- 5/20/2025
Umberto Rispoli has been riding in the U.S. for fewer than five years and the Italian-born talent has had to, among other things, convince trainers he could win on not only the turf but the dirt and that he belonged in one of the stronger riding colonies in the sport. It didn’t take Rispoli long to establish himself as one of the best riders in California and now top trainers are after his services. Michael McCarthy belongs on the list has he has given the assignment to the 31-year-old jockey on GI Kentucky Derby favorite and GI Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism (Curlin). It will be Rispoli’s third Derby mount. Rispoli joined this week’s TDN Writers’ Room Podcast presented by Keeneland to talk about the Derby and how he has established himself as one of the best jockeys in the country in such a short period of time, Rispoli was this week’s Gainesway Guest of the Week.
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00:00♪♪
00:07♪♪
00:14♪♪
00:18For the love of the horse.
00:21For generations to come.
00:23♪♪
00:28Welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room.
00:30I'm Zoe Cabman, filling in for Bill,
00:32who's feeling a little bit under the weather.
00:35I am in glorious OBS in Ocala right now,
00:38but perhaps not as glorious as Randy Mosby.
00:43How are you?
00:44I'm not feeling under the weather, Zoe.
00:47I'm in Cabo for a little short respite
00:50before the Kentucky Derby grind begins in a couple of weeks.
00:54I'm Randy Moss, by the way, with NBC Sports.
00:56Ready to roll, even though I'm here in paradise.
01:00When I'm coming back in my next life,
01:02I'm coming back as Randy Moss or his dog.
01:06How is your dog surviving without you?
01:09Lucy has a good life.
01:10My daughter Hallie is at home with Lucy,
01:12taking care of Lucy while we're gone.
01:14So she is doing a very good daughterly deed.
01:20All right.
01:21Well, let's get right into it,
01:22and let's talk about the Grade 1 Apple Blossom last weekend.
01:25A lot of people there.
01:26It looked like a monster crowd on hand for the Grade 1 Apple Blossom.
01:31Torpedo Anna did not disappoint.
01:34She just seems to go through the motions and do everything right.
01:37Now, I took down some of the splits for the race, Randy.
01:40To me, it looked like she won the race in the third quarter
01:43because they absolutely slowed it down.
01:4523 and 2, 24 and 2, 26 and 2,
01:50lulled them to sleep, and she skedaddled.
01:53I mean, look.
01:55Free like a girl is a pretty decent horse.
01:58Free like a girl gave Torpedo Anna a little bit of a tussle
02:02in the Azari Stakes before Torpedo Anna put her away.
02:06And I think Torpedo Anna is one of these kind of horses, Zoe,
02:11that I tend to believe most of the time, 95% of the time,
02:17when people look at a horse that doesn't run particularly fast numbers
02:22and they say, oh, this horse just runs as fast as they need to run.
02:25I think most of the time that's BS, right?
02:28But with Torpedo Anna, I think there's enough evidence to suggest
02:33that she may be one of those kinds of horses.
02:36I mean, you look at the way she stepped up
02:39when she ran against Fierceness in Sierra Leone in the Traverse Stakes last year
02:43and ran, what, like a 105 buyer speed figure
02:46when she was in against horses that were better than her probably, right?
02:51But although, I mean, she might have been able to win that race with a better trip.
02:56And then she beats horses that she's 1 to 10 against,
03:00and she beats them, and she beats them by daylight usually,
03:04but she doesn't exactly wow people.
03:06And I think that was probably what, you know,
03:09what a lot of analysts are going to say about the Apple Blossom.
03:12She got a 93 buyer speed figure.
03:15That's typically not your horse of the year type buyer speed figures,
03:19and maybe that's going to encourage some other horsemen to take a shot against her
03:24the next time she runs, wherever she runs down the road.
03:27But she just seems to just kind of go into cruise control
03:32until she needs that third quarter, like you mentioned,
03:35that punch, and then she puts the competition away
03:39and just does what she's got to do.
03:41Well, Kenny Whitpeak was bullish.
03:43Walking down the steps in his interview,
03:45he's like, we're running back in three weeks in the Lottery Inn.
03:48She didn't win by too far.
03:50That's the plan.
03:51That's where she's going.
03:53So, I mean, he wants to show her off on Oaks Day, right?
03:55It's the right thing to do.
03:56Sure.
03:58But who's going to run against her?
04:01Well, I think that there may be more horses that sign up to run against her,
04:06especially on Derby weekend, than you might otherwise expect
04:10for a horse with her credentials just looking at her wins and losses
04:15or overall race record.
04:17Maybe I'm going to be wrong about this.
04:18Maybe it's going to be a four or five horse field.
04:20But if I'm another owner and I look and I see a 93 buyer speed figure
04:25and I've got a filly that can run, that has been running a little faster than that,
04:30I'm thinking, oh, maybe she's vulnerable.
04:33Maybe I can catch Thorpedo Anna here.
04:36She's been running against weak competition.
04:38Maybe I can take a shot against her.
04:40So, we'll see.
04:42I know of one.
04:43I texted Buffett this morning.
04:45Cavallari is going to run in the Lottery on.
04:47There you go.
04:49Yeah.
04:50That's good.
04:51We'll have to wait and see.
04:52So, it looks like that's where Thorpedo Anna is going.
04:54Let's move on and talk about Keeneland and Carl Spackler.
04:58Fabian Pratt, of course, was subbing for Tyler Gaffneon.
05:02Remind me the name of the race.
05:04I can't remember.
05:05Maker's Mark.
05:06Maker's Mark Mile.
05:09It looks like he's come back better than ever.
05:11He's just such a fun horse to watch.
05:15Pratt's got the magic button.
05:16He knew where to find it.
05:18He was a little worried, apparently, that he'd actually press the button too soon.
05:22Some of the people watching the Major Connections are worried he'd pressed it too late,
05:26but he's got a hell of a turn of foot, does he not?
05:29Oh, man, and he showed it off with the 5.16 pole when he just rocketed by horses,
05:33three or four wide around the turn.
05:35And those were some pretty good horses that he was leaving for dead up there, right?
05:39And I agree with you that as good as Carl Spackler was as a three-year-old
05:43and especially as a four-year-old, he didn't run his best race in the Breeders' Cup Mile.
05:48It looked to me like he's not only come back as good as he was,
05:52but he may even be coming back better than he was.
05:55He's a five-year-old now.
05:57You've got to love the name, among other things, right?
05:59Carl Spackler, Bill Murray, right?
06:02But I thought he was awesome, awesome in victory,
06:06and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch him run as the year continues.
06:10What kind of number would he have run?
06:13I think he ran a 102, I think,
06:15which is kind of comparable to what he had been running last year
06:19and some of his better races.
06:21But I think pretty much anybody who watched the Makers' Mark Mile
06:26has to walk away from it with the opinion that he probably could have run even faster
06:33if he needed to because he had that race.
06:35Once he made that move at the 5.16 pole,
06:38I mean, he had that race locked up at about the 3.16 pole
06:43when he was three or four lengths in front at that point.
06:46I don't want to say he coasted in, but he didn't have that much competition.
06:50Best name in horse racing and certainly the most fun to watch right now.
06:54The grade one, Jenny Wiley, was on Sunday as well.
06:57Choise, I think is how you pronounce it for Simon Crisford, won that,
07:02but not without – should there have been an inquiry?
07:06Because I think there should have been.
07:08I think there probably should have been an inquiry.
07:10I agree with the steward's decision not to take her down.
