Joe Talamo on Carson Daly and The Latest Edition of Down The Stretch

Joe Talamo, nineteen year-old jockey of I Want Revenge, spoke to Carson Daly this past week about realizing his dream to ride in the Kentucky Derby.



Those of you that have added Talamo as a friend on Twitter would have heard about this interview long before the editing and glitz was put together. Click here to add Joe Talamo to your Twitter list.

Here is Joe's latest update:
"9 til derby: Just got done working at hollywood park. Playing some pool getting ready to ride"

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Three Chimneys posted some awesome photos on their Facebook Page of Hall of Fame Jockey Angel Cordero with the brilliant Flower Alley.
According to the introduction on the homepage:
"On Thursday, April 23 Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero came out to Three Chimneys to ride his old friend, Flower Alley, whom Angel used to gallop and breeze in the mornings at the track for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Angel told us that Flower Alley was one of the few horses that he'd become attached to and that his retirement to stud was a sad day for him personally.
Flower Alley won the Travers Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and the Salvadore Mile (G3) and was second in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). He retired with earnings of $2,533,910. He is the richest son of Distorted Humor at stud and stands for a fee of $20,000. His first foals are yearlings this year."

Looks like Angel was happy to see his old friend.

Three Chimneys is home to 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown and this is one of the best promotional videos I've seen!



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The latest edition of Down The Stretch is printed and at the track! Here is the press release straight from the Down The Stretch Facebook homepage:
We have a great issue, including feature interviews with jockey Chantal Sutherland and Woodbine Entertainment Group president Nick Eaves. We also have stories on Simon Husbands' successful appeal of his one-year suspension, a preview of the Kentucky Derby, an update on teenager Yael Gottesman and her continuing crusade to end horse slaughter in Canada, the opening day of the Woodbine thoroughbred meet and Down The Stretch's involvement in Community Day and, of course, our usual array of oddities and entities, columns and cartoons.
And on behalf of editor Peter Gross and everyone associated with the paper we would like to thank our growing membership. We have exceeded the 300-member mark and literally have membership around the world. We look forward to expanding that number and encourage you to spread the word. To quote Harvey Pack: "May the horse be with you."

My contribution to this issue is a very early preview of the Kentucky Derby where I point out the major contenders we've all been talking about and then get into pointing out some of the pretenders such as Red Ransom and West Side Bernie. Those of you looking to make some money on Derby Day may wish to use the article as a way to identify who I like and then cross them off your list! You can find the story by clicking here.

Please hold all criticsms until after the Derby!

Friday Fun: Google Earth with Racetracks

It's Friday and the Form is burning a hole in my coat pocket. A fun evening of handicapping the Dubai World Cup awaits. Canadian racing fans can watch and wager from 9:30AM Saturday morning on HPI TV.
If you're up, I hope to be tweeting race-by-race.

If you're a fan of stallions such as Big Brown, Point Given and Exchange Rate then you may want to consider the following.
Three Chimneys has taken the lead in connecting with racing fans by establishing the Three Chimneys Fan Club. The first 500 people to sign up receive a discounted annual membership of $35. Membership includes:

*A Three Chimneys Club Member hat
*Quarterly installments of the Club Three Chimneys newsletter
*An annual membership pin
*2 vouchers per year for a free stallion tour for you and a guest (for use on regularly scheduled tours; reservations required)
*Priority scheduling for you and up to three guests on any regularly scheduled tour
*Access to seasonal photos of the Three Chimneys stallions
*Opportunity to purchase Three Chimneys stallions photography at a discounted price
*Special offers on Three Chimneys merchandise for sale
*Contests, including the opportunity to name Three Chimneys racehorses and meet Pat Chapman, owner of Smarty Jones
*Email alerts with updates about the stallions and their progeny's most recent accomplishments and accolades
*8 FREE issues of The Blood-Horse magazine and the opportunity to subscribe at a special low rate.
*$5.00 voucher good toward the purchase of merchandise on HorseHats.com
*10% discount on all orders placed on ExclusivelyEquine.com

Sounds like a great idea to me. Eight issues of Blood-Horse and a Slew of fan club specials. I dig it.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, I found this oddball nugget of news involving a kid who decided to prank his parents by drawing a giant, um, "thing" on the roof of his house in order to be immortalized on Google Earth.

I'm not sure if this is a UK phenomenon but there's quite a few stories of Google Earth pranks.

Though the stories made me laugh, it hasn't inspired me to go out and buy industrial strength chalk. I did, however, take a few moments to look up - or, I guess the appropriate term is, look down at - a few tracks from the heavens courtesy of Google Earth

Here's a sunny Woodbine Racetrack.


Thinking about the Derby? Check out Churchill Downs!


Tomorrow's Dubai World Cup will be raced at Nad Al Sheba.


Why not try your luck on the late Pick 4 at Aqueduct?


Santa Anita has a decent Pick 4 to pick at as well.


Mountaineer looks to be very scenically situated.


Finally, I'm thankful there will be racing at Fort Erie's oval this season.


TGIF readers, see you tomorrow morning on Twitter.