The year of 2008 was interesting, competitive, and compelling.  This could be the same line written about every year practically, but we may be a little biased. This is after all The Sport of Kings.

We saw a wonderful crop of runners emerge early on, and with the blowing winds of winter, we begin our countdown to great things to come.

We watched Big Brown deliver in the Derby and Preakness, only to let our spirits down, when he failed to bring home the Triple Crown after a puzzling effort.

Curlin became our “iron-horse” as he ran on everything except blacktop. He even made the trip to Dubai and came back in good order. To watch his effort on Breeders’ Cup Day at the top of the lane, only showed what a champion looks like.

When Eight Belles fractured both of her front ankles after running second in the Derby, we as fans knew the winds of change were coming to the sport we love. We’ll miss her. But not more than Larry Jones who addressed the media immediately in the press box that day. He wanted to the truth to be known before speculation began. He is class personified. We will miss his white stetson in the winners circle as he is giving up training very shortly. The good guys do ride off in the sunset.

2008 became the first year that the Breeders’ Cup was run on synthetic surfaces. (As a side note:  the Euros love going to California, and they will be back again next year.)  Two days of racing could not have been more exciting.  For me, it was memorable as it was my first trip to Santa Anita. You can bet it won’t be my last…..

Some of the voices of our game are forever silenced. Some of them are: Jim McKay, whose love of racing brought Maryland on the map with many great days of stakes racing; and Luke Kruytbosch, the announcer at Churchill Downs. The best sometimes are taken away too soon. This is the case. He loved the game, and moreover he loved being a part of the sport. The sounds are deafening. Many media figures who left our game a little better will be missed. This we will know, when we reach to read their columns and the fruits of their labor will be gone forever. To name some: Dennis Dodge, Gill Stratton, Dean Williams, Edgar Allen and Bob Benoit. One that reaches into my heart is Cliff Guilliams. He was a guy who made as many friends as enemies. Never one to hold his tongue, he will be missed as the color in the press box just won’t be the same.

There are many I have missed, races left out, and events that needed more than just a word. The best we can do is come back and try again. I left out the economy. Some things are just better left unsaid. The game will rebound. It will sustain many injuries and losses, but it will rebound. We need to focus on the future rather than torture ourselves with the past. 2009 brings more post times, races to run, champions to be crowned and memories to be made. The game will change as everything does, but racing will survive.

From all of us at WinningPonies, have a safe and Happy New Year and we’ll see you at the races!

As we near the kick-off of the Holiday Season, we all have a wish list of our own. I know, we all want more winners. But here is a list compiled by your own Horstradamus for the upcoming New Year.

My thoughts are prepared as we come upon 2009. Here are some wishes that we all could use:

1. I wish for a safer game of racing. Rid our game of performance enhancing drugs, and keep our runners around for a bit longer. They may not run as fast, but the game will be safer.
2. I wish for the tracks to recognize the true stars of the sport. The players. They need to be recognized. A marketing budget will not go broke noticing the punters who day-in and day-out keep the lights on. Let’s do more one-on-one time with listening to what they have to say. Heck, we may even learn something. It is easier to retain current customers than to grow new players. I suggest focus groups, luncheons, special discounts and just taking the time to hear them out.
3. I wish for this ADW nightmare to be over. Plain and simple. Lets take a step back and see how many jobs, families, and taxes will suffer from this Texas standoff. If you are wondering who has hurt the worse, it is the players….
4. I wish for a cross-promotion of our sport like the NFL, NBA, and MLB. We need to pull our resources and hang together. If we do not hang together, we will all hang separately….
5. I wish for a percentage of all revenue to be applied to the backstretch workers at ALL tracks. If you only knew how many depend on Chaplaincy programs to survive, you would understand. They work so very hard at keeping the runners ready. We need to help out wherever we can.
6. I wish that all tracks would share in the casino or racing wealth. If we all received a piece of the money, the game would not be falling apart. It is a domino theory at best. When you see a track fall, it is not a good sign to anyone. It means you could be next. We are losing tracks to be sold off as condos and strip malls. By allocating monies from states that have alternative gaming to share with all tracks, this would ensure a survival of the game versus a short term benefit for one track, or one state. I know this is a long shot at best, but we must recognize that by sharing monies, we ensure our game will compete and prosper.
7. I wish for new players to take an interest in the game your Grandpa did so many years ago. Be sure to bring a new friend, take along a work associate or bring your kid along to see the majesty of the sport of kings. There is nothing more exciting than watching racing. How many people shout for two-minutes straight at the blackjack table?

