text: Saratoga Horse Racing Blog: f!llies 'n mares By The Alpha Mare Marion Altieri tag:www.saratoga.com,2009-06-18:/horse-racing-blog//42 2014-11-20T17:36:32Z Find horse racing 101 tips, racetrack hidden secrets, how to bet on a Thoroughbred, what's happening in Saratoga during the racing meet and much more. Movable Type Pro 4.37 Does Jim Rome Really Think that Horse Racing is a Man's, Man's, Man's, Man's World? Oh, Tee-Hee, that's So Silly. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15962 2014-11-18T19:45:43Z 2014-11-20T17:36:32Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 If you're a horse racing fan in the U.S., no doubt you know of Jim Rome.Mr. Rome hosts a radio show on CBS Sports Radio, "The Jim Rome Show." Now, anyone who knows me knows that I don't listen to sports radio, because I don't care about any sport except horse racing. Of course I'm a fan of Horse Racing Radio Network and every other horse racing radio network. Like you, I can't get enough.But sports that involved only human athletes, and no horses?Who gives a tiny rat's patootie?Even if I was a sports fan, I wouldn't listen because I have exactly ZERO tolerance for the one-upsmanship, smart-assed pseudo-commentary that springs regularly from hosts' mouths in the name of The Almighty Ratings.So I've never heard Mr. Rome's show.But a good guess--and from what I've read online, and via Facebook comments--his show, like every other, is infected with a deadly virus. In the words of the great actor, Alan Alda, let's call this virus, "Testosterone Poisoning"...]]> The reason for this article is that, just today I became award of TVG's Simon Bray's interview with Mr. Rome, pre-Breeders' Cup. Mr. Rome's spectacular colt, Shared Belief--whom I adore--was entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Which we know, was won by Bayern. Another topic, for another day.)I watched the interview, a full two weeks after the Breeders' Cup, because the title as it was printed in the Paulick Report was:"It's a Man's Game: Rome Talks Race Riding, Hollendorfer and 'The Hoodie.'"Reading the title, I got only as far as, "It's a Man's Game."Immediately, I clicked on the video (URL below), to see if Mr. Rome really had said that idiotic, sexist thing--or if perhaps his words had been taken out of context. (It would have shocked me, if Paulick Report had taken them out of context: Ray and his team are meticulous, and NOT sensationalist in their reporting and writing.)Sure enough, at exactly 4:44 in the video, Jim Rome said, "It's a man's game. It's a man's game. It's a nasty game, it's a tough game..."First, I think that Mr. Rome has spent entirely too much time with human athletes and other tough-talkers, who feel compelled to talk about their sports with the braggadocio of those going into actual battle. I mean, soldiers at war. Yes, soldiers at war need to pump themselves up: a horse owner, not-so-much. That entire interview reeked of testosterone-fueled bravado, and throw-downs.But ours is the sport in which the human athletes (jockeys)--whose job it is to ride their horse in any given race the best they can--generally are friends again as soon as the race is over. Yes, a jockey's success is measured by her/his winnings, and in order to win they have to ride as well and as strategically as possible. And YES, I'm no dope--I do realize that there have been times when jockeys have broken the rules, intentionally or unintentionally, in order to get that win.Jockeys have even been known to watch out for each other, because they know the perils of the job.By-and-large, ours is a civilized sport. Opposing teams--trainers and owners--play a round of golf and dine with each other after the races. I've never once seen Gary Contessa talking trash in the bar at Saratoga National Golf Course, or Leroy Jolley threatening to beat anyone senseless.That's just not how we do it.And those who DO talk trash--and we know of one trainer, who shall remain nameless--are treated like the ridiculous children that they are.Horse racing IS a tough sport--for the horses, for the jockeys. Anytime you have a 1,200-pound animal pounding the Earth at 40 miles per hour and a 100-pound human atop, steering and strategizing--the physical (as in, physics) power is beyond understanding for anyone except an actual physicist. That is tough.But any nastiness that Mr. Rome is reading into horse racing is coming from his own soul, I suspect. IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), Mr. Jim Rome needs to start hanging out more with horse racing people, and spend less time with football players.And then there's the part that made me nuts--his idiotic statement that horse racing is "A man's game." You don't know how much I want to think that he didn't really mean it to sound that way, but what other way is there to hear that?I emailed Mr. Rome on Facebook, a very quiet, sincere note, in which I asked him to clarify. As of this writing, I've not received a response.So, assuming that he did mean that horse racing is "...a man's game," I must ask:Mr. Rome, on what planet have you been residing? I won't even write that this is America, and women are involved in virtually every aspect of horse racing--because it's not just in the U.S. where women have full play in the sport.I suggest that you (Mr Rome) take a trip to Dubai, where women fill roles as jockeys and vice presidents at Meydan Race Course. Or Australia, the U.K., France, Japan...women have full play in horse racing everywhere on Earth, except, it seems, in your head.Misogyny has no place in our sport. Holding back anyone because of their gender--their color, or nationality, religion--for any reason--has no place in horse racing. By-and-large, horse racing is working toward total egalitarianism.You who are reading this, know this. I know this. Everyone who loves horse racing knows this. Everyone, except, Jim Rome, who--if he really meant what he said--thinks that horse racing is the domain of men. Mr. Rome, did you really mean that?If you said it, it seems that you believe it.And if you believe it--I'm here to tell you that you're wrong.Dead-wrong.Mr. Rome, take a walk the next time you're at a race track. Del Mar's current season would be a good place to start. Put down the champagne, get out of your Clubhouse box, and see all the women who work at the race track, in every job. I don't need to list all the jobs in horse racing that are filled by women--opportunity to serve in every gig in the sport, except those of Board members--are healthily egalitarian. (I've dealt with the Board problem, and will deal again, soon.)But here's the thing: WAKE UP, JIM ROME. Horse racing is not your private endeavor, nor is it the enterprise that is--or should be--run by members of your gender, only. Horse racing has enough problems--from doping to PETA to those who abuse horses--we don't need to complicate matters by letting anyone think that 51% of the population is not welcome to work in our sport, and thereby contribute to the healing of the ills that we suffer. We're all--women and men, alike--in this sport, together.And who am I, to tell the great and all-powerful Jim Rome that you talk like a misogynistic blowhard? Your show, Mr. Rome, has millions of listeners. MY show, f!lly Racing Radio, is building and growing. And every time that I think that perhaps there's no room in horse racing media for my radio show--I watch a video like yours, Mr. Rome. It is then that I realize that, yes, apparently there IS need for f!lly Racing Radio and my Opinionated-Broad take on the sport. (Maybe CBS Sports wants to make room for f!lly Racing Radio, to even out the hormonal imbalance in their sports broadcasting?)Ring-ring-ring! Jim Rome? It's the 18th Century. They want their misogyny back. Join our century, ASAP, or be trampled. Probably by a woman. Riding a horse.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------URLs:f!lly Racing Radio:http://my.blogtalkradio.com/fillyracingradioJim Rome / Simon Bray, TVG:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q78gw9RCZSE]]> Horsepower: How "Car Talk" and Laughing 'til it Hurts Breathed Life into f!lly Racing Radio tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15920 2014-11-10T20:19:18Z 2014-11-10T22:02:59Z Those of you who are friends--in "real life," or on Facebook--know that last week was a rough one for me, and for anyone who loves the NPR (National Public Radio) show, "Car Talk.""Car Talk" was a Peabody award-winning radio show... M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 hose of you who are friends--in "real life," or on Facebook--know that last week was a rough one for me, and for anyone who loves the NPR (National Public Radio) show, "Car Talk.""Car Talk" was a Peabody award-winning radio show produced by NPR, hosted by two irrepressibly crazy, fun, brilliant brothers, Ray and Tom Magliozzi. Sadly--horribly--Tommy Magliozzi died last week, complications of Alzheimer's. (A dear friend of mine died in January from Alzheimer's complications, so I know this pain intimately.)Tommy's death hit me like a brick in the face. I know that it hit millions of "Car Talk" fans similarly. From 1977 until the brothers retired two years ago, the show was a blessing and a joy for many people. For two years, the show has continued in syndication on NPR stations.The key to their tremendous success, and the longevity of the show, was that they took radio talk and stripped it down to the basics. The brothers dispensed advice regarding car repair, lacing their conversations with callers with pithy, witty repartee.and hyena-like laughter. In other words, they were Regular Guys. Both over-educated (masters, Ph.D.s, etc.), but still they were just Average Joes. Italian-Americans from Boston, they made no effort to sound "mid-Atlantic," and drop their Rs. They had thick, Boston-Italiano accents--the accents weren't going anywhere--and we loved them for it...]]> I could write an entire dissertation about Tom and Ray. I could write a book, but I'm sure that they chose their biographer years ago. Today, I'll just tell you how the Magliozzi Brothers crept into my heart and into my psyche. And how "Car Talk"--a radio program presumably about car repair and horse power--led me to start f!lly Racing Radio, and work toward radio equality for women in horse racing media.I came late to the game as a fan of "Car Talk." The show began in 1977, but I heard them for the first time in June, 1996. I remember exactly where I was at that moment: in the car of my Bostonian friend, Maura. It was a bright Saturday morning, 10AM, so she dialed the radio to the local NPR station. (WBUR in Boston, of course: Ground Zero for the show.) I wondered what was wrong with Maura, that she wanted to listen to an hour of two men discussing cars. WHO would want to listen to a show on pistons and tappets? I tried to talk Maura out of it, but she laughed at me and repeated, "Just wait. Just WAIT..."It didn't take long for me to realize that, while cars were a BIG love of the two brothers--and that, indeed, they advised callers about their car-related problems--the soul of the show was about love, passion and fun.Ray and Tom Magliozzi loved each other. It was evident from their jovial, not-so-gentle brotherly banter. They felt passionately about cars. They loved their callers, and we, their audience members.And, for God's Sake, they had FUN. I cannot recall laughing harder in my life, than I did that morning in Maura's car. One of their callers was a Massachusetts State Trooper, who told a story about a "Donna." Oh, you don't know the definition of a "Donna"? Well, OK, l tell you:Ray and Tom pronounced, years ago, that, IF you see a red muscle car (Camaro, Firebird, etc.), and there's a big-haired blonde woman driving--snapping gum and listening to heavy metal--it is inevitable that the young woman's name is Donna. (Pronounced, "Dawna," in Bostonian.) This has been the experience of the Magliozzi Brothers.Well, that day of my "Car Talk" baptism, this State Trooper called in to tell the guys about an experience he'd just had: he'd been on the Mass Pike (Massachusetts Turnpike), sitting and watching for speeders. A red Camaro went FLYING past him. She was going 90mph.Trooper pursued, stopped the Camaro. As he approached, he saw that the young woman behind the wheel had big, blonde hair. And heard that Metallica was blowing out of her radio.Laughing to himself, the Trooper approached the driver,"Listen, Dawna..." he began"HOW'D you know my name's DONNA?!?" she responded, snapping her gum and looking utterly bewildered. Click and Clack (Tom and Ray) laughed like hyenas.Maura cackled merrily.I laughed so hard that I cried.And from that moment forth, I was a die-hard "Car Talk" fan.(Note here: Tom Magliozzi's laugh. Now, tell me that that's not infectious:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzVx8YyZB2wuZHRjQnlCTDZMeXc/view )Also in that crystalline moment...I realized that life--and work--didn't have to be boring.That one need not drag one's self to work--hate one's job for eight hours, every day, for 40 years, then retire and die.I realized that YES, it IS possible to have a BLAST doing your job.Tom and Ray DID did "Car Talk" for free for WBUR for the first 10 years.Then things turned around, and it became their jobs.Imagine that: they got PAID to do something they LOVED to do! Who wouldn't love to take phone calls--laugh with callers--laugh with (and at) your business partner--and take home a paycheck? Would that feel like "work," as the ridiculous Puritan Work Ethic has drummed the warped definition into us? No, that would feel like PLAY.And where--oh, where?