Arlington still in shock over Douglas injury

I called trainer Chris Block Monday afternoon to talk about Giant Oak’s impressive victory in the $150,000 Arlington Classic on Saturday, but that blog will have to wait.

The foremost thing on Block's and most people’s minds at Arlington Park is the tragic injury suffered by Rene Douglas in the Arlington Matron (G3).

The 42-year-old, six-time leading rider at Arlington faces a battle with paralysis after his mount Born to Be was bumped, clipped heels, and fell as the field turned for home.

“It’s affected the whole racetrack community a whole lot up here,” Block said. “Rene was a fan favorite and a horsemen’s favorite. We don’t have many great riders in Chicago right now, and we all looked forward to seeing him ride when he comes to town for the summer. We’re all holding out hope that things will get better and he might be able to walk.”

When I first started going to Arlington in the early and mid 1990s, the rider colony included jocks such as Pat Day, Shane Sellers, Jorge Velasquez, Mark Guidry, and Garrett Gomez. Looking back, I think the riders were better than the horses! I really didn’t know how good we had it.

Nationally the sport has suffered the retirement of a lot of great riders over the last ten years. The drop-off has hit the Chicago colony hard. When Douglas came to Arlington in 2001 he filled a void.

Already an accomplished veteran (he had been leading rider at Calder in '93 and won the ’96 Belmont Stakes on Editor’s Note), Douglas won 134 races his first season in Chicago, more than twice as many as any other rider. He quickly became the go-to jockey on the circuit, and as his mounts improved in quality, so did his confidence.

When Douglas was in the zone, he seemingly always had his mount in the right place at the right time. He particularly loved Arlington’s turf course, and he knew how to ride it as well as any jockey I’ve seen.

Watch how Douglas made it look easy in the 2007 Beverly D. Stakes (G1) on the #7 horse, 9-to-1 Royal Highness. It was the quintessential Douglas ride -- he saved ground, was tactically placed yet patient, and finished with a strong, well-timed move.

It's one of my lasting memories of Douglas, and one of many great wins he can look back on during his recovery.

Nicanor by 15!

Barbaro's full brother Nicanor won his turf debut by 15 lengths on Wednesday at Delaware Park, much to the delight of his legions of fans.

Has a maiden ever had a more loyal, rabid following?

Although the three-year-old Dynaformer colt ran well (and fairly fast) in his previous dirt races at Gulfstream Park, he clearly relished the move to turf and two turns in his fourth career start.

After pressing a first quarter in a reasonable :24.34 while three-wide, Nicanor and jockey Anna Napravnik took control of the race before the field hit the backstretch. Nicanor gradually pulled away in :49, 1:14.35, 1:39.86, and 1:46.31. (the course was rated firm, but it must have been a little on the deep side)

Neither the final time nor the final 5/16 in :31.96 seem particularly fast at face value, so the quality of the field he was facing probably played a big role in that margin of victory.

Still, it was a very nice effort, and Nicanor did everything that could have been expected and more. He is a stakes candidate now, and the rich summer turf races for three-year-olds are calling.

Trainer Michael Matz took a conservative stance immediately after the race, saying he would like to aim for a non-winners allowance race. see story

While there will be comparisons made between Barbaro's debut victory on the turf, which also came at Delaware, I wouldn't rate this performance on that level.

Barbaro pressed fairly quick fractions and flew home in :23.66, a fast final quarter for any turf horse, much less a front runner making his debut.

Of course, very few horses will ever live up to what Barbaro did in his seven-race career. But with the potential Nicanor showed today, and his dam La Ville Rouge spitting out good-looking full siblings to Barbaro each year, race fans can dream.

Nicanor's debut race replay

Barbaro's debut race replay

Filly could elevate '09 Triple Crown

The Internet has been abuzz with mostly negative comments about Jess Jackson's purchase of Rachel Alexandra and the announcement that she is under consideration for the Preakness Stakes (G1).

Admittedly, it did not take a lot of imagination to buy the 20-length winner of the Kentucky Oaks (G1), after the race. It took a lot of money.

And no one liked to see trainer like Hal Wiggins lose the star filly he trained for the first ten races of her career. So the backlash was predictable, perhaps warranted on some level.

But Rachel Alexandra's sale could be very good for a sport struggling to regain its place in the national conscience.

Clashes between great competitors are celebrated in all sports. In racing they are too few and far between.

With the exception of the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup, and a handful of other races, many of our best horses spend the year avoiding each other while preserving their value upon retirement, which comes too soon for too many.

Rachel Alexandra's breeder and previous owner Dolphus Morrison was going to point her to the Acorn Stakes (G1), a one-turn mile for three-year-old fillies on the Belmont Stakes (G1) undercard. The Acorn is a nice race and a conservative, logical spot, but it likely would have featured no more drama than the marvelous filly's morning workouts. Rachel Alexandra would have been 1-to-9 to crush the handful of rivals who showed up.

Not only was Morrison avoiding a matchup with colts under the admittedly less-than-ideal conditions the Triple Crown presents, he said he was looking out for the breeding value of those future stallions he did not want to chance trouncing!

"The Triple Crown races are for future stallions," said Morrison, definitely not quoting the condition book.

Jackson took the best dirt horse in the world -- two-time Horse of the Year Curlin -- and ran him on the grass because he wanted to find out if Curlin could make a historic run at the world's best grass race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). Jackson also ran Curlin on Santa Anita's experimental, synthetic Pro-Ride surface in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) instead of keeping him on the dirt tracks he excelled on.

Jackson will not limit Rachel Alexandra's campaign based on a regard for his competitors' breeding values. Nor will he keep her in races restricted to females because "fillies should run against fillies," as Morrison suggested.

It was the filly Rags to Riches who upset Curlin in the 2007 Belmont in what is likely to go down as one of the best races of the era, perhaps ever.

The Triple Crown is racing's greatest stage. If this year's Preakness features a matchup between one of the fastest fillies of modern times, an improbable 50-1 longshot who made the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the three colts who finished behind him in a blanket finish in the Derby slop, sports fans and racing will be the winners.

Succeed or fail, that kind of competitive spirit should be saluted.

Kicking in the afterburners

One day later I'm still trying to wrap my head around Mine That Bird's improbable Kentucky Derby (G1) victory.

For a little historical perspective, the Birdstone colt ran his final quarter mile in about :23.80 according to the official race chart. My research indicates that was tied for the fourth fastest final quarter in the Derby's 135-year history.

Secretariat owns the fastest final quarter, kicking home in :23.20 in the 1973 edition. Runner-up Sham came home in about :23.80.

Rumbo ran his final quarter in :23.40 in the 1980 derby, but still couldn't catch Genuine Risk. And 1964 Derby winner Northern Dancer scooted home in 24 flat, with runner-up Hill Rise gaining two lengths on the leader for an estimated final quarter in :23.60.

Secretariat, Sham, Hill Rise, and Rumbo all competed on dry, fast tracks, and Secretariat's time of 1:59.40 still stands as the record. Mine That Bird finished in 2:02.66, winning by 6 3/4 lengths in the slop.

One thing is for sure, Calvin Borel's fearless, rail-skimming ride on Mine That Bird was one for the ages.