- 6 weeks ago
Chad Summers joined this week’s TDN Writers’ Room ahead of the GI Haskell Stakes, where his Preakness winner Napoleon Solo will make his next start. Elsewhere on the show, the team discussed the recent Paco Lopez suspension and looked ahead to this weekend’s graded stakes racing.
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00:18Welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room Podcast.
00:21My name is Bill Finley.
00:22I'm a correspondent for the Thoroughbred Daily News.
00:25And I'm wondering how Zoe's cross-country California to Saratoga trip went this year.
00:31Go for it, Zoe.
00:33How'd it go?
00:34Zoe Cabin here with First TV and First Racing.
00:37I'm here ensconced in the Brennan household in Saratoga.
00:41A doodle made it.
00:42Where is the doodle?
00:43There is the doodle.
00:45Favorite spot there on the floor.
00:47I have to help him up every now and then.
00:49Those old legs get a little bit slippy in his old age.
00:52But all is good.
00:53Glad to be here.
00:55I am Randolph Moss with NBC Sports ensconced, where I am usually ensconced, in my home office with Lucy ensconced,
01:02where she's always hanging out, fast asleep on her little couch.
01:08Unimpressed with doodle.
01:09She hasn't seen doodle, though.
01:10She's behind your back.
01:12She's actually moved a little bit.
01:14Oh, she did.
01:15She wants to be on camera.
01:17She heard her name.
01:18Okay.
01:19Anyways, well, welcome to another edition of the show.
01:22And, boy, it's hard to get through a couple months without talking about Paco Lopez.
01:27Now, we brought up in the previous edition of the TDN Writer's Room, there was a spill at Saratoga on
01:34July 3rd.
01:35But that seemed to be all the news at that point.
01:38Lo and behold, last week, the Saratoga Stewards, through the New York State Gaming Commission, handed Mr. Lopez a 30
01:47-day suspension for his ride aboard the horse I Love Giraffes.
01:52We have to start with our jockey, Zoe Cadman.
01:56What about Paco?
01:57Did he deserve that suspension?
02:00It's hard to tell.
02:01Honestly, I've watched the drone shot over and over and over, and there are some people saying that Junior came
02:08out and he started it.
02:10The simple fact of the matter is, if you are a jockey and you are on the outside of the
02:15field, there is no necessity to be quite that close.
02:20Your job is to relieve pressure to the inside of horses.
02:23Anytime there's a spill or somebody clips horses, they automatically look to the outside horse to see if the outside
02:30horse is crowding the horses down on the inside.
02:33Now, horses are going to shift in on the turn anyway.
02:37It's kind of a natural progression, especially when they switch leads.
02:42Whether they're going left, they'll switch in.
02:44Whether they're going right, they'll switch out.
02:46But as a jockey, your job is to maintain a straight course, and there was no reason for him to
02:53be quite that close.
02:54He wasn't holding anyone in.
02:56He was just dangling the reins like he does.
03:00And, yes, he warms horses up very well.
03:02And, you know, there's that old adage that you never see horses clip heels in a field when they're all
03:06galloping around in a pack, and they don't.
03:09But Paco does a great job of warming the horses up.
03:11They kind of get used to the feel of him and realize that even though he doesn't have a hold
03:16of their mouths, he kind of guides them that way.
03:19So this horse is trusting in Paco at this point.
03:22He clipped heels.
03:24It's Paco.
03:25They're going to come down on Paco.
03:27And history just repeats itself with Paco.
03:30Let us not forget, it was not even two years ago he smacked that horse around the head.
03:35People don't forget that.
03:36Or maybe sometimes they do because horse racing has a very, very short memory.
03:42So, yeah, they're probably going to come down on him a little bit harder.
03:4522 whip infractions since 22 to 25.
03:50More than any single other jockey in North America.
03:54Be better.
03:55Yes, I know most of it is from raising his hand above his shoulder.
03:59Then figure out a new way to ride your horse because that is not going to cut it.
04:06Yes, 30 days may have been too harsh, but at the end of the day, he has not incrementally tried
04:13to change things and got better over the course of the past few years.
04:17And you can go back a lot longer than a few years.
04:20I mean, all the way back to Monmouth in 2008, right?
04:2518 years ago, he racked up, I think, 60 days in careless riding suspensions and kept appealing and appealing and
04:33appealing.
04:33And finally, well, this was actually a Calder in 2008, not at Monmouth.
04:41And finally, after all that, Churchill Downs Incorporated, which owned Calder at that time, just finally said, to hell with
04:48this.
04:48And they did what they did to Bob Maffer.
04:51They banned him for seven weeks until early 2009 because of all those careless riding suspensions.
04:59In 2019, Gulfstream gave him 30 days.
05:04They said he caused a spill that injured two jockeys.
05:08Both of them had broken bones.
05:10Later, they gave him a 60-day suspension at the same meet for continuous careless riding.
05:16In 2022, there was a two-horse spill in the Fountain of Youth Stakes.
05:21They thought Paco was primarily to blame.
05:24They gave him 14 days for that.
05:26And then, of course, there's all the other violations.
05:2830 days at parks for not persevering with the Mab.
05:32Then the whip stuff that we've seen most recently.
05:35You know, you can say, some people might say, they're out to get him.
05:39Okay?
05:43Logically, if they're out to get him, okay?
05:45Pito's out to get him, definitely.
05:47There's no doubt about that.
05:48But you would have to say that New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, HISA, they're
05:56all collectively out to get Paco.
05:58Or you can be more logical and say, where there's smoke, there's fire.
06:03There's a problem here with continued careless riding.
06:06So, I think that's why you see the 30-day suspension.
06:10And quite frankly, looking at that spill, as horrific as it looks, it was amazing that
06:17no horses were killed.
06:19It was amazing that no jockeys were more seriously injured than they were.
06:23I think Javier's now for three weeks.
06:27So, just imagine, if a jockey had been paralyzed, or worse, Paco might be looking at a lifetime
06:35ban.
06:36Who knows?
06:37So, he does definitely need to clean up his act.
06:40But it's been said time and time again over decades now.
06:44Randy and Joey, I respect everything you said.
06:46And I don't necessarily disagree with it.
06:48But, Randy, you said they're out to get him.
06:51And they are.
06:51And I wrote in today's Thoroughbred Daily News that there's now two sets of rules.
06:56There's one set of rules for Paco, and there's one for everybody else.
06:59Look, I'm not condoning anything about Paco.
07:03Everything you guys said is correct.
07:05He does need to clean up his act.
07:06He never seems to learn his lesson.
07:09But my point was, this was not an infraction that warranted a 30-day suspension.
07:15I quoted Chad Summers, who we're going to have on a little bit later.
07:19And he made a point.
07:20And he said, when you give a jockey a 30-day suspension, it's usually for when they do
07:24something reckless.
