Indiana Derby 2023 – Paul Lo Duca & Dan Issel Drop By

All right, welcome to a remote edition of the Horse Racing

Happy Hour. The Cubs, though.

It has been our thing to come to the Indiana Derby, Louie.

This race has been very special to us.

It's. Been very special to.

Us So it's always great to be up there.

So special that we flew in Dan Thistle.

We did fly and it whoa, it's no can't flew in himself.

That's not what I heard. I heard there's an appearance

fee. I don't even know, like, you

know. You should see the guys hotel

room that he got. Goodness.

Yeah, I know. Who paid for that.

I got the sweet baby. And and how's your hotel room

movie? The air conditioning started

working around 3:00 AM. 3:00 AM. How about that?

There you. Go We discovered the Shelbyville

IN Walmart last night to buy a box fan.

How about that? What is the What is interesting

about the Shelbyville IN Walmart?

What time? First off time. 9:30.

It's not. Doesn't get real until after it.

Closes at 11. Oh, it closes.

That's not 24 hours anymore. They don't do.

That's one of those, those special market ones, OK, Yeah,

so they got to do all the restock on the food and stuff.

Yeah, OK. Well, I mean, you know, there's

nothing like, you know, Chris and I were first married.

And we live by the LaGrange Walmart out in Oldham County and

we were there at 1:00 o'clock in the morning someone let a cow

loose in the Walmart. In inside.

Yeah we're having we're having a 4th of July party.

So we're we're buying patio furniture.

So we buy this patio furniture at Walmart and we go and like we

we got a cougar hatchback and I was like how are we going to get

this home and at 1:30 or so in the morning we just threw in the

back of some dudes El Camino that we didn't know.

I'm so lucky to be alive. 1:30 in the morning. 1:30 in the

morning. That's what happened.

And the random dude. That's why I laugh when people

are like, do you? Look, do you remember the early

years of our marriage, how great, how glamorous and great

they were? No, they weren't.

No, they weren't. I don't know.

There's some good times though. 1:30 in the morning gonna.

Chevelle Walmart. See, my marriage was the exact

opposite. Mine was great at the beginning

and it's kind of falling apart at the end.

Yeah, like, like you. Yeah.

Hopefully Sherry's not listening there.

She's not. Special thanks to Rachel and

Eric and all the people, Tammy, all the people here at Horseshoe

Indianapolis for having us back here.

And we're so grateful and the sun has come out after a very

rainy morning. So what do you all think is

going to be, what's the track could be like today?

My sense is because they've taken them off the turf, Dan,

early on, they're going to work that track a lot.

We're gonna get some sun. I think there's gonna be some

drainage. I'm gonna guess Indiana Derby

time. We're somewhere between good and

money. Yeah, I think, I think you're

right, especially if we don't get anymore rain.

Now I some of the people here, we're telling me later on in the

day it's supposed to rain again, so hopefully that'll hold off

until after the Derby. Sometimes tracks tell on

themselves, yeah, I'm being told we're running the 10th race on

that turf. Hell or high water.

That's literally so that race, it's definitely happened as part

of the Crosscountry pick 5. Yeah, they basically said that

on the. When they were going over the

scratches that that race is going to be on the turf.

So they're going to do everything they can do to make

sure that turf horse is ready to go.

All right, let's let's start the show off today since we have the

Illuminous Dan Isle here and let's let's talk about.

Just do horse racing, Yeah. So we're going to.

Yeah. We're going to talk, you know,

kind of kick off like the second-half of the year.

We're through the first half of the year.

Let's just kind of recap what we've seen so far this year

especially who stands out you know and we'll we'll start with

the Derby. We saw Maze win the Kentucky

Derby. Good magic gets a one of his

crop win a was this his second crop.

Is that? No, that's his first crop.

First crop. And.

He had two runners in the Derby and one that want it.

I mean, craziness right there. Then we saw Maze, kind of.

You know, I don't know if he just wouldn't up just par

whatever in the Belmont. In the Preakness.

In the I'm sorry, the Preakness. I didn't run the Belmont.

We're going to see him again. In Saratoga.

Yeah, what do you what do you all expect out of Kentucky

Derby? Winner for the rest of the.

Year, you know, I liked him going into the Derby.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I don't. Remember that?

Yeah. I I was just so sad that Forte

got got scratched because it hurt my price.

On on Mage I, you know it's hard to tell because the the

Preakness was a national treasure in my mind is not one

of the top 10 three-year olds in the country right now.

And he won the Preakness because Johnny V put him on the lead and

there was nobody went with him and and he just kept going.

So I'm not going to penalize Mage for that race but I think

the second-half of the year. To me is going to be more

exciting than the Triple Crown races because all of these

horses are coming back, you know.

Unfortunately 2 fields won't be coming back but the rest of

them. Forte mage, all, all four of

Brad's Derby horses are coming back and so I think Jim Dandy,

the Travers, the Haskell I I think those are going to be

outstanding. Race actually think we got a

really deep Indiana Derby today, even for those.

We have a fun Indiana Derby here and we've got a horse, you know

that's going to be the favorite here.

He's probably going to take a ton of money to Brad Cox is

verifying here. Dan, I I think class of the

field. But track conditions, the fact

that this horse seems to like to run second, these things do

stand out a little bit, something that you and I talk

about on our show and he's in here.

It's interesting. We get another Kentucky Derby

starter and raise Kane who did finish frankly ahead of

verifying in that Derby. Yep.

And then didn't love the the track at Ellis and the and the

Matt Wynn last out. We get those two, you get the

normal. Runners here too you get a haze

strike who we talked about on because he ran and what in

Maryland in the private terms in a in a black type ahead of the

Preakness comes back wins the Texas Derby Both of those on

Lasix stand though do you look at Lasix much when you're

handicapping this kind. Of not.

Not really, because there are other ways to get away.

