Full of Run

I have had two very vivid dreams about the upcoming Haskell Stakes. They both involve Big Brown and neither one was very good. In one dream he was involved in a multiple horse spill at the top of the strech, and in the other he ran just like he did didn’t in the Belmont. Actually, I think he will run big and we will never fully understand his Belmont failure. We’ll find out on Sunday.

Speaking of Big Brown, I saw Kent Desormeaux at Churchill Downs as he was walking to the paddock for the race immediately following the Stephen Foster. I said, “Hey Kent! Thanks for the memories. Nice job!” I meant it, really. After he walked by, though, I was afraid that he might have thought I was being sarcastic. I hope not. I think Kent is a good guy.

I see the headlines around about the retirement of Brother Derek. I know he is a multiple stakes winner, but I have never been impressed by him. While watching a replay of the 2006 Kentucky Derby (Gr 1), I was reminded that immediately after showing Barbaro’s trainer Michael Matz, NBC showed Brother Derek’s trainer Dan Hendricks. Was Brother Derek really considered a big treat to win the Derby? I had written him off and apparently wiped him from my memory as well.

I also see that Jeremy Rose’s suspension has been reduced from 180 days to 90 days. Apparently the officials bought his story that he was trying to hit the filly on the shoulder and accidentally hit her in the eye. Have these people ever actually SEEN a horse? There is a lot of real estate on a horse between its shoulder and its eye. Oh, and he did it TWICE? Yeah, an accident.

Earlier this week, Luke Kruytbosch was found dead in an apartment in Evansville, IN where he was the race caller for Ellis Park. There have been, of course, many news articles about his passing. Comments from people like Trevor Denman and Mike Battaglia have paid tribute to Luke as both a race caller and a person. I did not know Luke as a person, but he was a favorite announcer of mine. I mean no disrespect to Tom Durkin, but I could never wait to visit the Churchill Downs website to hear Luke’s call of the Kentucky Derby. His deep voice, his cadence, and his effeciency of speech was a pleasure to listen to and provided needed insight to bettors.

I was always amazed at how he not only called the action but peppered his delivery with nuggets of info that made races that I may not have even handicapped very interesting. As a fictitious example, one might hear on a Thursday afternoon in a $25,ooo claimer something like this; “Larry Melancon in the Klein silks moves the filly So-and-So to the rail exiting the chute.” There is a lot in that sentence, and to say it during a race call is quite impressive.

Two of my favorite, oft-uttered nuggets of his were “set down for the drive” and “three parts of a length in front.” I don’t know why, they just sounded like Luke.

The last race I ever heard him call live was this year’s Stephen Foster; a Grade 1 race for a Grade A race caller.

Jess Jackson, majority owner of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, is seeking fan input on where we might like to see Curlin next. A poll on the Stonestreet Farm website asks fans to vote on whether they would like to see Curlin undertake a Turf Campaign, Dirt Campaign, Synthetic Surface Campaign or Retirement.

I like Jess Jackson’s approach to Curlin. He really seems to enjoy what Curlin represents, and he understands what Curlin means to his fans.

Of course, he left off my choice of what to do with Curlin, which is for him to undertake a 3 year campaign of both Dirt and Turf exclusively at Churchill Downs….

What the heck does Curlin have to do to please some people? He is a winner of over $9 Million, has won 5 Grade/Group 1 Stakes including the Preakness, the Breeder’s Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup, and has done it all in a racing career lasting (so far) a little more than 17 months. He’s won 9 of 13 starts and has never finished off the board. His tour-de-force in the Breeder’s Cup was a tick off the track record, and his World Cup vistory was by a record margin (which he accomplished with ease).

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