in a manner which reflected how a 3-year-old colt can sometimes be taught new tricks.

A frontrunner in his four previous starts, the reigning juvenile champion spent the early stages of the Gotham racing four-horses wide on the first turn after breaking from post 12. He was then content to sit second behind King and Crusader, a 38-1 shot coming off a sprint stakes victory, through a half-mile in a modest 47.51 seconds. With an ideal target in front of him, Dr. Hansen’s practically white colt forged to the front midway on the final turn and then pulled away in the stretch to script the perfect remedy for the colt’s first defeat, a runner-up finish in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park this past Jan. 29.

My Adonis, who was third in the Holy Bull, a half-length behind Hansen, was a non-threatening second behind the 3-5 favorite ($3.60), who covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43.84 over a drying-out surface listed as good.

“To see him relax and finish up strong, that’s really what I wanted. This is perfect,” said Dr. Hansen, whose “The Great White Hope” t-shirts are being sold online with a portion of the proceeds going to the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. “He’s learning. He’s an intelligent horse and in training we’ve been working on getting him to relax.”

Jockey Ramon Dominguez was also excited by the possibilities awaiting the new, more relaxed Hansen.

“He really took the step forward as far as maturing. He actually did it better than I expected. He was so relaxed. Coming to the three-eighths pole when he switched to his left lead and I got after him, he went on beautiful. He really did it as nice as I could expect. I was hoping that he could take the step forward, mind-wise, but he really took it further than I expected. Awesome. Galloped out like a freight train, too,” Dominguez said.

As positive as that may sound, there were also some elements to the Gotham which gave off hints that Dr. Hansen’s t-shirts could ultimately wind up in a foreign land, joining Patriots Super Bowl XLVI champions t-shirts.

For starters, there was the end of the race. His final sixteenth was covered in a mediocre 6.84 seconds, despite some urging by Dominguez.

He also beat a field long on quantity and short on quality, as not one of the 12 rivals who turned out to face the division champ in the Grade 3 stakes had ever finished better than third in a graded stakes.

Still, Hansen remains the only horse to ever experience the thrill of a victory over Union Rags, a feat accomplished in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Considering how that race was contested at Churchill Downs, should Hansen return to Aqueduct on April 7 and win the Wood Memorial, a blue t-shirt would be in vogue on the First Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

“He did everything perfect today, and I don’t have to be embarrassed after his last race,” trainer Mike Maker said. “I hope we can keep him figured out for the next couple of months.”

Revenge for Repole

Caleb’s Posse broke Mike Repole’s heart last summer when he came from the clouds to beat Repole’s beloved Uncle Mo in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga.

On Saturday, a horse claimed by Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher for a mere $40,000 exacted a measure of revenge for his more illustrious former stablemate as Calibrachoa held off a late surge by Caleb’s Posse to beat the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner by a neck in the Grade 3 $200,000 Tom Fool.

“[Calibrachoa] doesn’t have the big name, but I think this is his year. I think he’s going to be one of the best sprinters in the country this year. Uncle Mo watched the race from his stall [at stud] in Lexington and he was happy that one of his stablemates was able to hold off Caleb’s Posse. I was just rooting him home, just hoping that he’d get there. Wire, wire, wire, wire -- it couldn’t come fast enough,” Repole said.

Both Calibrachoa ($9.40) and Caleb’s Posse, who was making his 2012 debut, are on target for a rematch in the Carter Handicap, a seven-furlong Grade 1 stakes scheduled for Aqueduct’s main track. Not the inner track, the site of Saturday’s race where Calibrachoa is now 5-for-5, including 2011 and 2012 wins in both the Tom Fool and Toboggan.

“If we can get the Carter moved to the inner track, I’m going to feel really good next month,” Repole said.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was also part of the feel-good crowd Saturday after his multiple Grade 1-winning filly It’s Tricky launched her 2012 campaign with a 2 ¾-length score as the 3-10 favorite ($2.70) in the Grade 2 $200,000 Top Flight, the first of the day’s three graded stakes.

“It’s nice off (a four-month layoff) for her to win. It’s kind of a funny track today, maybe drying out a little bit. But she won, and that’s important. She’s trained great,” McLaughlin said. “(Dominguez) said she didn’t love the track, but she won, so we’re off to the races. I think it was a very good performance and she’ll improve from the race.”