--is it written, that one cannot PLAY and get paid for it?That Play cannot be your job?I'll tell you where that's written: Nowhere.Ray and Tom Magliozzi showed the world that, first, public radio didn't have to be so God-awful serious, 24/7.They showed the world that two "real" people could make GREAT radio--and win Peabody Awards for it.And they showed me--a paesan Italian-American, middle-aged woman--that indeed, living my vocation as a horse racing media person should be fun AND lucrative.For decades, I'd been told that I have the voice for radio. (Yes, go ahead, say it: And I have the FACE for radio, too.);)The summer of 2013, I approached NYRA (the New York Racing Association), to sponsor my first-ever radio show, f!lly Racing Radio, on a local (upstate New York) station.I did seven shows, during the seven weeks of the Saratoga horse race meet.From the first moment I sat in that chair in the studio and slapped on the headphones--I was hooked. I shan't wax poetic about the intoxication of speaking into a mic in a "dead" room. Of the joy of working with a producer like John Meaney, who made me sound so good AND smart.But, oh, in that moment I knew for sure that horse racing radio was destined to be part of my vocational calling in the sport's media world.In a nutshell: the show on Blog Talk Radio for a few months--took a break during this past summer--but tonight (Monday, November 10th, 2014), f!lly Racing Radio is back.Of course I hope to grow the show, and to move from Blog Talk Radio to another platform, where I'm appreciated, as they say.It will come. All I know this afternoon, as I prep for my first show since my hiatus, is that I intend to have fun.I cried like a baby when I heard of Tom Magliozzi's death. His passing felt like a death in my own family, for indeed, Tom and Ray are part my life story. So in that sense, they are mi famiglia.I will dedicate tonight's show to Tom Magliozzi, even as I drink my coffee from my "Car Talk" mug. Without Tom and Ray--without their laughter, their joy and their open invitation to anyone who was listening--to have fun and to enjoy life--I don't know that f!lly Racing Radio ever would have come into being.I've been fired up for almost two decades, to do horse racing radio. I merely hoped to do it and to succeed, in the beginning of 1996. But that golden day in June of that year, in a car on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge--I began to nurture the notion that I, to, could work in radio, to give joy to others AND to myself--and that yes, it could be my JOB.Thank you, Tom Magliozzi. God rest your good, funny, brilliant soul. God comfort you, Ray Magliozzi, and your entire family--and all we, your fans, who feel like your extended family.Mille Grazie, not only for the memories, but also for the inspiration. Without you Magliozzi Brothers--I, and many others--would continue to think of work as drudgery, and Life as something to be merely endured. You may think that all you did was go to work and have a great time together for three decades, but even as you advised us on how to change tires, points and plugs--you changed lives, including mine.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Media Credits:"Car Talk" logo, mp3 of Tom's laugh and photo of Ray and Tom Magliozzi, courtesy of www.cartalk.comf!lly Racing Radio URL for tonight's show:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fillyracingradio/2014/11/10/flly-racing-radio-is-back-and-ready-to-rock]]> Breeders' Cup, Centiseconds and Longines' Crazy-Sexy New Timepiece. "Sexy"? Oh, Yeah. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15850 2014-10-27T22:13:05Z 2014-10-28T19:13:00Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 This piece is about two things--related, of course.The first is a wonderful piece of news about Longines and the Breeders' Cup. If you read my writings regularly, you'll suspect (correctly) that the spin I'm putting on this delightful relationship goes beyond the concept of corporate sponsorship.And the second part of the article--about Longines' gorgeous new watch--I'll share my thoughts on the concept of SEXY. I hope you're intrigued. If so, here we go...]]> This Friday and Saturday, the Breeders' Cup will showcase many of the best race horses in America, and some of the world's greatest, as well.Longines, the premier watch company--I'm a big fan--has announced that the company now is the Official Partner and Official Timekeeper and Watch of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The world-renowned Swiss watch brand will also be the Title Partner of two of the highlight Breeders' Cup races, namely the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff race (Friday, October 31st) and the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf race (Saturday, November 1st).So what does this mean to you, the average horse race fan?To you, the bettor?How does Longines' relationship to the Breeders' Cup affect your life?At first, you may think, mistakenly, that it doesn't.But, oh, it does.First, a moment to ponder three friends: Physics, Religion and Culture.Time, you see, exists as the fourth dimension. This is the Physics view.To most believers in the Divine, Time does not exist in the Eternity in which God resides, or through which God moves.In Western culture, Time is linear--that is, it moves forward. Yesterday, today, tomorrow.But in cultures defined by religio-philosophical thought (e.g., Hinduism/India)--Time is circular. (Think, reincarnation.)We could spend days discussing the cultural construct of Time, and why it's important to humans. And I do advise that, if you've never thought about it seriously, you take the...Time...to think about the concept. It's much deeper than the occasional glance at your smartphone to see if you're late for work.Time is a huge concept. Enormous, and yet too-often dismissed. Debated by philosophers, physicists and theologians since the first person noticed the sun, seeming to move and Time, seeming to pass.But if you're a betting person--if horse racing for you is a sport in which you're invested emotionally and financially--Time is a very, very important concept.Winners of a horse race often are determined by fractions of a second. A nostril may flare--a nose-hair may cross the wire first--and that 1/100th of a second can determine next year's Horse of the Year.In our sport, records are made and records are broken, all because of minute fractions of a second.So yes, to you--to me--to all of horse racing--it is of extraordinary, supreme importance that Longines is the Official Timekeeper and Watch of the Breeders' Cup. If, God forbid, an inferior timekeeping company was responsible for those incredibly small fractions of a second--entire races could be thrown off. Races would have to be invalidated, and stewards' decisions vacated and millions of bettors, appeased--f the timekeeper couldn't keep up with the very seconds that may separate the Champion from the horse who places.So I'm grateful that Longines has taken on this tremendous, almost cosmic, responsibility. We all can bet, watch and enjoy the Breeders' Cup races, knowing that there will be no mistakes, no glitches. That the Times declared for every race, for record-breaking races, will be as perfect as any human can establish. If you see anyone from Longines or the Breeders' Cup this weekend, please thank them for creating the environment in which Time, the great and hotly-debated Unknown--is harnessed and used to help write the history of horse racing.Now, on to Sexy.First, I'll share one of my secrets with you. I have an almost obsessive attraction to two very physical items: pens and watches.Ever since my teenage-hood, I've admired and craved beautiful pens. In those days, the only good pens a lower-middle-class teenage grrrl like me ever even saw was a Cross pen that an occasional teacher may possess. So yes, in high school when other grrlz were lusting after the football captain--I was coveting my English teacher's Cross pen. And his watch.Call me weird, but my attachment to pens and watches kept me from making out with jerks. While my friends were looking for validation in the kiss of a teenage boy, I was rifling through pages of magazines to find photos of pens and watches that Someday I would possess. My friends wore Mickey Mouse watches, and I thought they were idiots because they didn't even know the difference between a watch that featured a mouse with no shirt, and a truly extraordinary timepiece...Fast-forward to 2012, when I was gifted with my first-ever world-class pen, a Longines ballpoint. I don't mind sharing with you that I nearly had a stroke. The smooth, pitch-black ebony and chrome of the instrument sent me into a heavenly place. I keep that pen in her box, and on special occasions carry the boxed pen to use. In each of the two years since, I've received pens from Longines, and those two join my original in the Dubai World Cup mug on my desk when I'm not using them. Just so I can look at them, every day, and smile.Now you probably think that I'm utterly insane. But as I think about it, I'll bet that at least some of you understand--otherwise, companies like Longines wouldn't even make such finely-crafted instruments. Why bother to make high-end pens, if pens are only functional and Bic exists? So perhaps my attraction to the smooth, beautiful lines of my Longines pens isn't an odd bit of my personality, at all. Sexy + Elegant = Longines Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing WatchAnd my passion for watches. I'm a freak for watches because they're sexy.There's trashy and ridiculous, and then there's genuinely sexy.Too many people confuse those concepts these days. Real sexiness comes from a place of deep self-confidence, tempered by beauty and elegance. Rabid, frenzied dancing does not make one sexy: a smooth, focused, intentional gait does.Lauren Becall was sexy.Clark Gable, Cary Grant--sexy.Those who are truly sexy know that revealing all of one's body parts is NOT sexy, but that the appeal comes from within.It's what's inside that makes the outside beautiful, and really hot.Watches and race horses are sexy, a genuine external expression of their internal workings.Humans can be sexy, too, but it takes some work for most humans to realize that it IS the internal that delivers the external.Simon Baker is sexy. Simon Baker is elegant. That Tasmanian devil (actor) is probably one of the sexiest men alive--if not the actual title holder. And he's sexy precisely because he IS the epitome of elegance. The two ideas are synonymous.In fact, Mr. Baker is Longines' Ambassador of Elegance, and will be present at Santa Anita on Breeders' Cup days. In keeping with his title, no doubt he'll be attired in a couture suit--something perfect, smooth and quiet. (Elegant/sexy people don't wear beer hats.)And no doubt, Mr. Baker will wear the newest, most wonderful member of Longines' stable, the Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing watch. (See photo, above.)The "1/100th" in the watch's very name indicates that, yes, Virginia, this extraordinary timepiece is accurate to 1/100th of a SECOND. (Also known as a Centisecond.) As we discussed above, hundredths of a second ARE important in the sport of horse racing. The notion that not just stewards, but anyone--including we, the fans of horse racing--can own such a scientifically, physics-ally accurate timekeeper is an idea that's just too wonderful to be true.In other words, you don't have to be a racing official to own a Longines Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing watch. You can time the races, yourself. You can measure important events in your own life off the track, in a far-more accurate manner than that of glancing at the digital clock on your smartphone.The only caveat about owning this watch is that you may be so distracted by its smooth, silken beauty; so enchanted by its cool metal on your wrist and fascinated by the dials and hands on your beautiful watch that you're late for work.And that would defeat utterly the purpose of owning such a phenomenally-accurate timepiece, wouldn't it?Watches are sexy because they're organic: the metal of the watch makes contact with your skin, and the nerve endings thereon. From the first moment it's on your wrist, you two form a sensual relationship.They keep us grounded, feet firmly on the Earth while our heads and hearts soar skyward. They're sexy because of--here's that idea again--because of what they have inside, and that inside determines how they're designed on the outside. The form of a watch, like humans, is determined by its functionality. Like a race horse, form does follow function: the inner workings make the outside skin beautiful and sexy.Watches are sexy. Simon Baker is sexy. Longines has just presented the world with that which is probably The Sexiest Watch on Earth. If you're fortunate enough to be at the Breeders' Cup this weekend, check out the Longines Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing watch.If you plan to watch from your home or elsewhere on Planet Earth, you might want to go to www.Longines.com before Friday, to get your own Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing watch. That side bet you make with your comrades may well be determined by the accuracy of someone's watch. If it's not your Longines, well, don't blame me if you lose that bet.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Media Credits:Longines/Breeders' Cup logo and photo, Longines Conquest 1/100th Horse Racing watch, courtesy of Longines/Jamie Hector.Photo, Longines pen, Marion Altieri.]]> Open Letter to Bode Miller: Take Your Time, Pay Some Dues. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15795 2014-10-11T23:22:09Z 2014-10-15T15:49:05Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 By now, everyone in horse racing knows that Olympics medalist, Alpine skier, Bode Miller has announced his intention to become a Trainer of Thoroughbreds. That's nice.I've read everything I can about his thoughts on the subject, because I don't want to write this Open Letter to Mr. Miller and come across as being, well, judgmental.I want to be fair, of course: I understand his passion for the sport. And no one understands his love for horses more than I. But there's a big gap between being a lover of horses and becoming a Trainer. If love for the animals and the sport could make one a Trainer, I'd have had my license 50 years ago.So, sans any more ado, here are my thoughts, written as a letter to Mr. Miller. (Everyone who's not Bode Miller is invited to read, of course.)