07:25It's not for something that's incidental.
07:27And whether Paco was at fault or not, and I'm not even sure necessarily that he was,
07:32because I thought it was kind of inconclusive.
07:37But if this happened to some other jockey, Zoe, they wouldn't have got 30 days.
07:41You know that.
07:42I know that.
07:43Paco knows that.
07:43The stewards know that.
07:45Is that right?
07:47Be better.
07:47It's as simple as it gets.
07:51He's got to do better.
07:52And yes, you're probably right, Bill.
07:54And I cannot disagree with that.
07:56But the simple fact of the matter is, he caused that spill and was damn lucky that nobody got
08:02killed.
08:02Be better.
08:03There's no reason for you to be riding that close when you're three wide going around the
08:08turn.
08:08And you clip heels.
08:10It's your fault.
08:11Now, maybe the other horse came out.
08:13I don't know.
08:13But things stack up incrementally.
08:16He's got to be better.
08:18He hasn't learned a damn thing.
08:20Not a thing.
08:21He's not trying to be better.
08:24Hit the horse underhanded.
08:25When you have a history, a long history of being involved in, according to stewards at
08:31times, causing spills, that caused injuries, that, I mean, he's not going to get the same
08:38level of acceptance by the stewards as another jockey who has a cleaner record.
08:45That's just a fact.
08:46And it should be that way, honestly.
08:49But what I don't understand, though, is this.
08:51And to me, his fellow riders bear some responsibility with this as well.
08:58Where's the outcry?
09:00If Paco is indeed that dangerous on the racetrack, the other riders should be speaking up.
09:08It's their livelihood.
09:10It's their health that's at stake.
09:12They're the ones out there on the track.
09:15I mean, Zoe, go ahead.
09:17So put it this way.
09:18If there's a bug boy that's doing this, OK, and causing major spills like he does, getting
09:24all these riding infractions, the jockeys will band together and refuse to ride with
09:28that rider.
09:29Bug boy.
09:30Just say it's a bug boy.
09:32I'm not sure I'd want to ride with Paco right now.
09:37But they've done it before with bug boys.
09:39They'll be like, you're going to sit on the sidelines and watch and learn a little bit.
09:44And, you know, he's not riding much better than a bug boy.
09:46He doesn't know any different right now.
09:47And, yes, he's a very good rider.
09:49I'm not going to argue.
09:50Bill, we know you're a big fan of Paco.
09:52He's a very good rider.
09:53He tries hard.
09:55The gamblers love him.
09:56But at some point, you have to draw the line.
09:59You simply have to draw a line in the sand.
10:01And is it fair?
10:02No, it's not fair.
10:03Be better.
10:06Zoe, that was well put.
10:08Randy, also well put.
10:09Like I said, I don't necessarily disagree with anything you guys had to say.
10:12Well, Paco will be riding in the Haskell because he has gotten to stay.
10:16And that is the person we're going to hear from next is Chad Summers, the trainer of Paco's Mount, Napoleon
10:22Solo.
10:23But first, we're going to hear from Keeneland.
10:25Find out who the fastest horse of the week was.
10:27Stay with us.
10:29I do want to remind you that each and every week, the TDN Writer's Room is brought to you by
10:33Keeneland.
10:34Now, Saratoga winners can be found at Keeneland.
10:37Just check out last Friday's grade three victory ride.
10:41The winner was Sippin' Pretty, who was a graduate of Keeneland's January and September sale before she landed with trainer
10:47Ian Wilkes.
10:48Her win at Saratoga was her third career victory and her very first stakes win.
10:53Just this last Thursday, Generational, a son of Collected, broke his maiden in his very second start for none other
11:00than trainer Steve Asmussen,
11:02who was purchased at the Keeneland September sale last year for a mere $60,000.
11:07Make plans to attend this year's September sale, which begins on Monday, September the 14th.
11:14We do this so your granddaughter can work on a farm someday.
11:19So the stands will still be packed in 50 years.
11:23That's why we come to work every day, obsess over every single detail.
11:31Because the story of racing is written one moment at a time.
11:35And the future of our industry deserves nothing less.
11:41Keeneland.
11:41Every moment matters.
11:44The fastest horse of the week brought to you, as always, by the fast sires at One Star Farm, home
11:50of the current leading first crop sire of 2026.
11:55And that would be Life is Good.
11:57This past weekend at Prairie Meadows, his son Wagley took the Prairie Go Juvenile by nearly five lengths for his
12:04second straight stakes score.
12:06Wagley's trained by Wesley Ward, his three-for-three lifetime.
12:09And last Monday, July the 6th, Life is Good also produced his second TDN Rising Star already in Scarlet Begonia.
12:18Brad Cox's trainee who broke her maiden by three and three-quarters lengths at odds on in her debut at
12:24Ellis Park.
12:24There will be much more to come about Life is Good, who stands at One Star for $60,000.
12:30Meanwhile, Life is also good for our fastest horse of the week, a five-year-old gelding by Candy Ride,
12:37who is really coming into his own, with nine victories in his last 11 starts.
12:43Navajo Warrior took Saturday's grade three Cornhusker handicap at Prairie Meadows by three and a half lengths after aggressively opening
12:51up a six-length early lead.
12:53The sappy Joseph trainee has now run three consecutive career best buyer speed figures, starting with a 99 in the
13:01Gulfstream Allowance, 101 in the Pimlico Special, and now a Cornhusker figure of 106, making him this week's fastest horse
13:11of the week.
13:15Welcome in now to Gaines Way Guest of the Week, and it's Chad Summers.
13:19He's going to have a very exciting and big day Saturday.
13:22It's Napoleon Solo.
13:24The Preakness winner will be among the headliners in the Haskell, and Chad, thanks so much for joining us.
13:29Looking at the year you've had with this horse, and actually going back to last year's Champagne, it seems to
13:35me you were always playing catch-up.
13:37Now you got through the Preakness.
13:40Is this horse now finally where you want him to be?
13:43And not that he didn't run well in the Preakness, but could he actually, actually run better now, considering, again,
13:51where you may have him?
13:52Yeah, look, I think in any time you're looking for consistency, right?
13:56And when you're able to not miss training and you're able to just kind of come up with a plan
14:00and follow that plan, which in horse racing a lot of times is easier said than done, as Zoe knows
14:05very well.
14:06Well, it's one of those things where you have to roll with the punches, but really since the Wood Memorial,
14:13he hasn't really had anything to kind of get in his way.
14:17It was a little hot a couple days in New York a few weeks ago, so he skipped a breeze,
14:21but that was because we wanted to, not because the horse made us.
14:23And it makes us, you know, a lot more confident kind of going into the Preakness and then obviously going
14:28to this race as well.
