John Piassek Returns | Haskell Preview

OK, I guess we're not doing any interviews.

That's also woo Mike Gaddafa lawyer.

Bro this is the horse racing happy hour on.

The skull. We're on the screen and porch

and we're not smoking cigars. I am not smoking cigar tonight,

how about that? Why is that?

I'm going to have 40 in New Jersey in the next three days,

40 to do the Fidel Castro thing, take over New Jersey, socialize

it, smoke a bunch of cigars, do the thing.

You know how it goes. OK, Yeah, yeah.

How about that? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. I will be smoking cigars in the

morning so I, oh, how about that?

I'm passing tonight. You golfing?

What are you doing, man? Yeah.

No, just like I think you knew I had that one group of guys that

every. I've been to it super nice and

yeah they. We, we, I went once, didn't get

invited back. There's a reason.

No, you're always invited. Once you're there.

You just you sit around, you sit around, drink coffee, smoke

cigars before. Work day, I think the the coffee

cigar, top two or three cigar of cigars.

Oh yeah, you know, if you talk beers like shower beer, airport

beer, like thinking about, you know, you know, the post yard

work beer, the best beers. I think of the cigars.

The the morning was way underrated.

It's very underrated. Especially.

Like how well tobacco usually pairs with cigars, I.

Mean with coffee, No, I get. It and you can get into that and

and you know I'm going to be late though.

You know why I'm going to be late?

Because I got to babysit Sean Collins and get his technology.

Set up ready to go. I also blame Sean Collins being

late to something. But it'll be all right now

Sean's Sean and I are going to make sure that we we know how to

get all these live streams set up so that you guys have an

awesome trip to Monmouth this weekend.

Are you? You got to be excited.

Right. I'm very excited getting on a

plane. I'll be man somewhere in New

Jersey at this point tomorrow, but getting on a plane tomorrow

morning to head to Newark, America's Finest airport.

You understand me? A little EWR on a Friday.

I actually like Newark. I've never rented a car there,

so we'll find out about that. But yeah, make sure you have a

lot of fun. That pays for the tolls, I

guess. I don't know.

Yeah. So we're not live on Twitter

tonight. Are we not doing that?

We should be live on. Twitter.

How about that? Why are we not live on Twitter?

I don't know, let me. Let me, OK, I want to be clear.

I want to be clear why I paused in the beginning.

It was because I got a message that said you can't go on live

on Twitter unless you're a premium account holder anymore.

And I was like, I paused and was like, wait, what just happened?

And so there you go. That's why I paused and I

freaked out. We got a new show expense.

I guess we're going to have to go because we have to be live on

Twitter, but you can check us out right now on the YouTube

feed as well. If you want to go to our YouTube

channel, that's gonna have to be corrected by tomorrow, right?

Yeah, that'll be something I'll have to spend tonight.

Yeah, that's. OK, we'll, you know, we'll,

we'll repost. How are people watching man?

I I saw three people watching just a.

Second ago I got I am streaming to my personal Facebook page.

OK. Yeah, which helps.

Very much does. How about that?

I got 40. We're doing this show for

somebody. And frankly, if you're watching

later on on on Spotify, we appreciate you as well.

YouTube, baby. We got YouTube.

We got YouTube. The YouTube's important.

You got to go, you got to go YouTube.

But yeah, you will be out at at Mama first trip to.

Track both the Haskell and the Monmouth.

The Haskell and Monmouth, blah blah blah.

Easy for me. Yeah, how about that?

Well, Jersey Shore this weekend. I need to know though.

Staying at a roadside Roadside. Inn are you really?

On purpose. No, you're not.

Yeah, I enjoy Roadside Inn, OK. It's very close to the shore.

I wanted to be able to walk to the ocean and be able to afford

it. So we're doing that.

Yeah. How about that?

OK. Why would I not do that?

You and Sean together, are you just by yourself or what?

I'm meeting someone else. Oh, my wife doesn't know, so I'm

not going to talk about it. All of that is completely

made-up. No, I'm a dad of four kids, so

when I can get a hotel room by myself, I take it that is how

that goes. I know Zach is somewhere nodding

furiously right now as a dad and a husband of three.

Children, there's also something that's going to be very true.

Something nice of six hours of uninterrupted.

It's very hard to be a worse hotel room than what we had in

Baltimore, you know, two years ago.

So I just can't. Pick a man.

I'll tell you what. Oh, you know what?

We actually we had a nice hotel in Indianapolis this last time

in Shelbyville. Comfort Inn.

Shout out if you wanted to throw us a free room next year, we'd

appreciate. It OK so.

Even had a pool, How about that? What are you most looking

forward to when you go to Mama? I just think just the, the scene

man, like the, the paddock looks beautiful, just that sort of

Beachy feel of the place. I'm just excited.

I love, I love that kind of stuff.

The big day, You know, I, I was lucky.

I got to talk to Grant Forrester a couple Wednesdays ago,

actually just last two weeks ago and he talked about being part

of the biggest day at a track. You know, he, his horse won the

Oaks when we were up there at Indiana and, you know, just

getting to be part of a track's biggest day.

And I'll, I'll be really honest with the thing I'm most, most

looking forward to. I get to meet Matt Dennerman and

he has been so good to this show.

He's been so good to us. I think he's terrific for horse

racing and you know, get the drop off a rubber duck in the

old. Now you're going to be doing the

show before they start racing, right?

Show at 11 Race has started new. All right, but you and they've

got a table all set up for. Tom's got us good.

All right, you're all set up. Good deal.

I'm not going just if you have picked up on that, that's OK

though. I I got to take care of.

Something you were fully invited.

Oh yeah, yeah. No doubt it is fully funded for

you to go. This is a this is a personal

thing that you have to say here. We need to.

Make that clear apparently, and that's OK.

But the I was more talking about you're going to see idiomatic in

Molly pitcher. That doesn't suck.

You're going to. I know, I know.

You love the United Nations race.

One of my very favorites on the car, I got a text today from a

listener that our guy Mike Mills that that I was going to be odd.

So I'm very excited about that for sure.

And you know, of course the the main events, the Haskell, which,

who knows if there's going to be six horses, seven horses, eight

horses. I know that's part of the

storyline right now. Who's going to?

Run or if there's a future superstar in that race.

And there could be. Right, that's the other part

you're right about. That when we saw my frame run.

Derby week? Yep.

Derby week, we're like, that might be the best that we.

See, might be it might be the best in the end.

He, you know, didn't win the Belmont, but.

Should have, but he was right there.

I think if it's his fourth race and not his third, he wins the

Belmont. Yeah, he, he.

I think we're at that point with him for sure.

Yeah. You know who else we need to

figure out? Well, let's, let's get the let's

get the opinion of one, you know, just strikingly handsome

gentleman, the most handsome guy in New Jersey.

See New Jersey. I think he's in New York.

These. Oh, you're in New Jersey?

How about that? All right.

Johnny. P Johnny P.

John Piazza joining us. Has anyone else ever called you

Johnny P or we that weird show Oh all the.

Time all the time going on I was calling out of Johnny P or PIAS

by everybody. So one of those two is good.

I'm. Not gonna lie, not like pias a

lie. Now I gotta know.

We we're, we're back. We're still on haircut watch it

looks trimmed up to me. It's not Catholic High School

approved. So I need to I kind of need to

know like, you know, what's the what's the game plan?

What's the game play with the hair he.

Looks great. Thank you.

I think what about justice length is good maybe in a few

weeks to maybe get it cleaned up because it would be nice if, if,

if, if either like freeze hair at a certain point forever and

and, and and not have to worry about it getting any longer

without having to do anything with it.

Like like right now this is a pretty good spot to be in, I

think for me. So so.

Sean Collins with Blood Horse is going to be doing the show with

Louis and Monmouth and I'll, I'll be doing on the show too,

but I'm going to be in Louisville.

Sean driving up right now so he can make it to the Yankees game,

are you? How about that?

Joining him in New York for the. YY game Friday Night Haskell

Saturday. Solid double Hamming.

That was a nice weekend. That was a nice weekend.

John, John Q would be all about that.

All about it. Yeah, all about it.

How did you feel like your Yankees did in the All Star

Game? Well, I only watched, I had to

work the other night because, you know, duty calls at Yonkers

Raceway. So I watched really only one

pitch of the game and that was when Paul Skeens got Aaron Judge

to ground out. I know a lot of my Yankee fan

friends are in DEFCON 5 right now and I really don't blame

them. My hope is just to kinda, I

mean, my equity right now are just they'll stumble into the

playoffs. What about 90 to 94 games,

stumble in and get bounced. And the hard part is now that

I'm no longer in Maryland, I well, A, that I'm no longer in

Maryland and B, that the OS and, and the Yankees are now in

direct competition with each other.