... ]]> Dear Mr. Miller:With great interest, I've read several articles about your passion for horse racing, and your intention to become a Thoroughbred Trainer. Every time I hear or read about someone who falls head-over-heels in love with my sport of horse racing, I smile. Our sport needs more fans who become owners, who get in the game and stay here.Your passionate embrace of horse racing is wonderful, and, I hope, contagious. I hope that all your friends and loved ones catch your fever and join our community.But that word, community, is my reason for writing this letter to you today. Horse racing very much is a community. As you've no doubt observed, we have our own "insiders' language"; our traditions; shared love of The Horse--and standard, accepted practices for the way things are done. (This "standard...practices" concept is not intended to indicate that things don't--or can't--change, not at all. But some things are the way they are for a reason.)I'm delighted that you want to become a Trainer, but I hope that you don't think that you can just phone it in, Mr. Miller. I read today on www.thisishorseracing.com, that you'd said"...I will be a trainer in the next year or two. I'm not that interested in getting bit and kicked and punched by horses so I try to have somebody else do that part of it."Reality Check: When I read that, I cringed.Wrestling with horses--having your hands on every part of a horse's body, and knowing the physiology of that body--is absolutely essential if you're going to become a Trainer. I cannot think of any Trainer, anywhere, who's managed to dodge the responsibility and the joy of spending outrageous numbers of hours touching horses. In some ways, you may see horse racing as pageantry, elegance, unbridled excitement and, yes, an endorphin high.But for every high of a win, there are thousands of hours spent checking a horse's left-front frog--mucking the excrement and urine from your horse's stall--pacing the floor at 3AM over a horse who's colicked--and, yes, sometimes just feeling a horse's legs to check for shins.(That is, bucked shins--of course the horse has shins--but do you know what it means when a horse's shin has bucked? And what's a frog?)(I don't mean to assume that you have no experience with the physical aspects of a horse--perhaps you do know about shins and frogs--and withers, guts and floating teeth. If I assume incorrectly, I apologize profusely.)But unfortunately, your statement makes it sound like you're a privileged, arrogant athlete who's used to getting his own way. And that you think that others should do the horse-touching for you. It's just not possible, Mr. Miller: like many celebrities, you have people and a partner. Your statement reads like you're willing to pay someone to do the hard, exhausting work--and take the chances of getting bitten--that you need to do if you're going to prove that you're a real Trainer.I know that you're used to doing life FAST: throwing your body down a mountain in the Alps at break-neck speed must be an outrageous high. I skied, 30 years ago, and I understand that addictive, endorphin high. It's exhilarating. I've never skied in mountains like the Alps, but I do Get It.I fear that you crave that same kind of high with horse racing. I know that your partner (who sounds like a great horsewoman, with many years' experience)--and no doubt, Bob Baffert, and others--have told you that, no, you don't win every race. In fact, a Trainer who wins 27% of the time is considered to be awesome.There are no short-cuts in this sport. I did a study yesterday, of requirements for a Trainer's license in a few states and commonwealths here in the U.S. Yes, in some places, you can get a license in exchange for basically ten bucks and a carton of smokes. Here in New York State, however, one cannot even become a licensed Assistant Trainer without spending three years in the trenches. I've pasted the laws and requirements at the end of this letter.I'm afraid that your passion for becoming a Trainer may fade away when you realize that real Trainers are up at 3AM, and in their barns--touching horses--by 4 or 5AM. I'm thinking of two particular Trainers who are friends--so I know their routines very well. Gary Contessa is a highly-respected Trainer with several decades of experience. The man's a legend. Abigail Adsit is in her second year of training, and already has a huge fan base because of her talent. Both Trainers have been in the saddle since very early childhood--and both paid their dues by working their ways up from hotwalker/groom to Assistant Trainer, then Trainer. And both are at their barns every single morning, taking their chances of getting bitten, kicked and pushed by the horses they love. They do it because they DO love the horse, and they love our sport.I'm not suggesting for one moment that, in order to be a good Trainer you must have decades of experience as a rider. If you haven't been riding since childhood, that's fine. But I am suggesting, strongly, that you take some time to think about that statement, and mistaken notion that you can hire others to do the hands-on work that every Trainer had to do, in order to get where they are today.There are no short-cuts. Horses are the very soul of horse racing: obviously, without them, there's no sport to love. Were I you, I'd call Gary Contessa or Abigail Adsit, and ask for a job as a hotwalker, then a groom. I know, that's a very humbling concept, isn't it?But it sounds to me that you need to spend many dirty, sweaty, exhausting hours in the stalls of horses, wrapping their legs--looking deeply into their eyes--getting them to trust you as you tend to their physical needs. I feel badly, because I don't know if you're willing to start at the bottom and work your way up to Trainer. And if you're not--that's a pity, because an athlete of your caliber should understand the enormous amount of time and Sweat Equity that goes into making it into the race. You have a farm--you have a partner--you have horses--and it sounds like you have a boatload of science and technology.But what you need to understand is that all the science in the world cannot create a great equine athlete. Horses are sentient, thinking, emotional beings--not machines, or technology. You can tweak them all you want--but in the end, all you have is your relationship with that horse--the connection that you forged between your two hearts--and that horse's desire to go out there and win, for you.You can spend all the money on Earth, setting up your farm and your stable. But if you're not willing to invest that which really matters--your time, your energy and your very self--then I'm afraid that you'll be sorely disappointed. Horses--and horse racing--need Trainers who love horses, first and foremost. Without that connection to The Horse, a potential Trainer is doomed to failure.Don't fail, Mr. Miller. Investing money isn't going to make you a Trainer--good or bad. Only your willingness to do the dirty work of this very dirty, very beautiful sport will give you the foundation that you really need to make your mark here.I wish you Wisdom, Hope and Success as you move forward. Please take the time to study those who've succeeded--and follow in their path of hard work and dedication to The Horse. There are no shortcuts--don't do yourself and the horses an injustice by trying to create one.Sincerely,Marion AltieriHorse-Lover, Race Fan----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Requirements for Assistant Trainer and Trainer Licenses in New York State. Thank you for the information, Charlie Diamond and the New York State Gaming Commission:§ 4002.21. License requirements for assistant trainer.(a) In addition to the qualifications set forth in section 4002.8 of this Part, an initial license as an assistant trainer may only be issued to an applicant who:(1) is at least 18 years of age;(2) has a minimum of three years experience in the care of horses on the race track or horse farm, at least two full years of which is as a gainfully employed licensed groom or licensed exercise person;(3) is vouched for, in writing, by the licensed trainer by whom such assistant trainer will be employed;(4) passes a written or oral test conducted by the commission, which may include questions on horse anatomy, disease, medication, applicable rules, regulations and training conditions of racing, stable business management, training procedures and equipment; and(5) passes a practical examination administered by the commission, which may include questions on anatomy, lameness/disease and care of a horse and demonstrations of bandaging, saddling and other standard practices.(b) The commission may waive such testing requirements if the applicant has been licensed as an assistant trainer in another jurisdiction for at least one year and otherwise satisfies the commission as to experience and competence. § 4002.22. License qualifications for trainer.In addition to the qualifications set forth in section 4002.8 of this Part, an initial trainer's license may only be issued to an applicant who:(a) has been employed at least 12 months as a licensed assistant trainer in this State; or(b) has been licensed as a trainer in another jurisdiction for one year, and presents a certificate from the stewards at a track in such other jurisdiction that they believe such applicant to be a competent and qualified trainer.]]> Memories of Cigar: Sensitivity and Grit, Guts and Glory. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15784 2014-10-08T21:43:07Z 2014-10-09T15:44:08Z It's October 8th, 2014, and by this time everyone in the world of international horse racing knows that Cigar, one of the world's greatest Thoroughbreds ever, has died.Race fans all know Cigar's background and statistics; I have nothing to contribute... M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 It's October 8th, 2014, and by this time everyone in the world of international horse racing knows that Cigar, one of the world's greatest Thoroughbreds ever, has died.Race fans all know Cigar's background and statistics; I have nothing to contribute to the enormous body of knowledge about the magical horse's achievements.The only things I have to offer are personal memories, but maybe those, too, will help add to the story of how this one extraordinary horse touched human souls, and give insight into the inner workings of such a horse of steel...]]> I found out early this morning that the magnificent Champion had died, and I've been crying ever since. Somehow I--like many of you--just assumed that Cigar would live forever. It never crossed my mind that he could be felled by anything as mundane as illness and old age.I believe that the assumption of Cigar's immortality was sealed in gold somewhere when Tom Durkin emotionally declared victory as Cigar thundered across the Breeders' Cup Classic finish line first. Tom's heart rode the horse across that finish line first and took the rest of us with him when spontaneously he uttered the three adjectives that forever will be associated with Cigar, and only Cigar:"...the unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable CIGAR!!!!"Never again will those words be spoken in relation to another Thoroughbred race horse, nor should they be. When Tom assigned those adjectives, the unheard, understood fourth adjective was, "immortal."But mortal he was, and today our sport is in group mourning. The Earth is a sadder place, for Cigar no longer stands on it. I have two memories to share with you, and I hope that each of these tales may give you a smile, and perhaps provide a little more insight into the mighty warrior horse who thrilled millions of human spirits. Sans further ado, here we go:* It must have been the summer of 1996, before Cigar retired officially at Madison Square Garden in November. (If I am wrong about the date, please correct me.) Cigar was brought to Saratoga, so that the great one could be paraded in front of his fans. (Does anyone else have memories of this day? I'd love to hear your stories.) (I was at the track alone--in the two summers following my Mother's death in '95, I attended the races alone a lot. Mommy had been my racing buddy, and I think I thought that if I went without the distraction of other people, Mommy would once again be with me at the track.)I wish I could recall the exact date, but it Cigar Day at Saratoga Race Course, and cigars were handed out to everyone in attendance. The cigars featured paper bands that commemorated him.Just before he was to be paraded down the track, I high-tailed it to the paddock path rail. I knew that I couldn't get close enough to the track--or see over the heads of tall people--to actually see Cigar as he paraded in front of his admirers. So I was content to stand at the paddock path rail, and wait for him to return.From our place at that rail, we could hear the insane, joyous screaming of thousands of Cigar fans. As the horse got closer to the paddock path, the screaming got louder. We who'd stood patiently would get to see the Champion even-closer than those who'd crowded the finish line and main track rail. That would have been good enough for me--just to be THAT close--maybe even to breathe some of the same air as one who carried Greatness in his soul.Cigar must have been really jazzed after the crazy-loud screams, and all the love that must have pushed its way onto the track, showering him with profound appreciation. He danced onto the paddock path, tossing his head and puffing his chest. Some may have misinterpreted this as agitation, but the look in his brilliant, knowing eye told the story: he was worshiped--he was The King--and he knew it.I stood with my hands on that rail, just staring at him. While everyone around me cheered wildly, whistling and clapping--I stood stock-still, my heart and soul so filled with love that I think I stopped breathing. I stood in awe, for rarely do humans get to be that close to genuine Greatness, and this was my moment. I kept saying, quietly, "I love you, Cigar. I LOVE you..."I wanted nothing more than to drink in his magic, to perhaps catch just a whiff, an ounce, of his spirit.Dancing and tossing his head, suddenly Cigar stopped. He looked at me with his right eye--lowered his head toward me--and just stood there, taking me in. Even with all the cheering going on around us, I could hear him breathing.We two were caught in this cosmic, spiritual and quiet place for--oh, I don't know--somewhere between 30 seconds and 10 years--and then he walked forward again, exuding testosterone and confidence, and giving his fans what they wanted.I felt as if I'd been singularly-blessed. I had to process this. But before I had the opportunity to think about it, a gentleman asked,"What was THAT about?""He knows that I love him," was all I could say."We ALL love him!" he smiled as he exclaimed."But I REALLY LOVE HIM."The gentleman exclaimed,"He KNEW that!" and went on about how "...that was something."Yes, it was something, an experience I'll never forget. I felt blessed that day--I've thought about the experience often--and today, in my profound grief, I am comforted by the memory of that single moment in time. * The second memory that I'll share happened in 2007. I was at the Kentucky Horse Park, and of course had to stop into the Hall of Champions to visit Cigar and his warrior-companion, John Henry. I never could get enough of either of them. (This was the second time I'd visited the Horse Park. It should not be allowed, for anyone to visit the Horse Park without paying homage to the Thoroughbred Champions who reside therein. Every time I went, I genuflected to the powerhouse John Henry, and just had to be near Cigar. Just to be near him, again, was enough for me.)One of the docents at the Hall explained to us that, when Cigar first moved into the Hall, his stall--and paddock--were right next to those of John Henry.Well, the two truly great race horses--no doubt, with egos to match!