RACE FOR PERFECTION : MANY ELEMENTS GO INTO MAKING AN EVENT BIG.Byline: Kevin Modesti Here's a question you can't answer by consulting speed ratings See CD-ROM drives and DVD drives. , class ratings or workout clockings: What makes a good horse race? It's worth pondering in the week after the Shoemaker Mile's $700,000 purse ignited debate over whether the race was ``worth'' the money, and the week before Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
A good horse race is in the eye of the beholder. But if you put the elements together you'd get a checklist by which to judge any race. The ideal race, one that's marketable, entertaining and bettable, would have: Tradition or a big purse - something that makes the race an event in its own right regardless of who's competing. A ``top'' horse - a champion, a division leader, or a dominant local horse. At least two horses of proven quality - meaning they have won races of this class or better. A shipper - a horse, proven at this level on another circuit, to add mystery to the race. An up-and-comer - a success at a lower class level who is stepping up to the big leagues for the first time. A ``public'' horse - one who, aside from his or her objective quality, is known beyond the racetrack mezzanine. This could be a horse who got headlines by running in the Triple Crown or by running well in a Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. race. A competitive field in which the favorite's odds are no lower than even money. A human touch: a reason to root for - or against - a jockey, trainer or owner. An eye-pleasing photo finish or stretch duel. A record-setting or otherwise notable performance. Those are 10 criteria. So how would some of this year's major races stack up on a 0-to-10 scale? The Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. rated a 9. It lacked a real up-and-comer. But it had the 3-year-old division leader (Unbridled's Song), a handful of Grade I winners, 19 shippers, a starting gate starting gate n. Sports 1. A series of stalls with interconnected doors that open simultaneously at the beginning of a race. 2. full of public horses, a 7-2 favorite (Unbridled's Song), a human touch (trainer D. Wayne Lukas' Triple Crown streak), a nose margin between Grindstone grindstone or grind common metaphor for industriousness. [Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Industriousness and Cavonnier and a record (Lukas' sixth straight win). How about the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during , won by Mr Purple after Cigar stayed home? The West's most famous horse race - and, at $1 million, one of its richest - earned a disappointing 4 this year. How about the big races at Hollywood Park this season? The Hollywood Turf Handicap, a $500,000 race whose history is dotted with champions, gets a solid 6. Its May 27 running had, in addition to the name and the purse: an Eclipse Award winner, public horse and 8-5 favorite in Northern Spur Northern Spur (foaled 1991 in Ireland) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in France and the United States. Bred at Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud in Swettenham, Cheshire, England, he was a son of the champion sire Sadler's Wells and out of the mare, Fruition. ; three Grade I winners; and a human touch, in the story of Sandpit's owner nearly missing the race because of airplane trouble in Brazil. The Californian, whose value usually lies in its role as a major local prep for the Hollywood Gold Cup, was another 6 on June 2, thanks to the four-way battle at the top of the stretch and Tinners Way's track-record-tying time. Here's an interesting comparison: the Inglewood Handicap The Inglewood Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. First run in 1938, the race is open to horses three years old and up. , on May 12, vs. the Shoemaker Mile last Sunday. Each was won by Fastness, the nation's leading turf horse. Which race delivered more bang for the buck, the $132,450 Inglewood or the $700,000 Shoemaker? The Shoemaker rated a 6. The Inglewood rated a 7. The only thing the Shoemaker had that the Inglewood didn't was ``big event'' status. The Inglewood, though, was a better betting race (Fastness was a generous 3-2 favorite) and a Group 1-winning shipper (Dernier Empereur). It looks like a bargain. Finally, what do our consumer ratings make of the $1 million Hollywood Gold Cup on June 30? Without Cigar, it has no ``top'' horse. But it has big-event aura, five Grade I winners likely to compete (Soul of the Matter, Tinners Way, Geri, Helmsman and Mr Purple), an important shipper (Geri), an up-and-comer (Siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. ), several public horses, no odds-on favorite and a human touch in Geri's attempt to win for Cigar connections Jerry Bailey, Bill Mott and Allen Paulson. If it's a close race, and if somebody turns in a memorable performance, the Gold Cup will rate a near-perfect 9. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , Cigar or no Cigar, it might still be the race of the season. MEMO: Staff Writer Kevin Modesti's horse racing column appears Fridays in the Daily News. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Grindstone's narrow win made the Kentucky Der by extra special. (2--color) Cigar's absence from the Gold Cup doesn't mean the race will suffer. In fact, it might turn into the race of the season. Daily News File Photo |
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