Get around using Lasix if you watch European wrestling, when

when a horse wins a race and goes to the winner circle.

He drinks a bucket of water. That's because he hadn't had

water for 24 hours because they can't use Lasix in Europe.

So it helps. I'm not an anti Lasix guy.

I don't think it's a a performance enhancer.

I think it helps the horse. And so I I'm I'm not one of

these guys do away with Lasix. But I think there are other

ways. If you can't use Lasix in these

steak races, there are other ways to get around that.

All right. So let's keep on going with just

the the year in review. We mentioned National Treasure,

one of the Preakness. I mean what do we expect out of

that horse moving forward you? Well, that's what's interesting

is, is, you know, he doesn't have to be a top 10, three-year

old to pick off some races in California.

Absolutely. Yeah.

So if they take him back West, if he's running in 5-6 horse

fields, he's got a great chance to win another great at six you.

Think we see him in the previous?

And late later today at Los Alamitos, Skinner, who was

scratched out of the Derby because a temperature, I think,

and reincarnate. The most height horse in the

world, they they run today at Los Alamitos.

There's two horses that could be in the picture.

Once we start talking about the champion 3 year old, I don't

think we've come close to deciding who the best 3 year old

is. Yeah, that's actually I totally

agree with that Dan and. You haven't even mentioned

Arkangelo, who just by the way off the bench had a blistering

workout at. Saratoga the other day.

He looks unbelievable. All the breeding there makes

sense that he would have a good three-year old year.

So no, I'm with you Dan. I think that the second-half of

the year will determine 3 year old of the year.

For on the male side and the female side.

Probably on both, unless you know.

Unless you know. Pretty mischievous.

Keeps it going. She's probably going to run away

on the Philly side, but on that three-year old male side for

sure. No, no, she is.

She's the leader for sure right now.

And and you know, if you thought her oaks was something out of

the ordinary, it was because she came right back and and

reestablished that she was that good.

So she she might, she might just keep going.

I also think that if you ask me the the the class of horse, that

is kind of. Taking the first half of the

year by storm has definitely been the sprinters, right?

I mean, we've seen some incredible sprinters that your

Cody's wish has just been amazing.

Well, in the Victory ride today at Belmont Park, part of that

cross country pick five we're seeing even in that three-year

old Philly class Dan, just how quality is top to bottom, I mean

that red carpet ready is pretty clearly.

Not the class of the field and you've got a horse like Maple

Leaf Mel in here. You've got some other ones in

here that I really like. I'm interested to see if

Dazzling Blue takes another step forward for Brad Cox under

Flavia and Pratt. Pratt by the way, cannot miss

it. Belmont, it's really remarkable.

I read Ortiz is a is a board interpolade who's the one horse

there for Chad Brown coming off a little bit of a layoff.

Ran really well in the Beaumont last time out at Keeneland right

behind key of Life. So interested to see that field

as well. But he's right.

You're right, Mike. That class that that Sprinter

classes as race one goes off here on Derby day.

Track is wet, but it's not like they're splashing.

No, they're not splashing, so we'll see how that.

Goes They did a great job on that track considering how much

rain we got. I mean, it was driving in here.

It was brutal, you know, I can't.

So the track does look like it's moving pretty good.

They sealed it early. We'll see how much of that

water, cuz I think I just saw standing water on that turf

course. So we'll see what happens by the

time we get to race, Ted, yeah. Right.

So Lou, you were saying? No, just this class.

I mean even Vava's in this in this race here Dan ran on Oaks

day and won her race in an optional claimer at 6 1/2

furlongs in a in $1.16. I mean those are just these are

winnable. Times.

This race to me is the most fascinating race of the day

because there are three or four horses in here.

I mean dazzling blue. Has never been behind a horse,

Mel. What's the what's the Maple

Leaf? Mel has never been behind a

horse. And there's some other speed in

here. And so this is going to be a

real puzzle doing the handicapping red carpet ready.

I know she won a race at Gulfstream, but she seems to

really be a Churchill Downs horse.

I kind of like the one horse, the horse that you mentioned,

Chad Brown's horse, I think. I think that's going to be my

pick. All right, so a lot of exciting

racing going on today. Again, the Indiana and the

Belmont are tied together as caught in this cross country

pick five. We were talking about it.

First leg is here yet 5/28. Three of the legs are here, 2

legs. In Belmont, so 10/11/12 here and

then the two graded stakes back-to-back race is 10 and 11

in Belmont. It's pretty amazing though

Louie. I mean this is the second year

that the Allstate that the cross country pick five is included

the the races here at Indiana. This this place is just really

put itself on the map when it talks about some.

Kentucky State Senators just walked by, So how about.

That you know what? I don't know if I would even

recognize. That, so I'll make Dan talk to

them. Yeah, I'm not doing that well.

I mean we got a 5 to 2 winner in the first race.

So the favor came home. It's so it's not like people

can't figure out the track today.

So I I think we're going to have a fair day here and I think it's

going to drive the fair a substantial amount, frankly,

especially on the dirt side by the time we get there.

All right. Well.

Do we want to get into some handicapping?

Let's talk some talk some. Into a little bit of

handicapping. All right, we're going to start

with race 10 here and it's the General Assembly distaff

handicap. There's a mile and 16th on the

turf. It's for Philly, the mayors.

And is that race that we were talking about, You know, will

they be able to keep this on the turf or will they not be able to

keep it on the turf? Right now it looks like we're

going to be good to go and scratches in this race, I

thought I had them written down somewhere I might have.

I'll get it out for you. Yeah, I thought I had them.

Unless I've switched out papers, I don't know.

What? I wanted to congratulate my

buddy Scott on missing the first race already.

The one, the four is scratched. The one in the four are

scratched out of the. Yeah, Princess Theorem is out of

there, yeah. So and then we're going to see

Lasix on the five horse first time Lasix here.