Wishes can come true. But, in fact, everything you have read can be achieved if we put our differences aside and pass on the torch.  This is a storied piece of history. We are the guardians who will see it to the next generation. Make it more than a wish list year. Stay in contact with legislators, local track management, and stay informed. Let’s see if 2009 can make wishes come true.

I think that this time of the year is generally thought of as the “middle time” in racing. The summer and fall tracks are over for the season, and the best racing has yet to begin for winter.

I used to believe that, until I was playing in a handicapping contest this past weekend.

The players who used to rebuild bankrolls are following circuits they have never played in the past. The game is alive 24/7 - 365.

I watched some of the best players in the game maneuver themselves into position to qualify for the DRF/NTRA contest, to be held in Las Vegas in January. The prize monies will be well over a million dollars, and to make the cut, is well worth the price paid.

The irony was that this past weekend, at Beulah Park outside of Columbus, Ohio, some of the best of the best were doing battle. There were four past winners of the DRF / NTRA championship playing.

They all descended on little Beulah because it qualified the top 6 players. Now, some had qualified and played for money or had a “pal” they were trying to get to the big dance. Either way, this was one of the best tournaments I have ever seen.

On a day when winter racing at a track with purses averaging $3,000, had some of the best and brightest players in our sport, they were forced to play Beulah as mandatory races.

It just goes to show you that no matter what the competition level of the runners, the best players always come to the table.

This week’s Sunday Warm-Up saw 3,899 runners log on, thereby ensuring the $750,000 guarantee would be safely met. A total of 585 places paid for today’s event, with the prize pool ultimately topping off at $779,900. Leaving aside any final table deal-making, the player finishing in first place stood to earn a handsome $101,374 for his or her efforts.

Player sasodiits was the fastest out of the gate, claiming the chip lead after the first hour and continuing to hang around the top of the leaderboard for much of the afternoon before ultimately hitting the rail in 96th place. The leader after the second hour was amarillion. amarillion would also make a deep run today, sitting in second place after four hours, and in 15th after six hours before ultimately busting in 42nd.

Other early chip leaders would also fall by the wayside as the day wore on. jumps13, who led after three hours of play, finished in 180th. After five hours 9ballor8 had the lead, but would be bounced in 53rd. And philivey6922 (who led during the fourth hour) lasted for a while but ultimately went out in 31st.

After six hours of play we were down to 49, and hidalgo18 had emerged from the pack to claim the chip lead with over 1.8 million. An hour later and hidalgo18 was still in first with 18 to go, his stack having ballooned to 5.9 million. At the time, mortens22 was his nearest competitor with 4.32 million. hidalgo18’s stack would shrink, however, as we reached the final ten. Finally, near the end of Level 31, player Mi||a.TiMe knocked out TurboToad in 10th, and we had our final nine. Here was the scene:

Seat 1: mmmbillski (7,904,813 in chips)
Seat 2: yokerface (1,846,960 in chips)
Seat 3: D1rtyR1v3r (5,252,272 in chips)
Seat 4: riddup (2,525,008 in chips)
Seat 5: mortens22 (6,216,701 in chips)
Seat 6: DenyoDeluxXe (2,724,503 in chips)
Seat 7: suckedoutagn (5,429,773 in chips)
Seat 8: Mi||a.TiMe (5,705,289 in chips)
Seat 9: hidalgo18 (1,384,681 in chips)

The table’s short stack, hidalgo18, would be the first to go. On the sixth hand of the final table, hidalgo18 open-shoved his last 1.03 million from middle position with Kd-Qc, and yokerface — also on the short side with just 1.43 million — called from the button with Tc-Ad. The flop came 2d-Qs-6s, giving hidalgo18 top pair. But the turn was the Ah, giving the lead back to yokerface. The river was the 4s, and hidalgo18 was out in 9th.