07:16I thought she was clear enough when she drifted out at the 8th pole
07:22or the 16th pole or wherever it was.
07:24I don't blame Flavien for claiming foul and taking a shot.
07:27I don't think the outcome of the race would have been changed,
07:29but there probably should have been a steward's inquiry.
07:34This is a filly that has just all of a sudden absolutely blossomed.
07:40She came from Dubai.
07:42By the way, I think it's fantastic that it's not just Charlie Appleby now
07:46that's seeing the benefit of bringing some of these horses to the United States
07:51and running them in grade one races, but off European form,
07:55in this case Dubai form.
07:56Simon Crisford now is starting to pick up on that as well,
07:59and that's only good for American racing.
08:01In her last two starts in Dubai, the Cape Verde,
08:04she ran against a very good filly of Appleby's and good dolphins
08:07and beat her convincingly by five lengths.
08:10Then in her last race in the Balanchine Stakes,
08:14she ran against Cinderella's Dream, who was a heavy favorite in that race.
08:19If you recall, and you recall, Zoe, if the viewers recall,
08:25she could have been the best horse in the Breeders' Cup filly
08:30for mare turf last year.
08:32She ran against Moira, and Moira got a better trip
08:35than Cinderella's Dream did, I thought.
08:37They were close at the wire, but Cinderella's Dream is that good.
08:42In the Balanchine, they separated themselves from the field,
08:46and they ran like a fern in Aladar for the last 316th quarter of a mile,
08:51opened up, I think, eight lengths on the competition,
08:53which is hard to do on the grass.
08:56She just doggedly kept in front of Cinderella's Dream.
08:59She got a 100-buyer speed figure in the Ginuwile.
09:03I think Choywa, or however you want to say her name,
09:07is right now a real top-of-the-line racehorse
09:12whose star is ascending, as they say.
09:15Choisier, I think.
09:16Choisier, okay.
09:17We played it over and over before we came on.
09:19I said to Sue, I'm like, how do I say this?
09:21It's a flower.
09:22It's an African flower, if I'm not mistaken.
09:25Okay.
09:26There you go.
09:27Shout-out to Simon Crisford,
09:28because he is one of the most underrated trainers anywhere,
09:31and certainly in the Godolphin Stable.
09:34So she was certainly very, very exciting to watch.
09:37And a great ride there by Louis Sayers,
09:39hugging the rail on the whole way.
09:40Probably many thanks to Frankie for letting him out at the right spot as well.
09:44That spot's open like the Red Sea.
09:48She gave you a great trip, yes.
09:51Yeah.
09:52You can't buy that trip in Sainsbury's.
09:54You certainly can't.
09:55All right.
09:56The TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
09:58Supplemental entries are still being accepted
10:01for Keeneland's April Selected Horses Racing Aid Sale.
10:05That's going to be held on Friday, April the 25th,
10:08at the conclusion of the day's races.
10:11It's strategically positioned at the end of the Spring Meet
10:14and just before Derby Week.
10:16The April sale gathers the industry's top owners,
10:19trainers, and bloodstock agents in one central location.
10:23This competitive buying bench coupled with a catalog of proven
10:26and ready-to-run thoroughbreds create the perfect opportunity
10:30for buyers to secure talent for the summer season.
10:34Certainly a good place to be.
10:37♪♪
10:45Still catching.
10:46Leslie's Rose.
10:47Sierra.
10:48Leon.
10:49Mike, $5 million.
10:53Carl Spackler.
10:54Immersive.
10:56She feels pretty.
10:58Hut.
10:59♪♪
11:08And this week, our fastest horse of the week is brought to you
11:11by Timberlake, one of those fast sires at Windstar Farm.
11:15At Windstar, they like to call Timberlake stand-alone talent
11:19and for good reason.
11:21He's the only son of Intimischief standing at stud to be a TD
11:24and rising star, a grade one winner as a two-year-old,
11:28a graded stakes winner in his three-year-old debut,
11:32and a TD and silver value sire.
11:36Timberlake right now is standing in his very first season
11:39at Windstar Farm and his fee is quite affordable
11:42in these particular conversations, $20,000.
11:47Now, fastest horse of the week.
11:49People who have been watching the Sprint division
11:51for a couple of years are no doubt familiar with the horse
11:54and Steve Asmussen's barn by the name of Skelly,
11:57who nearly won a big Saudi Arabian Sprint last year.
12:01Well, Skelly made his comeback last week
12:04in an allowance race at Oaklawn Park
12:06and boy, was he impressive.
12:09At one point, I think he was like nine lengths in front of the field
12:12as they were approaching the top of the stretch,
12:14drew off one and I think 109.27 for six furlongs.
12:19And for that race, Skelly got a buyer speed figure,
12:23career high, 107.
12:26So he not only came back strong,
12:28and what Skelly has been noted for
12:31throughout much of his career,
12:33despite the fact that he's got blazing early speed,
12:35his first steps from the gate are typically not very fast.
12:38He tends to break a little bit sluggishly and then rushes up.
12:42This time he broke like a shot.
12:44He was on the lead before a 16th of a mile.
12:47And so you saw what happened the rest of the way.
12:49So Skelly is back and he's back in good form.
12:52And Skelly is our fastest horse of the week.
12:57And I'll tell you what, Randy,
12:59it was really cool to listen to the interview.
13:03Steve's son, Eric, rode him.
13:05So Maggie Morley interviewed him after the race on the pony there.
13:09And he's so well-spoken for one, like Steve is and all his kids are.
13:14But, you know, listening to him saying that he grew up with Mottoli in the barn
13:19and for him to get a stakes win on a son of Mottoli
13:22and just working him in the morning,
13:25it was just really cool to hear that they're having such a good time.
13:28Like Steve, if you ever want to get Steve Asperson to talk to you
13:32and you're like just trying to find a way into his barn,
13:35just ask him how the kids are and how they're doing.
13:38He'll talk to you for 20 minutes because he's so proud and rightly so.
13:43Eric's a Clipse Award winning jockey now.
13:45How he maintains his weight, I'll never know,
13:47because he's about six foot tall.
13:49But he rode a really good race.
13:51He did. He rode an outstanding race.
13:54Steve's obviously a great guy and obviously a good father
13:58and very, very proud of his kids. I agree.
14:01And now it is time for the Gainesway Guest of the Week.
14:04Very happy to bring in Umbi Rispoli.
14:07Umberto, how are you today?
14:09It's just me and you, I'm afraid.
14:10Everyone else has taken the day off,
14:12so we'll just have to have a nice little chat together.
14:15I'm happy to be here, Zoe. Thank you. Thanks, guys, for having me.
14:18Before we jump into journalism and a couple of other horses
14:21we're going to talk about, we're on a little break from Santa Anita now.
14:25So what have you been doing?
14:26Have you been going to Keeneland or have you been putting your feet up
14:29and watching the telly?
14:30I actually come back last night at one o'clock from Kentucky.
14:36So it's been almost six days over there.
14:42I was able to break my maiden at Keeneland, finally.
14:45It takes me such a long time.
14:48And look, I'm very... I had actually a good meet.
14:53I mean, a good week over there, meeting some nice people
14:56and obviously talking about the Derby.
15:01And, but look, I was just a little bit upset
15:05because a bowler's race didn't come up in the way we were expecting.
15:09But, you know, we're going to regroup.
15:11And I'm pretty sure it's not the good horse than we saw the other day.
15:15So, you know, it was coming off a long layoff.
15:19But I really enjoyed my week at Keeneland.
15:22Keeneland's a beautiful place to be, especially, you know,
15:25this time of year, if it is nice weather.