14:30So given what happened to him, Chad, and he didn't have the best trip in the Fountain of Youth, and
14:35then he was going to run in Arkansas, and then he couldn't.
14:38Then he shipped him, sort of called an audible, shipped him to the Wood.
14:41He knew he wasn't going to be 100%.
14:42He still ran well.
14:43How gratifying was the Preakness, given all that lead up?
14:49Look, I think it was just kind of justification for what we've thought of him all along, right?
14:54I mean, people wanted to kind of Twitter train us right into the backseat driving.
14:59We'll call it Twitter trainers.
15:00They wanted to Twitter train us when we skipped the Breeders' Cup, and, you know, things didn't go our way
15:06early on in the start of his three-year-old year.
15:08But we always were very confident with the horse that we had.
15:11We saw how brilliant he was as a two-year-old, and then we saw it again as a three
15:16-year-old.
15:16And, you know, sometimes it takes a little while to get your feet underneath you and do everything the way
15:21that needs to be done.
15:22But we were confident going into the Preakness.
15:25I remember talking to you and Jerry, you know, a few days before with kind of what the strategy was
15:28going to be, what the plan was going to be.
15:30And, you know, I thought it was kind of worked out perfectly to what we were looking for.
15:35There was some speed signed up in the race, but on paper, what the speed was wasn't exactly what the
15:40speed turned out to be.
15:41And, you know, we picked right with the fullback we wanted to utilize.
15:45It looked like Brittany's horse had a lot of speed and had drawn that inside rail.
15:49And we executed the game plan to perfection.
15:52That being said, how proud of you of his progression from last year to this year?
15:58Because the Twitter trainers may have been saying he was just a very good two-year-old,
16:02but it seems like he's really kind of grown into himself.
16:06Has he filled out and grown up a little bit physically and mentally?
16:10Well, mentally, he's still Napoleon.
16:12And we're thankful that Emily gets on him every day.
16:14She does a great job with him.
16:16He has his moments.
16:17There are moments where, like today, he went to the gate in Monmouth, and he was a good boy on
16:21his best behavior.
16:22And then coming off the track, he wanted to give the track photographer Bill Denver a run for his money
16:27and see if he gets some good photos.
16:28But, you know, that's him.
16:29You know, we know what he is, and he's a happy horse.
16:33He's not the biggest horse.
16:34He's not the smallest size.
16:35He's the just-right size in the three little bears, and, you know, it's allowed us to push on him
16:42when we want to push on him
16:43and back off him when we want to back off him, and it's been good.
16:45But he's at the stage now where he's bored and he wants to run.
16:49He showed us, especially in that workout last Thursday, like he needs to do something.
16:54And, obviously, this has been our plan since the Preakness was to wait for the Haskell, not have a race
16:58in between,
16:59knowing what we have kind of in store for the second half of the year and then hopefully next year
17:03as well.
17:04But he's ready to rock and roll.
17:06What did he do coming off the track this morning?
17:08He's just playing.
17:09He's just playing.
17:10And what was his workout last Thursday?
17:12Was it good and quick?
17:15Everything with him is quick.
17:16I kind of retired the stopwatches at this point.
17:18I mean, he worked 46-2 at Belmont on the training track in company with Dry Powder, who's a great
17:24one-place Philly,
17:24just coming off a stakes win, and galloped out in 58-4, and galloped out in 111, and 124 after
17:31that.
17:31It's just him.
17:32I mean, he does everything kind of so easily, but we're used to it at this point.
17:37And, you know, Emily never moved the muscle on him, and he got his last quarter in 22-3, so
17:41on the dirt.
17:43Chad, since the Preakness, he was sold, your main owner, Al Gold, to a new outfit by the name of
17:49Espoir Racing.
17:51Was there ever any worry you would lose the horse, or was that part of the deal?
17:55Take us through that.
17:57Yeah, no, it was tough.
17:59We got the offer on Tuesday following the Preakness.
18:03It was at the Maryland Timonium Sale.
18:06And when the offer came, I presented it to Mr. Gold.
18:09And it was a very, very generous offer, and one that we had to talk about and had many conversations
18:14about, you know, what to do.
18:15Obviously, Mr. Gold loves his horses, loves the sport of horse racing, loves the Haskell.
18:22It was not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination.
18:27Once we made that decision, I didn't know who the owners were.
18:32Most of you guys don't know who the owners are now.
18:36And I wasn't sure what was going to happen.
18:38I wasn't sure if I was going to get the opportunity to keep her or not.
18:41I understand, you know, when you make an offer that they made, you know, there's no assumption at all that
18:48they're going to keep the horse with somebody who's got 110 career victories, right?
18:52I mean, very, very thankful and appreciative for the opportunity to keep the horse.
18:57And, you know, I pitched them on what our plan was.
19:01They've made it known on what they want.
19:03They want to run again next year and, you know, run in some of these big international races.
19:07And I think that was one of the things that worked in our benefit, having the success that we've had,
19:12having been to Saudi Arabia a few times, having won in Dubai a couple of times already.
19:16I think that kind of helped our case a little bit as we look towards the future next year.
19:22So you say you didn't know much about the owners.
19:25We didn't know anything about them.
19:26What can you tell us about the owners?
19:28They've been great to work with.
19:29They've been fantastic to work with.
19:32Really, really lovely people.
19:34They love the horses and look forward to possibly seeing them this weekend.
19:39Where are you now?
19:41Can we get a shot of Napoleon Solo?
19:42You're obviously in the barn getting a sore arm holding your camera.
19:46Can we teach?
19:47At the end of the interview.
19:49You've got to leave the viewers wanting more.
19:51The best for last.
19:54So training him, Chad, you look back before the Preakness on the Belmont training track.
20:00He works 111 and 2 for six furlongs.
20:02110 flat for six furlongs.
20:06Is it a challenge to keep him from doing too much?
20:10And, I mean, you would think that might be too much, but obviously it wasn't.
20:14Look, I think with everything, it's all relative, right?
20:17We felt like kind of going into the Preakness, he hadn't gotten enough out of the first two
20:25races to go a mile and three sixteenths.
20:27So knowing the tasks that we had in hand and obviously looking at people that have had a
20:32lot of success in the Triple Crown, like a guy like Bob Baffert, you know, he's used
20:37those six furlong workouts to his advantage many times on those kind of road to the Triple
20:41Crown races.
20:42And, you know, I don't mind taking a page out of his book.
20:45It's worked a lot when you talk about, you know, winning Triple Crown races.
20:48And, you know, we felt like we had to push him and we felt like it finally, once he was
20:53over the footbrews, we were able to kind of train on him a little bit harder than we
20:58had basically the last three, four weeks because, you know, he got that footbrews the morning
21:03of entries in the Arkansas Derby.
21:04Wasn't able to get a last breeze before the Wood Memorial.
