Horse Racing Books

You Should Get What You Pay For

Vic Zast

From the perspective of being an owner, an industry pioneer in corporate sponsorship, a track president and fan, Vic Zast writes the "Destinations" column for The Blood-Horse. His five-star ratings of international events have shed light on racing in all corners of the globe - from England, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai to Japan.

Vic is a regular contributor to MSNBC.com, a columnist for the Illinois Racing News and has written on racing for ESPN.com, National Public radio and The Age, Australia's leading daily.

Vic makes his home in Chicago and lives in Saratoga Springs in August.

Most recent entries You Should Get What You Pay For Monday, June 27, 2011
You Should Get What You Pay For
(CHICAGO, IL – June 27, 2011) With most things in life, you get what you pay for - but not in horse racing. A nice filly named Inglorious shamed 16 colts and geldings in Sunday’s $1 million Queen’s Plate Stakes. But is she really a horse that her connections will bring south or that would have run against males if they were better? Buster’s Ready, a filly that ran with a $50,000 tag in a claiming race several months ago, beat only five horses in Saturday’s Grade 1 $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes, a race previously taken by Go for Wand, Serena’s Song, Open Mind and Ruffian. But does she possess Hall of Fame potential befitting the Mother Goose’s winner? A tendency toward injury, the inability of trainers to maintain campaigners and, perhaps, an overabundance of inflated purses to choose from have left horse racing’s greatest stakes humiliated. The horses in many of North America’s most treasured races are incongruent with the reputations of races they’re winning and running in. A quick scan of the runners in some of the highest graded stakes recently contested reveal fields of low graded stakes competitors. The look forward is equally foreboding, as stakes races won by the turf’s greatest stars will most likely be won by horses that nobody’s heard of. Graded stakes are supposed to represent the ultimate tests. When horses that haven’t raced at this level constitute 90 percent of the field, one must question if the designation “graded stakes” is becoming devalued. Although the standard of graded status may shift with the times, it is often evaluated on the same basis it held previously.

The Horse Racing Miscellany-Books - horseracing results uk today

 Has again shown a friend of bookmakers in the following issues as Wokingham Deacon Blue (15-2) emerged victorious, with a great game it is wicked Hoof misleading.

With the layers now something like a 12-1 run was shot in the victory of Fox Hunt, the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes more money in their pocket, working with the leader Modun deplorable.

Tommy Stack filly was third in the Masamah York, and started the upgrade when the house flashing behind Michael Bell Scottish track class for three years.

With connections already in a trip to Dubai next year they will probably not see too many times will this campaign.

“She is improving all the time,” said Fozzy Stack, son of the coach and his assistant. “We could be Rockingham for their views on the Curragh. There is also a Listed race at Tipperary, we believe.

There was no major impact on both sides in recent Queen Alexandra Stakes, which is Dunop John was beaten 11-2 Swingkeel chance.

Totesport spokesman George Primarolo said: “It was tough the last day of Royal Ascot and the first two Aidan O’Brien-trained winner will set the tone on the agenda.

“However, it was not enough to ruin what is already a good week and we are certainly more than five days.”

The O’Brien will not guarantee victory Irish bookmaker Paddy Power are at the forefront in five days.

“After the first two races today, we were never to return, although the Wokingham and the results of the jubilee was good for us,” said Power.

“But they were only a marginal recovery and stock market speculators have the best of us during the week.

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