AQUEDUCT

Charlie Caliente: Broke slowly sixth and last, trailed inside by more than seven lengths after a half-mile, advanced to third in stretch, angled out, made up more than 6 ½ lengths and finished a game second beaten 1 ½ lengths at a mile on March 28.

Ommadon’s Frenzy: Raced greenly in seventh more than three lengths behind after a half-mile, lost ground advancing in traffic to sixth into stretch, closed fast when clear to make up more than 4 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a head at six furlongs on Feb. 16. (Raced more than 10 lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile and rallied from fifth in stretch to finish third by a neck at six furlongs on March 9.)

Irish Blast: Bumped at break, steadied, raced seventh early, advanced to third two lengths behind after a half-mile, rallied to make up nearly two lengths in stretch and finished second beaten a head at six furlongs on Feb. 9. (Pressed pace inside in third a head and length back after a half-mile, rallied wide to gain lead in stretch and drew off by 4 ½ lengths at six furlongs on a sealed sloppy surface on March 8.)

GULFSTREAM PARK

Manhasset Indian: Raced more than seven lengths behind in eighth after three-eighths of a mile, eased out in stretch, rallied from sixth to make up more than 5 ¼ lengths and finished second full of run beaten 1 ¼ lengths at five furlongs on the turf March 28.

Sibari Son: Broke from outside post sixth and last, advanced to fourth more than 2 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, boxed in entering turn, pinched back to fifth losing ground, found room along rail entering stretch, rallied to make up nearly 2 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a neck at a mile on March 5.

Pick Six: Broke slowly 11th and last, moved to eighth early, dropped to ninth more than fourth lengths behind after a half-mile, raced four wide around far turn, rallied to third in stretch, made up 2 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a half-length at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 8; fan final 2 ½ furlongs in 30 seconds.

Porticipation: Broke slowly 13th and last, moved to eighth early, dropped to ninth more than six lengths behind after a half-mile, angled out for stretch run, rallied from sixth to make up more than 3 ¾ lengths and gained second by 1 ¾ lengths at a mile on Feb. 8; ran final quarter in 24 1/5.

Lady Byar: Broke slowly, raced fifth early, dropped to sixth and last 8 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, angled out for drive and rallied from fifth in stretch to gain second by 1 ¾ lengths at seven furlongs on Feb. 27; returned $10.80 for place. (Broke alertly, taken back, trailed by 7 ½ lengths after a half-mile, rallied from fifth in stretch and gained third by a half-length at a mile on March 27.)

HAWTHORNE

Open Bar: Raced 10 ½ lengths behind in eighth after a half-mile, swung out seven wide into stretch, closed from fifth to make up 1 ¾ lengths and finished second by a half-length at six furlongs March 22.

Sole of the City: Broke on top, stalked pace early, led by 1 ½ lengths after a half-mile, seized command on turn, increased margin to five lengths in stretch and drew off by 10 ¼ lengths under token right-handed encouragement at six furlongs on March 7; ran final quarter in 23 3/5. (Pressed pace a half-length behind in second after three-eighths of a mile, seized command in stretch and drew off by 1 ¾ lengths under firm handling at 5 ½ furlongs on a sealed sloppy surface on March 22.)

LAUREL PARK

Take a Check: Raced five lengths behind in third after a half-mile, launched rally near five-sixteenths pole, lost ground into stretch, closed steadily to make up 4 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a neck at a mile on March 27.

Archoman: Raced eight lengths behind in seventh after a half-mile, angled out for drive, closed strongly from sixth to make up more than 4 ½ lengths in the stretch and finished second beaten a nose at six furlongs on March 1; ran final quarter in 24 4/5. (Raced three wide more than five lengths behind in fourth after a half-mile, circled field to gain second in stretch and closed fast to win by a neck at seven furlongs on March 21; returned $10.60 on the front end.)

Honor Student: Broke a step slow, raced four lengths behind in fourth after a half-mile, lost several lengths around far turn, angled out from rail for drive, made up more than 5 ¼ lengths in stretch and finished third beaten a neck and a head at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 20.

Diller: Trailed by more than 14 ½ lengths after a half-mile, advanced from eighth to fifth in stretch, made up more than five lengths and finished second by a nose at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 7.

