Here's a real shocker!
 

Bobby Frankel has scratched Saint Anddan from todays Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs.

The lesser of the two Asmussen entrants is also out...making it a field of five.

Frankel probably crapped his pants when he saw the numbers Fabulous Strike had been running on the sheets (and everyone elses figures) --- though, you can't always be sure of that...as no one is more scratch happy than he is.

Couldn't possibly be the unfair weight assignments could it?

Frankel probably knows Fabulous Strike pretty well.

Most likely he didn't want to run Anddan against strike today.

How's the weight assignment "unfair" ?

You do realize that this race isn't a handicap...and Frankel knew exactly how much weight he'd be carrying when he entered the horse.

Frankel also is a rabid sheet figure user...and has a history of scratching in situations like this.

I'm not saying Fabulous Strike is a mortal lock either---as he had smoke and mirror trips in those races, over what can be a peculiar surface. Although, the figures are stone cold accurate---and he and Greg's Gold are almost certain to run 1-2...with him being the more likely winner.

Here's a link to the nominations.

The only way Frankel didn't know he'd carrying that weight...is if he doesn't know how to read.

http://www.churchilldowns.com/racing...stidesnoms.pdf

I do realize it's tremendously unfair that he had to give between 2-to-4 pounds at the distance of six furlongs--in a Grade 3 stake--off of a Grade 2 win last time out.

I think the weight comment was a joke.

The contest seems to have you unusually on edge today.

No.

The guy who said it was the weight was the same (and I think only) poster who tweaked out on me for mentioning how fast his figures have been.

You could be right but considering Frankel's history of bitching about inane weight assignments it appears to be a joke to me.

Either way....who cares. I am much more annoyed that I didn't follow up on Garifine.

I read it as a joke, too. We all know Frankel is the poster boy for scratching due to weight.

--Dunbar

He typically doesn't scratch because of weight---he'll just skip a handicap race and not enter if he feels he was given an unfair weight assignment.

Or, in some cases (Wild Spirit) he will run, and get beat a nose, and whine about it....though I believe that was more Jerry Bailey than Frankel....who, in one of his all-time greatest moments....personally blamed the racing sec. for him losing the race in a televised interview as well.

After that classic "I was on the best horse...but racing secretary Mike Lakow just got us beat today" quote -- as perhaps fallout...Jerry Bailey was fined a few days later for whipping one of his mounts about ten yards after the wire.

He's such a good sport that Jerry Bailey.

mike lakow is the biggest jerk you could ever meet in your life and he was fired, hope he is eating dirt somewhere...but i heard he got a job with some farm

I've not only met him, he's a friend of mine, and I couldn't possibly disagree more with you.

Nice country America.

A friend of mine as well. Good guy. He is doing well at Hill n Dale Farm. Dont think dirt has been on his menu lately.

That depends, did anybody tell Frankel beforehand that the horse would be required to carry a jockey? I mean if they just sprung it on him, I could understand why he'd find that unfair against Fabulous Strike.

Seriously though if Hard Spun can carry Larry Jones around a track without fracturing something, a horse can carry 120-124 just fine. Unless they're made of glass, which apparently Bobby finds is frequently the case in his barn.

While perhaps something happened to the horse, considering Frankel's personal pps, he probably scratched because he knew he couldn't beat Fabulous Strike. When you have a horse as special as Saint Andann you don't want to risk a defeat to spoil his pristine record.

It's gotten to the point where even Michael Dickinson was recently heard saying " Geez, that guy scratches an awful lot. "

I remember that race and comment well, and perhaps King Jerry needed to look in the mirror for that loss. He was so overconfident on Wild Spirit, he decided to track 3-4 lengths behind an absolutely glacial pace (literally 20 lengths slow of par) and when he finally decided to move Santos' bomb (Jerkens trainee I think?) had enough left to hold her off. The resulting pick 3 payoffs were ridiculous, with a 3/5 Bailey and a 17/1 Velazquez bomb in the finale it paid something like $3-4k.

Lighten up a little guys!!

Frankel has been notorious for scratching horses and complaining of the weight assignments.... obviously this was not a handicap, but didn't stop Big Bob from scratching...

When Frankel saw Fabulous Strike was about 8 lengths faster on his beloved sheets...was the moment he decided to scratch.

when he was racing secretary in ny he was a real nice guy if your last name was pletcher, but if you were a worker, groom ,hotwalker etc...he was your worst enemy. if a worker got hurt he would do everything he could to be sure the worker couldnt collect workers comp, and went so far as to ban a worker from the grounds for getting hurt,,,real nice guy

Those are pretty serious allegations.....I'm just curious how a racing secretary could be responsible for the claims you make. I would also love some proof or real life examples. Surely you wouldn't make these claims without any.

it was me, thats how and its a fact that the dirty lowdown beasterd made me leave the track the day i was hurt after an ambulance took me to the hospital, then with my arm shatttered and still in a spling the trainer claimed that i wasnt hurt by a horse but some other way,and he took the side of the trainer but after 8 months of litegation and with 30 witneeses that saw me get kicked i ended up getting a petty little settlement. he is as low as human being can be because he knew for a fact that the horse kicked me and his report was that i had been injured some other way, i have a huge scar on my arm in the exact shape of the frog of the horses hoof. the amount of money i finally received was less than a months pay. when ever anyone is hurt the track tries to keep the injured worker from getting benefits because it raises the rates for insurance for the trainers, and it is a common practice, no matter the circumstance the trainer fights it and the track backs them up.

So, it was you against Mike Lakow? I'm surprised to hear that. I hadn't realized he was that powerful and that Racing Secretaries represent racetracks in injury cases. The story doesn't add up to me but I wasn't at the hearings.

I am genuinely sorry to hear about your injury.

Frankel does it again today at BEL with heavy favorite Down in the third..

I fault NYRA for carding a six horse field that includes Frankel. The guy is ridiculous. Why did he enter Down in a six furlong race in the first place?

He would have been 1/5 in this spot. what the hell is his problem???

The problem is Frankel was probably scared of a six horse field that was relatively devoid of speed....though with three first timers and the Peitz horse having early speed I'm not sure why he cared.

Once again.....you wouldn't want to risk Down's pristine record.

He might have a valid excuse for this one. Might need more time to recover from jet lag. :rolleyes:

You should have a beef with the trainers insurance company. I can assure you that the tracks have very little interest in our workmans compensation rates.

Just so I'm thinking of the right filly without the PP's in front of me, she finished 2nd in the stake in CA as a maiden last year, correct?

Third in the Hollywood Starlet.

no it was me verses the trainer, but i had to meet with mike lakow because at 1st the trainer claimed that he didnt know who i was, but then i showed lakow a check stub from the trainer, then the trainer claimed that he fired me the day before the accident, and as far as racing goes the racing secretary is the most powerful person at the race track. he started yelling at me telling me that i was just trying to get some money, keep in mind im setting there with my arm in a sling, i said do you want me to take the bandage off and show you? it was all about 1 thing, they dont want anyone to get workers comp benefits no matter what and EVERY workers comp claim filed in ny gets fought.