Torn

I'm so torn as to who to root for in the Grade I Pacific Classic on Sunday. When I'm a fan of a certain horse, I'm die-hard. Unfortunately for me, there are two of my horses plus a bonus in the great field for the Classic this Sunday at Del Mar.

One of my scream-till-my-throat-is-sore favorites is Einstein, the hardy, versatile horse who has won over dirt, turf, and synthetics; most recently, he won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on synthetics and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. The 7-year-old horse has had the misfortune of either a bad trip or a distaste for the track in his last two times out; the Stephen Foster was a nightmare he should've and would've had in the bag had he not been a huge horse stuck in a pocket, while the Arlington Million proved once again that for whatever reason, Einstein doesn't like Arlington's turf (maybe it's the Euro-tall grass). So will we see Einstein return to form in California, where he turned back such competitors as Cowboy Cal, Matto Mondo, Champs Elysees, Monba, Magnum, and Court Vision? My guess... is yes.

Einstein has every reason to like Del Mar's main track; while he's a horse that does well on dirt, it's not where he's best. He's the rare breed that can tiptoe between the two classic surfaces, and since synthetics, let's face it, is smack-dab in the middle between dirt and turf as its own separate surface, it's where Einstein should excell. If you need convincing, watch how he pulls away in the stretch of the Big Cap, leaving the rest of the field the job to play "catch me if you can."

Speaking of horses who can walk the tightrope between different surfaces, the fringe horse coming into the Pacific Classic, Colonel John, has been made the morning-line favorite at 5-2. After a smashing 4-year-old debut on turf at a mile in the Wickerr, it seemed the 2008 Travers winner would have a future on the grass, but it seems he, too, is a horse that can dip from two pools and persevere. But is he the kind of horse that can boast such successes at this as Einstein? That, I'm not so convinced of. Take into consideration, for instance, that the Wickerr on July 31st was the first race Colonel John won since the Travers in August 2008. Between those two races, he ran 6th in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, and then 4th in the Malibu the day after Christmas; granted, the Malibu was a 7 furlong race, which is pretty short for the son of Tiznow, but still, you've got to wonder if the 4-year-old Colonel John has moved on to, well, greener surfaces. He will have to run the race of his life to beat this field in the Pacific Classic...

...as will this year's Hollywood Gold Cup winner, Rail Trip. Now, this is a horse I've been following since his third race, when I caught wind of this then-unbeaten, late-blooming 4-year-old gelding in California. Never having finished worse than second in his lifetime career of 8 starts, it took Rail Trip two consecutive losses for him to "become a man." But is Rail Trip "man" enough to beat the amiable Einstein and the intimidating Colonel? As the older horse division is a little soft in California, it's hard to say if he's got what it takes to defeat proven class; but it's high time he is thrown in the mix. With the retirement of fan favorite Lava Man, and the quirky performances of Dubai World Cup winner, Well Armed, California needs a new star in its fading horizon. Along with top horses, Rail Trip will also be going up against the nation's top jockeys in Julien Leparoux on Einstein, Garrett Gomez on Colonel John, and Rafael Bejarano on Parading. A through-and-through underdog, Rail Trip is the best story going into the Pacific Classic. God knows, I was so ecstatic he won the Hollywood Gold Cup, I jumped straight off a bucket when the gutsy gelding crossed the wire in a new record time for the mile and 1/4 (I wish this was an exaggeration. No, it's just another weird equine photographer situation).

So when it's stretch time, and Einstein starts rolling after Rail Trip, who will be likely taking the lead in the final furlongs, and Colonel John begins a late-running rocket from behind, I will be screaming incoherently. But for whom will the bell toll? Why, that's why we run races.

A trip to Hollywood Park

The idea of someone wanting to demolish Hollywood Park is a gruesome thing in my eyes, something that can’t quite be believed after taking in the opulent landscaping and distinct character of the park first-hand. I can’t quite grasp the sort of people who would want to turn a place of such beauty and history into retail trash. Hollywood Park boasts the most impressive paddock I’ve ever seen in comparing landscaping and layout, and it champions the heroes of its signature race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, with plaques all about the park. The park is a testament of a bygone era, but it is far from the dump that some tracks have become. My trip to the Friday night racing was a testament to how successful the sport could be if only an effort were made to cater to a different sort of crowd. Yet, we are losing a significant piece of racing history with the knell of Death’s bell for Hollywood.

I paid strict attention to Hollywood Park itself on my brief visit there, taking in the abundant palm trees, the honor bestowed upon the Gold Cup winners, the monuments, and the track itself. I felt I was going as a sort of archaeologist, trying to preserve in pictures something that wouldn’t be there when I next returned to California. I took pictures of the Swaps statue from just about every angle I could think of, and paid my respects to the grave of Native Diver (follow the link for a great video on this amazing horse), who has one of the most lovely memorials I’ve ever seen.