OAKLAWN PARK

Lord’s View: Raced more than 4 ½ lengths behind in fifth after a half-mile, roused for drive, made up three lengths in stretch and gained second by three-quarters of a length at six furlongs on March 27.

Passmnalexus: Broke inward, raced five lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile, advanced four wide into stretch, finished willingly to make up 3 ¾ lengths and ran second beaten three-quarters of a length at six furlongs on March 1.

Splash of Bold: Dueled early, grabbed lead by a head after a half-mile, shook clear by a length in stretch and finished second beaten three-quarters of a length at six furlongs on a sloppy surface on March 7. (Tracked pace more than four lengths behind in fourth after a half-mile, rallied four wide on turn to second in stretch and won by a half-lengths at six furlongs on March 26.)

Bugsy McCool: Raced seven lengths behind in fourth after a half-mile, made up 3 ½ lengths in stretch and finished second by 10 lengths at six furlongs on Feb. 8.

Chin High: Broke 11th and last, trailed by more than 16 lengths after a half-mile, rallied four wide into the lane, made up 4 ½ lengths in stretch and finished second beaten a half-length at 1 1/6 miles on Jan. 21. (Raced seven lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile, advanced to third in stretch and drew off driving to win by 1 ¾ lengths at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 14.)

PHILADELPHIA PARK

De Fearless One: Raced more than 6 ½ lengths behind in seventh after three-eighths of a mile, rallied extremely wide from fourth in stretch, made up more than 3 ¾ lengths and closed with good energy to finished second beaten three-quarters of a length at 5 ½ furlongs on March 25.

Rymar: Raced more than 5 ½ lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile, split rivals on turn losing ground, rallied from sixth to make up 6 ¼ lengths in stretch and gained second by a head at 6 ½ furlongs on Feb. 5.

Jorkat Slew: Raced fourth more than two lengths behind after a half-mile, rallied to second in stretch, but couldn’t catch winner and held place by a half-length at 6 ½ furlongs on Feb. 17. (Raced 5 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, bore out badly on turn, rallied to make up five lengths in stretch and finished second beaten a half-length at six furlongs on March 22.)

SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK

La Estrellita: Raced sixth more than 11 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, rallied from fifth five wide into stretch, closed fast to make up 4 ¾ lengths and finished second beaten a neck at a mile and 70 yards on March 28.

Runaway Lil Bull: Broke slowly eighth and last, trailed by more than 7 ½ lengths after a half-mile, advanced five wide to fifth in stretch, made up nearly 4 ½ lengths and finished third beaten two necks at six furlongs on Feb. 22; ran final quarter in 24 1/5.

Fred’s Day: Jostled after start, raced sixth more than 4 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, raced three wide on turn into stretch, rallied between rivals to make up more than 2 ½ lengths and closed well to finish second beaten a half-length at six furlongs on Feb. 2.

SANTA ANITA

River Echo: Crowded after breaking seventh and last, raced 4 ½ lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile, came out four wide into stretch, made up four lengths and finished well in second beaten a half-length at six furlongs on March 27; ran final quarter in 23 1/5.

Sure Thing Eva: Raced seventh more than 3 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, rallied inside from fifth to make up three lengths in stretch and finished second beaten a head at seven furlongs on Feb. 2; ran final three furlongs in 36 2/5.

TURF PARADISE

Sharpster: Raced more than four lengths behind in sixth after a half-mile, came six wide into stretch, rallied to make up more than 3 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a nose at mile on March 28.

Madly Paddlin Home: Raced 3 ½ lengths behind in fourth after three-eighths of a mile, lost ground four wide on turn, finished gamely making up 3 ¾ lengths in stretch and ran second beaten three-quarters of a length at 5 ½ furlongs on March 3.

Miss Dow Jones: Broke seventh and last, raced more than 1 ½ lengths behind in sixth after three-eighths of a mile, eased out in stretch, made up more than 2 ½ lengths and finished second beaten a length at 5 ½ furlongs on Feb. 8.

