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Ok, so I got out of class early today but decided to derp around and nap. The Dubai Super Saturday is tomorrow, and I have elected to say “f—k it” to handicapping because hey, I’m not that great at synthetic (or maybe I am and I just don’t know it) and I’m certainly lost when it comes to international racing. SO, here are my rooting interests for all the races tomorrow. You guys can find the complete list of entries and post times (in EDT for my lazy American convenience!) over here on BloodHorse.

$1 million Godolphin Mile on Tapeta

Master of Hounds!

$1 million Dubai Gold Cup - 2 miles on turf

Averroes! (When in doubt, root for a cute chestnut)

$2 million UAE Derby - 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta

Elleval because BLAZE

$1 million Al Quoz Sprint - 5 furlongs on turf

Varsity, have to go with a Clement horse

$2 million Golden Shaheen - 6 furlongs on Tapeta

Oh gee I don’t know… TRINNIBERG!

$5 million Dubai Duty Free - 1 1/8 miles on turf

Little Mike will have my strongest interests, but another victory for Ocean Park [NZ] would be swell

$5 million Dubai Sheema Classic - 1 1/2 miles on turf

Shareta!

$10 million Dubai World Cup - 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta

But I’d be glad to see any of the three Americans win or Planteur— if none of them can make a case, I think it’s safe to say America will not be winning the World Cup for a long time.

Royal Delta

Dayatthespa

Questing

Mucho Macho Man

Wise Dan

Little Mike

These ponies could all feasibly show up in New York or else this list would be a lot longer.

The sport of kings played spectator to even more thrills and surprises in 2012, with favorites and unexpected surprises all playing their roles and making the crowd roar from California to Dubai. Of course, there’s no one right answer in determining which performance was best or which horse was most compelling in their victories. It was difficult sifting through so many races, and while I’m compelled to include more, I’ll keep it to twenty unforgettable races. Because I’m more an expert on North American racing, yes there will be a bias towards American races, so do be wary of what I wound up picking. Let’s get started…

20) Game On Dude gets redemption in Californian (II) blowout - “STRAIGHT AND STRONG!” After a disappointing 12th place performance in the Dubai World Cup (I), “the Dude” shipped back home to Santa Anita to go wire-to-wire in the 9-furlong Californian. He toyed with the field from the start, and ran away on the far turn to cement an incredible 8 1/2 length victory. Watch it here

19) Alpha and Golden Ticket dead-heat in Travers (I) - A jumbled race from the betting windows, longshot Golden Ticket refused to yield to encroaching favorite Alpha in the stretch of the three-year-old classic and the two colts hit the wire together for the first time in the race’s long history. Watch it here

18) Ron the Greek catches Wise Dan in unexpected Stephen Foster (I) result - The heavy favorite in a strong field, Wise Dan looked like the winner coming to the line of the 10-furlong Churchill Downs race only to be caught by rail runner Ron the Greek. It was Wise Dan’s lone loss of the year by a short head. Watch it here

17) Fort Larned runs to the nines, upsets Breeders’ Cup Classic (I) - Down but not out, the Ian Wilkes trainee celebrated his jockey’s birthday by wiring the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, deflecting a determined Mucho Macho Man in the stretch to register an upset win. Watch it here

16) Believe You Can leads Rosie Napravnik to first Kentucky Oaks (I) - For the first time since the race started in 1875, a female jockey prevailed aboard the Larry Jones entry with a name all too fitting for making history. The lilies fell to Believe You Can in an upset performance at the Downs. Watch it here

15) Groupie Doll much the best among the best in Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (I) - There was no denying that Groupie Doll was the “lock” of the Breeders’ Cup championships. She broke smooth and slow to creep up on the pacesetters and from there it was repetitive brilliance as the four-year-old filly romped to her fifth win of the year and third G1. Watch it here

14) Bodemeister turns Arkansas Derby (I) into a runaway - He was not the favorite, but by the looks of things he should have been. The rapidly-improving stablemate of Secret Circle took his stablemate head on in the Oaklawn stretch and poured it on from there, outclassing the more experienced colts to register a a nearly 10-length romp to become the Derby favorite. Watch it here

13) Little Mike notches yet another surprise ousting top horses in Breeders’ Cup Turf (I) - The cheap little gelding gave a big performance in yet another world class race, funneling through the inside rail from off-the-pace to upset some of the world’s best grass horses when he appeared to be off his game. Watch it here

12) I’ll Have Another catches Bodemeister once more in Preakness (I) - The Derby winner still had something to prove in the shorter, tighter second leg of the Triple Crown but replicated a similar sort of brilliance as he did in Kentucky. With Bodemeister jetting off to a widening lead in the stretch, I’ll Have Another caught his rival again in the waning moments of the race to stay alive for the Triple Crown. Watch it here

11) Royal Delta squishes top field, shows new front-running dimension in her defense of the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (I) - The toughest race in the championships, returning champion Royal Delta made it look too easy to be real as she set her sights on the lead and held it down to discourage a field full of top G1-winning fillies in another brilliant performance. Watch it here

Stay tuned for races #10-1!