I want to thank the connections of Princess Theorem for

scratching because I did not know what to do with her.

So I appreciate that making that decision for me, yeah, that's

the nice thing of that they did. Well, who did you know what to

do with lose? Man I put the seven lovely

Princess on top here. Dan coming in back-to-back,

solid performances this year. One was in an on three life area

Keeneland, the last one out in the Kirtana at that very long

distance of Churchill Downs. I think she's really going to

like to cut back and distance here.

If you don't know the turf course here.

When they do start the two turn full route race.

It's only a mile and a 16th but you still get that full two turn

race. I think she'll like that.

I think she's absolutely going to be part of the equation at

the end. I know that other people are

less. Into it.

But I think getting Lasix back in this race does matter for

her, and so I'll look for that to be part of it as well.

Henry at the top of Can you tell the story here, I'll let you.

Go Yeah, this is a great story. Henry at the top and is trained

by Jeff Mulcahy. Now, Jeff's specialty is

breaking yearlings and and and training layups.

Brad Cox yesterday called it the pretraining.

That's his special. He has a barn at the

Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington.

Have over 50 horses and he's always full.

He breaks horses for Dolphin for all of the big trainers and that

that's his specialty. But for some reason the people

that that own Henry at the top and he has a trainer's license

want want him to train this horse.

So he has started. Three horses this year, all

three of them are Henrietta Topping and he is 1/2 of them.

And so Jeff and and I met Jeff several years ago when he

pretrained one of my horses and just a terrific guy, a great

family, but he's hitting at 67%. But this horse has a serious

shot, too. To me to me, Louis, this looks

like. The the Mint Julep all over

again. That's what this race looks like

to me. And there's enough speed.

Sweet Danny girls going to be want to be on the lead.

I think it sets up perfect for Henrietta again.

The only one that I looked at Mike outside of that group was

Fuente Ovejuna. The 11 is Rafa Bejarano and a

Brendan Walsh here. Interesting because Brendan

Walsh has another runner in this race and has a.

I'm thinking of the right race. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong

race. Anyways, he brings in Rafa to

Rafa Behirano to ride this horse, which I think is an

interesting combination. The two of them do not get

together very often. Brendan Walsh had the one horse

and one The one scratched. Yes.

Oh, that's what it was. OK, got it.

OK, so he had Princess there. Thank you.

So Fuenteo Way, Huna here. Coming in 1-2 back at Churchill

Downs at a mile and a 16th and goes out ships to parks.

Who knows? I mean, I look you ship.

The horse had a chance. It was right there.

Gets caught at the wire going to mile on the 16th.

If you can get back to if you know what did it over who and it

can get back to that form from Churchill Downs.

I think has a serious shot here. 12:50 is a delightful number in

a turf race over two turns. Yeah, we'll take the British

horse on 12:50. When it's soft to, it's soft to

good in places. Did I do that right, Dan?

Yes. Britney Walsh had a good year.

I can't. I'm not sure.

Yeah, that's a good bet right there.

He has started to use, he has started to run up here a lot,

lot more and and much more intentionally with horses up

here. Hendy Woods the winner of this

race last year, while Mark Cassie.

We saw some winners last year. Hendy Woods, Ivar.

I mean, there were some. There were.

Some horses here, for sure, and there always are.

I mean, this is a great. That was when people remember

Churchill had to shut down the turf course altogether last

year. So for horses to get even

$100,000 race, they had to come here for this day.

Because it looked like green cement at church.

It didn't. Look like green cement?

It was green cement. Yeah.

Did you actually see them out there with the spray cans?

You know, I'm actually not supposed to talk about that.

You sounded an NDA. I don't can't talk about that

either all. Right.

We're going to move on to the one grade one on the card for

the the all the the cross country pick five and that is

the. Belmont Derby Invitational.

You hear the word Derby. That means it's for three-year

olds. It's a $750,000 race mile and a

quarter on the turf for three-year olds.

Louie, how did you? Let's start with Dan.

Dan, who did you like here? I I I like the horse on the

bottom. When I when I when I handicap.

I I move European horses up a great.

So in other words, if they want, If they want, yeah, if they if

they want a grade 2, that's a grade one to me.

In America I I grade 3 becomes a grade 2.

The foxes 1A grade two start before last and then last time

out in the Epson Derby ran 5th but behind a horse that is

probably the best 3 year old in Europe.

That that horse. Yeah. 11 The One, the Irish

Darby and the English Darby, and I read some point.

Six of those ever, eight of those ever.

And they've been running those races for a couple 100 years.

I mean, it's so to sweep those races.

What? What Aidan O'Brien is doing that

that was the Irish Darby. Listen to this.

The Irish Darby was Aidan O'Brien's 100th Classic win.

Wow. 100 Classically I was just stupid and and and I and I read

something from the trainer Andrew Baldwin about this horse

and he said this horse didn't want a mile and a half and he

still and he still ran just eight and a quarter lines

behind. So I I think the fox sticks out.

Here do you ever worry though? Like first time in the United

States, first time traveling across?

I you know, not really, because all of these big stables now in

Europe have their own airplanes. And they fly horses all over the

world. And so, you know, I mean, it's

it. It'd be like you taking a six

hour car ride. I mean it just.

Pretty much did today. It it, it, I don't think it it

makes that much difference all. Right.

Your car was probably cooler than our hotel room.

Again. By the way Andrew Balding gets

the is is the trainer of record here his last grade one was

actually 20 win I should say was that Woodbine and the EP Taylor

Sticks had a grade one so he's he's won a grade one before so

it isn't as though he's and and look you don't fly Murphy and

for no reason as a Jack I'm with you on that I do think if you're

going to go with American side I mean colic is is here three

straight that's IRAD and Chad if you've heard that combination

before on the turf you know Chad Brown's never won this race.

Really. How about that?

Would would you have guessed that?