15:27Let's just talk about Bullard for a little bit,
15:30because a lot of people liked him going into that race.
15:33Did you feel maybe he came up a little short
15:35or maybe he wants to go a little shorter?
15:38No, I just think then it's a horse then...
15:43Obviously, he doesn't have much, much experience in races.
15:46The two times we won, obviously, we went short,
15:49but the pace ahead of us was very crazy fast.
15:53So that's what makes him coming from way back.
15:58But I think he's a horse then probably he needs to get more closer.
16:04He changes mentality, he changes the way to work as well.
16:09Actually, when we were working last Saturday
16:12before to ship him to Keeneland,
16:16I think it was probably his best work ever.
16:19We put him on the fence with the horse outside of him
16:22and he never let the other horse go by him.
16:25So I think he's a horse then he probably needs to run a little bit closer.
16:29It's not that quick out of the gate,
16:31but it's a horse then he's a one pace horse.
16:34I mean, of course, I'm saying that he come two times,
16:37you know, like it looks like as a turn of foot,
16:40but definitely it's not.
16:41I think it's a horse then, you know, gain some experience.
16:44This race is going to bring him up.
16:46Four months layoff, you know, he shipped to the Red Bull,
16:49he got fever, he stuck over there, he has to coming back.
16:52So it's a lot of things are going on in his way.
16:57But I'm always confident.
16:58I like him since day one and I can't wait to see him bounce back
17:03from that performance.
17:05And of course, that was a Bullard running in the Lexington last weekend.
17:09Who did you break your maiden for, by the way?
17:11I break my maiden for John Ortiz.
17:15Oh, fabulous.
17:17Yes.
17:18Well, let's get to the meat and the potatoes.
17:20Let's talk journalism and tell us about your trip in the Santa Anita Derby.
17:26Was that perhaps the one you weren't looking for?
17:30Well, not really.
17:33Obviously, as I already said in my other interview,
17:37I wish I could have drawn wide.
17:40But, you know, it seems that we saw the draw.
17:42We knew then it was supposed to be a dogfight.
17:46So I'm happy then.
17:49You know, the good things is when you ride a brave horse like him,
17:52an intelligent horse like him, you know,
17:56things can change and could put you in a better spot.
18:02It's a horse then I've been saying that for the last six months.
18:08He's improving race by race.
18:11Definitely going to the half mile pole,
18:13I knew that there wasn't the trip and I had to figure it out how to come
18:19out from the rail.
18:20It wasn't easy.
18:22But as I said, you know, I see that little gap between Westwood and Barnes.
18:28Then he was a start to getting tired around the turn.
18:31And I take that opportunity.
18:33Actually, it was the only one opportunity to take.
18:37And look, once I was able to take him into the clear,
18:41he responded to me pretty well.
18:43And he came so, you know, I could feel it around the turn.
18:47Like he always does.
18:49And it didn't take him much to go and buy Baeza.
18:52So once he took the lead, he kind of, I can't understand,
18:56he not really looking around,
18:59but he's a kind of horse then he understand once he passed the last horse,
19:03he knows when the job is done.
19:04So extremely happy with this race.
19:08What kind of feel does he give you in his races?
19:11Because he seems like the horse that you can do just about anything you want
19:15well.
19:16The good,
19:17the good of him is then he's been better in the gate,
19:22which as I said,
19:24I have to give a credit to Michael because he keeps calling him in the gate.
19:28He's actually a horse and he doesn't really like to stay longer in there.
19:31It's a big boy.
19:33And but he's been breaking good and,
19:36you know, going on a mile and a quarter,
19:38that's probably what do you need?
19:39It's a horse.
19:40Then he's going to put you in a,
19:42in a good spot to coming out of the gate.
19:45We knew then the,
19:47the start of the Kentucky Derby could be always a mess,
19:50but with a horse like him,
19:51which is a powerful,
19:52it's pretty,
19:53it's a big horse with the horses like him,
19:57you capable to find a good spot to whatever and going to the first turn and
20:01set up your race,
20:02see where the other contenders are.
20:05And pretty,
20:08it's pretty much this,
20:09you know,
20:10going a mile and a quarter,
20:11he's going to do this for the,
20:12for the first time in his life,
20:13like everybody else.
20:14And look,
20:15hopefully we're going to,
20:16we're going to draw better than the one this time,
20:18but I'm extremely,
20:20extremely happy,
20:21excited.
20:22I'm honestly,
20:23you know,
20:24Joe Talamud give me an interview two days ago and he asked me,
20:28say,
20:29how did you feel right now?
20:30I say,
20:31listen,
20:32so far,
20:33I just been focused about the rides I have right now because,
20:35you know,
20:36it's very disrespectful just to bring your mind like three weeks from now to
20:41Churchill down and not be focused about what happened race by race right now.
20:45So once that week is going to come in,
20:48it's going to come to us.
20:50I,
20:51I don't know.
20:52So far,
20:53I just feel happy.
20:55Then I probably,
20:56I find a great horse in my,
20:58in my life.
20:59Definitely.
21:00I think he's the best that there's doors.
21:01I have a reader,
21:02no doubt about it,
21:03even because it's only five years.
21:04I'm in United States,
21:05but even having some experience in Japan,
21:07in Hong Kong,
21:08um,
21:09in Italy,
21:10uh,
21:11where we have a dirt racing,
21:13but obviously not as good as American races.
21:16Uh,
21:17I'm,
21:18I'm glad to be in this position.
21:20You know,
21:21I,
21:22I,
21:23I'm pretty sure there is a other hundred riders than they would love to
21:26ride in going to the Kentucky Derby.
21:28So as I said,
21:29I just to be,
21:30I'm,
21:31I'm,
21:32I'm happy.
21:33I'm calm.
21:34I know that the adrenaline is going to come in.
21:36I,
21:37I,
21:38you can't,
21:39you can't hide this,
21:40you know,
21:41but in the meantime,
21:42when I was the kid of eight years old,
21:44the chasing is dream to be,
21:45uh,
21:46uh,
21:47to,
21:48to,
21:49to be a great rider one day to be competing with the best rider around
21:51the world and be going to ride the first favorite of the Kentucky
21:54Derby.
21:55It's just,
21:56it could be a,
21:57and the wishing to win the Derby,
21:58you know,
21:59it could be a dream come true.
22:01And there is,
22:02they,
22:03I say to myself,
22:04then there has to be no fear in there.
22:06There has to be no scare.
22:07You just have to enjoy the moment.
22:09The scare is a fear and scare.
22:12It's people then struggling with a job and struggling,
22:15bring the money home every month to,
22:17to,
22:18to feed the family.
22:19That's what is probably scares you,
22:20but going to ride the first favorite of the Kentucky Derby.
22:24Yes,
22:25you have to be excited and just enjoy the moment.
22:26That's it.
22:27Is this where you imagine you'd be when you came full time in 2020,
22:31because you came into Santa Anita and Del Mar like a bear your first year in
22:36the country,
22:37you won 126 races and it was all go.
22:40Everyone's like,
22:41who is this guy?
22:42Is this where you imagined you'd be five years on?
22:46Well,
22:47um,
22:48I was actually,
22:50I was in a really bad spot in 2019 when,
22:53um,
22:54every,
22:55I was struggling a lot in Hong Kong.
22:56I wasn't underground.
22:58And I already said this in some other interviews.
23:02Uh,
23:03I come back after happy Valley raises one day and I,
23:05and I want to just quit.
23:07You know,
23:08my,
23:09my brain was done.
