The second annual Thoroughbred Times Best Of survey is underway, giving our readers a voice in the Best Of 2009.
The questions are a mix of typical Best Of fare, such as who the best horse or jockey was, as well as some more off beat topics like, "Which was the gutsiest decision by an owner in 2009?"
Here are my answers to the 20 questions:
Who was the best horse to race in 2009?
Rachel Alexandra
I think any of the choices are appropriate especially if restricted to their preferred surface, but I give Rachel Alexandra a boost for winning on dirt and putting together one of the most impressive three-year-old filly campaigns in the history of the North American Turf.
Who was the best male horse to race in North America in 2009?
Gio Ponti
Gio Ponti's second in the Classic shored this up for him following four consecutive Grade 1 wins earlier this year, including a dominating victory in the Arlington Million and a narrow decision over Ventura in her home region.
Who was the best turf horse to race in North America in 2009?
Conduit
I chose Conduit here because of the turf qualifier. I think Summer Bird is better than Gio Ponti on dirt, but the latter has the edge on synthetic and turf. By restricting it to turf only, though, I think Conduit has to be given the edge especially at the traditional turf distances of 1 1/4-1 1/2 miles.
Which was the best race contested outside North America in 2009?
Epsom Derby
I picked this race because Sea The Stars stretched out to 1 1/2 miles off his Guineas victory at a flat mile beating horses who went on to win Group 1 races throughout Europe.
Which was the best racing surface in 2009?
Turf
I like betting turf races--short or long--and there are fewer low-class events on Turf. If a race is on turf at the circuits I play then it's usually an open claimer at worst. Turf let's you handicap using a variety of angles (pedigree, final times, pace, jockeys, etc.). I like seeing turf races as part of sequences as long as rain's not in the forecast!
What was the best North American race of 2009?
Breeders' Cup Classic
Racing needs to sort out where synthetic surfaces fit in the hierarchy of the sport, but that can't take away from Zenyatta capping a perfect career in front of the hometown crowd.
Who is your pick for outstanding owner in 2009?
Jess Jackson
Buying Rachel Alexandra after the Oaks and wheeling her back in the Preakness was a huge gamble that paid off and is deserving of accolades.
Who is your pick for outstanding trainer of 2009?
Bob Baffert
They guy just seemed loaded this year at every level of the game spotting his horses better than ever before.
Which trainer had the biggest breakthrough season in 2009?
Chip Woolley
This was a tough call because I think Rice and Ice are more likely to maintain their current level of success than is Woolley, but Chip's ascent to the top on a pair of crutches and a pick-up truck is one of racing's best stories in a year that didn't lack for drama.
Who is your pick for outstanding jockey of 2009?
Leparoux
Similar thinking to my Baffert selection earlier. Julien just seemed to make a lot of right moves this year.
Which was the best ride by a jockey in 2009?
Borel aboard Mine That Bird in Derby
The blimp shot helps make this ride famous, and it was a beauty. I can't imagine any other jockey getting Mine That Bird home in that race, which is tragic for me because my tickets relied heavily not only on Pioneerof The Nile and Musket Man hitting but also on one of them winning! Still, that ride had to guarantee Borel a Derby mount for life.
Which jockey had the biggest breakthrough in 2009?
Talamo
Joe Talamo was no secret before this year, but having the mount on a Derby favorite and winning a Breeders' Cup race is a breakthrough for sure.
Which was the gutsiest decision by an owner in 2009?
Jackson buying Rachel, running her in Preakness
Jackson's decision was not just a $10-million gamble, but he put his reputation on the line as well especially in the year following Eight Belle's breakdown.
What was the best fan-friendly innovation in 2009?
Night racing at Churchill
I loved the idea of night racing and didn't mind the $10 charge (maybe because I don't have to pay it), so it was gratifying to see record crowds turn out for the events even after a lot of my media brethren poo-pooed Churchill for charging more for the festivities.
Best racetrack website?
Keeneland
This website has it all. Just explore it for yourself if you're not familiar with it already.
Which is the best U.S.-based account wagering platform?
TwinSpires
TwinSpiresTV is fantastic, and I've never had an issue phoning in my wagers even on really busy days. And there's no per bet charge.
Which was the best broadcast of a major racing event this year?
Abstain
I didn't watch any so I didn't think it fair to vote.
Which is the better channel dedicated to horse racing?
HRTV
I've warmed to both over the past year and definitely view both as having their strengths, but I give the nod to HRTV for a more seamless presentation of racing. They show more races on time.
Who is your favorite simulcast analyst?
Englehardt
There's a lot of great options on here, and I think one of the more underrated talent pools of racing is the people who do the simulcast shows, but I chose John Englehardt from River Downs for his Regular Show.
Which general interest daily newspaper provided the best coverage of Thoroughbred racing in 2009?