The worst part about not having a laptop for the whole week? Not being able to update the weekend’s Racing Beat as thoughts come to me. Or, well, at least it’s one of the many worst parts about not having a laptop/accessible Internet. /dies

Smart Bid’s to be a New York stallion. Yay and nay at the same time… he IS a 6-year-old this year and has some nice wins to his credit.

I’m not totally sure why some people are appalled that horses get electroshock therapy. I’m sure these offended persons are the same folks who think it’s abusive when we vacuum one of our horses. (She really likes it)

I should have guessed that Toby’s Corner was done after an unremarkable comeback from his poorly-timed injury last year. Not the prettiest horse, but I had him in my WinStar fantasy Derby stable and oh man, was I rollin’ in it when he beat Uncle Mo in the $1 million Wood Memorial. Mwahahaha. We’ll miss ya, Tobes, have fun in Japan.

YAY GULFSTREAM MEET’S ON! It’s like a fast, New York god-tier track set up in Florida.

He’s still got it: Game On Dude comes on again to flick away Nonios twice in the same race!

Overdriven goes the way of Bodemeister and retires with a shoulder injury. Seriously I’m beginning to wonder if it’s really that bad or if they really think they can turn a profit on a horse that has only won as a juvenile. I dislike most of Repole’s horses by natural instinct, but even I would have given him a chance. He works super nice and has some nice distance pedigree.

Confession: I didn’t care for Dance Card over Questing [GB] until I found out she was gray. OHMAIGURSH!

Mark Valeski needs to return already. Teeth of the Dog, too. Don’t get me started on Graham Motion teasing me with photos of Went the Day Well on the training track. #sigh #4yearolds2013

Well that had to be the shortest reign ever, Solemia.

Hope Damon Thayer lives up to expectations in the Kentucky Senate /boringpoliticalmentions

So much for the Clark Handicap! I saw you racing in the grass-bound Hollywood Derby (I), Golden Ticket! What gives! What you doing there? You know you can’t catch Unbridled Command! (Whom I’m shocked got away with 7-1 odds! And my own favorite Lucky Chappy [IRE] at a whopping 15-1! Missed huge betting opportunity for sure…)

For once, I actually agree with someone on DRF. Of course it’s Mike Watchmaker.

I’m glad I got to see Rule before he retired to stud, also in New York at Vinery. Not the most amazing runner, but he was so darn cute.

Gulfstream’s giving away 50 opportunities to “Meet Little Mike” for donating a dollar to charity. Gosh you Californian peeps got him for free before his Breeders’ Cup win, now it’s gonna cost you…

Tweet o’ the Week: A worthy wager

I wasn’t the only one bummed to be living on the east coast two weekends back— and “Frankenstorm” had nothing to do with it.

Romans Racing Stables held a meet-and-greet opportunity for Shackleford’s large fan base at Santa Anita, just days before the Preakness winner would turn in his last one-turner around a track in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (I). By the looks of it, a good-sized crowd gathered to meet the huge, chromey chestnut in person as well as G1 winners Little Mike and Dullahan. Photos of the event made me extra green with envy, as this past summer I had been excited at the chance to see Shackleford in the Whitney (I) at Saratoga only to hear he had been scheduled for the day-later Forego (I) instead at the last minute.

It’s also not just trainers who host these types of for-the-fan gatherings. Stonestreet has a “Rachel Day” to allow fans to meet superstar Rachel Alexandra and other well-known farms like Lane’s End and Three Chimneys commonly host open houses. Unfortunately, these types of events are secluded to Kentucky very often, making it difficult for other fans to get a closer look.

I know from reading and hearing things that not all trainers are as welcoming to fans on the backside as Dale Romans was recently, and while I can relate to the need for peace and quiet it would be great to see this becoming a regular thing. Many fans aren’t close enough to a major track to witness many of these champs for themselves, and the ones who do rarely get closer than the outer rail allows. It would be great to see the sport grow by holding more of these kinds of events when and where it’s possible. Racehorses have the same effect on their fans as rockstars, so where’s the VIP treatment?

One of the best things about horse racing and wagering on horse racing is the difference of opinion. Speaking for the female gender, it’s a double whammy of endorphins getting paid for being right. Some experts called the 2012 Breeders’ Cup a wave of upsets where speed prevailed as did the eastern horses who triumphed over the “home track advantaged” west horses. The truth of the matter is the winners were all pretty great horses to begin with, and I think I saw maybe one or two legitimately serious upsets.