23:10I was losing a lot of weight every,
23:11all the weekend.
23:12Every,
23:13every time I was going to ride the horses,
23:14it was a long,
23:15short 50 to one.
23:16And I coming back home and I'm saying,
23:18why I'm doing this.
23:19I mean,
23:20there is why I just,
23:22I'd be hard with myself.
23:24So,
23:25uh,
23:26I had to find something else.
23:28And,
23:29uh,
23:30you know,
23:31this person,
23:32this Italian blood stock agent,
23:33Marco Bozzi said,
23:34why'd you don't try America?
23:35And then that's how I get in contact with Ron Anderson.
23:38And Ron was the,
23:39uh,
23:40the first person to take me from,
23:43from Hong Kong to,
23:44to America.
23:45But when I,
23:46when I first moved in,
23:47in December,
23:482019,
23:49I was just full of energy.
23:51And I say,
23:52I'm going to prove everybody.
23:53I have to prove everybody wrong because I couldn't be like,
23:56uh,
23:57uh,
23:58the jockey where I break a Frankie,
24:00the story,
24:01the tourist record,
24:02Frankie's father's record in Italy of winners.
24:04I've been traveling all around the world.
24:06I've been winning races everywhere.
24:08You can't be just bad because one season takes you down.
24:12So,
24:13uh,
24:14I,
24:15I have to prove myself first.
24:17And I knew then I was a coming year.
24:19I was a really hungry for winners.
24:21So,
24:22um,
24:23and the good things is I really enjoyed the first rides.
24:26I have a Santa Anita.
24:28I could feel right away.
24:29Then it was,
24:30um,
24:31it was a good,
24:32uh,
24:33it was a good,
24:34uh,
24:35wedding between me and America.
24:36So I could adapt myself right away to American races coming from Hong Kong.
24:40It's not that different.
24:41You know,
24:42it's a speed racing.
24:43Um,
24:44you need to be,
24:45uh,
24:46quick out of the gate.
24:47It was a pretty similar,
24:49just going obviously left and right.
24:51And that's,
24:52it wasn't the only difference,
24:53but I've been riding left,
24:54left and the right hand for all my life.
24:56So,
24:57and I'm,
24:58I'm glad I do well my first year.
24:59And that's what it put me in the spot to,
25:01to keep doing well in those years.
25:03And with Mark Nakatani last year,
25:05we have,
25:06I have my best year ever.
25:07It seems I'm in the United States.
25:08And you ride an awful lot for Michael McCarthy.
25:11Talk about your relationship with Michael because he's,
25:14he's got a very dry sense of humor and you two just kind of bash off each other.
25:20Uh,
25:21look,
25:22some people thinks of Michael,
25:24you know,
25:25I always say Michael is like that.
25:26Michael goes to the work.
25:28It doesn't care about anybody.
25:30He wakes up in the morning.
25:31He knows that he has to do that job from that time that,
25:33that,
25:34uh,
25:35from five o'clock in the morning until 11,
25:3710,
25:3830 until the time he's leaving the barn.
25:40He's like that.
25:41It's all about work.
25:42But out of that,
25:44he has,
25:45he's one of the finest person I've ever met in my life.
25:47He has his own sense of humor.
25:49Uh,
25:50we understand each other's a lot.
25:53Uh,
25:54don't take me wrong.
25:55We,
25:56we clash sometimes,
25:57but I think what's,
25:58I think this is what,
25:59you know,
26:0045,
26:01uh,
26:02that's,
26:03that's the right word,
26:04right?
26:05Uh,
26:06our relationship,
26:07because I work a lot of horses for him and I like him.
26:09I like to tell him the truth.
26:11You know,
26:12every time,
26:13sometimes when I think horses doesn't work well,
26:15I feel,
26:16then I have to tell him the truth.
26:17You know,
26:18sometimes,
26:19you know,
26:20a horse can lose his shoes,
26:21horse can grab,
26:22can grab,
26:23uh,
26:24uh,
26:25his feet.
26:26So there is a lot of things where,
26:27uh,
26:28in,
26:29in my education of horse racing,
26:30my boss always tell me,
26:31he said,
26:32if you feel anything is,
26:33doesn't like to you with a horse,
26:34just be honest.
26:35And I've been like that for 20 years.
26:37So I think that's what probably Michael really appreciate about me.
26:40I gonna,
26:41I always tell him the truth.
26:42You know,
26:43if,
26:44if the horse is not working,
26:45I'm going to tell you,
26:46and I didn't like the work.
26:47It's not an,
26:48I'm always right,
26:49but you know,
26:50we like to,
26:51we like to share the opinion and,
26:53um,
26:54and we have one things in common.
26:56We are really,
26:57we,
26:58we want to really,
26:59we want to really win races.
27:00We're really hungry for it.
27:01So it's a good to have a relationship with a trainer supports you like that.
27:05And he gives you full confidence on,
27:07on resources.
27:08Can you tell me once more about Michael,
27:10the horse and why you call journalism,
27:12Michael,
27:13with,
27:14uh,
27:15with the Michaels,
27:16with,
27:17uh,
27:18with,
27:19uh,
27:20with the journalism.
27:21Well,
27:22I mean,
27:23he's like that,
27:24you know,
27:25it's like,
27:26uh,
27:27so you,
27:28you see most of the time you walk in his office in the morning.
27:29He go like that.
27:30So you just don't even say hi to you.
27:31And that's journalism.
27:32You try to walk in the store,
27:33tries to bite you.
27:34We push you out.
27:35So I think they,
27:36they really related.
27:37They look at chat.
27:38They look similar,
27:39you know,
27:40the animal in the trainer.
27:41So I,
27:42and he's funny though.
27:43When I told him,
27:44I say,
27:45you know,
27:46it deserves,
27:47it really looks like you.
27:48I like it.
27:49I like it.
27:50So from there,
27:51I started to call him a Michael.
27:52That's so awesome.
27:53I got one more question for you quickly.
27:55Uh,
27:56formidable man looked fantastic winning the Kilroy mile.
27:59Um,
28:00that was probably one of the best rides I've seen you ever give coming through on the inside
28:04with him.
28:05Did you ever have a question that you were never going to get through in the grade one
28:09Kilroy mile?
28:10I would like to you.
28:11If I say no,
28:12I would be,
28:13I would lie.
28:14So,
28:15um,
28:16around the,
28:17the,
28:18around the turn,
28:19I had,
28:20um,
28:21I had the,
28:22was it with the nest outside of me?
28:23Uh,
28:24no,
28:25with,
28:26uh,
28:27neat,
28:28sorry,
28:29not honest,
28:30neat outside of me,
28:31which is a looking,
28:32is looking to don't let me out.
28:33But I had of me,
28:34I could see then the two riders,
28:35they try to come in now.
28:36And from,
28:37you know,
28:38sometimes when you are three back defense,
28:39you have a different vision.
28:40You can see really,
28:41you can see better than the,
28:42than the jockey that needs ahead of you.
28:44So I could read the,
28:45the body languages of one.
28:47And then he was a try to come out with their first red.
28:49And then when I see from far,
28:50then Mike Smith was going left handed.
28:52I say,
28:53that's the only,
28:54that's the only shot I have.
28:55So I try to make myself a little,
28:57little,
28:58and try to go to that gap.
29:00And I would say actually the horse really,
29:02really respond.
29:03Well,
29:04uh,
29:05I don't think I give him a good ride,
29:06a good ride in,
29:07um,
29:09uh,
29:10and I have,
29:11I take a full responsibility for that.
