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Nashoba's Key injured, euthanized
By STEVE ANDERSEN, Daily Racing Form
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Nashoba’s Key, a finalist for the 2007 Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding older female and turf female, was euthanized on Wednesday after suffering a severe leg injury in her stall on the Hollywood Park backstretch.
Nashoba’s Key, 5, was being prepared by trainer Carla Gaines’s for a routine gallop at 5:30 a.m. when she kicked the side of her outdoor pen, according to a person familiar with the incident.
Nashoba’s Key struck the side of the pen with such force that she suffered a fracture to the tibia of her left hind leg. She was euthanized at the barn.
Bred and owned by Warren Williamson, and trained by Carla Gaines, Nashoba’s Key won 8 of 10 starts and $1,252,090.
Gaines was unavailable for comment, but released a one-paragraph statement late Wednesday morning.
"In a freak accident at 5:30 a.m. this morning at Hollywood Park, Nashoba’s Key kicked the wall of her pen and broke her hind leg," the statement said. "She was euthanized shortly thereafter. She brought a lot of joy to everyone’s lives that were lucky enough to be associated with her and we will all miss her very much."
A California-bred filly by Silver Hawk, Nashoba’s Key developed a following last year because of her outstanding record. Around the barn, she was a filly that merited ample respect because of her temper. Gaines often warned visitors not to venture too close to Nashoba’s Key’s stall to avoid angering the filly.
Nashoba’s Key did not start until early 2007, at the start of her 4-year-old season. She won her first seven starts, including five consecutive stakes. The most noteworthy of those wins were the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park last June and the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting last September.
Nashoba’s Key suffered her first loss in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Monmouth Park last October, finishing fourth behind race-winner Lahudood.
Nashoba’s Key made two starts this year, finishing second in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf in January and winning the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita in March.
After the Santa Margarita, Gaines said she wanted to give Nashoba’s Key a springtime break to have her ready for the major races of the late summer and fall. She had been galloping for a week at the time of the accident.
Coming down either the backstretch or homestretch, I'm not sure which.
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The 1/2 mile track was on the county fairgrounds site in Ravenna, Ohio (built in 1879). Harness racing meets took place outside of the regular autumn fairs. People had lost interest in the fair by 1925, and in 1928, the newly formed Ravenna Jockey Club began spring & fall thoroughbred meets here, and even hosted a feature called the Inaugural Handicap. Race results were reported in newspapers from as far away as Cincinnati, Indiana, and even Canada. After meets ended, the horses would run at Northampton in Akron (later known as Ascot Park, & now an industrial park). In 1932, the fairgrounds buildings burned down. The land was later sold as the "Fairlane Allotment," and converted to residential housing.
SUFFOLK DOWNS - September 4, 2016 - Race 10
ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING - Thoroughbred
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, STARTER, OR STATE BRED OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES, OR CLAIMING PRICE $20,000. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Non-winners of a race since August 4 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $20,000 (Preference Will Be Given To Horses Which Have Not Started For Less Than $10,000).
About Five Furlongs On The Turf Track Record: (Bishop Ridley - 57.20 - July 19, 1987)
Purse: $45,000
Weather:Clear Track:Firm
Off at: 4:56 Start: Good for all
7 - Maggiesfreuddnslip (Cotto, Jr., Pedro)
2 - Kaiser's d'Light (Panell, Dyn)
6 - Laxfield Road (Russell, Sheldon)
Celtic New Year (#4) and Victor Espinoza head down the backstretch enroute to a win in the Del Mar Handicap at Del Mar, CA
Rachel Alexandra cools out after her morning work on the Oklahoma training track at Saratogra Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. Notice the map of veins popping down her shoulders and neck as she spares a glance at the gaggle of photographers following her every movement.
8.2.2010
June 23, 2013: Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars at the start of the IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn Indy 250 race at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. James Hinchcliffe won the race by 1.509 seconds over Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Trainer Michael Hushion's barn at The Spa. This one is located on the Clare Court section on Saratoga's backstretch.
2014 NASCAR NSCS Championship at Homestead Miami Speedway
A duel that would last all race long, perpetual race leader Jeff Gordon (24) battles eventual race winner Kevin Harvick down the backstretch.
Mekong Melody took the shortest trip around the track and kicked clear after finding room in the upper stretch to register an impressive victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Long Island Handicap on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Looking to rebound off a 10th-place finish in the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor at Woodbine on October 16, Mekong Melody was angled over to the inside by jockey Alex Solis and rated under firm hold in third through a half-mile of 51.73.
After falling back to fourth along the backstretch, Mekong Melody continued to wait behind horses on the final turn, found a seam at the top of the lane, and drew away under a drive to prevail by 3 ¾ widening lengths over runner-up Daveron.
