Tracks Around America - Sam Houston Race Park | Retama Ruffian

Tracks Around America is a blog series in which I will review the racetracks I am fortune enough to visit. The track in this blog is Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas. 

Sam Houston Race Park (SHRP) was opened on April 24, 1994. It is owned by Penn National Gaming and MAXXAM. It is a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse track. Along with its one mile dirt track and its seven furlong turf track, SHRP has eight bars, two restaurants and several suites. It has an amazing selection of concession stands (Dickey's B-B-Q were my fave!) on both the paddock and grandstand level.

The track and paddock set up were definitely the best I've ever seen. The horses came from the barn and walked around the grandstand and then made it to the paddock. The winner's circle was really nice as well (but it doesn't compare to the Kentucky Derby's) and I really enjoyed the landscaping. In the middle of the turf track, there was a huge pond.

SHRP is the first Class One horse racing venue in Texas. It is consider the fastest growing track in America according to attendance over the past year. Thoroughbred racing runs from January to March and the Quarter Horse season runs from March to May. It is open during the rest of the year for simulcast racing.

Here is a list of just some of the races SHRP holds.

• Houston Ladies Classic
• Connally Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. iii)
• Martanza Stakes
• Jersey Lilly Stakes
• Sam Houston Turf Sprint Cup
• Mission Stakes
• Fort Bend Country Stakes
• Sam Houston Oaks 

After visiting SHRP, I am sure to return in the near future. So here are my final thoughts on Sam Houston Race Park.

Racing: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Friendliness of the Staff: 6/5 (I felt extremely welcomed at the track and therefore I can bend the rules of math)

Selection of Amenities: 4/5 

How Likely I Am To Return: 10/10

Overall: Sam Houston is extremely family friendly and I would definitely recommend it to someone who is going to the track for the first time. The staff is so nice and welcoming, it's beyond amazing. I didn't have any problems at the track. There was several concession stands closed down the day I went but I did go on a Monday. This track should be a must visit for every horse racing fan. 

Visit Sam Houston Race Park!: 7575 North Sam Houston Pkwy W, Houston, TX 77064

Gallery

I'm Serendipity

Shine On Caroline (I'm almost positive)

This sign was beyond awesome. It reminded me I needed to save up money to fly 979 miles away. Ekk!

I was obsessed with this beauty, Miss Tuti Fruti.

Special Thanks

I really want to thank Ms. Jamie Nielson for her generosity in allowing me to use my camera and giving me a press pass. Without her, this blog post would be just a bunch of words. (And that'd be boring ;))

Thanks to Mom and Chad for taking me to Houston and driving back in the same day.

Thank you to Regina. Both for going with me and for helping me take care of my camera and lens.  

Madison's Derby List | Retama Ruffian

1. Texas Red

• Had a dominating Breeders' Cup Juvenile
• May have been a fluke BUT he did follow it up with a 2nd in the San Vicente Stakes (gr. II)
• Liked him since his maiden
• Found him by his name and he was originally my "dark horse" Derby pick

2. Frosted

• He's come second in both the Remsen and the Holy Bull
• he just needs his "breakthrough race"

3. American Pharoah

• You really can't ignore a horse who won two back-to-back grade one stakes in the same month as a two-year old

4. Mr. Z

• He just needs a breakthrough race and, possibly, a two month break
• His record is as followed:
• 2nd- Sanford Stakes (gr. III)
• 2nd- Toyota Saratoga Special Stakes (gr. II)
• 5th- Iroquois Stakes (gr. III)
• 2nd- Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I)
• 5th- Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I)
• 2nd- Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (gr. III)
• 3rd- Lost Alamitos Futurity (gr. I)
• 3rd- Smarty Jones Stakes (black-type)

Mr. Z is in the blue cap

Side note: Each week I will add another slot to the list until I get to twelve horses. 

Thanks for reading,
Madison

Eclipse Award Winners | Retama Ruffian

I'm sure by now, the vast majority of you have seen or heard about the Eclipse Award winners. My plan was to post my picks for each of the categories, but that did not happen. So, to make it up to you I will be posting the winners (as I originally doing) AND I will be starting a new blog series that only one person knows of besides myself. The series will be posting by the end of tomorrow (hopefully) or early Tuesday morning.