Courier-Journal
Its Derby coverage is second to none among the choices. I wish it put some of that effort into other big events because it has a great staff, but even when it's just Jennie covering something you know you're getting the whole story.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
How I'll remember Bobby Frankel
Whether it was exuding emotion over Flute or exuding confidence about Ghostzapper, Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel always wore his heart on his sleeve.
That quality helped make him a Turf writer’s best friend in the stable area before a race or in the winner’s circle afterward—an enclosure horses he trained visited 3,654 times.
Those reporting on a race in which Frankel had a horse entered could count not only on the trainer’s honest assessment of his horse’s chances but also on the chances of any other horse in the race.
He was not so honest, of course, that he would say, “I’m going to lose,” but it was not hard to tell where Frankel thought he stood in a race. His brashness is so well known within the Thoroughbred Times editorial department that the term “Empire Maker confident” entered our lexicon following the Unbridled colt’s upset of Funny Cide’s Triple Crown bid in the 2003 Belmont Stakes (G1).
Our lead racing writer, Jeff Lowe, talked to Bobby the most and would often report after one of their conversations that “Bobby really likes ‘so and so.’” The follow-up question would always be, “Is he Empire Maker confident?” If he was, then you went to the windows.
Bobby’s own gambling stories were legendary and none was more famous than his tail of turning a $40 stake into $20,000 on a trip to the races in his early 20s.
When I met Bobby in October 2002 he was long past small stakes ante poker both in terms of how his bankroll and the horses he trained. He already was in the Racing Hall of Fame, training for some of the world’s most powerful racehorse outfits, had won his first Breeders’ Cup race the year before and was on the verge of winning his first classic with the aforementioned Empire Maker.
That never stopped him from talking about the nuts and bolts of the game with those who came by his shedrow, and it was during one such discussion in the week leading up to the 2002 Breeders Cup at Arlington Park that Bobby took the time to explain to me why he loved Starine (Fr), a filly he owned, in that year’s Filly and Mare Turf (G1).
Bobby’s opinions were never limited to his own stable, and I would have loved to know what he thought about this year’s Horse of the Year debate between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.
Bobby started out loving the game but ended up loving the animals who make the game go even more. The greatest compliment a horse could get from Bobby was not “s/he is going to win” or “s/he is one of the best I’ve ever trained” but “S/he tries so hard,” an accolade that brought tears to his eyes one time when talking about Flute and whether the Kentucky Oaks (G1)-Alabama Stakes (G1) winner deserved the Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old filly over Xtra Heat in 2001.
His appreciation for equine athletes and their heart is as much a part of his legacy as the Eclipse Awards and Grade 1 wins are, which is why it is so fitting that he asked memorials in his name be donated to Old Friends, the Grayson Foundation, and/or CANTER.
That quality helped make him a Turf writer’s best friend in the stable area before a race or in the winner’s circle afterward—an enclosure horses he trained visited 3,654 times.
Those reporting on a race in which Frankel had a horse entered could count not only on the trainer’s honest assessment of his horse’s chances but also on the chances of any other horse in the race.
He was not so honest, of course, that he would say, “I’m going to lose,” but it was not hard to tell where Frankel thought he stood in a race. His brashness is so well known within the Thoroughbred Times editorial department that the term “Empire Maker confident” entered our lexicon following the Unbridled colt’s upset of Funny Cide’s Triple Crown bid in the 2003 Belmont Stakes (G1).
Our lead racing writer, Jeff Lowe, talked to Bobby the most and would often report after one of their conversations that “Bobby really likes ‘so and so.’” The follow-up question would always be, “Is he Empire Maker confident?” If he was, then you went to the windows.
Bobby’s own gambling stories were legendary and none was more famous than his tail of turning a $40 stake into $20,000 on a trip to the races in his early 20s.
When I met Bobby in October 2002 he was long past small stakes ante poker both in terms of how his bankroll and the horses he trained. He already was in the Racing Hall of Fame, training for some of the world’s most powerful racehorse outfits, had won his first Breeders’ Cup race the year before and was on the verge of winning his first classic with the aforementioned Empire Maker.
That never stopped him from talking about the nuts and bolts of the game with those who came by his shedrow, and it was during one such discussion in the week leading up to the 2002 Breeders Cup at Arlington Park that Bobby took the time to explain to me why he loved Starine (Fr), a filly he owned, in that year’s Filly and Mare Turf (G1).
Bobby’s opinions were never limited to his own stable, and I would have loved to know what he thought about this year’s Horse of the Year debate between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.
Bobby started out loving the game but ended up loving the animals who make the game go even more. The greatest compliment a horse could get from Bobby was not “s/he is going to win” or “s/he is one of the best I’ve ever trained” but “S/he tries so hard,” an accolade that brought tears to his eyes one time when talking about Flute and whether the Kentucky Oaks (G1)-Alabama Stakes (G1) winner deserved the Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old filly over Xtra Heat in 2001.