29:12I tell Michael already.
29:13So I was too much intent to go to the lead because I thought
29:15that there was no speed.
29:17Um,
29:18so the horse didn't run any well.
29:20Uh,
29:21he,
29:22he,
29:23he actually didn't really like the Gulf stream,
29:24but I would,
29:25I would,
29:26I like to take the blame for that phase.
29:27And I have to create,
29:28give a credit to,
29:29to,
29:30to Michael.
29:31And we take off the blinkers,
29:32which I think,
29:33uh,
29:34he doesn't really,
29:35he doesn't really need that.
29:36Um,
29:37but I think,
29:38uh,
29:39I,
29:40I,
29:41I,
29:42I,
29:43I,
29:44I,
29:45I,
29:46I,
29:47I,
29:48I,
29:49I,
29:50I,
29:51I,
29:52I,
29:53I,
29:54I,
29:55I,
29:56I,
29:57I,
29:58I,
29:59I,
30:00I,
30:01I,
30:02I,
30:03I,
30:04I,
30:05I,
30:06I,
30:07I,
30:08I,
30:09I,
30:10I,
30:11I,
30:12I,
30:13I,
30:14I,
30:15I,
30:16I,
30:17I,
30:18I,
30:19I,
30:20I,
30:21I,
30:22I,
30:23I,
30:24I,
30:25I,
30:26I,
30:27I,
30:28I,
30:29I,
30:30I,
30:31I,
30:32I,
30:34I,
30:35I,
30:36I,
30:37I,
30:38I,
30:39I,
30:40I,
30:41I,
30:42I,
30:43I,
30:44I,
30:45I,
30:46I,
30:47I,
30:48I,
30:49I,
30:50I,
30:51I,
30:52I,
30:53I,
30:54I,
30:55I,
30:56I,
30:57I,
30:58I,
30:59I,
31:00I,
31:01I,
31:02I,
31:03I,
31:04I,
31:05I,
31:06I,
31:07I,
31:08I,
31:09I,
31:10I,
31:11I,
31:12I,
31:13I,
31:14I,
31:15I,
31:16I,
31:17I,
31:18I,
31:19I,
31:20I,
31:21I,
31:22I,
31:23I,
31:24I,
31:25I,
31:26I,
31:27I,
31:28I,
31:29I,
31:30I,
31:31I,
31:32I,
31:33I,
31:34I,
31:35I,
31:36I,
31:37I,
31:38I,
31:39I,
31:40I,
31:41I,
31:42I,
31:43I,
31:44I,
31:45I,
31:46I,
31:47I,
31:48I,
31:49I,
31:50I,
31:51I,
31:52I,
31:53I,
31:54I,
31:55I,
31:56I,
31:57I,
31:58Like we dealt with him in Southern California.
32:00He came out for a couple of years, a couple of winters,
32:02great guy, but he's just so tall.
32:05He's at least five foot nine.
32:07He came out, he's a good rider, rides a very smart race.
32:10But for years, he struggled with his weight
32:12and that can lead to mental health problems.
32:14A couple of his good friends, Alex Conchari
32:18and Avery Witzman, unfortunately passed away in 2023.
32:23And it really brought to the front and center mental health
32:29with not only jockeys, but a lot of people in the industry.
32:32And I think we need to do better
32:35and try to help people as well as we can.
32:38I know that Trevor has said that he's gone into real estate
32:41and he simply put it, he just wasn't happy.
32:43He wasn't a happy person to be around.
32:45Now, if you know Trevor, you probably say
32:48you never see him have a bad day.
32:50And that's the kind of guy he is.
32:52But behind closed doors, I think he was just bloody miserable.
32:57So kudos to him for recognizing that and retiring and moving on.
33:02He's probably going to make an absolute fortune in real estate
33:04because he's a likable fella.
33:06So good luck to him.
33:07But it's something that needs to be talked about.
33:10Obviously, he might be a special case.
33:12Being as tall, he's going to have some problems
33:16watching his weight and being a jockey at the same time.
33:19Yeah.
33:20Congratulations to Trevor McCarthy.
33:22Now he can eat breakfast and lunch and dinner
33:26and not have to worry about weighing in
33:28at 119 pounds or 120 pounds
33:31or whatever he actually was riding at.
33:33I don't know.
33:34Bill Finley had a great article in TDN
33:36about the struggles that Trevor McCarthy has gone through.
33:40You know infinitely more about this than I would, Zoe.
33:43But I mean, I would think being a jockey,
33:45even if you're, you know, Pat Day sized,
33:50would be a stressful occupation just by its very nature.
33:55But as you pointed out, when you're starving yourself
33:59to try to stay in your chosen occupation,
34:03you're five feet nine inches tall,
34:05you may actually be taller than that.
34:07I mean, imagine five nine and 117, 118 pounds,
34:11whatever he weighed.
34:12I mean, you talk about, you know,
34:14if he was a surly guy behind closed doors,
34:17he was hungry, for Christ's sake.
34:20I mean, that's got to be just brutally tough
34:22when you combine that with the ordinary stress
34:26of being a jockey.
34:27So, you know, I think it's fantastic now
34:29that he's in an occupation
34:30where he doesn't have to worry about that.
34:32And he can maybe help other riders
34:35as he apparently wants to do, you know,
34:37kind of get through some of the struggles
34:39that they may be having.
34:40And he'd be a great person
34:42to talk about his experiences firsthand.
34:45An excellent spokesman for the job.
34:47He's going to try and work with Hisa
34:49and the Jocks Guild as well.
34:51So wishing Trevor McCarthy the best.
34:54And, you know, surprisingly enough,
34:56he said he doesn't really miss it.
34:57He can go out and see the horses,
34:59but obviously Katie's still riding
35:02and doing her own thing,
35:03but he's quite happy.
35:05So I'm delighted for him.
35:06If he ever misses it,
35:07he can just sit down and cut into a steak.
35:10Right.
35:11And then all of a sudden,
35:13and all of a sudden,
35:13and a baked potato and a Caesar salad
35:16and a chocolate pie for dessert.
35:18And he doesn't even have to worry about it.
35:21Yeah.
35:23The TDN Rider's Room,
35:24brought to you by the PHVA,
35:26the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.
35:28We've been taking you on a farm by farm tour
35:30of the Pennsylvania breeding industry.
35:32This week, we're going to double up
35:33with two farms,
35:34Timber Ridge Farm and Monte Cristo Farms.
35:38Let's start with Monte Cristo.
35:39It's home to Winchell.
35:41Winchell's the son of Tappet.
35:42Of course, Tappet's original owner
35:44was the late Vern Winchell.
35:46Winchell was Pennsylvania's
35:47leading sire of two-year-olds in 2024
35:50by both percentage of stakes winners
35:51and also average earnings
35:53per two-year-old starter.
35:55And Winchell stands at Monte Cristo
35:57for $3,000.
35:59Now, Timber Ridge Farm.
36:01Timber Ridge Farm is home
36:02to a horse you may remember,
36:03the multiple stakes winning
36:05millionaire, New York Traffic,
36:07who stands for $3,500.
36:09New York Traffic is the first cross-traffic,
36:12first son of cross-traffic,
36:14to stand stud in the mid-Atlantic.
36:16And Monte Cristo is also home
36:18to Hopeful Treasure and True to the Moon,
36:21who each stand for fees of $1,000.
36:24To learn more,
36:25you can find the 2025 Stallion
36:27and Boarding Farm Directory online
36:29at pabred.com,
36:31or you can call 610-444-1050.