21:07We got him there with patches and duct tape to the wood.
21:10And I thought he ran well to only get beat two and a half lengths that day, but he wasn't
21:14really, you know, where we'd want in an ideal world.
21:18So once that foot grew off, we pulled the shoe for a week after the Wood, let it grow
21:23out.
21:23Victor Camacho and Todd Boston, originally down in Florida, did a great job on the horse
21:27getting that foot right.
21:29And then we were able to kind of just go all systems go and it worked out well.
21:34So, Chad, I've been assigned by the crew because I'm a Paco fan that I got to ask you the
21:39Paco
21:39question.
21:40And I actually talked to you yesterday for the Thoroughbred Daily News.
21:43What's your take on Paco Lopez, the suspension?
21:47Is he a dirty rider?
21:48Are they out to get him?
21:49What do you think?
21:51Look, there's a there's a conversation piece about a lot of things to unwind here.
21:56I was granted the opportunity by the three stewards in New York to see the video myself.
22:01My horse was the one that was involved in the incident on opening day, a lovely filly
22:04named I Love Giraffes, who won on on Preakness Day over there at Laurel.
22:09It was unfortunate.
22:10You know, your range of emotions in the race itself, you go from you think you're going
22:14to win the race and in the blink of an eye, you think your filly's gone.
22:19And, you know, four horses go down and four riders go down and your heart's in your throat
22:23and you run out to the track hoping for the best, assuming the worst.
22:26And you get there, you don't find the horse on the ground and jockeys all look like they're
22:30OK.
22:31Javi was on the ground, but was moving and seemed OK.
22:34And Tyler and Dylan seemed a little dazed and Paco looked like Paco.
22:38So we all felt like we were we were going to be OK.
22:42The filly was caught.
22:43Thankfully, only has, you know, the top of her hip got a small fracture.
22:47She should be a full recovery.
22:49So that was first and foremost.
22:50When I went back and watched the video, to me, it looked like Junior Alvarado started
22:56it early on in the race.
22:57Once he banged into her about four or five times initially, Paco had lost his footing,
23:03came back and had made some contact with him.
23:05And the two of them were kind of riding each other a bit going into the turn.
23:11Junior came out again right into that turn, which is a little bit dangerous.
23:15Why the jockeys?
23:16One of the reasons the jockeys didn't want to ride that mile distance with the two year olds,
23:20famously from last Sunday, going into the turn, Junior kind of shifted out maybe a little
23:26bit more than he had to.
23:27Paco then came in.
23:28He was in tight quarters and his front legs got connected with with Junior's hind legs.
23:34He went down and everybody else kind of fell on top of him.
23:37Nobody wants to see a rider go down or a horse go down.
23:40That's first and foremost.
23:42At the end of the day, I felt as though and talking to the stewards, they had a disagreement
23:47of opinion with me, but I felt as though Junior was equally as responsible.
23:53And I thought that the 30 days was a bit egregious.
23:57I know there's precedent and things have been done in the past, but normally it's when a
24:01rider almost targets another horse and rider.
24:03They go from the six path to the two path or something like that.
24:06But in this situation, and hopefully, you know, once this thing goes to the courts and
24:12everybody can see the drone shot, not just the head on and the pan that people have pieced
24:16together, but the actual drone shot of the whole race, they can make their own conclusions
24:21instead of assuming this or that, because I think the drone shot is a good shot.
24:25I'm glad that it's it's utilized and I'm glad that, you know, we'll have an opportunity to
24:30talk about it and, you know, maybe bring some Hall of Fame riders on to talk about it as
24:34well, who who saw things the same way that I did and that were competing in the race.
24:39So we'll see what happens.
24:41Yes.
24:42And Paco will be the first to say it.
24:43I talked to Paco about this the other day.
24:46He goes, I've made mistakes in the past.
24:48He owns his mistakes.
24:49He'll be the first one to admit that he hasn't been perfect in in any stretch of the world.
24:53But in this situation, it was an accident.
24:56And unfortunately, when you're riding in stake races, you're riding tight and you're in Saratoga,
25:00accidents are going to happen.
25:01And thankfully, nobody got hurt worse.
25:03But I don't think that this was a situation that Paco was egregiously or overly careless
25:10or trying to get somebody dropped, which is what 30 days or longer would indicate.
25:15Well, what about Dry Powder?
25:18Dry Powder is good.
25:19She's happy.
25:20She's going to sell in the in the Keeneland November sale since this segment is sponsored
25:24by Gainesway.
25:25I think she make a lovely broodmare over there with some of those Gainesway stallions.
25:28I think she nicks very, very good as a daughter of Gunrunner.
25:31They have some some open crosses over there.
25:33Brian Graves is listening.
25:35Look, she's a she's a great Philly.
25:37You know, obviously, you talk about buying Napoleon for forty thousand.
25:41She was the other end of the spectrum.
25:42We bought her for for five hundred twenty five thousand.
25:44One of the most expensive horses I ever bought for Alan.
25:46You know, it's worked out well for us.
25:48She's she's earned her keep so far.
25:50She's multiple grade one place.
25:51The heartbreaking loss in the cotillion last year.
25:54I was probably a little bit overzealous going to the Breeders Cup after a long campaign of
25:58her three year old season.
26:00Didn't work out.
26:01Came back, gave a race at Laurel, going seven eighths.
26:04And she ran really, really well in the allowance race at Gulfstream.
26:08Didn't get the trip that we wanted in the La Troienne.
26:11Didn't work out that day.
26:12And I don't I don't think anybody was going to be shred the nard.
26:14She was really good that day.
26:16Came back in eight days.
26:17She was she was fourth in the ruffian and then she she got the prep over here.
26:21But in in a bloodstock game, when she's going to sell in the November sale at Keeneland,
26:27we want to make sure that she's got a great stakes win.
26:29And this is this is the most important race for life.
26:32It's a great to five hundred thousand dollar race.
26:34You're running against a Breeders Cup champion in Splendora.
26:36You're going to have some horses here for Safi Joseph and Chad Brown.
26:40It's not going to be a gimme in any stretch of the imagination.
26:43But we think this is her best distance.
26:45She's a little bit of a tweener.
26:46She's not really seven eights.
26:47She's not really a mile and a mile.
26:50Mile and a 16 seems to be her best distances.
26:52And we got the race over the track.
26:54So we're excited to give it our our best shot over here for the for the great two.
27:00Very good.
27:00Well, Chad, thank you so much for your time.
27:02Best of luck.
27:03I want to see the horse.
27:04What's that?
27:05You want to see the horse?
27:06He promised us a big reveal.
27:07So what you ask for, you shall receive.
27:12Say hi to everybody.
27:15Where is he?
27:15Oh, is he going to fight with you?
27:17He seems very bored with you guys.
27:19You didn't ask enough hard hitting questions, I guess.
