Monday, August 2, 2010

“Penn National ends challenging week with Governor's Cup, horse racing fans say allegations of horse doping don't deter ...” plus 2 more

“Penn National ends challenging week with Governor's Cup, horse racing fans say allegations of horse doping don't deter ...” plus 2 more

Penn National ends challenging week with Governor's Cup, horse racing fans say allegations of horse doping don't deter ...

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 12:48 AM PDT

Horse racing is gambling. Whenever man, money and muscle mix, the darker parts ofhuman nature can lead some to seek the path of unfair advantage, long-time horse racing fans said. The bright and dark of horse-racing were on display this...

Read the full story here: Pennsylvania Business News

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Horse shows define fair

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 08:28 PM PDT

By Patricia A. Scheyer • Community Recorder Contributor • August 2, 2010

Horse shows have been part of the Boone County fair since its inception in 1932, and fairgoers can see at least one horse show every day, from Monday, August 2, through Saturday, August 7. Fair Board Member Linda Green is in charge of the Western Pleasure horse show on Monday, and the Pole and Barrel racing on Tuesday, and Larry Burcham, also a Fair Board Member, has organized the shows from Wednesday through Saturday for almost 40 years.

"We have people who come to our horse shows from at least six states," said Burcham. "They use our shows to prepare for the World Championship American Saddle Bred competition which is at the Kentucky State Fair the last week of August."

The show schedule starts for Burcham on Wednesday, with 16 classes of Tennessee Walkers, the grand old plantation horses. Thursday includes show, registered and hackneyed ponies, as well as the Arabian costume class, a very popular show, and hunt horses, which is similar to the bigger horse shows, but there is no jumping.

"We have a lot of hunt horses in Boone County," Burcham added.

Friday night showboats the hackney ponies, and the Cobb ponies, which are the kind that pull the Queen's carriage. There are also three and five gaited horses, and American Saddle Breds, along with several high stepping categories.

"Saturday night is pretty much the same as Friday night, except it is the Championship shows," explained Burcham. "I think most people have always wanted to have a horse, and show it, and for many the horse shows are close to living out a fantasy. Also, Kentucky is horse country, so they love to come and see their horses."

Kim Smith, whose parents own Sandy Run Stables, teaches riding, and has shown horses at the fair since she was six years old. About 13 of her students will participate in the shows, one as young as 10 years old, who is entered in the Walk Trot Equitation, and a lady in her sixties, who will compete in Pleasure Driving, since there is no riding class for her.

"It has always been her dream to show horses, even though she grew up with them," said Smith. "I think people like to compete, and improve for next year. And they like hanging out with others who compete. It is just fun!"

Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

HORSE RACING: Mechanicville trainer Chad Brown at the top of his game

Posted: 02 Aug 2010 02:11 AM PDT

By SAM HOLLINGSWORTH
Community News

SARATOGA SPRINGS —With a couple of years as his own boss already under his belt, Chad Brown is beyond just trying to establish himself on the thoroughbred-racing scene.

The trainer and Saratoga Springs resident (when he's not traveling for work) is one of the many enticing stories already unfolding at this year's young version of the historic racing meet at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown, who grew up in Mechanicville, has come a long way since he was a boy spending time at the track with his family and friends, dreaming of one day taking part in the legendary races with a stable of his own.

He's now living that dream.

Through Friday, July 30, Brown was holding a slim lead over the powerful Todd Pletcher stable in the Saratoga trainer standings, Brown has built up his resume pretty quickly over the past few years, including a Breeders' Cup win in his rookie season when Maram edged out Heart Shaped in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Oaklawn at Santa Anita in October 2008.

Already with six victories through the first week of the Saratoga meet, Brown will be in the spotlight today when his flagship filly Maram starts in the Grade I Diana Handicap to take on a talented field of older females. 

"We're looking forward to it," Brown said of Maram's opportunity in the Diana. "It's a really tough field but she's 2-for-2 at the track — 2-for-2 at Saratoga — and everything's going good at the barn. It's time to give her a shot at a Grade I."

Maram broke her maiden at Saratoga on Aug. 25, 2008 as a 2-year-old, then went on to win the Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont before winning her Breeders' Cup race. She came back to Saratoga last year and won the one-mile John Hettinger overnight stakes on the turf, on Aug. 8, too.

"She's a good horse," Brown said of the 4-year-old.

Maram's most recent success came on the Fourth of July of this year, taking the Miss Liberty Stakes at Monmouth Park and giving her the proper preparation to face a strong field like today's — a field that includes multiple stakes winners, including champion Forever Together, going for an unprecedented third straight win in the Diana. Forever Together handled Brown's Quiet Meadow in last year's Diana for her second straight win.

Brown, who worked as an understudy for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey before transferring his duties to the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, first made a splash in the Spa City when he won with his first entry at Saratoga Race Course in 2008 — the first race of the meet that year — with Star Player. He went on to post a solid winning percentage, going 6-for-18 with his charges throughout that Saratoga meet.

His consitstent success has allowed his business to grow, with Brown improving each year and generating more horses and more opportunities for his stable.

 "The important thing is that the horses stay healthy and sound," he said. "If the horses stay healthy and sound, and the right races (are available) for the right horses, and the weather cooperates … that's what we need (to be successful)."

So far, all the factors have aligned quite nicely and Brown's sitting pretty with six wins after seven days of the meet.

"We're just going to focus on the spots that I've picked out, regardless if we're in front (of the standings), if we're behind, or whatever," Brown said. "We're just going to stay focused, entry-day to entry-day, on what I have planned on doing."

Brown, who currently has horses stabled at Belmont Park and Saratoga — 50 of them spread among barns on the Oklahoma Training Track and select barns at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway — has not only been winning enough to be tops for trainers, but he's been winning at an incredible percentage rate. He's won with six of his 10 starters at the meet and has been in the money with eight. 

But it certainly doesn't come easy.

"A lot of traveling and a lot of hours of work," Brown said of the demands of his chosen career." There are a lot of hours of work — thousands and thousands of hours."

It has its payoffs, too, though. To be able to return to his favorite racetrack, for the meet he waited for every year until it made its annual return, and be able to compete against some of the best trainers in the game, all while working with some of the best jockeys, owners and horsemen in the sport, makes him realize just how lucky he is, though.

"That's a big part of it," he said. "It makes it all worth while."

And as much as Brown would love to win the Saratoga training title for himself, it would also be a proper tribute to Frankel, one of the trainers who helped Brown get where he is today, to keep doing what he has been doing throughout the first week of the meet. Frankel passed away in November 2009 following a long battle with illness. 

"It'll probably never really be the same," Brown said of working in the horse racing business without Frankel around. "We just kind of have to go on and do the best I can to make him proud."


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