ESPN Claire Novak Blog

One of Bobby Frankel's last requests -- that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be sent to Old Friends, The Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation, and CANTER -- reminds us of what we should remember every day: that the horses, the most vulnerable assets of our industry, deserve respect and protection far beyond their racing careers.

Kentucky-based journalists were abuzz Wednesday following a tearful confrontation in the paddock at Churchill Downs over just such a story. The 12-year-old mare Grand Forks, who hadn't raced in nine years, was rightfully scratched by Senior state steward John Veitch due to his concerns over the welfare of the horse. It was a move Veitch shouldn't have had to make.

Here are a few priorities that industry groups should be advocating with vigor.

First, an age limit coupled with a limit on the number of starts a runner may make in a lifetime.

Second, a "retirement fund" for every runner who has made over a certain number of starts. Allocate a percentage of sales commissions and purse earnings to such a fund, earmarked specifically for that horse's care once the runner is no longer able to compete on the racetrack. Arrange this fund so that, in the event of the horse's death due to natural or catastrophic causes, the money would go to retirement charities.

Third, maintain stricter standards for the issuing of owners' licenses -- require potential owners to complete a course on animal husbandry or Thoroughbred retirement. For instance, Grand Forks' former owner was distressed by the situation and said he never intended for the horse to run again -- she had spent nine years as a broodmare and while he stipulated in the bill of sale that she was not to be used for breeding purposes, he thought it went without saying that she would never race again. A simple clause entered into the contract would have prevented the entire situation from happening.

This, however, is how each unsavory situation most often does occur. Overlooked details. Horses slipping through the cracks.

Safety initiatives are imperative. Safety initiatives are needed. But until this industry steps up to the plate and mandates responsible animal husbandry, the cycle of unpleasant incidents will continue.

I know many commendable owners who strive to do the right thing by their runners and I am happy to report that this appears to be the norm.

However, I am also reminded of the call I got last year from an exercise rider connected to a well-known stable -- and his tears as he sat alone with the body of an old graded stakes winner in a concrete holding pen after the horse had broken down in the 25th start of his career.

"He didn't deserve to go out like this," the exercise rider said.

There's no way to prevent catastrophic breakdowns in horses of any age. But there comes a point where the owner of a hard-knocking 6- or 7-year-old gelding should be required to say "You know what? He's done enough."

And if the owners can't make that call on their own, it's the responsibility of the industry to make it for them.

Here's the bottom line: no matter how these Thoroughbreds exit the racetrack -- as low-level claimers, as a stakes-winning champions, as the hard-knocking allowance performers in between -- the least we can give them is a chance at a second, safer career, or a safe haven to live out their twilight years.

We owe it to them.

ARCADIA, Cali. -- Early morning belongs to the racetrack. Even through the hectic swirl of Breeders' Cup week, the hustle and bustle of extra horses and out-of-town trainers and fans and photographers and journalists all converging upon the scene, Santa Anita is settled in the pre-dawn darkness, peaceful.

Many reporters scoff at the idea of arriving at this hour -- five a.m. -- when most high-profile trainers have not yet arrived and a full set list awaits them and the likelihood of scoring interviews, if existent, is slim. I beg to differ.

There's something about walking onto the grounds when the first fresh runners are striding across that big old oval, a feeling I can't quite put into words. You walk past the paddock and out onto the apron and you feel settled. You feel at home. You feel like you're getting a head start on the day.

You remember why you do what you do.

And even in the midst of impossibly long days and a heavy workload, it's worth the wakeup call. Trust me.

ARCADIA, CALIF -- Bob Baffert stood in the middle of a media cluster at Clocker's Corner on Tuesday morning and enthusiastically rambled on about a runner. Not one of his runners, four Breeders' Cup entries scheduled to start at Santa Anita this weekend. Oh, no. The subject of Baffert's adoration was the unbeaten Zenyatta, the 5-year-old racemare who will tackle the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday.

"She's an Amazon," the Hall of Fame trainer said. "She's big and she covers a lot of ground, and she does it effortlessly. She's just one of those really freaky big runners and I don't want (my horse) to be next to her when she takes a run -- because those great horses, they just jerk the heart out of other horses when they run along. She's the horse to beat, she's a good mare, she's never been tested, she wins (every time)."

Sure, Baffert has Pacific Classic victor Richard's Kid in the Classic, and of course he'd like to win. But in the grand scheme of things his horse is going to be a long shot, like he was a few starts ago at 24-1, and racing fans across the country won't be screaming for him to win. But they will be screaming for Zenyatta, and who wouldn't? Seeking to score her 14th consecutive victory in her first start in mixed company, the John Shirreffs trainee brings starpower to this year's edition of the Breeders' Cup.