27:21He wasn't.
27:22He wasn't amused by the Paco thing.
27:24He likes Paco.
27:27He also likes Joel Rosario and Kendrick, too.
27:29He's got wins with them, too.
27:31It's great.
27:32All right.
27:32Thank you, Chad.
27:33Well, thank you for showing us Napoleon Solo.
27:36Thank you for joining us.
27:37Best of luck on Saturday.
27:38And the Haskell should be exciting.
27:40Thank you for being our Gainesway guest.
27:42Thanks so much, guys.
27:43Appreciate it.
27:44Cheers, Chad.
27:45Guest of the week, Chad Summers, brought to you by Gainesway, home of leading young sire
27:50McKenzie, who on Friday was well represented by his daughter Paradise City, winner of the
27:57Saylorville Stakes, also at Prairie Meadows.
28:00It was the first stakes win for the four-year-old filly, who had previously placed in three other
28:06stakes.
28:07McKenzie, a grade one winner at two, three, and four, is currently number three on the
28:12list of leading third crop sires, thanks in part to his talented son, Baeza.
28:19McKenzie in a dominant performance!
28:29A million two, a million two, right there, a million two hundred thousand.
28:32Baeza gets his moment in the sun in the Pennsylvania Derby.
28:36Chancer, Mick Patrick wins the champagne impressively.
28:40Spectacular display from Scottish Lassie, who's in front by 15 legs!
28:48The Pennsylvania Breeding Program is the best program in the country.
28:53The stallion awards, the owner bonuses, also the restrictive races and the stakes races for
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29:13We take advantage of the fantastic program that we have.
29:17Learn more at pabread.com.
29:19The TDN Riders are brought to you by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, PHBA.
29:24We've been talking about it, and now it's almost upon us this Saturday, July the 18th.
29:30Pennsylvania's Day at the Races at Park Racing will feature an entire 12-race cart of Pennsylvania
29:37bred races.
29:38Four of them will be stakes, each worth $100,000.
29:42And in all, the card features $1,000,000 in purses and awards.
29:48PHBA members, you can register online for a members-only complimentary luncheon at Parks.
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29:58breads competing on one of the state's most exciting racing days.
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30:09Brian Sanfratello at 610-444-1050.
30:14Well, it sounds like Napoleon Solo's in a good place, Zoe.
30:18It really does, and always good to hear from trainer Chad Summers.
30:21He's a very good on camera, very smart guy, considering he bought this horse for $40,000.
30:28God only knows how much they sold him for, but for Al Gold, who holds the Haskell near and
30:34dear to his heart, even more than the Kentucky Derby, it must have been an awful lot of money,
30:39Randy.
30:40Yeah, and supposedly Al is going to be at Monmouth on Haskell Day to watch Dry Powder run.
30:47But Chad's not sure he's going to hang around to see Napoleon Solo.
30:52Maybe too many emotions there.
30:54And you heard from Chad, saw and heard from Chad.
30:57I think he's done some simulcast TV work in his past.
31:02He's very analytical.
31:05He's very knowledgeable, and it comes across well.
31:08Well, some of the off-the-track news last week occurred when it was announced that a group
31:13of investors have started something they're calling the Horse Racing League.
31:17And some pretty impressive groups and people are involved in it.
31:21Windstar, Godolphin, Vinny Viola, Gary Barber, among others.
31:25It's once again an attempt to create the league concept for horse racing.
31:32You will not be...
31:34There will be teams.
31:35A matter of fact, they're looking to assemble 10 teams, which will have eight horses each.
31:42There's going to be three days of racing for these teams.
31:46And at the end of the day, one team will have more points than the other.
31:50And then they will obviously be some prize money involved in all this.
31:55I will start off by saying I wish these people well, and I welcome new innovations in horse racing.
32:03But weren't we just having this conversation with something called the National Thoroughbred League?
32:08Randy, I love these people.
32:10I give them a chance because there's so many smart people involved in this and obviously big money.
32:17But once again, I'm skeptical.
32:18That National Horse Racing League wasn't that different.
32:21And they really never even got out of the starting gate.
32:24Yeah, I think the primary reason that we can be skeptical of whether it's going to succeed or not is
32:30just the attrition factor of the horses.
32:33I mean, the horses are all acquired by the league, and then there's a draft among the different teams to
32:40draft the horses.
32:41And I think each team will have eight horses.
32:44Well, that may not be enough.
32:46And then there are some provisions there to substitute other horses of equal value, equal speed.
32:54Well, how do you determine that?
32:55There are a lot of challenges as far as the attrition level of horses, even for a three-day situation.
33:04I think it's four races per day, two turf, two dirt.
33:07But bottom line, it's not for us, right?
33:11It's not for me and you and Zoe.
33:13It's not for the hardcore racing fans.
33:17These are allowance horses at best.
33:20It's really targeted at bringing in a new audience to thoroughbred racing and exposing them to the sport, hopefully, the
33:29same way the owner of the league did with Formula One.
33:33And maybe just increasing the fan base among people that really didn't know much about horse racing to begin with.
33:40That's the object.
33:41And again, like you said, Bill, I wish them luck.
33:45I think it's going to be a great thing and it's going to be totally different from the other horse
33:50racing league that we saw.
33:52One, you've got real players in this.
33:54You've got the Gary Barbers.
33:55You've got the Vinny Viola.
33:57They're putting down real money and they are purchasing horses.
34:00This isn't just a fairytale draft.
34:03This is real money running for real money in real races.
34:07So that's the key difference here.
34:09They're all going to buy their own horses for their own team.
34:12So you've got real skin in the game, so to speak.
34:16And it's also the same people that produced F1, which was a fantastic series that really brought Formula One to
34:23life.
34:24Now, the big difference that we have here is things are going to be filmed live and you hope that
34:30it's going to be edited well and brings horse racing to a good light.
34:34But you are going to have things that go wrong.
34:37Horses are, you know, they're like human beings.
34:41You know, horses die racing.
34:44It's just a simple fact of the matter.
34:46And some of this is going to have to be shown or is it?
34:49I'm not sure how they're going to get around this.
34:53You know, there are accidents in horse racing.
34:55It's flesh and blood as opposed to car racing, which is definitely different.
35:02But, again, you have real passion in this sport of horse racing.
35:06And I think the way that they showed it so well in F1, if they can bring that to the
35:11table in this, I think it could be a really, really good thing.
35:15And the fact that these real players, the derby winner, you've got a couple of derby winners in there, owners
35:20are willing to put skin and money into this.
35:24I think it's fantastic and probably the best thing that's come to horse racing in quite some time.
35:29Well, fingers crossed.
35:30I mean, we're talking about three days of competition, four races per day.
35:35We're only talking about 12 races.