Just three hands later, yokerface raised 3x to 600,000 from middle position, and the table folded around to DenyoDeluxXe who pushed all in from the small blind for a total of 2.73 million. Too bad for DenyoDeluxXe — suckedoutagn was waiting in the big blind with pocket rockets, and therefore promptly reraised all in for 5.18 million. yokerface judiciously stepped aside, and DenyoDeluxXe was left hoping for a miracle with his 8s-8h. None came, as the board ran 4c-Td-Kd-Jd-9d, and DenyoDeluxXe was out in 8th.

The next two eliminations came quickly as well. First yokerface pushed all in for 1.89 million with Jh-Qh and was called by riddup who held Ad-Qd. The board brought no jack (and a superfluous ace), and yokerface was out in 7th. Then, on the very next hand, mmmbillski made a small preflop raise to 512,505, mortens22 called from the small blind, and suckedoutagn also called from the BB. The flop came 6s-Ah-Ts, and when the blinds checked to mmmbillski he bet 845,500 — about half the pot. mortens22 then check-raised all in for a total of 5.86 million. suckedoutagn folded, and mmmbillski made the call.

mortens22: Qd-As
mmmbillski: Td-Th

mortens22 had flopped top pair, but mmmbillski had him in bad shape with his set of tens. The turn was the Kh and the river the 5h, and mortens22 was gone. Just 15 hands played at the final table, and we were down to five players.

When the players reached the eight-hour break, mmmbillski had assumed the chip lead with a little more than 16 million, followed by suckedoutagn with 7.04 million, Mi||a.TiMe with 5.97 million, D1rtyR1v3r with 5.61 million, and riddup with 4.25 million.

suckedoutagn would soon take the chip lead after claiming a big 12 million-plus chip pot off of mmmbillski. That hand had begun quietly with suckedoutagn calling from the big blind mmmbillski’s modest preflop raise from middle position. Both checked the very hammery flop of 7h-2s-2c. The 8h came on the turn, and suckedoutagn check-called mmmbillski’s bet of 860,000. The river brought the 8s. suckedoutagn checked, mmmbillski bet 1.45 million, then suckedoutagn surprisingly pushed allin for 4.53 million. mmmbillski thought a while, then called showing Qc-2d for deuces full of eights. Alas, suckedoutagn had Ad-8d for the better boat, and had thus taken the lead.

Thus began a long sequence of preflop jockeying, with chips moving in relatively small increments back and forth across the virtual baize. mmmbillski retook the chip lead during this stretch, pushing up around 16 million, while riddup was nursing the short stack with less than 2 million. riddup was probably very glad to see 3rd and 4th place players D1rtyR1v3r (5.01 million) and Mi||a.TiMe (4.00 million) soon get involved in a huge pot. Mi||a.TiMe open-raised to 885,700 from the button, then D1rtyR1v3r pushed all in from the big blind. Mi||a.TiMe thought a while, then called with 7s-7c, well behind D1rtyR1v3r’s Qh-Qc. The board came 9h-Th-3h-5s-8d, and it was rail time for Mi||a.TiMe.

With just four left, riddup gleefully pushed all in on the next hand, and in fact managed to double up when his Ac-Ts held up against mmmbillski’s 9d-8d. riddup’s joy would last a little while longer, until he pushed all in for 2.63 million with pocket queens and was called by D1rtyR1v3r who held pocket tens. A ten flopped, prompting riddup to type “noooooo” in the chat box. No queen came to save him, and D1rtyR1v3r responded with a “gg…ul” as riddup hit the rail in 4th.

mmmbillski still had the chip lead with 15.84 million as three-handed play commenced, with D1rtyR1v3r next with 12.87 million and suckedoutagn in third with 10.26 million. After nine more hands, the tournament was paused for the players to discuss a chop. By that point, D1rtyR1v3r had moved out ahead (16.77 million), followed by mmmbillski (12.39 million), and suckedoutagn (9.81 million).

As the tournament host explained, any deal would require the trio to leave at least $10,000 on the table. Payouts according to current chip counts were shared with the players, but both D1rtyR1v3r and mmmbillski wanted more than was being offered to them. suckedoutagn wasn’t going to give up any of his proposed share, so the tourney was resumed.

Over the next 20 hands, D1rtyR1v3r pushed out to a commanding lead, moving past the 23 million mark. Then mmmbillski shoved all in for 6.8 million with Kd-4d, D1rtyR1v3r called with As-4c, a king flopped, no ace came, and D1rtyR1v3r had fallen back to the pack. Six hands later, D1rtyR1v3r lost another big all in confrontation with suckedoutagn, this time unfortunately running his pocket jacks up against suckedoutagn’s As-Ad.