His appreciation for equine athletes and their heart is as much a part of his legacy as the Eclipse Awards and Grade 1 wins are, which is why it is so fitting that he asked memorials in his name be donated to Old Friends, the Grayson Foundation, and/or CANTER.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Marketing opportunity
The Horse of the Year debate has been raging for going on five days now, and part of that debate is not who should win but if both should win.
I'm against a split award but am enjoying the debate on the merits of both as well as the mainstream treatment that debate is getting. In this age of the Internet, it's easy to point a reader to replays of their races and maybe novice fans will want to try the excitement for themselves next time they have an opportunity to go to the track or watch a race live.
The Horse of the Year winner is announced at the Eclipse Awards dinner in January--an event that sorely lacks for drama, humor, or entertainment. This year can be different, however, as there will be keen interest on who wins the statue.
One thing in the Eclipse Awards' favor is its date. Monday, January 18 is a relative dead zone in sports. Sure, the NFL playoffs are in full swing with AFC and NFC championship pairings having been decided the previous weekend, but college football is over, baseball players are still on vacation, and the NBA and NHL still have months to go in their marathon season.
The Eclipse Awards are far too pedestrian an event to expect the whole telecast to be live on any TV besides a horse racing channel, but a live announcement of Horse of the Year on ESPN followed by highlights of the winner could give the sport a morsel of exposure where there usually is none.
To make it work, results of the vote would absolutely have to be kept super secret known only to as few people as possible. Normally, the media knows the winners before the dinner, and while that's not a big deal for divisional honors, it would be too easy to leak in terms of Horse of the Year.
So it's not exactly the Triple Crown winner everyone thinks will save the sport, but it is a chance to get the debate in front of more sports fans.
I'm against a split award but am enjoying the debate on the merits of both as well as the mainstream treatment that debate is getting. In this age of the Internet, it's easy to point a reader to replays of their races and maybe novice fans will want to try the excitement for themselves next time they have an opportunity to go to the track or watch a race live.
The Horse of the Year winner is announced at the Eclipse Awards dinner in January--an event that sorely lacks for drama, humor, or entertainment. This year can be different, however, as there will be keen interest on who wins the statue.
One thing in the Eclipse Awards' favor is its date. Monday, January 18 is a relative dead zone in sports. Sure, the NFL playoffs are in full swing with AFC and NFC championship pairings having been decided the previous weekend, but college football is over, baseball players are still on vacation, and the NBA and NHL still have months to go in their marathon season.
The Eclipse Awards are far too pedestrian an event to expect the whole telecast to be live on any TV besides a horse racing channel, but a live announcement of Horse of the Year on ESPN followed by highlights of the winner could give the sport a morsel of exposure where there usually is none.
To make it work, results of the vote would absolutely have to be kept super secret known only to as few people as possible. Normally, the media knows the winners before the dinner, and while that's not a big deal for divisional honors, it would be too easy to leak in terms of Horse of the Year.
So it's not exactly the Triple Crown winner everyone thinks will save the sport, but it is a chance to get the debate in front of more sports fans.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Don't reward lack of RA-Zen matchup with split HotY
When it comes to the Horse of the Year debate it is clear that either horse would be a worthy recipient, but that does not mean that both should win.
Had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other then the winner would be Horse of the Year. The fact that they did not should not entitle both of them to share the prize. The connections of both horses gambled by avoiding each other. Now, instead of letting the racetrack decide Horse of the Year, voters representing the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers Association will have that honor. Complicating the voting procedure is there are no set guidelines for who to vote for other than you can only vote for one horse per category. I.e., you can't split votes, so the only way there is a co-Horse of the Year is if each horse gets the same number of first-place votes in that category (voters pick second- and third-place as well, but those only count for finalist purposes and not for who wins). Each voter values certain races and campaigns differently, but that would not be an issue had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other.
Again, either is deserving, but honoring both would be rewarding the fact that they didn't face each other and that seems wrong. I will applaud whomever wins as enthusiastically as I applauded Rachel Alexandra after she won the Preakness Stakes and as fervently as I cheered for Zenyatta after she won the Breeders' Cup Classic. I am privileged beyond the words of this blog to have seen both races live and to have seen each horse race in person multiple times. As strong as my opinion is for who should win, I feel even more strongly that either is a truly deserving Horse of the Year.
Had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other then the winner would be Horse of the Year. The fact that they did not should not entitle both of them to share the prize. The connections of both horses gambled by avoiding each other. Now, instead of letting the racetrack decide Horse of the Year, voters representing the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers Association will have that honor. Complicating the voting procedure is there are no set guidelines for who to vote for other than you can only vote for one horse per category. I.e., you can't split votes, so the only way there is a co-Horse of the Year is if each horse gets the same number of first-place votes in that category (voters pick second- and third-place as well, but those only count for finalist purposes and not for who wins). Each voter values certain races and campaigns differently, but that would not be an issue had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other.