--spent hours every day, racing each other around their respective paddocks.I don't know when, but the Hall's administrators realized that that was not such a good idea, at least for John Henry. John had many years on Cigar, and--feisty as John Henry was--his human caretakers were afraid that the old boy would have a heart attack. (As they pointed out, John Henry was too ornery and had too big a soul to back off because it could be bad for his health.) :)So Cigar was moved across the way, where the two men could see each other but not race each other.And, they said that the two brilliant horses would spend hours just staring at each other across the way. And that they were both thinking,"I can still kick your ass."And that is the heart of a Champion--a real, living, breathing legendary race horse like Cigar and John Henry. That, even in "retirement," living in a beautiful, big stall and having no responsibilities--they are compelled to kick the derriere of someone. It didn't matter to either of them, that there was no winner's circle photo or trophy at the end of that race: beating the tar out of the other guy was the reward.And that, I believe, is one of the things that separate we mere humans from race horses, my friends: humans get into horse racing with dreams and hopes of winning. The trophies and photos are important to humans. And that's OK, for humans just aren't as pure as horses. Horses run and become obsessed with winning simply because that's what they do. Their single-minded goal of kicking the other guy's behind is all they need for motivation.So here are two stories about Cigar, one of the most noble, perfect, single-minded Thoroughbreds since the breed was created. One story, I hope, will confirm for you that, not only was he big, brash, strong and powerful--but he was also so sensitive that he could pick up the vibe of pure love in the midst of a loud, cacophonous crowd. The other people did love him, I have no doubt--but the sensitivity of his soul found the quiet place in my own spirit and he made the effort to connect.The second tale makes us smile, because it proves that great race horses never stop racing, even if it's paddock-racing against another member of the Pantheon. The fact that the two horses absolutely, positively would not stop racing each other--so they had to be given a permanent "time out" --is one of the best stories of equine spirit that I've ever heard.Spiritual sensitivity and determination never to give up: what a great legacy Cigar has left the world. The victories, money and YouTube videos can't tell the whole story of such a tremendous soul.Cigar has died, and he took a big chunk of our hearts with him. If ever there was a horse worthy of being God's own mount, it was the "...unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable CIGAR." I'm sure that tonight, even God has to take a ticket and wait, for Cigar is in the heavenly paddock, once again racing John Henry and threatening to kick him where it hurts.My grief is tempered tonight only by my recollection of those two experiences, which I'll cherish forever and a day. Thank you for the memories...I love you, Cigar. I REALLY LOVE YOU. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Photo Credit:Many thanks to the Breeders' Cup folks, for the photo of Cigar winning the Breeders' Cup Classic.]]> Mothers' Love and Horse Racing: Give Us the Reins, We'll Take 'er from Here. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15729 2014-09-29T10:46:25Z 2014-09-29T20:10:45Z For 11 years now, I've ranted, cajoled and begged for the world of horse racing to See it This Way, that women must participate fully in the sport in order for it to grow and thrive--both in the United States... M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 For 11 years now, I've ranted, cajoled and begged for the world of horse racing to See it This Way, that women must participate fully in the sport in order for it to grow and thrive--both in the United States and elsewhere around the world. (I must note here that this argument applies only to Thoroughbred horse racing, for it appears that in the world of Arabian horse racing--misogyny and gender exclusion is noticeably absent.)I awoke this morning at 4AM because words were going through my head, as happens too often. The words pummeled my brain and invaded my sleep until finally two hours later, yawning and all watery-eyed, I surrendered, got up and turned on the computer.I have a story to tell you, and this story must be told in order for the title of this article to make sense. It's a very personal story--one that very few people know. It almost frightens me, the thought of sharing this story with anyone--never mind, with the entire Universe, via Internet. But apparently it's important, or the words wouldn't have assaulted me with the intent of being written down with a specific purpose.Aware of the fact that you, my readers, are viewing this on the Internet--and therefore, are part of the generations of humans who glean information virtually--I'll keep this as brief as possible. I need to think that you get through the story, in order to understand truly the moral of the tale.Unfortunately, that means that there's a trade involved: In order to shorten the story to a length that won't drive you away--I'll have to use some words that are unsavory. Not "dirty" or socially unacceptable--but rather words that challenge the Great American Denial of Mortality.Please read this article to the end. If you skim it, you won't get the full meaning, and you need to understand the message here. Horse racing in general needs to Get It, and we can't Get Something--Anything--if we don't fully understand.So read on--take your time, work with me here, folks. This story and the moral at the end are worth your time and energy...]]> It hurts me to write this--I'm crying as I recall this story. But, as sad as is the foundation of this experience--the punchline completely overrides the sadness. So I must write to get to that punchline, so that I can stop crying and get on with Life...My Mother died on June 7, 1995. By that time, colon cancer had ravaged her body for almost two years, stripping her of self esteem, joy and half her body weight. (The day she died, she weighed 84 mere pounds.) She'd not been able to stand or walk for the last six months: five times a day, I picked up her bony frame and all her equipment (foley bag, tubes, etc.), and placed her into her big, formerly-comfortable chair. We repeated the ritual in reverse for meals, treatments and bedtime. Yes, it was a lot of physical labor for me, but it had to be done--both to avoid bed sores and so that Mommy could at least feel a little more human and to watch her TV from a pseudo-comfortable position.Easter that year and her birthday were four days apart: April 16th and 20th, respectively. Mommy and I had long-abandoned the time-waster of denial by April: we'd acknowledged that this was her last April, her last Easter, her last birthday in this physical world. (Her next celebrations all would be held in the glory of Heaven, from which perch she could oversee my earthly life.)We made a point to celebrate these two important days with friends, so I invited Norma to Easter dinner. Norma still is a treasured friend whom Mommy had met at work years before. Norma brought her cat to visit Kirwan, our own big orange Tabby.I made a traditional Easter dinner: the ham was in the oven, along with various vegetables. I'd peeled potatoes, which sat in a pan of water on top of the stove, ready to turn on when Norma arrived. The gas stove had been on for about an hour, when I assessed the situation, to see if I'd forgotten anythingAll set: I grabbed the gigantic, green trash bag to take downstairs to the back yard. I'd waited until I absolutely had to take the trash out, to make the trek down the precarious staircase. (Mommy and I shared a small, second-floor studio apartment during this two-year journey. The postage-stamp-sized space, in concert with the second-floor location and extraordinarily high ceilings had presented challenges, often. The building was built in the Federal era of American architecture, and sported ceilings in excess of 13'. This means that the stairs up to our apartment were steep, and challenging, even when Mommy still could walk.)The door. Ah, the door. A disproportionately-small brass doorknob with no lock, and a dead-bolt above it. It was necessary to lock the dead-bolt every time I left the apartment, even for a trash run, because the door wasn't on the frame right, and would fall open as soon as it was closed, if not locked. (And Kirwan the Cat--free spirit that he was--would have flown out of there like an escapee from Attica.)You see where this tale is going: as soon as I wrestled the large, green garbage bag out of the apartment and shut the door behind me--I knew that I didn't have the key in my pocket. I had that sick feeling--we all know that feeling: you don't even have to check to see if MAYBE you have the key. You know that you don't: the pit in your stomach is all the confirmation you require.Panic-stricken, immediately I called in to Mommy and told her what I'd done. She was intellectually sharp as a tack, just slow to speak. Weakly, she confirmed that she was OK, that she wasn't panicking. That was fine, as I was losing my mind. One of us losing our minds was plenty. My mind reeled: neither our upstairs neighbor nor the downstairs people were around. Even if I had a ladder, it wouldn't be tall enough for me to climb up to the second story of that Federal building. I'd have to go to another neighbor's house--ask to use their phone--and call the fire department, to bring their big truck with the cherry-picker. A fireman would have to crawl through the window and let me in...oh, God, oh, God.I have no idea how long I stood out there, crying hysterically, praying and thinking wildly about how to resolve this horrible situation. I kept thinking about the gas oven being on. Every worse-case scenario possible crashed into my head simultaneously. I cried, I jiggled the doorknob, I paced.And then, the door opened.Mommy stood on the other side. Her foley bag and its long tube were draped over her left arm and she stood straight, holding the doorknob with her right hand. Astounded, I blurted out, "WHAT? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" ("That," being getting up--standing--and walking the 15' from her chair to the door.)"You needed me." was her deceptively-simple response. For my Mother--who'd not been able to STAND for six months, never mind, to walk--to do that--well, that was an absolute, definite, no-doubt-about-it--miracle from God.It was also testimony to the strength and power of a Mother's love.Mothers' love gave my darling Mommy super-human strength and resolve that day--the Easter with two Resurrections.And that's what struck me at 4AM this morning. Mothers' Love is what's missing in horse racing. Mothers' Love is a force SO powerful--so mighty--that it can make a dying woman get up and walk. It drives women to lie down in front of freight trains to save the lives of their children. Mothers' Love is unequaled in its strength, tenacity and fierceness.Mothers' Love is a power so deep that its full potential cannot be known fully--we see it come out when a child--or animal--needs saving. We see it when there's a living being to be defended. Mothers' Love depends on an Other--that of The Beloved--in order to even rear its head and kick some ass. (When not needed in full force, it resides within the quietude of the heart. But oh, when it comes out--it roars like a tiger, it takes no prisoners.)This is what horse racing is missing, and needs desperately. I am NOT writing here that men cannot love horses. Not at all. I would not insult an entire gender--or the God Who made them--by positing that males don't have the capacity to love horses and to care deeply for them.But I know what I see--I know what I experienced that Easter Sunday in 1995. My Mother expressed her undying, "incomparable, invincible, unbeatable" love for me in the quietest of ways that day: she simply fought physics, biology and the ravages of the war. She walked across a room, and opened a door for her little girl.That kind of invincible love is in short supply in horse racing's seats of power. In the past, I've written and preached extensively, that women should be on the board of every single horse racing organization--both those that run tracks, and non-profits--because, after all, women are 52% of the television viewership--at least 51% of the population--the clear majority of purchasers of all goods in the world--and therefore the majority of the fan base. And if we're the majority, not only should we be represented on boards--we should be the majority of the boards, themselves.That's what I argued in the past. But early this morning as I tried to sleep, I took dictation and realized that the real, most convincing argument for women's full--and majority--participation on boards and high-level administration is because we bring Mothers' Love to the table.Whether a woman is a Mother to a human being doesn't matter. I'm not a Mother to a human, I'm a Mother to Pandora, my cat and to every horse I meet. Women of all walks of Life in our sport should be serving in places where our hearts, our votes and our voices can bring about change.If women were the majority of boards, gaming commissions, and government committees--all this mamby-pamby debating about doping would be over and done. No race horse ever would go to slaughter, and those who beat a horse would be run off the track, permanently.If it's bad for a horse, the Mothers' Love vote would get rid of it. Period.If we can replace some of the ineffectual men in suits with women in suits--or dresses, or jeans and mucking boots--then we/they can bring Mothers' Love to the Board table. And no, Mothers' Love even when she's quiet, never is "weak" or "soft." Mother's Love is the strongest force in the Universe, and we will use that force to change horse racing for the good of all--horses, men and women, alike.Mothers' Love resurrected my Mother, it can resurrect our entire industry. Just open that barn door to opportunity--we'll take the job--embrace the responsibilities--and get 'er done, in record time.