Can\'t remember the last time I opened this board, but I was curious to know about Belmont/Aqueduct being canceled.  Then I see this thread, and I figured it had to be vibratory disruptions that shut down Belmont/Aqueduct today. You don\'t lose a classic like Richiebee and not have serious cosmic repercussions.

So I go deeper into the board and I see where Alan also passed away.  I knew both only marginally from the backyard at Saratoga..  It was clear that only the blood of a true horseplayer coursed through Alan\'s veins.

Richie was one of the best scribes to grace this board.  I could only mention BB and Rich Curtis in the same breath.  I have not been here enough to suggest that\'s an exhaustive list, but I can confidently say I never read a post of Richie\'s that did not occasion either a wry smile or a nod of recognition, or both.

Not sure if there\'s an afterlife, but if it\'s worth a damn, it will have a backyard and two chairs have now been filled by legends of the game.

TGJB Wrote:
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> Secretariat???
>
> If you haven't heard one of the live versions of
> Ghost Of Tom Joad, you should.
>
>
One of the most electrifying live guitar performances in rock, though the category goes very deep, probably starting with Jimi.

belmont3 Wrote:
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>
> The High End: Normal group. Few older hotels like
> the Adelphi.
> The Saratoga Hilton. Last stayed there about 5
> years ago. It was nice. but I thought getting a
> bit dated.
> The Batcheller Mansion Inn got rave review from a
> friend of mine.
> The Holiday Inn is popular
> Homewood Suites pretty new and good reviews
>
> All those pretty pricey and tough to book.
>
> I have moved down the road a few exits to Clifton
> Park over the last 5 to 10 years.
> Courtyard Marriot is nice but do not count on
> there being enough toner in the printer for
> programs.
> Hampton across the street is Fairmount Country.
> La Quinta is this years reservation. If you hate
> pets, do not book but they do serve breakfast and
> the price is a bit more reasonable.
>
> Then there are the many small Mom and Pop motels.
> Most a bed, shower, TV and table.
> St. Francis, the Springs, Danny\'s, the T-Bred.
> (that is a doozy of a place...lol) Some overpriced
> and some underpriced (For Very Good Reason)...
>
> Over 40 years of attending the SPA, I have tried
> most. Round Lake Motel was a regular stop. Those
> were the days of yesteryear when I was a regular
> at Cliffs County Inn on Saratoga Lake. Changed
> hands a few years back and bartender Chaz can be
> found at Mama Mia\'s. Still get a warm greeting
> when I stop their post races. Teedee, the elder
> stateman of Cliffs can be found most nights on a
> bar stool at Pennells...a longtime favorite of
> mine.
>
> Hope this helps.
> Maybe some others will weigh in.
>
> Bopb


That\'s a good synopsis.  Be prepared for sticker shock in town.  Even the more respectable chains in Clifton Park seem to be running $200+/night.  We\'ve found some VRBO spots that are convenient, and less pricey than the Saratoga chains.

The other night I was reminiscing with my wife about places I stayed before I met her and had to elevate my game, so to speak.  This was roughly 35 years ago. The all time in-town classic was the Rip Van Dam, of which you could safely say you couldn\'t beat the price.  Three guys could get a room with three single beds, and the only thing more uneven than the beds was the floor. The elevator had an operator, that ran at a comparable speed to most of the horses I was betting.

We would alternate that with the Community Court, up Broadway, past Congress Park.  All I can remember is that about 8 of us would cram into two small rooms and play euchre in the mornings in the parking lot, using our coolers as chairs. And, yes, the coolers were in use for their intended purpose even at that hour.  For reasons never clear to me, we weren\'t thrown out of there which is more than I can say for a non-descript strip motel somewhere between Glen Falls and Lake George that has been reincarnated as a parking lot for an amusement park, which is actually an aesthetic upgrade.

Silver Charm Wrote:
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> First off I didnt say Baffert was \"Not Guilty\".  I
> said he needs to have his day and laying low would
> not he a bad idea.
>
> I\'ve also explained the economics of his
> operation. And for every Nadal or Charlatin he has
> there are 8 to 10 in that same price range that
> never make it to the Track. Speaking of those two
> they were probably syndicated for about $25M
> total. And they had how many total career races?
> Those investors haven\'t fired Baffert yet.
>
> It\'s funny how Baffert sends Medina Spirit to the
> lead. He wires the Derby field running a 1. Backs
> it up with 3rd in the Preakness after a contested
> pace. Al Stall and Brad Cox send out 1X Runners on
> Derby Day and they runs 1\'s. One wins by 11 the
> other by 5. Both Trainers have a record. But
> everyone is fine. We got Bob so racing is now The
> Sport of Clean.....

You really should stop trying to deflect the conversation away from Baffert\'s history by saying other usual suspects are getting a free pass.  Whether they are or not by the authorities is an issue I can\'t address, but they aren\'t by the bettors and most of the posters on this board.  No one is happy about the overall state of racing and the inconsistencies of enforcement, and the fact that a number of trainers are sucking the life out of betting pools. However, if Baffert is the whipping boy of the moment, he has earned it with a Lifetime Achievement Award on many of the biggest days of racing.

Add one more name to the list of those who started with horse and sulky. My dad owned a string of Standardbreds, and a few were pretty good, with one finishing third in the Little Brown Jug.  When he died unexpectedly in his sleep I unexpectedly inherited the responsibility of subsidizing his trainer/driver.  After a few years of flushing money down the crapper, I told my mother I was considering pulling the plug.  She said, \"Before you do that, why don\'t you try doing what your father did.\" \"What was that?\" I asked. Without missing a beat, she replied, \"Buy a good one.\" If she was still with us, I think she\'d also have advice on my continued participation in the thoroughbred game, and it would be something like \"Take that money and buy a fishing pole,\" which is essentially what my golf instructor also said about my golf game.