Again, either is deserving, but honoring both would be rewarding the fact that they didn't face each other and that seems wrong. I will applaud whomever wins as enthusiastically as I applauded Rachel Alexandra after she won the Preakness Stakes and as fervently as I cheered for Zenyatta after she won the Breeders' Cup Classic. I am privileged beyond the words of this blog to have seen both races live and to have seen each horse race in person multiple times. As strong as my opinion is for who should win, I feel even more strongly that either is a truly deserving Horse of the Year.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Two-day format beginning to make sense
Several of the details related to Breeders’ Cup’s Championship Friday program have received criticism from various corners of the Turf world over the past two years.
Some feel there are too many races; others have lamented a return to Santa Anita Park and its synthetic main track surface for a second consecutive year; and others did not like moving the Distaff to Friday and renaming it the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).
Those criticisms will be discussed in the aftermath of this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, but as far as November 6 at Santa Anita went, the horse racing excitement that permeated the Arcadia, California, facility could not have been any better and is rivaled only by Kentucky Oaks (G1) day on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Attendance totaled 37,651 on a picturesque day at the track, a 20.45% increase versus last year and 35.42% more than the inaugural Friday card in 2007 at Monmouth.
Hopefully the trend will continue on Championship Saturday, but without a doubt, Friday’s card was a live racing event I will remember for a very long time.
Some feel there are too many races; others have lamented a return to Santa Anita Park and its synthetic main track surface for a second consecutive year; and others did not like moving the Distaff to Friday and renaming it the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).
Those criticisms will be discussed in the aftermath of this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, but as far as November 6 at Santa Anita went, the horse racing excitement that permeated the Arcadia, California, facility could not have been any better and is rivaled only by Kentucky Oaks (G1) day on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Attendance totaled 37,651 on a picturesque day at the track, a 20.45% increase versus last year and 35.42% more than the inaugural Friday card in 2007 at Monmouth.
Hopefully the trend will continue on Championship Saturday, but without a doubt, Friday’s card was a live racing event I will remember for a very long time.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
#BC09 has arrived
Well, depending on when you're reading this, maybe it hasn't arrived yet, but I've arrived, so it's as good as here.
Three of Friday's six Breeders' Cup races are likely to determine championships: The Juvenile Fillies, the Filly & Mare Sprint, and the Filly & Mare Turf. It's possible that the F&M Turf winner could lose the Eclipse Award to either Goldikova or Dar Re Mi if either of them defeat males on Saturday in the Mile or Turf, respectively.
The Ladies' Classic is interesting as the ultimate consolation prize, as both three-year-old Careless Jewel and older female Music Note would be a cinch for Eclipse Awards in their respective decisions with a win in most years, but we've been pretty spoiled with Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta other than the fact that they never faced each other, but Careless Jewel on the lead and Music Note chasing will be fun just the same.
From a wagering standpoint, I will center most of my day around Forever Together in the Filly & Mare Turf and Sara Louise in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Forever Together is my most likely winner on the day and Sara Louise is my best bet. That is, even though Forever Together is more likely to win the race, Sara Louise is the better bet because her odds will be higher relative to her chance of winning.
I really can't separate Careless Jewel and Music Note. Both just seem better than the rest, and I don't want either to beat me if I'm right about Forever Together. Mushka is my longshot play underneath.
The Juvenile Fillies is very evenly matched, so I have no trouble going against the favorites in here. Connie and Michael will just have to beat me at a short price. I'll use Blind Luck defensively, but I'll have more money on pice horses like Devil May Care, She Be Wild, and Biofuel.
The Juvenile Fillies Turf also could go in a lot of different directions, but Rose Catherine is a must play at 6-to-1 let alone her morning line of 8-to-1. I love her turf debut, and two turns is always a challenge, but she has the look of one who is for real. La Nez is getting overlooked, but at 20-to-1 I'll definitely be using one of the classier horses in the race.
I'm a Jukebox Jury fan, so I take notice that both Father Time and Mastery have finished ahead of him. Cloudy's Knight wins this on his best, but I worry about three races in seven weeks after more than a year layoff. Man of Iron winning would be a great story for the pedigree buffs.
Three of Friday's six Breeders' Cup races are likely to determine championships: The Juvenile Fillies, the Filly & Mare Sprint, and the Filly & Mare Turf. It's possible that the F&M Turf winner could lose the Eclipse Award to either Goldikova or Dar Re Mi if either of them defeat males on Saturday in the Mile or Turf, respectively.
