The Natural and the Theatrical

On this day of winter’s horse racing retreat
brings me to dreams of our two great fillies in a matched heat.
You punters and horse lovers and backers alike
help me to conjure a bit of excitement in this grey light

There she is – The Natural – undefeated in every trip to the gate
The lady Zenyatta takes it slow off the pace
but she knows where the wire spreads out overhead
And when it is late she is passing the also-rans without breaking a sweat

Look at the size of her with hair and ears a flapping
At least 16 hands and everyone of those, and ours, are clapping
The way she runs, she is a hero from Hollywood, but this no film
Her desire to win burns so hot, you’d think she was foaled in a kiln

There dear friends is Rachel Alexandra – the Theatrical beaut.
She makes a race so dramatic, so alluring, right out of the chute.
Like in a dark theatre where she is the only player on the stage
We cannot look away from her as she runs in a rage

She is a star, and like a heavenly body, has the power of attraction
A force of gravity that has yet to reach maturation.
One who has taken on all comers no matter how well–meant
Her true character shines; to the wire first, how wonderfully hell-bent

For these two horses are unmatched on any track
Worthy of a tale of yore and a fabled race so sublime
like a watched clock that has yet to chime
What a bold pair these two would make – The Natural and the Theatrical

Oh the palms do sweat and the hands do quake
Seeing will be believing when they are off  in this great stake
And nary a number will I be punting
Just holding my head on high to see them so stunning

But, oh for the chance to see them fly by!

Leaving a bizarre Breeders’ Cup gate freakout in the past, Quality Road romped to victory in the $100,000 Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Park on opening day. The win put his career earnings just over a million dollars.

The 4-yo Elusive Quality colt, who is owned by Edward Evans, had run the gambit of racing highs and and lows in 2009. The winner of  the Gr I Florida Derby in March when trained by Jimmy Jerkins, the horse was switched to Todd Pletcher in June and came back to set the track record for 6 ½ furlongs (1:13 3/5) while winning the Gr II Amsterdam at Saratoga in August.

In between those two races he was sidelined with a recurring quarter crack issue that kept him out of the Triple Crown. Quality Road hit another,  more emotional, low when freaking out and being scratched at the starting gate in the  Breeders’ Cup Classic. Although it wasn’t mentioned on the ESPN coverage, it seems the low flying TV helicopter hovering over the starting gate was what spooked the horse.

You can hear the helicopter clearly in the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGfrr8CFuIw

Jay Slender the starter from Santa Anita that day told Jay Hovdey from the DRF that “I didn’t know anything about that horse before, and I haven’t looked at any replays. There’s only one thing I thought of that could have set the horse off – that damn TV helicopter flying above the gate, because it was loud.”

After being vanned back to New York  (he was still too upset to get on a plane) Quality Road began working with former NYRA starter  Bob Duncan who  knows how to calm horses that are getting into the gate.

Bob Duncan and Quality Road at Belmont photo by Barbara D. Livingston in the DRF

Chris Baker, the farm manager for Evans was quoted in the Daily Racing Form “We’re focusing now on what we hope to be a very productive 2010 campaign that puts him (Quality Road)  in position to be champion older horse and Horse of the Year.”

Look for his next start to be in the Gr I Donn Handicap at Gulf Stream Park on February 6th, the day before the Super Bowl which is just down the road in Dolphin Stadium.

I admit that I have a soft spot for the horse after what happened to him at gate in the Classic. He’ll probably have to face Rachel Alexandra at some point, and Summer Bird again, but if this star-crossed runner is improving like I think he is… we may be talking about the Horse of the Year in 2010.

In horse racing and gambling parlance “the handle” is the amount of money wagered on any race, game or other event such as a boxing match. The word handle has been around for quite awhile according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.  In the days of Middle English the spelling transposed the last two letters to handel but the meaning has not changed: “something that was made or designed to be grasped by the hand.”  It is not known for sure when handle was first used in connection to horse racing,  but its use is clearly understood:  the amount of money that passes  through the hands of bettors and bet takers.

The word has also taken on different forms; there are  handlebars on bicycles and handlebar moustaches. A fairly new use is the term “political handler,”  who  is someone that supports a politician during an election season and beyond. Now that’s a handful!