"I don't like to see her in there," Baffert joked, "I'm in there with her so I really don't like it, but she's going to bring so much … it's going to be the biggest arena that day to go in there with her in there, everybody's going to be watching, and that's what the Breeders' Cup is all about. When I heard that she was going in there, my first thought was 'Oh (expletive), it's gonna be tough,' but then it was like 'Oh yes, this is going to be the best thing for racing.' And we need it, we need a big boost right now, she's going to be our boost. Rachel carried us to a certain point right now and this mare is going to finish it off.'

I thought about Baffert's comments while I watched Music Note bearing down through the lane in a feisty gallop first thing this morning, and later while Summer Bird circle the oval. That's one of the things I love about this sport, I realized. Here's Baffert, heading into the Classic with his own contender, yet completely in awe of an incredible mare. And we're allowed to do that, to admire greatness and yearn to see it realized.

It's hard to explain how Turf writers fall in love with the racehorses we cover. We try to remain objective, sure. But when you follow a great runner from the days when he was nothing but a maiden winner, up through his development into a champion, when you've been there for every step of that journey, chronicling the hopes and dreams and preparation and accomplishments, you open a little spot of your heart and let him in.

And trainers do the same thing, as Baffert did this morning, his appreciation for Zenyatta's talent only compounded by his knowledge thanks to the many great runners he's had in his barn.

"We get goosebumps watching Zenyatta, and that's all that matters," he said.

ARCADIA, CALIF -- Sometimes everything falls into place. You never know when it might happen, but when it does, you breathe a sigh of relief.

That's the way it was this morning, first day of action for the Breeders' Cup notes team (that venerable assortment of grizzled reporters, savvy veterans, and me). Arriving at Santa Anita at 5:00 a.m. with the sun just beginning to pink at the horizon, I dropped my bag off at Clockers' Corner and set about reacquainting myself with the layout of the sprawling backside.

Last year, attempting to locate a barn, I consulted Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. He pulled out a map. That's how confusing the setup at Santa Anita can be, but luckily this year I have it a little easier. Except for projects finished on my own time, I have only three assignments -- to cover the horses of Godolphin, Bob Baffert, and Tim Ice.

Of course the latter is an easy one; Ice here with one entrant, Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird. I popped by the barn and checked in with groom Leon Hernandez. He was hosing down Summer Bird's shiny chestnut legs, getting ready to give him an ice bath before he headed to the track for a brisk jog. The curious colt pricked his ears when I arrived, no doubt looking for peppermints. Unfortunately, I had failed to bring any along. Won't make that mistake tomorrow morning.

Next stop was Godolphin's Barn 48, where I found a handy dry erase board listing all of the horses that were walking and all of the horses that were galloping this morning. Thanks to its' prominent location next to the office, I was able to surreptitiously jot down the names, so I appeared super informed when I found Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, out on the apron.

Mettee, managing nine Breeders' Cup contenders for Godolphin, graciously spent about 30 minutes discussing them all -- from Ladies' Classic contenders Cocoa Beach and Music Note to Classic runners Regal Ransom and Girolamo. I appreciated his detailed and fastidious descriptions of each horse and walked away from that interview with a sense of satisfaction to find Baffert about to send Classic contender Richard's Kid through his paces.

Baffert, of course, was humorous as always. "Ever since I got into the Hall of Fame, my horses have been doing great," he cracked. "I guess it gave me confidence."

All of my assigned trainers, actually, have horses that seem to be peaking at just the right moment. Baffert's male runners, on the muscle and full of run, cruised through workouts in satisfying splendor (his Juvenile Fillies contender worked yesterday).

As someone remarked about the Godolphin horses, "I've never seen so many runners get so good at one time." And, in Ice's words, Summer Bird has taken to Pro-Ride like a "duck takes to water."

Tomorrow, we'll tackle the post position draw. Day one of notes team drill in the books. Sigh of relief.

Now I'm off to figure out my features.

MIDAIR, U.S.A. - As a child, I lived and breathed racing. I printed out Blood-Horse articles and kept them in a scrapbook (along with illustrations by PEB and photos of determined runners). I collected issues of the Daily Racing Form like a 79-year-old handicapper. I commandeered the television on Breeders' Cup and Triple Crown days. The obsession was strong.

Later, when I worked to make Turf writing my actual career, as opportunities came my way and doors opened before my eyes, I was thrilled. I attended my first Breeders' Cup (don't laugh) at Belmont Park in 2005. I was a rookie, green as grass, and I didn't write much. I just wandered wide-eyed around the place for the entire weekend, thinking if I could do this for the rest of my life, I'd be happy.