The Ladies' Classic is interesting as the ultimate consolation prize, as both three-year-old Careless Jewel and older female Music Note would be a cinch for Eclipse Awards in their respective decisions with a win in most years, but we've been pretty spoiled with Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta other than the fact that they never faced each other, but Careless Jewel on the lead and Music Note chasing will be fun just the same.
From a wagering standpoint, I will center most of my day around Forever Together in the Filly & Mare Turf and Sara Louise in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Forever Together is my most likely winner on the day and Sara Louise is my best bet. That is, even though Forever Together is more likely to win the race, Sara Louise is the better bet because her odds will be higher relative to her chance of winning.
I really can't separate Careless Jewel and Music Note. Both just seem better than the rest, and I don't want either to beat me if I'm right about Forever Together. Mushka is my longshot play underneath.
The Juvenile Fillies is very evenly matched, so I have no trouble going against the favorites in here. Connie and Michael will just have to beat me at a short price. I'll use Blind Luck defensively, but I'll have more money on pice horses like Devil May Care, She Be Wild, and Biofuel.
The Juvenile Fillies Turf also could go in a lot of different directions, but Rose Catherine is a must play at 6-to-1 let alone her morning line of 8-to-1. I love her turf debut, and two turns is always a challenge, but she has the look of one who is for real. La Nez is getting overlooked, but at 20-to-1 I'll definitely be using one of the classier horses in the race.
I'm a Jukebox Jury fan, so I take notice that both Father Time and Mastery have finished ahead of him. Cloudy's Knight wins this on his best, but I worry about three races in seven weeks after more than a year layoff. Man of Iron winning would be a great story for the pedigree buffs.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Our songs are sing-along songs
A hallmark of any Big Event that I am a part of is a music mix, known to children of the 80s and fans of High Fidelity as the mix tape.
I don't remember making my first mix tape, but I do remember being amazed at the dual cassette deck technology. I also was one of many teenage boys who thought all it took to seduce a woman was a mix tape.
My college roommate kickstarted my personal tradition of having a soundtrack to accompany major and not-so-major events in my life. Jason was great at creating a mix CD to match every road trip, party, finals week, and break up we went through. I can't hear "The Freshman" or "Secret Garden" without thinking of freshman year, "One Week" without thinking of Heath, or "Work It" without thinking of partying in Columbus with Steve-O.
I have extended the tradition to my horse racing travels with "Mr. Brightside" being ubiquitous to the 2005 Preakness Stakes.
This year's mix, which hopefully will provide some entertainment while sitting in L.A. traffic, is mostly a collection of current pop and songs about California. As Rob teaches us at the end of High Fidelity, a good mix tape isn't about what you like, but what about all who will hear it like. My typical formula is to start with a couple current pop songs I know my audience likes and then branch out from there to similar styles. This mix starts upbeat to match our excitement of getting in the car and being in L.A. for Breeders' Cup then turns dark about the time we hit our first traffic jam and brightens up again as we cruise into Arcadia.
1. "Run This Town" by Jay-Z featuring Rhianna and Kanye West... This seemed like a good way to start. Any Big Event in racing worth its salt has a social aspect to it, and "Run This Town" makes me thinking of cruising in a limo with friends heading to some trendy party behind a velvet rope. In real life, I'm more likely to wash a limo than ride in one, would be flying solo, and would look more like Homer Simpson outside a meeting of the sacred No Homers than a jetsetter, but anyone can be Paris Hilton while listening to this song.
Favorite lyric: "I'm addicted to the thrill, it's a dangerous love affair; can't be scared when it goes down; got a problem, tell me now." I love the message of being in something 100% especially since I have $4,000 of mostly other people's money to bet in my Breeders' Cup wagering syndicate. Also, Rhianna actually having the narrative of the song is brilliant songwriting.
2. "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black-Eyed Peas... Yeah, I know this is a cliche pick, but I think this is a great pop song despite protests from both Frank and Jim Rome, and I know most of the people who will be in my car like it.
Favorite lyric: "Fill up my cup." The reason the racing parties are so popular is because they have an open bar.
3. "California Girls" by the Magnetic Fields... I'm really anxious to hear the reaction from my group when it hears this song. It blew me away when I first heard it (thanks to some recommendations on Twitter, and I knew instantly that this would be on the #BC09 mix.
Favorite lyric: "They ain't broke so they put on airs." It's maddening how many people in this world cry poor and have all the newest gadgets, etc.
4. "I Hate L.A." by Bowling For Soup... It's not the best cut on their new disc, Sorry for Partyin', but it is a catchy tune, gives props to Ohio, and mentions In N Out Burger.
Favorite lyric: "Snooty fucks, pollution fills the air (I want to smoke outside!)." New Yorkers have a reputation for thinking they're better than everyone, but the attitude is worse in L.A.