I can no longer chew for the OS, even out of any sense of civic

duty or, you know, you to watch. I have to go against them 100%.

And I watched Sunday's game as 1/2.

I don't know if you heard what happened on Sunday with the OS

and the Yankees, but it was a very painful experience.

For anyone who may not be aware, the Yankees had the lead up by

two going into the bottom of the ninth.

It was bases loaded, two outs, Yankees up by two and the OS to

the ground. Ball destroyed.

Stop. Anthony Volpi booted it.

Everybody's safe. Nest batter hits a flying ball

to left, Alex Vadugo takes 2 steps in the wrong way and then

he tries to go back and he falls down and the ball drops in and

the OS wins. It's called.

The Bad News Bears. You saw them?

Yeah. I've seen.

Based on a true story, is the time to get rid of Aaron Boone?

Is Aaron Boone a bum? Yes, he's been a bum for a

while. That's nine. 100 happy hour.

Well, it's, it's the whole, I mean, everybody in, in the, the,

the the organization, there's just a culture of not even

mediocrity. I'm just not caring because they

figure, you know, as long as they're OK, people are are going

to show up and buy a big chicken buckets and watch the team.

So if make money, there's no incentive to really push them

over from the from just being good.

It's always my. Argument about the Cubs.

Like, yeah, the Cubs should have never wanted to win that World

Series. They could have been like this

could be the year and everyone's there just drinking beer and

having a good time and they don't.

Really. Aussie Guillen, Greatest quote

in baseball history. Wrigley Field is a crappy bar

with an $80.00 cover charge. That's right and.

Now, but once they want it, then they actually have.

Expert. Yeah.

No, that's right. No, it's terrible.

It's horrible. Yeah.

Wrigley Field is a crappy bar with an $80.00 cover charge.

It's someone who's lived in Chicago for almost No.

It's one of the great baseball quotes ever.

Ozzy G had never been more right.

That guy's had, I don't know, 100 great quotes.

So there are 13 bars. He's just out of his mind.

There are 13 bars across the street that are better, both

skiing well. Scott's house runner, Scott from

Indiana. Grand.

There you go. Yeah, it'll be Yeah.

It'll be interesting to me to see if they do get rid of Aaron

Boone, how quickly the Reds get rid of David Bell and try to

pick up. Aaron Boone.

Yeah, right. Yeah, right.

Yeah. See if he'd like to live in the

Midwest. He's been there for a long time,

as far as Yankee years ago, so you know, I.

Don't know. It's like coaching Kentucky,

right? Where it's essentially a season

and 1/2 every season, right? I mean, yeah, no, it's a lot.

It is. I agree.

All right, well, you got it. No, I was gonna say but no,

because I I know back in the day, Yankees had a Rep for

firing Mariners all the time, but now they've only had three.

In my lifetime. It was Joe Torre, then Joe

Girardi, now Aaron. Boom.

That's three in 28 1/2 use. We got to hang out.

We got to see Joe Gerard Girardi a lot while playing.

His daughter was a basketball player.

He. Was.

No. Kidding.

Massive, massive, massive asshole.

So there you go. No, he just wanted to be left.

Alone. Well, I don't know why you're

talking about his daughter that way, but hey, here we go.

I'm sure he's a good guy. He's a weird thing to say about

a young girl. No, it wasn't.

She was fine. How fine was she I?

Mean that how? About that God I love John's got

great hair and look at these look at the window treatment I'm

just man everything everything's coming up Yasi we.

Got those from Saratoga? Speaking of Saratoga, what a

what a what a tease by you. What a tease.

We're going to show the Diana. We're going to do that.

We can show the Diana stage. Should we show the Diana the

world's? What we want to talk a little

about most Spackler. The most boring?

Just the most boring turf race ever.

Was this not the Diana? Was it not just the most boring

merry go round of a turf race, man?

Like goes wire to wire. Flabby and Brad do.

Something, you know, flabbing Pratt doing his doing his deal.

Let's go ahead, Zach. Let's see a little bit of that

White being one in the Diana. It's the one in the front just.

Set it. Off the pace chili flag in the

yellow will come widest of all as the field turns.

From we're looking at this right now, Lily and White being just

going to romp here and. I really did think Gina

Romantico was going to get there, but at this point I

thought he. Was going to make a run going

Gina Roman, Geno Romantica, though, you know, kind of

falling back and coming back up and white bean, look, you had

that at 51. I mean, all the way in the Diana

tight photo. First take 710 to place, right?

No, that's right. Have you paid that trifecta for

$194? On Does anyone love 2nd place

more than Moira? I mean anyone?

No, there's a stunning number of second places out of that horse,

not completely independent of the level she's running at and

all those kinds of. Things Geno romantica $8 to show

I forgot them more. I got that that that $8 to show.

Still $8 to show. Made money across the board if

you bet that horse. Yeah, yeah.

Which we gave out in our top three last week on this.

Yeah, should've hopefully you bet it and you know and you and

maybe you got that. Maybe.

Our top picks went fourth, first, third in that race.

There you go. Yeah, there you go.

Not. The worst?

Yeah. What'd you think, though, about

Carl Spackler and the Kelso? I mean I I mean.

That was a more fun race, less horses.

Well, yeah, Is he, is he establishing himself as?

I think he's a second tier Chad level runner.

OK, Yeah. He's not a bricks and mortar,

that kind of thing. I think he's a second level kind

of guy. What do you think of Carl

Spackler, John? I mean, I mean, I remember back

when he was a three-year old, he was being touted as like the

next big superstar grasshorse after he he, he Fergus made an

ad, I believe it was Gulfstream Park on some big undercoat.

He went very easily and everyone got excited about him.

Thought he ran very well. Kelso he he's still young enough

that I that I think he has a shot to win some big races down

the road. And I'm and I'm not sure we've

even seen his best yet. I mean, so I I think he will

stick at at Troy distances. Think it's pretty likely to see

him in the four-star Dave and then possibly at Kentucky downs.

Well, not surprising me if he won either one of those races.

Yeah, I agree. So there you go, just, you know,

definitely a horse to watch to kind of see what he what he

does. Maybe he is just a grade 3 horse

and he picks up a couple grade threes with grade 2 every once

in a while. But like John says, I mean

frankly with that Kentucky Downs meet, when it is in the

calendar, it does allow a lot of those Saratoga level turf

runners to make that trip and Chase and what do they have,

$7,000,000 races, the 1st. Week.

It's crazy. Like two $2,000,000 races the

first day, something like that. By the way, we're going to have

a ton of coverage of Kentucky Downs this year.

But the yeah, no, I I think it sets up for a horse.

I agree with John there. A horse like Carl Speckler, if

he doesn't mind those undulations, he could be real

tough in a place. Little undulation talk

undulation. There you go.

Hey, Aaron Boone, stop with the undulations.

Just up down is bad. How about that?

We're going, we're going to go out to Colonial.

How about that? All right.

And we're going to watch. Say hi to Caitlin Free.

As boring as the other one race was, Nadette is shot out of

hand. This.

Is. Definitely a stretch run to

remember. Let's watch the Beveler D

Preview stakes that was won by Nadette right here.

A big, quick turn of foot. Without even really being asked,

Nadette just swooped to the front.

Hector Berrios very still in the saddle now gives a little bit of

a queue. They're 2 1/2 in front of Kinesi

and blissful Nadette with a quick burst of speed at the top

of the stretch and Nadette got to pull clearly Hector barriers

and he keep running. Nice win come out of Easter.

They win by the keeper of the speed.

What do we got? Come on, This is like I think I

know. Sure.

I'm just wondering why we didn't go full screen.

I'm I'm just giving Zach a hard time.

Arabia. He didn't go to your spot on.

The, you know, Al Arabia means both Arabic and car.

How about that? There you go.

Yeah, a little bit. All right.

A linguistics lesson on Thursday.

You like that? Sure.

How about that? All right, what's the future for

Nadette the Beverly? DI think she'll run on the

Beverly D for sure. I thought.

I thought what she showed is that this was a total workout

ahead of the Beverly D and if she needs to do more work, she

could. And I, I applaud Hector Barrios

for not. I mean, he didn't need the crop,

didn't touch it, literally shook the rein once.

Yeah, it was super impressive. I I thought the move was just

exactly what you would want to see from a horse like this,

John. And I would not be surprised.

I don't think she's a winner of the Beverly D, but I think I

think she's gonna be certainly part of the equation at the end.