35:37So fingers crossed that we won't see any serious injuries or anything like that in a 12 race and 12
35:42race series.
35:43The odds are highly in their favor, but it can happen.
35:46Yeah.
35:47Yeah.
35:48Zoe, they didn't mention anything about having a show like the Formula One show that was so popular.
35:53But I'm sure that's in the works.
35:55Oh, yeah.
35:56Because this wouldn't make any sense if they weren't going to have some sort of Netflix, Hulu, or whatever series
36:04to go with it.
36:05But I want to ask you this question as someone who's involved in the bloodstock business.
36:09And Randy brought up, I think, a very good point.
36:11The attrition level and how hard it's going to be to keep these horses in training without having injuries and
36:19then trying to go back and buy horses.
36:20I also think, how are you going to buy 80 horses?
36:24That's an awful lot of horses.
36:25And these aren't $5,000 claimers.
36:28They said they're going to be allowance horses.
36:30Even, you know, with the purses being what they are these days, I think a good allowance horse has got
36:33to be worth at least $100,000 or so.
36:37What would be, if somebody puts you in charge of this and said, Zoe, why don't buy us 80 horses?
36:42How would you do that?
36:43I mean, you look at Vinnie Viola, okay, how many horses does he buy at the sale every year in
36:49partnership with various other entities?
36:52Are you talking 100, 200 horses?
36:55Gary Barber, 100, 200 horses.
36:57These guys have a lot of horses.
36:59They've picked people that have a lot of horses and a lot of bankroll.
37:03So I don't think it's going to be a problem.
37:05And they've got a big stable to choose from.
37:07In this particular case, it's the league that's purchasing the horses and not the individual teams.
37:14So the league is going to purchase 80 horses.
37:17That's eight horses for 10 teams, okay?
37:20I don't know who's going to be picking out the horses for the leagues, but they're the ones that are
37:25going to be going out and making those purchases.
37:27And then they'll have an 80-horse pool, and they'll hold a draft, sort of like an NFL draft, right?
37:33And each player, your Gary Barber, your Vinnie Violas, your Windstars, Good Dolphin, some huge names, as you pointed out.
37:41And they're going to look at that list of 80 horses that were purchased, and they're going to select, alternately,
37:46they're going to select their stable.
37:48So then I would imagine, I mean, we really don't know anything about it.
37:52We're all just guessing at this point.
37:54But I would imagine that all of these entities, maybe they're all going to put in 500,000 each, you
38:00know?
38:01Yeah, there is a fee to enter, yeah.
38:06Yeah, a million-dollar buy-in, and that's going to buy you a lot of decent horses.
38:10So they're still going to be putting up real money to play in this horse racing league.
38:14So it's not going to be junky horses.
38:17It's going to be good horses.
38:18And, you know, a million dollars to some of these guys is nothing.
38:23Well, Zoe, I hope you are right in your enthusiasm about this, because even though I'm the skeptic among the
38:30crew,
38:31we can't have enough good innovations in horse racing and not enough good new things to bring more fans into
38:39the game.
38:40So good luck to these people.
38:42I hope I am dead wrong about this, but we shall see as we go forward.
38:48I'm sure we will revisit this conversation at some point.
38:52All right, we're going to hear from our friends at the Kentucky Bread Program,
38:55find out what success they've had on the racetrack, as they always do,
38:59find out who the first TV work of the week was,
39:02and then when we come back, our team will go over some of the big races coming up this weekend.
39:07Stay with us.
39:08We have told you previously how Kentucky Breads made their presence felt at the recent Royal Ascot meet with Scandinavia,
39:16scoring that dramatic win in the Ascot Gold Cup.
39:18Nola Sol taking the Chesham Stakes and Baccio impressively winning the Palace of Hollyrood House Handicap.
39:25But now, as summer racing heats up, literally, the focus in Kentucky shifts first to Ellis Park,
39:31now running, which features 18 stakes, worth a record $4.125 million.
39:38And then, of course, Kentucky Downs will offer an estimated $37.2 million in total purses for its 2026 meet,
39:48with record-setting daily average purses and supplements boosted by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.
39:57That's the KTDF. Kentucky's all about those lucrative acronyms right now.
40:01What about the KTBIF?
40:04The Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Incentive Fund in 2025, for the second year in a row,
40:09that fund paid $20 million to participating breeders and has now provided, get ready for it,
40:16more than a quarter billion dollars, billion with a B, since that fund was first initiated in 2005.
40:23Kentucky Breads. Breed them, raise them, race them. We all win.
40:28With some of the fullest fields in the country and quality racing year-round,
40:33there's never been a better time to reap the rewards of breeding and racing in Kentucky.
40:40Purse money in Kentucky is at an all-time high, as its average purse per race,
40:45outpacing California, Florida, and New York.
40:49Kentucky Breads. Breed them. Raise them. Race them.
40:54We all win.
41:00Be a smarter bettor with First TV.
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41:32We managed to catch the very talented magnitude as he was back on the work tab after his win in
41:38last month's Stephen Foster right at Saratoga.
41:41The son of not this time went an easy four furlongs in 50-2 on Sunday at Saratoga.
41:48Bright and early for the Steve Asperson Barn.
41:50That was Louis Ortiz aboard who regularly rides the son of not this time.
41:54Apparently no relation to any of the Ortiz boys, but, you know, maybe somewhere a little further back that you
42:01might find some relative activity.
42:04Anyway, magnitude, we look forward to his very next start in the Whitney in just a couple of weeks.
42:09We're recording this on a Tuesday.
42:11They haven't, excuse me, they haven't entered the field or drawn the field yet for the Haskell Stakes.
42:17We have a pretty good idea of who's running.
42:20If I'm not right about this, I'm sure Randy Moss doing his research for NBC can fill us in on
42:25exactly who's running.
42:26But I know that there's six confirmed starters.
42:29Baby Vino, further ado, Iron Honor, Napoleon Solo, Ocelli, and the Puma.
42:34Randy, how'd I do?
42:35Does that look like the field?
42:36Yeah, there may be one or two more that jump in there when they see exactly how short the field
42:42is going to be.
42:42But, yeah, I mean, on paper, it certainly comes down to a solid group, right?
42:48Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, the Puma, and Ocelli.
42:53Names that we're very familiar with.
42:55Yeah, some good horses in there.
42:56I wish they had a little bit bigger field.
42:58Maybe they will, like you said, get another horse or two.
43:01Well, I hate to give picks before the past performances come out.
43:06And I think I should pick the Puma.
43:08I picked him in the Kentucky Derby until he was scratched.
43:11How can I get off him?
43:12But I got to go with Napoleon Solo.
43:15I think all his problems are behind him.
43:19I don't think the Preakness was that strong a field.
43:21But we saw the horse in the Preakness that we all thought we were going to see going forward when
43:26he was so impressive in the Champagne.
