First, The Jug. t kills me to miss yet another one, but my girls play Hawken, the #5 team in the state this afternoon and I need to be there. The second elim is much tougher than the first, but with four getting through to the second heat, at least post is not the issue it has been in the past. You have to like Roll With Joe and Betterthancheddar to advance from that one, while I think Custard The Dragon may come up big in the first split (although you have to root for Ron Potter, the hometown trainer with Big Bad John. I like Foreclosure N in that one just a bit, as well. Not sure if any other New Zealand-breds have raced in the Jug.
And I look for a race-off. The first heat winner will join Cheddar and Joe (whoever loses the elim will turn the tables in the "don't call it a final" second heat. I look for Betterthancheddar who got good at the right time to take the crown.
Interesting comments from Roll With Joe's connections. He will be retired at the end of this year and sent to stud. from Harness racing Update- “W e have a worry that if he races at four and something
else happens to that ankle he’d have no stud career,”
Grossman said. “Anything could happen. To keep rolling
the dice and playing Russian Roulette, we just can’t.”
W ithout going into specifics. Grossman said he thought
the Gural ban would not effect the first crop by Roll With
Joe.
“(The ban) doesn’t affect our plans at all,” he said. “We
are very sure that he will be in the stud barn next year and
his first crop will be in the Meadowlands Pace. I’d rather
not get into the political rigamarole. I just think it will work
out that way.”
On another topic- The Plain Dealer has a front page article on the "fast-tracking" of a contract for slots at the racetrack. The Northeast Ohio racing establishment embarrasses itself in two ways in this article, first with Thistledown's GM saying he is "champing at the bit." The proper phrase is "chomping at the bit." Where is his media consultant. And Northfield gets a "An official at the Northfield harness track was unavailable for comment."
A shame that the the roles have switched. Just a couple years ago it was Northfeld that was ALWAYS out front on the media situations. When Barbaro was euthanized, it was Thistledown's spokesman who was unavailable and Northfield's spokesman who went ont he air to discuss it, even though it was a different breed. And now, with a huge issue facing both tracks futures, Northfield can't provide anyone to comment. It may well be part of the current business strategy- say nothing and don't make waves, but it is a huge disappointment to me, based on what I know of that trac;s management team.
The full article here: http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/09/thistledown_would_need_time_to.html
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