5. "Cheated Hearts" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... This is a transition song. I thought the beat and voice keeps it close enough to pop that it makes sense to follow the opening quartet, but it's definitely a bridge to the darker part of the disc.
Favorite lyric: "Sometimes I think that I'm bigger than the sound." We're all a part of something bigger and to think otherwise is a tragic flaw worthy of many Shakespearean dramas.
6. "Isabella County" by Great Lakes Myth Society... This is one of my favorite drinking songs in the sense that it's easy to imagine a band playing this on a wooden plank in a dank bar while the locals sing along. Plus, former Thoroughbred Times intern Joe Nevills is from this area.
Favorite lyric: "In a town where the drinkers are plowed like the roads in a heap around their breakfast in yesterday's clothes." One of the best lyrics about a hangover ever put to music.
7. "California" by Lunavelis... Another sort of regional choice in that A) it mentions California and B) Lunavelis (aka Chris Feran) is from Cleveland, so the localities of two of my favorite Turf writers (Nevills and myself, HA!) are represented here. This song is kind of sad, but I like the yearning theme since in racing we're all chasing a dream
Favorite lyric: "You'd rather drive; I'd rather die." As a fan of Jim Steinman from way back in the day, I'm all about the melodrama in music, and this lyric is way over the top.
8. "Life is a Movie or Maybe" by Okkervil River... Another bridge song here as we move away from the dark and back into the light. I love the yearning in Will Sheff's voice here, and the lyrics deliver on the theme of optimism reigning supreme even among adversity.
Favorite lyric: "It's just a life story, so there's no climax." We're all guilty sometimes of letting life pass us by because we think we're waiting for something bigger, but life is the big thing. We're living it every second.
9. "Here's Lookin' At You Kid" by Gaslight Anthem... In hindsight, I probably could have swapped eight for nine or moved this more toward the end since this song sort of has a looking back on life vibe a la Tom Waits's "Martha." This song speaks to me as a journalist because of it's biographical nature.
Favorite lyric: "I used to wait in diners a million nights without her, praying that she won't cancel again tonight, and the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh." The vivid imagery delivered here is haunting.
10. "No Hueblo Ingles" by Bowling For Soup... This is just a fun song, and with all the stuff going on this week, I'm sure I'd rather just ignore a problem than confront it.
Favorite lyric: "A guy walks up says, 'Doma esta peppe;' he no hueblo ingles." I think a major tenet of any successful pop act is not to take yourself too seriously, and Bowling For Soup always has fun.
11. "Balloon Flight" by Grammar Club... I used to think this song was about condoms, but now I'm not so sure. Regardless, it was a must include post balloon boy.
Favorite lyric: "I'll make depression and sadness disappear like it's a magic trick." Someone needs to sing that lyric to the guy alone in the diner stood up for the millionth time.
12. "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers... Isn't there a law about putting the Red Chili Peppers on any compilation of music involving California? Well, there should be. We want chilly willy!
Favorite lyric: "Looking down the barrel of a hot little .45—just another way to survive." I like the sort of morality play this song presents.
13. "Constructive Summer" by The Hold Steady... This was a selfish pick because no one I know likes Craig Finn's voice, but Stay Positive is one of my favorite albums of all time and this song while not always my favorite on that album is the one that most reminds me of racing for whatever reason. I'd love to shoot a video of this with scenes from the Derby. Plus, I built a deck this summer.
Favorite lyric: "Let this by my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." Despite the message I take from "Life is a Movie or Maybe," I still think we are capable of something better. You just can't sit around waiting for it.
14. "Dogs Days" by Florence and the Machine... The absolute breakout artist of 2009 for me, and the lyric "the horses are coming so you better run" is enough to merit inclusion here.
Favorite lyric: "Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back." I love epiphany lyrics in music, and this is a great simile for that sort of "ah ha!" moment.
15. "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... This song always reminded me of traveling, so I typically include it if I can make it work with the other tracks on the compilation and since Florence Welch and Karen O have two of my absolute favorite female voices in music right now, I thought it was a good one-two, though I'm wondering if I should have put "Cheated Hearts" here and "Maps" earlier.
Favorite lyric: "They don't love you like I love you." It's such a simple statement, and I love the urgency with which the fact is presented.
16. "Slow Suicide" by JamisonParker... I had this song on a Derby mix, and I found that it matched driving to one of the parties perfectly, so I thought it merited inclusion here since I planned the Turf writers dinner and will look forward to cutting loose the following night. Also, the intros to this and "Maps" are similar.
Favorite lyric: "
17. "Heart Tits" by Grammar Club... This song reminds me of a couple I know, so I stuck it on here because I imagine it could apply to a lot of guys trying to rep the LA lifestyle
Favorite lyric: "And your bra must have been my size." I'll stop short of calling this a "deep" song because it's not by any means, but I do enjoy the brutal honesty with which Grammar Club describes how stupid it is for guys to base entire relationships on breasts and even though they do.