Female Turf Horse-
Dayatthespa
Dayatthespa has been a favorite of mine for quite awhile and I'm 100% for her at all times.

Male Turf Horse-
Main Sequence
The underdog, Main Sequence, has been exceptional this whole year and four grade one wins really screams something to me.

Female Sprinter-
Judy the Beauty
Her Breeders' Cup win was one of my favorites. She is extremely deserving of her title.

Male Sprinter-

Work All Week
I've seen better. That's all I'll say.

Older Female-
Close Hatches
Her final two races made me want to stab my eyes out. I'm not a fan.

Older Male-
Main Sequence
Again, extremely deserving and dominate.

Three-Year Old Filly-
Untapable
No competition here.

Three-Year Old Male-
California Chrome
Shared Belief was my pick. I don't want to start a rant so I'm shutting up.

Two-Year Old Filly-
Take Charge Brandi
TCB was my Oaks underdog until she won the Breeders' Cup because then everyone knew about her.

Two-Year Old Male-
American Pharoah
After the FrontRunner, he dropped of the face of the earth. Texas Red was the same situation as TCB.

Horse of the Year-
California Chrome
Main Sequence all the way. BUT because Bayern didn't win, I'm perfectly fine.

My Eclipse Award Picks- Horse of the Year | Retama Ruffian

Bayern-

Bayern broke his maiden on the first asking, being Rprettyboyfloyd and Hoppertunity, going seven furlongs on the dirt. His next start was a mile allowance. Finishing third in the Arkansas Derby (1 ⅛ mile), second in the Derby Trial (1 mile; Bayern was DQ'd) and ninth in the Preakness Stakes (1 3/16 mile), Bayern got his first graded stakes win in the seven furlong Woody Stephens. He continued to another graded stakes win in the William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes (1 ⅛ mile). Bayern came dead last in the Travers Stakes (1 ¼ mile). He won the Pennsylvania Derby (1 ⅛ mile) over California Chrome, Candy Boy and Tapiture. Bayern won an extremely controversial Breeders’ Cup Classic (1 ¼ mile), in which he beat several grade one, two and three winners and the 2-YO Eclipse Award winner, Shared Belief, and the dual classic winner, California Chrome.

FINAL THOUGHTS- Bayern is not a Horse of the Year winner because a true HOY would be a consistent winner who could take a race without destroying other horses chances.

California Chrome-

“The People’s Horse” as his owners call him, broke his maiden on his second time out and then finished fifth in the William L. Proctor Memorial. It was this race when I saw the chestnut run for the first time. He got his win in the San Felipe Stakes (1 1/16 mile). His wins following were the Santa Anita Derby (1 ⅛ mile), Kentucky Derby (1 ¼ mile) and the Preakness Stakes (1 3/16 mile). He finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes after he stepped on himself. After a three month break, California Chrome started in the 1 ⅛ mile Pennsylvania Derby. He finished sixth to Bayern, Tapiture and Candy Boy. He continued his losing streak with a third place in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (1 ¼ mile) before winning his turf debut in the Hollywood Derby (1 ⅛ mile).

FINAL THOUGHTS- California Chrome is not my HOY because of his three huge losses but I’d rather he win that Bayern.

Main Sequence-

Kentucky-bred and European raced, Main Sequence is by far the most accomplished horse running for the Horse of the Year. He came over to America in July and took the turf world by storm. He won the United Nations Stakes (1 ⅜ mile) and the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (1 ½ mile). Main Sequence continued on the the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (1 ½ mile). His final start in 2014 was the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (1 ½ mile). The six year old gelding has yet to lose an American race and has started in grade one turf starts.

FINAL THOUGHTS- Main Sequence is the most deserving, going undefeated four grade one starts.

PREDICTIONS- The Eclipse Award voting has an obvious dirt favoring and I, personally, would not be surprise if California Chrome won HOY because he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. But if Bayern does get the upper hand due to his Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pennsylvania Derby starts, then I will be sitting in a corner ripping my hair out.

Vox Populi Award | Retama Ruffian

Now, this award is usually based off of popularity from the fans but this year there is several deserving candidates.