36:38PA Bred, I think we've built a brand
36:44at this point.
36:45It's excitement at every step.
36:48Roses for Deborah
36:49just set a new track record.
36:51On average, for the past decade,
36:53Pennsylvania paid over $28 million a year
36:56in breeders' awards,
36:57restricted races, and owner bonuses.
37:00Plus, PA Bred shine
37:01on the world's biggest stage.
37:03Just three states have bred
37:04more Breeders' Cup winners.
37:06Learn more at pabred.com.
37:09With some of the fullest fields
37:10in the country
37:12and quality racing year-round,
37:14there's never been a better time
37:16to reap the rewards
37:17of breeding and racing in Kentucky.
37:21Purse money in Kentucky
37:22is at an all-time high,
37:23as is average purse per race,
37:25outpacing California,
37:27Florida, and New York.
37:29Kentucky breds.
37:31Breed them.
37:32Raise them.
37:33Race them.
37:35We all win.
37:37A KTA and KTOB
37:42honor the 2024
37:43Kentucky Bred Champions
37:45this past Saturday night.
37:46And a 2024 Broodmare of the Year
37:49should be no surprise.
37:50It's Puka,
37:51who of course is the dam of Mage,
37:53the Kentucky Derby winner,
37:55the dam of Dornach,
37:56the Belmont Stakes winner,
37:57and now the dam
37:58of Santa Anita Derby runner-up,
38:00Baeza, who for my money
38:02might be the second-best three-year-old
38:04in the country right now.
38:05Also, Torpedo Anna,
38:07added to her Eclipse Award
38:09for Horse of the Year
38:10to be the Kentucky Bred
38:11Horse of the Year as well.
38:13Other divisional honorees included
38:15Citizen Bull,
38:16Immersive,
38:17Sierra Leone,
38:19National Treasure,
38:20Idiomatic,
38:21Cogburn,
38:22She Feels Pretty,
38:23Soul of an Angel,
38:24City of Troy,
38:26and Snap Decision.
38:28The Dolphin also took home
38:29more hardware in addition
38:30to its Eclipse Award
38:31for Champion Breeder.
38:32It took home the Breeder of the Year
38:34at the Kentucky Bred
38:35Champions Dinner as well.
38:37Kentucky Breds,
38:38breed them,
38:38raise them,
38:39race them.
38:40We all win.
38:42It's time to talk about
38:43the Kentucky Derby,
38:44but we're going to head overseas.
38:45And for that, I'll need Randy,
38:47who seems like he's overseas,
38:49even though he's in Chicago.
38:53All right, Randy,
38:53you're the expert on this.
38:55I know a little bit about Luxor Cafe
38:57as he is the brother of Cafe Faro,
38:59who I really, really liked.
39:02How good is he?
39:03And does he have a shot
39:04in the Derby
39:05after winning the UAE Derby?
39:08By the way, konnichiwa, Zoe.
39:12Yeah, so Luxor Cafe.
39:14Now, I have sort of been dubbed
39:18the Japanese guy in NBC sports
39:21just because I, you know,
39:23I happened to pick Dermis Sotagake
39:25two years ago in the Kentucky Derby.
39:28And I sounded the alarm
39:30very loudly last year
39:31that Forever Young would be
39:33a force to be reckoned with.
39:34I picked, I actually picked Sierra Leone.
39:37I think I probably was wrong in hindsight.
39:39I think Forever Young
39:40might have been the best force
39:41in the race, it's debatable.
39:43But they both were exceptional
39:45from Japan each of the last two years.
39:47So now the question is,
39:48how does Luxor Cafe stack up
39:51against those two?
39:52And I can tell you,
39:54it's harder to figure
39:58because when you looked at,
40:01for example, Dermis Sotagake,
40:02actually both of them,
40:04when they both ran
40:06in both Saudi Arabia
40:07in the Saudi Derby,
40:08and then they ran in the UAE Derby.
40:10And on the Saudi Cup card
40:13and on the Dubai World Cup card,
40:14there were plenty of top class
40:16American horses on both of those days
40:19that you could use as a barometer
40:21to get decent figures,
40:23as we like to do, right?
40:25Buyer speed figures,
40:26even though they're not
40:26officially published for those races.
40:28We got a pretty good idea.
40:30And it was easy to know
40:32going in how good Dermis Sotagake
40:34and Forever Young actually were.
40:36I estimated Dermis Sotagake
40:38in the UAE Derby ran
40:39like about a 103, 104, 105.
40:43And Forever Young in the Saudi Derby
40:46ran about a 100
40:47when he beat Bookham Dano
40:48by about that far.
40:50Those were two outstanding racehorses.
40:52But Luxor Cafe didn't go over there.
40:54Luxor Cafe stayed in Japan.
40:56We have no American horses
40:58to try to gauge that off of.
41:00The only thing that we can use
41:02as a barometer is the UAE Derby
41:06only because a couple of the horses
41:10that Luxor Cafe defeated
41:12two races back in a race
41:13called the Hyacinth Stakes in Tokyo,
41:16a horse called Admire Daytona,
41:18who we'll talk about in a second,
41:19and Don in the Mood,
41:21both ran in the UAE Derby,
41:22both ran well,
41:24but they ran 20 buyer points slower
41:30than the Dubai World Cup.
41:32Now, the Dubai World Cup,
41:35Kitschow, McStow,
41:38they're not Fierceness Sierra Leone.
41:42They're like second tier grade one horses
41:44really in the United States.
41:46So if you give them like the best figures
41:50they've ever gotten in their life,
41:52like 104, let's say,
41:54well, then Admire Daytona
41:56runs an 84 in the UAE Derby.
41:58And if you go back and look at the Hyacinth,
42:00that makes Luxor Cafe
42:02like about a 90 or a 91,
42:04which is not good enough, right?
42:07Just based on that data,
42:09Luxor Cafe wouldn't be good enough.
42:11But the complicating factors though,
42:13is if you go back and watch
42:15Luxor Cafe's last race
42:17in the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama.
42:21Oh, wow.
42:23Was he visually impressive?
42:25They were going clockwise,
42:26but he blew by horses
42:28at the top of the long stretch at Nakayama
42:31and just looked so impressive coasting home.
42:33Don't know what he beat,
42:35but it looked like
42:36a much more visually impressive race
42:39than he'd ever run before.
42:40Maybe he's on the way up, right?
42:42I'm not gonna pick him.
42:43I'm not gonna tout him.
42:44That means he'll probably win
42:45the Kentucky Derby, Zoe,
42:47because I'm getting off
42:49the Japan bandwagon a little bit,
42:51but this is a nice horse.
42:53And I wouldn't be surprised
42:54if he continues to improve
42:56and runs a heck of a race,
42:57because it is only a matter of time.
43:00It won't be long
43:02before one of these Japanese horses,
43:03given the way they're running internationally,
43:05wins the Kentucky Derby.
43:07And how about a Maya Daytona
43:09trained by Yukihiro Kato?
43:11He's by the front.
43:12Do we think he can even get
43:13the Derby distance?
43:15Good question.
43:16It's a good question.
43:17And he showed speed in the UAE Derby.
43:20And, you know, I'm not going to be a
43:23jockey basher or anything,
43:24but I will point out
43:26that the last time Christophe Lemaire
43:30rode a UAE Derby winner
43:32in the Kentucky Derby,
43:34he went 21 and 4
43:35for the first quarter of a mile.
43:38And this horse also has speed.