I mean, I think all three stakes winners last Saturday at

Colonial are going to be factors in a few weeks because because

Maryland, Brad Pulmanail won the second, won the Boston Stakes.

His second straight stakes win looks pretty sharp doing so.

I think he'll be a factor in in the secretary, hopefully at good

odds. And then integration, even

though he only beat two of the horses, he did what he had to do

in a million preview. He's already won a big race on

this grass course. Would not shock me at all if he

also won the early 2 million. Well, there you go.

You got to stay tuned for some Marlington million.

See what's going on there. Like we said, Louis is going to

be on a plane tomorrow heading out to Monmouth.

He's going to be joined by Sean Collins.

They're going to watch the Haskell.

We're we're flying right into the three-year old summer

season. Obviously we kind of had a, you

know, you had the the, the Midwest derbies kind of going

on. In the meantime, we still have

the Ohio Derby and the Pennsylvania Derby to go, but.

Ohio Derby's done. I'm sorry, not the Ohio.

You know, we got the Pennsylvania Derby.

Got the. You're thinking the Travers.

Yep. Yep.

Well, I know the Travers, but yeah, the.

Charlestown. But the we, we got the first

race that draws some really big names, right.

So the Haskell, we look at this three-year old class, Louis, and

it's it's wide open. We have three different winners

of. And we've been doing this show

five years. This is the weirdest 3 year old

class I can remember it. It's very unusual it it doesn't.

No one. I mean the best horse might not

have won any of the major races yet in Sierra Leone.

I mean, that's kind of where we're at with this class.

So let's see if you had to rank them.

I'll go, I'll go. John, we could do this draft

style. Let's do a draft style.

To kind of keep it fun, let's. Just go let's let's pick the the

top six and we'll all take a pick the top six three-year olds

that we that that are going on right now.

So if you had a if you had a bet right now on who is going to be

3 year old horse. Of the OK, there you go.

John, who would be your first pick?

Three-year old. I'm going pretty off the board

and I'll say whoever Young and I wonder if his connections are

kicking themselves. We're not keeping him in the US

over the summer because it based on how he ran both in the UA

Derby and in the Kentucky Derby. I feel like he would have the

absolute run of these three-year old summer stakes and I know

they're saving up for the Brewers Cup classic.

However, I think he's pretty clearly the best 3 year old in

this division and it went out shocked me if you won a classic

as much the best are. You OK if I go next?

Yes, yes, because I'm going to go off the board then if he's

going to go that route, I'm going to go the horse that I

think is going to win the Breeders Help Classic in City of

Troy. I like it.

Yeah, because and by the way, he's just going to come over and

dominate so much and the other three-year olds are just going

to be kind of all spread out. They're going to be like, that's

the best 3 year old we saw race in North America this year, City

of Troy. OK, so I have to choose the

winner and I get to choose pretty much every horse that I

want. So the the the three-year old of

the year, I'll go mind frame. I think there's a very good

chance he wins the Haskell, and I think there's an excellent

chance he bounces back and runs really well with the Travers.

All right, I like and I love it. You know, 'cause I, we, we said

it, we've watched that race and really mind.

Frame. It's not what I'm rooting for,

but I think he's got a really excellent chance to be very good

on Saturday and then be very, very good and ready for the

Travers. OK, so now second round here.

By the way, Mystic Dan sees the Gray door knock.

All available. All of one classic races this

year, John. Now, and that's boiling cool, I

want to pick. Are we allowed to pick girls

only boys. Oh.

Sure you want Thorpedo and a tanker.

Yeah, see, I'm taking her no question.

I in fact, I think based on how impressive she is on Saturday,

if she goes to the Travers, she could be the favorite.

So cool. I hope it happens.

I hope John's right. That might be the wrinkle I'm

hoping for this year with this three-year old class is that

there'll be no way for five GS at a breeding price is just a

absolute monster. And look, we talked to Brad Cox

a couple weeks ago and he said she's she's the best since

Monomoy girl. As a three-year old.

He was. And that was not hyperbole from

him. That was just Brad Cox talking

about someone else's horse. That's high praise man.

Dude I went back because of that and watched the Monomoy girl.

Holy bleep. She was unbelievable man.

Oh man, just so good. I'm if we're going for this

because there's a chance, I guess that it's so spread out

that they just take whoever won the Derby.

If, especially if, a four year old somehow wins the Breeders

Club Classic, I'll take Missy Dan.

Yeah, it's a good pick. Yeah, it's a really good pick.

Actually, not that I feel like he's going to really do a whole

lot more than this year, but he's he won the biggest race for

the three-year olds, right? So.

Oh man, what do I want here? I don't like any of the other

horses left. I'll take door knock because I

think he's got a chance this weekend.

So if he can win the Belmont, win this race this weekend and

then pick off another race, I think he can absolutely be horse

of the year. So I'll take door knock, all

right. There you go.

Thanks man. I would have taken, I would have

taken Mystic Dan, had you. Passed.

So let me, let me just ask you, John, because you took a

Japanese horse and A and a Philly.

Philly. Yeah, is Mckinley's over here in

the corner of our screen, of course, seating a black a black

cat across the way. Oh yeah, there it is.

Get that cat. Get him McKinley.

Get him so apologize. The dog, he never barks.

So it's just I knew it was coming.

Try let him. All right?

No, he's good. Will he murder that cat?

All right, so anyway, you want to see Meet the Cat?

I do. We might have to turn the camera

around. For like a little.

Every channel nature scary Sherva gives his dog.

Blame me on yeah, you feeders. Cat, but we're just going to let

him go hunt for his own food in the backyard.

That's how we do it. Then Hillbilly allergy states of

Kentucky. All right, so no, yeah, he, he

just looks at you saying like. I'm not doing that.

Yeah, that cat is just and that cat just perched on the hill

staring him down. Anyway, I'm back to my question

is the three-year old class. I don't, I don't think anyone

thinks the three-year old class is great, but is it good and

just very, there's a whole lot of parody, or is it just a bad

group of three-year olds? I still think it, it's really

say, I think that the Travers is is going to decide that like if

a horse who was an unknown for the Travers wins the Travers, to

me that would just say, OK, this is a crop of horses just beating

up on each other. I can't really take anybody

seriously going in, going into the Breeders Cup or even in into

the foil seasons for that matter.

But if somebody strings together two good races in a row and and

Windsor Travers, then I'll be a little bit more excited about

what's in store at the Breeders Cup and in 2025.

OK, well the 2025 part is the most interesting part for me.

John, I totally agree. A horse like Mystic, Dan

Bradford, 10 G's is gonna run as a four year old.

If he's healthy, I think we could.

See a bunch of these horses. That's the thing.

And so we actually could get a more interesting older male

division, especially, you know, with horses whose dads were

better as 4 year olds, right? If you get into a gun runner,

maybe some of these arrogates run.

I do wonder if the irrigates won't go off to the breeding

shed quicker because dad isn't around.

Anymore but. You know, I do think like a

Mystic Dan could run again. I don't know.

Are the good magic kids going to run off to the to the breathing

shed? I'm not sure.

About not 100% sure. Louis did let the dog out by the

way. He just Louis.

Came oh, he's like 7 yards away now.

Yeah, yeah, we might never see him again.

Well. I hope that's not true.

We did get the cat off the hill. So for all you all who were just

wondering what just. Happened.

The cat got away. Yeah, the cat got away.

Not. About that I'm I'm hoping that's

a really good class with a lot of parody that we see them race

as 4 year olds and they just continue to develop and I think

there's AI think there's a chance that's true I mean that's

the. Who's the second best Philly

right now? Man, that's hard.

To say, is it Ways and Means? What do you think?

Is it Leslie's Rose? I think Leslie's rose.

OK, Yeah. All right.

But. Maybe a power squeeze squeeze.

I don't know man, it got thin after the big races.

Man, but you know, it's like asking who's who's the second

most famous player on the LA Angels.

Like, yeah, right. That doesn't really matter.

It doesn't the Mike Trout. We're.

Just looking at to see what our man Doctor Derby says.

Torpedo Anna the The Mike Trout of horse racing.

How about that? You like that?

Torpedo Anna, The Mike Trout of horse racing now.

What else matters? No problem man.

OK, yeah, let's let's get on to your manscape read.

I'm gonna let you do this while I try to get the dog back in the

He's right there. Oh, here he is.

OK. He's right there.

I did the right thing. It's called nature, you

understand me? Domesticated nature, yes.

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Like I talked about last week, maybe it's pool season, a little

bit more on the shoulders than you used to.

Go ahead, get yourself cleaned up.