Let's get the candidates out of the way.
  1. Shared Belief 
  2. California Chrome
  3. Ben's Cat
  4. Wise Dan
  5. Game on Dude
  6. Untapable

Shared Belief:
The 3-YO gelding by Candy Ride has been a superstar this year, despite missing the entire Triple Crown trail. He broke his maiden on his first asking at Golden Gate going 6 furlongs. He then won the Hollywood Prevue (7 furlongs) and the CashCall Futurity (1 1/16 mile). After a six month break, Shared Belief ate up his older foes in his comeback allowance, which was a six furlong race over the all-weather track at Golden Gate Fields. The gelding then continued his winning streak with the Los Alamitos Derby (1 1/8 mile), Pacific Classic (1 1/4 mile) and the Awesome Again Stakes (1 1/8 mile). Now an important note about the Awesome Again Stakes is that Shared Belief took a 7 1/4 length trip farther than any other horse in the field. He ran his heart out in the race and still managed to win by a neck. In the Breeders' Cup Classic the gelding struggled at the start and then was forced to check to keep from clipping heels with the horse in front of him. Even with his crappy trip the horse managed to be behind the third place finisher only by 2 1/4 lengths.

California Chrome:
The "People's Horse", as he is known to his owners, has had plenty of trouble with winning a race since his win in the Preakness Stakes (1 3/8 mile), unless you call his rather unimpressive race in the Hollywood Derby a win. He's come fourth in the Belmont Stakes, sixth in the Pennsylvania Derby and third in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Honestly, I don't think this horse is deserving of the award. I mean, come on. He is just another name on the long list of horses who won the Derby/Preakness combo. A true champion would have won the trio of prestigious classic races but he obviously wasn't the champion we made him out to be. 

Ben's Cat:
Sure, the 8-YO has only won the same graded races. But how many eight year old horses do you know that are still going strong with 1sts/2nds/3rds? I can name one of the top of my head and it's Ben's Cat. 


Wise Dan:
I'm sorry to my Dan fans but I cannot wait for this horse to leave the racing scene even though he is one of the few horses racing over the age of six. He's losing his form slowly and it's getting noticeable. Despite the colic surgery this horse when through, he still strung together four graded stakes win, three of them grade one and the other a grade two race. 

Game On Dude:
The newly retired Game On Dude had little luck this year with a win in the Santa Anita Handicap and a second in the Charles Town Classic Stakes. He was retired after a fourth in the Pacific Classic. You can now visit Game On Dude at Old Friends in Kentucky.

Untapable:
The Kentucky Oaks winner has only finished worst than third once, if you forgive her 8th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She broke her maiden on her first try and then won the Pocahontas Stakes. The eventual Kentucky Oaks winner went into the race with a third in the Hollywood Scarlet Stakes and wins in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Fair Grounds Oaks. After her win in the Kentucky Oaks and the Mother Goose Stakes, she was sent to the Haskell Invitational but finished fifth. Untapable redeemed herself in the Cotillion Stakes and in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

So, who's your pick going to? I've already voted for Shared Belief.

Shared Belief v.s. California Chrome In a Rematch...? | Retama Ruffian

So with the HOY decisions still up in the air, who really deserves it more, Shared Belief or California Chrome? The Breeders' Cup Classic should have been the deciding factor but with the controversial start and an intersting stewards' decision nobody really knows. Or they cannot begin to think about that now. Not with the fact that there could be a possible rematch between the huge rivals (who have only faced each other once), Shared Belief and California Chrome.

Art Sherman is sure that had the race been ten yards longer, his Kentucky Derby and Preakness winning trainee would have swept his rivals off their feet. But the past, is the past and they're is no reason to dwell on the "possible" winner. So Perry Martin is set on the fact that California Chrome will not race in Japan and he will certainly not running in the $500,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. According to BloodHorse, California Chrome will be headed to the Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. This will be his first start over turf.

If you are a huge "Chromie", DO NOT READ.
California Chrome's connections are huge jerks. Before they won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, I had a high respect for them but after their big classic wins all of their money and fame went to their heads. Anyone else remember when Del Mar wanted Martin and Perry to come over to breeze in front of his fans? The owners reply, come up with $50,000 and then we'll come. The owners have made it clear that they will not be starting Chrome for less than $1M next year. So now they're going to try to copy Shared Belief's effortless change from synthetic to dirt, but this time dirt to turf (or possibly synthetic)? STOP IT! Drop the rivalry. They both ran an amazing race and both horses deserve HOY. Aren't you going to stop trying to be better than last year's 2-YO Champion? Like, really? Aren't you the owners of the "People's Horse"? Isn't this sport about the horse, not the money? I guess not.  Rant over.