Gradually, horse racing became an actual part of me, and I became a part of it. My idolization of the sport came to be tempered by realism. Of course, I'd grown up in the meantime. Maybe my idealistic view was tempered by maturity. That's life.

I'm no Pollyanna. I recognize this sport's many flaws. But I also love it just as much as I did back when I was a kid parked in front of the TV, watching the runners turn for home in race after race after race on the Breeders' Cup card, rooting for my favorites, cheering when they won.

So here I am, flight to California, week-long stint with the notes team ahead. Tomorrow morning I'll be checking in from Santa Anita. While I'm walking the barns for the Breeders' Cup and pounding out features for the main site here, this blog will serve as a venue for reflections upon the experience.

I cover these events with awareness, but also with gratitude, because I've been given the chance to become part of a world I once only dreamed of. It is an imperfect world, yes, but one I embrace wholeheartedly.

I hope that passion for the sport comes across in my writing.

I like to think, sometimes, it does.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Mike Smith checked in with the boys on the ESPN desk, pulling the unbeaten Zenyatta up from a 13th straight triumph.

"She's good enough for anything in the world," he told Jerry Bailey. "I'm not going to predict a victory, but I'd love to run against them. I'm not scared of anyone."

Smith, of course, was referring to a potential run for the 5-year-old mare against males in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Off her win in the Grade 1, $300,000 Lady's Secret Stakes today, (which tied Personal Ensign's streak of 13-for-13 accomplished 20 years ago), Zenyatta could run in that race against males -- or she could run one day earlier, on Ladies' Day, in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic.

The decision will be a tough one for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Sheriffs, because the tougher spot for their runner would be the company she's never faced -- but Horse of the Year honors will only be garnered if they try.

Were the Horse of the Year Eclipse to be awarded this evening, with Mine That Bird's sixth-place finish in the Goodwood Stakes, 3-year-old super filly Rachel Alexandra would doubtless take it home on the merit of her three victories over males (Preakness, Haskell, Woodward), and her overwhelming romp in the Kentucky Oaks.

But if Zenyatta could pull off a conquest over a tough Classic field to remain unbeaten, it would cement her place in the history books while putting Rachel Alexandra at a distinct disadvantage because majority owner Jess Jackson has already announced his runner will skip the Breeders' Cup and is finished racing until 2010.

Expect the next few days to yield much buzz and commentary in the racing world, arguments for both options, and no immediate decision. My opinion? Keep the good of the horse in mind, but if she's fit and ready, run her in the Classic. She's already proven her consistency and ability. Now give her the chance to prove her greatness.

You never know unless you try.

CICERO, Ill. -- I'm cranking out assignments at Hawthorne Race Course today -- coverage of a novel twilight race card, update on injured jockey Michael Straight, two blogs, a profile of this oval -- anatomy of a racetrack. It is cloudy and gloomy and drizzling and the weatherman is calling for snow over the weekend. The city braces for the possibility.

This is not the first time Thoroughbred racing has been conducted under lights in Chicago -- it was done frequently at Balmoral, and intermittently at Arlington throughout the years (including a week of night racing in 1969). But it is the first time Thoroughbred racing under lights has come to Hawthorne, and the first time there's been Thoroughbred night racing in the area in several years.

1:35 p.m. and they're sealing the track, John Deere tractors plugging along over the muddy oval. The turf course is a brilliant emerald green. In the distance, planes climb sharply out of Midway. It is opening day at Keeneland and I'm here. Glass could be half empty, I'll make it full instead.

I never really realized how close I felt to Chicago racing, the tight-knit circuit of Arlington and Hawthorne. You get caught up in the travel, the Kentucky Derbies and Breeders' Cups and Saratogas of the game, and their allure is always stronger because of the glamorous, unknown, and because home will be there. You can always go back.

Hawthorne kind of gets a bad rep, but it's not the racetrack's fault. Blame it on the winter weather (usually crummy) or the surrounding neighborhood (gray, industrial), or the facility which is not quite as bad as Pimlico (the elevator here doesn't get stuck), but in some ways inches close.

Still, there are plusses, like the fact that if you can't be in New York or California or Kentucky or Florida and if you happen to have a chance to sneak out of the suburbs or over from the city, you can catch a live card. That's good, right? And the fact that Hawthorne is the oldest continuously-run family-owned and operated racetrack in the nation is nothing to sneeze at.

I head downstairs to interview track president Tim Carey, fourth generation owner/operator of the oval. Sure, Hawthorne is blue-collar, he says. Nothing wrong with that. An honest man could make a decent living here, with a little bit of luck.