18. "Ohio (Come Back to Texas" by Bowling for Soup... This song always reminds me of the Breeders' Cup because of the quasi hard sell Sam Houston Race Park tried to put on BC Ltd. to have the BC return to Texas (it was at Lone Star in 2004). Why SHRP did not use this song in its pitch or get Weird Al to write a parody of it is beyond me.
Favorite lyric: Not a lyric per se, but I like the "breakdown" of who wants you back. This song needs to be coupled with Lyle Lovett's "That's Right (You're Not From Texas)".
19. "I Hate California" by Jonathan Coulton... Again, this wasn't so much about putting my favorite Coulton cut on here so much as it was how do you not put this on the disc given the other songs on here? It's fairly pedestrian but fits the theme.
Favorite lyric: Meh
I don't remember making my first mix tape, but I do remember being amazed at the dual cassette deck technology. I also was one of many teenage boys who thought all it took to seduce a woman was a mix tape.
My college roommate kickstarted my personal tradition of having a soundtrack to accompany major and not-so-major events in my life. Jason was great at creating a mix CD to match every road trip, party, finals week, and break up we went through. I can't hear "The Freshman" or "Secret Garden" without thinking of freshman year, "One Week" without thinking of Heath, or "Work It" without thinking of partying in Columbus with Steve-O.
I have extended the tradition to my horse racing travels with "Mr. Brightside" being ubiquitous to the 2005 Preakness Stakes.
This year's mix, which hopefully will provide some entertainment while sitting in L.A. traffic, is mostly a collection of current pop and songs about California. As Rob teaches us at the end of High Fidelity, a good mix tape isn't about what you like, but what about all who will hear it like. My typical formula is to start with a couple current pop songs I know my audience likes and then branch out from there to similar styles. This mix starts upbeat to match our excitement of getting in the car and being in L.A. for Breeders' Cup then turns dark about the time we hit our first traffic jam and brightens up again as we cruise into Arcadia.
1. "Run This Town" by Jay-Z featuring Rhianna and Kanye West... This seemed like a good way to start. Any Big Event in racing worth its salt has a social aspect to it, and "Run This Town" makes me thinking of cruising in a limo with friends heading to some trendy party behind a velvet rope. In real life, I'm more likely to wash a limo than ride in one, would be flying solo, and would look more like Homer Simpson outside a meeting of the sacred No Homers than a jetsetter, but anyone can be Paris Hilton while listening to this song.
Favorite lyric: "I'm addicted to the thrill, it's a dangerous love affair; can't be scared when it goes down; got a problem, tell me now." I love the message of being in something 100% especially since I have $4,000 of mostly other people's money to bet in my Breeders' Cup wagering syndicate. Also, Rhianna actually having the narrative of the song is brilliant songwriting.
2. "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black-Eyed Peas... Yeah, I know this is a cliche pick, but I think this is a great pop song despite protests from both Frank and Jim Rome, and I know most of the people who will be in my car like it.
Favorite lyric: "Fill up my cup." The reason the racing parties are so popular is because they have an open bar.
3. "California Girls" by the Magnetic Fields... I'm really anxious to hear the reaction from my group when it hears this song. It blew me away when I first heard it (thanks to some recommendations on Twitter, and I knew instantly that this would be on the #BC09 mix.
Favorite lyric: "They ain't broke so they put on airs." It's maddening how many people in this world cry poor and have all the newest gadgets, etc.
4. "I Hate L.A." by Bowling For Soup... It's not the best cut on their new disc, Sorry for Partyin', but it is a catchy tune, gives props to Ohio, and mentions In N Out Burger.
Favorite lyric: "Snooty fucks, pollution fills the air (I want to smoke outside!)." New Yorkers have a reputation for thinking they're better than everyone, but the attitude is worse in L.A.
5. "Cheated Hearts" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... This is a transition song. I thought the beat and voice keeps it close enough to pop that it makes sense to follow the opening quartet, but it's definitely a bridge to the darker part of the disc.
Favorite lyric: "Sometimes I think that I'm bigger than the sound." We're all a part of something bigger and to think otherwise is a tragic flaw worthy of many Shakespearean dramas.
6. "Isabella County" by Great Lakes Myth Society... This is one of my favorite drinking songs in the sense that it's easy to imagine a band playing this on a wooden plank in a dank bar while the locals sing along. Plus, former Thoroughbred Times intern Joe Nevills is from this area.
Favorite lyric: "In a town where the drinkers are plowed like the roads in a heap around their breakfast in yesterday's clothes." One of the best lyrics about a hangover ever put to music.