Just like that, D1rtyR1v3r was the short stack with less than 5 million, and soon thereafter would shove all in himself with Jd-6d. His bad fortune continued, as mmmbillski was waiting for him with pocket queens. The board brought no jack, six, or even a single diamond, and D1rtyR1v3r’s dizzying swoon ended with him finishing the tournament in third.

At that point mmmbillski and suckedoutagain had almost exactly the same-sized stacks (each with right at 19.5 million) and so quickly decided to chop the remaining prize money evenly and play for the remaining $10,000.

mmmbillski pushed out to a lead during the first dozen hands of heads up, and when the pair reached the nine-hour break he held a 23.2 million-15.7 million advantage. After 50 total hands of heads up, mmmbillski still had the same lead. suckedoutagain soon made a move, taking a couple of medium-sized pots to take a small lead by Hand No. 60 of heads up. Soon thereafter came a huge hand in which suckedoutagn pushed all in with Ad-7d on a on a flop of Qs-As-Kh, only to get called by mmmbillski who held Kd-Ac. mmmbillski’s two pair held up, giving him the 37.7-million chip pot. suckedoutagn was down to just 1.22 million.

suckedoutagn survived a sequence of all ins, though, and by Hand No. 80 of heads up had built back up to 11 million of the nearly 40 million chips in play. Then came Hand No. 85.

With the blinds 400,000/800,000 (Level 38), suckedoutagn called from the small blind/button and mmmbillski checked his option. The flop came Jd-Ks-Qd. mmmbillski checked, suckedoutagn pushed all in for his last 10.2 million, and mmmbillski called.

mmmbillski: 9d-Th
suckedoutagn: Qc-6s

mmmbillski had flopped the straight, while suckedoutagn had just a pair of queens. The turn was the 3s and the river the Kd, and mmmbillski took the extra 10 grand reserved for the winner. Congratulations to mmmbillski, as well as to everyone who cashed!

Sunday Warm-up Results: 12-14-08

1. mmmbillski $90,788*
2. suckedoutagn $80,788*
3. D1rtyR1v3r $46,788.00
4. riddup $38,990.00
5. Mi||a.TiMe $31,192.00
6. mortens22 $23,394.00
7. yokerface $15,596.00
8. DenyoDeluxXe $9,747.50
9. hidalgo18 $6,706.28

*amounts reflect two-way chop

The Ohio State Racing Commission has confirmed it is investigating a Nov. 19th incident at Beulah Park, in which the track identifier failed to discover before the fourth race that a different horse than was entered by trainer owner/trainer Enzo Canelo, ran and crossed the wire first.

Canelo entered a horse named Valid Action in the race, but another horse, Purdy Tricky, was the one that wound up running and winning the $3,100 event for $2,500 claimers. “Valid Action” paid $8.60 to win.

Canelo was listed as the owner and trainer of Valid Action, a 9-year-old gelding, as of the Nov. 19th race. The Noactor gelding, who has a record of 13-14-13 from 66 starts, was previously owned and trained by Shane Spiess.

Stakes-placed Purdy Tricky is still listed as owned and trained by Spiess. The 10-year-old gelding holds a record of 15-11-17 from 92 starts. Before the Beulah Park race, both horses ran unplaced in $4,000 claiming contests at Pinnacle Race Course in Michigan in early November.

Canelo has saddled 56 winners from 523 runners and has earned $531,513 during his four-year career. At Beulah Park this year, he has had 16 winners from 103 starters for earnings of $69,103.

During a hearing the morning of Nov. 26th, OSRC officials met with the Beulah Park stewards to discuss the investigation. After the hearing, OSRC executive secretary Sam Zonak said no decision was issued by the stewards.

The investigation, first reported by the Daily Racing Form earlier in the week of Nov. 24th, could be wrapped up and a verdict given by the stewards by Dec. 1st, Zonak said.

In June 2003, the OSRC investigated a race in which the wrong horse competed and finished last as the favorite at River Downs. Officials determined it was a mistake with no fraudulent intent.

In that race, a $5,000 claiming event, Sing High Sing Low was listed as number 12 in the program, but it was actually the maiden Mountain Of Light that competed and finished last as the slight betting favorite.