Lawyer Ron raises the "bar", and oh yeah, Street Sense

Whomever is fortunate enough to purchase a Lawyer Ron foal in a couple of years pretty much has the 'name game' wrapped up. Who didn't love Kurt Russel and Martin Short's slice of cinema magestry, "Captain Ron"? The film may have been snubbed at the Oscar's, but let's see the man try and stop Captain Ron from the Triple Crown. The Lawyer's scintilating, record-breaking performance in the Whitney yesterday solidified my status as a genius, and fueled my disquiet over not including Ginger Punch in the Pick 4. Just when you thought the Classic would be a duel between the gifted three-year-olds, Lawyer Ron's masterdom over as classy a field as you'll see tells us otherwise. With Jambalaya in "reaux" of the Turf division mix, The Lawyer becomes Langfuhr's second legitimate BC threat. And a huge break for Pletcher, who needed another Stakes win in the worst way.


The party continues at the Spa today, with Derby winner/thoroughbred du' jour Street Sense making his return in the GII Jim Dandy. The Street's farewell tour was cemented when 'Chic' Mohammad reached into his bottomless pocket and pulled out the breeding rights, so we can only hope he'll stay sound through the Cup. Only 5 will challenge the phenom today, as it's no secret that a fresh and willing Street Sense cannot be sniffed by fellow three-year-olds (2-5 ML could've told you that). The steady CP West lacks flash...and wins, but could push the Street enough that he has to dig, especially if it's sloppy. I also really like Sightseeing at 10-1. After winning the Peter Pan in May, he was a distant 3rd in the Dwyer earlier this month...but a 3rd to AnyGivenSaturday and NobizLikeShobiz isn't exactly a dud. Very curious to see how Tiz Wonderful handles his first action since late last year. If you'll remember, this colt was sensational as a 2-year-old, winning all three of his starts that year in emphatic fashion, all triple-digit Beyer's. Coming off a tendon injury, his workouts have been, ehh, ok, so I'll have to wait one before I donate to the cause.

Are you watching yet?

I know I'm not exactly going out on a limb with this admission (God save me if I stink of Dick Vitale: "I really feel, that when it's all said and done, North Carolina will be good."), but I'm genueinely excited about today's [trumpets]Breeder's Cup Challenge at the Spa. There will always be the cartel of staunch purists who shudder at the thought of commercially appealing highjinx as they do Polytrack, and simply refuse to accept changes, er, improvements. But we have to be real, everybody wins when the numbers are up. The sport, much like tennis, desperately needed a way to make Average Joe care; care so much that he dips into his son's college fund to cover his superfecta combos. The 25 Graded Stakes comprising this here extravaganza make for some damn good rubbin', and hopefully, with the aid of some cute storylines and the perpetual decay of summertime sports in America, this clever "packaging" of a BC Series will bring back the casual fan. Sometimes you have to shake hands with the devil, and if ESPN wants to catapult this sport back into the mainstream, then I don't have a problem with it.

Diana S (F&M Turf)
I have special spot for the #6 My Typhoon, as I remember watching her pass through the sale and knew she'd be special. Sure enough, she comes in today seemingly at the summit, and lest we forget the King o' Turf himself, Sir Bill Mott at the helm. My only fear is a speed duel with Biancone's rabbit, #4 Snake Bit...I mean, Countess Scala, and the classy #3 Mauralakana, in which case the enormously gifted Irish-bred #5 Makederah from the "heavy"-hitting McLaughlin barn, could prove the paper to be correct. Still, Mott's filly is tested, quick, and peaking, so I'll give her the nod.

Vanderbilt S (Sprint)
Without question, the runner-up for best race on the card. Myriad of talent in here headed by #5 Diabolical. Very consistent, and unraced since winning the Md. Sprint H on Preakness Day. He's hit triple digit Beyers in his last two starts, and has a couple recent bullets to show he's still primed. As much as I fien for a price, I don't see any reason why he'd lay a dud. Although, I like the #2 Cougar Cat to even the score with #7 Benny the Bull, and he's a ripe 5-1 ML, but no, I'm sticking with the 5...2...5.

Go for Wand S (Distaff)
A modest field of 6, all with a shot. #5 Ginger Punch has been strong all year, most recently romping the GII First Flight S at Belmont earlier in the month. Perhaps even more impressive, was her strong runner-up to Take D'Tour in the Phipps in June. I love Awesome Again, and in case you haven't noticed, this Frankel/Bejarano marriage is quite sweet indeed. But can she go 1 1/8 and 2 turns with this bunch? I'm looking for a price here, and I'm not gonna get it from Punch, #2 Ermine, or #4 Teammate. I'm looking at the rail, and the longshot #1 Soul Search. Trainer Neil Howard always seems to pick his spots nicely, and even though this mare is winless in her last handfull, she's been steady among solid competition. Assuming a clean, ground saving trip, and some hot early cooking, I expect her to show some kick in the stretch, and hopefully "Red Giant" this crew.