The track itself has already been ruined by the installation of the abhorrent Cushion Track, a surface that by all means is nothing more than ground-up tires (pick up a handful of it and not only will your hand turn black, but you’ll find tire segments an inch long). The dirt on which Seabiscuit which ran is no longer there, but the skies, the elegance, the aura is the same (though it may be slightly tarnished by an age of neglect).

When I arrived at the park, I was blown away by the Vegas-like style of the grand entrance, and equally hit with a pang of sorrow that this place would be thrown such a fate as the old Yankee Stadium. The two are similar in many ways.

I’d never attended night racing at a Thoroughbred track before, and the experience was one I’d like to have again. The crowd turned out to be larger than the day of the Hollywood Gold Cup, sadly enough. It seemed whoever these patrons were were there for the $1 beer and hot dogs, and possibly to see the live act scheduled for after the races, Eek a Mouse. But the nice thing about the crowd was that they seemed to be enjoying themselves, and heartily cheered claimers as they rounded the historic track.

The Tuesday of that week, I called in for credentials and easily got them, which made me feel pretty special. When I arrived at the park, I picked up my press pass from Diane in the office and looked across her office to find one of the free Zenyatta posters they’d handed out on a day designated in her honor last winter. Can you believe she actually had leftovers and readily scrounged me up two of them for free? My day was completely made by that point, and I’d yet to start shooting. I had slim hopes of seeing Zenyatta while I was there, since I did know regular shooter at the park, Charles Pravata, who, in our circles, is referred to as “Zenyatta’s personal photographer.” But I didn’t get my hopes up. It turned out to be a good thing.

Charles didn’t show up on Friday, but he let me know that Bob Mayberger from New York (yes, the same Bob whom I shot with at Belmont!) was in town to shoot the Gold Cup. Bob didn’t end up showing until the short card was about halfway over and the daylight had failed, so he missed the beautiful sunset. Meanwhile, I introduced myself to the track photographers and tried to stay out of their way. Since my boss told me he wanted me to shoot from the inside rail for the Gold Cup, I tried to practice some from that position on Friday. Let me tell you, taking photos at night directly into spotlights is absolutely no fun. Taking photos from the outside, however, is pretty cool and challenging, because there’s only one point where the spotlight is on the horses: just on the finish line. At no point is it nice to shoot from the inside during night racing, unless you’re cool like that and want to shoot an “atmospheric” photo. That may work for one race, but I don’t recommend it for a full card.

When Bob finally found me, the night picked up a little bit and I started chatting with him about how gorgeous Hollywood was. Someone had told him that Hollywood Park was “the Aqueduct of California” and we both thought whoever said that was out of their gourd. Maybe it’s that we’re not from California and are used to the ugliness of Aqueduct and/or Turfway Park, but Hollywood would put those tracks to shame in a beauty contest.

I ended up leaving before the card was over. I'd actually hurt my ankles walking down steep slopes at Yosemite National Park two days prior, and then not helped them by hiking around Sequoia National Park the previous day, and I was not as fresh as I'd been in my Belmont adventure. I needed all the energy I could get the next day, but it was still hardly enough!

Bitter "Sweet" Gold Cup for Hollywood

I started thinking about what to write for my latest article and thought I'd talk about what the column is geared toward, the three-year-old campaigns. But I just so happen to be in Santa Monica California right now, anticipating my first trip to Hollywood Park, and I was overcome with anger about the race track's impending demolition, and I had to go with my heart. It's not long, and it hardly says what should be said about the tragedy of destroying this historic establishment, but here's my article about the last Hollywood Gold Cup.

I wanted to rant about how ridiculous it was about Pioneerof the Nile's sudden retirement after it was discovered he had a "soft tissue" damage in one of his legs. Can somebody please explain to me if this is really a life-threatening injury, nevermind a career-threatening injury? This horse looked to become a great synthetics specialist, and maybe even a good turf horse. Now we'll never get to see him try to make up for his losses in the Triple Crown. I just can't believe how we're losing horses. Musket Man isn't retired, but he won't be racing for the rest of the year. Monba was retired after he was found to have an injury in his leg. And then I discovered the winner of the Golden Shaheen, in which Indian Blessing finished second, died of a stomach ailment.

What's going on in our sport? When the horses are dropping like flies, whether it be dying or retiring prematurely, something is amiss. No wonder people aren't following horse racing like they used to.

As for me, I am going to visit Hollywood Park for the first time today. It's going to be night racing for my inaugural visit, something I've never seen before. It's going to be extremely bittersweet, but I'm looking at it as a mission to photograph anything worth remembering.

I'm going to be taking a LOT of photos.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I have credentials for the Hollywood Gold Cup. I didn't know I'd be having this chance, or I'd've been looking forward to this. I can't wait, it's going to be just glorious!

Now, onto the traffic jam of L.A....