Book Review: Alydar’s Chief Counsel

If there was a Thoroughbred who ever needed legal counsel to mount an adequate defense of his life, then perhaps it would be Calumet Farm's MGISW Alydar.

His battles with rival Affirmed as both a juvenile, and of course, through the 1978 Triple Crown are now the stuff of legend. However, what has clouded all those spectacular past performances came during his stallion career when he tragically died from an injury which was sustained while he was in his Calumet stall on a November night in 1990. Officially chalked up as an accident, his sudden and shocking death has remained shrouded in conjecture ever since.

What happened to Alydar? That is the central question that Fred M. Kray attempts to tackle in his ambitiously titled new book, Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age.

There is nothing quite like a tenacious true crime writer. Plucky isn't a descriptor that goes far enough. It's one's dogged determination, coupled with an ability to stare deep into the abyss that demands sterner stuff. Kray has all of that and more. His passion for this topic is evident, and he possesses the requisite skills to follow a labyrinth of clues and misstatements that go back forty-plus years.

A former animal-rights attorney who was on hand to witness the John M. Veitch trainee when he won the 1978 GI Flamingo S. at Hialeah Park and the GI Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Kray began to delve into the case in 2018. He tried to track down those involved, performed seemingly countless interviews and attempted to weave together a story chock full of contradiction.

But has Kray actually uncovered a smoking gun or is this just a series of red herrings? Where exactly is the conspiracy to commit murder?

Broken flows rather like a true crime memoir. It's Kray's defense laid bare on behalf of the Thoroughbred in question. Committing the cardinal sin if we skip to the end of this mystery, the author mythically knots his favorite Windsor tie and strides to the same courtroom in Houston, Texas where the security guard who was on duty that fateful night was tried and sentenced. There, he gives his own account of why he believes Alydar was murdered. It's heartfelt, but somehow it falls just short of compelling drama à la Raymond Burr.

Still, what makes this work a worthy read is the journey. Kray starts with the initial, all-too-brief insurance investigation. He then moves briskly through a composite of Alydar's racing and breeding shed exploits and delves into the questionable economic practices of Calumet's J.T. Lundy & Co. After painstakingly wading through the ensuing trials which fingered less than a handful of Calumet figures, Kray opens the curtain for the final act in which he becomes the lead. Perched on his shoulder like a GoPro Camera, we watch as he sits in front of many a horse farm gate, chides a reluctant private detective who didn't deliver and relates a number of emotional moments with key witnesses.

Alydar visiting Lucille Gene Markey on Blue Grass S. Day in 1978 | Keeneland

The relationship he forms with Tom Dixon, the equine insurance agent who was the first on the scene at Calumet, is particularly poignant. Dixon is a no-nonsense umpire that calls them like he sees them, and Kray has to steadily battle for the former agent's uneasy trust in order to access key photographs and notes. 'Deep Throat', Dixon is not, but the back-and-forth between the pair as they argue points of view on several occasions is quite a chess match.

Speaking of emotional moments, Kray's interview with Alydar's groom, Michael Coulter is both enlightening to his case, but we also find a man who hasn't returned to the scene mentally in quite some time. Though a witness in one of the trials, Coulter's perspective was underutilized and from Kray's questions, we get a window into the relationship the groom built with this superb equine athlete. Coulter explains how tired Alydar was from over-breeding and addresses the horse's psychological state. This is important because there were constant questions throughout the different trials about Alydar's penchant for kicking stall doors.

What Kray finds is a trail of dead ends and memories which are parsed with a few nuggets of remembrance. The author leads us to the assumption that key players that do not want to talk are clinging to something deeper. His mission to ask everyone connected why there were no marks on the paint in Alydar's stall, and why the latch was not disturbed becomes an indelible part of the script. A tense section relates an interview with the well-known Dr. Larry Bramlage. It is particularly excruciating to plow through, but it also shows how resolute Kray is when it comes to defending Alydar. You feel both men's frustration bearing out and it makes for good theater in the Rood & Riddle waiting room where the interview was conducted.