Crazy Girl: Led by a head after a half-mile, battled winner into stretch and gave ground grudgingly late and finished second beaten a length at six furlongs on Feb. 4. (Set pace, leading by a half-length after a half-mile, dug in gamely down the stretch and finished second beaten a nose at six furlongs on a sealed wet fast surface Feb. 22.)

TURFWAY PARK

Why Yield: Raced more than 6 ½ lengths behind in 10th after a half-mile, closed fast outside from fifth in stretch and gained second by a nose at 6 ½ furlongs on March 27.

En El Fuego: Raced ninth more than 8 ½ lengths behind after a half-mile, dropped to 10th on fare turn, caught in traffic advancing to fifth in upper stretch, closed fast to make up more than 7 ¼ lengths and finished third beaten a head and a nose at a mile on Feb. 8.

by Bookmaker Racebook

Miami Bosses: ‘R’ Word Is Retooling or Reshuffling

The Miami brass says the “R” word for this season is retooling or reshuffling, not rebuilding.

“We don’t look at it as rebuilding,” owner Wayne Huizenga told The Miami Herald. “Our defense is pretty much intact. We kept the guys we wanted to keep. Now we’re got to make some changes on offense. I don’t look at that as a rebuilding.”

The team is reshuffling the roster as opposed to rebuilding it, general manager Randy Mueller told The Sun-Sentinel.

I went to the dictionary to discern the differences:

Retooling means “to reorganize something in order to make it more efficient or powerful” – like the Dolphins will have to retool if they are to remain competitive.

Reshuffling means “to arrange or organize anew” — like Miami must reshuffle the team.

Rebuilding means “to work to restore something that has been weakened, damaged or ruined” — like the Dolphins will have to rebuild.

To paraphrase Shakespeare: That which we call rebuilding – by any other word would be the same.

No matter which “R” word you prefer, there’s no doubt changes must be made for Miami to reach the AFC playoffs for the first time since losing 20-3 to Baltimore in the 2001 first round.

All-Pro defensive end Jason Taylor thinks the playoffs are within reach: “We can be in the AFC championship game like New Orleans was (last year in the NFC). It can turn around very quickly.”

At his recent charity golf tournament, Taylor told The Palm Beach Post, “We are looking for young guys and you have to in this league. There are different levels of rebuilding. Hopefully we’re not in a little tear-down part.”

Rebuilding? Well, the Dolphins lost a dozen players who started a combined 100-plus games in ’06.

Taylor said head coach Cam Cameron addressed his concerns about rebuilding in some ways with the signing of onetime Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Parker.

Cameron, however, stresses the Dolphins will rely more on the draft than free agency. “We’re going to build this team through the draft,” he told a news conference after returning from a family vacation.

Miami has four picks in the Top 71, including the ninth. Defensive back Jason Allen, who went 16th last year, is one of three back-ups on the team.

On April 28-29, the Dolphins have nine selections in the seven rounds. Right now the main concern is starting quarterback. An NFL team without a dependable quarterback is like a fish out of water. In this case, the Dolphins are animals on defense, but minnows on offense.

Miami, fourth last year in total defense, was ranked 29th in total offense. Only Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Oakland were more pathetic. The team averaged 16.2 points a game, only ahead of the lowly three above.

Since Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired, the Dolphins have been inconsistent at best. Consider just two of his numerous individual records compiled from 1983 through ’99:

Most 300-yard games: 63. Jay Fiedler, his successor through ’04, was tied for second with three.

Most TD passes: 420. The next four, including Bob (Super Bowl) Griese, ’67-80, and Fiedler, combined for 331.

The quarterback situation for ’07 is up in the air because Joey Harrington was cut March 5.

He led the Dolphins to a 6-10 record last year while ranking 29th among passers, lower than either of his previous two seasons at Detroit. His release came partly because of a high salary cap number and he was due a $1 million roster bonus.

Cameron, who oversaw San Diego’s explosive offense that led the NFL in scoring last year, has said, “Whoever our quarterback winds up being, it will be the guy that has earned the job.”

The candidates are:

Daunte Culpepper: Acquired from Minnesota only four months from reconstructive knee surgery, he started the first four games in ’06, going 1-3 as his mobility was hampered by lingering knee problems.

Culpepper renewed rehabilitation, giving way to Harrington. While the Dolphins expect him to attend quarterback schools and mini-camps, but not fully participate, his status remains a mystery.

Cleo Lemon: He became a Dolphin in ’05 from San Diego where he worked with Cameron for a year. His playing experience: four games, including one start – replacing Harrington in a season-ending loss.

Trent Green: So far, the price isn’t right. Kansas City wants a higher draft choice than the seventh pick Miami is willing to shell out for the aging veteran relegated to back-up after missing eight starts with a concussion. Cameron and Green were at Washington in ’96 when Cameron was quartbacks coach.

Brady Quinn: Ranked in the Top 5 of most likely to be drafted on April 28, the Notre Dame quarterback is unlikely to be around when Miami selects ninth.

Stay tuned!

By Greg Melikov

Critics hoping star’s arrival drives other sports figure’s to dress better

NEW YORK - U.S. soccer might be hoping for a surge in popularity with the arrival of English star David Beckham, but some fashion critics are also hoping he can teach U.S. sports stars a thing or two about clothes.

“Hopefully it will inspire them to lift their game,” said Adam Rapoport, style editor at men’s fashion magazine GQ. “I think athletes respond to competition well. If someone’s looking better than them, they want to get on par with them.”

Beckham, 31, has signed a $250 million, five-year deal to moved to the United States later this year and play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but even before he has arrived he has graced the covers of U.S. fashion magazines.
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So is the U.S. sports scene in need of a style icon?

“Desperately. And they’re in need of a tailor,” said Wendell Brown, senior fashion editor at Esquire magazine. “I hope Beckham has a major impact.”

Rapoport agreed, saying there had been a fashion void on the U.S. sports scene since the 2003 retirement of basketball star Michael Jordan, who is now one of the world’s wealthiest former athletes with endorsement contracts and business interests.

“I don’t think anyone’s stepped up to the plate since Jordan retired, and I think they could use one. It’s going to be interesting to see if Beckham can be that guy,” he said.

But Beckham’s iconic style status doesn’t appear to have U.S. sports stars shaking in their boots.

“It’s not going to put pressure on me. I’m not competing with him,” Philadelphia Eagles football player Jevon Kearse said with a laugh, while attending the launch of Jared M, a clothing line designed especially for big, tall sports stars.

But he did add that Beckham’s popularity could pressure other athletes to lift their fashion game.

Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Jim Jackson said that although he believed Beckham probably would have an impact on U.S. sports stars fashion, most NBA players were already “dressing the part.”

“They made it mandatory for NBA players to dress up,” Jackson said. “I think guys really accepted that and really took it as a challenge to step up their game.”

In defense of U.S. football and basketball stars, Esquire’s Brown said that for many of them size impeded their style.

“One of the things that nobody really mentions about David Beckham is that the clothing is so geared to his shape,” Brown said. “He is the perfect size to wear Dolce and Gabbana and Versace and Prada and Gucci.”

by: www.msnbc.msn.com

Korea’s Kia Motors agreed a deal to become the official automotive partner of the Chinese men’s and women’s national football teams in a deal brokered by the Infront agency.

Kia Motors Corporation, part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, is pursuing an active, global policy of investing in football. It is already a top tier FIFA sponsor, with an agreement which includes the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

As the official automotive sponsor of Team China, Kia will provide the CFA with the latest vehicles from its model line-up in addition to financial support. The vehicles will be supplied from Kia’s domestic plants and the Dongfeng Yueda Kia factory in China. With the sponsorship agreement, Kia also secures strong, visible presence during the Team China Football events through various onsite advertising opportunities.

Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, commented, “This sponsorship of Team China further cements Kia’s commitment to football. Our increasing presence in the world’s favourite sport will strengthen the Kia brand among huge audiences and serve as an efficient platform to reach our self-confident, adventurous and young-at-heart target customer base.”

Kia said its decision to support Team China in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and South Africa in 2010 is an acknowledgement of the importance of
football to Chinese consumers.

Infront has a far-reaching partnership with the CFA which goes beyond the commercial arena. It includes a technical development programme to help build the national team by providing training, coaching and development opportunities of the highest international standard, as well as friendly matches against quality opposition.

By www.sportbusiness.com