43:29Another factor, Zoe, I don't see a whole lot of speed in here.
43:32And I think he might be able to control the pace under my good friend Paco Lopez.
43:39Paco's going to go.
43:40That's for sure.
43:40Father Adieu's in there.
43:42So he's, you know.
43:43Yeah, we got to mention him, right?
43:45Yeah.
43:45Right, exactly.
43:46Yes.
43:46He's definitely got some pace there.
43:48It's going to be draw dependent, I think, with the pair of them.
43:51Because if Paco wants a lead, he's just going to free reign it and go.
43:55So I believe it's going to be between those two.
43:59Can I assume that Pratt's riding Eye and Honor?
44:01That's why he's going there?
44:03Yeah.
44:04I think so.
44:05He's not riding at Saratoga.
44:07Correct.
44:07So that's the logical assumption.
44:10Oh, Sally, we'll see if he can, you know, get the world's richest maiden.
44:16He'll probably hit the board, that's for sure.
44:18What a dandy little horse he is.
44:20I would love to own him.
44:22But I believe it's going to be between Father Adieu and Napoleon Solo.
44:28But perhaps Eye and Honor gets the golden trip under Flavian Pratt.
44:33Yeah.
44:34I mean, what I liked about Napoleon Solo's win in the Preakness, it turned out to be even more early
44:39speed in the race, I think, than people had envisioned.
44:41And Taj Mahal went at Laurel fractions of 46 and change for the half mile, going a mile and three
44:48sixteenths is a pretty robust pace.
44:50And yet Paco got Napoleon Solo with his loose reins to relax very nicely sitting just outside of Taj Mahal
44:57and outkicked Iron Honor nearing the stretch.
45:01And Iron Honor, you know, couldn't catch back up again.
45:03And it was a good effort by Iron Honor because he lost a lot more ground on the turns, I
45:08think, than Napoleon Solo did.
45:10Probably about a couple of lengths difference there.
45:12Good race.
45:13You got the Puma, obviously, as Bill mentioned.
45:16There's a lot to like about the Puma.
45:17Although he hasn't run since March, that's a bit of a disadvantage.
45:21And, you know, further ado has shown that he doesn't have to have Keeneland to run his good races.
45:26So the Haskell that we're really looking forward to on NBC will be out there on site, as usual, to
45:33do the Haskell on Saturday.
45:34What's the weather looking like?
45:37Well, on Tuesday, it's brutally hot here.
45:40So but that's a little bit in advance.
45:43But no rain.
45:44I don't know, Zoe.
45:46I don't I don't have the I didn't check out your weather before going on the podcast.
45:50I'm sorry.
45:50Next time I promise that I will.
45:53So in Saratoga, the feature race is the Diana grade one.
45:58Chad Brown has won this 10 times, including the last four years in a row.
46:02And he has four starters in the race.
46:04So I guess this all revolves around Chad Brown.
46:08Randy, I can't I think he's going to win the race, which is a kind of an obvious statement.
46:12I can't really separate his four horses, which are dynamic pricing, Kathy, Catherine and Marissa, portfolio duration and suggest that
46:23I'll flip a coin and go with suggest that I think the horse will be stalking to slow pace, maybe
46:29set by portfolio determination.
46:31Who kind of stole the race a little bit in the New York getting to the lead in forty nine
46:36and one.
46:38Dylan Davis takes over for Flavie and Pratt, who we believe will be on iron honor in the Haskell.
46:43And I think this horse probably will like a mile and an eighth.
46:47She is two for three at the distance.
46:49So, Randy, could they possibly beat Chad Brown here?
46:52Hey, it's possible.
46:55You've got a European in there who was fourth at 90 to one in the Breeders' Cup, Philly, Mayor Turf
47:00named Cathedral.
47:01And we all know, you know, how effective European horses can be when they run against Americans over here.
47:06But she's he's eligible for non winners of two or it's a she.
47:10Excuse me.
47:11Obviously, this is the Diana.
47:12She's eligible for non winners of two.
47:14She's one for eleven lifetimes.
47:15So that's sort of a black mark.
47:17I can I think think I can separate Chad's horses pretty clearly dynamic pricing, I think, needs a little more
47:25give in the ground than she's likely to get at Monmouth pending for at Saratoga pending the weather.
47:32I mean, we'll see if it if it rains portfolio duration in the New York stakes was not the best
47:38horse in the race.
47:39The best horse in that race was Kathy and Barissa, the other Chad Brown horse portfolio duration.
47:45Got away with a very easy early lead in forty nine and change while Kathy and Marissa was fanned four
47:51wide on the first turn.
47:53So I think and she also had to make a little bit of an early move heading into the second
47:58turn from Jose Ortiz to keep from going wide on the second turn.
48:01So I think it comes down to Sugesta and Kathy and Marissa.
48:05I think Kathy and Marissa is somewhat underrated.
48:08Sugesta is the logical horse of the two because she is more accomplished.
48:15When you look at her grade one races and Kathy and Marissa has never competed in a grade one race
48:20other than the New York.
48:21But I think Kathy and Marissa has a legitimate chance to win.
48:25And honestly, if she's a much better price than Sugesta, I would probably go there.
48:30Absolutely.
48:31Couldn't agree more.
48:32And look at Chad Brown's record right now, by the way, as well.
48:36He is three for thirty five.
48:39That is winning at a poultry nine percent right now.
48:43And it's not Crimea River, Chad.
48:45I was speaking to Chad yesterday, along with George Weaver, and they both echoed the same sentiment.
48:51We need rain at Saratoga.
48:53The pair of them, they said the turf is just too hard and we need some rain.
48:57It's been unusually dry here of late.
49:00Usually, you know, opening day, although there's been three hundred opening days at Saratoga this year already.
49:05You get some rain.
49:07We've been devoid of any rain.
49:08We're not going to get rain till next week.
49:10I even said to Chad, jokingly, I'm like, well, if you're going to win, it would only rain on Monday
49:14and Tuesday.
49:15He said right now, I would I wouldn't care if it rained on Thursday and Friday.
49:20He said the turf needs some water on it and proper rain.
49:26His horses really aren't loving the turf horse as firm as it is.
49:31And that's just not Chad crying.
49:33George Weaver was stood there right there and echoed the same sentiments.
49:37So I'm looking at that.
49:39I'm looking at the National Weather Service forecast right now for Saratoga.
49:42We're taping this on Tuesday.
49:43Yeah.
49:44And by the way, the Haskell draw is today as well on Tuesday.
49:47Tuesday, high 97, no rain Wednesday, high 93, sunny and hot Thursday, sunny and hot 90 Friday, sunny and 85
49:54Saturday, a 30 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m.
49:59High 85.
50:00And that's it.
50:01Yeah.
50:01So today is going to be the hottest day of the year here in Saratoga.