Look better around the pool, at the beach, whatever it is that

you're doing. Get ready for a little Jersey

Shore trip myself. You can get some clean up going.

Oh. The Bush.

Not down there for the Jersey Shore trip, but you know, a

little little chest clean up, little shoulder clean up.

I. Thought you might have liked.

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cleanups happening now with manscapemanscape.com.

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I was 20% off. That down there and put it on

your chest. Oh, got it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Little transplant.

Yeah, like, yeah, yeah. No, that's, that's Doctor

Chutney. That's different.

That's that's. There it is.

It'll be over Derby. Yeah, So, yeah.

All right, let's get on to the the day that you're going to be.

You know, I'm, I'm really excited.

I'm, I'm super jealous. I think you're going to have an

amazing day. We're this one.

I actually believe you. Many things you say to me.

I don't believe you. This is a great.

One of those things. I mean, it's a great no, but

like, I think you also want to go to Mama.

You want to meet Matt. I want to like all the stuff.

Yeah, I want to see Matt. I want to, I want to do the

Northeast racing thing that, you know, I've never gone.

The old midnight. Thing north of north of

Baltimore. I want to do all that stuff, you

know, I want to do Monmouth, I want to do Saratoga, eventually

do Belmont. John, if you were, if you were

to sort of rank the the Mid-Atlantic tracks, let's go

ahead and throw them all in Colonial, Pimlico, Laurel,

Timonium, Parks, Penn National Monmouth and let's throw in

because they do run thoroughbreds there.

Let's throw in the Big M I guess that's not Mid-Atlantic.

We're getting into New York then.

So let's do the first four there.

Parks Pen or I guess first six, Yeah, Parks, Pen, Monmouth, and

then the three Maryland tracks. Which is your favorite of the

six? As far as fan experience, 100%

Timonium. I love Timonium.

Yeah. So much atmosphere is absolutely

second, second to none. It's a lot of folks who don't go

to the track during the year, A lot of families, a lot of young

kids just there for a day at the fair who, who get to really see

what racing's all about for the first time.

And everyone's having fun. Everyone's cheering on the

horses. Some people get to make money.

And it's it's, it's just a the. Background.

Oh yeah. Yes, I have found the the

Timonium equivalent of taking a picture of the bridge as as you

drive to Saratoga is taking a picture of the horses as you go

past Ferris wheel on the turn. So I love Timonium.

One track that you didn't mention that I have to throw in

and a track I was just at about two weeks ago is Delaware Park

with is absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful simulcast area, great

sight lines were racing, a paddock is beautiful.

It's big thinking area by the 1st tone.

Great place to spend a day. If if you haven't had a chance

to go, it's definitely worth a trip.

And and I pretty much grew up at Monmouth Park.

Like I went there I think for the first time at about seven

months old, 6-7 months old. So I never stood a chance and

I've gone there every full year of my life.

It is. You all have such a fun time.

I wish I could be there with duty calls.

It's a yeah. John gets on the place.

And. He's actually got.

To work now how about that he's. Going to make fun anymore.

Yeah. Oh, I got to go to work.

Yeah, well, you know, but it's really great.

Yeah. I mean, don't listen to ads.

Junkies don't claim themselves. So I got to how?

To claim these hours. No, but no, but Monmouth is, is,

is wonderful. I mean, it's like Timonium in

that everybody knows having a good time.

And also it again, it's it's a lot of day trippers, a lot of

families. And I will say, if you find time

to go on on a non Haskell day, because Haskell day is, is a, a

bit of a zoo on a day like say, you know, Haskell preview day or

on an all day weekend. Those are my favorite days to

go. Cool, there you go.

All right, real quick, before we get into the day at Mamas, give

me a real quick does there any chance that Thorpita Anna loses

the coaching club, The coaching club?

American Oaks. The Leslie's Rose.

They run it 10 times. She wins at 9:00.

What do you think, Johnny? Pi will steal a line.

I post heard from Tom Doakin and I would advise anyone on track

for the race to find out what all the emergency exits are and

realize herself with the disaster protocol because if she

loses it is a sign that the apocalypse is not so you might

want to take shelter. So what does she go off at?

What's her? What do you?

Think 1 to 20. One to 20 sounds right.

Wow. I if I were, if I were an IRA, I

would not allow place betting. It's gonna be show betting.

Oh, not a lot of show betting. I, I I.

Just place too. You could have a good place.

You could have a good place. It's a.

It is a small field. It's.

It's, I mean, five horses. I, I just the, the jumpers for

the jumpers for that race are going to be out rate the number

of $100,000 bets on her to to show are going to be absurd.

I mean just absolutely absurd. So I would stay away from that

race, yes. All right, let's move now.

We're going to go to the day of Monmouth.

It's going to start with the Grade 3 matchmaker, which is a

mile and an eighth on the turf for Phillies and mares, 3 year

olds and up $300,000 here. This is race five.

They go the stakes race is here. We got we got five grade stakes

plus Alyssa Stakes to Wolf Hill, but they're going to go race

5-6, take a little break for 7:00 and 8:00 and then they come

back 191112 on the card. So we're going to race five

Grade 3 matchmaker. Starts a pick five here, by the

way, an interesting spot for the pick five 'cause it ends with

the Wolf Hill Sprint Race 9. So, John, go ahead.

Well, in light, Chad Brown having five voices in the Diana

last week, now he has three more in the matchmaker.

So really no shortage of top grass females in Chad In Chad

Brown's Bard as usual, and I think when he is on top #1

Telahay put in by Filavian Pratt, who of course wrote might

be the victory last Saturday lightly raced Philly in quickly

improving form. Who three races 36 races this

year have been who three best figures on the president's

scale. I I really like to win in the

mint Jewel up last time out at at total downs, drafted off the

pace in a very strong move to the front.

Kicked away professionally 1 going away.

Also ran a pretty credible third in a pretty tough field.

A tough field and the one she'll see you today in in the

distaffed tough mile could be getting even better.

Should have a great trip under Flavian Pratt.

I think she's pretty clearly going to be here.

I agree. Della hey, Della hey, Della Hey

is on top for me as well. I like the four.

Surprisingly, in here is run second twice and two starts at.

Vomit Surprised about the four horse?

What's? That for Irad and Todd, what's.

The Irad on the On the Turf is surprisingly.

Surprising. What's the?

Come on, come on, I like it. Ran in this race second last

year by 1/2 length behind a horse named consumer spending.

I don't think there's a consumer spending in this group and so I

think she's got a legit shot. I don't think you'll get

anywhere near 4 to one. Bote cache is in here.

Very interesting horse as well. Frankie Dattori in town to ride

this weekend. He may get to jump off of this

one who ran pretty well in the just a game last time under

Manny Franco behind chili flag and white bean.

Both those horses of course ran really, really well in the

Diana, so drops out of that kind of company back into the kind

where she won the Jenny Wiley grade one at Keeneland as well.

So look for her to have a big run here.

By the way, the last time Frankie was aboard her was in

that race at Keeneland in April, so look for her to have a big

race as well. 147 for me. On our grade, this seems more

like a. Solid grade too.

Solid grade too. I agree with you.

Oh, this is going to be a theme of the Monmouth races in

general. Like the United Nations getting

dropped to grade 2. Ridiculous.

I think it. Gets moved up.

Yeah, and then and then the Molly pitcher being a grade 3 is

the biggest joke because because of the purse and what division

this appeals to that two turn older female horse.

This is absolutely at least a grade two, if not a grade 11.

100% So we're going to talk about that Molly pitcher stakes

now the 2024 grade 3 Molly pitcher 500,000 dollars 500

thousand $500,000 for grade 3 fantastic Phillies and mayor

three years and up it's. Gonna be racing a child and.

The 16 on the dirt idiomatic, trying to bounce back.

Good to see her after finishing second in the Ogden Phipps.

Does she do it, Louis? Let's just have a moment of

appreciation for idiomatic running all the time.

Yes, like she doesn't take no, she's just fantastic.

And by the way, to the Judd mod people for being like, yeah, go,

go, go run. I mean, like, honestly, they

don't have to do this, right? Right.

They have all they have all the things they don't need to do

this and they run her all the time.

I'm majorly appreciative of that.

I do think she gets it done here.

I don't think she loses back-to-back.

I think she'll be just fine on the surface there.

She loses to randomize last time.

I don't see another horse of her quality in this field.

The only one who would concern me if I'm in that group is that

Misty Vale's going to go with her, right?

Misty Vale's going to be part of that front group.

And she looked really good in the Lady Jacqueline last night.

Last night, good Lord. Last time out at Thistle Down.

