High Five / Low Five
High Five!
Newmarket and Breeders’ Cup share a High Five 🖐 from Past the Wire for putting together one heck of a Friday card with a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup race. The Rockfel offers a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. On Saturday the Juddmonte Royal Lodge goes with a berth into the Breeders’ Juvenile Turf up for grabs. Great time to start watching the Euros.
Low Five!
Churchill Downs Inc. earned yet another Low Five for moving one step closer to getting out of the horse racing business in Florida and ruining Calder. An appeals court ruled the company could use its license for jai alai and then to operate a casino at Calder in Miami Springs. Maybe some day they will just race Oaks and Derby day. They can move any stakes they may care about to those two race days. Sorry CDI, not personal, strictly business, you all understand that.
High Five!
Today Ryan Dickey gets a Big High Five for landing a job with Horse Racing Nation as Online Producer. Ryan moved to Kentucky and pounded the pavement. We owe him an old High Five also for coming up with a pancho in the rain for #P6K as they ran across the Churchill Downs parking lot in a downpour at the Breeders’ Cup. You can’t keep a good man down. Congrats Ryan.
High Five!
High Five to the Illinois Racing Board for awarding Arlington Park the racing dates they requested in 2020 despite Churchill Downs poo pooing any casino plans for the great venue. We can only hope Arlington Park can survive.
Low Five!
The Low Five goes to the gate crews at Parx and Belmont for incidents Saturday and Sunday. At Parx they managed to get Improbable off slow in the Pennsylvania Derby despite his history of gate issues. At Belmont we had horses that probably could have been declared non starters. Much love and respect to the gate crews from Past the Wire, but these guys were off big time this weekend. The Belmont stewards were a little fast on the draw with the “caused their own problem” ruling. We’ll throw them a Low Five too.
High Five!
A Big Past the Wire High Five to John Velazquez, aka Johnny V for the 660th graded stakes win in his career aboard Significant Form in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel. The win ties Johnny with Jerry Bailey for the most graded stakes wins in North America and it is a safe bet Johnny is far from done. Sophie Doyle gets a High Five for her Grade 1 in the Cotillion. Saffie Joseph High Five for claiming Math Wizard and getting a cool mil Grade 1 win.
Low Five!
We all get CDI only cares about racing on Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby day. Putting a nail in the coffin of Arlington Park may be good for their business, as they own a casino about a dozen miles away, but Arlington is a grand and beautiful facility, home of the prestigious Arlington Million, and they and Chicago racing deserve better. A BIG LOW FIVE here.
High Five!
A High Five to Mike Lakow who is taking over running things at Gulfstream Park. He replaces Billy Badgett who is stepping down from that role and moving to the Florida HPBPA. We see this as potentially good for Florida racing so Billy gets a High Five of his own.
Low Five!
The New York Racing and Wagering Board and Charles Hayward are going to share this Low Five. Normally Hayward would have earned a High Five from Past the Wire for exposing the Board slacking on going after alleged cheaters per his recent column. He gets a slight in this case because he skirted his axe to grind with the board for the whole Pick 6 take out fiasco a few years back. The Board however, assuming Hayward’s column is “accurate”, earned theirs. Hmmmm.