Around the Backstretch
by Matt Gardner on Apr 21, 2010 12:11 PM EDT
in Triple Crown
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I've been dealing with a sick member of the family the last day (my six month old puppy), so no Keeneland preview this morning as last night I didn't get around to handicapping the card. I will, however, have a couple more contender profiles this afternoon (Line of David and Eskendereya)
If you are curious about Oaks and Derby TV coverage, below is all the pertinent information:
Friday, April 30th
-Kentucky Oaks Undercard
11:00 - 5:00 EDT, HRTV
-Grade I Kentucky Oaks
5:00 - 6:00 EDT, Bravo
Saturday, May 1st
-Kentucky Derby Undercard
11:00 - 4:00 EDT, ESPN & HRTV
-Kentucky Derby Red Carpet Special
4:00 - 5:00 EDT, NBC
This is something that I hate with the passion of a thousand suns. You want to know why? Because during this hour that NBC has "exclusive" coverage and broadcast rights, Churchill Downs will run the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic...which they won't show us. Instead we will get interviews with Kid Rock, Nick Lachey, and Kim Kardashian. If I wanted to watch that crap, I'd watch E!.
It's the Derby, if you're going to show something, show me horses, people drinking inordinate amounts of bourbon, and chicks with big hats. (Okay, okay, the Red Carpet Special will show chicks with big hats. I suppose I should say "show me regular chicks with big hats not celebrities that show up just to get their picture taken.") I don't care that Ben Affleck is going to put a $5,000 Show bet on the favorite. Okay? I'm a degenerate...give me paddock shots, trainer interviews, updated odds information (including exotics) and the post parade.
Thank goodness for on-line trackside video streaming.
-Kentucky Derby 136
5:00 - 7:00 EDT, NBC
Some additional news and notes on this Wednesday:
- If you ever watched the show Jockeys on Animal Planet a few years ago, you know that Jon Court has been waiting a long time to ride in his first Kentucky Derby. It looked like the tide had finally turned for Jon when he won the Blue Grass on
Line of DavidStately Victor, earning that colt enough money to guarantee a spot in this year's field. Yesterday, the connections ofLine of DavidStately Victor announced that Rafael Bejarano would replace Court for the Derby. That's an unfortunate aspect of the life of a jockey and I don't begrudgeLine of David'sStately Victor's connections for making the switch, but you can't help but feel bad for Jon Court. (I guess I had Line of David on my mind when I wrote that this morning.) - The opening of the meets at Calder and Arlington brings about some nice changes at both of those tracks: HD simulcasting of all races. If you've watched any video streaming of the tracks that have HD you'll agree that it makes a world of difference.
- Hollywood Park opens for their spring/summer meet this afternoon.
- Classic season is about to get underway in Europe, where the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas will run on May 1st and 2nd at Newmarket Racecourse in England. Usually TVG or HRTV provides live coverage of this event but I have yet to read any news about this year's races.
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Nice Notes Post...
..sorry to hear about your sick dog. I am totally with you about NBC’s lack of coverage of an event they have exclusive rights to. Here is what really ticks me off: guaranteed they will actually show us the horses coming down the stretch in the Woodford Reserve, only to cut away from it so the talking heads can do their thing.
“… if you’re going to show something, show me horses, people drinking inordinate amounts of bourbon, and chicks with big hats…” I don’t think I could have said it better myself.
I am pretty sad for Court, having watched Jockeys. I can see the scowl on his wife’s face…she didn’t seem like she respected him very much. I hope Court himself knows that it doesn’t matter, because I think Line of David is the most least-likely winner of the Derby. It’s not like he got taken off a horse with a closing style that might have a chance.
HD rocks online. I actually started paying more attention to Fair Grounds because of it.
And is this the last year of Hollywood? Because you know Cali needs more malls.
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
Many years ago, before I had TVG/HRTV at home..
I had a Pick 4 to the Derby and was eagerly awaiting the Woodford. ESPN couldn’t show it cause NBC was on the air, so I was left watching a shot of the NBC talking head while I see horses running on the turf course in the back ground. Drove me frickin’ nuts.
The HD streaming of Keeneland that been awesome this year. Best part about it? I don’t have to listen to Todd Schrupp tell me about his Pick 4 five million times a day. One day we might actually get an HD horse racing TV channel…well, we can hope.
I, too, feel bad for Court. I don’t know a whole lot about him, but he seems like a decent guy that just wants to get one shot to ride in the biggest race in the country.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
by Matt Gardner on Apr 21, 2010 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions
As Much As A Like Matt Carothers Simon Bray, Frank Lyons and Mr. B....
Rudulph and Schrupp make me hit “mute.”
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
And Direct TV Doesn't Have HRTV....
…which irritates me. I am devoted to Twin Spires…
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
I'm with Dish solely due to HRTV...
my fiancée loves that I make TV decision based on horse racing.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
by Matt Gardner on Apr 21, 2010 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I love Mr. B.
Guy knows his stuff. Carothers, too. Some people don’t like him but I find that he has some excellent handicapping insights.
Rudolph and Schrupp…sigh…I absolutely can’t stand it when those two are on together and they have Schrupp as the “analyst”…and I use that term loosely.
Ruduolph picks a winner once ever five years and then tells us about it for the next four.
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
by Matt Gardner on Apr 21, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
You're Right, It Seems A Lot Of People Don't Like Carothers....
….maybe because of the Flock of Seagulls-do, but Blinkers Off is must-watch TV for me, and I have always found him informative and fun. He seems to be very much an angles player, and I have learned a few from him during :58 flat.
In fact, another TVG analyst I really like is Christina Olivares…she drops knowledge all the time and she is lights-out good at Evangeline.
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
by JP Fanshawe on Apr 21, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Love Blinkers Off!...
he probably drives Watchmaker crazy but he’s not a just a TV-guy that follows horse racing for his job (..Rudholph..), he’s a handicapper that gets to be on TV. Olivares is pretty good too. Jill Byrne is excellent, although she’s seems to be on HRTV more now that they have exclusive to Churchill.
It’s too bad HRTV doesn’t have better carriage agreements because they have some great people on the air. Arron Vercruysse, Lafit Pincay, Jr., Millie Ball, Joanne Jones, Jeff Siegel, Kurt Hoover, and from time to time, Brad Free (who might be the best of them all, he really knows SoCal racing, fantastic handicapper).
"A bad day at the track is better than a good day at the office."
by Matt Gardner on Apr 22, 2010 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Brad Free...
…loved his book. I recommend it to people all the time. I trust him…and he looks for value, When I see him on a favorite, I know the horse is a likely single.
The sad thing is, I have never even seen an HRTV broadcast. I have no idea who any of the talking heads are, and I didn’t even know that Free worked for them!
Now is the time boys to make a big noise.
No matter what the people say,
For there is naught to fear, the gang's all here,
So hail West Virginia, hail.
by JP Fanshawe on Apr 22, 2010 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions
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