First off the layoff there. This is second off the layoff.

That wasn't supposed to be her firing race.

They dropped her into that list of stakes in Cleveland and she

comes out of it really, really well.

Did run in in a lot of really high level races before this,

but you know, I, I think this is kind of her level.

So I'll go 65 for my cold exacta in the Molly pitcher. 65 for

Louis John, what do you think? I think a cold exacta is about

the only way to play this race because again, bang something

totally unforeseen. There's really no way that

idiomatic can lose this race. I feel like trying to figure out

how to beat her is trying to figure out how you'll beat an

elephant in a, in a, in a wrestling match.

You can't do it. So I think a cold exacta is

where to go here And, and pose. I like underneath is someone who

was a racing darling about two years ago and is slowly starting

to get back to her best self and it's #1 Kathleen O four stronger

Mcgehee, a big Oak prospect back in 2022, came in fifth in that

race. Had three straight runner off

finishes cap with real, who through all season and going to

who real season and pretty badly tailed off after that but did

bounce back. I thought pretty nicely in the

Serena song on this track last time out came from off the pace

of a pretty moderate pace over a wet track rally to beat a pretty

nice field, including a cold to one of Monmouth Oaks very

impressively last year. And Venti Valentine, a very nice

grade 2 tight filly, didn't run a great figure that day by 87 on

the grassland scale, but it was a second straight race where she

took a big step forward on that scale.

She has great late pace figures, clearly a lot of upside and and

I think she'll be overlooking the betting.

So I think a six one exacta is to play in the Molly pitcher.

It was. Kathleen O's first win in in

over two years. Yeah.

The song so. It was that mom with her first

try Mom, try mom. Well, you get Vincent Chemineau,

and that's a local jock once in a while.

The local guys have good days on the big days.

And so John's, John's pick here. Not lots of positives.

I'm I'm intrigued by Jess, Catherine, just FY so I don't

know what you want to make of that, but it just you know, I'm

kind of retrieved by just Catherine.

Of your Castellano on a big day. It is what it is, man.

That's right. So all right, we're going to

move on to the next race. By the way, part of that pick

five, race seven has fourteen horses, race eight has nine.

It's just a fed. It is just a great card for.

That sort of and the take out rate's good, right?

It is 15% for both pick fours and pick fives in a month.

Yep, all. Right, we're going to move on to

the Wolf Hill. This is a 5 1/2 turf Sprint for

females, 3 year olds and up, $100,000 race.

John, who did you like in this one?

You know, I know this is the only non graded stakes that

we're talking about, but this is a great stakes quality field.

I mean, it's pretty solid. Yes.

Grade 3 think it's pretty clearly a two ways race here #5

are Zach, Mike Trombetta and #8 Nothing better for Jorge Duarte

really stand out. I ended up picking nothing

better on top, but I I could go either way.

I think Nothing better is raised.

Two stars back, which looks very unimpressive at first glance, is

a pretty clear toss. He had an awful break that day.

Root up at the start, never got into position and he just didn't

fire. He he took a big step forward in

the mighty bow stakes on your home toast.

A total downs last time out. More hurt on the lead that his

dueling partner into a four and a half length defeat.

Fended off a swarm of closers and one by 1/2 length and

bounced back very nicely. Second off the bench from that

race. I'm at a ceiling he runs.

Rosneft figures in the mid upper 90s pretty steadily.

Nobody else in this field except for Ozak can really do that.

Think Ozak takes most of the money.

Hoping to get about 7:00 to 2:00 or 4:00 to 1:00 and on.

Nothing better, and that would be pretty square in my end.

Jorge Ruiz and Duarte at hitting at 57%.

OK, I guess. Yeah, it's not bad.

Not bad. It's a good.

That's a good number. I agree with his top two here.

I would flip him. I would have Arzak on top.

But that's no, you know, we're splitting hairs at that point.

Third horse I think has a real shot to hit the board here.

Local horse outlaw country 4 for five lifetime at Monmouth Park.

The seven horse here, 5 for eight lifetime at the distance

only missed the board once going 5 1/2 sprinting.

That includes, you know, all of her, all of excuse me, all of

his turf Race is just a four year old here in the Kelly Breen

barn. Really interested to see what

Vince Chimineau does here as well.

A name that we've already brought up.

Only real question about this horse.

Never run without LASIK. So we'll find out if the

medication change is bad for this horse.

But look, this is I I think underrated sort of thing.

Get the local, you know, he's not he didn't have to travel to

go to this race. He's already there.

He knows the course he's working at Monmouth.

His works, by the way, are always slow on the dirt and then

he shows up on the turf and he's considerably better and and the

Breen barn, by the way, 17% turf sprints, 14% going back-to-back.

This horse did win last time out at an optional claimer finishing

time in 102 and change for five and a half.

That's a winning time in this race if he can repeat that for.

So let me just ask this a stupid handicapping question because we

want to educate people here, right?

There's no stupid questions, just stupid people.

So there you go. The nothing better, obviously

with a with a solid speed rating.

And same same thing with the with Arzak, pretty solid speed

ratings last time out. It's a pretty large like if

you're one of these beginning betters and you're looking at

speed ratings, it's a pretty big drop to outlaw country.

So how how would someone handicap to get to the point of

getting to where outlaw country is?

To me, it overcome the speed rating thing because it usually

hits something. This is where I think this is,

by the way, this is a compliment to Louis because I think this is

one of the places where he finds the horses that maybe don't have

the speed rings that always jump up and have a big showing.

I always love a horse for course.

In other words, a horse that's good at a very specific track,

right? So this is a horse that has

never missed the board in five runs at Monmouth, has only

missed the board once at the distance.

But I also look for the times, and if this is a horse that's

running a time that's at least similar and in a Sprint, you got

a really nitpick about how close they are.

That's essentially what I'm looking for.

And then of course, if I do think in this era right now

where we don't have luxury plane travel for horses, a horse being

at a place and not having to travel does matter to me.

And so it's not, it's not something that horses can't

overcome, but I do think it matters.

I think, for example, like in the Indiana Derby, Dragoon

Guard, just having to take a bus up from Louisville was way

different than having to fly in from California.

I think that's way different. And I think it does affect the

horses. So I think a local like that, I,

I think it's really valuable and I think A1O2 and change if that

time can win the race, then I, I look at them more seriously,

John. And I'll say also nothing better

doesn't have as much of a local edge as as outlaw Country, but

he is still locally based. He's based at Colts Neck

Stables. That's where the CNS in his

workout lines comes from. And and that's only a few miles

away from Monmouth Park. So he's only a a short van van

right away as well. Yeah, nothing better.

By the way, 4 for 9:00 at mom, the tons of experience there.

Nine for 23 on the turf in general.

I mean this is this is a fun field like you mentioned listed

stakes but really feels like a grade 3 minus or even a grade 3

all. Right.

We're going to move on to the race 10 now, which is the Grade

3 Monmouth Cup, a mile and an eighth on the dirt for

three-year olds, $400,000 purse. Louis, we're going to see.

We're going. To yeah, type of trice man.

Return of type of trice, Yeah, how about that?

We're going to see the return of tab of trice.

Good spot, by the way. I think this is kind of the

perfect level to bring him back if they're going to try him as a

four year old. And then we're going to.

See, I wonder if Jon agrees with that.

By the way, do you think this is kind of the right spot for him

if he's going to try, you know, to get his feedback on him as a

four year old? First of all, I had a big

Mandela effect with this because I could have sworn Tapping

Choice had run prior to this. And I looked at in fashion

performances and, and I saw his name and I was like, he really

hasn't run since last year's Trout really.

Because it's it's felt like really the past three months

it's been like, oh, Tapping Choice is close, he's close,

he's coming back and now he is finally back.

We do think it's a pretty soft spot to make his comeback.

And I don't think anybody outside of favorite Highland

Falls is that dangerous. It's just as a rule, I don't

like betting horses at low odds off that big a layoff unless

you're just that much the best. And I don't think he's that much

the best. So I'm willing to fade him, and

if he beats me out of a pick four, pick 5, so be it.

Highland Falls, of course, started off winning well, he

just recently won the blame at Churchill Dams, the Great three

blame, but won three of his first four races, had a little

bit of a, a, you know, time where he came in second.

He's hit the board every time except for one time.

So Highland Falls the deserving favorite here.

Just the fact that those two. Horses are in there.

And I remember we talked to Brad last, you know, when he went to

the Santa Anita Handicap. Yep, We said whoa.

And he went, no, no, he's ready. And he went.