No, but but it no. I wouldn't have guessed that.

But this race isn't that old. No, it is.

I'm. I'm going to guess.

It's still 5-6 years old, don't I think?

It was a great it was. A great one on the grass in New

York. Yeah.

Yeah. If they were hitting.

His two years old and and Chad hasn't wanted.

It's an upset. Good enough reason 39% of

Belmont recently the two of them web Slinger you and I have

talked about a lot frankly is 1/2 great straight graded stakes

including that great two American turf at Churchill

Downs, which I think until this race did was the best collection

of three-year old. Perf runners in the United

States. And I'm still kicking myself

because it cost me the pick five on Derby day web Slinger and I

should have had it when he back and look.

He's also one or been within two lengths of the winner in all of

his last five races, so he's always right there.

I love including horses like that, Dan, that are at least

part of the equation at the end. Casa Lano right now is out of

his mind, having one of the great seasons of a jockey in

recent memory. I listened eight horses here,

man. I mean, would we be stunned if

redistricting wins here, the 10. A second timer for Chad Brown?

No, no. Would we be totally shocked at

Bapio who won the Jersey Derby last out?

Adds a little bit of distance here with Luis Sayez.

Would that be so shocking? How about Far Bridge Grand 2nd

between web Slinger and colic? The last two stakes runs with

Jose Ortiz? Would we think it's crazy there?

Silver not was favorite in his life.

Are you telling me this is an all for?

This feels like an all. For cross country pick 5.

It feels like that. Wow.

But but the problem is, the next race feels like that too.

There are a lot of Phillies in the next.

Race that I really can't bet everyone else.

It's tough, man. That's right, That might.

Be Wizard of Westwood's coming, you know, wins a black type at

Santa Anita is coming to Belmont is going to try to set the pace

here. Last year, we saw Classic

Causeway do exactly that and just ran away with that.

Did I steal everything? Yeah, that's right.

Classic Causeway. Yeah.

Kennedy Peak. Julie Leproux.

Yeah. I just wondered, could Wizard of

Westwood do what Classic Causeway did last year?

I think he can. That's kind of what's wild about

this race. But I'm with Dan.

If you're with if you wanna go class, you grab the 11 you walk

away from. This did you ever, did you ever

have any Wizard of Westwood stories?

Any good John Wooden stories? No.

No. No.

I Did he request you? I got a letter from him, yeah,

but I wasn't going that far away to school.

Yeah, not back then, but, but, you know, and of course, the

year ahead of me. They they had some good, yeah.

They signed a guy by the name of Lu Alcindor.

I don't know. I don't know whatever happened

to him, but but they. I don't thinks worked out for.

Him they they felt they were pretty well set at the center

position. Did you ever like, you know,

just, you know, garden garden Kareem be like, you know, I

would have taken your playing time at UCLA.

No, no. No, I didn't.

I didn't want to get Kareem stirred.

Listen, I understand that you went to UCLA where you all have

the easy, easy route to the Final Four, you know, kind of

thing. So yeah.

Did you ever get to check out the Bill Walden 30 for 30?

I know that was a. No, I need to do that.

I have not done it, but haven't done it.

I talked. I talked to my grandson, who

said you have to, you have to watch it.

All right. Well, there you go.

That's all the Wizard of Westwood talk we get.

You know, it's pretty awesome. I appreciate you stalling while

I hand my phone to our producer who's been nice enough to.

Take a picture. Flying from Texas?

No, we're we're just coordinating with Laduca, make

sure that he knows where to go. Yeah, that's it.

Yeah. I'm just trying to be good host

here. We're doing the best we can.

All right, let's talk about this Indiana Oaks that we got coming

up, which again, I think we've got three really good horses in

this race. We're going to scratch the 1

Cotton candy. Annie, it's.

Good name for a horse by the. Way cotton candy Annie.

Yeah, I would think it would be a race caller's nightmare.

I agree. That's probably why it's good.

Yeah, We're also going to have a couple horses that are off late

because this is the conversation you just had, Louis.

I definitely think when they come off laces, it seems to make

it a little bit of a difference. And that is the the last two

horses on the crowd, the seven and the eight are all play 6.

So, but is it going to matter? I mean, the winner here is going

to come out most likely out of tax merlotsa or defining

purpose, right? I don't.

Dan and I both don't think defining purpose has.

I'm. I'm chucking, I agreeing.

Purpose reason and we talked about it for me was that Ashland

is that first finish line. At Keeneland and she was begging

for it. I hate to say that out loud.

I apologize for saying that as much as I do.

It's no we don't. But that first one it's not like

Mala fat when she won the Ashland and they just you know

they put her in you know she was ready to go another for a long

for a long and 1/2. So well, you know it's a

different kind of thing there. I think tax is far and away in

the best form of anyone coming into this race.

The two horse here we talked to Brad Cox yesterday on our show.

And he talked about Merlotsa and he feels strongly that she's

going to show well here because he has frankly simplified her

life, it sounds. Like and and he said he thought

that he ran her back too quick. If you look at that she she she

ran every three or four weeks just boom boom boom boom and and

I think that mile and 8th of Black Eyed Shoes might have been

a little too far for her so. I'll tell you what, if you get 6

to one on Merlotsa with Brad Cox, how how good Brad Cox has

been this race. That seems like it's almost too

good to be true. So, Louis.

Yeah, so I have taxed on top here.

I think that sometimes you just have to and we saw it last year,

Interstate Daydream wins, the Black Eyed Susan shows up here

from Pimlico, goes ahead, runs a huge race and and I think that

will get taxed on top there. We did talk, like I said at

Bradcock yesterday, he thinks that by simplifying a little bit

of what she has been doing, just a little bit too much travel,

having to go to Pimlico, having to be at different places

running at Oak Lawn. Yeah, after fairgrounds, just a

lot of different spots. Giving her that, 5-6 weeks of

just being in one spot, being in a stable situation, getting her

up here. I think that she'll be ready as

well all. Right.