My favorite quote about Hawthorne comes from Terry "McChump" Bjork: "The paddock at Hawthorne is inside, and downstairs, and I never ever go down there because it would require some effort, so all I have to say about it is that it is indoors and downstairs."

That pretty much captures the essence of the oval -- undiscovered nooks and crannies, the regulars heading to lucky spots, newcomers wandering around in slight confusion. They turn the lights on at 4:30 p.m. as riders start checking in, and trainers are prepping their runners over on the backside, and horseplayers are settling down. Before long the field is parading before the stands, loaded into the gate, rounding the final turn, splashing home across a beam of light shining down on the wire. It's 5:36 p.m. and we're just getting started.

This night racing thing ain't so bad.

ELMONT, NY -- Tim Ice brought Independence War to Belmont Park after a frustrating Saratoga season for the Red Bullet gelding. Among a group of three runners whose issues kept them from starting while Summer Bird romped in the Travers at the Spa, Independence War broke out in a severe case of hives that did not subside until the humid summer weather abated.

Today he ran for fun in the first, a $19,000 claiming event at 7 ½-furlongs. Owners Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman headed down to the winner's circle. Ice was there, square-shouldered navy suit, now 3 for 3 at New York ovals, hoping -- after Summer Bird runs in today's Jockey Club Gold Cup -- to make it 4 for 4.

Independence War, a hard-knocking 4-year-old, has 23 starts and a 8-1-2 record to his credit. Claimed from Ice in this race, he goes to the new barn of Joe Imperio for Me You and Magoo Stables. It's a bittersweet moment, he's a Jayaraman homebred, but the day goes on.

Super Saturday, as the New York Racing Association dubs the highlighting card of Belmont's Fall meeting, offers the perfect excuse for a quick weekend trip to the beautiful East Coast oval. For those of us who travel across the nation, the event is perfectly placed between Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup, five Grade 1 races, welcome reprieve from the daily grind.

Last year, chilly weather and a steady downpour prompted the cancellation of live racing on Friday, the New York Racing Association's attempt to preserve the turf course. This year, fears of showers had horsemen holding their breath -- but thus far poor weather has held off. It's a little cloudy, a cool autumn afternoon, three races away from a start in the serious action.

When you read reviews of the action here today, comment will doubtless be made over the limited fields. The Beldame drew four betting interests (Pletcher entry of Captain's Lover and Unbridled Belle taking it down in the five-horse field) and the Vosburgh scratched down to four. Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News explained why in Friday's column. Racegoers are scattered throughout the grounds but there's no packing the stands.

Still, those of us who bring the sport to the non-present masses are aware of the day's significance. We're back at Belmont, where history will be made.

Stay tuned.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL. -- There are new tables on the apron, they've upgraded the seating in the clubhouse boxes, and I'm standing in the horsemen's viewing area at the home track on a quiet Thursday morning, wondering why I ever left.

Scratch that. I know why I left. The editor says go to Saratoga, I go to Saratoga. And let's face it, the competition is a little tougher in New York, which equals more races that need covering, more writing for me to do.

But the memories born at Arlington Park, 20 minutes from my parents' house, come flooding back today. I got my start here under the green- and white-striped awnings, watching horses circle in a paddock surrounded by lush red and white Impatiens. It feels good to be back.

I remember interviews with Earlie Fires, conversations with Bobby Baird, galloping hell-bent-for-leather on the Riding for a Cure trail ride, supporting the Race Track Chaplaincy. I remember the tight sense of community, the feeling that this is just what we do. Another day at an awesome office.

This season has not been kind to Arlington. I know, covered the injuries of jockeys Rene Douglas and Michael Straight from offsite, made it back to see Douglas in the hospital, will do the same for Straight if I can. Members of the colony took it hard. Members of the horsemen's community -- trainers, agents, exercise riders -- started asking questions.

Concerns here have to do with the lack of bounce to the surface, the impact or concussion felt by riders when they fall and horses when they train. With Douglas and Straight failing to walk away from spills here (both suffered fractured vertebrae and face lengthy recovery periods), those concerns are front and center.

In 2006, the last year of dirt racing at this Chicagoland oval, 22 horses were euthanized during racing hours due to breakdowns. The next season that number dropped to 14 after the Polytrack surface was installed (two more were fatally injured on the turf). In 2008, 12 horses broke down on the synthetic surface while four were euthanized due to injuries on the turf. This year, 14 breakdowns have occurred on the Polytrack and, Saturday, one on the turf.

These numbers have been reflected at artificial tracks across the country, and it's a widely-recognized fact that, although the merits of artificial surfaces may abound, their luster has somewhat diminished. Here, as the 98-day meet winds to a close, track management will continue an earnest evaluation of the surface.