He ran. He was winning in three lengths

in that race. I mean, he loses out there, but

you know, he runs second in that Oklahoma Handicap this year,

right behind Skippy Longstopping and ahead of Red Route, Red

Route one. So he's in that class, whatever

that group is of older dirt males that are in that grade

two, grade 3 traditional sort of ilk.

He's one of the better ones of that.

I've got him on top here. I think my if you want a

different of course to watch for here, I think Stage Raider, who

was OK in the Salvatore Mile is second off a very long layoff

here. That horse ran in December that

didn't run again till June for the Cherie de Beau barn under

Sammy Camacho. Jose Ortiz in town for the the

ride on this one did not. He won once last year.

I get it. I don't think he's he's going to

be a winner in this race, but I think stage Raider is the horse

that if you wanted to have an interesting exacta, maybe you go

three one in this race. I agree with John at this point

with Tappa Trice I'll I'll let him beat me as well.

I might, I might throw him in tickets but boy I feel way

better about Highland Falls. John.

Yeah, I mean, I think Highland Falls is is pretty clear one to

beat. Love the way he won the blame,

love how lightly raced he is, love how he keeps rounding and I

think his best, and I do think his best is yet to come.

Two more points about this race. One is 1 is that my dad is going

to be there on Saturday and I'm sure he's.

Dead do I get to Mr. Piaz? I'll let him know who you are

and I'll make sure he keeps confined to high and.

He doesn't follow your career then?

Yeah, he has no idea who I am. I agree because this way it used

to be called the Meadowlands Cup back when it was it was at the

Meadowlands. And I'm sure he'll make some

comment about how, you know, back in the day I was there when

I saw spectacular bid and Allie Sheba win this race and broad

brush and now like Highland Falls, like what's going on

here. So he'll play in the old man

mode. So over the course of the day.

And the other point is there's one, of course, who I I kind of

like who hadn't gotten brought up yet.

And and and that's number four countries spy coming in from

parks. Paco Lopez is up.

You know, he looks like a main speed in here.

And when he gets the front end, he's pretty dangerous in his

last three stars where he's had the lead at the first point of

call, he's held on to win every time.

And yes, they were in allowances, but the the the

upper level allowance forces at parks, I'm pretty good.

I mean, his great team started back and open allowance.

He beat a lot of hoes in there who would not be out of place in

any listed stakes in the Mid-Atlantic area.

He beat that field by a neck away a length, rather ran a very

solid risk. A figure of 98 ran in the triple

digits three times over the winter and spring, all them with

gate to wire trips. Parker wrote him two starts

back. So he knows how to ride the

horse. He knows what's up if he gets to

the front and gets an easy enough trip.

Especially because you know whose players are so paranoid

about big days being speed flavouring.

It was a speed flavouring track. Could be gone.

There you go. One of Louis favorite races of

the year. He loves turf route races, the

mall and 3/8 turf on the grade two United Nations.

This field is just so balanced. Five horses coming in this, five

of the 12 coming off a stakes win and then you throw in there

far Bridge, who came in 3rd and a grade one.

I mean this is a spread race of all spread races.

They're going to be packed together coming down the

stretch. I mean this.

I get to see a fun United Nations in person.

It's going to be a really fun. This is what I'm talking about.

Let's go. Go ahead, Lou.

What do you like here, John? We've got.

Clay of the day get smoking the three Fernando de la Cruz in

town to ride. He followed this horse up to

Woodbine ran on the on the the Kitty litter as Dannis would

call it last time in the eclipse in the grade two up there at

Woodbine was First off the layoff comes in second off wins

last year at Kentucky Downs almost picked off the Kentucky

Chucky downs preview before that at Ellis Park ran in the wise

dance second the Arlington second.

I think the added distance is what this horse is going to

want. Give me get smokin on top of the

three horse here. I think we'll get a massive

price on him. Farbridge is in here.

Farbridge is very good. Let's go.

I mean very clear about that. Farbridge is city of the 12

excellent horse. I'm really looking forward to

seeing him run as well. I thought ran a really good race

in the Manhattan just didn't get there at the end. 18 to one in

that race will get nowhere near that number at Monmouth on

Saturday. I went inside then to the two

Emmanuel 12:50 on the morning line here was not great.

The Arlington last out was not great in the Maker's Mark before

that, but was very good in the Canadian turf at Gulfstream

Park. I'm wondering if warmer temps in

a drier course are going to be better for this horse.

I also right now, by the way, I've reached this point, Mike,

with my handicapping. Are you ready for a ridiculous

statement, Tommy? You know, like after a horse

runs in Kentucky Downs, you can't really hold it against or

for them. Sure.

That's where I am on the Churchill Downs Turf course

right now. OK, 'cause you just don't.

Know I don't know how they're if it like some horses like it and

some don't and so like webslinger loves it like good

for him and because there's a lot of money here and there's

races that he can win and I, I, I think that's a positive for

him By the way off the board hasn't won this year only one

win the last two years Major chance here Tawny Port I think

has a major, major shot here. The 9 horse Flavian Pratt's

going to give this horse a chance to win.

Christophe Clamal's sneaky Goodyear so far.

Like a sneaky sneaky Goodyear. 21% kind.

Of like in Fort. Washington a little bit, dude, I

if you if you told me any of these horses, I'd be like, yeah,

yeah, that's why this is better than a grade 2 that I just I I

totally disagree with the greatest stakes.

You think this? Is a grade one.

This field's grade one for sure, especially with this division.

Yeah. So this division for sure.

Go ahead, John. I'm sorry.

All worked up. No, no, no, I mean as you said,

the UN is a great race. I have many fond memories of

watching it, especially back in 2009 when Precious Passion

opened up 2025 lengths on the field and has kept on going and

held on to win in Gateway style. And Gatsmokin could follow that

tradition. I I I like him pull out here

also. I think it's down to him and far

bridge, the wonderful morning line mate.

Good Brad Thomas has has made get smoking 12 to one on the

morning line. I think if you get 12 to one a

you ought to rent AU haul and I'll let you hold all the money

that you should go bet on him and two.

I know Mike said this looks like a spread race, but in but in

bets like the pick four and the pick five where you really make

money going against the public. I think that that if you like a

horse, like get smoking that much, who's going to be a good

price, you could make a case for singling him and try to knock

out a bunch of tickets. Because everybody is is going to

be using the same four horses who are going to go off at about

4:00 to 1:00 or 5:00 to 1:00 or 6:00 to 1:00.

So if any of them win, you're not knocking out that many

tickets. Right.

It was like get smoking wins, that'll knock out a lot of

tickets and it'll set you up pretty nicely with a good price

single going into the last leg, which is of course the hassle.

We got Johnny VP always talking about taking a stand in his

multi race sequences. You got to take a.

Stand back a horse and get paid as Danny Brewer and That's right

have. A.

More better bunch, you understand me?

Have a hunch? Better.

Punch, I mean, and those you know when we talk about.

No, but back a horse, you get paid.

That's what. That's exactly what John's

talking about. Yes.

I mean, that's exactly what John's talking about by the way,

that he's totally right. If you back get smoking even in

like a pick three or a double or something, you're going to get

paid right. I mean, that's the kind of horse

that if you take out eleven other possible scenarios where

this horse is going to get less than 8% of the action, the guy

who? Gets paid, you got to take the

heat and you know, you got to think also he goes gate to wire

more than eight times out of 100.

No, I mean, the only one who could really challenge him on

the lead is so high who made some waves last year when he

almost wired Joe Hosh at like 80 quadrillion to one.

But if get smoking out out outruns him early, he could be

the one who opens up that big loose lead and just keeps going.

You know, and I and as I said, said that happens more than

eight times out of 100. Yeah, All right.

Well, there you go. Get smoking, lose pick.

John's going to go with the chalk on far bridge on the far

outside. I'm listening.

He's not. They've got those LSU silks.

We're not doing that. Got it.

Starting over. By the way, the 11 Sammy Camacho

gets the ride. Won the Mac deer model last out

six to one for Mike Maker. Don't know what that horse is

going to do. That's when I don't know.

Yeah. Hard to predict the maker horses

sometimes. OK, now we're on to the Haskell.

We can say Yaskel or no school. Or I like.

What was the first one? Yaskel.

Yaskel. I like Yaskel.

How about has been for a no. Well, no, because I don't know

if you have any has bins, are you?

I mean, unless you're putting Timberlake in that.

I'm just trying to be mean, OK. Oh, OK.

You want to do something not as mean because we don't have to be

mean. Let's not be that mean, OK?

Don't mean this. OK, Yeah, let's do.

