For photos from the Meadowlands contact Lisaphoto@playmeadowlands.com

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

San Pail Heading South

We have one heck of a trotting race coming up on Hambletonian Day and it is not the Hambletonian.  San Pail, the king of WEG, is heading to the Meadowlands to compete in the Nat Ray.  A victory by San Pail at the Meadowlands will show that not only was his victory in the Maple Leaf Trot a case of home field advantage, but add him to the list of one of the top trotters in racing.  Let's face it.  Those of us in the United States poo poo performances in Canada as if they occurred in some third world country.  A victory by San Pail in the States will force people to recognize San Pail is legitimate top trotter.  But more immediate, the Nat Ray has the possibility of being one of the greatest trotting races ever.  

Jim Morrill Jr has returned to the racing wars this past Sunday, racing on closing day at Buffalo Raceway.  It is good to see him back.  Yes, what happened at The Red Mile last year was inexcusable, regardless of the reason,, but to single him out is wrong.  Amazingly, there are a lot of drivers who flunk the breathalyzer test when they are scheduled to race,  The only thing which made this case more public is Morrill was able to get on the track that day, but the problem for that lies just as much with the Red Mile as Morrill.  Morrill is a talented driver and if he decides to race at the Meadowlands next year, he can be a valuable addition to the driving colony there. 

The entry box for the Hambo and Oaks closes today.  It will be interesting to see how many horses drop in.  With no super horse this year, we should have a few races.  If we are going to have elimination races, the more elimination races the better it as it means you need to finish higher up in the race to qualify for the final, making the races more competitive. 

The grapvine suggests a well known trainer just got caught with another series of drug positives.  Why trainers with repeated positives are allowed to keep racing is amazing, but then it shouldn't surprise us.  It seems state regulators have no problem licensing individuals who would never be able to be bonded for a job at a bank.  Isn't there something wrong when in effect the states entrust these people with your money?

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