That's not anything we haven't heard -- exploration of the product continues, tracks across the country are constantly doing the same -- but it's a fact that gives a little reassurance to those concerned over the surface's safety. They're hoping, when they return, that Arlington will have solved the problem. There are changes to be made.

It's a subject I'll tackle in-depth this weekend, interviews with trainers and jockeys and track management to come. And although the subject is a somber one, I still love the place.

It's good to be home.

Horse racing has a pulse, and that pulse beats strongest at Saratoga. We felt it Saturday in the roar of the crowd for Rachel Alexandra. We felt it the weekend before in the Travers, when Summer Bird flew.

Major events serve as a reminder, but in reality, we feel it all the time. When a first-time starter rolls to an impressive victory. When a hard-knocking gelding guts out yet another score. When trainers who are 0-for-whatever finally visit the winner's circle.

It's like our game is black and white the rest of the year, a Technicolor movie for these sweet six weeks. We're swept along through the swirl of silks and immersion into the vibrant world of racing. In this town, the sport is everything we want it to be.

Someone once told me during a visit to Saratoga that she was amazed by the way the importance of outside news -- politics, the stock market, world peace -- took a back seat to the here and now of racing. A return to the hometown from this oasis means a plunge back to reality, to the next step of the cycle.

We face it today as the meet winds down to an end, through the traditional last efforts -- chasing quotes from leading owners, counting down to the training title, watching the riders wrap up their race for the top of the standings. For the last time, these facts and figures are all that matter.

And that makes Saratoga what it is. The ups and downs. Slight variables from year to year. Marking of the changing seasons. All tied together in what we know will always remain the same.

The ringing of the bell 17 minutes before post. The trek of jockeys from the winner's circle through the crowd. The backside walk to the Oklahoma oval at five o' clock in the morning. The camaraderie shared between trainers, owners, jockeys, exercise riders ... even members of our own press squad.

Some things never change.

Five minutes to post before the last race on the last day, we breathe a collective sigh of relief. Feel a little bit of remorse. Say our final goodbyes. We're packing up and shipping out. It feels right, and we know it's time.

Until next year, Saratoga, thanks for the memories.

And good-bye.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin evaluated the field for the 56th running of the Woodward like this: there's Rachel, and then there's everybody else.

New York Racing Association oddsmaker Eric Donovan looks at it this way: you set the odds for Rachel, then you set the odds for the horse most likely to finish& second.

Jockey Jeremy Rose thinks the following: Rachel Alexandra is a monster.

And everyone else pretty much agrees.

While six horsemen will send seven older horses to chase the Steve Asmussen-trained super filly in Saturday's running of the Woodward, healthy respect for the runner who has dominated the 3-year-old scene is foremost on their lips.

"I'm feeling what I don't have the feeling of very often, that we're going into the race almost running for second," said McLaughlin, who will saddle 10-1 choice Asiatic Boy. "I always like to think that I have a chance to win any race, even if we're 30-1, but I feel like she's going to be very, very difficult to beat."

Asiatic Boy, a 6-year-old son of the Argentinean stallion Not For Sale, was runner-up in the Suburban and the Stephen Foster Handicap this year in his first two starts in the U.S. He missed the Aug. 8 Whitney after coming down with a temperature.

"We're up against it but we didn't want to go to California for the Pacific Classic; it's a long way to go to a surface we don't know he'd like," McLaughlin said. "The cons outweigh the pros in both cases but here the cons are her and that's about it. She's a great filly -- that word is thrown around too much -- but she's been super all year."

Standing in the Paddock after the post position draw on Wednesday, trainer H. Graham Motion evaluated the dubious honor of being made second choice behind Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward. He'll send out Whitney winner Bullsbay, 6-1 on the morning line.

"I have tremendous respect for Rachel Alexandra," he said. "But any time you send out a runner, you have to think of the way that you can win the race."

Brian Ainge, assistant trainer to Eoin Harty, has been watching Rachel all summer long. His team sends out Past the Point, the horse that ran second in last year's Woodward to Curlin.

"She's facing older horses for the first time and they're all facing her for the first time," he said. "It will be very exciting."

So that's the vibe here at Saratoga going into the final week of the season -- excitement created by Rachel Alexandra, a horse of a lifetime. In Charlie Hayward's office, brilliantly-colored posters are stacked on the desk, awaiting distribution. The commemorative buttons are on their way for the first 25,000 fans to arrive on Saturday. And the horsemen brave enough to face her are holding their breath -- as we all wait to see what will happen.