Dec 27 2008
With the New Year soon upon us, we take this opportunity to recall the exciting 2008 racing season.
Records were made to be broken, and this year belonged to Steve Asmussen. He reached the career 5000-win milestone and broke his own single-season wins record with 556 on November 23. As well, his stable star Curlin passed Cigar's career earnings record and became the first American-trained horse to earn over $10 million when he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Peppers Pride, the queen of New Mexico racing, ended her career undefeated with win number 19 in the $125,000 New Mexico Stake Racing Commission Handicap. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer also reached 5000 wins. Jockey Edgar Prado reached 6000 wins, Kent Desormeaux reached the 5000-win plateau, Pat Valenzuela and John Velazquez recorded 4000 wins, while Garrett Gomez and Mike Luzzi reached 3000.
Politics always rears its ugly head and 2008 was no exception. Maryland racing finally got the answer it was looking for when voters approved slots at the state's racetracks, however it remains to be seen if the anti-slots forces will again be successful in stopping their introduction. The New York Racing Association continued to make headlines, as the state government selected Delaware North to operate the new casino at Aqueduct after paying a $370 million franchise fee. Governor David Paterson proposed that the state also authorize slots at Belmont Park as one of the ways to raise state revenue. The Aqueduct casino, in the works but stalled for years, is expected to finally open in the first quarter of 2010. Breeders' Cup Ltd. made headlines late in the year, when it was announced that they would eliminate the National Stakes program. Howls of protest from owners and breeders, who threatened to not nominate their foals, resulted in that decision to be reversed for at least one year.
The Triple Crown always brings renewed optimism in the sport but whatever optimism people had going in was quickly lost mere minutes after Big Brown cruised under the line first in the Kentucky Derby. Tragically, filly Eight Belles, who impressed everybody with her gallant runner-up finish, broke both front ankles while being pulled up after the race and had to be euthanized. Big Brown cruised to another easy win at Pimlico for the Preakness, setting the stage for a Triple Crown sweep three weeks later at Belmont Park. 94,476 came out hoping to witness history, but they were treated to temperatures in the 90's and water shortages in the building. Then when the race got underway, Big Brown failed to respond when asked at the 1/2 mile pole, so Kent Desormeaux eased him at the top of the stretch as 38-1 longshot Da' Tara cruised home to win gate-to-wire. Big Brown's quarter crack issues continued to affect him. After winning the Haskell, a foot injury sustained during a routine workout forced his connections to retire him rather than train for the Breeders' Cup.
International racing has enjoyed renewed interest in America with easier access to betting. Reigning U.S. Horse of the Year Curlin won the $6 million Dubai World Cup by an easy 7 3/4 lengths over Asiatic Boy, Well Armed, and A.P. Arrow. 3-year-old filly Zarkava retired undefeated after winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, earning her the title of Cartier Horse of the Year. 40-1 longshot Viewed held off European invader Bauer to win the Melbourne Cup. Then, in the final big race day of the international calendar, Eagle Mountain captured the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup for his globe trotting trainer Mike de Kock. Doctor Dino repeated as the Hong Kong Vase winner, while Hong Kong-trained Good Ba Ba and Inspiration won the Mile and the Sprint respectively.
The Breeders' Cup came to Santa Anita, the first time the Championships were contested over a synthetic track. Curlin, the defending champion, was unbeatable on the dirt but was just not the same when off that surface, culminating in a disappointing fourth place finish to Raven's Pass, Henrythenavigator, and Tiago in the Classic, his worst career result. However, Zenyatta put in a powerful performance to win the Ladies Classic (formerly Distaff) to cap off an undefeated season, making for an interesting battle for Horse of the Year votes. This was also the first year of the new "ladies day" format, with all the distaff races contested on Friday. However, 4-year-old filly Goldikova rained on the boys' party, upsetting defending champ Kip Deville in the Mile on Saturday. Conduit won the Turf, Midnight Lute repeated as the Sprint champion, and Midshipman won the Juvenile, making him the early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.
The continued debate on synthetic surfaces reared its ugly head in January, as the Cushion Track surface at Santa Anita failed to drain properly during unusually heavy rains in Southern California. Synthetics are advertised as being impervious to rain as water is supposed to drain vertically through it to a drainage system below. However, Cushion Track used a different mix meant to handle the hot weather but also absorbed water leaving large puddles on the surface. Track management brought in experts from Pro-Ride in Australia who added some of their material to the mix, allowing racing to continue after several weeks with the track unusable. It is worth noting that during the Breeders' Cup, no horse was vanned off or put down, a sad scene which has become all too common during the Championships, so perhaps the synthetics are indeed safer.
2008 Major Race Recaps
2008 Obituaries
More year in review articles:
2008 Year in Review - from the Blood Horse
Racing in 2008 marred by tragedy - by Jennie Rees from the Louisville Courier-Journal
The Best of 2008 - by Jeremy Plonk from ESPN.com
The Worst of 2008 - by Bill Finley from ESPN.com
Harness racing top 25 stories of the year - from Standardbred Canada
Racing review 2008 - for Europe from Sky Sports
What have we learned during 2008? - from The Guardian Unlimited in the UK