It's Jersey. No Yaskel, no school which when

we always. Isn't it funny, by the way, we

should discuss this in front of John, that you look like New

Jersey and you're not going? He doesn't look a lot like you

do. He does.

He does. And the tan, too.

Yeah, No, he looks like New Jersey.

I look like this. I I don't look like New Jersey.

They're gonna know I'm not from there.

Yeah. They'll be like, they'll be

like, oh, Gandolfo. I know like 40 Gandolfo.

Yeah, like Rabo. Precisely what's gonna happen to

Rabo? You're.

Totally right about that. Oh man.

All right, we'll, we'll go through the field real quick.

First off, John, do you think we're gonna get to see A8 horse

field or a six horse field or A7 horse field?

It'll be seven. I'm almost certain because there

is almost zero. I mean, like Michael Poley can

say whatever he wants. I don't think that there's a way

in the wall that he can't resist running one of his horses in the

gym Danny necessarily. So based on everything I've

heard, I I handicapped this very on the assumption of fierceness

was going to scratch and mind frame was going to run and.

He'll run. You know, since it is British

Open week, I have to pull a quote I once heard from Jack

Nicholas. And he was talking about how

going into a golf tournament, any time you heard a golfer make

an excuse, he would scratch him off his list of possible

winners. His line.

Because his thinking was if you're making an excuse before

it even starts, you're not going to win.

So if Danny Gargan is whining about post one three days in

advance on a horse who has run well from inside pose in the

past, and really his murky win for the Belmont came on a rail

by his track that says he's not that confident and he's trying

to make an excuse in advance. So I'm very suspicious of doing

it. So OK, we'll start there then.

Door knock A a Yaskel or no school.

Naskel for me. Not school he went.

Not school, all right. Yaskel for me, for sure.

Danny Gargan's a liar, how about that?

I'm getting no I, no, I, I think that was taken completely out of

context. I think he's totally fine

because this horse is going to need the lead anyway.

This isn't the Kentucky Derby. There aren't fifty horses on the

field. On the track, there are 7.

He'll be fine. I agree with John about

everything he said about the rail and all those things.

Luis Saez will try to get the lead.

If he holds the lead, he wins the race.

That's it. Pretty simple.

I mean, he's definitely one of the top three horses.

So from that sense you got to go Yasco, but from the idea that I

don't think any of these three-year olds are capable of

winning back-to-back races, major races, so.

I don't think that's a silly take at all.

I think there's a no, I don't think that's a silly take at

all. He's not, he would not be my

pick, but I'm not going to be shocked if he wins.

So Jasper's pride coming in off the allowance optional claiming

race where he finished third got to be in no school for me, John.

You know, a good friend of mine has a cat named Jazz Boo, so I

could pull through him in in that sense.

And also because he's a Jersey bread, I drew him too.

But you know, he's never gone beyond six furlongs.

He's never been, he's never run a prisoner figure higher than

88. Actually, I think he'd be at

least a exotics contender in in the Tuesday short stakes on

Friday, featuring a top Tuesday printer in Buncombe Dano.

So he could have been there, but he's not.

He's here and he'll and if he loses by less than 30 lengths,

it'll be a a miracle. So there you go all.

Right that that sounds like a miracle to me.

Here's what I would say about Jasper's pride.

Is everyone ready for this? Let me know.

So the Iowa Derby happens right after the Indiana Derby, and

everyone's at on just a touch. Everyone's looking at Dymatic,

everyone's looking at Northern Flame, perhaps Preakness alum

Mugatu, maybe they're looking at these kinds of horses.

But do you know who won that race?

A bum. His name is Henro.

That's his name. Henro had never gone a route,

had only been sprinting, and Rafa Beharano showed up and

wiped up that booty, you understand?

He spanked everybody around. And now we got Jasper's pride in

the Haskell. You understand me?

And you know how he's going to run dead last, that's how.

No skull for me. How about that?

You know, let's just say just take it back here on that

anytime someone on Derby week brings up some crazy long shot

and goes, hey, you know, a good strike one.

Am I in that boot one? Why not him?

I think. I think any time somebody does

that and an Angel loses their wings.

The other thing, by the way, I watched Henrow's line go down,

He went off at like 9 to two, never having routed.

Brad Cox has got a horse in the race.

Like all this stuff. If if Jasper's what?

What's the name of this horse again?

Jasper. 'S pride if that horse gets down

to like 8 to one he's winning I'm just telling people someone

will know something's going on in New Jersey that you know

someone who looks like Mike is pulling the strings yes well I'm

just saying like if he gets down 8 to one Jasper's pride by a

pole how about. That all right, Tuscan sky is

the three Tuscan sky with the with the win of the Pegasus

after a A2 month layoff. You know, it's won three out of

four races and I think a lot of people thought this horse was

super talented and then just did not have a good race in the Wood

Memorial. This is one of those like 3 year

olds that I could see kind of rebounding, have a a pretty good

second-half. I've got to go, Yaskel.

He's a definite yeah for me and I.

And part of it is just is Javier Castellano, the guy the last

couple years even just continues big race day.

Javier Castellano shows up. He's he's going to be part of

it. He looks so comfortable in that

Pegasus domestic product that came back and won his next race,

right? Wins, wins on closing weekend at

Aqueduct. Look, resilience ain't walking

through that door. I, I just, I, I think Tuscan's

guy's got a legit shot this week.

I've got him third of my handicapping jump.

I am firmly a NASCAR on Tuscan's guy.

Show us. Well, the reason why is because

that Pegasus was such a weirdly run race and we'll talk about

this more with C Streak, but it was a sixth horse field and five

of them were stacked across the track pretty much the entire

race. Like the first half mile 5/8, it

was 5 across and and Tuscan Sky was on the inside of that five.

So he saved more ground then virtually everybody else in the

field. Now go look at that two ways.

One is he got a lot of pace, pressure and and and still hold

on. And and yes, that's true, but

it's also very unlikely that he'll be in a spot where he'll

be where he'll have such a ground saving advantage compared

to his rivals. I mean, and he beat almost

nothing at Aqueduct. He beat almost nothing in his

allowance win, had fairgrounds that would win really left the

cold. As I said, I thought he had a

really great set up in the Pegasus.

He'll get over Batch. I'm fading him.

OK, the horse I'm going to fade is is Timberlake.

I'm I will go Nazca on Timberlake so.

I don't know what to do with him.

All the all the banter around Derby time was that they wanted

to cut him back in distance. He's a one turn Miller, but he

has also won the Rebel, right, like what do we do with this

horse? He beat northern flame, all that

stuff. I just he's an every other type,

by the way, too. He is, and this is the every

other God. It's just been a little bit

though. Can we say this out loud?

Brad Cox outside of chasing freedom, not a great three-year

old here until Drew goon guard. I mean like it like and that's a

great three. Might be a might be a monster.

I mean, might be, but I just, I'm a no.

I'm just a no. And this is where Johnny P says

yes. I do say yes, because everybody

thought, you know, people tend to have very short memories when

it comes to horses on a Derby trail because going into the

Arkansas Derby, Timberlake is being talked about as one of, if

not the Derby favorite. I mean, he won the Rebel.

That was the favor of the Arkansas Derby, Yeah.

So impressively he he won by two lines ran back-to-back triple

digit prisoner figures. The cap is 2 year old season

went off as the the 11th and 10th favorite in the Arkansas

Derby. When I thought OK race.

I mean he got involved in in a pretty serious early pace battle

held on OK until late. He was given some time off.

He's worked pretty well at Social Downs.

There were many easier spots. The Brad Cox could have dropped

him in. He could have dropped him in

Iowa, he could have dropped him in Indiana, but he did.

He put him in here. I that gives me good amount of

confidence. Bilibian Pratt is second round.

Keep them out. He wrote them in the OSAW Derby

as well. I think he'll get overlooked and

and could go off at a pretty good number.

All right, damn it, you talked me into him.

Fierceness. We'll scratch out the six.

Just step on it. Coming out of optional claiming

company at parks. John, what say you about just

step on it? Well I know my friend Jessica

Paquette I'm sure is is going to be cheering for him as he is

post based so I will chew for him on behalf what if she do?

You think she'll be there for the hassle.

I'll have to ask who I know she usually goes home on the

weekends. So I'm 100%, but I will have to

ask you about that because I know.

And in fact, punk only has one more week left and and then he

take a little summer vacation and, and, and, and then off to

late August. So see, I mean, just step on and

he's not totally hopeless, not as hopeless as just as pride.

He did take a big step forward. Second off a layoff last time

out at post, he got hounded on the hounded on the pace

throughout, kicked away, won by almost two lengths.

Ran a decent business figure of 91.