I've been begging for someone to talk Reds baseball with me.

We actually have. A baseball guy next to us, all

right, You're a horse racing guy now?

Yeah. Paul Laduca, welcome to the

show. You have to introduce him like

cod Trump used to. Four time Major League All Star

all WE. Got We got a Basketball Hall of

Famer on one end and we got a four time Major League All Star

on the other end. Louie, this is where the show is

now. I'm 510.

I got elevator shoes on, so as a man over there that could

absolutely fill up the hoop, I remember him watching him play.

So I really appreciate it. And talking about the Reds, you

know, I was down in at Churchill Downs covering obviously the

racing there. And I actually went to a

Louisville back game and got to see Ellie, Ellie, de La Cruz

play before they called him up. And wow, I mean, listen, you

know, there was a couple guys when I played in the minor

leagues. Like, I remember it was one

specific guy where it just made a different sound off his bat.

And that was ladder, Guerrero, junior senior.

When he just hit the ball, I mean, it just sounded like an

explosion. And he hit a ball in Louisville.

I was like, Oh my God, the ball. It landed at Jeff Ruby

Steakhouse and he can run like a girl.

I'm telling he reminds me of a kind of a Deion Sanders with

more baseball skills. I the Reds are very, very

exciting and you should be excited about.

It I am like listening on the radio every night.

And they got a they got the next Randy Johnson.

If the kid can stay healthy low to low and a lot of people don't

even know he is. And and Hunter Green is hurt

too. But if Nick and Hunter come

back. Get those guys back in August

and then this advocate who's ended up being a really good

starting pitcher for them as well.

He didn't get the win last night, but he's give us all

innings and Dan ISIL could care less.

No, I know. I'm on.

I'm on the bandwagon. I always, I've always.

I'm a kind of a purist. They're the original 8.

The Reds should be good here. It's a baseball city.

Baseball city. It's a baseball city.

It really is. It's kind of been fun to watch

because I was kind of comparing that, like the excitement when

the Reds are good is just different than when the big and

the Bengals have been good lately, right?

That's true. That city wants the Reds to be

good and they should be. And you know, for me, Paul

talking about that throwback, they're kind of doing it the old

school like in the 80s kind of way, like with bunts and.

Stealing base. Wow.

Manufacturing run. Yeah, what a thing, right?

It's. Been a lot of.

Fun. I mean, you know, some of these

kids that, you know, it's just it's a different ball game and I

wonder if I would be able to play.

You know, I was a guy that was a 10 home run guy.

You know, I had one year, I had 488 bats.

I only struck out 30 times. These guys struck out 30 times

in a month. So it's different.

But you can understand I did my role.

I was, I was the number two hitters.

So what, Dave Roberts was my Laidoff hitter or Jose Reyes was

my Laidoff hitter, my job. Was to get them to second or

third for the big boys. That's how you manufacture runs.

So whenever race or those guys hit a double push bunt let's be

up 1. Nothing.

Soon as you put the other team in a hole and you're down one,

nothing early, you always put another team in press mode.

And that's the way they're kind of doing it.

And like I said like I told you they're very athletic and you're

looking at a lot of teams in MLB right now.

They're not. I mean let's I'm a Met fan.

Yeah. Daniel Volvo go back, should not

be in the uniform. Let's be honest, he looks like

the Michelin man all. Right, there it is.

Well, let's talk. You know, I saw you talk about a

changing game, and we'll stop the baseball talk here.

I apologize to everyone was watching.

I'm kidding. The Luis Arayas is flirt with

400. He's already faced more pitchers

this year than Tony Gwynn did in any full season of his career.

That's pretty crazy. Because of just the specialized

pitchers and that kind of stuff, and you don't get to see a guy

third time through the lineup anymore.

You know, for him to be hitting like that is.

Really, it's unbelievable because you make a great point.

You can go either way. If you see a guy for the third

time that's kind of a a finesse pitcher, you're going to bang

him around. But then you get that guy where

you had him in trouble in the first inning.

Now you got to face him in 6th inning.

He's off. He's gotten a little tougher,

right? Dan's played against a lot of

guys, you know, warm up a little, I'm sure, Larry.

Was a little bit like that, like warm up a little bit and then

you know what, let me throw the dag in your heart here and then

in the second-half then you know that too.

So there were certain guys like a guy like John Smoltz, if you

didn't get him early when he he was going to dominate you like,

yeah. So although that seems to be the

trend in baseball is like they don't let people stick around to

see them the third time through the lineup.

Like, you know, with the average start right now, it's like 5

innings. Well, everybody's had arm injury

and I look back at it. I'm like Nolan Ryan probably

told it. Tore his shoulder three times.

Who they pitched through it, remember?

No one. Just took two.

Advil. You remember that commercial?

2 Advil and. Thrown in.

Beat the crap out of Rob. All right, Who beats?

Tax of the Oaks today. Ooh, that's a good question.

You know, I actually had Bet Hoosier Philly, cuz that day.

Hoosier Philly, I had. Tom Amos is one of my close

friends and he had told me this was just one of the best sources

he'd ever had, even beyond Sergeti, Empress.

And then she had flipped her palate, which means for a lot of

people don't know, she couldn't breathe and she was having

trouble breathing in her last race.

He was really pumped out of race and you know, tax went right by

her. I thought they both, you know,

ran very well to the wire. I do think it's a legit race and

I think she's going to be tough to be.

OK. Yeah, we were there for that

blackout, Susan. So definitely a great, a great

race. All right, we're going to move

back to Belmont now. I'm, I'm trying to pull over the

type here, big guy. All right.

So we're going back to the Belmont for the next phase of

the the cross country pick five. And this is the grade 3V ride.

The race you kind of were talking about a little bit

earlier, Louie. It is race 11 at Belmont.