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Many, many thanks to Timber Town Stable for the use of their photo. Please visit their 'site!http://www.timbertownstable.com/home.html]]> Please Help Stop Gerald (Jerry) Herron, a Horse Killer. NOW. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15717 2014-09-22T21:20:09Z 2014-09-23T03:38:38Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 Dear Friends,In upstate New York--just a few miles from our renowned and elegant Saratoga Race Course, an evil man named GERALD (JERRY) HERRON has been abusing horses for years. He abuses and neglects all the other animals on his "farm," as well.His most recent offense is that, among other sins, he starved a precious colt to death. YES, he did.I'm too angry and upset to write anything eloquent: instead, I'm going to give the proverbial keyboard to MR. BRAD SHEAR, Executive Dirctor of the Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society, to tell you about the horrors. Please read all the way to the end, and follow Mr. Shear's instructions for phone calls that MUST be placed, in order to get this evil man into prison and animals--especially, horses--out of his hands. If he is allowed to keep animals, he'll kill them. Period. Do you want to be complicit in his crime, simply because you couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone and make two calls? I don't care if Herron is crazy, certifiably a lunatic. I don't care if his Mommy left him as a child, and he's sad so he acts out and hurts animals. I don't give a damn about his problems. Tough life? Too bad. He has no right--legally or morally--to abuse the animals who were entrusted to him.Please read, and then act. It doesn't matter if you live in New York, France or Mars. If you truly care about animal welfare, you'll care about this, and act. Thank you, very much...]]> Brad Shear's blog article in the September 22, 2014 Albany, New York, Times Union:You may have read the news recently about Gerald (Jerry) Herron of Hoosick Falls being arrested for the third time on animal cruelty charges. A 6 month old colt that was seized from his property along with his mother was brought to a veterinary facility and died from malnutrition. Yes, in spite of the best efforts of an equine veterinarian, it was too late and this 6 month old baby starved to death.Many people are asking why he is still allowed to have horses, but most people only know a small piece of the story. We first encountered Mr. Herron in 2008 after receiving complaints about the conditions at his farm. We partnered with State Police on the investigation, an arrest was made and the case was handed over to the Rensselaer County District Attorney. The case then sat on a desk for two years and was plead down to disorderly conduct with essentially no penalties and no help for the horses. In 2011 we went back with State Police and again, Herron was arrested for having horses in similar conditions. Again the case took more than two years to get to court in the Town of Hoosick. Herron plead guilty to one count of animal cruelty, was sentenced to four weekends in jail and was allowed by the court and D.A. to keep the horses. So now we're back again in the same D.A.'s office and the same court.These are not just any horses. It is clear from lip tattoos on the horses at Herron's farm that some of the horses have raced and are being bred for racing. What is not clear is who these horses actually belong to. We are working with State Police now to determine ownership of the horses on the property including the foal that died because additional charges can be brought against the owner. ***Update: I spoke to the Executive Director of the NYS Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund and Jerry Herron's farm has been removed from the Fund's Directory of Farms. Herron has not received funds since his first conviction for cruelty. Their policy was sent to me which prohibits payments to anyone accused of animal cruelty unless charges are dropped and permanently prohibits payments to people convicted of cruelty. ***I don't want this man to get away with cruelty like this a third time and I need you help to stop this from happening. Please make the following phone calls:1-The Rensselaer County District Attorney's Office and tell them that this time we won't accept any deals. Gerald Herron should be convicted of animal cruelty and prohibited from possessing animals. (518) 270-40402-The Town of Hoosick Court and tell them we want the harshest possible penalties against Gerald Herron, a three-time offender, including no animals [allowed on his property, or his life]: (518) 686-3335With your help we can make sure no other horses suffer the same fate at the hands of Jerry Herron.]]> Keeneland's "Boutique" Breeders' Cup, and Dorsal Fins on Catfish tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15670 2014-09-13T12:41:40Z 2014-09-15T16:57:32Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 Effective immediately, I'm giving up my previous mission, of working to create a horse racing media empire and striving to help women become fully part of the sport's media landscape. In my heart, that mission served as the foundation for my obsession to help save horses from slaughter, abuse and neglect, by getting more females involved in racing media and on the boards of racing organizations.Forget that. Yes, effective immediately, I'm overthrowing all previous vocational notions in favor of my True Calling. I'm slapping on a coat of Chanel red lipstick. I'm going to don a saucy black lace veil and acquire a large, bowling-ball-sized crystal ball.Effective immediately, I'm trading in my laptop and microphone, and accepting my true role, as Horse Racing Psychic...]]> OK, so I may be joking, but I'm so giddy-up with self-congratulatory glee that I simply must share it with y'all today.You see, on August 12, 2014, I wrote a blog article for www.TalkOfTheTrack.com. ( http://talkofthetrack.com/2014/08/keeneland-breeders-cup-recipe-for-renewed-elitism/ )Oddly enough, I wrote this in the midst of the Saratoga race meet. I just awoke one morning, and felt compelled to address the ill-conceived commitment of giving the Breeders' Cup to Keeneland in 2015.Nothing wrong with Keeneland: I love the place. It's beautiful and elegant. The Keeneland Kitchen serves the best, most delicious breakfast in the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Keeneland, at all. (Well, there was that silly Disney decision to use Keeneland as body-double for Beautiful Belmont Park in the film, "Secretariat." How anyone in Disney's admin offices could think that anyone who knows anything about horse racing would think that "...yeah, that looks JUST like Belmont's paddock, building and track..."... I don't know.)So, the bit I wrote on August 12--and this one--are not anti-Keeneland rants. Don't email me, and blast off on me for picking on Keeneland, itself.That on which I pick is: the fact that in making the (no doubt, politically-driven) decision to house an ENORMOUS horse racing event in an UN-enormous facility--the Breeders' Cup boyz have decided that only those who have an IN--who are members of the Keeneland Association, or who have a brother on the Board of the Breeders' Cup--etc., will be able to get a ticket to the event. Why do I say this? Because Keeneland's Vice President and COO, Vince Gabbert, said as much, himself. Let me remind you that, underneath Mr. Gabbert's statements lies the implied fact thatKeeneland Association is a private club. Period And that causes a very big problem for the Breeders' Cup--but more for race fans who think they'll be able to get tickets for actual seats.(Mr. Gabbert's statements about Keeneland's Breeders' Cup were offered at a meeting of the Kentucky Genera Assembly Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and occupations. Tom LaMarra reported on the meeting and Mr. LaMarra's statements in the September 12th "Blood-Horse" online.)Mr. LaMarra's headline caught my attention, right away: "Keeneland Projects 45,000 for Breeders' Cup.""Huh," thought I, "at Saratoga, we call that, 'Saturday.'"As I dug into the article, I felt truly sorry for the guy. (Vince Gabbert.) No doubt, he was the sacrificial lamb who was thrown out into the arena to deliver this report. (I doubt that anyone would volunteer for the gig of trying to paint a rosy picture on that which is almost-certainly doomed to be a logistics and PR--public relations--nightmare of monumental proportions.)The summary statement written by Mr. LaMarra, got to me. It should get to you, too: "Because of space limitations,the Keeneland Breeders' Cup set for Oct. 30-31 [2015] is expected to have more of an upscale, boutique feel, with access at a premium. However, other areas of the vast property will be employed to accommodate customers, including the Keeneland Entertainment Center, sale pavilion, and tailgating areas."This statement is a primo example of PR tap-dancing at its finest. (Not that Mr. LaMarra is doing the dancing; he reported only on what he heard. And what he heard was spinning as fine as any Dervish.)Let's deconstruct here:* "...space limitations..." = Ridiculously small space available to the public.* "...upscale..." = Astronomically overpriced tickets.* "...boutique feel..." = No seats for anyone but "insiders."* "...other areas of the vast property...Keeneland Entertainment Center, sale pavilion, and tailgating areas..." = Expect to pay $300+ for a ticket that buys you the opportunity to sit in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion to watch the races on a wide-screen TV. (Which, BTW, you could do at home for free.) Get a $15 hot dog and a $10 can of beer. Yep, just like Home.Ya know, they can call the Keeneland Breeders'Cup a "boutique" event all they want, but that concept flies directly in the face of the original concept behind the Breeders' Cup. First, the BC Board has given The Finger to tracks like Belmont, Monmouth and Arlington Park--you know, spaces that are large enough to accommodate all who want to attend. Their backroom deals with California are obvious. (Giving the BC to Keeneland was merely a bone thrown at the Eastern side of the United States, and to Kentucky.) Mr. John Gaines, founder of the Breeders' Cup, designed the thing to spread around the wealth. His original idea was that every track in the United States that could accommodate the event should have the opportunity. By romancing California--with the occasional wink at Keeneland--the Breeders' Cup Board has also given The Finger to the late, great Mr. Gaines. Second, we must ask: How can you invite "the world," when the host track can accommodate less than 1/5 the number of race fans as can, say, Belmont Park? The Breeders' Cup never was intended to be a "boutique" event. The whole idea was to open up America's horse racing to anyone in the world who wanted to participate on a grand scale.There's nothing grand about a racing event that will see race fans fly into Lexington from all over North America and the world--only to pay $300 or more for the privilege of tailgating on a hill, nowhere near a horse. If you get pushed around and feel used at the end of the Keeneland Breeders' Cup--don't blame me. (And if you subject yourself to overpriced tickets and the lousy customer service that's inevitable in this scenario--don't you dare bitch ever again about standing in line at Belmont.)You can call it, "boutique," if you want. It's still elitism, plain-and-simple. Hard-core, Good Old Boys' horse racing in a Members Only setting. Men: doing the talking. Women: couture arm candy. Everyman: watching the races on TV in the sales pavilion snack bar.You can also glue a dorsal fin onto a catfish, and call it, Jaws.It's still a catfish.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> fillyracing.com: Growing the f!lly Racing Media family, one URL at a time... tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15633 2014-09-11T04:36:57Z 2014-09-11T04:57:07Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 I shan't go into much detail--you can find the details elaborately laid out on the pages of my new website.Yes, on Wednesday, September 10trh, a new horse racing cyberdestination was foaled, and her name is http://www.fillyracing.com ...]]