There is something very Citizen Kane about Broken. Like the reporter who is sent to find out what Charles Foster Kane meant when he said 'Rosebud' on his deathbed, we may never know what happened to Alydar that night at Calumet in 1990. Was his leg hit with something? Was more than one person involved? Who knew about the coverup at Calumet? Who knows something right now? Questions will continue to float. While we are on a roll, did Kray prove that this was the end of horse racing's 'Golden Age' as the book's subtitle suggests? That answer seems even more amorphous.

Instead, maybe we can take a sliver of comfort in knowing that there are some things we just can't uncover about a tragedy. If you read Broken as an homage to this Thoroughbred, then we need to thank the author for his contribution and determination. What we can say is that if Fred Kray had defended Alydar, at the very least, he might have had his day in court.

Broken: The Suspicions Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age by Live Oak Press, 348 pages, photos, May 2023.

The post Book Review: Alydar’s Chief Counsel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Twelve Questions: Eric Halstrom

Eric Halstrom is vice president and general manager of Caesar's Horseshoe Indianapolis, a position he's held since 2020. He previously served in several executive positions in horse racing, including vice president of racing at Canterbury Park, vice president and general manager of racing at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, assistant director of racing at Prairie Meadows, and vice president of operations at Harrah's Louisiana Downs.

Halstrom, who graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program, is a native of Bloomington, MN, and is a die-hard fan of the Minnesota Vikings, Notre Dame Football and all teams for the University of Minnesota. He and his new bride, Kristine, live in Greenwood, IN, and share five children among their blended families.

TDN: What is your racing or bloodstock highlight of the year?
Being at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup and seeing Flightline in person. I can't believe what that horse was capable of doing.

TDN: Who is your value sire for the 2023 season?
Coming at this as a horseplayer – I like seeing young Jimmy Creed runners. Feels like they're all going to be fast.

TDN: Name one positive change you'd like to see in racing next year?
More focus on two things: What's best for the bettors and what's best for retired racehorses.

TDN: If you could go back in time and see one race in person, what would it be?Easy Goer's win in the Belmont. I was a huge fan and had too much riding on him, both emotionally and financially, to keep Sunday Silence from sweeping the Triple Crown. Watching him win at my young age helped form my passion for the sport.

TDN: If you could only go to one track the rest of your life, where would it be?
Since I can't answer Horseshoe Indianapolis – I'd say Keeneland. I love the area and the beauty of Lexington and the history at the track makes it my favorite place to watch racing.

TDN: Besides Rich Strike, what was the biggest surprise of 2022 in horse racing?
The biggest surprise in my world is that a little track, in the middle of cornfields, in Indiana did nearly a quarter-billion in handle in 2022. If you look back five years ago the thought of getting past $125 million was unrealistic. Lots to be proud of at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

TDN: What was your major takeaway from your successful meet at Horseshoe Indiana?
You can't beat the power of having a great team. We have one at Horseshoe Indianapolis. They're passionate about racing and enjoy working with each other. It's a wonderful place to be as we continue our progression in the industry.

TDN: You can bring back one racetrack from the past, which one would it be and why?
Hialeah. I never had the chance to visit but the stories I hear and pictures I see are incredible. Feels like we probably lost a bit of racing's character when it closed.

TDN: Who was your favorite TDN Rising Star in 2022
Arabian Knight. Saw him at Keeneland and he has a real presence.

TDN: In the next 10 years, what do you think will be the most significant change in racetrack operations and management?
I think we're sitting on technology improvements that will revolutionize racing. It's been gradual but we're now seeing things such as drones, GPS tracking and cameras to check the health of horses. The capital investments on these products and others that will help our sport is coming. It will have to in order to defend our current levels of business much less attract new customers.

TDN: Who is your favorite jockey of all-time?
I've met so many over the years that I now call friends that it's difficult. So I'll go with my dad's favorite… Sandy Hawley. In the early days of Canterbury Downs my dad would bet him blindly and it was easy money. I saw Sandy this summer and mentioned this and he was very gracious and appreciative. A really nice man.

TDN: If you weren't in track management, what would you be doing in horse racing
No question – I'd be betting on horses. I love it. Wish I were better at it so I didn't have to work so much! Going to the track, or just betting the races, with friends and family is may favorite thing in the world.