It's 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt for three-year old Phillies

$175,000 purse. I know you kept your hand a

little bit, but Dan, who do you like in this race?

I'm going to, I'm going to go with the one horse.

There's just so much speed in this race there there are three

horses in here that haven't been, hadn't been behind a horse

in their lifetime. I'm pulling for Rusty Rusty

Arnold who has a red carpet ride actually trained victory ride.

The horse that this race is named after and so I'm pulling

for Rusty, but to to get a little price I'm going to take,

I'm going to take Chad on the one horse.

All right. Chad and I rat on the one can't

you cannot be that if I would. Just because, just because Mike,

I think, I think that's the one Philly in here that looks like

she can close a little. Bit absolutely.

Could be a cool story for Melanie Gettings, who you

mentioned in a conversation. Off air is getting out on her

own here. Gets to bring along a great

horse like Maple Leaf. Mel, who's the five in that race

there? As well Red carpet ready you

mentioned earlier is this a horse that's going to run well

outside of Churchill Downs or is this one that's really only

specialized it. I dazz Blue that here for Brad

Cox. Is that horse ready to take that

step forward in graded company like this?

I guess frankly horses that have won great at stakes before and I

agree with Dan that one in interpolate between that coming

off that layoff that's what Chad Brown does I think as well as

anyone is gets horses back into big spots Paul awful layoff.

He knows how to place those horses in those spots.

Yeah, he's one of those guys, him and in in Bob and Baffert,

when they take the blinkers off or or put them back on after a

win or they make a little bit of a shakeup or you see a horse run

very, very green, they usually correct it very, very quickly.

So I understand where you're going there.

I do drink Maple Leaf. Mel is going to be very, very

tough to beat in there. I do think Topsy's got a big

shot. Steve Aspen, his horse is

starting to fire at Belmont a little bit more and.

Steve's horse is starting to come around.

I think a lot of people don't realize he's he's really loaded

in in the Sprint division. Rivet, since he's put blinkers

on, has become a very good sprinter and he's got another

one named Skelly that he's kind of laid up since Oak Lawn and

he's waiting for that one to come back who's lightning fast.

So I think the Breeders Cup Sprint is going to be really

fast-paced, but I do think Topsy, I'll take a shot there

12/1. I don't think you'll get 12/1,

you'll probably get like six or seven, one somewhere in.

That area, well, there's a little bit of a price on that

top, so you like that a lot. Right.

So we we've started doing this segment on the show called Horse

Racing 101. And so I don't want to miss the,

I know we don't have it on the show sheet, but I don't want to

miss the the opportunity to tell Paul last year.

We met Paul last year at this race.

And we were talking about the glamorous.

Lifestyle that Paul lives Paul. You're a TV personality.

So you're talking also you're. Talking about the Red Bull I got

at the Holiday Inn Express Suites.

The life I'm living, yeah. It was the last time we.

Saw the family. Did you have air conditioning

last? Yeah.

But you like, you know, I also, you know, Dan, I also had heart

surgery because I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

Last night and I did heart surgery on somebody.

But but truly. Like, just give a little taste

of your story about how you got it involved into the TV side of

horse racing. Well, it's a crazy story because

you know, I had two the end of 2008 I I needed knee surgery.

So a lot of teams were staying away.

It was one of those things were okay, you're going to have to

sign the guy then give him the knee surgeries.

He's going to have to sit out depending on when they were

going to sign me. So I could really couldn't find

a job in 2009, I got the knee surgery and I and I kind of just

rested up a little bit and. I went on the Belmont show

actually for TVG at the time and it went well and at that time it

was Tony Alvado who was running TVG.

And then I tried to make a comeback in 2010 with the

Rockies and I had made the team and I was in really great shape

and they asked me to catch. And the second last game of

spring training, each row goes to Steel 2nd and.

And my arm went with it. It was like, I always tell

everybody, it's like the end of the Blues Brothers, you know,

when the car just falls apart. Yes, that's what ended up

happening in my body. I just walked off the field and

everybody was telling me, wait a second, what's going on?

And I remember I just put, you know, my hand.

I brought like my neck saying I'm, I'm done.

My arm, like, completed off. I tore every ligament in it and

this and that. And I didn't want to get the

surgery. I was like, listen, I just want

to get out of here. I was so depressed.

I knew my career was kind of over.

And you know, I always was told that I'm going to stop till they

take the jersey off my back. They had to.

I mean, I couldn't even roll it back to the picture.

So I just went home and they offered me a job.

I called them back up. They offered me a job.

I started at Monmouth and I thought, okay, here I am going

to start doing some baseball after that.

And I did. I started doing some ESPN stuff.

I started doing some college baseball.

But when everything got a little bit bigger, the College Baseball

Regionals end up on Belmont weekend.

OK, you can't be doing that anymore.

So then it's now full time. And I never thought, you know,

1413 years later, I'd still be doing this, to be honest with

you. Paul, I think we have a mutual

friend. Did you not live in the same

complex when you were in LA with Mike Smith?

Yeah, that's Mike might have told you that story, How we

became friends. I always tell it all the time.

First of all, he won't admit it. But he hit on my wife at the gym

and that's how that's how this all started, right?

And me and Mike are great. Yeah, we're best of friends, but

we talk about this all the time because he came up to her and

then my well exwife, we get along great.

OK, everybody out there, we get along just fine.

I've been 18 year old guard, just graduated.

High school? How about that, All right.

Yeah. Thank you and so.

My well, exwife recognized and goes, wait a second, you Mike

Smith? And he goes, yes, he goes, well,

my husband, you know, is to catch it for the Dodgers.

Paula Digg goes no way. So we ended becoming friends and

he came to a couple games back and forth.

Well, like we go out to dinner and end up finding out we're

having conversation. I'm like, hey, you know what?

Somebody in our complex keeps complaining above us.