I didn’t cash in very much over the weekend, but after spending a whole lot of hours studying each and every race— particularly the Classic— I’m pretty satisfied come today. I almost always stick to doing New York races with a few in Florida and elsewhere as I see fit, and only do Santa Anita when there’s a huge race going on without much success (usually). I had a bunch of [just barely] failed exotics that did not push me forward, but did make out a few winners and good guesses:

• Marathon winner Calidioscopio [ARG] at 19-1 and the lone deep closing winner of the weekend in one of the toughest races. Never waived on not picking him and I felt good enough to put money on him.
• Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned at 9-1 was my choice to win and was the value pick
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies exacta box of Beholder/Executiveprivilege - The latter probably should have won this duel, but excellent fillies all around
• Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint straight trifecta of Groupie Doll/Dust and Diamonds/Switch
• Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile value pick of Rail Trip won second
• Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint value pick/2nd choice of Mizdirection won
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint value pick/1st choice Merit Man (not valued anymore!) was 2nd
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf value pick/1st choice Watsdachances [IRE] was 2nd 
• Breeders’ Cup F&M Turf 3rd choice Marketing Mix was 2nd

As I kind of foresaw, I was kind of unsure about what to make of the turf course and how it was going to affect the outcome. The main, as predicted, favored those near-the-pace and even resulted in some records being made. Interestingly enough, after I started handicapping I read a weird statistic: out of the past 30-something Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita, just 1 winner came from a last prep out at Belmont. That’s huge, and very curious, especially considered Californians were having a hard time winning most races.

Track bias, pace, and form were king with no extreme where-did-he-come-from winners, to which my sanity thanks. Even some “heart cheers” were winners; ya’ll know I’m a big Calder-based/Florida-bred fan so it was good to see Florida-breds making up 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th in the Classic full of Kentucky-breds AND beat the Euros in the Turf (Little Mike, the cheap Florida horse) AND set insane fractions to win the Sprint (Calder-based Trinniberg).

While not a perfect Breeders’ Cup by any means, it was by no means a total fail even with the weird Ladies’ Classic.

The nerd in me sighed with glee when I found an article online talking about the effect of blinkers on horses using *gasp* linear regression graphs. I f—king hate you, pre-calculus, but this softens your blow on my leisure time.

GAME ON DUDE!!! My HOTY/Classic pick since January hasn’t changed.

I was having a hard time figuring out which juvie filly I liked most for the Breeders’ Cup, So Many Ways or Dreaming of Julia… luckily Maggi Moss made the decision to keep the former out of the trying Breeders’ Cup, and automatically made me a bigger fan of her.

Black Caviar: the only champ to not retire this year.

There’s no record of an American horse being registered as Jailbait before… no I don’t know why I looked that one up… should be a future Big Brown filly name though, UNF!

I might actually go to the mall near here soon for the first time. Do you think Jo-Ann’s Fabrics would carry giant red pom-poms? I’m still toying with the idea of making a Trinniberg-mobile.

A great must-read that reflects my sentiments about those million-dollar yearlings written by Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stables, one of my favored connections. I mean really, other than A.P. Indy how many of those super-expensive auction horses returned the investment? How many champs do you see this year with less-than-trendy pedigrees AND less-than-perfect conformation (I can think of a few… I’ll Have Another, Little Mike, Dullahan, Fort Larned, Ron the Greek)? Exactly. I guess this is also why Seattle Slew is my favorite Triple Crown winner.

Royal Delta to race for the Classic and Dubai World Cup next year. Smart moves for this classy gal, hope she can kick it all next year.

Once again, we’re in for an embarrassing three-year-old presence in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. I’m wagering that Alpha will finish second-last just like Stay Thirsty did… although I will admit, the latter seemed to be through with racing at that point last year while I’m not 100% sure Alpha’s fuel is spent just yet.

Hey, hey guys… remember before Paynter started running he was named M C’s Dream? Yeah, how embarrassing that would have been… IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR TACO, STONESTREET!

I always wondered if this sort of thing ever happened, and it did this past week at Hoosier Park: the starting gate was immobilized during a route race and was unable to be relocated as the horses rounded the bend. Look at that one jockey vault over the rail!

I am not sure if I can pick between Brown Almighty or Fredericksburg should both go for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. MY HEART WILL SPLIT INTO TWO!

I’m ashamed at the Zenyatta nation dolts who said that Baby Z has that “handsome Bernardini head.” What? No. I think Stay Thirsty and Alpha look pretty similar to each other, but Baby Z looks like Zenyatta… the ears, the eyes, the nose… don’t argue with me!