 

 

 

The post Twelve Questions: Eric Halstrom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Week in Review: Mind Control Learning Two-Turn Tricks at Age Six

When the late John Brunetti Sr., the colorful and sometimes controversial owner of Hialeah Park and the Red Oak Stable breeding and racing operation, died at 87 in 2018, his racing manager, Rick Sacco, told TDN, “He's been active right up until the very end [and] this is probably Mr. Brunetti's best crop of homebred 2-year-olds that we've ever had.”

The standout from that Red Oak foaling class of '16 ended up being GISW Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who at age six edged up over the $1.5 million earnings mark Saturday.

Brunetti never got to see Mind Control's debut or his evolution into a no-quit, middle-distance grinder, most recently evidenced by his refuse-to-lose smackdown of 3-10 favorite Hot Rod Charlie in the GIII Salvator Mile S. at Monmouth Park.

But a third generation of Brunettis, led by sons Steven and John Jr., are charting a path with Mind Control that could carry the Red Oak silks (in partnership with Madaket Stables) to the winner's circle in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Mind Control broke his maiden at Monmouth in his second try on Aug. 12, 2018, then wired the GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga at 10-1 odds in start number three.

A trip-troubled seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile going 1 1/16 miles seemed to stamp him as a one-turn type, and he picked off some lower-level stakes at a mile or under in New York before springing another 10-1 upset going seven furlongs at the Spa, this time in the 2019 edition of the GI H. Allen Jerkins S.

After starting 2020 with a pair of Grade III sprint victories, Mind Control went 0-for-8 over the next 12 months before Red Oak executed a trainer change, from Rick Sacco's brother, Greg Sacco, to Todd Pletcher. The move was not without some family friction for the Saccos, according to published reports at the time.

Reunited with John Velazquez, who had piloted Mind Control to his pair of Grade I wins, the 5-year-old scored at first placement for Pletcher in the GII John Nerud S. at Belmont Park July 4, 2021, then ran a credible fourth in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga.

By that point late last summer, there were enough known qualities about Mind Control to establish that he belonged in the upper tier of middle-distance horses in America. Adjectives like sound, smart, tenacious, determined, professional, hard-working, and unafraid to fight aptly described him.

But Mind Control was often perceived as if he still had something left to prove. Bettors rarely fancied him. Even now, with 26 starts under his belt, he's only gone off favored five times in his career, and not once has he been the chalk in his last 14 starts, extending back more than two years.

A sizable stumbling block last summer was that Mind Control was essentially caught between distances when it came to a Breeders' Cup try. Six furlongs in the GI Sprint seemed too short (despite a 2-for-4 career record), and stretching beyond his sweet spot of seven furlongs (5-for-15) in the Dirt Mile meant going around two turns for just the second time in his life.

Yet because Mind Control had won and finished second in his only two one-turn-mile attempts at Aqueduct back in 2019, the distance itself didn't seem to be out of his grasp.

To gauge his affinity for two turns, Red Oak and Pletcher tried Mind Control in the Sept. 25, 2021, Parx Dirt Mile. That experiment appeared over soon after the break. Mind Control had a stutter-step start, got caught wide around both bends, and shortly after he made a far-turn, last-gasp move that reeled in the two leaders, he was immediately pounced upon by 4-5 fave Silver State (Hard Spun).

Under a full head of steam, Silver State extended his lead to nearly a full length inside the sixteenth pole and appeared home free. But Mind Control, pinned down inside, re-rallied and clawed his way back to win by a furious head bob over the final 50 yards. The result was a 104 Beyer Speed Figure–his first foray into triple digits after thrice peaking at 99.

A fever knocked Mind Control out of last year's Dirt Mile at Del Mar, and he spent the winter recuperating at Red Oak's farm in Ocala, where he annually enjoys his own paddock.

Starting fresh in '22, Mind Control had the misfortune of hooking two razor-sharp winners in a pair of seven-furlong races, both of whom were building three-race winning streaks in stakes.

On Apr. 9, he was third behind the odds-on Speaker's Corner in the GI Carter H. at Aqueduct. Then on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard, Mind Control was a no-match fifth for the '21 sprint champ Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the GI Churchill Downs S.

A confidence-builder was in order, and the Salvator Mile at the Jersey shore figured to offer a touch of class relief.