Or below us, that we're making too much noise.

This not. I've had to go downstairs.

This not. He goes, well, what do you in?

He goes, I'm in 272. I go, I'm in 372.

So what ended up happening was I was coming home late at night

after Dodger games. You know, by the time you wind

down, it's midnight. Mike's sleeping.

He's gotta get up at 4:00 in the morning to work courses.

I'm stomping up and down. He was complaining about me, so

he comes up to knock on the door and he looks right at me and we

just started laughing and from that time on we were bringing

wine to each other. We became best friends.

In in in 1986, Mike Rd. We had I had a Philly that I

wanted to get some black type and we chartered.

He was riding a Turfway Park just coming up through the

ranks. We chartered a jet, flew to

Saint Louis. And he rode a Philly for me at

Fairmont Park in a $25,000 steak race.

And if he hit that Philly once, he hit her 30 times.

And we, and we beat Donnie Brumfield and a Claybourne horse

by about that much. That was one thing that was

great about Mikey. When he rode for his friends, I

had a horse named Tough Negotiator.

I still have the video. I I've shown it to Mikey.

I go, How did you get this horse?

He hit the horse 40 times on the way home and like he's like it

was for you. Anybody else.

I thought I was going down, you know?

But that was that's Mikey. And he always got that little

smile. He's got the cutest smile, you

know it. He's so happy.

He just got married and he's just in a great place and I'm

happy for Mike, you know, he's picking the spots but he's

getting towards, you know, his return.

But, but I'm, I'm happy that after his bad injury at Belmont,

he was able to reestablish himself back to being the great

jockey that he was, you know? Yeah.

All right, let's move on to that Indiana Derby, which is the star

of the show. Thanks for sharing all that

great stuff with this fall, but. We'll get back to horse racing

$300,000 on the on the table for Race 12, which is the Indiana

Derby. All right.

Verifying is going to take a ton of money here.

I think we all know that it's coming back out of the Kentucky

Derby. We talked a little bit about

raised cane earlier. We talked a little bit about

Hayes St. I think this race could be

completely wide open and I we can verify here who who's with

me. Well, here's the thing like, OK,

first of all I will tell you this disarm.

Is he I would say 3 to 5 links faster on a sloppy race.

He's a gun runner. He runs hard.

I I'll I'll make this prediction.

I do think Disarm will be the best 4 year old out of the

group. He's big he's strong.

Every time I talk to Steve he always comes back to disarm now.

And if he develops like his dad that he's going to be great as a

four and. Five, 100% And he'll.

And if you ever watch, he was with his head out a little bit.

I wish he'd run a little lower. But Steve goes, he just tries

really hard. He'll run through a brick wall

and that's just the way he is. But that's a lot of races.

You know, he's come back from the Derby, didn't run well.

He drew a bad spot. I get it.

And you know, did he beat a suspect field you, You know, I

thought he should have won the breeder's futureity.

I thought Gasoline put a little bit too much pressure early, if

you would have laid off that other horse.

He wins and tap it. Trice never goes by him.

So when you look at that kind of race, you wonder, can anybody

stay with him early? You do have some other horses in

here and Georgia, W and some others but.

The other part about this Marcelina Pedros is not a guy

that sends. No, that's I'm with you.

And in sometimes he can get in a horse's own way that has natural

speed. I'm not saying he's not a bad

rider, I just think he's better from when he's a tiny bit off

the pace. It's interesting that Brad went

to him for this race, for the Oaks, for other things on the

card today, so there was a clear.

There's clear intent with getting him in the mountains,

right? And so I'm with you a little bit

on that. I don't know that verifying is

going to let him hold her. I I think he's just going to try

to get this spotted. He's just going to go do.

It I I agree. I just that the other horse

here, I do think the Sharie Debo horse is a live horse.

The horses are running. She's a descendant of Chad

Brown. This horse has been winning all

over the place. And one thing about Sharie.

She doesn't let her owner influencer of going places

unless the horse has a shot. I remember her always telling me

that I will. I don't want to enter a horse in

the stakes race. If I'm going to be 50 to one, I

want to be 12:50 or under because I want to have a shot.

So, and I think this horse off the layoff has got a big shot to

run a big. Race.

I think once the Louisiana Derby happened, you, if you look at

how she has paced his year and spread things apart, they were

pointing for this. Here or Iowa or something,

right? They wanted the grade three at

this time here. I think, I mean, listen, we just

forget as I know Danny's got some we need, we do.

We need this horse to go buy for you, Danny.

Yes, we do. Let's go.

Come. Up, I'm Get up.

Let's go. Get him up.

Get him up. Let's go.

Come on, get up. You go like a chandelier.

He hung like that curveball and he asked me through Me.

Yeah. When you look at this race.

You know hey strike I I get where a lot of races a lot of

experience for Kenny Mcpeek but I mean Kenny Mcpeek is he the

most flip the coin trainer have you ever seen in your lifetime.

I don't think it's a question It like it.

It's so hard to single him. You don't know when they're

going to run something and then you'll get on fire for weeks

after week. So he to me he's like the.

Toughest. The other one is Mike Maker

switching surfaces. Like I feel like he wins a lot

of those races, but never when I bet it.

Kind of, yeah. I can see where you're going.

Yeah. Yeah.

By the way, Mike Maker, a lot of people like, you know, he's so

quiet. I got the best ad in the church

and he's closet funny guy. Yeah, we were throwing.

He's a real big prankster. Oh yeah, so we were throwing

pranks on Serling, pranks on some other people.

I told him that I sent him a postcard.

He said thank you very much, he sent me a postcard and he

doesn't really like anybody else from Naira.

It was actually really great interview.

He's actually closet pretty funny, but he's got that like

this. Blank stare on his.

Face. You know when.

You Paul. When you interview him, you

better have 10 questions ready because you get three word

answers. I learned my lesson.