Knocked 2 foot off from his career best of 94.

If everything breaks totally right, he could spoil a trifecta

or superfecta at a big price. But as a wing contender, a firm

NASCAR all. Right.

This gets us into my frame and I love this horse it would be

really hard for me though to bet this horse at 9:00 to 5:00.

You know, I'm he's a Yaskel for me.

I think he's he's my, he would be my pick to win.

I. Is he a Rascal?

Though is he a Rascal? He probably is a Rascal.

Probably is a Rascal. Yeah, well.

Pletcher, Barna. I just can't imagine like taking

a horse who's not proving anything in six company like

were 1-6. I mean, he's proven something.

He came in second to Belmont, right?

And like you said, if it's his fourth race, he probably wins

it. He needs this feather in his cap

for sure. I would like to see a horse

who's nine to five already had that feather in the cap.

OK, Fair enough. Yeah.

I think in this three-year old class, that's kind of.

Not the way it is. Yeah.

It's not what it is. Yeah, right.

So Yaskell, I agree, Yaskell, kind of a no doubter frankly.

Yaskell, third time routing doesn't have to go that full

mile and a quarter like he did in the Belmont this time out.

So I think he'll do what he did in the Belmont, stay very close

to the pace again, like that kind of caught us off guard a

little bit that he didn't go for the lead in the Belmont.

But yeah, I expect him, John, to absolutely be part of the

trifecta equation at the end of this race.

I mean, to me, big question of the Haskell is not will mind

frame win, it's how much has mind frame matured since the

Belmont? Because if he had kept a

straight path in the Belmont, he wins by 5.

Like at the top of the stretch, he looked like he was going to

absolutely eat the field for lunch.

He was in a perfect striking spot, making a big move, but he

could not stay straight and he lost by less than a length.

Now he's coming back here. He's going pretty well.

He's had three good workouts at Saratoga, including a bullet

drill. Still no blinkers on him.

Obviously, as we've seen, he has a ton of upside, A kind of

potential, and had he been able to stay straight in the Belmont,

we'd be licking our lips at the possibility of getting 9:00 to

5:00 on him. He would have been 3:00 to 5:00

or 1:00 to 2:00, and we'd be happy with that because we'd

acknowledge that he was much the best in the field.

So if he does what he says he's supposed to do and keeps a

straight course right off the pace, draw off on the tone, win

as much much the best and I think he will take his place at

least. I mean, I mean, I don't know.

It'd be easy yet, but in the mind of most racing fans, he'll

ascend to the status of top three old male in the country.

And it would be probably the first time since Devil's Bag

back in the mid 80s out of Maryland.

Dread was was a clear cut top three old male in the country

maybe. Definitely it was a three.

Year old, right? Yeah, yeah, right, 'cause we had

Nick. 'S.

Yeah, yeah, I this is what what John just described as the

scenario I'm rooting for, where mind frame gets back to what we

saw at Churchill or what we saw at Gulfstream Park his first

time out. And he wins by a poll because

then it makes the three-year old season more interesting because

the only horse in this field that we would feel like, oh

crap, it knocked him off of that top five type of purse would be

door knock, right? And that would be it though.

And so otherwise he's not really stepping on.

I don't know any of the other horses.

Pierson saying here, Sierra Leone ain't here, Mystic Dan

ain't here. Cesar Gray isn't here.

You know the two. You know the the Ford invaders

in city of Troy and and Furby Young, thank you, aren't here.

I should have taken TO password, shouldn't I?

Password. But yeah, so no, he's not

stepping on anyone's claim to the best 3 year old male.

So yes, I'm hoping he wins by them.

All right, So we're going to go on to C streak.

This is the Hasna for for me. I'm a Hasna as well, but I'm

going to let John talk about this horse.

He's he's much more interested in this horse.

He before, by the way, the Pegasus, he's like he's got a

chance. He's got a chance, he's got a

chance. And so he did win that Long

Branch. John, what do you think of him

now? I mean C streak, first of all,

he he's not just Chosie bred, he's Chosie styled.

He's by Sea Wizard, who very lightly raced horse started

standing in Jersey about 3-4 years ago and has gotten off to

a fantastic start at start. I mean he's quickly become one

of the up and coming stallions in the Mid-Atlantic region and

would be pretty neat if a Jersey bred homebred who again is

Jersey. Syed did well in the Haskell.

I mean, he, he's kind of chuckling on the side in, in, in

that he doesn't always turn his best.

When he does, he's really impressive.

He won the Long Branch two starts back, as you said, on May

11th and did so in a pretty electrifying manner.

He he he came from off the pace, made a nice move up the back

stretch and and won by 7 lengths going away and owned a huge

business figure of 96, which put him right in the mix with at the

time other top three-year olds went off as the favorite in the

Pegasus over domestic product and Tuscan sky.

And he got the worst of that weird pace out.

He got caught 5 wide on the first turn, high low.

Then Don couldn't pull him back and and himself off the pace.

So he's in the five path most of the way.

He still hung in the until the top of the stretch when as any

mortal would do, he was done in by his trip and and losing about

12 lengths. To me that's a toss.

It's very unlikely that he'll get caught 5 wide again.

I don't know if his peak is good enough to beat mind frame.

I think his peak might be good enough to beat anybody else.

And I think 20 to one on the morning line.

He wins this race I think more than five times out of 100.

And certainly if you cut that in half as far as place goes, he

certainly comes in second more than 10 times out of 100 it.

Was very loud on the exotics. I think so.

I actually don't hate that. Take it all.

Yeah, why you? There you go.

All right. All right, John, well, tell

people what you're doing these days.

I think a lot of people who follow this show know you from

the Preakness Rd. shows and from your time with the Maryland

Thoroughbred breeders. But what are you doing now, man?

Yes, I still love Maryland Pres very deeply, and I will be my #1

fan on Saturday, both at the windows and in my heart.

But I did leave the MHBA back in April.

I currently work at Yonkers Raceway, helping keep the world

safe for hunters racing in the racing office.

I am one of the filling track announcers and so you can recall

the races only two or three times a month.

In fact, I'll be calling the races there this coming Tuesday.

So if you have nothing else to do on Tuesday night, you can

check me out. And I'm I'm I'm still doing

Maryland racing analysis every day on theracingbiz.com, so

check them out. A good resource for all things

Mid-Atlantic racing. I am there on every Maryland

race day and I'm still on Twitter at throw off with all my

thoughts on Maryland racing, Mid-Atlantic racing, and various

nonsense. There it is, the beautiful hair

we love. To the various nonsense.

Don, I want to be clear that I'm always checking you out with

that hair, baby. You know what, I'll have to ask

folks at Yonkers if they could set up like a little announcing

booth camera. That way people can't admire the

hair. Like while I'm calling the race

I. Agree this should be a split

screen. Who needs to see the horses?

I mean, especially don't have. A fan blowing so that your hair.

Is like. Blowing in the wind.

I love it. Someone, someone with a big

banana leaf just standing off to the side.

Yeah. Let's get, you know, let's get

Illman to hold the banana leaf. What do you think?

Should have, like, some very well Illman banana leaf.

Why not? Let's do it.

Yeah. I love you, go for it.

Yeah, right. Illman helps someone else.

I'm up. That's right.

I'm getting Dan. All right.

Well, thank you, John. We'll talk to you soon.

We've got, we've gone. Long, always a pleasure guys out

in here. We're just gonna do the whole

thing now. Was there someone else to do?

No, I wanted to talk about a horse.

I look at Ellis Park on Sunday. What Who's the horse that you

like at Ellis Park? On the Foley trainee in the in

the stakes, Champlain, the five. OK, that's it.

That's all I got. That's Race 8 on Sunday at Ellis

Park. The Beto Champlain on Ellis.

I think you're gonna get like 5:00 to 1:00 on that horse.

And he, he reminds me a lot of the beginnings of Bango.

Not that level, but this is a Greg Foley class.

Go Bango. Yeah #5 on Sunday and the race

in. Ellis All right, Remember to

tune in on Saturday, 11 o'clock 11:00 AM.

We're gonna be back. Hopefully.

We might be on Twitter. I don't know.

We'll let. Zach, I'll have to pay for that.

We. Got Zach looking at that.

That one. Yeah, we'll be back.

Louis and Sean Collins will be. Blood horse dot.

Com at at Monmouth and I'll be in the studio at at at RE

solutions, and so we'll be we'll be doing the thing and hopefully

helping you have lots of winners on Saturday all right thanks for

tuning in. This has been the horse racing

happy hour. We're paying the tab.

We're getting out of here. Talk to you later.