43:40So I think admired Daytona
43:42is going to add to what's already
43:44a pretty robust pace scenario
43:47in the Kentucky Derby
43:48with East Avenue and Citizen Bull
43:51and Rodriguez
43:52and whoever else you might see
43:55sprinting toward the first turn
43:57at Churchill Downs.
43:58But look, admired Daytona.
43:59If you go, I'm going to take it
44:01step by step by step quickly.
44:03His last four races, go four back,
44:05OK?
44:05They were running last November in Tokyo
44:08and he was in.
44:09He was in against Lux for a cafe
44:11and they hooked up
44:12at the top of the stretch
44:14and they drew 12 and a half lengths
44:16away from the rest of the field.
44:18I referenced a firm in Aladar.
44:19This looked like a firm
44:20in Aladar coming down to the wire.
44:22I mean, they were like this,
44:24just battling and Luxor Cafe
44:26gamely kept his nose in front,
44:28but it was a great race
44:29for admired Daytona.
44:31And then he came back
44:32and he broke his maiden
44:33just a cakewalk.
44:34I mean, Lemaire was just never
44:37really let him get into high gear.
44:39Just coasting home and he won by four.
44:41Then he ran against Luxor Cafe again
44:43and the highest stakes
44:45that I referenced earlier.
44:46If you go back to YouTube
44:48and you watch that race,
44:49admired Daytona missed the break.
44:52Missed it completely.
44:54He's five, six links back
44:57and he's a speed horse.
44:59So the fact that he was fourth
45:00beating three and a half links,
45:02he kind of maybe have to take
45:03that with a grain of salt.
45:04And then UAE Derby,
45:05he was on the engine
45:06all the way around.
45:07Basically a wire to wire win
45:10just by a nose.
45:11But, you know,
45:13showed some courage and all that.
45:14So these are both
45:16both pretty decent horses,
45:18but in my opinion,
45:20not at the same level
45:22as Nirmasota Gakke
45:24or Forever Young were
45:25the last two years.
45:27Can we touch on the Lexington
45:28real quick?
45:29Absolutely.
45:31Goska, I mean,
45:32he seemed to run away with it,
45:33but you mentioned the East Avenue
45:36and I thought he ran a bang up race.
45:38He looked like he showed
45:39a little bit of fight,
45:40at least didn't hang up the towel.
45:42No, yeah, he did.
45:44I mean, look,
45:45those two horses from King,
45:46I mean, Goska, obviously,
45:48he's not going to make it
45:48into the Kentucky Derby.
45:49He's probably more
45:50of a Preakness contender.
45:52But East Avenue, I mean,
45:53he, oh my God,
45:54was he ridden or what?
45:55The first 16th of a mile
45:57to get to the lake.
45:58Yeah, it's,
45:59you would have to go back
46:00a long way to find a horse
46:01that was set harder
46:03than East Avenue was
46:04to get to the front
46:06as he was in the Bluegrass Stakes.
46:07And yet he's still hanging around
46:09the last eighth of a mile.
46:10Now you can look at that
46:11more than one way.
46:12The way I look at it
46:14is that's a bit of an indictment
46:18for Burnham Square.
46:19Yeah, that East Avenue was ridden
46:21so hard to get to the lead
46:23and still Burnham Square
46:25was life and death to get by him
46:27in the last 16th of a mile
46:29and River Thames didn't look like
46:31to me like a mile
46:32and a quarter horse either.
46:34But yeah, I mean,
46:36he was game East Avenue
46:37and he'll be on the engine again.
46:38You know he will
46:39in the Kentucky Derby.
46:41He'll definitely be on the engine.
46:43What kind of price
46:44do you think he'll be?
46:45East Avenue?
46:46Yeah.
46:47I would say 15,
46:5015 to one or so.
46:52Yeah, I'd say 20,
46:54but we'll see.
46:54Yeah, 15, 20.
46:55I think that's about,
46:56that's, yeah, that's a good line.
46:58Now, Randy, obviously I'm on a break.
47:00We have a 10-day break
47:02from Santa Anita.
47:03We finished up the Classic Meet
47:05with significant gains
47:07in attendance and handle.
47:09It really started off
47:10from opening day.
47:11That was the third biggest opening day
47:14that they've had.
47:15All sources handle for the meet 510 million.
47:20What else have we got?
47:21We have probably the safest track
47:24in the country right now.
47:260.285 fatalities per 1000 starters.
47:32That is less than a third
47:33of the national average,
47:35which is 0.9.
47:37I know Santa Anita
47:38and the Veteran Inspection Team
47:39are very proud of that fact.
47:42And really they should be
47:43because we've made huge strides
47:46since 2019.
47:48A couple of other little factoids
47:49I can hand over to you.
47:51The final three days of the meet,
47:53we had over 50,000 people show up
47:56at Santa Anita
47:57with over 40 million wagered.
47:59And I think what they're really trying
48:01to show is that the single circuit,
48:04at least for now,
48:05seems to be working.
48:07The new meet will start on April the 18th
48:11through June the 15th,
48:12and that'll be basically
48:13the Hollywood meet.
48:15Persons have already gone up 10%.
48:17So it seems like things
48:18are on the up and up.
48:20I don't know how it looks
48:21from someone on the outside
48:23looking in like yourself, Randy,
48:25but from the inside looking out,
48:27it's a big thumbs up from all of us.
48:30Oh, and from the outside looking in,
48:32it's a big thumbs up
48:34that was desperately needed at Santa Anita
48:37because there's no secret
48:39that they've been struggling
48:40in the profit and loss category out there.
48:42It's just so expensive
48:44to maintain a racetrack like Santa Anita.
48:47And you've got the added publicity
48:50about what Ballinastronic and Gulfstream,
48:52Santa Anita is kind of in the same boat
48:54with how much money
48:55that that property is worth.
48:56So fantastic news for Santa Anita
48:59to have the kind of meet that they had.
49:00But you know so much more about this
49:03than I do because you're there every day.
49:06And I know you've thought about this.
49:08Why?
49:10Why all of a sudden do you think, Zoe,
49:12that that really business
49:14seemed to pick up as much as it did?
49:17Bigger fields, field sizes,
49:19produces better handle,
49:22better wagering product,
49:24produces more people wagering,
49:26which produces more money.
49:28And that is the be all and end all.
49:30And now people are starting
49:31to come out and enjoy it.
49:33I used to go to the grocery store
49:34and people would be like,
49:36why are all those horses dying at Santa Anita?
49:38And I'm like, God, they're not just dying.
49:40It would be, you didn't want to say
49:42you worked at Santa Anita
49:44and I love working at Santa Anita.
49:46Sure.
49:46And now I'm very proud to say
49:49I work at Santa Anita.
49:50And people are coming out.
49:51We've done a great job of marketing things.
49:54We had the big carnival, the 5K.
49:57They're trying.
49:58And that's the best you can do
50:00in this day and age
50:01to bring people to racetrack.
50:04And it really is the most beautiful backdrop
50:06you ever did see.
50:07I mean, I even thought
50:08going back to the California Crown,
50:10I mean, maybe the publicity
50:11for having the California Crown out there,
50:13you know, might have just a little bit
50:15to do with it.
50:17You know, kudos to Aiden Butler
50:18and Amy Zimmerman
50:20and all these people out there,
50:21in addition to the veterinarians
50:22that work so hard,
50:23that have just made horse safety
50:26almost their singular obsession
50:29over the last few years.
50:31And the numbers show it.
50:33Peter Rotondo was involved
50:35in sort of overhauling
50:36the wagering menu
50:37and tweaking it a little bit.
50:39And then the Northern California factor
50:41and means, you know,
50:42so many different things, I guess.