HP Wrote:
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>  Baffert saying he hired a Dr. Hore


So many rejoinders, so little time.

TGJB Wrote:
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> It’s on occasion been true with Pete and
> O’Neill- check out the figures from that BC at
> CD a few years ago.
>
> Everybody seems to be forgetting the details of my
> original statement. I’m not offering any opinion
> about Baffert using something. I’m saying he
> didn’t use this drug, in the Derby. The closest
> analogy I could come up with is that closer on the
> Mets who got nailed three times for the same
> easily testable steroid, and eventually got banned
> for life. That’s how dumb this would be. Worse-
> Baffert has more to lose, and the steroid has a
> much bigger benefit.
>
> I’ve said here for years that California is the
> cleanest of any major jurisdiction in the country,
> they actually pulled a quote of mine saying that
> and used it in one of their ads a few years ago.
> The reason is Rick Arthurâ€" he is one guy that is
> not messing around.


I wasn\'t offering an opinion on him using something either.  But cases are not always decided on the merits.  You\'re familiar with Kentucky justice.  Baffert doesn\'t have the home court advantage.  He\'s not a sympathetic defendant.  And just because it would be stupid to do something doesn\'t mean that some stupid things aren\'t done.  My point being even if your argument is grounded in logic and sound analysis, it can win a debate, but won\'t necessarily win a fight.

TGJB Wrote:
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> I have no dog in this fight. But someone please
> explain to me why a guy would use a drug
>
> a) that doesn\'t move a horse up
>
> b) that he knows there\'s a test for
>
> c) because he\'s had a positive for it before,
> after which he swore publicly they would never
> allow it in the barn again.
>
> Walk me through the risk/reward on this. I have no
> idea whether Baffert is using something, but if he
> is it ain\'t this stuff. He\'s not an idiot.


JB, without putting all that on the scale for a moment, I wanted to highlight your seminar comment:

\"a lot of Baffert horses move forward when they leave California.\"

Is this common?  Has it been true for John Sadler or Pete Miller when they bring a string to Arkansas?  I\'m not asking this with an edge, just trying to add to a meager knowledge base.  However, to be fair, it could be asked with an edge.

To your main contentions, above, if all the answers favor Baffert, and it still comes down to a violation, however clean his hands might have been, he will still take the fall if he\'s crossed the wrong people.  It\'s no different than in law enforcement where, if they want to get you on a technicality, and they can hurt you by doing so, they will.

hellersorr Wrote:
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> Though I am sympathetic to Mr. Hayward\'s thoughts
> on this matter, I would suggest that opening with:
> \"My wife, Betsy Senior, had to close her art
> gallery, and by the end of the month, we had
> packed up our car and, along with our 18- and
> 19-year old cats, drove to Saratoga Springs.  We
> have been here ever since, with the occasional
> trip back to New York City . . .\" is not exactly
> an ideal opening for his argument.


One could easily extrapolate many of society\'s current ills from that one line if you expand it\'s context.

Very interesting article.  I remain mystified by the workings of computer robotic wagering other than they\'ve figured out a way to game the system in what has to be the least sexy way of making money short of returning discarded bottles for recycling.  Between that and what is apparently the increasing sophistication of performance enhancing \"strategies\" coupled with lax enforcement, we have a stew that has led to a noticeable decrease in interesting conversation on this message board along with a few other related problems.  When you consider what happened on \"the street\" recently, or the influence of mobilizing public opinion and behavior through various forms of technological communication, I mostly would like to find ways to short the future.

Love the story.  Here\'s another with a less dramatic conclusion.  Every year, my father would take a private train to the Derby from Rochester with a group of locals.  That would be a story unto itself, but the details are now in the great beyond.  At Churchill, they had a private box, and for quite a few years the adjoining one was occupied by Hornung, Jimmy the Greek and their entourage.  Suffice to say, there was never a shortage of beautiful women, nor was Hornung ever without a tumbler of Kentucky\'s finest.

jbelfior Wrote:
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> Dry right through next weekend in Lexington.Could
> reach 70 by Saturday.
>
> Who would have bet on that a month ago.
>
>
> Good Luck,
> Joe B

It\'s 2020.  I\"m not betting that tomorrow will be Sunday unless I get a decent price.

TGJB Wrote:
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> Judging by the way Jake is going after Baffert,
> I’m guessing BB is no longer buying both
> products.

\"It\'s nothing personal, Sonny -- it\'s strictly business.\"

Dick Powell Wrote:
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> Thanks for posting the final figures from the
> Arkansas Derby card.
> Does Dunph qualify for the \"WTF\" Hall of Fame?

What would be more surprising -- his number or if he had paired up?

BitPlayer Wrote:
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> The unanimous DQ of War of Will from 5th in
> yesterday\'s Shoemaker Mile marks two weekends in a
> row that the Santa Anita stewards have DQ\'d a
> horse for interference at the start.  (Yesterday\'s
> DQ was particularly odd because the horse inside
> War of Will (Voodoo Song) was already going left
> before War of Will made contact.)  So far it has
> involved only minor placings, but DQ\'s that affect
> the winner or the exacta have to be coming.  Maybe
> it\'s a safety thing?  In general, I would prefer
> that the stewards be less, not more, involved in
> determining outcomes and that, whatever they do,
> they do it more quickly.
It is a safety thing.  The horse violated social distancing protocols.

TGJB Wrote:
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> Nobody was brutal to her. I’m trying to figure
> out what it’s doing on my board,

Even Shakespeare made room for comic relief between brutal murders.