I go to the spiral stakes and it had to be my third year, so I'm

really raw on television. And it was like, Mike, how's it

going? Good.

So you're running, I think at the time it's international

start. I might be way off here.

How's international star doing? Doing well.

Where do you think you're gonna sit in this race?

Just off the pace. Wherever the jockey sits.

So now I'm like getting in my ear.

OK, last question. I'm like last question.

This has been like 7 seconds. Well pointed you to this race.

The owners thank you. So finally, I said.

He got me out. How's this horse doing?

Oh, yeah, he. And he laughed.

And ever since I said that to everybody killing me, I was

joking around. He kind of took the bag and he

joked around with me. He's just, I think a lot of

people take it. What he he's not comfortable in

front of the camera. He's just the way he is.

Yeah. OK, so I actually think you can

make a now, especially with the six being scratched out, you

could. I think you can make a case for

every horse in this race. I honestly feel like the case to

be. Made well alone.

What do you think the tracks gonna?

You think the track will be good, fast, but by the Derby?

Thinking it was good. Good.

Yeah, I think it's. Gonna be.

So what happened? OK, you guys know more here.

When it starts drying, does it get tiring or does it get?

Well, I it hasn't mattered recently.

So the last two weeks here, if you're in the front when at the

top of the stretch you're winning the race.

Now, what about the turf? Well, obviously with the rain it

might play different. Today it's.

Going to play way different than we've been watching for sure.

I the only thing I'll say about this race, Georgie W the 9 is

going to hit the board in the Indiana.

Derby. Yeah, I think that.

That horse is hitting the board. That's Alex.

Shars knows this place. He is dried really, really well

last time out. Goes against winners for the

first time. Wins by 9 lengths.

Before that Brakes is made on the on the turf, they

immediately move into dirt. He's good to go.

I just think he's the kind of horse that just wants to run and

I think he's absolutely going to get a check today.

I can't argue with you isn't I was taught two things in life.

Never take a tip from somebody that's a 12 to one or 25 to one.

You always throw them in and never throw out an undefeated

horse. And it's just it's just

something I've always stood by. So I I take people's opinions.

I I'm with you verifying is fortified.

Well, right now. Well, what do you think?

What do you think about this when they spring the latch?

Even money, even money. Even money.

OK, so then where does Hay Strike sits?

7 to two, 9:00 to 2:00? Somewhere in that area goes up a

little bit. Yeah, yeah, I don't.

Know and raised cane comes down a little bit just to say

everybody's 6:00 to 1:00. Because he's in The Dirty.

He was in The Dirty. Yeah, cuz he's in The Dirty,

right? Finish 8th I mean, I mean

respectable. Right.

Anybody on act a fool? Well, act a fool Scratch.

He scratched OK. That would have been one though

that I. Think that would at least bug

verifying for a little while? Sure.

Well, I bet they're kicking themselves now that we have a

yielding turf course that he's not one of the grassroots.

Right, I will say this. I've cashed out on me, Henry, at

Topman. Yeah, Henry at Topman.

Oh my God, she's been good to me.

Hey, right. She's done coming.

And I'll tell you, if there's cut in the ground, it's going to

help her out even more. So I think she's going to be a

handful. She's a really good form right

now. She's beaten 2 really good

fields. She got ignored last time.

He's got her really good for him.

Dan was saying he thinks that could be a replay of that

midula. Pop soccer.

But I'm actually with Dan and you know Churchill, like the

church course played so kind of funky and you know this and that

and this horse can stay all day. So if it is a tiny bit yielding

and people get horses, get tired, no problem.

For Henry, Tommy, cool. Dan, who do you like in this

Indiana Derby? Well.

I'm a chalk eater. I I think verifying lays over

this field. I mean verifying throw out the

Derby because he goes to the half and 45 and three.

This is a legitimate grade one horse and I don't see I agree

with Paul. If anybody's going to beat him,

I'm on the eighth horse because you know if you look at that in

the. In the Louisiana Derby Kings

barns, you know, just got out there and galloped around the

track and if you put a line through that race, I know their

allowance races, but the horse has been right there.

So I I think, I think verifying stands out and I like the eighth

horse second who's. Your official pick.

Yeah, I'll go with verifying as my official picker.

You're going to go verify no one's with me who's your

official pick? You know what I'll go with?

I'll go with the Italian horse. Nice, The 8:00.

I think. I think it's the time.

Yeah, yeah, forget about it. Silent like the G and Kali

Ostrom. Callios.

That's a cow joke. Well, Calipari joke at the end

of the hour. By the way, the worst.

This horse lost you last time. Scotland I know is very, very

well regarded horse. This horse is gonna have to step

up. You guys are all right.

Verifying Dan's right. Verifying lays over the field.

You mean it's his? Race to lose, you know.

Fall is is Scotland a moth horse?

Is that a bill? Yeah, Bill's got them all

loaded. I'm telling you right now,

Bill's got that Philly by closed hatches.

I'm proclaiming. I think you pronounced it SCLLA.

Cecilia. It's it's a tap it up at closed

hatches. And she's won twice.

Oh, my God, she's the next superstar.

She's 3 year old, Philly, I'm telling you.

There you go. Cecilia.

Yeah, closed hatches, little baby.

Nice. Love it.

All right? Anything else that it's time to

get out of here. Let's go.

We're gonna pay the tab. We're gonna get out of here.

Well, pay the tab. Thanks.

For watching? No, no.

Yeah, Rachel takes care of. Us.

It's just something we say on the show.

Horse Racing Happy Hour. We get out of.

Here thanks for. Watching Thanks guys.

Thanks for having me. I mean, seriously, this is

pretty awesome to have a Major League Baseball, Allstar

Basketball Hall of Famer all come to Shelbyville IN and we'll

all be at BW. Three's later, that's true.

So, all right, we'll see you. We'll talk to you later.

Thanks a lot for listening.