> Over the years, I've sketched out all the horse racing media in which I feel called to participate.Like everyone, I have goals and dreams. They morph, they change, they grow in ways that I could not have foreseen 11 years ago, when I began this journey.But the 'site that I posted today--well, she'll serve as Home Base for the various media and projects that pop into my overactive imagination. Some projects will die on the vine--others will grow and flourish. http://www.fillyracing.com will be the place to catch up with me, and see what weird stuff I'm thinking on any given day.;)And watch for some amazing developments in the near future! f!lly fashions by Krave aims to revolutionize the way horse racing looks at fashion...no, no kidding. Horse racing radio may take an unexpected turn...that's all I'm telling you for now.;)And Marketplace--well, Marketplace may very well be a place at which your horse- or horse racing-related business or products finally get the attention they deserve.I'm using this website to explore my own creative and entrepreneurial imagination, but I hope also that you will find things within the pages that inspire or encourage you.Please check it out when you have a minute--you know that I'll do the same for you. I read your 'sites, you read mine. And through it all, we strive together for the welfare and rights of all horses: many voices, one heart.:)----------------------------------------------------------Photo Credit:Many thanks to Dan Heary for his gorgeous photo of Shayjolie in Saratoga, August 2014.]]> Horse Racing Boards: Flip that Script to Reflect Demographic Reality. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15604 2014-09-02T15:27:59Z 2014-09-02T21:53:53Z The curtain has come down.The Saratoga race meet is over.Tom Durkin has left the building.For all intents and purposes, now it is the Autumn Racing Season, and with it come Belmont, Keeneland, Breeders' Cup, etc.So today's the first day of... M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 The curtain has come down.The Saratoga race meet is over.Tom Durkin has left the building.For all intents and purposes, now it is the Autumn Racing Season, and with it come Belmont, Keeneland, Breeders' Cup, etc.So today's the first day of going back to Business as Usual. No more sultry Saratoga nights. No more parties, and running into friends I haven't seen in years. No more gentle amusement every time I hear Lily, the pygmy goat, bleat.No more gentleness, at all. As the camaraderie of the backstretch and Lily's plaintive requests for attention slip away with the last Summer breezes, we begin to hunker down for Winter. Autumn is the transition time, that gracious space in-between the blood-boiling heat of Summer's many lusty conquests and the same blood, freezing dead-still in your veins.Along with the bright orange, red and yellow leaves and the crisp Autumn air comes the b***h-slap of Reality. And today that Reality beat me out of my nostalgia for Saratoga, and headlong into the painful realization that the Suffragist movement hasn't yet made it to American horse racing, for we women get virtually NO vote. And you know it's true...]]> Perhaps I should just pose this question:Are you aware that none of the American horse racing authorities (including organizations and corporations, both non-profit and for-profit) have Boards of Directors that reflect or address the needs of women in horse racing?Go ahead--I won't name any of them--but this morning I conducted a thorough Google session--and I invite you to do the same. Check out any American horse racing organization, either profit-making or non-profit--and tell me how many women are on those boards.A random sampling:* Six Board members / one is female* 13 / one* 14 / one* 11/ zeroAgain, I refuse to call out organizations and companies. The reason is not that I'm afraid that I'd "...get into trouble." Oh, please. I thought you knew me well enough by now.The reason is that, if I call out specific companies and name names, then I'm diluting the message of this article. The message isn't to slap anyone specific on the hand and say, "Bad boys!"--the message is that we, the professional women in horse racing and the female fans--deserve better. We deserve to be represented, fully, on every single Board in North America.An extensive survey released by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers' Association confirmed several years ago: that females are the majority of the fan base of horse racing.The Nielsen company confirms it following every major televised race in North America--females are the majority of those watching on TV.Women participate in horse racing in deep, significant, economically-important ways. We're not here just to don pretty hats, or to be the date of someone who really understands the sport.We're trainers, exercise riders, jockeys, media professionals, owners, accountants, operations managers, farriers, administrators, PR and marketing professionals, handicappers/analysts, grooms, hotwalkers, assistant trainers, horse truck drivers, feed sales consultants, bettors, fans--the list is endless. There's no facet of horse racing in which we females are not actively participating.So why is it, then, that a few of the Boards have ONE female--a token?Is that one woman--or ZERO women?--supposed to represent the needs and views of women professionals and fans? And what ARE those needs? More pretty champagne cocktails on major stakes days, and photo opps with Justin Timberlake?Or the demand to end horse slaughter, once-and-for-all? Perhaps the Female Agenda includes bigger issues like slaughter, and the demand that every horse racing company and organization in North America work with local, regional, state and national authorities to protect horses under domestic animal laws, instead of under livestock laws? (Such as is the case here in New York State.)We women in horse racing have many things on our agenda, and it's all about the horses, our equine athletes who give us such pleasure and joy.We want--we demand--that the days of all-male, or 99%-male--Boards of Directors be over. We are the majority of the fan base--we are those who drive the economic bus. We buy the sourvenirs; order the hay; rock the proverbial cradle. We have things to say, and those things are best said in the context of the Board rooms that control horse racing. The face of the current Boards do NOT reflect the reality of horse racing's demographics.Why, we must ask ourselves, do we allow it to continue this bad practice?* Because it's easier than fighting?* Because men at the helm DO represent all the needs of women in the sport? (This is patently NOT TRUE.)* Because it's always been that way? It's "tradition"? As I wrote just yesterday, not all traditions are good. Cannibalism is a tradition in some cultures, and not everyone involved in the transaction benefits thereof.I do not hate men.I do not love or like women more than I love or like men.I love horses.Everything that I do is motivated by my obsessive, single-minded focus on horses. What's good for horses is good for the sport of horse racing.And women--yes, we who comprise at least 52% of the viewing audience, according to Nielsen--are good for horses.If you run a Board in horse racing: invite us onto your Boards in appropriately proportionate measure. If you have 13 members, seven of them should be females. (OUCH!! That's gotta hurt, I know, but that would be the fair reflection on your Board. Now, imagine how WE feel...)If you're a woman in horse racing, claim your right to use your voice. Get yourself onto one of those Boards. The Boards need your talents, insights, service and strong work ethic.If you're a man in horse racing--again, professional or fan--please let your voice be heard. Surely you gentlemen know that the scales need to be re-calibrated. Hall of Fame trainer, LeRoy Jolley, doesn't hesitate to speak up on the matter--why should you? Weigh in, and help get more women onto those Boards.Horse racing will not thrive in North America as long as:a) The horses are represented by only 48% of the human population, who are in a position to speak up for them; andb) That other 52% aren't able to participate in the decision- and policy-making process.Welcome, race fans and pros, to the Future.Ring-ring-ring! Hello, horse racing Boards? It's the 19th Century. They want their misogyny back. And they suggest that you go Blinkers Off, to get the picture from both sides.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> AmDubai Racing Stable: Abstract Thinking + Horse Sense = Racing's Best Plan for the Future. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15601 2014-09-01T00:00:04Z 2014-09-02T13:50:13Z It's taken me weeks to write this article, chiefly because writing about AmDubai Racing Stable and the two people at its core is a far-more complicated task than merely whipping up a profile of a Trainer and his/her horse.Anyone who... M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 It's taken me weeks to write this article, chiefly because writing about AmDubai Racing Stable and the two people at its core is a far-more complicated task than merely whipping up a profile of a Trainer and his/her horse.Anyone who can answer the questions,Who/What/When/Where/Why/How can write a profile.But Trainers Seth Benzel and his partner, Trainer Joanna Patejuk aren't surface people. To write about what they're doing--why they're doing it--and their five-year plan requires a tool that I''m going to call a soul microscope. I don't want to tell you just what they're doing, but Where, and Why.And my observation is that the Where and Why are deeper than that which merely meets the eye, or the pages of a turf magazine...]]> In the brief space of 27 days, I've gotten to know Seth Benzel and Joanna Patejuk in a way that feels like forever. I have no idea what they think about me, but there's something so inviting, genuine and real about these two people that the warmth invites you in. From the first Hello, you are drawn in--perhaps through their four piercing eyes. It may be their honesty, integrity or the fact that they've very open about their plans and dreams--and excited to share them with people who may catch their shared Vision.And I love people with Vision. Vision is directly connected to Hope, and to Dreams.And the heart that has no Dreams is dead.I quote often my favorite, brief poem by Langston Hughes:"Hold fast to Dreams for if Dreams dieLife is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly..."On the outside, horse racing may look like it's a very complicated business, and on the surface, it is. But underneath that business--at the very foundation--is the Hope and Dream of taking God's most perfect animals and helping them find their own, individual destinies as race horses. Any Trainer/owner/other who's in this business strictly as an investment or because they want glory--should go away. Invest your money in something else, if that's how you feel.True glory in horse racing comes only from the deep roots of a soul connection to The Horse, and the Dreams that are forged between that animal and her/his handlers. If an owner doesn't have that connection to their horse--I ask respectfully that they get the Hell out. Invest in Microsoft or another cold, hard, soulless commodity.Seth and Joanna are visionaries of the highest level, first because they DO have that soul connection to The Horse. They see the potential in a horse, and they know that that animal has a destiny to fulfill. They can read horses, and know what's best for that creature--and they care, deeply.I write this as one who's observed thousands of people involved in this sport, for over 50 years. I've seen carpetbaggers, braggarts and ne'er-do-wells, alike, come and go. I know who's genuine--who cares first for The Horse, and who doesn't give a damn. (And you who know me know that The Horse is always my first concern. Everything other than The Horse is secondary to me.)So here we have two people who connect to The Horse, and who have observed the fact that The Horse truly is the only real International Language. They know that a person who loves horses in Mongolia is, at his core, the same as an American who loves horses. And in France, Australia, Hong Kong, Alaska and Dubai. The Horse is the only important foundation builder of the international horse racing community--and the strength of that otherworldly animal is what binds all our hearts and Dreams together as one.Their love of The Horse, in concert with their observations about the Big Picture possibilities because of The Horse--have given them a Vision, and that Vision led to a Plan. Their Vision is so (seemingly) simple that it still makes me wonder why no one else saw this before this moment. But in every generation there's a Visionary, a soul who sees the future differently, and acts on it. Others catch on, and soon the Vision of one is the Reality of many. Seth and Joanna are horse racing Visionaries. Once the rest of American racing catches onto their idea--and realizes the Wisdom of this Vision--virtually everyone will follow suit. Allow me to tell you something that may seem at first blush to be unrelated, but which indeed is at the core of this Vision: Besides being a loving and caring Thoroughbred Trainer, Seth is an abstract artist. Yes, Seth created this breathtaking work of art, a piece that took me aback when first I saw a photo of it:When Seth's not mucking stalls; giving baths and brushes or playing with a horse--or doing all the "fun" paperwork of being a Trainer--Seth is painting. Remarkable works that spring up from his soul, and find their ways onto canvas. Really, I did gasp when I saw this horse painting because immediately it gave me insight into this most-unusual, insightful Trainer.Seth paints abstracts. He thinks abstracts. With that knowledge, it's easier to understand how AmDubai Racing Stable was foaled with the creative horsewomanship of Joanna. (Seth, as you probably know, was Assistant Trainer to both Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher for five years each. (I met him when he was Assistant to Pletcher, several years ago.) Then Seth went out on his own, and his own way led him eventually to Dubai.)There he met Joanna--a former steeplechase jockey in