But Mind Control's day at the beach got party-crashed at entry time by Hot Rod Charlie, whose connections had also sized up the Salvator Mile as a potentially cushy spot coming off his runner-up try in the G1 Dubai World Cup three months ago.

Third in last year's Derby and second in the GI Belmont S., Hot Rod Charlie would also be returning to the scene of his controversial GI Haskell S. disqualification from last summer, thickening the plot.

Mind Control broke sharply from the rail under Johnny V. and was immediately accosted by a keen Hot Rod Charlie. But after establishing early positioning near the head of affairs, Mike Smith opted to back off with his heavy favorite, sitting second while keeping Mind Control well within striking sight, maintaining a cushion of about 1 3/4 lengths down the back straight behind measured splits of :23.60 and :23.06 for the first two opening quarters.

At the midpoint of the race, Smith attempted to reengage with Hot Rod Charlie, but Mind Control didn't need much more that a subtle flick of the wrists from Velazquez to open back up, this time by three-quarters of a length.

But by the far turn Velazquez was hand-riding with a bit more urgency while Smith had yet to even think about unleashing Hot Rod Charlie, and the favorite clearly had better momentum as the dueling duo crested the quarter pole.

Moving on the outside, Hot Rod Charlie asserted himself at the eighth pole, finally wresting away the lead.

Then the scene shifted.

Reminiscent of his Lazarus-like clawback when in tight at the rail in deep stretch in the Parx Mile, Mind Control responded to Johnny V.'s unpanicked urging, incrementally edging back on even terms even while Hot Rod Charlie continued to roll homeward without any quit on his account.

They head-bobbed together while hurtling home in lockstep through the final sixteenth, with Mind Control prevailing in 1:35.79.

Just like in the Parx Mile, Mind Control's winning margin was a head. By the numbers, the result was the same too–another 104 Beyer.

Not a bad effort for a horse allegedly out of his element around two turns.

Maybe it was the public that was in need of the confidence booster, not Mind Control.

The post The Week in Review: Mind Control Learning Two-Turn Tricks at Age Six appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Last Race Longshot Propels John Fisher To NHC Qualifier Win

Florida-based handicapper John Fisher was all but tapped out and ready to leave Hialeah Park's Champions Simulcast Center & Sports Bar late Sunday afternoon.

He was down to $100 from his total of five entries in the second-ever National Horseplayers Championship qualifying tournament staged at this iconic South Florida landmark.

Fisher bet his last money all to win on 22-1 longshot Cryptic Creed in the 10th race at Gulfstream Park. Less than two minutes later, jockey Jesus Rios guided the two-year-old maiden to a facile victory over the all-weather surface, producing a $45.40 payout that vaulted Fisher to victory over runner-up Phil Matzat and third-place finisher Ray Arsenault.

“I had packed up and I was at the door,” Fisher recalled. “I heard a big commotion from the tournament room and '10, it's the 10!' from the other handicappers. That was Cryptic Creed!”

The big payoff gave Fisher a total of $2,400 in tournament earnings, some $900 better than Matzat's $1,500, and almost $1,500 more than Arsenault's $908.

The champion collected $4,000 in prize money, with Matzat garnering $2,600 for second and Arsenault claiming $1,600 for third.

The top two finishers both earned seats in the National Horseplayers Championship finals at Bally's Las Vegas on Jan. 28-30, 2022, including hotel and airfare.

“I'll be there,” added Fisher. “I've been to 10 finals and I'm just as excited to go back for the 11th time! Champions was a great spot for the event. The staff treated us in a friendly and professional manner, and they fed us well!”

Overall, 46 handicappers purchased a total of 64 entries in the tournament and the Hialeah Park mutuel office reported a 74% handle increase over the average Sunday.

Champions Simulcast Center & Sports Bar, opened as “the go-to location” in South Florida for full-card simulcast wagering on Thoroughbred races in early 2016, features 180 television screens, 78 betting carrels (each with a 19-inch video monitor), 42 wagering windows, and space for 200 horseplayers complemented by an aggressive menu of simulcast wagering options.

The post Last Race Longshot Propels John Fisher To NHC Qualifier Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights