New Pimlico Analyst

[Left Bank]

Apparently she beat Ryan Fogelsonger, who also applied for the job. I would have thought he would have been a shoe in, since he won so much there. Instead, they went with beauty over the beast. http://www.drf.com/news/pimlico-laur...w-race-analyst

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

Instead, they went with beauty over the beast.

... a terribly presumpteous thing to say.

It's not like she's some bimbo they found at Hooters.

She obviously grew up around racing, writes and has done a little of the on-air thing...

Good for them for giving her a shot. Racing needs this kind of thing.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

Apparently she beat Ryan Fogelsonger, who also applied for the job. I would have thought he would have been a shoe in, since he won so much there. Instead, they went with beauty over the beast. http://www.drf.com/news/pimlico-laur...w-race-analyst

Did you watch their respective tryouts?

I'm guessing not.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

... a terribly presumpteous thing to say.

It's not like she's some bimbo they found at Hooters.

She obviously grew up around racing, writes and has done a little of the on-air thing...

Good for them for giving her a shot. Racing needs this kind of thing.

I am applauded that you reference the fine young ladies at Hooters as Bimbo's. My sister works their and I am offended that you lumped(EXCUSE THE PUN) in as a Bimbette. Feel free to retract your disparaging remarks..From a woman no less

[Calzone Lord]

There was a monumental dead-rail bias at Presque Isle Downs in the second season of racing. It was a habitual thing, day in and day out...and it went on for weeks.

After weeks, the only jockey left in the room who still failed to recognize it was Fogelsonger. He was taking EVERYTHING to the inside, and no one was close to him. It was a joke.

The fields weren't even that big and post position number 1 had lost over a hundred straight races. Mike Luzzi came in to ride a strong favorite in a stakes race who was lone speed from post #1. He had never even rode the track before, and from simply watching a few replays of races earlier on the card... he sent the horse leaving the gate, took him out to the 4path in an instant, and went wire-to-wire.

Luzzi is no rocket scientist... but from simply watching a few replays, he had a better understanding of what was going on than someone who had been riding the track all along.

Fogelsonger didn't even make it through a full meet here.

Forget 22-year-old ... a 12-year-old girl would make a better analyst than he would. He may have won a lot of races riding in the Mid-Atlantic ... but it doesn't take a lot of thinking to do that.

[Cannon Shell]

"her ability to write a blog was significant."

Who couldn't write a blog? (Well maybe the jock)


“I am really excited about the opportunity,” Gaudet said. “Frank is a really good handicapper. One of the things I need to focus on is studying the charts and [Daily Racing Form] Formulator. I am going to enjoy the blogging aspect of the job.

Well there is this...

[Sightseek]

Me and about half of the horse-loving woman I know have that necklace.

[declansharbor]

Somewhere in Hossy Heaven, Hendrix is shaking his head!

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by declansharbor

Somewhere in Hossy Heaven, Hendrix is shaking his head!

Meaning... (?)

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

"her ability to write a blog was significant."

Who couldn't write a blog? (Well maybe the jock)


“I am really excited about the opportunity,” Gaudet said. “Frank is a really good handicapper. One of the things I need to focus on is studying the charts and [Daily Racing Form] Formulator. I am going to enjoy the blogging aspect of the job.

Well there is this...

I don't see how someone who has been given a chance and then presented herself in this light... how this is a negative.

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Me and about half of the horse-loving woman I know have that necklace.

Originally Posted by Cardus

Which is also a terribly presumptuous thing to say.

Why yes. Yes, it is. Point taken.

I know you know what I meant though and won't insult you by explaining myself.

[Calzone Lord]

The analyst formerly known as Katie Mikolay has landed the Keeneland job as well. She has also apparently taken her husbands last name of Gensler.

That is name change #2 for her. Mikolay was a shortened up version of her original last name.

[Left Bank]

I just don't understand why every track can't hire someone like Andy or Calzone Lord. It always has to be another pretty face on the T.V. screen, telling the public "this horse looks so pretty in the paddock". Give me someone who knows how to bet and give great insight into a race any day. Give us a degenerate gambler who is actually going to push money through the window. Send the Pretty faces to TVG and HRTV.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

It always has to be another pretty face on the T.V. screen, telling the public "this horse looks so pretty in the paddock".

As long as they actually know what they're talking about ... they can be great in that limited role...and it's useful info to everyone who isn't at the track and isn't strong in that aspect.

Maggie Wolfendale is very good in that role imo. Maybe the new girl at Pimlico will be as well ... but they are probably doing a wise thing by not letting her make the morning line. Keep her to her strengths.

There are a lot of great horse racing TV analysts.

On top of everything else, Blackthroatedwind is an extremely good tv presence. I hope he isn't too offended by you putting his name next to mine.

Jeff Siegal is incredible at HRTV. Randy Moss is excellent for ESPN. Kurt Hoover for SA and Jon White for HRTV are very good. Brad Free is good. TVG has a few that do a good job and a few others who could be useful if they applied themselves. A few different tracks have useful analysts. Monmouth with Brad Thomas ... I've seen guys here like Pat, Travis, and NTamm all do very good jobs. NTamm is very articulate.

As great as a guy like Jeff Siegal is ... tracks want "image" people in that role. The kind of people they think can get attention with looks and sound cool.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

The analyst formerly known as Katie Mikolay has landed the Keeneland job as well. She has also apparently taken her husbands last name of Gensler.

That is name change #2 for her. Mikolay was a shortened up version of her original last name.

I'll likely be cursed out for this, but Maggie's voice kills me. It is better now, but when she was at CLN they could never get the sound right and it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Katie has a really great voice and is a smooth speaker. She has on occasion swapped the odds for the horses # etc., but I would much rather listen to her than anyone else and she doesn't do that pouty face hair-toss thing that Jessica P. did.

[Left Bank]

Whatever happened to Jessica P? She kinda fell off the planet.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

Whatever happened to Jessica P? She kinda fell off the planet.

Just asked that question today to a few people who know these things. Word on the street is she's a diva and hard to work with, got the boot because of it.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by philcski

Just asked that question today to a few people who know these things. Word on the street is she's a diva and hard to work with, got the boot because of it.

She's just been busy filming Season 2 of the Timmy Thorton Youtube Reality series.

This years 25 episodes should be fun to watch.

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

I'll likely be cursed out for this, but Maggie's voice kills me. It is better now, but when she was at CLN they could never get the sound right and it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Katie has a really great voice and is a smooth speaker. She has on occasion swapped the odds for the horses # etc., but I would much rather listen to her than anyone else and she doesn't do that pouty face hair-toss thing that Jessica P. did.

Disagree on both accounts.
Maggie is great with giving an account on how a horse looks and, how it looks compared to previous starts.
So far at KEE Katie has tripped over her words and has seemed really nervous, while adding nothing to what Mike B has already said.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by VOL JACK

Disagree on both accounts.
Maggie is great with giving an account on how a horse looks and, how it looks compared to previous starts.
So far at KEE Katie has tripped over her words and has seemed really nervous, while adding nothing to what Mike B has already said.

That is the key reason that makes her very helpful in her role. Migliore is very good with this as well.

Even if you can trust that someone is a very good judge at looking at horses in the flesh ... they aren't much help unless they have seen the horse in prior races before and have made, at the very least, a good mental note.

I'm not interested at all in hearing how a horse looks and is behaving before a race ... unless the same person can tell me how the horse has looked and behaved before prior races.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

I don't see how someone who has been given a chance and then presented herself in this light... how this is a negative.

Oh I don't know...maybe I'd prefer to get my handicapping advice from someone who already has experience?

Perhaps she can do a great job in her role but I'd be willing to bet she has never made a serious attempt at betting in her life especially considering that she has only been legal to do it for 2 years. I'd be willing to guess that the 4 candidates have never hit a pick 4 in their lives.

It seems that very few tracks have learned that trying to make their customers better players is more important than somebody shilling out picks regardless of what they look like. Reading between the lines they sound like they were looking for someone to do more than one job and probably willing to work relatively cheap. As Doug said paddock analysis for off track customers (which at Laurel based on the times I've been there recently is virtually all of them) can be important and hopefully with her background she excels there.