Europe, who was working as an Assistant Trainer in Abu Dhabi at the time of their introduction. (She is a horsewoman at her core. Her experience in Europe and Asia provides insights lacking in most American barns.)Well, one thing led to another, and a concept was foaled--a Vision was born. So here's the thing, in a nutshell: AmDubai Racing Stable is in residence in both Dubai and the United States. Seth and Joanna--and their horse(s) divide their time and training between the two countries.If you're not a horse Trainer, that may not sound unusual. But oh, it is.They are very much part of the culture and community of Dubai, just as they moved seamlessly through the Saratoga Clubhouse crowd this August. When they're in Dubai, they're Home. When they're in the U.S., they're Home. In Dubai, they're treated as peers, friends, colleagues--and treated very well. They're neighbors, part of the training community in the otherworldly desert city. I'm sure that the good people of the Dubai horse racing community and Meydan are just as enamoured of them as am I. Ibid., everyone who spent time with them this summer in Saratoga fell for them as well. It's not a statement of politics at all, that they have become part of that international community at Meydan--it's merely a business move, and an emotional connection that they feel toward their colleagues and friends there.By being part-time residents of Dubai, Seth and the Poland-born Ukrainian Joanna represent American horse racing very well. Seth, being the only American Trainer who has a residence and stables in Dubai, is an ambassador for American racing, and I think that's wonderful. You can't be an ambassador for American racing if you fly in on Thursday--race on Saturday night--and fly back out on Sunday. But being in Dubai--learning Arabic phrases, enjoying their food and company--Seth and Joanna give a bright, beautiful face to the American racing community for our friends in the UAE.More American Trainers should start working to establish themselves in the UAE, and in other nations where there's superb racing. Seth and Joanna are leading the way--someone's got to be first, so the path has been forged. Now it's up to the American Trainers to see the Wisdom in this abstract thinking, and to follow suit.Sure, it's never been done before. But it's being done now: that's called, pioneering. (But the fact that it's never been done before does not mean that it's not a good idea.) In fact,it's a brilliant idea.Obviously, the racing entities in the UAE want Americans to race our horses there. They do all they can to make their track, stables, training facilities and hospitality second-to-none. (Wild guess: why do you think they switched to dirt from the artificial surface?) Dubai does all it can to court American Trainers and horses--now, instead of flying in for a few days at the end of March, perhaps other Americans will do as Seth and Joanna do: be in residence for the entire Dubai Racing Carnival, which next year will run from January 8th through its culmination on March 28th. (Dubai World Cup night.)Now--I know, I come across as being UNAmerican, a lot, when I criticize American horse racing's long-held traditions. But I think that if a traditions is ridiculous or should just Be Gone--we've got to point out the problems, and create new traditions. (Think about it: cannibalism is a tradition in some cultures--but not everyone involved in the transaction benefits from it.)One of those silly American horse racing traditions is the belief that, damnit, we're America--the world should come to us. So we put on a big ole weekend of racing--call it the Breeders' Cup--and invite horses and their connections from around the world to participate.And that, in and of itself, is a good idea.But the problem is that American Trainers don't set up housekeeping in other countries, as have done many international Trainers here in the U.S. (Think about the English, French, Dubai, etc. people who create farms, stables and racing organizations here in the U.S.) They're willing--happy--to come to the U.S. to become part of our racing community--to be part of the American racing family.But Americans stay home, here on good ole U.S. soil, unless they're compelled to fly to Dubai for a few days to race one of their horses in one of the races on Dubai World Cup night.That, to me, looks like carpetbaggers. Sweep in--maybe win a big prize--fly back out and party back home.Now, the good people in Dubai--as well as Hong Kong, France, the U.K., Australia, etc.--are happy when an American horse finds her/his way to their race tracks, most definitely. They welcome us with open arms.And I'm sure that it's nice to be treated like royalty, just because you brought a horse a few thousand miles.But would you rather be just a tourist, or a local--a respected member of the community?Between the Internet and jet air travel, the world becomes smaller by the day. There's no reason why American horse Trainers shouldn't grow the guts to set up shop in countries like Dubai, and work to create even-stronger bonds with our peers around the world.I believe with all my heart that Seth Benzel and Joanna Patejuk--together, AmDubai Racing Stable--have created the model for horse racing's future. The U.S. must to go to other countries and become part of those communities, if American horse racing is to have any credibility, at all, in the 21st Century.By establishing themselves in Dubai and setting the example for all American Trainers, AmDubai Racing Stable has taken that first step for all y'all. Follow the Leaders, American racing--AmDubai has tested the water, and the water is warm, welcoming and friendly.Thank you--rather, Shukran--Seth and Joanna, for taking that step for us. I look forward to seeing American racing soar into the 21st Century, because of your brilliant Vision and example.xo-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------P.S. Recently I did a video interview with Seth and Joanna, for Talk of the Track. Check it out. (Don't look at ME, please...gaze instead upon their collective loveliness...);)talkofthetrack.com]]> Penny Chenery, Ron Turcotte Film Screenings on Tap Travers Sunday tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15575 2014-08-19T11:48:22Z 2014-08-19T12:02:14Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 Calendar entry:Two can't-miss screenings in one:Secretariat's Jockey, Ron Turcotte and Penny and Red, the Life of Secretariat's OwnerTHIS Sunday (August 24) at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. VIP reception prior with Secretariat's jockey, Ron Turcotte and other racing celebrities. The evening will benefit two wonderful, worthy organizations: the Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park--founded by Penny Chenery, herself--and my favorite museum in the world, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.6PM, VIP Reception7PM, Screenings, Q&ATickets are $50 for VIP reception and screenings, $20 for screenings alone.Get your tickets ASAP, folks. This is the only Saratoga/upstate New York screening of these two extraordinary films.:)For more information: National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame:(518) 584-0040For more information, and to purchase tickets:http://secretariatcom.stores.yahoo.net/double-feature-screening.htmlBe there, or be forced to listen to your friends talk about it for the entire next month.;)]]> What if God...Looks Like a Horse? tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15573 2014-08-17T15:27:54Z 2014-08-17T16:54:43Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 A thought came to me a few minutes ago, and it's something I really must pursue. If you're up to it, come along for the journey...]]> We've all heard someone say that, when they look into the eyes of their child, they see Heaven--or another similar statement that's supposed to make us all warm and fuzzy, and respond with an appreciative, "Awwwww..."I've never had any such feelings toward children. I mean, kids are OK, but they're not unique. I love a couple of children, the offspring of friends. I have relationships with them, and adore them. I'll never post a picture on my FaceBook wall of a baby...doing anything. (Cute kitties? Absolutely. Horses? Always.)I write that babies aren't unique because, practically speaking:: every human being who lands on this planet gets here the same way. We're all babies at one time--we grow up--and on the other end (if we're lucky)--we're old people before taking the last stage outta Dodge.I may be broken--that's been suggested before--but by the time I was 16, I knew that I didn't want to have children. I knew that I'd be a far-better Mother to four-leggeds (and birds) than to human children. I never felt the need or drive to reproduce myself.So I don't get it when parents claim to see angels, or Heaven, or Divine Bliss, itself, in the eyes of their children.That which I DO get is the Bedouin expression, "The wind of Heaven is that which blows through a horse's ears."And I've heard scores of people--perhaps thousands, by this time in my Life--who speak of the eyes of a horse as being the window into Eternity. I may not be able to see angels tap dancing through the eyes of a human baby--but I have seen, most definitely, at least a fraction of the inner workings of God's Mind when I gaze into the eyes of a equine.Follow me on this discussion, please: virtually every faith path has an idea of what God looks like--or should look like. (Those paths that don't have an idea of the visage of God think of the Divine as being not a visual being, at all, but rather as pure Spirit.)As a Christian, I'm quite aware that we have triune God. The bottom line is that, God is Spirit. (I won't get into the very complicated theology of Jesus as God/human. This isn't a theology column.) Even though God is Spirit in Christian thought, still there persists the image of an old man with a long, white beard. Clad in white, He sits on a throne, waiting to judge the world.Where this idea of an old man came into being, I do not know. But somewhere in the backroom of Christian pseudo-theology lurks an old, bearded man. (Who evolved eventually into the model for Santa Claus.) And, while I won't discuss theology at length, I'll tell you that there is no evidence to support that image. Another theological myth, like the Three Wise Men being present at Jesus' birth.)I regress! (But y'all know me well enough to know that I do that, on my circuitous route to finding that which I believe to be Truth.)So, regardless of your faith (or, non-faith) path--and regardless of how you envision God--let me post a hypothetical: what if God looks like a horse?Think about it for a moment: those of us who know, love and understand horses know that they're kind, intelligent, innocent, good, loving and accepting. They're excellent judges of character: if a horse has intuited that you're a rotten person--no doubt, you are.Horses are fiercely strong, with a power and might that cannot be a mere accident, or product of mere evolution. The conformation of their strong bodies and the perfection of their faces touches humans all the way to our souls. For thousands of years--starting with the first cave drawing--horses have inspired humans to want to capture them in art. Whether paintings, photography, sculpture, song, literature, poetry--The Horse is wedded to the human spirit in a way that's...otherworldly.So what if these attributes--this strength, power, might, beauty, intelligence, kindness, goodness, innocence--etc.--were given to The Horse precisely because The Horse is a reflection of God, God's Self?The fact is that it doesn't really matter what God looks like--if, indeed, God looks like anything. But IF God looks like a horse--and if, indeed, the eyes of a horse reveal Truths and depth and reality about the very God Who made the entire Universe--then humans must ask themselves a simple question:"Looking into the eye of a horse--and seeing the intelligence and kindness of God there--how can anyone abuse any horse?"How can we look a horse in the eye--and think that maybe (just maybe) this magnificent animal, may indeed be a reflection of God's Own Image--and continue to tolerate abusive, murderous assaults on horses? If God put The Horse on Earth as a companion, a friend, a therapist--and as a reminder that God always provides someone to love us, even when we feel absolutely beaten up by the world--if God put that animal on our Earth for that purpose--how can we allow any human to abuse, neglect or slaughter a horse? How can we allow soring to continue? Or chasing down wild horses with helicopters--a U.S. government-sanctioned activity? How could we turn a blind eye toward the soring, chasing-down or mass murder of God?It may be that, beyond the milk of human kindness, when humans hear the screams of a horse who's being slaughtered--humans weep because we recognize that, not only is an animal suffering needlessly, but perhaps those very screams are the anguished outcries of a loving God, Whose heart is broken again in that moment.If every person saw God in the eyes of a horse--no person could neglect or abuse horses. If you thought you were beating God--or at least, an animal who had been given to you, to remind You of His undying love--you'd stop beating, wouldn't you?I'm not suggesting that God looks like a Horse. (I have no idea what God looks like, any more than do you.) I am, however, stating that no human yet has put her/his finger on why (exactly) equines touch the human spirit and connect with us as they do. No other animal on this Earth moves as many human souls as The Horse. While I don't know what God does look like--IF He looks like anything-- I do believe that He created horses with the idea in mind that at least one of His animals would have the innate ability to nestle into the human heart and comfort, console and bless us in His stead.You may think I've gone too far this time, but think about it: we humans who do have a connection with horses understand the depth of their spirit, and all that they have to offer. Do you think that heavenly comfort like that is coincidental? Or did the Creator of the Universe give us The Horse as a companion who offers both physical and spiritual comfort?Do we not, therefore, owe it to these heavenly messengers, to defend, protect and love them? Can we continue to tolerate abuse, neglect and slaughter of these messengers of God? If you're involved in the chain of slaughter: save your own soul. Get out. Get therapy, for surely there's something very broken about anyone who could slaughter a horse.If you're an abuser, or neglect your horse(s): give your horse(s) to someone who will love them, and treat them like the gift(s) from God that they are. Get help for yourself--your abuse of your animal is symptomatic of a deep illness in your own soul.If you're a lover of horses, and you recognize the attributes of the Divine in these amazing beings --let's join our hearts, souls and efforts to work harder than ever to assure that the mass, culturally-accepted practices are made both illegal and unacceptable in every corner. What if God looks like a Horse? You wouldn't beat, sore, round-up, torture and murder God...would you?