McLaughlin said future plans for It’s Tricky are on hold until he speaks to Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, to map out her next start.

If you’re looking for a weekend stakes with an overflowing abundance of quantity, then Saturday’s Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct should satisfy the palate.

But if it’s quality that you seek, well, may we recommend the Tom Fool or Top Flight, earlier on Saturday’s card, or perhaps, if you’re in the mood for a Californian brand, the Santa Anita Handicap?

For as much as the Gotham can boast about the presence of an Eclipse Award winner, the next step on New York’s Road to the Kentucky Derby appears loaded with more Triple Crown pretenders than contenders.

In attempting to rebound from his first career defeat and revive his Derby hopes, Hansen will face a small army of 12 rivals in the Gotham. Last seen finishing second in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream, Hansen figures to find the competition much more to his liking in the Big Apple after tangling with the since sidelined Algorithms (Holy Bull) and Union Rags (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile) in his last two starts.

In fact his post -- 12 -- might pose a bigger problem than his rivals, none of whom have finished better than third in a graded stakes. Six of them have yet to run in a stakes and there’s even a maiden, Suns Out Guns Out.

The combination of a weak field and a speed favoring Aqueduct surface could not have come at a better time for Hansen, who sheds his blinkers for his fifth career start. Making his 3-year-old debut in the Holy Bull, the reigning juvenile champ stumbled at the start but still managed to speed off and quickly open a 3-length lead over a sloppy track. Fatigue -- and Algorithms -- caught up with him in the stretch as he settled for second, five lengths behind the winner.

In the Gotham, a rocky start could pose even more of a problem as the fleet roan colt will need a burst of speed out of the starting gate so that he can quickly angle in and avoid being caught wide on the first turn. Helping his cause is a surprising lack of early speed in such a bulky field. None of the other 12 starters was closer than third at the first call of their last race, and King and Crusader, who won the six-furlong Jimmy Wakefield in his last start, looks like the lone candidate to run with Hansen in the backstretch.

Trying to reel in Hansen looms a formidable challenge for a group of foes headed by My Adonis, who closed from 20 lengths back to wind up a half-length behind Hansen in the Holy Bull. After that, the pickings for a darkhorse to beat the champ become slim, with Tiger Walk, who was third behind Alpha in the Withers, Dan and Sheila, who was fourth in the LeComte at Fair Grounds, and Done Talking, who has been idle since finishing fourth in the Remsen last November, the best candidates for that role.

Looking ahead to Saturday, they may have Hansen outnumbered, but in terms of accomplishments the reigning juvenile champ seems to be in a class by himself in the Gotham.

The Comeback Kids

Saturday’s 11-race card will also feature the 2012 debuts of two of the top runners at the 2011 Breeders’ Cup.

Caleb’s Posse, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, will take on Capt. Candyman Can and Calibrachoa in the six-furlong, Grade 3 $200,000 Tom Fool.

It’s Tricky, who was second in the BC Ladies’ Classic, tops a field of six in the $200,000 Top Flight, a mile-and-a-sixteenth Grade 2 stakes for fillies and mares.

As a reminder, post time is now 12:50 p.m at the Big A.

It may seem an odd source of inspiration, but New York racing can learn a thing or two from Little League baseball.

In dealing with fragile and developing throwing arms, there are restrictions on how many pitches per week a youngster can throw.

In light of some recent events, perhaps the New York Racing Association should institute its own version of the “pitch count” by restricting the amount of times a horse can race over a short period of time. How about mandatory a five-day gap between races? It seems pretty painless. It wouldn’t affect many horsemen and would have little to no impact the average number of daily starters.

It would also eliminate a frustrating problem for handicappers and the industry, while reducing strain on horses.

Is there really a downside to it?

All of this stems from this past Saturday’s Aqueduct card when trainer Linda Rice ran Lithe Legend in the fifth race. Some 48 hours earlier, on Thursday, Lithe Legend finished third in the fourth race. Because of the quick turnaround, the track program and Daily Racing Form editions lacked information on how Lithe Legend fared on Thursday, leaving some fans in the dark.

Compounding matters, NYRA did not declare Lithe Legend a non-wagering starter, and stipulate she run for purse money only. In a similar incident three months ago, when trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. raced Iron Lou on Nov. 6, two days after he ran on Nov. 4, the horse ran for purse money only.