“I had a great trip,” said winning jockey Alex Solis. “I saved all the ground and in the stretch, I got lucky. I got a little opening there and when I asked her, she went through and finished very strong.”
Mekong Melody, the 7-2 third choice, returned $9.40 for a $2 win wager to her backers in the crowd of 4,132 and completed the 1 ½-mile journey in 2:30.74.
Owned by David Egan, Mekong Melody has now won four black-type events in her career, including triumphs earlier this year at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on June 18 and the Flaming Page on September 26. Her trainer, Toronto-based Roger Attfield, has won four other stakes on the NYRA circuit in 2010: the Grade 2 New York on June 19 with Lady Shakespeare, the Grade 2 Lake George on July 28 with Perfect Shirl, the De La Rose on August 4 with Miss Keller, and the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational on October 2 with Ave.
Bred in Ireland by her owner, Mekong Melody is 7-5-2 from 21 starts. Including the $90,000 winner’s share of the Long Island purse, the 5-year-old daughter of Cape Cross has earned $521,262 to date.
Tarrip edged Changing Skies, the 3-5 favorite, by a nose for third. Me Love and Sweet and Flawless completed the order of finish.
Whosgoinwhosstayin screams down the backstretch with Bill Kakaley as his pilot on 6/4/09. It was absolutely amazing to watch this colt run, he goes out there and he doesn't mess around. He only knows one gear; fast.
He came back and was coughing a bit, unfortunately he has a very mild case of the flu, he will have a week off and be ready to romp next week!
Here's a fun thing about Phoenix International Raceway. This shows up better on TV than from where I was sitting, but Phoenix has a short cut. See those cars down on the flat part of the track, on this side of the painted line? They're cutting a corner, hoping to pick up position. At some tracks, the painted line is considered "out of bounds," and cars aren't allowed to short cut. At Phoenix, it's okay.
So why does this matter, and why doesn't everybody do it? It's all about power and momentum and inertia, and how a driver prefers these physical forces to interact. You've likely played with this a little yourself as a driver, maybe on country roads or highway on-ramps. There's a lot of space on an on-ramp where you can decide to put your car, and sometimes you can cut off corners in a way that straightens the ramp and lets you build up more speed. It's kind of an obvious thing to some people. Other people are blind to it. But every one of the guys in these cars knows exactly how that works.
The problem is there are trade-offs. In general, if you stick to the high side of the track, close to the wall, you'll have to travel greater distance every lap, but you'll carry more speed. If you stay inside close to the line, the distance is shorter, but the turns are sharper, so you'll have to lay off the accelerator more to keep from spinning out. At Phoenix, you can use this little gap at Turn 2 to cut the distance traveled per lap even more, but doing that's going to put you at a really awkward angle coming into the backstretch, and you're probably going to have to do one of those lightning-fast merges cars often have to do at short tracks. Also, the track's banked in such a way that coming off the flat part involves a hell of a bump. You can see here a bunch of sparks being kicked off by the 19 of Carl Edwards. It would be easy to hit that bump wrong and lose whatever advantage you might have gained.
In the end, I don't think the short cut makes a lot of difference. It mainly provides another passing lane, but anybody who uses it eats up so much momentum that they wind up exactly where they were in relation to cars that don't, and it all comes out in the wash. Were I a NASCAR driver, I suspect I'd prefer to keep the high line and take the speed and momentum into the straightaway, but I figure sometimes you get bored, and the short cut is probably fun.
Found at the Brooklyn Flea, 2/21/09. Description of the image, as printed on the postcard: "Claiborne Farm's Nadir, jockey Bill Hartack up, is shown in the winner's circle after winning the 1957 running of The Garden State, the world's richest race, at Garden State Park, Delaware Township, NJ, last October. In the background, left to right, are R.D. Prewitt's Terra Firma, with jockey Larry Gilligan; Foxcatcher Farms' Rose Trellis, jockey Eric Guerlin; and Wheatley Stable's Misty Flight, jockey Eddie Arcaro." Card is postmarked October 30, 1958, from Camden, NJ. Sent to Mr. Bobby Conklin, Stroudsburg, PA, with the message, "Best regards - Aunt Elizabeth."