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> Quaintance House: Natalie Voss Story for "Paulick Report"--Please Read, Watch and Help. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15559 2014-08-14T15:24:31Z 2014-08-14T15:46:41Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 Dear Readers,I'm a big believer in supporting anyone who helps animals. Quaintance House Animal Protective League is one of the most-worthy of your donations and admiration.The organization's second annual "It's Raining Cats & Dogs" event in Saratoga will be held tomorrow evening (August 15th), and I wish I could attend, but can't...]]> BUT you can. And I wish I could write something eloquent and elegant about the organization, but the wonderful Natalie Voss already has written beautifully about it, for today's "Paulick Report."As they say, don't re-invent the wheel. Natalie already wrote marvelously, so I'm not going to try to out-do her. Instead, here's the URL to her article in today's PR. Please read it--please act on it--please attend the event tomorrow evening. And if you can't attend, please consider donating to Quaintance House, an organization that helps the backstretch kitties whom I adore. Thank you all, so much.-- Marionhttp://www.paulickreport.com/news/people/video-lending-a-paw-to-saratogas-herd-of-felines/?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=paulick_report_active&utm_content=Paulick+Report+8%2F14+Headline+News+brought+to+you+by+Spendthrift+Farm]]> Technology is Not the Savior of Horse Racing. Stop Drinking the Kool-Aid. tag:www.saratoga.com,2014:/horse-racing-blog//42.15558 2014-08-14T13:18:24Z 2014-08-18T12:24:32Z M.E. Altieri http://www.saratoga.com/community/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=42&id=328 On Saturday I had the privilege of hanging in the Saratoga (Race Course) backstretch with two friends: a dear grrrlfriend and her horse-loving, 10-year-old daughter. (I'm not giving their names, because they know their names and you don't need to.)My friend and I sat in our lawn chairs near our picnic table in the hour-or-so before the races, and her little one sat at the table, her back to the track. Her back was toward the track, but in front of her lie the pony stalls and scores of barns. The constant clip-clop of horses walking all around filled the air: outriders on their ponies, horses walking to the paddock. And the neighing and nickering of all of those beautiful, sublime creatures.And our little friend? She was fiddling with her Mother's iPhone, joyously seeking something. She found it! Happily, she held aloft the phone and showed us: "Look! A picture of a horse!"]]> I looked up from my first cup of coffee, tried to focus on the photo and blanked. "Huh?" I thought. (Clearly, I needed more java.)Her Mother was much quicker on the draw than I. In a way that only my friend can, she barked the question/statement: why would a person look for PICTURES of horses on a phone, when there were thousands of ACTUAL HORSES surrounding her?My friend told her daughter to put down the phone, and walk to the rail. To watch real, live, breathing, gigantic horses going by her. The child did so, then bounced back to ask if she could use her Mom's iPhone to take pictures and videos of the horses as they went to the gate, and out for the 7F start.Now she was getting it.The child has an eye--and maybe iPhones are just That Good. Our little friend came back from the start of the race enthusiastic, effusive and revived. She'd taken some great photos--captured the start perfectly on video--and was overjoyed. SHE had generated pictures of horses for others to see. But now she understood that first, SHE, herself, had to experience those horses in the flesh. She had to FEEL them before she could photograph them. There's a world of difference between looking at a virtual horse, and taking your own photos of an animal whom you hear nickering and snorting, pounding dirt as they get near you.You can't breathe the same air as a virtual horse. (A virtual horse doesn't breathe.)You can't feel the power of that massive body, pounding past you, with a virtual horse.(A virtual horse has no mass, ergo, no weight. Ergo, no power.)They can call it, 3D, if they want to. If that's what sells a product. But that third dimension is depth, which indicates mass. And no computer actually can GIVE you that third dimension, it can merely show you what the third dimension would LOOK like. Big difference betweenA microscopic, pretend horse, "running" past you on a screen cannot have the same effect as a living, breathing, soulful animal with mass. That's not my romantic notion--that's physics.My friend, who is not a marketing or horse racing professional, knows more about marketing the sport than 99% of the pros. I'm sick to death of hearing almost-every racing organization touting the "fact" that we must market the sport to "the younger generation" by creating more and better apps and platforms. To teach them to race--to wager--to watch--horse racing through the eye of a screen that's an average of 4" x 3."On the one hand, we hear marketing wonks telling us that absolutely, this next generation (the "tech savvy" gen) demands to get their information quickly and virtually.On the other hand, we have an animal that is so powerful--so legendary--so superior--that no-less than writers of the Bible and Greek mythology sang its role in the Divine Plan. If you can't confine God to an app--how can you take one of His most perfect, beloved creatures and cram it into a two-dimensional, hand-held screen?You can do it--superficially. But you'll never be able to explain the majesty--the perfection--the heart-stopping strength of that animal in any way other than in the flesh. This "next gen" that's growing up--or, maybe, not growing up--indeed is addicted to their smartphones and other techno gadgets. But does that mean that we in horse racing should be their enablers? Should we continue to take young people to the track and NOT admonish them for turning their attention to a phone instead of looking at--oh, I don't know--the TRACK? At an actual HORSE?What's the point, at all, of taking someone (of any age) to a race track for the first time? Whether that person is my Grandmother or my friend's 10-year-old daughter--the idea is to show the beauty and absolute authority of The Horse to someone who's never experienced it before.And they're not going to experience The Horse if their two hands are busy looking up pictures or horses. Or finding the channel on which to find a race to watch--the very race that's unfolding in front of them, LIVE.If you witnessed this--saw anyone (young or older) glued to a phone, trying to find the race that's happening 10' away from them--would you not think that that is pathetic? An idiot, for not Getting It? That someone misled them, into thinking that a race track is an arcade?The whole purpose of sporting venues of any kind is for fans and newbies to experience a sporting event, live. Why bother building or maintaining sporting events of the spectators really are there in person, but their minds are so addicted to the machines in their hands that they think they ARE experiencing reality via the tiny machines?I'd be interested to see an experiment. I'd like to see America's Best Racing, for example, invite 20 young people to the races. As soon as their guests arrive, they would be told that they have to surrender their smartphones. Assure them that, in the event of a true emergency, their family would be notified. (So there's no emergent reason or excuse to hold onto the phone.)I can guarantee that their guests would refuse. Those who might give in and surrender their precious machines would be fine for a while, then they'd start to twitch. I believe that they'd start to get antsy, then nervous, then perhaps even full-blown difficult or angry.Those all are signs of addiction, you know.Addiction to something that's bad for you presents with signs of escalating irritation and other negative reactions to the removal of the object of desire.Horses, on the other hand, often are referred to as being addicting. And they are. As I perceive it, the key difference between an unhealthy addiction and a healthy one is that removal of the object of desire may make one sad with a healthy addiction (horse), but it does not present with physiological and serious psychological reactions to the denial of the object. (Smartphone/techno toys)No, I'm not a psychologist. I'm just a person who knows how to think logically--who's lived for 58 years (so far)--and who first worked on computers in 1980, and had access to academics who discussed these very topics. Yes, in 1980 I was privy to a conversation about the potential for video games to train human boys to perceive their targets as rewards in a point system--not as human beings. That, 34 years ago, the potential for computer-generated games was recognized for its ability to de-sensitize the human psyche by presenting an alternative "reality" inside the box. And that was 34 years ago, before any of the machines we know today were a reality.The differences between Frogger and PONG, and an app that allows you to watch horse racing live--are vast. In PONG, we watched two straight lines "play tennis" against each other. It was straight lines, but we players knew the rules. We might have imagined ourselves wearing tennis whites, etc.--but we knew it was just two straight lines on a black screen. In Frogger, the frogs didn't look like mere green, straight lines. It was more realistic, but still--we knew that the frogs on the screen were two-dimensional fictions.I've observed--and so have you--that those who watch horse races on a phone WHILE AT A RACE TRACK are disconnected from the real joy of the sport. From REALITY.(Make no mistake: I am not bashing the concept of watching race replays on your phone (or any other device). Nor am I suggesting that watching races as they unfold on such a machine has no merit: certainly, people who can't get to a race track need such technologies.) It's a wonderful thing to have access to the races anywhere in the world, if you can't get to the track to watch it in person.But therein lies my argument: No one needs to twiddle with their smartphone--to watch a horse race--while at a race track that's full of horses. For any racing organization to promote such addictive behavior or foolish at best--irresponsible, at worst. And most definitely, it is NOT the way to market the sport of racing large, graceful, half-ton animals to ANYONE. If a kid--any young person, any person at all--can be at a track, surrounded by thousands of gorgeous, otherworldly animals who have the ability actually to take their breath away--if that person can be in such a place, and still insist that they are enjoying the sport more through the lens of a telephone--that child needs a Reality Check.And those who insist that we must market the sport by encouraging such behavior--they need a Reality Check, too.Do a self-test: On the one hand, you have a phone with a screen that's 3" x 4". On the screen is a lovely picture of a horse.On your other hand, you have a 1,200-pound, snorting, bellowing, hoof-pounding animal who has the physical power and speed to run down a car. An animal who--when not on the track, in a race--has the power to melt your heart and soul, dissolving you into puddles of love and goo.Which of these experiences do you think will win over the most fans for horse racing? A virtual, two-dimensional photo of a horse? Or a horse whose three dimensions feel more like 1,000, because that animal can take you on a ride not just down the stretch, but across the Universe?My message to horse racing marketing VPs: stop drinking the Kool-Aid. Technology CAN help established fans and new fans. Seeing a race on TV or phone when you can't be there: good. Watching a race on a phone when you're at the track, itself: stupid. And bad. And NOT the way to grow life-long fans. Never, ever, ever will a life-long love for horse racing nestle in the heart of a human being who did not first meet a real HORSE. Those who think that it can be done in the opposite direction (technology first, horse second) either are deceived or have a product to sell. No one ever fell in love with a horse or this sport because they stood at the Saratoga rail and watched the race on their phone. If you're feeding the addiction to technology--and it is an addiction, don't fool yourselves--don't be surprised when that monster rears its ugly head and bites you.If, however, you introduce a friend to a horse--any horse, anywhere--and your friend tells you that s/he slept wonderfully the night after--don't let that surprise you, either. Technology never can replace in-person, live experiences of any kind. The attempt to promote our sport by desperately insisting that a generation create loving relationships via artificial means is silly; lacking in insight and doomed for failure. And it shows that obviously, those of us who understand (truly) horse racing and humanity aren't being consulted.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------]]>