50:05And like if you watch the races like dust clouds are coming up and you can only put so much
50:11water on it manually or not manually, but however they water the track.
50:15It needs a good soaking of rain.
50:17So that being said, I do like Catherine and Marissa in here.
50:21She's one at Santa Anita that's predominantly a firmer turf course than you would see on the East Coast.
50:27And she likes the top of the ground.
50:29So while I don't think she would be the overriding favorite, she would be my pick in here.
50:34But next week will probably be a different matter because we do have some rain coming next week, which will
50:41be welcomed.
50:42And by the way, Bill, since we talked about this earlier and since I have the National Weather Service app
50:46open, I checked Ocean Fork, New Jersey, for the Haskell.
50:49No rain until Saturday.
50:51A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
50:55And then a smaller chance of showers and thunderstorms after that.
50:58So it may possibly rain.
51:01Well, let's hope it doesn't rain Friday at Monmouth because my friend Bookum Dano is going to make a special
51:06appearance in Mr. Prospector's Stakes at Monmouth Park.
51:10They're doing something pretty neat, bringing the guy back, the Pride of the New Jersey Bread program, to run in
51:16a race in front of his hometown fans.
51:17They bumped up the purse from 100 to 200.
51:20And I thought they'd get a three-horse field.
51:22I think they got eight in there.
51:23So people aren't scared of old Dano, are they?
51:26Or maybe they're just running for second money.
51:27All right, of course, it's a huge weekend at Del Mar.
51:31It's the opening weekend.
51:33Friday is like a holiday in the San Diego area.
51:36On Saturday, they run the San Clemente and the San Diego Handicap.
51:40And, of course, the highlight of the San Diego Handicap will be journalism.
51:45Finally, this guy gets some class relief.
51:48My God, the horses he has been lining up against throughout the last two years of his career,
51:53including Naisos last time out in the Metropolitan.
51:56Why the Barrio and Sovereignty in the Oakland Handicap?
52:00I think we know he's not the very best horse in the country.
52:03He's kind of proven that over the last year and a half or so.
52:07But he's a very good horse.
52:09Randy, he's just faster than the rest of the competition in here.
52:12And I assume this is a prep for the Pacific Classic.
52:15Well, pretty good move on the part of Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Michael McCarthy,
52:19because I don't think any of the heavy heads from the East Coast,
52:21I haven't heard any of them talking about the Pacific Classic.
52:23So if he wins this, he might be the favorite there.
52:26He'll be one to five.
52:28He'll be one to five on paper.
52:29I mean, Miramati's OK.
52:30He's running all right.
52:31He'll probably set the pace.
52:32But, Zoe, I thought it's interesting who's back in the saddle again for journalism.
52:37Welcome back, Umbi Rispoli.
52:40Just started back riding just last week.
52:43I think Baffert put him on a two-year-old or a three-year-old over there at La Salle
52:48that parked.
52:49So, Umbi back in the winner's circle of a horrific leg injury at Goldstream Park in January.
52:56He's had ample time to recover.
52:57Did require surgery for that after going down in a spill on Pegasus World Cup undercard.
53:03So, welcome back.
53:04Umbi Rispoli and Jose Ortiz, obviously not available.
53:08Everybody wants Jose, and he's not going to Del Mar to write journalism.
53:13So, better the devil you know as far as I'm concerned.
53:15So, good to see Umbi Rispoli back from injury and back aboard journalism.
53:21And, by the way, one more thing to add, Bill.
53:23I think most people that watch this podcast are aware of this already.
53:27But you look at the sensational days in American horse racing, and obviously there's Kentucky Derby Day,
53:33and there's Preakness Day, and there's Belmont Day lately, especially when it's at Saratoga.
53:39And now the Pegasus World Cup is big.
53:42You've got the Breeders' Cup two days.
53:44Del Mar Opening Day deserves to be high up on that list.
53:49If you haven't been to a Del Mar Opening Day, it is unbelievable.
53:53It is really a spectacle.
53:56Quite the party at Del Mar.
53:57Even on a Friday, they come flooding in from San Diego and from L.A.
54:03and from all around Southern California to be part of that opening day vibe.
54:07And it is something special.
54:09It used to be on a Wednesday or a Thursday opening day at Del Mar.
54:14And I can remember riding the train down.
54:16It was so much fun.
54:17We took the train down from Union Station all the way down to Del Mar.
54:21And when you get off the train station at Solana Beach, there are open-top double-decker buses to pick
54:27you up there.
54:28So, you know, we all rode on the top deck all the way down to Del Mar from Solana Beach.
54:33Not very far, but it was fun to ride the double-decker.
54:36Went in there and then got the ride home on the train as well.
54:39It was a long day, but very, very fun indeed.
54:42West Point Thoroughbreds is off and running at Saratoga after the speedy Yenzer, the pride of Pittsburgh,
54:47kicked off his 2026 campaign with a wire-to-wire allowance win at a mile-on-turf Saturday.
54:53And coming off an eight-month layoff, trainer Steve Asmussen had the four-year-old Yenzer
54:58primed to fire big off the bench with the career-best 92 buyer
55:02and meet leading rider Jose Ortiz expertly rationed his speed.
55:07Now that's Saratoga, but don't forget the West Point Thoroughbreds' Del Mar Challenge.
55:12It's horse racing fantasy style.
55:14Entries are now open to everyone, and it's free-to-play.
55:17You build your stable by selecting jockeys, trainers, and horses throughout the Del Mar meet.
55:23You accumulate points based on their performances and bonus points if a West Point horse wins.
55:30The grand prize is a genuine ownership experience as part owner of a two-year-old filly by Speaker's Corner,
55:36currently in trainer Michael McCarthy's barn at Del Mar.
55:40Our entries close at post-time for the first race of the Del Mar meet, Friday, July 17th.
55:47I know you'll be caught up in all that hoopla on opening day at Del Mar,
55:51but don't miss signing up at www.westpointtv.com.
55:58All the thrills.
56:03Fraction of the bills.
56:07Experience the power of the partnership.
56:13Change your life, make new friends, and compete at the highest level of thoroughbred racing.
56:20West Point Thoroughbreds, the gold standard in racing partnerships.
56:25Visit westpointtv.com.
56:28Well, that's a wrap on this week's TDN Writer's Room podcast presented by Keeneland.
56:32I want to thank my partners, Randy Moss and Zoe Cabin, our Gainsway guests for the week, Chad Summers.
56:38Also, the people who work behind the scenes are the real stars of the show, and that's Randy.
56:42Excuse me, that's not Randy Moss.
56:44He works in front of the camera.
56:45That's Sue Finley, Katie Petruniak, Anthony LaRocca, and Aaliyah LaRocca.
56:49Thanks so much for tuning us in, and we'll see you next week.
56:58You
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