Whitney H (Classic)
Behold, the sweet fruits of "The Challenge." The race of the year thus far in my opinion, today's starting gate could very well mirror that of the actual Classic. For the most ardent of racing fans, standing by the paddock will be like walking onto the set of Ocean's 13 (what? You don't think Pletcher could make a runner out of Elliot Gould?). You have your Clooney in the scintilating #7 Magna Graduate. Not only did he save his best stuff for his middle-racing-age-years, but his back-to-back 106 Beyer's against stout competition, suggest he's poised for steady stream of blockbusters. And we all know how much Clooney loves to pretend he was, indeed, a Magna Graduate, even though I don't even think that's even in the lexicon of Northern Kentucky University. #2 Papi Chullo, a late-blooming Cadillac, was the equivalent of a quarterback getting drafted first by an awful team and being shoved under center from day 1. Or, the way Don Cheadle had to do "Meteor Man" before he got "Hotel Rwanda." He landed in Gary Contessa's barn early this year, and culminated his resurgence with a sublime (110 Beyer) effort in the Birdstone S on Belmont Day against a solid field. IEAH just bought-in for a slice, and they certainly don't miss much. #1 Flashy Bull was more than stellar in the Stephen Foster, running down Magna Graduate with relative ease, en route to his 4th win in a row. Those Holy Bull's are runners now; consistent and handsome, like a Matt Damon. There's nothing to suggest he won't be there at the end, ah, except for that post position. His freshness concerns me as well. At the age of 5 and out with a typically career-ending injury, to see #3 Brass Hat back among the elite is miraculous. Just when you though his "Scarface" days had been replaced by "Two for the Money" antics, he comes out and sets a track record in a solid allowance a few weeks back at Churchill. But I can't see him being ready for this group quite yet. I'm going with #11 Lawyer Ron, and his Pitt-like sex-appeal. Let's not forget how dominant this colt was as a 3-year-old, before a nightmare trip in the Derby pretty much took it out of him for the rest of the year. Hey, "Babel" sucked, but we learn to forgive. He's since moved onto the Midas straw of the Pletcher barn, and hasn't missed the money yet in 07. So he's missed for all of it of late, but looks sharper each time out, and I expect to see even more improvement today. I like his tactical speed, his recent works, and that juicy 6-1 ML. Ok, I love it. There, I said it.

Ticket:
7: 6
8: 5
9: 1,4
10: 11

Yes, bears do

Occasionally, a question will be thrown your direction, the content of which is so self-evident, that it warrants the counter-query we all learned in grade school: "Does a bear shit in the woods?" Such was the case a couple of months back while taking in an afternoon of 10 cent returns and 5 dollar beers with a few buddies at Six Flags over Churchill Downs. After watching a Patrick Biancone trained-Coolmore owned-Leparoux steered-filly scorch the track in a half of a cigarette (Biancone time), my friend asked me if I thought Biancone was, as he so elequently stated, "juicin' these girls?" Bears moving bows in their natural habitat is not my favorite quip, as its legendary status has lead to gross overuse But Biancone's reputation for dirty tactics was the worst kept secret in the Bluegrass and beyond. So when Biancone's garrison of barns were siezed by the KHRA last week at Keeneland, the only person surprised was probably Biancone himself, that it took this long.

Nevertheless, kudos to the KHRA and Keeneland for taking a stand. The fact that a singular governing body still eludes thoroughbred racing in these United States is a separate rant unto itself, but the porousness of the current set-up is rife with loopholing horsemen, giggling in line at the bank with but a small welt on the wrist. My heart bleeds for Steve Asmussen when he gets a $2,500 fine for positive tests after his stable has made off with millions in winnings. Not to single out The Frenchy and The Ass Man (sitcom?), but one only had to look at Biancone's lengthy track record. Run out of Eurpoe, banned in Hong Kong, and now a major hiccup in Kentucky. The word from the Keeneland backside is that there's more than enough evidence to expel Biancone from the Commonwealth, which is a serious death blow to anyone in this business. Now it's up to the KHRA to pull the trigger and send a message to the super-stables that you'd better leave your snake venom on the reservation, the cocaine in the limo, the EPO in the...well, you get the idea.

Just look around. Turn on the TV, browse the web. Cheating is in. From Armstrong, to Landis, Sosa to Bonds, the media is feeding us truck loads of accusations and consumers are eating it up and asking for seconds. If the smoke ever settles around baseball I fear that the cannons will be pointed toward horse racing, an onslaught I doubt the sport's fragile legs withstand. Horsemen and gamblers aside, racing fans are turned on to the purity of the sport; the unfettered grace of a horse as it gives its all doing the only thing it knows how. When you jeopardize integrity, you stand to lose it all. Hopefully, the only losers in all of this will be the ones winning the wrong way.