50:44It's multifactorial, as they say,
50:47probably went into that.
50:48But fantastic news
50:51that Santa Anita had
50:52the kind of meat that it did.
50:53Because like you say,
50:54I mean, the Great Race Place
50:56is an apt name
50:57because anybody that goes to Santa Anita
51:00on a nice clear day
51:01and you see the San Gabriels back there,
51:04they just fall in love with the venue.
51:07Can't beat it.
51:08Absolutely cannot beat it.
51:11The TDN Writer's Room
51:12is brought to you by First TV.
51:14It's easy.
51:15It's free.
51:16Just click on the button.
51:17It used to be XBTV.
51:19It's now First TV.
51:21It's the same stuff.
51:22All right, the winner
51:23of the Florida Derby,
51:25Tappan Street.
51:26We know it's Tappan Street
51:27because Randy called
51:29the police station on Tappan Street
51:31in Boston and asked them
51:32how they pronounce the name.
51:34So Tappan Street
51:35raised four furlongs on Saturday
51:37at Payson Park in 48 and 2.
51:39And Randy, if you've not watched this work,
51:41I suggest you get onto First TV
51:43and have a good look
51:44because he's now on my Derby list.
51:46He worked in company
51:48with three-year-old stablemate Rapture,
51:50who went very well,
51:51according to trainer Brad Cox,
51:53who had him in 48 and 2,
51:54out in 101 and 3.
51:56It was a good move,
51:58executed very, very well.
52:00It was maybe even better
52:02than I expected, said Brad Cox.
52:04I didn't do a tremendous amount with him.
52:06He was under a good hold throughout.
52:08Great move.
52:09Good horse.
52:10Tappan Street is, of course,
52:11expected to make his next start
52:13in the May 3rd Kentucky Derby.
52:16And Randy, when you watch this work,
52:17he's under an absolute hammerlock.
52:21Go watch it.
52:22It's a good work.
52:22He's now firmly on my radar.
52:25Okay, do we have time
52:28for a little pseudo-comical addendum
52:33to the name pronunciation thing?
52:35Yes, of course we do.
52:37Okay, right.
52:38So we taped this podcast
52:41a couple of weeks ago
52:42where I commented
52:44that I had called the police station
52:46and asked him for the pronunciation, right?
52:48Right, okay.
52:50And then I had to call
52:52our producer, Sue Finley, back
52:54and ask her to edit that out
52:57of the podcast
52:58because there are two
53:01Tappan Streets in Boston.
53:03The Boston suburban area.
53:06There's one in Brookline,
53:07which is west of Boston,
53:09very well-to-do suburb.
53:10And then there's one in Everett,
53:12which is north of Boston,
53:14which is where Anthony Manganero
53:18grew up.
53:19And they named this horse
53:21after Manganero.
53:23Elliot Walden tried to get the name
53:25Manganero, but it was already taken.
53:27So his grandson, Nick,
53:29suggested let's name it
53:30after the street in which dad,
53:32or which my grandfather grew up, okay?
53:34And Nick said it was pronounced
53:36Tappan Street.
53:37So what do I do?
53:38I call the Everett Police Department.
53:41And I get a guy,
53:42I get an officer on the phone
53:44and I say, hey,
53:45NBC Sports,
53:46see if we got a horse running
53:46in the Kentucky Derby,
53:47name for a street there in Everett.
53:49What's the street?
53:50T-A-P-P-A-N.
53:52Oh, Tappan Street.
53:54I said, are you 100% sure
53:57that it's Tappan Street?
53:58And he said, absolutely,
54:00100% sure that it's Tappan Street.
54:03So then at NBC,
54:05we start pronouncing it.
54:07We had a show a week later
54:09and we start pronouncing it Tappan Street.
54:11Well, then Anthony Manganero's brother
54:13reaches out to somebody and says,
54:16actually, I think it's Tappan Street.
54:17I think that's just like a,
54:19that's like a Boston sort of twist
54:22on what really is
54:23the correct pronunciation,
54:24which is Tappan Street.
54:26Elliot Walden wants it to be Tappan Street.
54:29He thinks Tappan sounds
54:30a lot better than Tappan.
54:31So it's all up in the air right now.
54:33So I'm waiting to hear from Elliot Walden.
54:36You're the owner.
54:37You're the guy.
54:39You're the one that's going to decide
54:41how the source should be pronounced.
54:42I think it's going to be Tappan Street,
54:45but I'm not absolutely positive.
54:47All right, well,
54:47he'll be wandering around OBS here somewhere
54:49and I'm going to run up.
54:51I'm going to get him on camera
54:53with my phone and be like Elliot,
54:55and we'll play it next week.
54:57Please pronounce Tappan to Pan.
55:01Say the horse's name and say it three times.
55:04So we'll do that.
55:04This horse wins the Kentucky Derby.
55:06I got, we got to get Larry Colman's called.
55:07And what am I going to say?
55:08How am I going to pronounce the horse?
55:13Be a smarter, better with First TV.
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56:00of thoroughbred racing.
56:03West Point Thoroughbreds,
56:05the gold standard in racing partnerships.
56:07Visit westpointtb.com.
56:10Meanwhile, Edie and Ryder's stream
56:13is also brought to you by West Point Thoroughbreds.
56:15West Point has been very active
56:17at the OBS Spring Sale.
56:18You can see Zoe's background there
56:20of two year olds in training.
56:21For more information, are you in?
56:23Are you in Ocala or are you in?
56:25You're in Ocala.
56:26Yeah, I'm in one of the little conference rooms.
56:29I would be at the TV hut,
56:31but the Wi-Fi doesn't work as well out there.
56:33And it's windy.
56:34You've been in that very room,
56:36like 17 times that we've taped a podcast.
56:40So anyway, so West Point has been active
56:43at the OBS sale that Zoe is at
56:44for two year olds in training.
56:45For more information on West Point's newcomers,
56:47you can go to its website,
56:49www.westpointtv.com.
56:51And West Point has quite a history at OBS.
56:54Sandman was an OBS March graduate,
56:57the Arkansas Derby winner back in 2024.
57:00He's in Louisville right now,
57:01getting ready for the Kentucky Derby.
57:02And then this weekend,
57:03West Point will have a horse named Signature,
57:06who is a 2022 OBS April graduate.
57:11Signature will be running at Laurel in Maryland
57:14in the Henry S. Clark States.
57:18I saw Mark Cassie this morning.
57:19I asked him about Sandman.
57:21I'm like, how's he doing?
57:22He's like, he's great.
57:23It's like, I'm just mulling it over
57:24if I'm going to work him once or twice at Churchill.
57:27He's like, he'll tell me.
57:29And he just says,
57:30he's just still the coolest horse to be around.
57:32Yeah, he'll get plenty of pace.
57:35Yeah, plenty of pace.
57:37Well, that'll do it for myself, Randy.
57:39Many thanks to our Gainesway Guests of the Beat,
57:42Umberto Rispoli.
57:44Thanks to the team behind the camera,
57:45Sue Finley, Katie Petruniak,
57:47Anthony LaRocca and Alya LaRocca.
57:50And Randy, what are you going to do
57:52for the rest of the day in cover?
57:55Oh man, I'm well,
57:58I'm going back to the pool right now.
58:00I'll buy you a pina colada.
58:02How about that?
58:02Will you?
58:03Okay, now my pina colada tastes are pretty expensive.
58:05So I'll still owe you that wine though.
58:07So yeah, we'll see about that.
58:10Yeah, I know.
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