Shared Belief got bumped at the start by Bayern and I'm going to keep my mouth shut on this one. I don't want a heated discussion below. But the California horse from nowhere overcame his bumpy start to finish a well-ran fourth. Jim Rome, the majority owner of Shared Belief, wants a California Chrome-Shared Belief. This rematch will most likely be in the $10M Dubai World Cup, if there is not a sooner race.

So who do you think will win the Shared Belief-California Chrome retmatch, Clones and Chromies?

Until next time,
Madison

Breeders' Cup Playback (Friday and Saturday) | Retama Ruffian

Juvenile Turf-

1 M, Turf, $1M

Hootenanny railed past the inexperienced, yet highly regarded Luck of the Kitten. Wesley Ward finished 1-2 in the Juvenile Turf. Coolmore owns the Quality Road colt who has now started five times and has triumphed in three countries. Daddy D T upset for third place.

Dirt Mile-

1 M, Dirt, $1M

Goldencents, who made his final start in the Dirt Mile, became the only two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Goldencents was challenged by Vicar's In Trouble throughout the entire first quarter. In the stretch Tapiture attempted to bypass Goldencents but narrowly failed.

Mile-

1 M, Turf, $2M

Karakontie (JPN) paid $62 to win with the odds of 30/1. Karakontie rallied along the stretch turn to over take Toronado and Obviously. The three-year old victor had previously only raced in France. He was bred in Japan by his owner, Flaxman Holdings, and is trained by Jonathan Pease.

Xpressbet Sprint-

6F, Dirt, $1.5M

Work All Week went into the race with a seven for seven record on dirt. He tracked Fast Anna throughout the first half and took the lead, unchallenged. In the final ⅛ Secret Circle attempted to overtake the lead but the gelding held off the challenger to pay $40.20.

Turf Sprint-

6 ½F, Turf, $1M

Bobby’s Kitten entered the race having never racing less than one mile, but the 3-YO homebred surged from last to first, overcoming the favorite, No Nay Never. Chad Brown received his third 2014 Breeders’ Cup win.  

Filly & Mare Sprint-

7F, Dirt, $1M

Judy the Beauty, who was runner-up to Groupie Doll in 2013, finished a head in front of Better Lucky. Judy the Beauty took the lead from Stonestastic near the eighth pole. The race was completed in 1:21.92.

Filly & Mare Turf

1 ¼M, Turf, $2M

Dayatthespa got her first win at 1 ¼ mile and gave Chad Brown his second win in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup. Dayatthespa beat the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, Stephanie’s Kitten. Dank, the 2-1 favorite, finished 4th.

Juvenile Fillies-

1 1/16M, Dirt, $2M

62-1 Take Charge Brandi, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, had a huge upset over the favorite Angela Renee. Take Charge Brandi took the reins of the race at the start and never let up, not even to the fast-closing Top Docile.

Juvenile Fillies Turf-

1M, Turf, $1M

Lady Eli set the fastest record ever for the Juvenile Fillies Turf and even finished :1.38 seconds faster than Hootenanny in the Juvenile Turf. Sunset Glow finished 2 ¾ lengths back, followed by Osaila (IRE).

Longines Distaff-

1 ⅛M, Dirt, $2M

Untapable, undoubtedly the Champion 3-YO Female, added a cherry to the top of her huge sundae with a 1 ¼ length win over Don’t Tell Sophia. The second ML favorite, Close Hatches, finished dead last.

Longines Turf-

1M, Turf, $2M

Main Sequence won his fourth grade one race with trainer Graham Motion. He held back until the final quarter, where he charged Flintshire (GB) to win by a half length. Finishing the superfecta was Twilight Eclipse and Telescope (IRE).

Sentient Jet Juvenile-

1 1/16M, Dirt, $2M

Winning by 6 ½ lengths, Texas Red, rushed from first to last to upset the favorite Carpe Diem. The race was finished by Upstart and The Great War.

Classic-

1 ¼M, Dirt, $5M

Bayern wired the field in the 1 ¼ mile Classic after bumping into Shared Belief at the start. Toast of New York came 2nd, California Chrome finished third and the favored Shared Belief completed the superfecta.