The Garden State was an important fall race for juveniles, run at the now defunct New Jersey racetrack Garden State Park and won by such horses as Turn-To, Carry Back, and Secretariat. In 1957, the mile and one-sixteenth race offered a rich purse of $277,150, of which $155,047 went to Nadir, a homebred Nasrullah colt out of the Challenger II mare Gallita trained by Moody Jolley. Nadir was named 2-year-old champion in the year-end Daily Racing Form poll. Described as "big and rakish," the colt was a late-developer more than capable of outrunning his competition, but he was also temperamental and said "to sulk like an unruly child." He raced through 1959, starting 32 times and winning 11 races, including two stakes after the Garden State -- the Select Handicap at Monmouth, June 1958, and the American Derby at Arlington Park, August 1958. Nadir's final race was the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont, May 1959, in which he was sent to post as the 3-2 favorite. Nadir did not finish: "Went lame leaving backstretch" is the note on the race chart. He was retired to stud at Claiborne, where he proved a disappointing sire. His most successful offspring was R. Thomas, a foal of 1961 and the winner of the Westchester and the Vosburgh Handicap. In 1968, Nadir was sent to stud in Japan. He died in 1978.
Jerry Golllnick's 64 Corvette roadster roars past the 65 Sunbeam Tiger of Dale Akuszewski up the hill on the backstretch.
TALLADEGA, AL - MAY 05: Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, drives down the backstretch after being involved in a wreck between turn one and two during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5, 2013 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Either entering the homestretch or the backstretch, I'm not sure which.
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The 1/2 mile track was on the county fairgrounds site in Ravenna, Ohio (built in 1879). Harness racing meets took place outside of the regular autumn fairs. People had lost interest in the fair by 1925, and in 1928, the newly formed Ravenna Jockey Club began spring & fall thoroughbred meets here, and even hosted a feature called the Inaugural Handicap. Race results were reported in newspapers from as far away as Cincinnati, Indiana, and even Canada. After meets ended, the horses would run at Northampton in Akron (later known as Ascot Park, & now an industrial park). In 1932, the fairgrounds buildings burned down. The land was later sold as the "Fairlane Allotment," and converted to residential housing.
Down the backstretch for the first time at speed, they're already pushing 205 mph heading toward turn 3 on lap 1.
SUFFOLK DOWNS - July 8, 2018 - Race 8
ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING - Thoroughbred
FOR FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING, STARTER, STATE BRED, OR RESTRICTED OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES OR CLAIMING PRICE $25,000. Three Year Olds, 120 lbs.; Older, 124 lbs. Non-winners Of A Race At A Mile Or Over Since June 8 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $25,000 (NW1 X) Claiming Price: $25,000
About One Mile On The Turf Track Record: (Our Sun - 1:39.28 - May 31, 2010)
Purse: $50,000
Weather:Clear Track:Firm
Off at: 3:52 Start: Good for all
3 - Lover's Key (Monterrey, Jr., Pedro)
8 - Mini Hero (Piermarini, Tammi)
2 - Zenbennie (Reyes, Luis)
These turbine-powered spaceships hit speeds of close to 200 mph as they blast down the straights in Key West.
SUFFOLK DOWNS - June 14, 2014 - Race 4
CLAIMING - For Thoroughbred Three Year Old and Upward (NW2 6M) Claiming Price: $4,000 Five And One Half Furlongs On The Dirt Track Record: (Sarah's Prospect - 1:04.05 - May 3, 2008) Purse: $9,100
Weather:Showery Track:Muddy(Sealed)
Off at: 2:09 Start: Good for all
2 - Thisonesforruthie (Amiss, David)
6 - Track Magnet (Medina, Jean)
5 - Mr. B. W. (Wales, Gary)
Devil May Care opened up in the stretch to win the 94th running of the Betfair TVG Coaching Club American Oaks Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course for her third career Grade 1 score.
Well-held on the outside by jockey John Velazquez through early fractions of 24.54 and 48.21, Devil May Care advanced turning for home and drew off to cross the wire four lengths in front of Biofuel. Her final time for the 1 1/8th-mile second jewel of the Betfair TVG Triple Tiara was 1:49.42.
“When I let her go, she was there for me,” said Velazquez. “I wanted to have her covered up for a while because she was pulling pretty strong going through the backstretch. Going to the half-mile pole, I wanted her to get into a good rhythm and then a nice cruising speed. At the quarter-pole I took another hold of her because I didn’t want to get into the lead too quickly. But she was just dragging me up to that point. I kept her busy down the lane to keep her mind on her business.”
It was the second consecutive Grade 1 victory for the daughter of Malibu Moon, who captured the Mother Goose at Belmont Park on June 26, her first start since a 10th-place effort against colts in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.
“You can see by the way that she won today why we tried the Derby,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains the filly for Glencrest Farm. “The thing that I think gets lost in the shuffle a little bit is how much there is left in the tank. We tried to do the right thing after the Derby and give her plenty of time to the Mother Goose and she rewarded us with a big effort and did the same today. I’ve felt all along that this filly is the best of her generation and if she continues to run like today, I think she’ll prove it.”