Clearly, NYRA deserves a Big E on the Rheingold scoreboard (old Mets fans will recall that one) for that blunder as Lithe Legend finished fourth on Saturday, burning plenty of money as the 9-2 third choice in the wagering.

Establishing firm rules that would have mandated Lithe Legend run for purse only is a start, but in a game that’s propelled by wagering, the presence of non-wagering interests can create unnecessary headaches. Lithe Legend, for example, pressed the pace of the front-running Mad River, a 9-1 shot who finished fifth. Perhaps if Lithe Legend spent Saturday in the barn resting, Mad River gets brave on the front end and lands in the triple.

The presence of a Lithe Legend in a field can also be exasperating to a handicapper who studies a race the night before it’s run. The general expectation is that a horse like her would be scratched. Instead it runs and then in some way, shape or form affects the outcome.

A major part of the problem is that while it might be assumed that Thoroughbreds are too fragile to compete effectively when given less rest than a starting pitcher, they are usually competitive. More precisely, they tend to run back to that very last race.

The infamous Oscar Barrera would often run a horse on a couple of days rest and win at 3-5 odds. Just last week, Dutrow won a high-priced claiming race at Aqueduct on Friday with This Ones for Phil and then 72 hours later sent him out to finish second -- to a stablemate -- in a graded stakes, the $200,000 Grade 2 General George at Laurel.

A few years back, in discussing horses on short rest with Len Freidman, a partner with Ragozin Thoroughbred Data, which puts out The Sheets, a question was raised about the way he views a horse on 2 or 3 days rest. Keep in mind, the Ragozin -- and Thoro-graph, too -- philosophy revolves around a sufficient amount of rest after a taxing effort. His response is that they can sometimes duplicate or come close to their last-race figure, but then need an extended rest to recover from the strain of back-to-back races.

Which means, good luck wagering on Lithe Legend if she returns to the races in another week or so. It’s unlikely she’ll run faster than she did Saturday unless she gets a vacation until April, though there’s even no absolute guarantee of that for beleaguered handicappers. She could be an exception to the rule that runs huge next time, creating more angst for the wagering public.

And, in a worst case scenario, what happens when a horse running on two days rest breaks down? There might not be medical evidence linking short rest and breakdowns, but why should facts suddenly get in the way of public opinion.

So why risk it? Put a protective rule in place to end all of the confusion and uncertainty, and look like good, caring guys and gals. For the sake of a few starts a month, why not? It makes sense.

If we can be protective of a 10-year-old’s arm, is there really anything wrong with safeguarding the legs of 3-year-olds and the wallets of 21-year-olds and up?

And what are your thoughts on this? Is running for purse money only enough? Is a 4 or 5 or 6 day ban fine? Or should it be a case of “gambler beware” with no set policy?

It has been said that Facebook helped engineer the overthrow of a political regime in Egypt.

Yet every now and then some good can be achieved by simply raising a hand and talking.

To that end, New York racing fans will get a chance to speak their mind on what’s wrong or right about the sport on March 3 at Aqueduct when the Racing Fan Advisory Council will conduct its first public forum.

Actually, the event will take place in the Central Park Room (third floor) at the Resorts World Casino New York City from 10 a.m. to noon, but racing promises to top the agenda.

The Racing Fan Advisory Council was formed last September for the purpose of advising the New York State Racing and Wagering Board on racing and wagering inside the Empire State.

Among the council’s duties is passing along feedback from fans and the March 3 meeting should provide an ample opportunity to direct questions or thoughts to the council members, a group that currently includes chairman Patrick M. Connors, a professor of law at the Albany Law School, Michael F. Amo, chair and co-founder of ThoroFan, Allan Carter from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and M. Kelly Young, associate director of national affairs for the New York Farm Bureau.

The meeting will feature opening remarks from council members, a presentation by the New York Racing Association, a question and answer session and a tour of the racetrack.

So, if you have a gripe, mark March 3 on your calendar, when you can also check out Hansen running in the Gotham and three other stakes (the Tom Fool, Top Flight and Kings Point) while you’re in the neighborhood.

And if you can’t make it out to Aqueduct, questions can be submitted via email to racingfan@racing.ny.gov.

Guess it wouldn’t be an official event these days without some form of a digital presence.