7. "California" by Lunavelis... Another sort of regional choice in that A) it mentions California and B) Lunavelis (aka Chris Feran) is from Cleveland, so the localities of two of my favorite Turf writers (Nevills and myself, HA!) are represented here. This song is kind of sad, but I like the yearning theme since in racing we're all chasing a dream
Favorite lyric: "You'd rather drive; I'd rather die." As a fan of Jim Steinman from way back in the day, I'm all about the melodrama in music, and this lyric is way over the top.
8. "Life is a Movie or Maybe" by Okkervil River... Another bridge song here as we move away from the dark and back into the light. I love the yearning in Will Sheff's voice here, and the lyrics deliver on the theme of optimism reigning supreme even among adversity.
Favorite lyric: "It's just a life story, so there's no climax." We're all guilty sometimes of letting life pass us by because we think we're waiting for something bigger, but life is the big thing. We're living it every second.
9. "Here's Lookin' At You Kid" by Gaslight Anthem... In hindsight, I probably could have swapped eight for nine or moved this more toward the end since this song sort of has a looking back on life vibe a la Tom Waits's "Martha." This song speaks to me as a journalist because of it's biographical nature.
Favorite lyric: "I used to wait in diners a million nights without her, praying that she won't cancel again tonight, and the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh." The vivid imagery delivered here is haunting.
10. "No Hueblo Ingles" by Bowling For Soup... This is just a fun song, and with all the stuff going on this week, I'm sure I'd rather just ignore a problem than confront it.
Favorite lyric: "A guy walks up says, 'Doma esta peppe;' he no hueblo ingles." I think a major tenet of any successful pop act is not to take yourself too seriously, and Bowling For Soup always has fun.
11. "Balloon Flight" by Grammar Club... I used to think this song was about condoms, but now I'm not so sure. Regardless, it was a must include post balloon boy.
Favorite lyric: "I'll make depression and sadness disappear like it's a magic trick." Someone needs to sing that lyric to the guy alone in the diner stood up for the millionth time.
12. "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers... Isn't there a law about putting the Red Chili Peppers on any compilation of music involving California? Well, there should be. We want chilly willy!
Favorite lyric: "Looking down the barrel of a hot little .45—just another way to survive." I like the sort of morality play this song presents.
13. "Constructive Summer" by The Hold Steady... This was a selfish pick because no one I know likes Craig Finn's voice, but Stay Positive is one of my favorite albums of all time and this song while not always my favorite on that album is the one that most reminds me of racing for whatever reason. I'd love to shoot a video of this with scenes from the Derby. Plus, I built a deck this summer.
Favorite lyric: "Let this by my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." Despite the message I take from "Life is a Movie or Maybe," I still think we are capable of something better. You just can't sit around waiting for it.
14. "Dogs Days" by Florence and the Machine... The absolute breakout artist of 2009 for me, and the lyric "the horses are coming so you better run" is enough to merit inclusion here.
Favorite lyric: "Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back." I love epiphany lyrics in music, and this is a great simile for that sort of "ah ha!" moment.
15. "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... This song always reminded me of traveling, so I typically include it if I can make it work with the other tracks on the compilation and since Florence Welch and Karen O have two of my absolute favorite female voices in music right now, I thought it was a good one-two, though I'm wondering if I should have put "Cheated Hearts" here and "Maps" earlier.
Favorite lyric: "They don't love you like I love you." It's such a simple statement, and I love the urgency with which the fact is presented.
16. "Slow Suicide" by JamisonParker... I had this song on a Derby mix, and I found that it matched driving to one of the parties perfectly, so I thought it merited inclusion here since I planned the Turf writers dinner and will look forward to cutting loose the following night. Also, the intros to this and "Maps" are similar.
Favorite lyric: "
17. "Heart Tits" by Grammar Club... This song reminds me of a couple I know, so I stuck it on here because I imagine it could apply to a lot of guys trying to rep the LA lifestyle
Favorite lyric: "And your bra must have been my size." I'll stop short of calling this a "deep" song because it's not by any means, but I do enjoy the brutal honesty with which Grammar Club describes how stupid it is for guys to base entire relationships on breasts and even though they do.
18. "Ohio (Come Back to Texas" by Bowling for Soup... This song always reminds me of the Breeders' Cup because of the quasi hard sell Sam Houston Race Park tried to put on BC Ltd. to have the BC return to Texas (it was at Lone Star in 2004). Why SHRP did not use this song in its pitch or get Weird Al to write a parody of it is beyond me.
Favorite lyric: Not a lyric per se, but I like the "breakdown" of who wants you back. This song needs to be coupled with Lyle Lovett's "That's Right (You're Not From Texas)".
19. "I Hate California" by Jonathan Coulton... Again, this wasn't so much about putting my favorite Coulton cut on here so much as it was how do you not put this on the disc given the other songs on here? It's fairly pedestrian but fits the theme.
Favorite lyric: Meh
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